Nearly minister Martin fiasco an insight into political cans and can’ts of today

Thank you for transmitting Gillian Martin’s (the ex-further Education Minister’s) actual blogs of which everyone who is anyone in the political world disapproves.

To my pleasant surprise I found the blogs not only entertaining but intelligent and critically astute with clever social observation,qualities very desirable in a minister. Unfortunately, given our humourless and unsubtle politically correct age they are the kind of qualities that ministers of the Scottish Government can- not be allowed to possess.

ALAN D JACKSON Ashwood Mews, Aberdeen I find the First Minister’s behaviour regarding Gillian Martin’s appointment as a junior minister extraordinary and verging on the irrational.

The First Minister was, apparently, aware of Ms Martin’s comments on transgender persons before she announced her appointment as a minister. These comments, made many years ago, were, no doubt, insensitive and crude, but probably reflected the views of many members of the Scottish public. The important point to note is that they were expressions of opinion.

The blog of which the First Minister became aware only at 11am on 28 June and which made her decide to withdraw Ms Martin’s nomination, contains Ms Martin’s account of information given to her by waiters (all black) working in the restaurant where Ms Martin herself worked. This information, whether accurate or not, consists not of opinions but of factual statements.

The position is thus that the First Minister is prepared to overlook expressions of opinion which some may find offensive, but is influenced by factual statements the basis of which, so far as I can see, she has not challenged.

I said initially that Ms Sturgeon’s behaviour was verging on the irrational. I was too kind. It was completely irrational.

ALASTAIR L STEWART Albany Road, Broughty Ferry Nicola Sturgeon has, once again, boxed herself into a corner. ( Scotsman, 29 June: Sturgeon under fire as she axes minister after a day).

Ms Sturgeon knew at least some of Gillian Martin’s background and, even then, was reluctant to remove her from her appointment. Ms Sturgeon has recently been very hard on another colleague, Mark Mcdonald, over similar inappropriate use of language and she used the full force of her authority to demote him. The difference in this case may be that Ms Sturgeon needs to be politically correct and maintain her gender based team. Having had an easy time at Holyrood recently with her own gaffe over fracking, Ms Sturgeon thought she could tough this one out in her usual style. The extra revelations over Ms Martin put paid to that. Nicola Sturgeon has been used to getting her own way but for how much longer? Demoting Keith Brown may turn out to be a big mistake. DR GERALD EDWARDS

Broom Rd, Glasgow