I doubt Nicola Sturgeon wakes up in the middle of the night desperately missing the guidance of her former friend/mentor/nemesis, Alex Salmond.
Nevertheless, there must be times when she wishes she, or the people around her, had the same effortless ability possessed by the former First Minister to control the media agenda, or at least to manipulate it in his favour. Deep down, the current SNP leader must surely be thinking: Alex wouldn’t have fallen into this trap.
How on earth did she end up having to defend a claim that, after Scotland gains independence, state pensions will continue to be paid by the state from which Scotland has just broken free?
It’s a bold proposition, it has to be admitted. But is it really the kind of public argument she wants to have, just as she’s gearing up for her latest attempt to persuade the UK government to allow her another referendum?