Sturgeon’s mental gymnastics sends her legacy tumbling down - Susan Dalgety
August in Edinburgh is full of surprises, some more welcome than others. A few days ago on George Street, I nearly tripped over a troupe of fit young men and women doing impossible physical moves for a photoshoot outside the Assembly Rooms. Luckily, I swerved just in time.
I am excited to go and see the exhibition of the late Sandra George’s stunning images at the City Arts Centre. I was lucky to work with Sandra in the 1980s and early 90s in Wester Hailes when we were part of Edinburgh’s then-thriving community press. She was a very talented photographer and committed social justice campaigner, and the exhibition ‘Start from the Level’ promises to be a poignant reminder of her talents and of the many injustices that still divide our city.
And next Tuesday, former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon joins former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin at the Edinburgh International Book Festival to tell us all ‘how to lead a country’. Now this is a gig that, like the tumbling gymnasts, I am more than happy to avoid.
This is the same Nicola Sturgeon who claims in her memoir ‘Frankly’ that it took her time to understand that it is only possible to close the education attainment gap, as she had promised, “if we do more to tackle poverty itself.” Doh! How did it take a self-proclaimed left-of-centre progressive so long to work out something as simple as poverty limits a child’s life chances? As Edinburgh University’s respected Professor of Public Policy, James Mitchell, said on social media, it's difficult to believe that no-one had pointed out this most basic point to her. “Something was – and remains – deeply wrong in Scottish Govt” he added.
He’s not wrong. The recent exam results show that the attainment gap is still as entrenched as ever. Shamefully, Scotland still has the highest rate of drug deaths in Europe. And the city council has had to suspend the general waiting list for council homes until at least March next year because all vacant properties are needed for emergency cases. I wonder if Ms Sturgeon will talk about these fundamental failures of government which can be directly traced back to her nine-year reign as First Minister?
And will she repeat her criticism of the man she once described as the most important person in her life outside of her family? In the updated edition of her memoir, published last week, she criticised John Swinney’s leadership of the SNP, describing the party’s recent election campaign as lacking vision or “big picture thinking”.
Given that Sturgeon’s own “big picture thinking” was that men could become women, perhaps John Swinney was right to stick to free schoolbags and threats of another independence referendum. And in a clear dig at Sturgeon, who was once seen as the saviour of the SNP, Health Secretary Angela Constance described John Swinney as the “best first minister yet”.
I have some unsolicited advice for Nicola. Loyalty is a virtue. If you have nothing positive to say about the man who stood by you for decades, then keep schtum. And perhaps consider changing the title of next Tuesday’s talk to: How not to lead a country.