Coronavirus: Return to normal point-scoring politics is naive – leader comment

Health and economic crises caused by the coronavirus pandemic demand a collective effort from Scotland’s politicians and wider society.

Nicola Sturgeon must remain open to outside ideas and opposition parties need to ensure any criticism is constructive (Picture: Fraser Bremner-Pool/Getty Images)

Some might view calls for political parties to work together to navigate a path through the coronavirus pandemic as overly optimistic.

However, faced with intertwined health and economic crises of such magnitude, it is actually the height of pragmatism for politicians to put aside their ideological differences. Those who think there is anything like the scope for point-scoring against old adversaries are the naive ones, failing to grasp just how serious the situation remains.

The usual clashes between left and right, unionist and nationalist, no longer have much relevance given the continued need to stop the spread of this disease and save our country from potential ruin.

The UK and Scottish Governments have both sought to insulate the economy from the worst effects of the lockdown. Nicola Sturgeon’s announcement of a £230 million stimulus package was the latest big-spending announcement, even if it was small compared to the total of more than £10 billion sent to the Scottish Government and businesses north of the Border by the UK government, a reflection of its massive spending south of the Border. Alarmingly, it remains to be seen whether all this money will actually be enough.

The key question for everyone, of whatever political hue, is how do we limit the scale of this crisis, how do we save both lives and livelihoods. Initially politicians did well to maintain at least the impression of a common sense of purpose, but more recently it appears that some lack the necessary stamina to maintain this unfamiliar mindset.

The bickering must stop. Politicians need to work harder to build an open and genuinely cross-party effort to find innovative solutions to the problems we face.

The Scottish and UK governments should seriously consider ideas put forward by the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Labour and other parties, as well as business and the unions. And there is no shortage of ideas. For example, the Scottish Chamber of Commerce, warning that an increase in unemployment of 30,000 between February and April was only a “hint” of what the future has in store, urged furlough schemes to be extended to some sectors such as tourism. And CBI Scotland called for a revolution in retraining, warning that unemployment could leave “scars that last generations”.

We cannot simply wish this crisis away. But it will go away faster than it otherwise might if we all commit to working together towards the shared goal of ensuring the people of Scotland are safe, healthy and gainfully employed.

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