Why the U-turn?

Gill Turner (Letters, 27 June) states that the ‘rationale’ for the SNP’S change in policy on school attendance is the “fall in infections and deaths from the virus”. Fair enough, the number of infections and deaths had been falling significantly for the eight weeks before John Swinney’s announcement of the new policy of full attendance.

The question, however, remains as to why only the week before, when the numbers had been falling consistently for seven weeks, Mr Swinney was sticking to his guns in proposing the blended model offering as little attendance as one day a week.

Moreover, on 17 June, Professor Devi Sridhar, a Scottish Government coronavirus adviser, proposed that schools

should reopen as normally as possible on 11 August. Not only did Mr Swinney ignore that advice but mysteriously the professor revised her opinion overnight and fell into line with the cautious approach proposed by Mr Swinney.

Only a week later Mr Swinney was proclaiming in Parliament the very policy which Prof Sridhar had proposed in the first place! The poor professor must be dizzy by now.

Parents throughout Scotland are discontented with the SNP education minister’s abject failure to cope and to formulate an acceptable route map out of this crisis.

Some people might conclude, therefore, that the policy U-turn was based on political and not scientific considerations. I sincerely wish the policy success as I, like so many, have a family member hoping to return to school in August.

But I question whether this was done for the the right reasons. Ms Turner may well be correct in accusing the Tories of ‘politicking’ and ‘hypocrisy’ over this issue. Many will level exactly the same charge against the SNP.

COLIN HAMILTON Braid Hills Avenue, Edinburgh