Parliament has been dominated by the fallout from the crisis of RAAC in public buildings. It is a real concern with parents understandably worried about schools.

However, it’s something where officials at East Lothian Council have been ahead of the game, for which they deserve great credit. It was before the summer recess that I was advised by the chief executive that RAAC was responsible for partial closures at The Brunton and Preston Lodge High School.

Checks were ongoing at other public buildings to ensure that safety wasn’t threatened, and it’s now been found at Ross High School.

I then find out that checks were being carried out across all UK departments but that no funds would be provided.

Holyrood would have to foot the bill for Scotland, despite the construction method predating devolution. The debacle that has arisen shows that people were sitting on their backside, though not in East Lothian; more importantly, it shows that infrastructure and public buildings in the UK have been allowed to decline and decay.

It started with Thatcher’s privatisation of public services, with shareholder profit replacing provision for the common good.

Then there was PFI/PPP, which morphed under New Labour and saw costs rocket and charges imposed for schools, hospitals and even prisons. Many of them we’re still paying for, even though they are nearing the end of their lifespan.

All that has now been followed by imposed austerity, with potholes, decaying infrastructure and fragmenting public buildings becoming the norm. All the while, corporate profits have been booming and a few have been getting fantastically rich.

Public infrastructure should be for the benefit of communities, not corporates, and controlled by those acting for the public good. We were promised the broad shoulders of the UK yet what we’ve got is Broken Britain, whoever is in No.10.

It’s why independence is essential.