POLITICIANS are a bit like football managers in that they must have a degree of self loving in order to be a success in the job.

Jose Mourinho and Boris Johnson are poles apart in many things but both share a high level of self-confidence which, to be fair, has not necessarily guaranteed success for either man.

Up a level from both of them would be the Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose self-adoring pronouncements about himself would make a peacock blush.

But, for sheer breathtaking self-importance and total lack of self-awareness, step forward the Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees for an incredible outburst earlier this week.

Mr Rees was being grilled at an otherwise dull council meeting about the very serious problem of that many of Bristol’s bridges are falling down and needing repaired.

Urgent repairs are needed on some of them, which will mean they will be closed for a few months, causing no end of travel misery for Bristolians.

However, rather than apologise to the city’s taxpayers who, after all, pay his wages, Mr Rees went in to an extraordinary rant directed at a local newspaper which had merely pointed out that months of travel chaos was on the way.

Labelling it “embarrassing” he continued the rather hysterical rant rather than face legitimate questions about the bridges.

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Mr Rees then claimed the paper had no idea “what it’s like running a core city in the middle of a climate and ecological catastrophe.”

Now, I’ve been to Bristol and it is a very fine city – but the Serengeti Plain or the Great Barrier Reef it ain’t. But I’m sure the good people of Bristol are completely reassured that their man is on the case it and that the ecological crisis that is gripping the city will soon become a thing of the past.

Quite what the ecological crisis might be is unclear , but if anything better illustrates the out-of touch, self-serving modern politician then this is it.

Rather than show a shred of empathy with the citizens that he is supposed to serve, he treated them with utter contempt as he stooped to this virtue-signalling claptrap.

He clearly thinks he knows best and if millions of commuters suffer lengthy delays from bridge closures then it can’t possibly be his fault.

He has the planet to save after all, and that’s far more important than dealing with the very real problems being suffered by the people who elected him.

It will come as a surprise to no-one that Mr Rees is now eyeing up a safe Labour seat at Westminster where he can become even more out of touch with ordinary folk. But at least he’ll be amongst like-minded individuals in the heavily subsidised restaurants and bars.

I suspect he may have some bridge-building to do first with his constituents if he goes for a Bristol seat.

Politicians used to take their responsibilities very seriously and there were certain standards that were upheld. Now it appears that anything goes as we have seen in recent scandals involving Boris Johnson’s Tories and the SNP’s murky finances.

Margaret Ferrier’s Covid antics are no better nor as are the various sexual misconduct and bullying allegations that are currently swirling around the Westminster trough.

Decades ago, there would have been mass resignations but it appears that a politician has to commit something as serious as genocide for us to even get an apology let alone a resignation.

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The contempt politicians have again shown us, the electorate is being seen in the ongoing ferry scandal that has left islanders in despair.

Transport minister Kevin Stewart quit this week, citing mental health issues, and he should be applauded for honesty and we should all wish him well in his recovery.

However, the transport brief has become the most poisoned of chalice’s after decades of mismanagement that has left the network broken.

As if to illustrate how seriously transport is viewed by the current administration, the post is not even a fully-fledged cabinet position despite having a budget of billions of pounds for a sector that affects every Scot.

Instead, it is relegated to be part of the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Just Transition’s department, which perfectly sums up the low priority in which it is held.

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It is a situation that also perfectly mirrors the situation with Mr Rees.

For politicians, the vague concept of climate change and the desperate need to be seen to be doing something about it overrides every other political priority, regardless of how it affects ordinary folk.

Islanders needs are disregraded by a 'we-know-best' culture in Edinburgh that delivers nothing of any real use to those living there.

It is a preposterous situation and one our elected officials need to get to grips with and start governing for everyone – not just pressure groups.