How Nicola Sturgeon used doctors and nurses as a pawn in the SNP's politics of grievance

Nicola Sturgeon delivers her speech to the SNP's virtual conference (Picture: Scottish National Party via Getty Images)

We witnessed the power of unity when people rallied round our NHS workers, when volunteers helped people with essential supplies, and when communities held socially-distanced events to tackle loneliness.

From missing events we were looking forward to, having to keep our distance from our friends and family, and even the small act of wearing a mask, everyone has made sacrifices big and small this year.

We can take pride in the actions that we have all taken to protect not only our loved ones, but also strangers from this virus.

Nicola Sturgeon: Covid response gave me 'dark days and sleepless nights'

Humility and hard work

There is cause for some optimism today with a vaccine on the horizon, but the painful impact of the virus will remain with us long after lockdown measures are lifted.

It will take years for our economy, society and public services to recover, with jobs and livelihoods remaining under threat.

What people want is a unity of purpose, humility and hard work from their governments at this time.

It is therefore hugely frustrating that, in Scotland, we have a government still determined to prioritise division over unity.

The SNP’s annual conference, which concluded on Monday, was dominated by discussions about independence.

Speaker after speaker took to their screens to talk about a second referendum, culminating in a divisive, negative speech from First Minister Nicola Sturgeon herself.

The SNP’s priorities are all wrong.

Poll after poll shows that people want politicians to prioritise what really matters – health, education and jobs. Not another divisive independence referendum.

Poisoning politics

But Ms Sturgeon, speaking to her supporters and not the country, said a referendum could be held in the "early part” of the 2021-26 parliament.

That would be reckless and irresponsible, when the entire focus should be on recovering from the pandemic.

We know how disruptive a constitutional referendum is because we had a ‘once-in-a-generation’ contest only six years ago.

All other politics ground to a halt, with government resources devoted to campaigning: civil servants’ time; parliamentary time; and public resources.

It was a time when the country was bitterly divided, with friends and families falling out with each other, and many people deeply anxious about the future.

We have yet to fully recover from last time.

Reintroducing that poison into our politics now would be reckless; but to do so as we recover from a pandemic would be grotesque.

Gift to NHS workers came with a grievance

Yet that is Nicola Sturgeon’s stated aim. She has made it clear that she wants to continue to sow division, despite everything we have been through this year.

And she has used the pandemic as an opportunity to do this.

The First Minister claimed the coronavirus crisis makes breaking up the UK a necessity, but the reality is she says the same about any political challenge.

And only the SNP could turn an announcement about a thank you gift to NHS workers into a constitutional row.

A grievance was deliberately attached to the Nationalists’ announcement of a £500 payment by requesting that the UK government make it tax free, rather than actually using the powers which are at their disposal to implement the policy.

With income tax revenues devolved, the government can set the £500 at a higher gross level, ensuring workers receive a net amount of £500 and the tax revenues then flow directly back to the Scottish government.

It would cost the government the same, but it wouldn’t give them a grievance.

And let’s not forget the bonus payments are only possible anyway as a result of the billions in extra funding we have this year as a part of the UK, with the SNP squirreling away around £1 billion for pre-election giveaways.

Seismic financial shock

It is disingenuous and the worst type of politics – making doctors and nurses political pawns in the SNP’s games.

So while we did hear a lot from the SNP conference about the constitutional process, what we didn’t hear was any honesty about independence.

Nothing about how it would cope with the seismic financial shock of leaving the UK; how much it would cut from the NHS, schools and other public services; and how much it would put taxes up by.

Nothing about the reality that a separate Scotland could not quickly or easily join the EU.

Nothing about the impact of scrapping the pound and using a new currency on people’s salaries, pensions and mortgages or building a hard border with England, erecting a barrier not only with our largest trading partner, but between friends and families.

Just attempt after attempt to drive a wedge between communities. And no answer to the question, “why?”

Why harm ourselves when we have a brighter future within the UK?

Most people in Scotland want the UK and Scottish governments to co-operate over the Covid-19 response: a recent opinion poll found that 56 per cent of Scots want the two governments to work more closely together and only 16 per cent want the governments to work less closely together.

Weaker apart, stronger together

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford understands this, and – unlike Nicola Sturgeon – wants to make it happen.

He has repeatedly said the UK nations must cooperate more.

When we do, as with the UK-wide rules agreed on Christmas, it works for every community.

In 2021, as we exit the immediate public health crisis and face up to the economic crisis ahead of us, this is the approach we need.

Togetherness and unity, with a common cause. The SNP’s priorities are all wrong. We would be weaker apart and we are stronger together.

Pamela Nash is the chief executive of Scotland in Union

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

How Nicola Sturgeon used doctors and nurses as a pawn in the SNP's politics of grievance – Pamela Nash