Monthly Archives: June 2020

We don’t agree on much in these violently divided times but one point of consensus is that the NHS has had a good war. In the battle against coronavirus, the health service has confirmed for many its status as the crown jewel in national public life.  The weekly doorstep ovations may have ceased — thereContinue reading “Pragmatism, not sentiment, is what the NHS needs”

When they come to write about these times, historians will call it the Glorious Fifteenth. July 15 was unveiled by Nicola Sturgeon as the date on which both childcare providers and pubs will reopen. People accuse this government of being out of touch but making it possible to drop your kids off then head straightContinue reading “Lockdown dust-up”

John Swinney has spent much of the past few weeks in TV studios foretelling the blood-curdling horrors to come if schools returned full-time in August. Yesterday, he bobbed up at Holyrood to inform us that schools would be returning full-time in August. Imagine if Roy Scheider had announced halfway through Jaws that there had never beenContinue reading “Blackboard bungle”

What connects George Square, St Andrew Square and the Paisley Cenotaph? The answer is that all three attracted crowds over the weekend. In Glasgow’s most famous gathering place, more than 500 demonstrators assembled to protest against racism and in favour of refugees’ rights, alongside a smaller contingent of Right-wing activists. In Edinburgh, 1,000 gathered to hearContinue reading “Lockdown must apply to everyone or it must be lifted”

At risk of spoiling the ending, Nicola Sturgeon is going to win next year’s Holyrood election. Barring some unforeseen scandal or government catastrophe, Scotland is likely to hand the Nationalist leader another term in Bute House. It is not impossible that she secures an outright majority in the Scottish Parliament. Election 2021 is hers toContinue reading “Wanted: a worthy opponent to Nicola Sturgeon”

Alison Johnstone knows how to handle herself. The Greens’ co-leader turned in another assured performance at First Minister’s Questions on the issue of testing in care homes and hospitals. Burnishing her reputation for sharp interrogation, she pressed the First Minister over scientific advice on testing. This isn’t the most thrilling subject for FMQs but theContinue reading “Alison through the looking-glass”

Martin Shipton is used to writing the news but now he has become the news. The Western Mail’s chief reporter has been dropped from the judging panel of Wales Book of the Year for a series of tweets about a Black Lives Matter protest in Cardiff. Shipton, a staple of Welsh journalism for decades, pointedContinue reading “Tyranny of certainty stands in the way of change”

Sometimes it’s not what you ask, it’s how you ask it. First Minister’s Questions was all about tone. Jackson Carlaw’s line of inquiry – Covid-19 testing in care homes – was not new but his timbre was. Sharper, drier. The bonhomie was gone from his voice, and the twinkle from his eye. This was noContinue reading “Nicola Sturgeon doesn’t like your tone”

Lockdown is a contract. Not one we entered into voluntarily but we understood the terms. If we played by the rules and did as ministers and medics asked, we would eventually reap the rewards. After two months of patience and forbearance on our part, government is upholding its end of the bargain.  This week willContinue reading “There is no easy way out of lockdown”