The sight of John Swinney doing his "peace in our time act " with the CoSLA Concordat in Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament was a sad day for Scottish democracy. As a former CoSLA spokesperson myself I an devastated that the organisation I was proud to represent has sold us down the SNP river.
Not withstanding the fact that despite the still wet signatures of the president and his vice presidents were on the paper Swinney was waving about its not been agreed by CoSLA leaders and is valueless without their agreement. And if they do agree it, they will be signing away all that autonomy we in local Government have fought to protect for so long. Phrases including turkeys and Christmas spring to mind.
The crux of the matter is the fact that we only get the cash to freeze council tax if we agree to deliver the SNP manifesto. I am not even sure that that is legal far less morally or democratically acceptable.
The trouble is, the Council Tax is such an unpopular tax that arguments about the sanctity of local democracy will be lost in the roar of its demise. The SNP understand populism to premier division standard but this will one day be seen as an astonishing own goal by CoSLA, or it will be if we can't save it in the extra time that is Friday's Leaders meeting.
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