Thanks

The motion to appoint new Scottish Ministers ( the technical procedure for a reshuffle) went through at 5.30. In every speech there was a warm tribute to Bruce Crawford who is voluntarily standing down as the Cabinet Secretary in charge of Parliamentary Business & Government Strategy.

The First Minister was right to admit in his chamber speech that it was Bruce who , again and again during our four years of minority government , kept the show on the Parliamentary road. Without his business management and negotiating skills we might well have fallen , several times.

After the chamber we all gathered on the fourth floor of the Ministerial tower where Bruce's staff had arranged for the FM to present him with a card signed by lots of his colleagues in Government and the Civil Service.

It was an emotional moment - for him and everyone else . The picture of him from 1988 added a surreal touch but all of us will be the poorer for not having him in the Government team.

He remains the closest of friends and I am grateful for all the support, advice and counsel he has given me over the past five years. I couldn't have got here without him. I will miss him hugely as a close colleague though I will still be asking for his help.

So - thanks!