I thought of the great Jimmy Greaves this week at Holyrood because it’s not just football that is, as the legendary England striker said, “A funny old game”.

The row over tax credits and how Scotland should seek to protect those who face losing vital income has not showed our parliament or politicians at their best.

Some things are clear, the SNP opposed the tax credit cuts, we’ve heard Nicola Sturgeon and all others say so.

Labour are also opposed to the cuts, Kezia Dugdale and Jackie Baillie said so.

But that won’t do. There has to be a row, there has to be a division created between the two parties and it has to be stretched so the gap appears wider than it actually is.

We also know the Tories back the Chancellor, we saw Annabel Goldie nodding vigorously when Nicola Sturgeon said the Baroness wanted to cut tax credits.

Any hopes that might previously been entertained about consensus politics has faded and Labour and the SNP have gone to being bitter enemies.

It is in both their interests to do so with the Holyrood elections coming up in just six months.

For the SNP whatever powers come under the new Scotland Bill can never be enough, so any Labour motion on using available or imminent powers will be rejected.

Labour will always accuse the SNP of failing to use existing powers even if it means having eat further into an already reducing budget and cut elsewhere.

Had they really wanted to send a message to George Osborne this week, Labour and the SNP could have drafted a motion they both supported and while still having a debate on how to proceed, the overall message would have been clear.

‘We do not support cuts to tax credits and you should apply the old green cross code’.

Stop - what you are doing. Look - at the damage you are doing. Listen - to the voiced of millions of people, of charities, of the Scottish Parliament and even the House of Lords who know you have gone too far and step back from crossing the line that will push hundreds of thousands into poverty.

But instead we had a motion the SNP couldn’t support, an amendment Labour couldn’t back and we end up with a division manufactured so each can hurl insults and abuse at the other for the next six months.

Both Labour and the SNP will be able to claim the other failed to stand up for the people who are losing out to the Chancellor’s tax credit cuts.

Meanwhile in homes the length and breadth of Britain people worry how they will make ends meet.