No bank holiday needed for the World Cup, just nerves of steel - Susan Dalgety

The time difference, and the demands of USA television, mean that the game kicks off at 9pm Boston time which is 2am in Edinburgh. The game will be over by four, which is plenty of time for even the worst hangover to fade before the Monday morning work routine kicks in. So as the city council decided, sensibly in my view, there is no reason to close schools and council services.

The First Minister’s decision to declare June 15 a public holiday was nothing more than a cheap election gimmick, designed to ingratiate the SNP government with Scotland’s growing army of football fans. There is nothing quite like a successful World Cup run to convert people to the beautiful game, at least while Scotland remains in the tournament.

So far, most councils have rejected the idea, and as hard-pushed private companies can ill-afford to lose a day’s business, the only people likely to benefit from the bonus day off are employees of the Scottish Government. And to be blunt, it will make no difference to us if civil servants take another day off.

John Swinney may have been a tad premature in his decision. The World Cup final is on Sunday July 19, and according to the most diehard, some might say downright delusional, Scotland fans we may reach it. Though if Scotland were to be in the last two, or even win the tournament, the country would need a month off, not a day, to recover from the mother and father of all hangovers.

But that won’t happen. We will lose to Haiti. Draw with Morocco. Narrowly beat Brazil in a thrilling match that will be spoken about for decades to come. And crash out on goal difference. The important thing is that for the first time since 1998 we are in the final stages of the World Cup. We don’t need a public holiday to celebrate. Just nerves of steel and an endless supply of painkillers.