This article appears as part of the Unspun: Scottish Politics newsletter.

And so the SNP’s ban on wood-burning stoves in new-build homes has gone up in a puff of smoke, consigned to the bonfire of failed policies which seems to perpetually burn on the outskirts of Holyrood.

Now future Scots will be able to cuddle up in front of a roaring fire, instead of doing star jumps to keep warm when winter’s storms have knocked out the electricity.

‘A victory for commonsense’, the Scottish Conservatives declared. ‘A positive step,’ The Scottish Islands Federation agreed.

It’s a move that really shouldn’t have had to be taken at all.

When the regulations known as the New Build Heat Standard came into effect in April, the backlash over sudden outlawing of wood-burners in all new properties caught ministers by surprise.

Hard-pressed spin-doctors in the Scottish Government’s communications department scrambled to get abreast of the legislation which had come into force, learning on the fly as they tried to work out what all the fuss was about.

Wood-burning stoves are here to stay (Image: Getty........

© Herald Scotland