STURGEON’S SNARL FAILS TO SINK SCANDAL

OH, how the heart bleeds for the First Minister. Her life really is full of unfairness. If things were right and proper, she’d be free to gallivant around the globe.

She’d be taking selfies with world leaders who’ve little idea who she is, and make appearances at book festivals where gushing audiences swoon at the breadth of her cultural hinterland.

As it is, Nicola Sturgeon is forced each Thursday, during First Minister’s Questions, to actually account for the actions of Scotland’s failing SNP Government.

If anyone doubted the unreasonableness of this ritual, they had only to look at the First Ministerial face yesterday as

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross had the audacity to ask about the growing scandal around the awarding of a contract to build ferries.

A BBC investigation has uncovered documents which suggest the successful bidder for the £97million contract, Ferguson Marine Engineering, benefited from preferential treatment. Scotland’s Auditor General has been asked to investigate and allegations of corporate corruption have been made. Mr Ross thought this a matter worthy of exploration. Miss Sturgeon seemed to think the whole discussion a terrible imposition. While she did agree this was a serious matter, the look on her face said she couldn’t quite believe Mr Ross’s cheek.

At points it looked like Miss Sturgeon’s eyes might roll completely out of her head. And, anyway, wasn’t it the case that the real issue was that Douglas Ross was a Tory?

Wasn’t the problem not that the Scottish Government is mired in a scandal that should have triggered a police investigation, but that Mr Ross wished her to emulate the policies of the UK Government?

This predictable tactic – holding the opposition to account – is a give-away that Miss Sturgeon is on shaky ground. Another is the suggestion that an opponent is talking Scotland down, a charge, unsurprisingly, levelled at Labour’s Anas Sarwar when he brought up the SNP’s broken pledge to establish a national energy company.

Accused of talking Scotland down (for any criticism of the SNP is, to Miss Sturgeon, criticism of the country). Mr Sarwar said he had heard her accuse people of doing this since he was at school.

Perhaps the reason he had heard this, she replied, was due to years of people talking Scotland down.

While Alex Salmond was First Minister, the SNP spin was that Miss Sturgeon was more reasonable.

These days, however, the First Minister can more than match her mentor’s temper.

The nodding nationalist dogs may approve as Miss Sturgeon snarls at those who question her brilliance – but voters may be less impressed.