Was it to watch Communities Minister Malcolm Chisholm outline his policy on “closing the opportunity gap”?

Or to consult First Minister Jack McConnell on his sexual health strategy?

Or to find out what we were doing about climate change?

No, it turns out he simply wanted to see devolution in action and be the first head of state to visit the new parliament building.

It had taken seven men to erect the right flag pole outside the entrance.

And, on the day of the visit, Wednesday, it had taken another six men to run up the right flag - blue, white and red.

But we did it. And there’s no reason to think the president went away other than impressed.

You can tell it’s been a pretty quiet week at Holyrood.

Question time was all taken up with “Scotland’s 300m”.

That’s the amount the Scottish National Party (SNP) say the Treasury in London would claw back in welfare benefits if we chose to scrap the local council tax and replace it with a local income tax.

Jack McConnell ridiculed SNP policy making

SNP leader at Holyrood Nicola Sturgeon said Jack McConnell must stop what she called “this highway robbery”.

He said: “The only way to avoid the dice being loaded in favour of the council tax is to get an assurance now that our 300m is safe, come what may.”

Mr McConnell had fun avoiding the question.

He similarly brushed aside a plea from the Conservative leader to cut the “71 glossy brochures” being sent to schools each year telling teachers what to do.

He had more important matters to attend to, like Scotland’s sexual health strategy.

It was approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday after months of delay, rumoured to have been caused by the need to square its contents with the Roman Catholic Church.

It will be published in full next week but Mr McConnell outlined its general principles.

Teen pregnancy rates are still too high say experts

The first minister said: “I believe our role as a government is to ensure first of all that we do provide a lead and argue for respect and responsibility and ensure that youngsters in Scotland have the confidence and the respect in themselves to delay sexual activity for as long as they want to do so.

“But I also believe that where they chose to take part in sexual activity they need access to specialist services and advice.”

Every school, Catholic, or non-denominational, would be expected to follow the sex education curriculum but head teachers would be able to set it in the context they thought best.

Part of that context is that Scotland has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in Western Europe and sexually transmitted diseases are on the increase.

There were just three actual decisions this week.

The first was to approve the executive’s bill to merge the funding councils for food health sexual
and colleges.

This was uncontroversial, except for one section, on tuition fees.

Super-casinos is one issue passed to Westminster

Ministers will be able to impose extra fees on English students coming to Scotland to study medicine.

This is because there’s a shortage of doctors in Scotland, yet half our medical school places are being filled with English students.

The second decision was to allow the Westminster parliament to legislate for a supreme court.

This has been stoutly opposed by the Scottish legal establishment and by the SNP who believe cases of civil appeal should be heard in the Scottish courts.

The third decision was taken by the procedures committee which is to hold an inquiry into the use of Sewel motions - there have been 55 of them - to pass responsibility for legislating on Scottish matters to London.

Other contentious issues which have been left to London are the control of super-casinos and legislation on so-called gay marriages or civil partnerships.

As the president of Serbia found out, we held debates on child poverty - that opportunity gap Mr Chisholm mentioned - and on climate change.

No one doubted that flooding and storms, such as we saw last week in Scotland, would become more frequent and that greenhouse gas emissions were to blame.

Robert Burns was born in the village of Alloway near Ayr

Environment Minister Ross Finnie said Scotland would play its part in the UK target of cutting emissions by 60% by 2050.

But the Green’s Mark Ruskell said: “The executive is taking two steps forward and three steps back.

“It must end its health magazine man singapore policy of building more roads like the M74.”

The SNP said Scotland had the fourth highest level of emissions in Europe, despite having the best renewable energy resources.

The Conservatives wanted more investment in all forms of renewable energy, including nuclear.

Before we leave the main chamber, it’s worth mentioning that the soviet collective now running the Scottish Socialist Party, after Tommy Sheridan’s resignation, may be coming to an end.

A leadership race has begun, with the MSP Colin Fox taking on the party’s head of policy, Alan McCombes.

The controversial MSP said the experience was dehumanising

Delegates will make a decision at their conference in Perth on the 12/13 February.

I can also report that the party’s Boadicea, MSP Carolyn Leckie, spent an interesting night in jail on Thursday.

She served one day of a seven day sentence for refusing to pay a 100 fine for breach of the peace at a health man problem sexual
at the Faslane nuclear base three years ago.

Curiously, she also faces being struck off the register of nurses and midwives for the same offence.

In the committee rooms, some of Scotland’s best known cultural man health problem
, such as the National Library, the National Galleries and Museums and the Royal Botanic Gardens warned that they may lose their charitable status under the new charities law being considered by parliament.

The petitions committee heard yet another plea from the tireless campaigner Ronnie Guild for something to be done to develop Cramond as a heritage site.

He got on only slightly better than Robbie the Pict who finally saw his petition against the legality of the Skye Bridge tolls brought to closure without any action.

Robert Burns was born in the village of Alloway near Ayr

The enterprise committee did however promise action on the internecine war going on at the Scottish Rugby Union. It is calling in witnesses next month.

And finally, as Burns Night approaches, parliament debated the sorry state of the birthplace of the bard at Alloway in Ayrshire.

Apparently, like the famous mouse’s nest, it looks as if it’s been run over by a plough.

Culture Minister Patricia Ferguson confirmed she would be offering it a 50,000 grant and holding talks with the National Trust on it’s long term future.

As Burns said to the mouse:

“Still, thou art blest, compar’d wi’ me! The present only toucheth thee But och! I backward cast my e’e On prospects drear An’ forward, tho’ I canna see I guess an’ fear.”