Coronavirus, not political ‘U-turns’, still the serious issue – leader comment

It does not matter that John Swinney changed his mind about the return of schools. What matters is whether he has made the right decision and whether children and teachers will be safe.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney announces the return of all pupils to Scottish schools, depending on the state of the coronavirus outbreak

On 14 June, John Swinney said it was “unlikely” that schools in Scotland would return to normal next year, as councils like Edinburgh’s drew up plans which meant children could be in classrooms for as little as one day a week.

Yesterday, the Education Secretary said schools would re-open full-time and with no social distancing in classrooms from August, explaining this change by saying there had been a sustained fall in the number of Covid-19 deaths and a 90 per cent reduction in the number of people known to be infected since May.

Opposition politicians were unimpressed. The Conservatives called it a “screeching U-turn” following an “outburst of anger from parents”, while Labour claimed Swinney had performed “the mother and father of all ministerial climbdowns”.

The Scottish Government has clearly changed course, but the degree of the turn and whether it was a sensible response to changed circumstances or a panicked attempt to placate angry voters are, for now at least, not the serious issues. Instead, the serious issues are whether Swinney’s new plan can be implemented safely to allow the education of Scotland’s children to resume in a more effective way and for parents to return to work rather than providing childcare.

Many parents, teachers and other school staff will need reassurance that the new arrangements are indeed safe and not just a kneejerk reaction to political pressure. So the opposition’s main line of attack against the Scottish Government’s decision could actually inadvertently cause practical problems in the real world. If parents refuse to send their children to school, what then?

Another issue is that the change could increase pressure from businesses for a reduction in the two-metre social distancing rule, although the main justification for scrapping it in classrooms is the low rates of Covid-19 among children.

However well or badly the Scottish Government is handling the current crisis, we are essentially stuck with them. A full discussion of their competence is better left until closer to next year’s Holyrood election.

And that’s because making political capital out of a change of policy creates a pressure on ministers to defend mistakes, rather than correct them. Given we are attempting to eradicate a deadly disease and save Scotland’s economy from ruin, we still need our politicians to work together to plot the best course of action.

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