EUAN McCOLM: The louder Holyrood’s egotists trumpet their virtue, the faster we should all count our spoons…

The article argues that some Scottish politicians use public money for projects that appear to promote their personal image, while claiming the moral high ground. It focuses on Scottish Green MSP Kate Nevens’s decision to hire a migrant justice officer, arguing that immigration policy is reserved to the UK Parliament and that the spending is therefore misplaced.

It also criticises SNP finance minister Hannah Mary Goodlad’s plan to appoint an artist-in-residence at public expense, and recalls Nevens’s proposal to abolish prisons. The writer says Holyrood MSPs should prioritise matters within their remit and calls for stronger accountability over public spending, pointing to the end of councillors’ personal liability for reckless expenditure in 2000. The article presents these as opinion and does not include a response from the MSPs.