Other than Burns, Scott and Carroll, my favourite comment upon the human condition comes from the French thinker, Voltaire.

He had his character Candide remind us: “Il faut cultiver notre jardin.” Confronted with over-optimistic Panglossian piffle, Candide suggests we might more usefully dig the garden.

I thought of that this week. All passion spent, our politicians, elected or deposed, are adapting to the new reality.

No more bombast or rhetoric. Time to get on with that neglected garden. Especially for our new Prime Minister and still relatively new First Minister.

But perhaps, to begin, a glance elsewhere. The Liberal Democrats seem to be coping admirably with their restored status as the third party in the Commons.

The Tories? Rishi Sunak already appears to be fading from public view. Like a Parliamentary Cheshire Cat. (Told you I liked Carroll.)

Douglas Ross is in limbo. Or perhaps purgatory. As his colleagues assess his leadership and his fatally flawed decision to contest – and lose – a Westminster seat.

There is talk once more of the Scottish Tories breaking away from the UK party in an effort to establish a distinctive persona.

It seems possible that they will devise a form of quasi-autonomy, although in truth they have that already.

Don’t envisage a complete break, though. For one thing, funding. For another, their members mostly dislike the concept. As Murdo Fraser found out in 2011 when he lost the Scottish leadership by offering to create a new entity, under a new name.

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This election was a cry of pain from an anguished electorate

Brian........

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