The scandal of Scotland

A politician, a cocaine dealer, blackmail, links to organised crime and the mysterious death of a teenage boy: it is hard to think of more potent ingredients for a political scandal. Had it happened in Paris, the story would be all over the English press. But this scandal took place in Glasgow — so the London papers are not interested. After devolution, Scotland is fast becoming a foreign land about which the English know little and care less.

The downfall of Steven Purcell, leader of Glasgow City Council, is not just a tale of one man’s collapse, but a grim allegory for the tragedy of devolution. Purcell was, until last week, the man to watch in Scottish politics. Many regarded him as the politician who could win back the Scottish parliament for Labour. His rise was seen as an indication that the tawdry corruption that had dogged Scottish municipal politics was on the wane.