IT’s that time of year when clowns, jugglers, comedians, stilt walkers and an assortment of all sorts of halfwits take to the streets for a bit of harmless fun.

No, I’m not talking about the rioters south of the Border but, of course, the Edinburgh Festival when the capital throws of its twinset and pearls and goes a bit punk for the month of August.

The streets are always abuzz with fun and fire-eaters and attracts millions of visitors each every year to enjoy Scotland’s main cultural event.

In recent times, it has also become the time that refuse collectors go on strike, knowing that tourists finding overflowing bins to put their plastic coffee cups into is a major embarrassment to the city and the government, too.

Two years ago, the rubbish bins went uncollected for nearly the whole month – including, presumably, Nicola Sturgeon’s bin at Bute House which prompted her to find a bit of extra cash to fund a pay rise and end the strike.

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Ms Sturgeon may have vacated the official First Minister’s residence since then, of course, but it is John Swinney’s turn to be threatened with an overflowing bin by another strike.

Cosla, the umbrella body which represents Scotland’s 32 local authorities, said it had offered the “absolute limit” of available cash to unions to fund a 3.2% rise, which was rejected.

So, local government workers in 26 local authorities across Scotland are currently expected to walk out from 5am on Wednesday August 14 to 4.59am on Thursday, August 22, in a dispute over pay.

The Unite, Unison and GMB unions have warned that planned strikes by waste and recycling staff will see rubbish pile up in the streets in Edinburgh in the middle of the busy festival period.

This has prompted Finance and Local Government Secretary Shona Robison to have a rummage around down the back of her sofa where she and has found enough coins to offer councils a bit more to fund a pay rise.

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I don’t know who sits on government sofas, but they must have very large pockets as they don’t seem to miss the millions that are regularly found under the cushions by ministers desperately trying to avert a crisis.

Ms Robison has said the “enhanced envelope” of funding would enable local government body Cosla to make a revised pay offer to workers via union representatives.

However, she warned that the additional funds represented “the absolute limit of affordability” for the public purse.

It’s funny, though, how that extra cash is always found when it’s the First Minister’s own bin that needs emptied.

Nothing like the embarrassment of empty tins of cat food, cans of lager, microwave curry containers and shampoo bottles spilling out of an overflowing bin outside Bute House to stump up the funds.

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But why should it take the threat of overflowing bins in the capital during the festival to find extra cash?

There are 26 local authorities facing strike action across Scotland after all: if Edinburgh wasn’t one of them would then it is hard to believe such a quick solution would have been found.

But, of course, Scottish ministers have now made a very large rod for their backs now as every year a strike will be threatened in August for a more pay rise.

That is now twice that the tactic has worked in the past three years, so savvy union reps will no doubt already be preparing for next year – and the year after that, too.