Does it feel to you that things are worse than they were 20 years ago? That the country has gone backwards?

As each individual decline or difficulty occurs we frequently don’t even notice them but collectively we can feel and see that all is not well. When you look at the position objectively it is hard not to conclude that the United Kingdom is a failing state.

Please don’t jump to the conclusion that this means Scotland should leave the UK. All that would mean is that we would be our very own little failing state rather than part of a bigger one. We would be nearer the plughole not further away.

The UK is also not alone in this, most of Europe including France and Germany are in just as much, if not more, difficulty than we are.

Am I being over-dramatic? Well, just examine the evidence.

The first duty of a state is to be able to protect its citizens against external threats.

We have highly skilled and capable armed forces but they are far too small. We have so few submarines that sometimes only one or two are on patrol. We have not bought enough aircraft to fill the flight decks of our aircraft carriers. Our army copes with inadequate and obsolete equipment on a daily basis.

Read more

Public sector pay's higher in Scotland than England - is........

© Herald Scotland