IT has been all change among the elite of Scottish politics lately. During a tempest of scandal and declining support, the SNP have a new leader and Scotland has a new First Minister — but the fundamental contradictions in our society and economy remain the same.

The anointed prince is of course Humza Yousaf — and he has gotten off to a bumpy start, to say the least.

Yousaf has been a regular fixture in key positions at the top of the Scottish government since Nicola Sturgeon rose to power following the failed 2014 independence campaign. Always in favour within his party, the public reception has been less adoring, and it would be fair to say that his record as cabinet secretary for health, and before that, covering the justice portfolio, was more than a bit suspect.