Global showcase for SNP incompetence

IN less than two weeks’ time, Scotland and its biggest city will be showcased to the world. But there are ominous signs that the Cop26 summit will be marred by strikes and legal chaos.

As we report today, refuse workers are set to go on strike during the climate change conference. The action threatens to leave rubbish uncollected while Glasgow is under international scrutiny.

During the pandemic, litter was allowed to accumulate on the streets, stoking vermin infestation. The city’s SNP leadership appears to be in denial about the scale of the clean-up task required.

There is also the prospect of major protests, posing a tough challenge for policing. A shortage of cells means some demonstrators who break the law might be let off with warnings.

Now lawyers have said they will boycott weekend custody courts aimed at processing the increased workload.

It is a result of a long-running row over legal aid costs which has led to poor government relations with the profession.

Meanwhile, rail workers are also plotting crippling strike action. The repercussions could be calamitous, with union bosses warning of widespread cancellations.

True, it’s a cynical manoeuvre that could trigger massive disruption – and the unions must think again. But it is undeniable that the chickens are coming home to roost for the SNP Government after years of cuts and chronic neglect of key public services.

Scotland now risks humiliation on a global scale. At a time when we could be showcasing the country as a place to come and do business, our biggest city runs the risk of being festooned in litter and festering waste.

The Cop26 conference was supposed to have taken place last year but was delayed because of the pandemic. Of course, the UK and Scottish Governments were tackling Covid while trying to organise this logistically demanding event. But it is painfully clear that the extra time has not been used productively to ensure Cop26 would be a success.

Doubtless Nicola Sturgeon will relish playing the role of stateswoman, seizing every opportunity for publicity.

Yet those delegates who do venture beyond the conference venues will be confronted with the result of 14 years of SNP rule. The NHS is struggling to cope, with the Army called in as Covid cases remain stubbornly high. And the justice system will take up to a decade to recover from the trauma of the Covid crisis.

The First Minister will be keen to present a heavily airbrushed version of modern Scotland. And Cop26 will be a welcome distraction from the many problems piling up on her watch. Indeed, few would be surprised if Miss Sturgeon used her Cop26 appearances to push her ceaseless mission to break up Britain.

But it will be a message many will find hard to believe when – beyond the sanctuary of the conference hall – Scotland is plainly in a state of turmoil.

The world is watching and the stakes are high. Yet the SNP Government has shown once again that it is hopelessly unequal to the task of basic governance.

It must act urgently to ensure the country doesn’t become a global laughing stock – thanks to its own incompetence.