Show of strength as rivals wobble

NICOLA Sturgeon and John Swinney are acknowledged to be two of the top political operators in the game.

Ask any of the jaded TV giants who go round the party conference circuit trying to trip up party leaders in live interviews and they will say the SNP have some of the best players on the field.

That is why Education Secretary Swinney was yesterday able to issue a proclamation of defiance on P1 testing while on the other hand claiming to offer the best pay deal for teachers in the whole of the UK.

Today, Sturgeon takes the stage to tell the independence faithful that she has no date with destiny to hand but instead has a “fair work first” policy to make sure the living wage, trade union involvement and on the job training become the norm of working life, not the exception.

Of course, Sturgeon is tacking to the leftwing wind set by Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour conference.

But in a sea of Brexit troubles, the SNP leadership are using their gathering in Glasgow to highlight Scotland as a beacon of hope in a world beset by storms.

Most SNP members know the harbour lights of independence are over the horizon for now.

The leadership are engaged instead in the deft task of giving people confidence that the nationalist ship can make it.

There is no better crew at sea right now and the UK Government, putting Britain on the Brexit reefs, is doing its best to give them a fair wind.