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As I write this, we are somehow into day two of talking about the Tories’ suggestion that we lower the age at which people can leave school.

It started with a press release claiming that the idea would “fast track” some pupils out of school in a move that “could grow Scotland’s economy by developing a stronger workforce, reducing skills gaps and encouraging more investment”.

The announcement looks like it was primarily designed to grab headlines, and on that score it worked: print and broadcast media picked up on the story and reported it widely. Unfortunately for the Tories, the overwhelming majority of that coverage has been negative, with the suggestion dismissed from all sides while being described as Dickensian, desperate and just silly.

Russell Findlay says he is all about “common sense”, and yet he still decided to drag things out by bringing the issue to today’s session of First Minister’s Questions. The Tory leader said that his party has “started a public debate on reducing the school leaving age”, which seems a bit of a stretch – “debate” suggests a genuine, two-way interaction, whereas this has felt more like everyone pointing and laughing.

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