Boos ring in ears of First Minister at Press Ball

FIRST Minister, Jack McConnell, may be well used to getting a hard time from hacks, but even he would not have expected to be on the receiving end of boos at the Highland Press Ball on Friday night.

He was in Nairn to present the Highland Media Awards and was unlucky to have to follow the speech by ball organiser, John Ross, The Scotsman’s man in the north, whose comedian, Chic Murray-style delivery had warmed up the audience very nicely.

His speech went down so well the unfortunate First Minister was seen doing a hasty rewrite at the interval.

However, his machine gun-style delivery, coupled with some blatant electioneering, failed to hit the target