SNP cannot risk another storm in a teacake

The First Minister of Scotland posed for a set of amusing pictures with one of the nation’s top business figures.

Nothing unusual in that. Or there shouldn’t be anyway.

Boyd Tunnock is well liked by his employees, more than 500 of whom work at his firm’s biscuit and confections factory in Uddingston, Lanarkshire.

Nicola Sturgeon needs the Boyd Tunnocks of the world like never before as she seeks to f ind ways to address the Scottish economy’s £15billion deficit.

So yesterday was a no- brainer really, particularly as the photo opp marked the launch of an independent lifeboat at a Scottish harbour – a cause close to Tunnock’s heart.

But there was something more significant in how Sturgeon chose to spend a working Saturday in the Berwickshire town of St Abbs.

Tunnock, you’ ll remember, became something of a hate figure to the more extreme end of Scottish nationalism. Depressingly typical of the kind of smallminded teacup storms which blow through our politics, this one followed a decision by Tunnock’s to market their products more aggressively to English customers.

The firm decided to talk up their teacakes as a British product.

As long as this decision was in the best interests of ensuring the hea l th of a major Scottish private sector employer, particularly one in manufacturing, it shou ld have been welcomed by everyone regardless of thei r politics.

Sad ly, i t led to demonstrations outside Tunnock’s HQ and an ill-conceived boycott.

A small spike in sales may have been welcomed by rival snowball-maker Lee’s but the direct action failed to blow the good ship Tunnock off course.

Since then, Sturgeon has spoken of the need for less confrontation in trying to achieve independence.

She wants the sort of diehard supporters engaged in the biscuit boycott to be trying to win unionists and sceptics over instead.

Her meeting with Tunnock coincided with an interview in which she used the second anniversary of the vote to again bang the drum for positive campaigning.

Although this time, she had the Better Together movement in her sights.

Sturgeon, though, knows actions speak louder than words.

Her more diehard supporters should have a close look at the pictures from St Abbs and understand the lesson which needs to be learned.

Sturgeon wants those engaged in the biscuit boycott to win over sceptics instead