Petro-panic at Scots Parliament?

John Knox
Political reporter, BBC Scotland

"Don't panic." That was the rather unconvincing message echoing around the forecourts of Holyrood this week as the nation braced itself for the 48 hour strike at Grangemouth oil refinery.

Consumers were warned against panic-buying

MSPs did not quite know whether to take sides in the dispute or raise the alarm about petrol supplies.

At first minister's question time, Alex Salmond sought to pour oil on troubled waters. "Scotland can cope," he said.

"It's a time when we need everyone's co-operation in not repeat buying, to cut out non-essential trips, and to use public transport."

Mr Salmond urged both sides to get back to the negotiating table and deal with the fundamental issue of the dispute - pension contributions.

Grangemouth MSP, Labour's Cathy Peattie, asked at question time: "Will the first minister join with me in supporting the 1,200 employees at Grangemouth who are fighting to safeguard the pensions of future employees in the face of a company that has singled out this site and is aggressively pursuing confrontation?"

Labour leader Wendy Alexander surprised everyone by not asking about Grangemouth at all.

'Empty promises'

Annabel Goldie, for the Conservatives, confined herself to calling for both sides to "calm down, sit down, get back around the table and, in the meantime, call this strike off".

Nicol Stephen said his Liberal Democrats were concerned some garage owners were profiteering from the panic. He said some were charging £1.30 for a litre of petrol: "People want real action from the government, not empty promises that everything is normal."

There was an unreal air of phoney war with solemn statements to parliament, daily meetings of ministers, and the activation of the emergency room in St Andrew's House.

Pupils debated global education access (Pic: Aubrey Wade/Oxfam)

To be frank, there is not a great deal Holyrood can do about the Grangemouth strike. Oil supplies are a matter for the UK government and both the union and Ineos are independent organisations.

Back to Holyrood business and, on Thursday morning, Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop announced plans to reform the exam system.

She issued a consultation paper suggesting Standard Grade and Intermediate Grade exams be replaced with a new, single exam.

Ms Hyslop said she wanted to keep Highers as "the gold standard" and allow pupils two years to prepare for them. Advanced Highers would stay.

And there would be new certificates for literacy and numeracy in fourth year.

On Wednesday, Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon fulfilled the SNP manifesto pledge for an independent, judicial inquiry into NHS patients infected with hepatitis C and HIV through tainted blood products.

Former judge Lady Cosgrove will conduct the inquiry, to begin taking evidence near the end of this year.

By then, it will have the findings of the Lord Archer's investigation in England at its disposal - and all the papers relating to the case from the NHS and government in Scotland.

World harmony

Lady Cosgrove will fix her own terms of reference but, broadly, the inquiry aims to establish how several hundred patients, particularly haemophiliacs, became infected in the 70s and 80s.

They have since received a total of £14m in compensation - but previous Holyrood governments resisted such an inquiry.

As always, it was the outside visitors to parliament that made it an interesting place this week.

On Tuesday, the World Harmony runners arrived in their blue jackets and blue caps.

Andre, from the Czech Republic, told me his eight-strong team would bear their torch through Scottish cities over the weekend, before departing for Ireland on the next stage of their European run.

"We're just reminding people about the importance of peace," he said.

Then, on Wednesday, the National Union of Students staged a mock graduation ceremony, complete with black gowns and mortar boards, on a red carpet at the front of parliament.

They wanted to make the point that a third of students consider dropping out of university because of financial hardship.

Ministers announced plans to scrap the Standard Grade exam

On Thursday, the English Speaking Union staged its schools debate in committee room two.

Pupils from eight schools around Scotland discussed progress towards the UN's millennium development goal of every child having access to primary education by 2015.

But the most spectacular visitors of all were 400 orienteers - from 20 countries - who gathered in Holyrood's Garden Lobby for an official reception on Tuesday evening.

They were in their team colours and carrying the flags of Austria, Belgium, China, England, and so on through the alphabet to Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and another country beginning with "S", which sent no fewer than 12 teams to the event.

This was the opening ceremony of this year's International School Sport Federation orienteering championships.

The closing ceremony is being held on Saturday in the parliament's landscaped gardens.

Medals are being awarded by the parliament's direction-finder-in-chief, Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson.

And that music you hear is from the Edinburgh Samba Band. But do not panic - they are not real empty oil drums.