What was the point?

He came, he saw and, if he didn't conquer, he talked a bit. But did he achieve anything? The Scotsman summarises the Great Man's stately progress on his latest trip to patronise the peasants:

At a Labour fundraising dinner on Thursday evening, those who attended say he spoke movingly of his family ties to Scotland and Glasgow.
He was proud to have been born in "this wonderful country", he told his audience.
It was a theme which his visits were intended to reinforce.
On Thursday, he went to a welfare-to-work scheme in the East End of Glasgow where the Executive and the UK government have joined forces to get more women into jobs through childcare help and support.
Later, he talked easily about everything from crime to nuclear power at a gathering of party activists and Holyrood candidates in central Glasgow.
At a business breakfast yesterday, he stressed the challenges to Scotland in the global economy and the strength he sees it derives from continuing as part of the UK.
And in his final speech, to Labour activists, he pointed to the surrounding Clyde waterfront to make his case that the UK's stable economy, combined with the work of the Labour council and Labour-led Executive, was rejuvenating Glasgow.

Not exactly Gladstone's Midlothian campaign. Were we, the ordinary punters who will be gracing the polling booths in 12 weeks' time, supposed to be impressed?

Was that it then? A bit of fund-raising, a gee up for the party activists and a business breakfast with the bigwigs (and a visit to a welfare-to-work scheme so that the cost of the trip could be charged to government expenses). As my old granny used to say, here's your hat, what's your hurry...