IT is that time of year when most of us are thinking longingly about a fortnight in the sun, on account of Scots not having seen it for months, unless we’ve sneaked in a wee winter break.

The rain has been pretty relentless recently, after all, and May is supposed to be one of the better months for weather, too.

Hopefully, June can offer up some respite before the rain starts again as soon as the schools break up and ruins virtually every summer event across the country in July.

It is no wonder we like to head to the sun and this year there’s the added incentive of missing the General Election, too, with the campaign so far in the running as the dullest ever contested.

It’s a pretty low bar, too, so the politicians should be applauded for achieving something noteworthy, I suppose.

But while most of us jet off for an annual break with a totally clear conscience, the good people of Edinburgh are soon to be the exception.

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Councillors in the capital appear to take a very dim view of foreign holidays and are determined to put a dampener on any of their council tax payers daring to think about heading abroad.

This week, City of Edinburgh Council banned the promotion of fossil fuel-powered cars and exotic holidays on council-owned advertising spaces in a bid to boost efforts to decarbonise.

The ban, spearheaded by the Scottish Greens – who else? – extends to commercial flights, all SUVs including electric ones, and cruise ships.

But the council stopped short of extending the ban to meat products as it deemed that decision “highly controversial”.

It would also have been completely inaccurate, but I’m not sure that would bother them one jot.

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Other categories including fossil fuel firms and arms manufacturers will be excluded from sponsorship partnerships across council-owned advertising spaces.

The move to prohibit follows a similar policy introduced by Sheffield City Council in March.

It is hoped the ban on h-carbon advertising and sponsorship will prompt behavioural change from consumers and officials said allowing it to continue could undermine efforts to reduce emissions.

City of Edinburgh Council said reaching net zero targets required "a shift in society’s perception of success”, and that advertising had “a key role to play in promoting low-carbon behaviours”.

No doubt after the motion was approved, the councillors cracked open the dandelion and burdock in a cave by candelight and toasted a job well done.

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Except that it isn’t. This decision actually takes virtue signalling to a whole new level and will do absolutely nothing to tackle climate change.

If anything highlights the utter nonsense and paralysis that seems to be afflicting every public body on climate change, then this is it.

If they are serious, maybe they should start collecting the bins more often and recycle rubbish properly. That would actually make a difference rather than this garbage.

But of course that would take money and, more importantly, action from the council to achieve this and, sadly, local authorities are not very good at that.

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It is also highly hypocritical as the council is always quick to welcome new long-haul flight routes into the city’s’ airport for improving he capital’s “connectivity.”

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people flock to the city for Edinburgh International Festival, which is always hailed by the council for putting the city on the map. How do the councillors think all these big-spending visitors arrive in the city?

I know the tram system has been extended but it isn’t yet to go global, although extending it to New York may have been cheaper than to Leith.

And probably quicker, too.