THERE'S an old saying that goes something like 'if you want something done, ask a busy person to do it'.

Humza Yousaf looks to be doing his best to disprove that saying.

Despite being, at least on paper, the busiest man in Scotland, having to face the crises in our NHS and social care services, as well as the ferries fiasco, it appears that Humza is incapable of getting anything done as First Minister – unless you consider the Scottish Government’s latest paper on independence to be a meaningful contribution.

It is clear that Humza is someone who is more interested in talking about hypotheticals than dealing with the here and now, speaking to the wider country as the head of a government.

Even he knows that the paper he is endorsing doesn’t hold any answers to the problems Scotland currently faces.

What Scotland really needs at the moment are solutions to the problems that have been allowed to grow and fester during the last 16 years of SNP governance but Humza has chained himself to an ideology that says ‘we can only tackle these issues once Scotland is independent’.

Quite simply, Scotland is being held back by an SNP First Minister who is too busy focussing on the wrong priorities.

I am currently on my summer tour of the West Scotland region.

It is my way of meeting constituents, groups, and organisations while the Scottish Parliament is in recess.

Something that has become more apparent over the last year – and even more so during my 2023 tour of the region – is that third-sector organisations and community groups are currently facing big challenges.

From larders, men's sheds, and support groups across West Scotland, their message has been clear: demand for services has gone up and financial pressures are increasing.

I suspect I will continue to hear that from groups as I continue my summer tour.

There are so many groups out there doing vital work for their communities – from providing mental health support to offering cost-of-living advice – but their work is only possible with funding.

The reality is that many of these third-sector and community groups cannot keep going without long-term funding from the Scottish Government.

Just like local authorities, they are being asked to do more year upon year with fewer resources.

I have pushed, and I will continue to push, the Scottish Government to establish a new Third Sector Resilience Fund, so that these groups, volunteer coordinators, and volunteers can have some confidence and reassurance that they can continue doing their work in the long term.

Humza won’t listen. He’ll say that, despite spending money on papers filled with fanciful hypotheticals about an independent Scotland, he can’t give support to community organisations.

If he continues with his tunnel vision for independence, the saying will go 'if you want something done, don’t ask Humza Yousaf to do it'.