BACK in the 1960s the then Labour Party leader Harold Wilson famously stated that “a week is a long time in politics”.

That phrase is now regularly quoted and has become almost ubiquitous in political discourse across the English-speaking world. I would not be surprised to learn that versions in French, Spanish or Russian have been coined over the years.

It is so widely popular because it is essentially true. The best intentions of politicians of all stripes tend to be overtaken by events beyond their control or which were entirely unforeseen. That does not and should not mean that it is used as an excuse by politicians for failing to do what they said they would do.

I have been using the opportunity of the council recess to do some reading. Specifically, I read earlier this week the SNP manifesto from 2017 where they laid out their bold and sweeping promises to the citizens of Glasgow. More than four years later, it is interesting to examine some of these promises.

In the section on the environment, for example, it states “every Glaswegian deserves to live in a neighbourhood where basic services like street cleaning and domestic waste are given the care and attention they deserve”. Later in the same section they promise to properly repair and resurface pavements and roads and that they will not just use emergency patching.

Tell that to the people of Govanhill, or most other areas of the city. Bin collections are now less frequent, food recycling has been suspended in tenements, bulk uplifts are charged for, and our roads and pavements are crumbling from lack of investment.

From the comments made to me, and every other councillor I speak to, the common perception is that the city is a mess and getting worse by the week. Under the heading Culture, the SNP in 2017 told the electorate that they wanted “to provide the best local community facilities and resources. An SNP city government will make sure that every local area has access to cultural facilities”. This comes from an administration which today is overseeing the closure or mothballing of libraries, community centres and venues across the city. The announcement last week that there could be up to 500 jobs lost across Glasgow Life flies in the face of what the SNP said back when they wanted your vote.

The manifesto also made great play of empowering local communities. They promised to give £1 million to every ward across Glasgow, £23m in total. We were told that this would allow local people to make decisions on how best to invest in improving their local communities. What happened to those millions? You may well ask but I’ll be blowed if I know the answer. The former City Treasurer kept telling us that it would be in next year’s budget but next year never seems to come. The current incumbent seems to have quietly forgotten all about it.

I could go on but I am allowed only a few hundred words, not several pages. The examples I do quote have a common theme. They cost money, very significant amounts of money. Our current city administration has acquiesced in the constant reduction of Glasgow’s funding by the Scottish Government with barely a whimper of complaint. Their promises and responsibilities to Glasgow’s citizens are entirely secondary to the diktats of their friends in Holyrood.

When you read their manifesto for next year, bear that in mind. Glasgow deserves better.