On 12 December the UK Covid inquiry heard that, “to date the core participants had not received a single WhatsApp from the Welsh Government” and on 7 November Mark Drakeford told the Senedd that “during the Covid period many colleagues may have had deletion instructions on their phones as nobody was focused on whether these messages might be required at some distant point”.

The guidance for Scottish Government officials was to delete WhatsApp messages after a month. Removing old messages was considered good practice. This changed after the ‘Do Not Destroy’ notice in August 2022. WhatsApp was never looked on as a significant form of communication for decision-making and all relevant messages were uploaded to the government record.

Among the factors many commentators have ignored is that the UK inquiry is already in possession of Jeane Freeman’s WhatsApp messages. Jeane Freeman was the Scottish Government Health Minister from 28 June 2018-20 May 2021, including the critical period where the most crucial decisions were made relating to pandemic management.

The row over deleted WhatsApp messages continues to dominate the headlines (Picture: stock.adobe.com)

Even though the Scottish Government did not get control and only partial control over pandemic strategy, until months after Covid had spread everywhere, it still managed to ensure significantly lower infection and death rates and, critically, far lower infection and death rates in care homes by getting the vaccine in those places first. This was partly due to the clear messaging by Jason Leitch and Nicola Sturgeon but mainly down to our wonderful Scottish NHS and care staff.

Mary Thomas, Edinburgh

Utmost deceit

In 44 years reading of the Scotsman, I have seethed through the Thatcher years, worried that national service would be brought in when the Falklands invasion took place and celebrated when Blair got into government in 1997.

However, never in all those years have I felt such rage and emotional turbulence than I have now. The three amigos – Nicola Sturgeon, John Swinney and Jason Leitch – have committed the utmost deceit towards the people of Scotland..

Humza Yousaf says he has an issue with the term ‘national’ in the name SNP. That can now be sorted by substituting Communist – for only in eastern Europe in the past 60 years have we seen such subjugation of truth, due process and lack of transparency. It is surely time that a vote of no confidence in this sham of a “government” must be passed and some sort of coalition put in place.

I feel sure that the publisher who paid £75,000 upfront for the memoirs of the now most discredited Scottish politician in history will be cutting their losses and asking for the money back. I cannot imagine even the most deluded separatist would want to read what will surely be another piece of obfuscation and drivel.

David Millar, Lauder, Scottish Borders

Following orders

The Covid inquiry is getting ever closer to the main players. The theme so far seems to be one of “following orders” and not being fussed over scrubbing WhatsApp and similar messages.

There is a problem here. The more highly qualified you are the more you ought not to just follow, but question. Gregor Smith and Jason Leitch have a further problem. Both are medical professionals and, as such, have an even sharper idea concerning the retention of documents and notes than most. In medicine you need to keep accurate notes over a long time period. Scrubbing messages, especially knowing these may be examined at a later date, is not a good idea.

Mr Leitch claims some of his messages were”flippant”. Is this a good look either considering the death toll that ensued? The Scottish Government has a poor record in general of retaining documents. Perhaps we might get an explanation rather shortly.

Gerald Edwards, Glasgow

Blame game

I was happy to be living in Scotland through the Covid pandemic, even though we were forced to get the English-made, partially effective antivirus as our first inoculation.

I listened to both the Prime Minister and our First Minister and sometimes I wondered if Boris Johnson had any idea of what he was reading from his notes. Not surprising when it became obvious he was not obeying his own rules and allowing parties at No 10 Downing street while forbidding them to the rest of us.

Nicola Sturgeon gave the impression of steady and continual control and at all times sought the advice of her medical advisors. Time and again Scotland led the way in what we could and could not do.

Now that we have inquiries into the management of the pandemic can we use the key figures to guide us in how best to contain the next pandemic and not to try to apportion blame?

Elizabeth Scott, Edinburgh

Loyal to a fault

Alyn Smith of the SNP is quoted in The Scotsman (23 January) as saying that there is “no issue” with his former boss, Nicola Sturgeon, and the deleted WhatsApp messages. He claims the matter has been '”overblown” and when she says she deleted only “irrelevant messages” he believes her. Such touching loyalty.

But does it not strike Mr Smith that the former First Minister picked and chose which messages to ditch and which to hand over? Does that not take away the whole point of the inquiry? Surely those investigating the Covid pandemic should have the that crucial choice, not one of the leading politicians involved?

Mr Smith has missed the entire point, in the same way as so many nationalists.

Alexander McKay, Edinburgh

Jack’s wrong

Alister Jack asserts that issuing more licences to develop Scottish oil fields will enhance UK energy security (Scotsman, 22 January). He’s wrong.

First, the extracted oil will be sold on the international market – 80 per cent will be exported. Second, since 2004, despite the UK awarding 1,680 North Sea oil and gas licences to foreign firms, oil exports jumped from 60 to 80 per cent and domestic production fell by 60 per cent.

Third, UK refinery capacity, the ability to process domestically produced oil, has cratered. Scotland’s last oil refinery, Grangemouth, is being shuttered by PetroIneos. 500 jobs will disappear and the rump of Grangemouth will lie within the Forth Freeport, a tax- and regulation-free zone that will further strip assets and revenues from Scotland.

The UK’s biggest oil producing nation will not only be without a refinery but also without control over oil extraction or access to the profits and will be more dependent on England, which is the idea.

Leah Gunn Barrett, Edinburgh

Rwanda maligned

How good to read Mark Fleming’s positive perspective on Rwanda in Jane Bradley’s recent article. Whilst sending traumatised asylum seekers back across the world may be a shocking policy, the negative portrayal of Rwanda used by many opposed to the scheme has been hopelessly wide of the mark.

Ms Bradley gives the impression that the constitutional change that has allowed Paul Kagame to continue as President was something he pushed through himself. On the contrary – and I was in the country as this took place – more than four million people signed a petition asking for the constitution to be changed and this was then put to the country in a referendum which was overwhelmingly passed. What gives us the right to tell another country they cannot keep a leader in power if they clearly believe that person has shown they are the best to lead the country forward? The EU called the 2017 election democratic, peaceful and secure, and the African Union concluded the election was peaceful, orderly and transparent, commending the Rwandan people for their "commitment to the country’s democratic process”.

Other comments in the article claim the country is “still divided”. On the contrary, the people of Rwanda are united in their desire to build a better future for their country and reconciliation between genocide perpetrators and survivors is genuine and globally exceptional. Rwandans are a wonderful people, the country is a great place to visit and after 25 years of travelling several times a year to the country I have never been asked for a bribe and been met with a consistent tide of gratitude among the people for the way their country is being led.

Callum Henderson, Director, Comfort International, Glasgow

Weather warning

When there is a storm I always think about the plight of domestic and wild animals who have to live through it.

Sheep have thick woollen coats providing insulation when wet, but any cattle left outdoors must suffer. While badgers, foxes and rabbits have their setts, dens and warrens, it is a miracle that mountain hares can survive in the open when the wind chill is dreadful. The badger is remarkable for having a network of underground setts, into which they bring bedding and change it regularly, and they use outside latrines, of course. All the hare can do is make a depression in the snow or rushes, called a form, and hunker down with its back to the wind.

William Loneskie, Lauder, Scottish Borders

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Readers' Letters: Deleting WhatsApp messages is common practice

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