Deflection and politicking

Sir, – It is worrying that a number of unionist commentators are using forums such as this to undermine our first minister’s efforts at keeping the Scottish population safe.

Victor Clements’ crude attempt at encouraging Scots to ignore Nicola Sturgeon’s daily press conferences (‘Nicola needs a new Covid-19 messenger’, Letters, September 7) has more to do with his political beliefs and the frustration felt at the effectiveness of her approach by her political opponents.

Mr Clements’ own Tory Party’s omnishambles, led by a man-child posing as a statesman, suffers horribly in comparison.

As a leading member of Scotland in Union, a Tory-funded group of letter writers whose coffers have recently been augmented by their wealthy patrons in the aftermath of recent proindependence opinion polls, Mr Clements risibly takes it upon himself to be the voice of Glasgow, while resorting to a crude stereotype of how Glaswegians think.

He claims that: “Listening to radio and television interviews recently, it is increasingly obvious that a significant proportion of the population are switched off to all Scottish Government Covid-19 messaging.”

This is wishful thinking on an Olympian scale, concealing a dangerous agenda.

It is an undoubted tragedy that our English neighbours have been disastrously served by their own government, but Mr Clements and his fellow Tories’ attempts at deflection, combined with crude politicking aimed at Scotland’s own leadership, is beyond contempt.

Ken Clark.

15 Thorter Way, Dundee.