The manifestos are out. The glossy pages of the political parties’ prospectuses have been produced and are no doubt being pored over by the public.

Except, of course, the public aren’t doing that, and if they did is would be with a fair degree of cynicism.

As Scotland’s trade union movement gathered for STUC Congress last week, we heard directly from three of the country’s political parties, SNP, Labour and Greens, about their vision for the future.

We’re generally a welcoming, inclusive bunch. We are not though, a party conference wherein announcement after announcement is met with scripted applause and rehearsed standing ovations. Workers attending our Congress are a more reserved crowd, forged from the experience of the real-life impact of the politicians’ manifesto promises.

Kudos then to the politicians don’t duck the event and are willing to face the music, even if it’s not a tune they always want to hear. 

There were, of course, welcome commitments made. Each party recognises the pressures on public services, the cost-of-living pressures still bearing down on households and the urgent need to invest in Scotland’s workers.

Stopping council cuts must be top priority for next parliament

Demonising civil servants won’t disguise the consequences of underfunding

The Scottish Parliament has fallen short and will do so again

Ten days in, Scotland’s election campaign already shows politics at its worst

Yet taken together, what was striking was not what was said, but what was missing.

With some notable exceptions, there remains a reluctance to articulate a genuinely big, bold prospectus for Scotland. At a time when people feel insecure, with wealth inequality........

© Herald Scotland