Nicola Sturgeon has left big shoes her preferred successor, Humza Yousaf, will struggle to fill.
That he is set to be Scotland’s first Muslim First Minister is a landmark moment.
But a bitter battle exposed damaging cracks in the SNP and illuminated governance failings that are a gift for political opponents.
Yousaf himself was rubbished by leadership rival Kate Forbes as continuity mediocrity and a failed Health, Transport and Justice Minister.
None of her savage criticisms can be taken back and with public support falling for independence plus a trans row, the immediate future looks backwards for the SNP.
It’s hard to escape the conclusion that Labour’s charismatic Scottish leader Anas Sarwar and his boss Keir Starmer are the real winners of Sturgeon’s retirement.
Stop the spills
The Poole Harbour oil spill and disclosure raw sewage is still dumped into England’s waters 800 times a day are the mistreatment of our precious environment.
Preventing another Poole leak by discovering exactly how it happened to learn lessons is the primary goal of an urgent investigation.
And privatised water companies polluting rivers and coasts must feel the wrath of tough regulation to force them to invest and end this dirty, disgusting practice.
A great credit
A Voice of the Mirror last week about Met Police failings mentioned the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s forerunner the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
We should not have described the RUC as “discredited” and apologise, particularly to former members and their families. We accept the RUC evolved to become the PSNI.
We recognise the service of individual RUC officers who served during the Troubles and were collectively awarded the George Cross.
It was not our intention to cast doubt on their bravery or insult the families of those who lost love
