Man from Montana
The new American ambassador to Russia - Michael McFaul - was born in Glasgow would you believe.
But Glasgow, Montana - not Glasgow, Scotland.
Yet with a name like that he's bound to have some Scottish roots - or I'll eat my hat.
McFaul's appointment as ambassador has caused a bit of a stir - and the Russian Parliament (Duma) has attacked the man from Montana - for meeting activists campaigning against election fraud and the likely return as Russia's President - of a certain Valdimir Putin.
Some of the opposition activists are members of the Russian Duma - the equivalent of our own MSPs and MPs.
Now I can't see what the problem is because the opposition activists have a great case - they have forced the government to begin installing 'web cams' in various polling stations - where complaints of voting fraud were rife in the recent parliamentary elections.
Although this is likely not to affect the outlying, more rural stations - were corruption was allegedly at its worst - the opposition is at its strongest in Russia's bigger towns and cities.
Another enterprising citizen - a member of the opposition I suspect - is taking the government to court over an issue which would not be caught and stamped out by web cams.
The person involved was an election monitor at a local polling station in the recent Duma elections - and he signed off the voting record for Vladimir Putin's United Russia party - at 42%.
Yet when the result appeared on line the result had been magically transformed into an overall majority of 55% - so you can see why lots of people believe the books are being cooked.
Now I can't imagine that if the position were reversed - if the Russian ambassador to America sat down with the 'Occupy Movement' protesters, for example - that America would give two hoots.
I suppose it would receive a bit of coverage and mixed comment in the media - but I can't see the same kind of storm being whipped up - accusing the people who met with McFaul of treachery and suchlike.
To my mind it's a very encouraging sign - and without being rude or overplaying his hand - I hope that Michael McFaul keeps pressing for more dialogue with a wide range of social forces in Russia - because that's what democracy and freedom of speech are all about.
