Nicola Sturgeon's complaint about politicising the coronavirus pandemic is kidology – Brian Wilson

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has claimed a ‘non-political’ persona during the Covid crisis that must be called out, writes Brian Wilson

Nicola Sturgeon's definition of political is a bit different to Brian Wilson's

If we did not live in such serious times, Nicola Sturgeon’s definition of “political” as opposed to her own blamelessly “non-political” persona would be comical for its effrontery.

Almost daily, she takes to her pulpit for a monologue that increasingly strays into diverse issues of policy. For months, there has been no right of reply or meaningful scrutiny for, of course, this is all “non-political”.

Any sceptic who makes it through security is slapped down for “politicising” the pandemic. It is “non-political” to complain endlessly about the parsimony of Whitehall but daring to cite contrary evidence is shamelessly “political”.

It is, of course, “non-political” to drive the false narrative of how well Scotland has done in dealing with the virus in comparison with… well nobody, really, except marginally England which is the only “politics” that seems to matter.

Even then, any differential is explained by population density, particularly among immigrant communities. Pointing that out – or that Scotland could have done much better by using our devolved powers earlier – is off-the-scale “political”.

It is sometimes forgotten that there are 4,200 people dead from Covid-19 in Scotland – a worse outcome than almost any other nation or region of Europe. But surely we must be doing better than Trump’s America?

Well, no actually. There are six US states with roughly the same population as Scotland. Only one, Maryland, with 3,400 deaths in a six million population, comes anywhere near Scotland’s record at this stage. Nobody should attribute “blame” and there will be inquiries in due course. However, political scrutiny is essential and dismissing it on the grounds it is, well, “political” is a self-serving device long overdue for calling-out.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director