SOMETIMES it’s difficult to work out if politicians are more bothered about the national interest or social media adulation.
The election of Donald Trump has exposed this again.
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Because what is it that makes someone in government in the UK – or aspiring to be in power – nail their colours to the mast in a US election?
This outcome of this particular presidential race was said to be pretty much a toss of a coin.
But First Minister John Swinney last week, and Labour MPs slagging off Donald Trump, seemed more bothered about short-sighted virtue-signalling than they did about being statesman-like.
It really should not need repeating, but occupants of high office in the UK, need to strike up good relations with the leaders of other nations, especially key strategic allies.
READ MORE ON TRUMP’S ELECTION
What’s more, political leaders here are the first to complain about foreign interference in our elections.
SNP types, indeed, told pesky foreigners – and indeed the English – to butt out amid the 2014 independence referendum, when figures including Barack Obama waded in.
So, what is it that made Labour think it was a good idea to rally volunteers to go and campaign for Kamala Harris?
What is it that made Mr Swinney say, just last Thursday, that “people in the United States of America should vote for Kamala Harris” and he had “not come to that conclusion only because Donald Trump is opposed to Scottish independence”?
Maybe it’s a form of political Tourette’s syndrome. But it’s always the most tribal of politicians – the ones who claim to hate tribalism – who tend to soil themselves and their country in public over matters like these.
The temptation to say the “right” thing according to the “progressive” groupthink is too much.
And the less said about Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton’s cringey fanboying of Ms Harris, the better for everyone.
The case for a more sober, respectful and professional approach to dealing with Mr Trump is pretty obvious.
He is nothing if not unpredictable. From a Scotland point of view, he doesn’t just have businesses here, he also has a deep fondness for Scotland with those ancestral ties.
The Scotch whisky industry is worried about tariffs. Representations may need to be made for an exemption, so why burn your bridges during the campaign?
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The Scottish Government may not have formal powers over foreign affairs, but its relationship with the US – and whoever is running it – is absolutely crucial to exports and inward investment.
As I write this, it is starting to sound like a series of statements of the obvious, which makes it all the more ridiculous that the likes of Mr Swinney cannot maintain a sense of perspective.
The First Minister exposed himself as a hypocrite by issuing congratulations to Mr Trump. Given Trump International’s rebuke of Mr Swinney last week, the damage is already done.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
This may not flatter politicians’ egos, but once a leader attains high office, in many ways, it’s no longer about them.
And for a party which aspires to one day run an independent country, the SNP’s failure to do grown-up politics in this field is utterly dismal.
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