Scotland’s Hate Crime Act (HCA) has, by common agreement, been an unmitigated disaster. Less than a week old, there are already calls for it to be repealed – like the equally misconceived but more awfully named Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012.

The police are now clearly hesitant of arresting anyone for hate crime

The police have been swamped with thousands of complaints, many vexatious, all of which they are pledged to investigate.