Saving Cat's delicatessen

Calton is pleased to see that a last-minute Tory attempt to scrap the Scottish Government's so-called 'Tesco tax' has been unsuccessful. The levy is part of measures to try and improve the health of this nation by taxing supermarkets and larger shops which sell alcohol and tobacco. Hopefully it will also help small shop owners who are being forced out of business by the large concerns - Calton notes that there is a stushie in Bruntsfield at the moment over a new Sainsburys and its likely effect on local businesses. The unregulated retail free-for-all so beloved of the Tories is not healthy for either the population or small shops - some regulation is necessary if our high streets are not to become boarded-up wildernesses. How will Alexander McCall Smith cope if Cat's deli is forced to close?