The spin attributed to you in yesterday’s Evening News displayed, simultaneously, breathtaking arrogance as well as a craven ‘it wiznae me’, buck-passing attempt to save your own political skin as well as a, probably unintended but unfortunate, comprehensive demonstration of your failure to think through the effects of your own policy.

Your attempt to dump the blame onto your ‘Officials’ for the CETM debacle is utterly beneath contempt, even by the low standards you have hitherto set - you know perfectly well that Andrew Holmes put his name to exactly the report you and Burns wanted, with PARAMICS included in providing the ‘Evidence’. Unfortunately these things are fine on a PlayStation but the amusing little dots represent real cars, real traffic, real people, real lives, real Voters.

Constitutionally, you, as politicians must take responsibility for your decisions, not the ‘civil servants’. It’s all very well blaming all and sundry but do Holmes, Rimmer and Co (Technocrats, per George Kerevan, ‘The Scotsman’, today) act in isolation? Is there not a duty on our ruling party, elected cooncillors to actually read, discuss and question - ‘understand’ is probably too optimistic - what’s put in front of them? And as for trying to ‘beggar belief’ that the Public Enquiry AND the Scottish Executive ‘accepted’ your proposals - can this be the same Donald Anderson who has, several times of late, stamped his petulant foot that an ‘unelected reporter’ overturned the Democratic Will of the Council in planning issues?

Had either of the above rejected CETM at the Drawing Board, your Civic Indignation would have been positively incandescent! I’m surprised you missed the chance also to blame the Chief Constable who probably found the enforcement implications of that social-control nonsense rather low on his list of Operational Priorities. The days of decisions going through “on the nod” by the ovine municipal flock must surely be over - we, the public, are entitled to better.

I’m sure you’re familiar with the works of your illustrious Danish namesake, Hans Kristian - notably, the vain, arrogant and stupid Emperor who accepts everything his fawning courtiers tell him - while the wee boy at the back of the crowd sees the naked truth. You were quite happy to indulge in a Laurel and Hardy-esque double act, with Burns as the Hapless Stan and you as the blustering Ollie when things looked well for your CETM. Unfortunately, we can now see you’ve gotten yourselves into yet another fine mess and, frankly, it’s time to go.

Just as a final observation, I note you never can resist the urge to muscle in on someone else’s Brief (your ‘Fantastic’ comment on the recent operations of Lothian & Borders Police for example) - should the Board Convenor not be speaking on these things, or is he too busy planning his next fact-finding Junket to Ibrox? (Incidentally, did Milligan ever deliver any kind of report to the Board or offer the Chief Constable the benefits of his insights on ‘Crowd Control’ following that little ‘Blue-Light Taxi’ episode?)