Sincere praise

IT IS undeniable that Nicola Sturgeon came over well in the televised debate. Her performance reminded me of the old joke of Grouch Marx: “Sincerity is everything; if you can fake that you’ve got it made.”

Ms Sturgeon’s most effective ploy in this regard was her pulling out of the humble, council house background card. With an affecting display of heart-felt sincerity, she proclaimed her support for free university tuition since, without it, she wouldn’t be where she is now.

What she omitted to mention, of course, was the fact that her party has cut the bursary for students from the same background as herself from £2,450 to £1,750. What she also omitted to mention was that her party has cut college places by well in excess of 10,0000 – thereby denying the opportunity to a vast number of young Scots from following a well-worn route for potential students who, like herself, come from less well-off backgrounds.

Fortunately there will be opportunities for politicians who are more acquainted with the realities of Scottish politics to challenge Ms Sturgeon’s claims in the forthcoming debates in Scotland. I look forward to her sincere explanation as to why, under the SNP, the number of students from backgrounds such as her own has gone down not up.

COLIN HAMILTON

Braid Hills Avenue

Edinburgh