Such is the inferiority complex of so many journalists in Scotland that they will treat Good Morning Scotland as if it is some Alan Partridge type community radio station up against the mighty Radio 4 Today.

This says more about their self-loathing than the quality of the respective programmes: if it’s Scottish it must be crap.

That’s not to say that GMS is not without its faults. As a former producer of the programme I was probably personally responsible for quite a few of those.  Since I left, an obsession has developed with conducting pointless “lives” on stories that simply don’t merit inclusion in a national news programme. Last week, there was what seemed like an endless series of interviews  about a school whose pupils were entering a competition to make salads for M and S.   Why?

But when Radio Scotland’s news output really breaks down is when it relies on editorial lines formulated in London. Today was a classic case in point. The news bulletins were running strongly on the line that there was massive snow disruption in England but Scotland had “escaped the worst.” That must have been interesting news to those stuck on the M8 or M77 trying to cope with horrendous driving conditions.  I suspect that this was a cue essentially cut and pasted from London with a Scottish paragraph added in. It seemed a combination of journalistic laziness (not bothering to re-write the top line) and an example of the Scottish cringe – it must be more important if it’s happening in England.

On the whole though, GMS is still the only programme worth listening to if you are actually interested in what is happening in Scotland. Today will have the occasional Jock-slots but you know, and they know , this is out of duty and because they have been told to get out of the M25 by the BBC Trust.

The occasions when GMS is in a genuinely no-win situation is when there is a major UK story or a story for which a UK Cabinet minister is the best interviewee. The story has to be covered but the producers know they are going to get a second division guest. This was the case today when Today interviewed Lord Mandelson about “British jobs for British workers” and GMS wheeled out Brian Wilson. 

Incidentally both John Humphrys and Jim Naughtie are clearly high-quality journalists and broadcasters.  But there is a real element of parody to their performances now. Naughtie’s “message to the nation” style reports on President Obama’s inauguration just seemed at times like a series of lectures, albeit stylishly delivered.

Humphrys’ assaults on politicians now just seem ritualistic. Today he tried to press the Business Secretary on what it must feel like for someone on Tyneside (ie short-hand for working-class, struggling) who fears having their job “nicked” (his words) by someone from, I think, Poland. I understand that he’s only asking questions, but to use that kind of language – the idea that “our” jobs are being stolen by the foreigners is just distasteful.

Oh and by the way – both programmes are doing really well according to the latest RAJARS – so what do I know?