THERESA May has been kidnapped. Again.

The first ransom demand was made last year after the election. It was a note written in red, white and blue crayon. It said ‘£10m or your government gets it, best wishes, Arlene”.

The Tories stumped up. But the Prime Minister failed to realise you should never trust kidnappers and the police advice is don’t pay the ransom, it only encourages them.

And encourage them it has.

As predictable as bonfires burning bright in Belfast in July, this week she was kidnapped again. 

The ransom note went to Philip Hammond, “£2m for Belfast city centre or your budget gets it” the note read “Yours faithfully Nigel, Emma and Gavin. PS leave the money in the Bank Building in Castle Street, Belfast.”

And so, the cheque book was whipped out once again and waved across the chamber of the House of Commons at the DUP. But only because he was forced to.

The Chancellor, while quick to offer cash after a very serious fire in Belfast, turned down requests from Glasgow MPs for something similar for the city after the fires that shut down most of Sauchiehall Street.

He ignored them and got a junior minister no-one has heard of to send a weak and weasel-worded reply. 

Put bluntly it pretty much read ‘Go away and stop bothering us’.

David Mundell, the Scottish Secretary, was also asked to make representations on behalf of the city as Scotland’s man in the cabinet.

He bottled it.

He was happy enough to visit the Art School in Garnethill and show his concern for the future of the Mackintosh Building but not concerned enough to put forward a case for support for traders to his bosses.

This is because MPs in the Conservative Party can’t make demands on this Prime Minister and Chancellor because they have no leverage to work with.

Their only threat is one of a vote of no confidence and remover her as Tory leader and as Prime Minister.

But if they do that they are architects of their own downfall as a General Election could remove the Tories from power and many MPs from their comfy seats.

Now some of them may be daft, but they’re not stupid.

The DUP, however, have no such fears. They can kick out Theresa May and still be mostly safe in their unionist stronghold seats in Northern Ireland. 

It is no way to run a government.

The Scottish Government has provided cash for Sauchiehall Street in a relief fund but the situation has gone on so long the cash some firms received has been used and they face trying to restart with nothing.

Others are still a long way from re-opening.

A further tragedy to add to the fires that have hit the Art School would be that in a year or two, Sauchiehall Street is thriving once the works are over and the Avenues project is complete, but many small businesses did not survive to benefit from it.

Derek Mackay, the Scottish Finance Secretary has an opportunity in his budget next month to show Philip Hammond how it’s done.

He can make some more cash available to ensure firms do not go out of business as a result of a fire that was not of their making.

And he can do so willingly, not because his job depends on keeping certain elements sweet.

Come on, Derek - show Phil how it’s done.