No clean city

12:37am Wednesday 30th April 2008

Doing nothing about the level of air pollution in our cities is not on the list of options. Glasgow's Renfield, Hope and Union streets now compete for the unenviable title of the most polluted thoroughfares in Britain, largely due to the number of buses that continue to clog them from dawn until after dusk. Though theoretically forbidden from idling, some operators appear to use bus stops like hackney ranks. Under certain weather conditions, the combination of poorly phased traffic lights and sheer volume of traffic competing for custom on the most profitable routes is a recipe for almost unbreathable air.

Improving justice

12:37am Wednesday 30th April 2008

The decision by the Scottish Government to bring in new legislation requiring disclosure of more information to defence lawyers is long overdue. For the first time, a clear definition of the legal requirements for disclosing evidence will be backed by a statutory code of practice and a system for notifying defence agents about material that has not been disclosed, bringing the Scottish system into line with similar jurisdictions elsewhere.

Commonwealth Games

12:16am Tuesday 29th April 2008

Crudely, Scotland's hosting of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 is intended to fulfil two ambitions. First, that Scottish athletes will be spurred on by competing on home territory to bag an impressive medal tally. Secondly, that Scots will be inspired by the athletes performing on their doorstep to take up sport themselves. One of the reasons for Glasgow's successful bid, and the linked relocation of sportscotland to the city's east end, was the notion that sport could be a way out of ill health, poverty and the paucity of aspiration for people in areas where these factors exert a baleful influence.

A struggling flagship

12:15am Tuesday 29th April 2008

Free personal care for the elderly was the flagship policy of the fledgling devolved government in Edinburgh in 2002. Six years on, the ideals have to be squared with the economic reality of a £40m shortfall. That is according to no less an authority than Lord Sutherland, the architect of the original plans for free personal and nursing care for the elderly, who was asked by the SNP government to review how the pioneering policy was working. His answer is not unexpected - a report by Audit Scotland in February warned of a funding shortfall of up to £63m, which would become worse as the population ages.

Taliban remains lethal

12:44am Monday 28th April 2008

The Taliban yesterday served chilling notice on the governments of President Hamid Karzai, Britain and the United States that it still has the capability to strike at will, even in the heart of the most protected security zone in Kabul. The lethal demonstration at the height of Afghanistan's premier military parade cost the insurgents a handful of volunteers. It cost Karzai's already-fragile administration incalculable amounts in credibility and dignity in the scramble to flee the main reviewing stand. Bursts of automatic fire from rifles smuggled through checkpoints tore apart the illusion of central control of the Afghan capital in full view of the world's media. That failure of security will not go unnoticed by Nato member countries already reluctant to commit men and material to a campaign that could last generations and which has so far defied conventional definitions of victory or defeat. There have been predictions in recent weeks that the Taliban and allies were a spent force. Even seasoned British commanders have said that the 5000 insurgent casualties in 2007 would make a renewal of the traditional spring campaign a non-starter. Instead of courageous but doomed attempts to confront western troops head-on, the Taliban would resort to roadside bombs and individual suicide attacks. It is a prediction that may come back to bite those who should know better, as the infiltration of yesterday's celebration of the end of communist rule in 1992 proved.

Refinery stand-off

12:43am Monday 28th April 2008

INDUSTRIAL disputes triggered by stands on principle are almost always the most unpredictable and often the most damaging to both sides. The threatened walk-out at the Grangemouth refinery complex has now taken place. Frantic efforts are being made by government and fuel suppliers to ship in additional supplies and get them out to service stations. But the issues at the core of this dispute remain stubbornly unresolved. If that impasse isn't broken, the strike could become a classic of its kind, with rapid escalation and emergency fuel rationing a single step and possibly only weeks away. Ineos, the world's third-largest chemical company, is determined to free itself from what it regards as the financial shackles of a non-contributory pension scheme, which it says accounts for 25% of its payroll costs in Scotland. Unite, the union, is determined that its future members will not be short-changed in retirement, citing a healthy pension-scheme balance and alleged Grangemouth profits of £3m a day for a company that accrues annual global sales of more than £22bn. On paper, just over five days' local profits would be required to maintain the status quo in company contributions, estimated at about £16m a year. However, this is a clash that is shaping up as a test of wills rather than economics. So far, neither side has blinked or shown inclination to compromise to a degree that would provide a face-saving solution.

Grangemouth crisis

12:45am Saturday 26th April 2008

The stakes are high and rising by the day on a potentially ruinous trajectory. A dispute about pension provision for workers at the Ineos oil refinery at Grangemouth will lead, unless there is a last-minute change of heart, to a 48-hour strike at the plant beginning tomorrow.

Children with ADHD

12:49am Saturday 26th April 2008

The popular belief is that increasing numbers of children are being diagnosed with attention deficit disorders as an excuse for bad behaviour and are prescribed medication to achieve docility by chemical means.

Qualified approval

12:58am Friday 25th April 2008

Teachers will perhaps not appreciate having to learn the lesson anew but there was further evidence yesterday of the maxim that change is constant in education, as in other areas of life. Its latest manifestation came in the form of the forthcoming consultation on the future of secondary school qualifications, announced yesterday by the Scottish Government. Change had been anticipated in some areas, particularly as it might affect Standard Grades, the nationally-recognised award for 16-year-olds. It appeared to have outlived its usefulness for several reasons, notably its lack of relevance as a leaving qualification for those teenagers who opt to stay on for fifth year (typically, more than 80% in any year).

By EDITORIAL COMMENT

Fares on the right track

12:57am Friday 25th April 2008

Having to weigh up only three alternatives when buying a train ticket is a heady prospect for travellers who have to wade through labyrinthine regulations for the best price. When the first part of a long overdue shake-up of the fares structure is introduced next month, the plethora of tickets that can be booked in advance at a cheaper price will be replaced by one advance fare and, in September, tickets bought at the time of travel will either be off-peak or anytime.

By EDITORIAL COMMENT

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