Writing is on the wall for ‘narcissist’ Nicola
THERE comes a moment in every popular political leader’s career when their arrogance and self-regard reaches the walking on water state and they feel they are untouchable and anything goes. It happened with Tony Blair and Iraq. It happened with Margaret Thatcher and her gross underestimation of Geoffrey Howe. It has undoubtedly, on a much smaller scale, happened with Scotland’s First Minister. Whether she was advised to go on her trip to Denmark for little more than a photo-op at the height of an engulfing bin collectors’ strike and impending cost of living crisis, or simply overlooked any advice she did get, we do not know. Yet the images of her and her entourage being paraded in Copenhagen – where the Danish PM was apparently too busy to meet her – while Scotland’s capital lay submerged in rubbish and filth, will be the lasting image that remains. Even her most fervent followers, and there are, many, must have flinched at this example of arrogance and/or narcissism. It took some time after their moments before Blair and Thatcher eventually fell; but the writing is most certainly on the wall for the First Minister.
Alexander Mckay, edinburgh.
IT seems that Nicola Sturgeon’s Edinburgh home, Bute House, has its own private rubbish collection service along with around 70 Scottish Government buildings. Simply put, whilst everyone else is seeing rubbish pile up everywhere Nicola Sturgeon will not really notice. Is this another historical ‘let them eat cake’ mistake or will the SNP/Green alliance attempt to ‘rubbish’ this story?
Gerald Edwards, Glasgow.
WHETHER or not you agree with the recent strikes by refuse collectors, one thing which has been sadly lacking from our Government is a contingency plan which should have been drawn up to keep our streets clean to protect the health of the public. Our leaders are partly responsible for the health and wellbeing of the public but on this occasion, have failed miserably to act beforehand. Utterly shameful that the streets of Scotland are in such a state, not only for visitors to our country but for people who pay their taxes diligently and are being let down big-time by our so-called ‘leaders’.
Peter Laing, lochgilphead, Argyll. NICOLA Sturgeon has at last come up with an answer to the Edinburgh bins problem. If residents trundle their rubbish up to Bute House it will be picked up by private contractors – after all, they are paying for it. Alex Thomas, newarthill, lanarkshire