This unwarranted attack on Nicola Sturgeon shows just how desperate the Unionist parties are getting - Helen Martin

IT’S puzzling and astonishing how political investigations happen and what sort of apparent misbehaviour would result in a First Minister, a Prime Minister or any government leader anywhere, being forced to resign.

Nicola Sturgeon has done nothing wrong to the public and the country, or her own party, says Helen Martin

Perhaps stealing public money to pay political party supporters, promising to boost national affluence and the economy but blocking exports and impoverishing the poor, or breaking international law, might bring on resignation.

But confusion over the date a leader heard about allegations of their predecessor being accused of inappropriate sexual harassment? How can that lead to resignation? How can that equate to breaching a Ministerial Code?

Of course, this is the attack on Nicola Sturgeon. When it comes to Ministerial Code, surely her basic principle would be simply no interference, no significance of her personal opinion, or even declaring when she first new of it all. That’s especially the case when Alex Salmond had been her friend and mentor for years.

The call for her resignation was simply devised and leaked by the political opponents taking part in the Holyrood Harassment inquiry’s committee. They feel it might give them a little more chance to win more seats in the May election. They feel having her resigned might wipe out SNP voters. The Salmond fans stood down long ago, but the resignation campaign just increases independence voters’ hatred of Unionist parties. Sturgeon has done nothing wrong to the public and the country, or her own party.

The toughest thing to understand is why any Scottish MSPs who belong to UK parties really want a disastrous Brexit and admire a PM who is globally regarded as an unlawful, undemocratic, tax-haven protecting dictator.

And this upcoming election is not a normal assessment of policies, parties, economy plans and everything else. The electorate is simply divided between independence and Unionism and with an SNP majority, the only drive of other parties (apart from the Greens), is a desperate war regardless of honesty, principles or morals.

There’s actually no point in electoral campaigning. Everyone has already decided who they are voting for. Now it’s even difficult for us all to deal with relatives, friends or neighbours who are “opposition”. Even my sister and I no longer discuss politics or Holyrood. I’m for Independence, she’s a Unionist.

It’s very unlikely, but somehow, if the SNP was beaten, Independence was ruled out and Scotland was sucked back into Brexit UK, millions would not accept that result. The country would be split. Protests would flare up. Anger and fury would be worse than ever.

If SNP continued with a huge majority and an Indyref would be coming soon, how would Unionist MSPs, their voters and the UK then react? How would their anger, fury and protests roll out?

The next significant step is the decision of James Hamilton QC, the independent “judge” of this fiasco who has no party loyalty at all. Will he agree with the Committee Five, or condemn their belief that Sturgeon has broken Ministerial Code and thus back her refusal to resign? (The latter I hope for.)

But Scotland’s election result will be the most unique, complex, dramatic and controversial we, or the UK, have ever experienced.

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