Rift between Westminster and Scottish Government must be solved

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End the disputes and fix the country

Scottish politics too often descends into squabbling between Edinburgh and London. Politicians at Holyrood routinely blame the Government at Westminster for any unpopular decision they face.

In turn, too many senior figures in London can’t help but adopt a condescending attitude whenever they discuss the business of the devolved parliament north of the Border. This blame game has lasted so long that many Scots could be forgiven for rolling their eyes and tuning out whenever another example comes along.

Relations between Holyrood and Westminster nose-dived in the long 14 years the Tories were in power down south. The SNP Government was right to be furious on occasion.

The introduction of the two-child cap on benefits and the bedroom tax were two particularly grim examples of the Conservatives bashing the least well-off. But it often seemed the Nationalists resorted to blaming the Tories whenever they faced difficult questions on their own patchy record in government.

The public could see through it – but the blame continued. Now, with a new Labour Government at Westminster, the squabbling needs to be dialled down.

Rachel Reeves laid down a marker with her first Budget by sending billions more in funding to Holyrood. Roz Foyer is right when she says in today’s Daily Record that the blame game must now stop.

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The STUC boss wants more investment in public services, not more petty rows between governments. Most Scots would readily agree. Holyrood and Westminster should start paying attention.

Jail rocket yobs

Scotland's brave firefighters and police officers put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe. Along with their 999 colleagues in the ambulance service, they are the ones we turn to when we are at our most vulnerable.

Yet these heroes and heroines are facing a week from hell thanks to the annual carnage that springs up around Halloween and Bonfire Night. Today we report on the case of fire service crew commander Jonny Milligan and his comrades, who faced a barrage of rocks and stones being hurled at them as they responded to an emergency last year around fireworks night.

We have also witnessed fresh scenes of carnage in Edinburgh, where a police officer was injured by a mob on Halloween night. There is a great deal of fun to be had around this time of year around our two big autumn events.

But there can be no excuse for attacking emergency responders or terrifying communities with brainless rioting. The police should use every power at their disposal to tackle these thugs over the next few days.

And those who target their neighbours, firefighters or the police should be spending next Bonfire Night in jail.

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