A GREAT deal of controversy has been rightly stirred this week, by the Evening Times' exclusive revelations that Glasgow City Council, has earned £800,000, in the last two months, from fines incurred by motorists unwittingly entering a new bus gate at Nelson Mandela Place, in the city centre.

Motorists have been fined £30, as a fixed penalty, which rises to £60, if not paid within 14 days. So far, 28,000 drivers, have been caught.

Glasgow City Council said the restrictions were subject to local consultation and that they will re-examine and attempt to improve, the signage. In which case, will they now refund the £800,000, given their admission that the signage requires improvement?

I also wonder how many people responded to their consultation proposals? Local businesses, including the Glasgow Restaurant Association, want the council to reconsider the restrictions, as they are doing more harm, than good.

Almost 30,000 motorists, would, I'm sure, agree.

If Glasgow City Council has an integrated transport strategy for the city centre, it would be wonderful to see it in action. In my opinion, it makes no sense and will merely cause traffic, coming from the west side of the city, to be diverted both north and south of George Square, making the existing problems there, even worse.

The City Council should be transparent in reassuring its citizens this restriction was not about raising money.

It should return the £800,000 to its owners and develop an appropriate and integrated transport strategy for the city centre.

Will they do so? I think we all know the answer to that.

AS pressure mounts on both the Yes and No campaigns, the whole process appears to have got tetchy.

The shouting debates, the thinly disguised undertones of disrespect, the attack on Jim Murphy and other, alleged attacks upon Yes campaigners.

The Moderator of the Church of Scotland, the Right Rev John Chalmers, is disturbed by the aggression emerging in the referendum debate, and has called on both sides to treat each other with respect.

He is of course, right.

Irrespective of the outcome, we will all emerge on the morning of September 19, with a shared and vested interest in the future direction of our country.

Few of us would wish to move forward, with the ongoing legacy of two, divided camps.

We live in an outstanding, small country. Let's make sure the world sees we conducted this debate in an atmosphere of tolerance and respect, recognising others may have a different view, and undertaking to accept the decision and move forward together.

AS football's transfer window closed, the stark difference between the English and Scottish leagues, couldn't have been more apparent.

England's top league spent some £835m on players, while Scotland's top league spent £2.2m. If we could have applied the Barnett Formula to this disparity, it would have given our clubs £80m.

The plight of Rangers, and of Celtic without Rangers, has brought the very viability of Scottish football into question.

The SPFL has few fans, and even fewer resources. The most recent review, undertaken by Henry McLeish, shone little light upon the subject and was roundly ignored.

Scottish football is in a mess.

Indeed, the Better Together campaign could win the referendum at a stroke, if David Cameron could persuade the English Premiership, to merge with its Scottish counterparts.

That, of course, isn't going to happen, nor does the Barnett formula apply.

What salvation, therefore, for our national game?

LAST week, RBS was fined £14.5m by the Financial Conduct Authority, for mis-selling mortgages.

The bank mis- sold, fixed rate mortgages, by telling clients interest rates could rise as high as 5.5%, when base rates had been at 0.5% for some five years.

It also mis-sold mortgages which were based on a monthly savings plan, which was then invested in shares and property. Many clients were left with the choice of selling their homes or borrowing more money.

We are entitled to be angry with a bank that is 80% owned by us.

We have almost become numbed to news of bank mis-selling, PPI and interest rate swaps.

Indeed, the industry itself has coined the term mis-selling.

In other walks of life, might we not refer to it as scandalous.