What does the average Scot know about post-structuralist Marxism? Foucault, perhaps? Even those who have heard of the French philosopher are unlikely to have spent much time reading him. His theories might be labelled Marxist but I doubt any Red Clydesider would recognise them as such.

Yet modern Scotland is strongly gripped by his ideas; this creed is now running through parts of our public life. It is not a narrative of class or a story of solidarity but a hymn to self-definition, cultural discourse and subjectivity. It is “ultra-liberalism.”

A deep current of this ideology has taken hold of our public institutions. It sometimes borrows the language of kindness and inclusion; just as often, it polices dissent with a hard moral certainty. Last week brought a clear example, when Scotland’s Children’s Commissioner criticised the UK Government’s plan to ban social media for under-16s on the grounds it would infringe children’s rights. Her position was particularly odd because she had already acknowledged the damage social media is doing. Children, she accepted, are exposed to serious risks online, including harmful content, cyberbullying, manipulation, exploitation and excessive use.

Children's rights assessment raises concerns about social media ban

Social media ban for under-16s: 200k sign petition against

If Downing Street lecterns could talk what would they say about no-longer-here Keir?

Social media ban ignores the benefits........

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