Historic first: brave SNP MSP criticises SNP minister

To Edinburgh, and a hotel in which everything is perfect (the view of the Old Town in particular) apart from one thing. A man on the street corner outside is playing the bagpipes, over and over again. It was charming for a few minutes. Now it is unpleasant and annoying. If the Scottish parliament likes banning things so much, why not ban bagpipes outside hotels when visitors are trying to snooze?

Anyway, something extraordinary has happened down at the Scottish parliament. You do not see this very often, indeed dissent in actually banned in the SNP. MPs and MSPs are forbidden from criticising the leadership or ministers. It is one of the reasons the feeble 56 (the crop of SNP MPs) have made so little impact at Westminster. They’re too often too boring (in public at least) when what they need is a bit of grit and dispute. All they do is follow the pious script, which means saying how brilliant the SNP is. After all the hype they have faded away. Remember Mhairi Black MP? No, me neither.

Step forward an SNP member of the Scottish parliament who has criticised an SNP minister. Bruce Crawford MSP, who will not thank me for saying he is an all round good man, chairs the finance committee at Holyrood.

No, don’t go away. I’m not going to give an account of their latest meeting. Aidan Kerr at STV has the essence story.

“Holyrood’s finance committee has expressed its concerns over a lack of parliamentary scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s forthcoming budget. Committee convener Bruce Crawford has written to the finance minister Derek Mackay criticising his plans to delay the planned publication of his draft budget. Mackay has indicated he wants to publish the budget on the week beginning December 12, after the Chancellor has delivered his autumn statement on the country’s finances. The committee believe it will lead to MSPs not having enough time to scrutinise the Scottish Government’s plans.”

I admit, this is not exactly Geoffrey Howe against Margaret Thatcher, or the Blair v Brown wars, but it is highly unusual in the Nationalist movement. In public, a prominent and respected SNP MP is holding the government to account fearlessly and giving a minister a hard time. It is a start. It is hugely welcome. Bravo Bruce Crawford.

And the bagpipe man has stopped playing the bagpipes outside the window of my hotel room. No, I spoke too soon. Flower of Scotland has started up again.