As Scotland’s parties gather for their annual conferences, the promises fly fast and loose — but beneath the noise, the SNP faces a reality check on independence, competence, and voter priorities, says Herald columnist Guy Stenhouse

We have reached that fun time in the year of political conferences. Promises are made by the ambitious and the inept to the faithful and the rabid.

The further away from actual power you are the more stupid your promises can be. Reform is finding to its horror that people now look more carefully at its daft proposals as it prospers in the polls. The Labour Party made so many promises in order to get into power that its position in the polls is plummeting as it fails to deliver on them.

For the Scottish Nationalist (oops - sorry - National) Party the show is next weekend and the brethren are whipping themselves up into a frenzy because it's their last party conference before the Scottish Parliamentary elections.

Despite 18 years in office during which it has proved its incompetence beyond doubt the SNP find themselves - rather to their surprise - in not a bad position.........

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