Council leader Meagher can teach Swinney a leadership lesson - Susan Dalgety

I may have my own beef with the book festival and its choice of authors, and I could barely afford a ticket to any of the shows on the International Festival programme, but I love the energy of Edinburgh in August. For a month, it is simply the best city in the world.

Leader of Edinburgh City Council Jane Meagher

And now I can add Edinburgh City Council leader Jane Meagher to that list.

I have expressed my reservations about Cllr Meagher’s low-key style in the past, but her handling of the recent Supreme Court judgement, which ruled that the term ‘woman’ refers to biological sex for the purposes of equality law, has been exemplary.

Under her leadership, Edinburgh will become the first council in Scotland to comply fully with the law and ensure that all the city’s schools provide single-sex toilets for pupils.

A report on the council’s updated guidance for schools will be considered by councillors on Thursday.

As Susan Smith of grassroots campaign group For Women Scotland (FWS) told this newspaper, it is “great to see such a robust paper, and such prompt action from Edinburgh City Council.”

But as she points out, it is shameful that the Scottish Government continues to “dither and delay” in providing new national guidance for schools across the rest of the country.

FWS are so frustrated by the government’s lack of action that they have organised a rally outside the Scottish Parliament at 11am on Thursday, where they expect hundreds of women to turn up to let John Swinney know exactly how they feel about his dithering.

I am sure Cllr Meagher will be too busy up the road in the City Chambers to make an appearance, but if she were to turn up, she would be guaranteed a warm welcome.

And the First Minister should take a leaf out of her book and show some leadership.