You could almost hear the teeth grinding as the kind of kind words were squeezed out.
After the standing ovation for Alex Salmond’s departure address albeit from the government benches and some folk in the public gallery, including one wearing an SNP lanyard it didn’t matter how big a target Jackie Baillie could have been given, her speech would have missed it by miles.
It was enough to make any Scottish football fan wish she was an English striker.
The press gallery moaned and groaned I overheard something about a noose from behind me but the real entertainment was watching the backbenchers. Nicola Sturgeon may have turned her back and began rolling her eyes but I thought James Dornan’s jaw might have literally hit the floor at one point. Meanwhile, Labour MSPs up in the Holyrood “gods” looked almost set to fall into an ennui-induced coma. The limp applause said it all.
Ruth Davidson was a bit better at least offering genuine words of warmth and constructive criticism although it didn’t quite seem to hit the mark.
Willie Rennie was funnier, including a neat anecdote about the duo’s first meeting at the Dunfermline by-election, while Patrick Harvie had a wee bit of a confusing rant about Donald Trump.
Then there was Stewart Stevenson. Salmond’s former driver compared the outgoing First Minister to JFK because he believed landing on the moon was possible.
After the barbed goodbyes, I guess one final over the top spin of ridiculousness was allowed.