Betting has started on who will replace Nicola Sturgeon as first minister and my money is on Harry Styles.
That has to be worth a 10,000-to-one flutter because it’s clear there is nothing he can’t do.
If he continues on his current trajectory he could end up overtaking the SpaceX mega-rocket Starship which is set for its maiden flight next month.
The former One Direction star cleaned up at the Brits, winning all four prizes he was nominated for, following similar glory at the Grammy Awards.
He can sing, he can dance, he can act and he wields so much influence he can spark a trend in ‘clowncore’ by donning a harlequin jumpsuit on the red carpet.
I doubt Angus Robertson could manage that, even if he is judged groovy enough to be 6/5 favourite to succeed Ms Sturgeon as SNP Leader.
Comparisons between Sturgeon and Ardern
At 32 years old, Kate Forbes may appeal to a similar demographic as 29-year-old Harry, and she is the bookies’ second favourite at 2/1 for the Bute House gig.
As she is currently on maternity leave, late night events such as the Brits are way past her bedtime, but as the much-admired Jacinda Ardern demonstrated, you can still run the country with a new baby in tow.
The former New Zealand prime minister made history in 2018 when she took three-month-old Neve to a meeting of the United Nations general assembly in New York.
This week comparisons have been drawn between Ms Ardern and Ms Sturgeon, both of whom showed eloquence and dignity in their resignations, saying they owed it to themselves, their party and their country to step aside.
Rivals and allies alike from across the political spectrum paid tribute to the “formidable” Ms Sturgeon, to her passion, dedication and compassion.
Say what you like about Nicola, but we all know she’s not going on I’m A Celebrity… any time soon.
Tetris
What is appearing on our screens is a trailer for Tetris, the hotly-anticipated Hollywood blockbuster from Peterhead-born director Jon S Baird.
The trailer gave glimpses of Aberdeen after Tillydrone, George Street and King Street were transformed into Soviet-era Russia for a week in 2021 for filming.
The director hopes to draw more film-makers to the region and the trailer certainly fills a person with city pride, not to mention an overwhelming urge to play Tetris.
Granite Noir
Film is an exciting aspect of the upcoming Granite Noir crime-writing festival, with Vertigo, Knives Out, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Zootropolis on the bill.
They have been curated by Colin Farquhar, formerly head of cinema operations at Belmont Filmhouse, who told The P&J: “They are all films that have an element of investigation and a crime in the middle that needs to be solved.”
Code crackers
Elsewhere three amateur cryptologists have used their investigative powers to crack secret codes used in 55 letters written by Mary, Queen of Scots between 1578 and 1584.
Their work will pave the way for historians to give fresh insight into her thoughts and activities during her years of captivity in England.
Historian John Guy said the letters confirm Mary Stuart was a “shrewd and attentive analyst of international affairs”.
Had she been around this week she could have provided analysis on Rishi Sunak’s efforts to finally strike a deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol as he prepared to meet Stormont politicians near Belfast and EU leaders in Germany.
She may also have had something to say about US-China relations as a fourth UFO was shot down over North America.
The US said the first was a Chinese spy balloon, but is less certain about the other three.
US Air Force General Glen VanHerck refused to dismiss the possibility of extraterrestrials.
Such candour would never happen in a disaster movie. Officials keep information like that to themselves, for fear of sparking public panic.
Then again, public panic isn’t what we once supposed it was – we now know it’s really just people tearing around Asda with a trolley full of loo rolls.
So General VanHerck, please do go on, what else can you tell us about this alien invasion?
Conversation