Change of Heart.

"An MSP who quit as a councillor to take up his Holyrood seat accepted a bumper payoff - despite telling voters he would not take it. Nationalist Keith Brown said during last year's election campaign that he would refuse the golden goodbye he was entitled to for quitting Clackmannanshire Council."

He said he wouldn't claim the cash and then he did. And now he plans to distribute the cash to organisations within constituency which raises questions about trying to win votes by handing out the cash, paid for by the taxpayer. Highly questionable.

Teeny weeny councils.

It's official: the Accounts Commission has said that "Scotland's smallest council, Clackmannanshire, cannot provide value for council tax payers because of its size."

It makes you question just how many more of Scotland's 32 councils could also fall into this category. Do we need three councils in Ayrshire accounting for a population not much larger than that served by one Council in Fife. Or two Dunbartonshire Councils? Or even Inverclyde Council?

Mr Smith thinks its not an academic point because it means the punters in these areas arguably pay more for a lesser service than they would get if these anomalies didn't exist. Time for some action?