The Lib Dems... What are they good for?

Absolutely nothing.

I saw Brian Taylor's webcast interview with Nicol Stephen today. While it was a useful wee insight into the workings of the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader's mind, what a lot of mince he spoke - so just his usual then.

Brian Taylor put to him questions from BBC viewers/ website users, including questions on working with the SNP & the Trump development. In answering, Nicol Stephen pretty much ruled out working with the SNP until they drop their policy of holding an independence referendum. He denied personally disliking Alex Salmond (though I can't see that feeling being mutual!) but would not retract - at Brian Taylor's urging - his declaration that the Trump affair "smelled of sleaze."

He defended the party's unwillingness to allow a referendum on independence, and categorically denied that their support for a referendum on continued membership of the EU was inconsistent with that belief because they are in favour of the EU.

Hang on a minute though. They want a referendum (on continuing membership of the EU - which they believe is a good thing - but do not want a referendum on continued membership of another union, that of the UK, which they also believe is a good thing.

So Nicol supports asking this question of the British public:
Do you want to remain part of the EU? Yes or No

But does not want to ask this question of the Scottish public:
Do you want to remain part of the UK? Yes or No

What is liberal or democratic about that?

I say again, absolutely nothing.