Chance, not with such a from Scotland’s councils

more all have to be paid for. And, like the retail sector, if the balance is wrong premises will close, rates won’t be paid and unemployment will go up.

So these policy statements really do matter.

So why, when there is so much at stake, particularly at a time when the country is trying so hard to rid itself of the embarrassing “Sick Man of Europe” tag that almost all of Scotland’s local authorities seem to be treating these statements with casual indifference?

Why are their approaches so very different from each other?

Glasgow Licensing Board has proposed a trial of 5am closing for accredited establishments.

Of course, there is rammy about this radical proposal between pubs and clubs, but the fact is that this board, to its credit, has taken its duty of care very seriously and has spent months pulling evidence together.

Aberdeen City, however, has decided to grant everyone the same hours and leave them to it.

Dundee has decided it won’t grant any new licences, despite millions being spent on regenerating the waterfront.

The bottom line is that nearly all of Scotland’s other local authorities, with the exception, possibly, of Edinburgh which seems to give away late hours on the back of sweetie wrappers, don’t give two hoots.

It should be last orders for this lot and it’s high time the Scottish Government brought in a national licensing policy template that all councils must subscribe to.

Clearly they are not fit for purpose, costing jobs and investment, and doing more harm to the country than alcohol abuse. In a complete air rage at being too late to board his flight from Dublin Airport, a man chased his plane down the runway.

A judge placed him on bail – probably to gather psychiatric reports on the man as surely no-one of a sound mind would want to get on a Ryanair flight that badly.