A “remarkable spirit of consensus” was how Nicola Sturgeon described her First Minister’s Questions debut and it’s difficult to argue with that.
The opposition tried, albeit rather more gently than in previous sessions, to ruffle feathers with a variety of topics a cancer drug “postcode lottery” claim by Labour, automatic early release from the Tories and a general justice dissection from the Lib Dems but the SNP leader was not biting, for now at least.
“The strain!” she cried after Willie Rennie listed Kenny MacAskill’s less celebrated moments as Justice Secretary before repeating, again, that her door was always open to anyone from any side of the chamber with a good idea.
That may be the case, but she was flanked with trusted, old school allies in Shona Robison and John Swinney immediately to her left and right.
Indeed, if you were to be cruel, you could suggest the safety of cabinet positions lessened as you moved from the trio at the centre of the front bench to Mike Russell and Alex Neil each a further seat out (maybe okay, maybe not) then Fiona Hyslop and Kenny MacAskill on the wings (very shoogily).
We will find out on Friday if the reshuffle will be a mere tinkering or full-scale bloodbath, but in the meantime the theme was all about building bridges and, that word again, “consensus”.
It was a sensible start and a shift in tone which was needed. Just don’t expect it to stay that way for long.