Vladimir McTavish: Settling the big issues in May election – freedom or potholes

However, as polling day for Holyrood draws closer, most of the manifestos have been launched, party leaders have been setting out their stalls and stressing their big priorities.

Tractor protests highlight rising concerns over high fuel prices

And voters are being canvassed about the issues that affect them most. Some of these are major, some comparatively trivial. Some are policies more suited to a parish council, while others question the very core of the constitution.

This has been reflected in the major policy announce-ments. So while John Swinney and the SNP have been suggesting there could be a second independence referendum within the next two years, both Scottish Labour and Reform UK have been promising immediate action on the burning topic of potholes.

Don’t get me wrong, pot-holes are a major problem, which has got worse through-out the UK over the past decade, as ever-larger vehicles trash our roads and councils’ repair budgets are cut to the bone.

But it’s hardly a politically sexy issue. To promise a nation will have control of its own destiny after 300 years will get the blood pumping a wee bit faster than promising to send guys on the streets with pots of tarmac.

Both important, of course. And indeed the twin issues may be more connected that one would think. If we are to have another vote of Scotland’s future by 2028, perhaps the state of the roads could be incorporated into the question on the referendum ballot paper.

After all, if the price of independence were to be a third-world road network, many might opt to stay within the UK. However, if the only benefit of remaining part of Britain was to have nice shiny streets, all of them leading to London, many would have second about remaining in the union.

On Thursday, the SNP announced a daring initiative to bring in price caps on food. Best of luck to them, to actually bring in legislation to tackle the cost of living crisis. But whether they will be able to sell the idea to the major supermarket chains is less certain.

Can we really see the likes of Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury agreeing to cut into their massive profits?

Yet prices are set to keep rising as the cost of diesel keeps going through the roof. And you always know we are officially in a fuel crisis when tractor protests begin in earnest. There was one in Northern Ireland during the week, and I’m sure we’ll see a whole more before spring is out. I reckon by next week we’ll see irate farmers driving around Westminster.

Angry framers are a relatively recent phenom-enon in the UK. The French have made it a national sport, one they play with panache. There are few more poetic sites that a couple of tonnes of artichokes dumped on the Champs-Élysées.

Although one guy in Northumberland came close a few years back. A farmer was having a dispute with his bank which reached a head when he drove his muck spreader into Newcastle and sprayed the main branch of Nat West.

Quite literally, the manure hit the fan.