The National:

JUST like going to the World Cup, Richard Leonard is completely alien to most Scots.

Days after a shocking European election result – both in Scotland and the wider UK – and less than 24 hours after two frontbench resignations, the man who even Scottish Labour supporters would struggle to pick out of a line-up appears to have launched a Twitter account promoting his prospects of becoming first minister.

READ MORE: Scottish Labour implodes after disastrous European elections

And even though our heroic women’s team will soon introduce many Scots to such experiences as belting out the national anthem at a major tournament and getting drunk in a foreign city-centre fountain, we’re not sure this move will help improve upon the 37% of Scottish Labour voters who actually know who the Scottish Labour leader is.

The National:
Credit: Greg Moodie

READ MORE: Even Scottish Labour voters don't know who Richard Leonard is

It must be a joke, right?

We’re not so sure, actually. We’re torn. Though surely they can’t be serious when, after their drubbing in last week’s European Parliament election, the Scottish Labour leader’s new account tweets: “A remarkable wave of support for @LabourRichard has flooded social media tonight in Scottish Labour circles – let’s keep this going. Only a socialist leadership can regain trust in Scotland.”

That first line would be indisputably true if by “wave” they mean the type you do when you are seeing someone off, and if by “support” they mean aiding him into the nearest available taxi.

You’d think that a remarkable wave of support would be accompanied by some, you know, support.

Instead, the 260 likes (at the time of writing) on the tweet is being heavily outweighed by 300-plus responses mocking it.

Here are a few of those:

Maybe the Scottish Labour leader would be better served trying to raise his profile or his party's election fortunes, rather than attempting to run before he can walk...