Last night, Mr Steerpike was on his way back to Glasgow Central station from a game between Ayr United and Partick Thistle, sipping a hot water and lemon. He would have liked something stronger, only the Scottish government — which took control of Scotland’s railway services on April 1 — has extended the Covid-era ban on the consumption of booze on trains.
Some rebellious passengers were flouting the government’s rules, however. Among them, Mr Steerpike observed, appeared to be Mhairi Black — the SNP MP for Paisley and Renfrewshire South (and subject of Tracey Ullman parody).
Just weeks before, Transport Scotland announced that the ‘potential reintroduction of alcohol on Scotland’s railway services’ needed to be considered ‘within that broader context of passenger — and staff — safety.’
Black, sipping what looks suspiciously like a can of Tennent’s, didn’t even flinch.
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