Lame duck limps on

IN A crisis, the SNP Government circles the wagons – to protect the minister involved.

Lame ducks must be kept limping along at any cost to spare the party’s blushes. The crisis itself goes unaddressed – and the public? They’re the last to be considered.

The shambles on Scotland’s trains should have finished Humza Yousaf’s short and inglorious reign at Transport by Christmas.

Instead we enter 2017 with the selfavowed transport novice – who seems keener on official Government cars than actually getting on a train for anything other than a preening photo opportunity – still in charge.

There seems little real prospect of improvements on the trains any time soon.

Mr Yousaf’s tough talk about stripping Dutch firm Abellio of its ScotRail contract and putting in a public sector bid seems more about appeasing unions calling for his sacking (and how the public’s heart will sink at the prospect of a public sector train firm like the notorious British Rail).

To add to commuters’ woes, today will see train fares jump to a record high.

The price of every regulated peak fare – including most ScotRail standard singles, day returns and season tickets – increases by 1.9 per cent. And the cost of regulated off-peak fares will go up by 0.9 per cent.

Other unregulated fares will also rise – with ScotRail having the power to increase these prices by however much it chooses.

The SNP had the opportunity to freeze fares, but chose not to.

Scotland is getting back to work after the festive break. Passengers will have plenty of time to reflect – as they stand on cold, wet platforms waiting for delayed or cancelled trains, or crammed like cattle aboard aging rolling stock – on the high price they pay for poor service while Mr Yousaf still sits pretty.