Have budget worries constrained John Swinney’s ambitions?

So what is left?

In fairness, there are still some big reforms under way in Scotland.

Changes to the justice system are working their way through parliament, which could range from scrapping the Not Proven verdict to holding rape trials without juries.

That legislation could eat up some political capital in itself, with contention over the latter proposal in particular.

Long-awaited education reforms are on the cusp of bearing fruit too, with the Scottish Qualifications Agency being replaced with a new body after a series of reviews.

But among the 14 bills announced in Mr Swinney’s programme, there are none which look like a flagship.

Indeed several are hangovers from Mr Yousaf – like the Misogyny Bill, which would create new criminal offences to protect women.

Swinneyism, if there is such a thing, seems to be about tightening up existing systems rather than launching grand new ones.

The former finance secretary knows how to work within a budget, and frankly all of it is taken up by delivering on the government’s past promises.

So Mr Swinney’s bid to eradicate child poverty rests on making sure existing services join up and work efficiently together – like bringing together childcare, family support, and wider advice on careers and benefits into one cohesive safety net.

It’s hard to see how this will spark a sudden turnaround, when £450m invested in the Scottish Child Payment has at seen the poverty figures remain static at best.

Perhaps the biggest way of changing that would be a broader upturn in economic fortunes.

Hence the measures to boost growth, support businesses, attract investment and improve planning systems.

The government also still hopes to enact public service reforms which would get the workforce back to pre-Covid levels.

So there is plenty that can be done without passing fresh legislation, or enacting expensive new measures.

It’s just that Mr Swinney would far rather have had the political and economic capital to have the option of doing so.