A week of 'madness'

Rosie Kane: "My oath is to the people"

Another fledgling Scottish Executive is emerging from the "dialectical" first week of post-election Holyrood, writes BBC Scotland's political correspondent, John Knox.

We were promised a parliament of "madness and craziness" by the Socialist Party's St Joan, Rosie Kane, and that's what we got during the swearing in ceremony on Wednesday morning.

It was, in fact, very rewarding to watch each MSP walk forward and take the oath of allegiance.

You could tell a lot by the body language. Some marched. Some slightly swaggered. Some stepped lightly down the steps of the chamber. Some held their hands full high. Some barely raised them.

About half took the secular form of the oath, without the "So help me God."

Four took the oath in Gaelic - Alasdair Morrison, John Farquhar Munro, the husband and wife team Rob Gibson (Scottish National Party) and Eleanor Scott (Green).

'Public confidence'

Some were dressed in dark suits. Several of the women wore red jackets. Keith Raffan was in his kilt.

Rosanna Cunningham looked splendid in her long blue scarf.

The aforementioned St Joan wore blue jeans and an off the shoulder butterfly top.

Some raised clenched fists while they took the oath but Rosie Kane went one further, writing a message in felt tip on the palm of her hand: "My oath is to the people."

George Reid was sworn in as the new Presiding Officer

The leaping Socialist, Colin Fox, famous for his jump of joy on election night, chose to make his protest through song - "A Man's A Man for A' That" - but Sir David Steel sent him to the back of the queue for time-wasting.

It was one of his last acts as presiding officer.

By Tuesday afternoon he was handing over to the SNP's George Reid, who was elected unopposed by 113 votes to seven, with nine abstentions.

The contest for the two deputies was much closer. Labour's Trish Godman and the Conservative Murray Tosh emerged as the eventual winners.

George Reid and his team were promised the support of all sides.

Mr Reid reminded members that all had rights but they also had the responsibilities to make their contributions "constructively and with courtesy".

"The greatest responsibility is to build public confidence in this parliament," said Mr Reid.

Down to business

Sir David handed over his gavel, holding back the tears. All he could say was: "I wish you well."

After the ceremonials, the parliament immediately got down to business.

The SNP members, on that first day, lodged 12 questions, two parliamentary motions and a bill.

The bill came from Alex Neil and it was none other than his lost colleague Mike Russell's Gaelic language bill.

Coalition talks began in earnest

Labour and Liberal Democrats only managed one motion each, on Scottish Natural Heritage and the Cairngorms.

The Conservatives put down four questions - on government waste, of course.

But while there was madness and craziness in the chamber, there was sense and sensibility over at St Andrew's House.

There, the Labour and Liberal Democrat negotiators were attempting to draw up a joint programme for government for a new coalition.

Both sides have been holding press briefings all week, reporting steady progress.

Rumours of disagreements were denied across the agenda - on children starting school aged six, on the number of new nurses there should be, on tolls over the Skye Bridge, on the imprisonment of the parents of persistent young offenders.

Regime change

The denials were pretty unconvincing.

But by this dialectical process we will have a programme for government by early next week.

Jack McConnell will then be re-elected first minister. His deputy will be the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Jim Wallace.

Other ministers will be appointed and a new cabinet formed.

MSPs will vote for this regime change in the strange surroundings of the Hub Hall.

MSPs will vacate the chamber for the Kirk's General Assembly

The Church of Scotland is reclaiming its chamber for its general assembly and the parliament will move across the road to the blue and red and gold of this courtly theatre house.

It's a kind of Alice in Wonderland world where we can expect craziness to be the norm.

And so, through the looking glass and into next week. Who knows what I shall be reporting then.

But we cannot leave the first week of this post-election drama without mentioning one more ceremony - the Kirking of the parliament.

A deeply bronzed Prince Charles joined MSPs in their Sunday best on Monday evening for a service of dedication in St Giles Cathedral.

The Moderator of the Church of Scotland, Finlay Macdonald, preached a sermon on the evils of sectarianism.

They sang the Auld Hundredth Psalm and then snaked across the cobble stones to a reception in the Signet Library.

It may all seem a little remote from the realities of Scottish life but that's because it dates back to the days before the present era of madness and craziness.