A brief flick through the pages of today’s Courier is a reminder that we live in extremely troubled times.
Teachers across Scotland are striking over pay amid claims some are having to use foodbanks and take second jobs because the salaries are so low.
A local branch of Citizens Advice Scotland has been forced to draft in extra staff to deal with surging demand for its services amid the growing cost-of-living emergency.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf starkly admits the NHS is in the midst of an unprecedented crisis which has seen the level of care provided fall below a standard that he would want for his own family.
In light of these myriad challenges facing the country, it is surely vital elected officials at all levels of governance are laser-focused on dealing with the most
pressing issues.
Instead representatives of Dundee will tonight argue over whether council leader John Alexander should write to Rishi Sunak demanding the prime minister agree to a second independence referendum.
More pressing matters for Dundee council SNP administration
In its wisdom, the SNP majority administration has decided intervening in the constitutional debate is a priority for the first council meeting of 2023.
This, of course, is simply a pointless stunt cooked up by the nationalists to keep their independence-supporting base happy.
Even if councils did have a say on constitutional matters it would still be the case that the energy of local officials would be better off devoted to more immediate concerns.
Mr Alexander is an impressive politician. But it is a stretch to imagine a missive from him would be enough to change the prime minister’s mind on the intractable subject of IndyRef2.
In happier circumstances such constitutional horseplay would be harmless enough.
But we simply don’t have time for such nonsense at the moment.
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