Well firstly ,as ever ,commentators have stolen the covid inquiry and reframed it in political terms. This is unfortunate because the aim of the inquiry was not to provide political fodder for journos but to help learn lessons and improve things next time.
Secondly all Sturgeon’s contribution has to confirm he leadership style which was very ,very controlling. And such controlling behaviour means you exclude advice from people who know a lot more and in greater detail than the “leader’.
Really good leaders surround themselves with people who are better than them. But then this is politic and such a course of action carries a risk. Unless you were Clement Attlee.
It would be good to have a commentary that looked at the wider implications of Sturgeon’s performance and asked how much her particular style of leadership stifled innovation and enterprise.
Mind you her crimes against education still need to be brought forward. She and Swinney have destroyed the college network which offered a great second chance fir some many people.
“The former First Minister now stands accused of breaking the ministerial code and breaching the Freedom of Information Act.”
And I look forward to action being taken against her for both of these. She unashamedly politicised a pandemic that proportionately killed more Scots than in England, then lied about it. Sadly she seems to believe she’s untouchable although after yesterday she won’t be so sure about that.
1. I don't get the furore over Whatsapp. It has replaced phone calls for many of us. Unofficial telephone chat by politicians has never been recorded so why should Whatsapp chats? The caveat being that any gov't business would be recorded in the official channels.
2. I thought deleted Whatsapp messages were recoverable anyway. Technical constraints likely but we wouldn't be discussing some of the tastiest if they hadn't been recovered or provided by a recipient. I have a feeling of déjà vu from Milly Dowler when neither journalists nor police seemed to have any understanding about how voicemails were stored but automatically deleted. The desire for sensationalism by the press and stupidity by the police lives on sadly.
3. I found it quite reassuring that Nicola had called Johnson a “f***ing clown”. Sadly she didn't describe Matt Hancock as “weaker than a nuns piss” nor Liz Truss as “about as much use as a marzipan dildo,” nor refer to Suella Braverman as “Sh*tler.” All would seem perfectly apposite but hardly doing gov't business on Social Media which is the accusation isn't it?
4. Iain is right to point out that some Whatsapps are available but others, e.g. in the runup to the Salmond trail, are not. These hopefully would not be gov't business but could be pertinent to a criminal investigation. Conflating casual chat outside formal gov't channels when any outcome will be recorded with chat where it won't is reprehensible.
I feel Iain has simply participated in the pile-on of Nicola. Eloquently as usual but still sound and fury but no light.
While I am quite sure that her lachrymose performance was planned, I don't think Sturgeon was using the pandemic to promote independence. In January 2020, when Brexit happened, Sturgeon told independence supporters that, contrary to the GE2019 campaign just the month earlier. I remember this because it was the moment I realised I had been wrong to dismiss those - including yourself, Iain - who said she was simply marching indy supporters up the hill to vote SNP, then down the hill once each election was over.
It was also the moment when the trickle of departing SNP members became a deluge of vastly experienced grassroots campaigners, people who had been party stalwarts for 30, 40. 50 years all left the party, unnoticed by the media, often writing heartbroken letters to Party HQ to explain their decisions - with no acknowledgement forthcoming.
And the reason I mention that, is because when Peter Murrell started saying that a few people had left the party because Covid meant their finances were strained, but that was all, I had personal reason to know he was lying. Since then, I haven't believed anything the SNP hierarchy have said.
I also feel you haven't given enough weight to the fact that, especially in those early weeks, no-one knew anything - except that Boris Johnson had left it far too late to lock down. Many public organisations were already setting up work from home arrangements, including universities. The idea that it's an outrage that she called Boris Johnson a "f**king clown" is risible - there can't have been a sentient being in the UK who didn't think that. Partygate, anyone?
I don't think you could say there was much difference in the behaviour of the Scottish and Welsh governments' behaviour. And both Scotland and Wales were blighted by second home owners coming from England because Johnson then lifted England's restrictions. Like Neil Gaiman, driving from Heathrow to Skye with no regard for covid restrictions in Scotland. And no regard for common sense, for that matter. We all saw English motorists in Wales stopped by the Welsh police and saying "but Wales belongs to us". Membership of Yes Cymru really started climbing in those days.
Contrary to Plaid Cymru, Sturgeon actually ordered indy supporters to stop campaigning during Covid, which was another reason so many lost faith in her.
As for politicising the pandemic? Gove certainly did. In 2020, he set up a unit to attack independence, while the rest of us were worrying about the vulnerable relatives we couldn't visit. Every politician behaved politically. It's the nature of the beast.
I do believe Sturgeon politicised what she was doing. However, that was for personal aggrandisement, not to further the cause of Scotland's freedom.
She has been responsible for so many unnecessary deaths, her policies have brought misery to so many businesses, her mendacity has been an insult to all honest people and her cringing and sycophantic cabinet so totally incompetent I suggest her breakdown is less than she deserves. How about a manslaughter charge? Along with John 'Goebbels' Swinney.
Ho hum. How to respond to this article?
Well firstly ,as ever ,commentators have stolen the covid inquiry and reframed it in political terms. This is unfortunate because the aim of the inquiry was not to provide political fodder for journos but to help learn lessons and improve things next time.
Secondly all Sturgeon’s contribution has to confirm he leadership style which was very ,very controlling. And such controlling behaviour means you exclude advice from people who know a lot more and in greater detail than the “leader’.
Really good leaders surround themselves with people who are better than them. But then this is politic and such a course of action carries a risk. Unless you were Clement Attlee.
It would be good to have a commentary that looked at the wider implications of Sturgeon’s performance and asked how much her particular style of leadership stifled innovation and enterprise.
Mind you her crimes against education still need to be brought forward. She and Swinney have destroyed the college network which offered a great second chance fir some many people.
“The former First Minister now stands accused of breaking the ministerial code and breaching the Freedom of Information Act.”
And I look forward to action being taken against her for both of these. She unashamedly politicised a pandemic that proportionately killed more Scots than in England, then lied about it. Sadly she seems to believe she’s untouchable although after yesterday she won’t be so sure about that.
1. I don't get the furore over Whatsapp. It has replaced phone calls for many of us. Unofficial telephone chat by politicians has never been recorded so why should Whatsapp chats? The caveat being that any gov't business would be recorded in the official channels.
2. I thought deleted Whatsapp messages were recoverable anyway. Technical constraints likely but we wouldn't be discussing some of the tastiest if they hadn't been recovered or provided by a recipient. I have a feeling of déjà vu from Milly Dowler when neither journalists nor police seemed to have any understanding about how voicemails were stored but automatically deleted. The desire for sensationalism by the press and stupidity by the police lives on sadly.
3. I found it quite reassuring that Nicola had called Johnson a “f***ing clown”. Sadly she didn't describe Matt Hancock as “weaker than a nuns piss” nor Liz Truss as “about as much use as a marzipan dildo,” nor refer to Suella Braverman as “Sh*tler.” All would seem perfectly apposite but hardly doing gov't business on Social Media which is the accusation isn't it?
4. Iain is right to point out that some Whatsapps are available but others, e.g. in the runup to the Salmond trail, are not. These hopefully would not be gov't business but could be pertinent to a criminal investigation. Conflating casual chat outside formal gov't channels when any outcome will be recorded with chat where it won't is reprehensible.
I feel Iain has simply participated in the pile-on of Nicola. Eloquently as usual but still sound and fury but no light.
While I am quite sure that her lachrymose performance was planned, I don't think Sturgeon was using the pandemic to promote independence. In January 2020, when Brexit happened, Sturgeon told independence supporters that, contrary to the GE2019 campaign just the month earlier. I remember this because it was the moment I realised I had been wrong to dismiss those - including yourself, Iain - who said she was simply marching indy supporters up the hill to vote SNP, then down the hill once each election was over.
It was also the moment when the trickle of departing SNP members became a deluge of vastly experienced grassroots campaigners, people who had been party stalwarts for 30, 40. 50 years all left the party, unnoticed by the media, often writing heartbroken letters to Party HQ to explain their decisions - with no acknowledgement forthcoming.
And the reason I mention that, is because when Peter Murrell started saying that a few people had left the party because Covid meant their finances were strained, but that was all, I had personal reason to know he was lying. Since then, I haven't believed anything the SNP hierarchy have said.
I also feel you haven't given enough weight to the fact that, especially in those early weeks, no-one knew anything - except that Boris Johnson had left it far too late to lock down. Many public organisations were already setting up work from home arrangements, including universities. The idea that it's an outrage that she called Boris Johnson a "f**king clown" is risible - there can't have been a sentient being in the UK who didn't think that. Partygate, anyone?
I don't think you could say there was much difference in the behaviour of the Scottish and Welsh governments' behaviour. And both Scotland and Wales were blighted by second home owners coming from England because Johnson then lifted England's restrictions. Like Neil Gaiman, driving from Heathrow to Skye with no regard for covid restrictions in Scotland. And no regard for common sense, for that matter. We all saw English motorists in Wales stopped by the Welsh police and saying "but Wales belongs to us". Membership of Yes Cymru really started climbing in those days.
Contrary to Plaid Cymru, Sturgeon actually ordered indy supporters to stop campaigning during Covid, which was another reason so many lost faith in her.
As for politicising the pandemic? Gove certainly did. In 2020, he set up a unit to attack independence, while the rest of us were worrying about the vulnerable relatives we couldn't visit. Every politician behaved politically. It's the nature of the beast.
I do believe Sturgeon politicised what she was doing. However, that was for personal aggrandisement, not to further the cause of Scotland's freedom.
She has been responsible for so many unnecessary deaths, her policies have brought misery to so many businesses, her mendacity has been an insult to all honest people and her cringing and sycophantic cabinet so totally incompetent I suggest her breakdown is less than she deserves. How about a manslaughter charge? Along with John 'Goebbels' Swinney.