When is less…more?

When it’s reported in the Scotsman. The headline states that “SNP's green credentials questioned as official car trips increase”. The piece goes on to say that for each minister compared with the same time last year the number of trips taken by car has gone up from an average of 135 to an average of 137 each. A little under a 1.3% rise.

But that’s not quite the whole story. The total number of trips taken by the SNP Ministers this summer is 2,471, the number taken at the same time last year by the Lab/Lib Ministers was 2,711. Which means the SNP Government has made 240 less trips by car than its predecessors. A little under a 9% fall.

So, the SNP administration is smaller and there have been 9% less trips by car by SNP ministers as compared to the Lab/Lib Ministers. The SNP Government has successfully reduced the number of trips taken by car, yet its been reported in the Scotsman as a failure to cut car trips.