On Saturday morning, I found myself at the top of Glasgow’s Buchanan Street. It was 10.30 am, and to my left, Donald Dewar was gazing down on a thronging high street, already bustling even before brunch.

It’s a sharp contrast to the story we tell ourselves about Aberdeen, where another week has passed, and we’ve attempted to dissect the struggles of Union Street.

It shouldn’t be difficult to analyse where things have gone askew.

Global socio-economic shifts toward a digital marketplace, through both social media and online shopping, supercharged by the pandemic, have combined with major local economic factors – the downturn in oil and gas, for example, or the construction of Union Square – to create a lasting issue for our traditional high street.

Glasgow, which has not been without post-pandemic struggles of its own. Take a walk down the formerly glamorous Sauchiehall, which has as a whole, been better insulated against these things by sheer population size, ease of transport options, and visitors for leisure and entertainment.

Note that I haven’t mentioned bus gates........

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