Coronavirus Scotland: Inept SNP Leader Nicola Sturgeon continues her piecemeal approach to fighting coronavirus, yet again the ‘Sturgeon plan’ is based around her short term politicised health advice, new lockdown restrictions are a symptom of a wider failure of SNP Government, the only ‘roadmap’ that Scots are seeing emerge is her antics to control the outcome of the next Holyrood election using covid restrictions to alter the democratic playing field in her and her party’s favour

Dear All 

SNP Leader Nicola Sturgeon is seeing the tide turn against, Scotland is waking up to the fact when it comes to coronavirus, she really is so far out of her depth, even with her so called experts in the background. So, what is the reason beyond what we now regard as her general incompetence? Nicola Sturgeon is fighting the coronavirus in the exact same way she and her cohorts do politics. She is so narrow minded that her focus is short term, which is why we ‘jump’ from one PR stunt to another under the guise of virus control. Coronavirus can only be defended with a long term strategy in place, and clearly Sturgeon has no plan in place. 

Just as Glasgow University students voted with their feet to flee student plague villages despite her public threats, the wider public realise now that Nicola Sturgeon cannot save them. If you watch her party political broadcasts each day, you don’t see a leader making forward progress. What you see is an embittered defensive petty minded individual lashing out at anyone who dares question her ‘antics’. And ‘antics’ is the best way to describe her a covid journey so far; it is a circular journey back to the same place. Does anyone thing now that the last 6 months have been worth it? 

The covid virus in Scotland is getting out of control, her briefings aren’t helping matters, in a situation like this, the ‘glory’ isn’t standing in front of a TV camera delivering useless and non functional information, but rather in the ‘backroom’ fight the war. The fight to save the people is all about logic, but from the daily political broadcasts, we see an angry wee woman. Wars are won by the prepared mind, prepared to plan, prepared to innovate and prepared to lead. 

Nicola Sturgeon lost the battle of Covid and lost the battle to keep the people onside as well. She forgot that this fight just as in any war requires government of national unity. You pick the best minds to fight the war, regards of their political ideology, Sturgeon couldn’t do that, she caused many people to die, and at the end, she banned their love ones the access to say goodbye in person. People died will only a stranger to hold their hand at the end. 

Today’s short term announcement by Nicola Sturgeon is an update on the latest coronavirus restrictions in place in Scotland. It is hard to conceive the stupidity of this woman, but imagine this, her efforts are like someone organising a football game on 5 a side pitches that are being shelled with artillery. Rather than stop the game and take cover, she decides to extend the playing pitch to full soccer length on the rationale that operating in a wider area lessens you chances of getting hit. 

The new restrictions are like all her restrictions, piecemeal intervention. The Scottish Government is required by law to review lockdown restrictions every three weeks but that doesn’t mean that they should not invest in a long term roadmap out of this hell. The ‘current’ roadmap isn’t working, because the premise is wrong. Effectively no one is asking the right questions, and no one is challenging her politicising health advice. Nicola Sturgeon isn’t a doctor or a health expert or an expert on viruses, so for her to ‘SNP’ health advice is and has been a disaster. She can’t get over herself, she wants to be the centre of attention. 

In September, it was announced that a number of lockdown restrictions were planned to be lifted at the start of October, well bad management, bad judgement and bad leadership killed off that idea. Everything on the short term roadmap isn’t worth the paper it is written on. It is likely that Nicola Sturgeon will state that the country is to remain in Phase 3 of lockdown. This is a political decision which many people see goes beyond health considerations, her impinged judgement is centred on the next Holyrood election, that is the only ‘roadmap’ that Sturgeon has an active interest in. 

The series of piecemeal restrictions will include delays to: 

The reopening of indoor sports courts – including skating and dance studios – for adults and young people (12+) for contact sports. 

Indoor soft play centres opening back up

The return of certain outdoor live events (e.g. those involving focussed standing) with physical distancing, enhanced hygiene, and restricted numbers.

A return of certain indoor live events too these would be seated and ambulant with physical distancing in place.

Indoor Entertainment venues reopening, theatres and music venues but not nightclubs.

Limited reopening of sports stadiums with restricted numbers. 

Part of the enjoyment of attending events is mass gathering of like minded people. An example of this is crowd participation such as at football matches, contact sports, theatre, and music venues. People love being in a crowd, we are by nature designed to gather together. From a business sense, limited re-opening make tide over business, but it is still a risk. 

All that Nicola Sturgeon is doing and has done from day one is smoke and mirrors, it is the act to be seen to be busy when she is in fact not. How many hours does it take for Sturgeon to be briefed before each broadcast? If you add up all the time that she is wasting promoting herself as some kind of saviour in Scotland, how many lives would be saved if she stopped this PR nonsense? Sturgeon and her advisors think they can PR manage their way out of this lockdown. We get jazzy buzzwords and phrases; the current new one is 'circuit-breaker' lockdown. This is Nicola Sturgeon copying what others have used in other countries, but in the case of Scotland, the virus is spreading out of control. Her catchy phrase and ‘plan’ won’t work, acted too late, Not enough was done early to suppress the virus, not enough testing was done; not enough care as demonstrated by the care home scandal was thought-out which led to thousands of Scottish elderly deaths. 

Finally, the virus is transmitted either by external breath or by surface contact with the hands picking it up from a contaminated surface. Where is the advice on wearing masks outside, where is the advice on wearing gloves, where is the campaign for deep clean, people need a campaign on how to make themselves safe. They need to develop heightened self awareness. As this virus rages out of control, I say as I previously have done, you can save yourself, your family, friends and community by being mindful. Nicola Sturgeon by her antics makes us all less safe because the machinery of government isn’t being effective under her control. Part of being a leader is to recognise your limitations, and when needed, bring in people who are the real experts. Sturgeon needs to get rid of her non medical advisors who are incapable of fighting the covid war. What she needs to do is put country before party, she needs to reach out to and recruit the best people like Hugh Pennington.

Yours sincerely

George Laird                                                                                                                                The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University