Worrying lack of urgency from SNP

NOBODY can be in any doubt the draconian lockdown measures which have put the economy on hold and heaped pressure on families were necessary. Once the threat that coronavirus posed became clear, there really was no alternative.

But what many laughingly refer to as the ‘new normal’ is anything but.

Lockdown was only ever meant to be a temporary measure.

The easing of restrictions we are now seeing was inevitable. The only thing in doubt was the timetable.

Tomorrow, high street chains and local stores across Scotland will reopen. For many traders, fighting for survival, this moment cannot have come too soon. Many will be wondering whether shoppers will return in numbers large enough to make their businesses viable.

The position of these vital entrepreneurs is made all the more difficult by the Scottish Government’s decision to drag its heels on lifting restrictions.

Traders in England have been back in business for a fortnight already, while pubs, hotels and restaurants south of the Border will open next Saturday, almost a fortnight before establishments in Scotland.

It is often said by critics that the SNP simply doesn’t understand business. Since the majority of senior figures across trade and industry remain highly sceptical about the Nationalists’ reckless plans to break up the UK, it is hardly surprising that the relationship between Ministers and chief executives is almost non-existent.

Nicola Sturgeon may be adept at the art of political presentation. But the First Minister’s failure to grasp the urgency of an economic restart exposes a worrying weakness at the heart of this Scottish Government.