Nicola Sturgeon returned to work yesterday satisfied that whatever she does, it can’t be as bad as what’s going in Westminster.
She was half right.
Her programme for Government was set against a backdrop of unprecedented political chaos.
She used the opportunity to show the Scottish Government is back in business – up to a point.
Several eye-catching policies were unveiled.
She promised cleaner transport, reduced emissions, greener houses and a whopping £500million for bus infrastructure.
But there’s still a massive backlog of pressing problems across Scotland.
Sturgeon heard MSPs raise concerns about a woefully delayed children’s hospital in Edinburgh.
Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf faced anger about the shocking death of a prisoner at Saughton jail. With such pressing domestic problems, Sturgeon had to get on the front foot.
At least she’s been listening to the Record. Our campaigns to stub out the touts and deal with Scotland’s disgraceful drug-death emergency prompted a Government response.
In both areas, there were steps in the right direction, with a long way to go.
But the contrast between concrete plans at Holyrood and wild promises from Boris Johnson couldn’t be clearer.
In Westminster, Johnson had to watch his Government majority slip from his grasp while he spoke.
Against that backdrop, even this lukewarm package made the SNP look like the only adults in the room.
Balancing act
Parents were given food for thought when a 17-year-old went blind due to his poor diet.
The youth had survived on just chips, sausages, ham, white bread and crisps for 10 years.
He had a rare medical condition so his case tells us only so much. What we do know is the importance of a balanced diet in those vital formative years.
Many children can be very picky eaters but the vast majority will grow out of it.
Parents everywhere should take the opportunity to have a conversation about healthy eating – but there is no need to overcook it.
Where’s wallies?
The items left behind in a Glasgow pub on Sunday were fairly typical.
Mobile phones, wallets and a pair of glasses were picked up but staff were understandably surprised when the found a set of false teeth. Pub bosses used their initiative and tweeted the list of lost items and managed to reunite most of them with their owners.
That’s stepping up to the plate.
