Picture the scene: Scotland are playing England at Murrayfield. The Scots are just ahead as the match enters its tense final minutes. The TV camera zooms in on the VIP box and picks out the newly elected first minister of Scotland, proudly wearing his England scarf and cheering on the men in white.

If this scenario does not strike you as odd, may I suggest that you are letting your opinion on what should matter in politics obscure your understanding of what nonetheless does matter?

Of course, it should be of no importance where Richard Leonard comes from, what accent he speaks with, and what nation commands his support in international sporting fixtures. And yet, given his new job, it is important, for reasons I