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And so the Royal Wedding on 29th of April next year - and all the questions fall out, tumbling around us.

The dress? The bridesmaids? The vows? The guest list? The impact on the Scottish Parliamentary elections?

What? The last one didn't occur to you? You can bet that it occurred pretty sharply to political parties.

After all, the elections are presently fixed for the 5th of May - the week after the Royal nuptials.

Tiny point first.

Royal Wedding almost certainly means extra public holiday in Scotland - which means dissolution of Parliament one day earlier than scheduled.

Bigger point next.

'More British'

Will the wedding affect turnout / voting in any perceptible way? Might it, for example, make people feel more "British" - and hence less inclined to vote SNP?

Possible, I suppose, but, in my view, highly unlikely.

For two reasons.

One, Alex Salmond has taken considerable care not to offend Royalists in Scotland: He was among the first to congratulate the couple on their engagement.

Two, I believe that the good and sensible people of Scotland are eminently capable of absorbing a Royal wedding in their own, individual fashion - then moving on to consider their devolved voting choice.

The electorate - and the political parties - may frankly welcome a pause in the relentless campaigning.

Then again, John Swinney's budget may be defeated, the budget may fall - and we could have an election in March. Not.

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