Sturgeon’s integrity must be questioned

The First Minister is in trouble over Covid, the hospitaity sector’s plight and the Salmond affair, says

Reputedly former First Minister Alex Salmond’s favourite restaurant, Ondine on Edinburgh’s George IV Bridge, was rightly famed for its menu of Scottish fish dishes, with proprietors Karin and Roy Brett lauded by the likes of national seafood evangelist Rick Stein.

Different times indeed, and shortly after the current First Minister Nicola Sturgeon revealed her plan to hold back coronavirus by shutting down the already beleaguered Scottish hospitality industry, their anguish on social media spoke volumes. “Today’s announcement is worse than we could have ever imagined… it is a crushing blow for the hospitality sector that no one could have foreseen with a complete stranglehold on the Central Belt.”

Now forced to close until October 25 at the earliest after four months of inactivity, every central Scotland restaurant is on the edge of a blade far sharper than a fish- knife; even if they are allowed to open like cafes, you don’t have to be Nick Nairn to understand they can’t survive with no evening trade or wine mark- up. It’s a kitchen nightmare even Gordon Ramsay couldn’t find the language to describe, never mind solve.

“We are in a very dark place,” said the Bretts in reply to Rick Stein’s supportive message, but by the haunted look in her eyes at Thursday’s First Minister’s Questions, so too is Nicola Sturgeon. As she curls up with a book this weekend, not talking about government business with her husband and SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, she can reflect on what has been a dreadful week which may yet prove definitive as this Parliament nears its close.

Everyone accepts Covid- 19 is not going away and the latest joyless lockdown will only slow the spread of infection. If the First Minister was being totally honest, she would admit that, with the infection rate her absolute priority ahead of the economy, the chances of a relaxation of confusing and unfair restrictions after only a fortnight are slim. Maybe the hospitality support package will save some popular pubs and restaurants, but it will not be sufficient to solve the economic problems mounting every day and even a vaccine won’t be an instant cure.

Many lower- paid jobs tied to office- working will not return and governments can’t go on subsidising jobs existing only on paper, so the Scottish Government must plan now for permanent changes to the way people work in a country so reliant on services. And even with a Covid vaccine, the Government must work out what is an acceptable fatality rate as it does with every other disease.

With Edinburgh Council’s mixed messages on tourism and travel, the Capital’s problems could be deeper and, even if restaurants like Ondine survive, a future with higher earners spending less time in the city centre and working for companies which have learnt that deals don’t need to be sealed over dinner in swanky restaurants will mean a radical rethink. Drivers, suppliers, waiters and sous- chefs are the real victims.

One person determined to cling on to her job amidst a coronavirus crisis is Rutherglen MP and potential virus super- spreader Margaret Ferrier MP, who shows no sign of resigning despite being told to do so by Ms Sturgeon. Ms Ferrier may well need the money, but if the damning front page of the Rutherglen Reformer is anything to go by, if she faces a recall petition she will be gone in six months.

But along the way, her defiance is a further dent in the First Minster’s authority, already under extreme pressure because of clear unhappiness about the independence strategy from the likes of Joanna Cherry MP and open criticism of the way the party is being run from veterans like Alex Neil and Kenny Macaskill.

Inextricably linked to the Salmond affair, her open- palmed plea of innocence under crossexamination by Scottish Conservative Holyrood leader Ruth Davidson about when she knew about allegations of sexual misconduct against her predecessor, was really aimed at Mr Salmond’s supporters rather than Ms Davidson’s.

The birds in the Holyrood Park trees know that if as prominent a Nationalist as ex- adviser Geoff Aberdein broke the news to Ms Sturgeon that Mr Salmond was facing serious sexual allegations it was unlikely to slip her mind, but that is what she expects everyone to believe. But the very complexity of the explanations about what she did or didn’t do, and her husband’s convoluted explanation of the content of his text messages about the police investigations, serve only to undermine her authority.

As all this was unfolding, the Scottish Government published Stirling University professor Mark Priestley’s “rapid review” of this year’s exams fiasco, which exposed the chaos within the Scottish Qualifications Authority as lockdown smashed the system, some of it unavoidable but much of it preventable.

It also confirms the opportunities Education Secretary John Swinney had to intervene, most notably a warning nearly three weeks before results day by Labour MSP and ex- teacher Johann Lamont that the moderation system would unfairly disadvantage students from poorer areas. But Mr Swinney let the SQA get on with it until public pressure forced a U- turn on grade reductions.

Education used to be Ms Sturgeon’s top priority and, under normal circumstances, the report would have dominated headlines but attention has been diverted by Ms Surgeon’s chaotic Covid tactics, the resulting crisis in the hospitality sector and questions about her integrity and credibility which won’t go away. As Roy Brett will testify, a fish rots from the head.

0 Nicola Sturgeon is facing big questions over the Salmond affair and her

That’s Rishi

Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled a new furlough wage extension for businesses forced to close by Covid.

About time.

RD Hunter Thank goodness the sensible majority voted to remain in the UK and the minority can look forward to another chance at a vote after their lifetime. I do hope our Finance Secretary remembers her manners and sends her thanks for this much appreciated help and she must remember and stop pretending that the money comes from the Scottish purse.

Proud2bescots

According to unionists in this union of equals: If Scotland wants more money we should raise it ourselves. If Manchester wants more money the UK Chancellor should provide it using our money.

Will [ Kate] Forbes thank the Chancellor or just say it is not enough? Forbes who thinks a £ 15 billion deficit is the reason we should vote for Independence. Her brain is as clarified as her dear leader's.

Grumpy

Can’t blame her. She inherited a sticky abacus from Derek Mackay. It has never really worked and is bamboozling for people with no proper accounting qualifications.

Douglas Brown If the results had gone the wrong way in 2014, we would be in extreme poverty and be looking enviously at RUK when announcements like this are made.

Nikoliar Slamondski Extremely proud of the UK government for helping us financially through this crisis, thank god we stayed in the union, the carnage on these shores would be indescribable, no doubt the opposition, especially the

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nasty Nats, will moan.

Morning Cloud

When is a cafe…?

Nicola Sturgeon admitted to a "lack of clarity" over plans to close many cafes and restaurants across Scotland from this weekend, as she published new rules defining what establishments will be affected.

Wonder what the rules are for the trough feeders who frequent the taxpayer funded bars and eateries within Holyrood itself? There must be a few?

Douglas Brown

Considering most are probably sitting with their feet up watching daytime television I doubt they would need to bother opening up. The fact that she has to define what a cafe is just sums up what a shambles it has become. Meanwhile the virus will just carry on its merry way, unable to differentiate whether you’re in a cafe or a pub, whether it six o’clock or ten o’clock, whether you’re drunk or sober, whether there are 6 of you or 10 and on and on. It isn’t going away and we need to realise it’s something we have to live with.

Old Man of Hoy When in doubt, ask "The Dentist".

James Macdonald Noticed him being referred as ' Flipper', because he can say something one day and the opposite the next.

Not a Lemming And Swinney claps his flippers like a seal.

Douglas Brown

The bottom line? Mrs Sturgeon just isn’t up to the job of First Minister.

Ah’m no bluffin What about a restaurant that brands itself as a cafe and doesn't have an alcohol licence? Or a cafe that calls itself a restaurant and sells drink? Or a cafe ( or restaurant) that may have an alcohol licence and sells light meals and snacks as well as full dinners?

Euan Gray These rules have been cobbled together to appear as if Sturgeon knows what she is doing. opening times, closing times, no alcohol and what is the definition of a cafe. The definition of all of this is a shambles from an SNP cabal finding that shouting freedumb is not enough.

Grumpy Why can't a restaurant adapt is business model to operate as a cafe? Will the SNP hold onto the financial support for a few months just like the did with the support for local government. So they can announce "Scottish government support to councils"?

G Wood Is the Free Church providing the science? Can the virus be transmitted via alcohol?

RD Hunter I understand that a ‘ burger’ joint is a café, however their companies refer to their establishments as restaurants. What is the opinion of Holyrood?

B Campayne Pathetic Nicola, if she had just had the backbone to tell the core Glasgow support, ' I'm closing your boozer for three weeks' when the problem arose.