My last column was about the election on July 4. This one is about what happens next.

We have a new government and despite the fact that it's not my party that was elected – spoiler alert, I’m an SNP councillor – I’m very pleased with one aspect of that result, the Tories are out.

Changes of government don’t happen all that often so when a governing party is rejected at the ballot box it’s a big event.

In this case, it appears that it was very much about voting the Tories out, rather than voting positively for the alternative. But that often happens – change happens when governments are thought to be failing. It's harder for an opposition to win power, no matter how attractive they may look if the government are thought to be doing a good job.

The Labour Party campaigned on a slogan of ‘change’ and it was a very powerful message. I congratulate them on capturing the mood of voters in Scotland, England and Wales. Through the quirks of our voting system, they won a big majority and they have big challenges facing them.

But of course, they’re now the government and everyone is now looking for them to deliver, to deliver the ‘change’ that voters want.

Now change can take two forms. The government can pass legislation – make new laws – which right past wrongs, deliver better ways of doing things.

The government can spend money on their priorities, on the priorities of the people who voted for them, to deliver better services, address poverty and all the other things that matter.

The two often go together – new legislation means new money, and so on.

But, and there’s always a but, what if the new government campaigned on a slogan of change but also said, no new taxes? Where is the new money for all that change going to come from?

And very quickly, that’s the point the new government has reached. The furore over the two-child cap on welfare benefits should come as no surprise to anyone, least of all the new government. And in fairness, while Labour said they wanted to see it gone, they didn’t actually commit to it. But then, there’s that change slogan again, that expectation of something different. If this isn’t going to be changed, then what is? Government isn’t easy, I get that, and choices have to be made. But campaigning for ‘change’, and then not delivering ‘change’ is never a good look. Welcome to the brave new world …