Footage of mounds of rubbish piled up in the streets were replayed endlessly on our television screens. The Conservative opposition saw it as an indictment of the government’s failures in economic management.

Today, in Scotland, we are facing a repeat. First, the nurses indicated that they are willing to strike over issues of pay and workload. They were followed by the teachers, who are due to walk out next week. And now, to add to the sense of crisis, ambulance staff represented by the GMB union are planning a 26-hour walkout on November 28.

The least we might expect from the Scottish Government in this situation is some sort of coherent response. So far that has been missing. Whilst the acting Finance Secretary John Swinney has made it clear there is no more cash for additional pay offers, the Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville has been singing a different song, saying that additional funds might be found for teachers from within her education budget.