John Swinney says he is fixing the NHS, but is anyone listening? This is an age of endless challenge. Governments must try and tackle climate change, poverty, stagnant living standards, gaping inequality, corporate impunity, trade conflict and expensive new security threats. Voters are caught in a repeat cycle of frustration and disappointment with their incumbent governments.

Will increasing the number of GP appointments by 100,000 a year bring back the feelgood factor here in Scotland? Of course not, but the First Minister has to try.

At next year’s Scottish election, his party will face two main foes: Labour, and voter disaffection. His latest Programme for Government, a ministerial to-do list for the next year, is a battle plan to address both. This, the last pre-election legislative plan to go before Holyrood, is about trying firstly to rebuild trust with voters by showing he can keep promises while, secondly, persuading them that the SNP will do better than Labour.

Read more Rebecca McQuillan

Mr Swinney is having a good go at point two. He is attempting to embarrass Labour on traditional Labour ground, by abolishing peak time rail fares and restoring the winter fuel payment after it was slashed by Rachel Reeves. It adds to a list of benefits and free stuff available in Scotland that can’t be accessed down south. The UK Government’s determination to be “fiscally responsible” has forced it to cut benefits and slash the overseas aid budget, making it a sitting duck for wounding comparisons with the

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