Oh dear. The SNP are so powerful in Scotland at the moment that some of the party’s elected representatives might be forgiven for thinking it can defy the laws of gravity and time. Take Angela Constance MSP, who today thought it might be possible to re-do a live interview.
In an interview with the Sunday Politics, she found herself saying ‘twenty thousand and twelve’, rather than 2012, and asked the presenter if she could start the interview again. He agreed, but then rather gently pointed out that the programme was live.
This weekend, Pat McFadden, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, announced that he is attempting to improve the performance of the civil service. I genuinely wish him luck, but I am not optimistic. After a decade in and around government – including five years as a schools minister – I am convinced the Whitehall
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