The National:

HAVING been travelling back and forth to the USA over the years, my biggest beef with news anchors over there has been their inability to distinguish between Britain and England. “Britain is not a country," I’ve shouted at an awful lot of hotel TV sets. “And England is not Britain!” In fairness, pre-devolution, a lot of UK broadcasters were similarly challenged in basic geography and matters constitutional.

So much so, that at the time of the devolution referendum in the late nineties, the BBC saw fit to issue a wee booklet explaining to their London-based troops that Scotland had different legal and education systems and you couldn’t actually get there on the tube. (It only refrained from saying that when they came up here to cover the poll, they should note that there was electricity, running water, and internal sanitation).

So it was wee warm glow time when NBC in the States devoted a segment this week detailing how people described as "world leaders" were reacting to the USA’s election soap opera. They quoted both the German Foreign Ministry and our own First Minister’s tweeted suggestion (in response to Alister Jack) that Trump’s post poll manoeuvres shouldn’t be dignified with a response. However, upon seeing Joe Biden take the lead in Pennsylvania, she added: “The world can be a dark place at times just now – but today we are seeing a wee break in the clouds.’”

READ MORE: WATCH: Nicola Sturgeon quoted as 'world leader' in NBC News election report

Rather more satisfying than the UK TV interview with the PM where he was unable to locate his honesty button. There’s a surprise. Not up to him to comment on someone else’s elections, he blustered. Wasn’t so shy about calling The Donald a disaster zone four years ago, before Trump got the top job, after which the Tory PM-to-be went into full brownnose mode.

In contrast, Nicola Sturgeon was never shy to suggest a Trump state visit which strayed into Scotland would be as welcome as a cup of cold sick.

And wouldn’t you just love to be plugged into their first telephone exchange as Boris explains to President Elect Biden that he really, really loved him best and hoped any little misunderstanding about jeopardising The Good Friday Agreement wouldn’t be held against him.

The National:

Meanwhile, back in the Twittersphere, (where I currently visit during the CNN ad breaks), I note that anyone posting with a Union flag in their handle can barely contain their angst. How dare the FM have and express an opinion on Biden v Trump? What were NBC thinking recycling the FM’s tweets? I guess NBC concluded that the FM had the confidence to say what every sane person was thinking. Farewell and good riddance fake tanned man, make way for the grown ups.

You do seriously wonder what kind of mind thinks it an insult when a major foreign national news outlet quotes the leader of their own government. Instead of thinking it grand that Scotland at last is on the media radar in its own right. Instead of breathing a sigh of relief that their government has constantly called out Trump for the charlatan he is, thus paving the way for a decent relationship with the 46th president.

When Bojo completes his remodelling of the UK into an impotent, largely irrelevant Little England, it’s my fervent hope that not too many years thereafter, Scotland will be a respected member of the European family again. The one with whom Mr Biden is rather more likely to do a deal.