IF you were to ask the average Scot what has no place in a modern Scotland, then the answers would probably vary wildly.

For patients, waiting months to get treatment on the NHS and struggling to get an appointment with their GP would be simply unacceptable in 2024.

Likewise, islanders would probably say that a ferry network operated by decades old boats that impacts on their daily lives would probably top the list.

Others would argue that poverty, record numbers of people dying from drugs and a chronic lack of affordable housing would have no place.

Sadly, while all these issues really do have no place in a modern Scotland, the harsh reality is they are happening every day and that is a scandal.

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I’ll wager that very few, if any, Scots would pick the humble pursuit of greyhound racing as having no place, probably on the grounds that very people know it still exists.

But, as if to highlight the growing disconnect between Holyrood and the people it is supposed to serve, greyhound racing is set to become the latest thing to be banned by the highly-paid and under worked politicians that occupy the lavish parliament chamber.

Green MSP Mark Ruskell is bringing in a bill to outlaw the sport and thundered: “This cruel practice has no place in modern Scotland.”

This is despite there being just one greyhound racing track in Scotland, in the Fife village of Thornton.

Greyhound racing used to be the preserve of the working class, with virtually every city in the UK having a track at one time.

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Images of packed stadiums full of flat caps and cigarette smoke have long since been consigned to history as over time, the past-time fell out fashion.

Most people in Scotland will have never been to the dog track and will probably be surprised that there is even one that still exists.

But critics say that banning it entirely will simply move it underground and make legitimate concerns about animal welfare even worse in an unregulated environment.

Not so, insists Mr Ruskell, with the rather improbable reply that this would be impossible due to the size of the tracks involved.

He claims that greyhound racing tracks are so big they can be “seen from space”.

Quite how he knows this is unclear but given he seems to inhabit Mars then I’ll take him at his word.

Holyrood doesn’t seem to do very much except ban things some MSP’s don’t like very much.

Whether it be enjoying a tipple on a train, gingerbread men or mink farming that doesn’t exist, nothing is safe.

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Even proper bans that actually do good such as the recent outlawing of fishing for sand eels around the coast to help save seabirds was hijacked by the juvenile politicians.

Greens spokesperson for coastal communities, Ariane Burgess MSP, said: “This is a huge boost for our seas and a proud day for Scotland’s puffins, kittiwakes and other iconic seabirds”.

I have no idea what a proud puffin looks like but I imagine it would be like any other puffin, except prouder looking.

It is getting hard to argue that Scotland is any better than it was 25 years ago when Holyrood was set up.

In many ways it is worse and that should shame all our elected parliamentarians who have helped it go to the dogs.