Leaders fiddle as public money burns, but where's the bonfire?

WHEN Henry McLeish became first minister in October 2000, he did what all new leaders do – promised a "bonfire of the quangos". However, between devolution in 1999 and the eve of the last Holyrood elections, employment in Scottish quangos rose by 40 per cent. When Alex Salmond became First Minister in May 2007, he did what all new leaders do – promised a "bonfire of the quangos". That did not stop him creating new ones – 24 in the first year of the new administration.

As a result, the finance secretary, John Swinney, has just revealed yet another rise in the number of people employed in Scottish quangos.

All governments tell the electorate they are going to eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy, cut waste and impro...