Off-message

We all know that Nicola Sturgeon is not a world leader because she is not in the room when big decisions are being made, but she is a politician with environmental obligations and expectations on her shoulders, not a commentator or campaigner, so it is not appropriate for her to be hanging out with Greta Thunberg and the other bright young things of the environmental movement when she is another politician who is letting them down and needs to be pressurised. Ms Thunberg knows this, of course, and has previously said that Scotland is not a world leader in relation to climate change. Hence the awkward-looking photo opportunity (your report, 2 November).

Despite all her soundbites, Ms Sturgeon isn’t doing all that much to help. The massive investment in renewables over the last 15 years or so has been made by energy companies and UK taxpayers through their bills, not by the Scottish Government. She has missed just about every other target her government has set for itself, and now, when all the countries of the world are being asked to work together, Ms Sturgeon could not resist the temptation of suggesting we would be better off if we pulled apart. We know this because on the opening day of COP26, that was her message in just about every mainstream newspaper. The 25,000 delegates from around the world will have noticed a one-dimensional politician with a one-dimensional agenda, and that agenda is not what they are interested in.

We don’t know what the outcome of COP26 is going to be, but Ms Sturgeon’s presence will not influence things for the good, and may well undermine it if people see that we cannot get along here on this small island. If we cannot get along, what hope is there that everyone else will agree to anything? I hope she is not going to be there every day for the next two weeks.

VICTOR CLEMENTS

Aberfeldy, Perthshire