Health and wellbeing are rightly promoted by government as worthwhile policy objectives.
Physical exercise is not only good for the heart but it is also good for the head.
Outdoor activities can end up saving the taxpayer money by reducing pressure on the NHS.
So it is with some bemusement that we can reveal plans by Glasgow council to five of the city’s six golf courses.
We understand that times have been hard for local authorities.
Councillors have endured a decade of cuts by the UK and Scottish Governments, and they have been faced with unenviable choices.
But even against a backdrop of a £50million funding shortfall, this would be the wrong move for Glasgow councillors to make.
A round of golf is akin to a five-mile walk. It fosters friendship, combats loneliness and builds community spirit.
Closing municipal courses also has a social class dimension.
Some golfers will not be able to afford the membership fees for a private course.
Axing these public facilities may result in people having to give up the sport.
The real solution is for MSPs to pass a budget that recognises the value of local government.
For too long, councils have been handed dreadful settlements that lead to cuts in lifeline services.
It’s time Holyrood boosted council finances and played a role in ensuring these budget “options” never make it off the table.
Diamond visa
Scotland has distinct immigration needs – and they’re under threat from Brexit.
Nicola Sturgeon’s answer was to set out a range of options – incuding a – to encourage migration while remaining part of the UK.
It was a reasonable thing to do while a second independence referendum is off-limits.
It’s not even entirely original.
Labour managed a Fresh Talent post-study visa when they were in power at Holyrood, with success.
It took the Home Office about an hour to reject the SNP proposals.
Cynics might say Sturgeon was just waiting for the snub to prove a point.
But Boris Johnson is blundering if he thinks saying no to everything is the answer.
Scotland needs forward thinking proposals to boost the economy and improve society.
We’re constantly told it has to be as part of the UK.
The contradiction isn’t too hard to spot.
