IT will have been of little comfort to any of us, politician nor public, to learn of the variations in life expectancy being experienced in Glasgow.

As the Commonwealth Games are scheduled to arrive, our lack of good health, is again brought into sharp focus.

The latest report from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), indicates 25% of boys and 15% of girls will not live beyond the age of 65, in the city.

Average life expectancy, therefore in Glasgow, is 10 years behind the best performing areas in the UK. Surely, our children are entitled to expect better.

The issue of child poverty and poor health has, for decades, been the subject of a huge range of plans and strategies, by both national and local governments.

They have simply not worked.

Glasgow once had a reputation as being "No Mean City". Perhaps as we reflect on these statistics we may be forced to admit it is still applicable but in a different context.

There is simply too much poverty, too much ill health, poor diet, poor education, lack of exercise and too many vast areas of deprivation.

To all the politicians who promised better, who were then elected, who delivered so little, shame on you.

One of the hardest things to teach our children, is that truth, is more important than consequences - the truth is that we have let the next generation of young Glaswegians down. Unfortunately, it is they who will pay the consequences.

INDEPENDENCE of a different type, hit the headlines earlier this week.

It would seem that the Orkney Islands, the Shetland Islands and the Western Isles are all looking for more local autonomy.

The three groups of islands have got together to form the Islands of the Future campaign.

They are seeking more control over local affairs and more say in local issues.

This, has made for some interesting responses from politicians of all parties. The Labour and Liberal Democrat parties, of the No campaign, have welcomed the initiative.

This, in itself, is unsurprising, since Alistair Carmichael, the Scottish Secretary, is also the local MP for Orkney and Shetland.

The initiative has also been welcomed by the Yes campaign.

Indeed the First Minister himself, last July, made a declaration of support in the Shetlands, in favour of local decision-making.

He promised one of the first priorities of an Independent Scotland would be the creation of an Islands Act to tackle the concerns.

The islanders have gathered a petition with more than 1000 signatures seeking their own Independence Referendum.

Unfortunately for the Yes campaign, in a recent mock referendum, the islanders voted three to one against Scottish Independence.

Perhaps having recently lost local control over aspects of health, the fire service, social work, water, and the police, they are taking the SNP promise of greater local decision-making with a rather hefty pinch of Island salt.

The phoenix, rather than the promised bonfire of the quangos, would appear to be creating increased demand for greater, local control.

This issue, appears to have the Scottish Government in something of a quandary.

In articulating independence for Scotland, it does not appear to support independence for the islands.

Instead, it sees devolution as the way forward.

Unfortunately, the First Minister does not believe devolution delivers proper local accountability.

He once famously described the devolution max option as, "not good enough".

Perhaps the islanders now realise some independence claims remain more equal than others.

If Lerwick, Kirkwall and Stornoway are all to have greater local control over their islands issues, then what about here in Glasgow?

Glasgow is, after all, Scotland's largest city.

Its metropolitan area covers a population of some 1.5 million people.

This is the greatest concentration of people in the whole of Scotland.

Why not then a Glasgow Act?

This would give the city both the boundary and the tax base with which to tackle the inequality and the deprivation that have caused so much misery, both to this and to future generations of Glaswegians.

Neither London nor Edinburgh experience the difficulties or deprivation we find here in Glasgow.

A Metropolitian Glasgow, with an elected mayor, a better Glasgow, a fairer Glasgow, a Greater Glasgow could be the way ahead.

Our city remains one of great inequalities and perhaps, claims for greater equality of treatment for Glaswegians should be heard more loudly - unless of course, we remain content to accept that some areas of the country remain more equal than others.