ARE the LibDems a party without direction? The question only arises because leader Nicol Stephen and his trusted deputy, Glasgow MSP Robert Brown, have been raiding the public purse to buy maps.

When their expenses were published this week it emerged Mr Stephen had claimed £7.49 for a map of his Aberdeen South constituency and Mr Brown £3.75 for a map for his Glasgow office.

Both men have represented their constituencies for years, so they really should know their way around by now.

The LibDems are quite rightly talking up their chances at the forthcoming election. But, had it not been for a remark by one of their more eccentric members, nice but dim Jamie Stone, their annual conference last weekend might have slipped by unnoticed.

There wasn't a single Sunday newspaper journalist there and most daily newspaper political editors used the excuse of a visit by Tony Blair to Glasgow on Friday to avoid going to Aviemore for the event.

However, Mr Stone unintentionally made the headlines when, in a television interview, he called the SNP "xenophobic".

It wasn't really the brightest thing to say immediately after a speech by Mr Stephen criticising Labour and the SNP for the "most bitter, negative, personal campaign" ever witnessed in Scotland.

Mr Stone is just a foot soldier so barely counts, unlike Mr Stephen who may well play an important part in the next coalition government.

But if he really wants power, the LibDem leader has a hard choice to make.

He has been criticised before for being less than dynamic and the SNP's Stewart Stevenson accused him of being "lazy" after it emerged he answers barely a third of MSPs' questions in the regulation 10 days That, according to his friends, is because he values time with his family.

That's fair enough, but he'll have to make up his mind whether he wants to lead the country or stay at home and make more use of that constituency map.

THE LibDems aren't the only outfit to be raiding the Holyrood cookie jar.

Penny-pinching MSPs from all parties racked up almost £10million in expenses last year.

For Health Minister Andy Kerr - salary £52,000 plus £39,000 for being a Minister, plus £56,600 in allowances - that means claiming 62p for milk.

Every claim has to meet the strict conditions laid down by Holyrood which means they have to produce receipts.

But how embarrassing must it be to be rummaging around for that crumpled scrap of paper from the corner shop?

At least MSPs have to do it - unlike their counterparts at Westminster.

They're all Honourable Members and their word is their bond which is why it took a two-year Freedom of Information battle before they were forced to own up to their outrageous travel expenses.

IF Presiding Officer George Reid thought he was going to get some positive headlines after revealing the overall cost of building the parliament was £16million less than expected, he would have been sorely disappointed.

Even a politician and former journalist of Mr Reid's talent cannot spin a bill which rose from £40m to £414m into good news.

The secret investigation into the costs was dubbed Project Flora after an inquiry team member's cat.

The animal was said to be "good at unravelling things and sticking its nose in unsuspecting places".

Pity someone didn't cotton on to that idea as the bills were shooting out of control.