John Swinney has promised his government will directly fund the Clyde Tunnel if the SNP win the election. And a promise is a promise right? says Mark Smith

The prize for the most reckless promise of the election so far goes to the Scottish Greens, who would like to extend free bus travel from the under-22s to everyone of any age, even though it’s not free really: the cost to taxpayers has been £475m so far and God-knows-what if the policy was extended. Feel some pity as well for the people who’d be sitting on the free buses as they wallop into the potholes we can’t afford to mend and pass the burnt-out buildings we can’t afford to fix and the piles of litter we can’t afford to pick up. Let’s hope it’s a promise the Greens will never be in a position to keep.

But second prize for the most reckless promise of the election so far goes to the SNP, whose record on promises you may be familiar with. There have been many. Promises on waiting lists and class sizes and teacher numbers and poverty and the attainment gap and dental charges and council tax and the dualling of the A9 and promises on referendums (many, many referendums), all of which have been broken or shelved or adapted. Promises from the SNP? Take them with salt.

The latest one, made by John Swinney during a campaign visit to Glasgow, is that if the SNP form the next government, they will take over the running of the Clyde Tunnel. Mr Swinney said offering to take on responsibility for the maintenance of the tunnel would free the city council from around £1 million of annual costs, meaning there would be no need for tolls. A toll for using the tunnel has been one of........

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