Hello and welcome to The Midge, the e-bulletin that takes a bite out of politics in Scotland and elsewhere. 

Front pages

The Herald:

In The Herald, political correspondent Kate Devlin reports on think-tank warnings that workers face the longest period of stagnant pay for 70 years. 

The same story leads The National, Guardian, FT and Scotsman. 

The Mail says an increase in National Insurance thresholds, announced in the Autumn Statement, will combine with income tax changes to create a “double tax whammy” for Scots. 

The Herald:

In the Evening Times, Stewart Paterson reports on a new transport link to Glasgow which promises to bring 43,000 jobs. Read the story here. 

Spanish MEP Esteban Gonzalez Pons tells the Telegraph that any plans by Scotland to stay in the EU via a special deal will be blocked by his country. 

The Times reports comments by former PM John Major that there is a “perfectly credible case” for a second EU referendum. 

“Bosses passing the beak” is the headline in the Sun, which reports that the cancellation of T in the Park next year is due to more than protecting osprey breeding grounds. Rising crime and drug seizures must be tackled, a former top policeman tells the paper. 

FFS: Five in five seconds

What’s the story? Margaret Thatcher had a plan to scrap the NHS.

Source? Papers from 1982, released by the National Archives this morning. These show that she was still considering the proposals, drawn up by a member of the Central Policy Review staff, even after the newspapers had got whiff of them, and after telling voters “The NHS is safe with us”. 

What did the paper's proposals include? Compulsory private health insurance, charging for education, and, in a further move to cut long term spending, cancelling Trident. The ideas were put before cabinet, where, according to Nigel Lawson, Chancellor at the time, they caused “the nearest thing to a cabinet riot in the history of the Thatcher administration”. Other papers lay bare the Thatcher government’s zeal for privatisation extended to the North Sea. See UK political editor Michael Settle’s story here. 

What happened to the NHS plan? The paper was supposed to have been shelved, but it now emerges Mrs Thatcher was still nursing the plans months later.

The outcome? A backlash among Whitehall mandarins led to the paper being quietly buried. The Tories went on to win the 1983 general election, increasing their number of seats by 38 and crushing Michael Foot’s Labour. 

Camley’s cartoon

The Herald:

Camley has an idea that could be just the ticket for Scotland's long-suffering commuters. 

Afore Ye Go

The Herald:

Nicola Sturgeon dons a fake moustache to mark Movember, the annual charity challenge for men's health which asks supporters to grow a sponosred 'tache. Andrew Milligan/PA Wire.

The BBC's Philip Sim is on moustache watch. 

The Herald:

"I don't care about the reputation of this Government. But as a member of Her Majesty's privy councilI can't think of anything more damaging to the cause of constitutional monarchy than a 'Let them eat cake' attitude which prioritises the rebuilding of royal palaces while the people are struggling for bread.”

SNP MP Alex Salmond on the Government’s backing for a major revamp of Buckingham Palace at a cost of £369 million. Steve Finn/Getty Images. Commons Leader David Lidington replied:  "I do think that you are in danger of going over the top here, not for the first time.”

Gyles Brandreth, a former Tory whip, confides.

The Herald:

“It can be stopped if the British people decide that, having seen what it means, the pain-gain, cost-benefit analysis doesn’t stack up.”

Tony Blair on Brexit. New Statesman. Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

The Herald:

£320,000

The amount former Chancellor George Osborne has earned from speeches in America in a few weeks, according to the latest register of MPs' financial interests. Andrew Matthews/PA Wire.

Mr Osborne has also been busy with his camera, photographing the Chief Whip's pet tarantula.

The Sun's Tom Newton Dunn is impressed.

The Herald:

“A new report finds that protecting Donald Trump and his family is costing New York City taxpayers over a $1 million a day. Trump said: ‘Thank God I'm not a taxpayer!’”

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Is someone suggesting the SNP MP is not backwards in coming forwards?

The Herald:

"The government of Iceland is concerned that our country's businesses are unable to promote themselves across Europe in association with their place of origin.”

Iceland's government has launched legal action against the British supermarket chain over the use of its name. Iceland claims that the supermarket has "aggressively pursued" multiple cases against Icelandic companies which use the word Iceland as part of their trademark. PA Wire

Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson paying close attention to detail here during her telly watching, and gets a speedy response to her grammar query.

Thanks for reading. See you Monday. Twitter: @alisonmrowat