There has been a lot of letters submitted to the Press and Journal recently, raving about the superior competence of Nicola Sturgeon compared to Boris Johnson, in her handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Let's get serious here! OK, here are her superior characteristics:
She changes her outfit every day. A lovely brand new trouser suit every day, all paid for I am sure by the Scottish taxpayer.
The hair is delightfully coiffured. Despite every member of the public being unable to access a hairdresser during the lockdown, Sturgeon has obviously had no problem with that. Such are the advantages of being first minister.
She has an enviable array of hand movements at her disposal, in fact so much that we barely need the person behind her using sign language to communicate with the deaf.
She can yabble on for hours with a pained and sorry-looking face that conveys incredible levels of empathy.
OK, that's about the positives.
But let's cut to the chase here. Has she actually done a better job in controlling the spread of the virus in Scotland? Has she shown better leadership than Johnson?
In my opinion, no.
Firstly, she has used the ploy of staying 2 weeks behind Johnson in deciding how to implement the lockdown followed by the easing of it. She lets Boris do all the original and risky strategic thinking, waits 2 weeks to see how it pans out in England, and then decides whether or not to copy him. What a leader......not!
Secondly she has never provided a satisfactory explanation as to why many people at the Nike Conference in Edinburgh were not contacted when it became apparent that they had been exposed to infected individuals. Hiding behind patient confidentiality is not a satisfactory reason. Patient confidentiality was no more at risk then that it is now with the trace and test strategy that has recently been introduced. Simply saying, "It wisnae me, I'm not responsible when things go wrong, and stop asking me awkward questions or I will get annoyed" isn't acceptable.
And thirdly and finally, she did no more to stop the spread of the virus in care homes than Johnson. In this regard both were absolutely useless in preventing the deaths of the most vulnerable in our society. Both were too slow in introducing protective measures, both more worried about their careers than other people's lives.
And let us not forget that Johnson nearly died from the infection, something Sturgeon has not had to contend with.
No Sturgeon, you don't impress me. I don't belong to one of your merry band of independence wishers that would wish to place you on a pedestal.
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