Let’s keep divisive politics out of the lockdown debate

I’m going to expose my naïve nature again. This rarely ends well, but let’s try.

The cracks – never hard to spot – are widening as the pandemic continues. Even as we all live through the same crisis, countries are taking different approaches… and arguing. Now, the lockdown debate between UK nations is increasingly becoming politicised.

I say we should rein that in, and let Scotland’s authorities take their own approach to Covid-19, with proper scientific advice. Stop arguing and seek amicable approaches.

Health is a devolved matter for good reason: to have different decision-makers ready to take account of varying circumstances. Of course there are common factors on a global pandemic, but there are enough differences in social circumstances, economics and geography that Scotland should be empowered to set its own strategy, and keep politics out of it.

Sometimes it seems every conversation about Scotland is tainted by the question of whether you’re a “yoon” or a “nat”. This time, it’s not relevant, and the debate risks becoming sectarian. It’s no different from letting your level of affinity for the British royal family influence which football team you support.

I’m not pretending the SNP administration at Holyrood is perfect. I agree they look at things through tartan-tinted spectacles. For example, they should have just called Scotland’s emergency facility a Nightingale Hospital and stopped trying to be Scottish for the sake of it.

But there are examples of success in diverse approaches. The United States is a screaming partisan nightmare, but I’ve admired the province-byprovince approach here in Canada, where politicians of all stripes have worked together while implementing measures that varied for local conditions. It can be done, and the UK needs to set aside its problems and take a sensible approach.

Journalists could do with calming down a bit, too. Usually, I detest the messenger-shooting inherent in attacks on “the media”, but some (particularly newspaper columnists) are heightening perceived political conflicts when we need understanding.

I’ll fight for freedom of speech, but read the room before speaking.

The UK needs to set aside its problems and take a sensible approach