There's an absurdity afoot when it comes to weighing the current dysfunctions and woes of Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP.
Is the SNP in utter disarray? Yes. Is this the worst period in office the party has experienced? Certainly. Is Sturgeon drowning under opposition attack lines? Absolutely.
But is her government in a state of collapse? No. Polls have dipped significantly for Sturgeon, her party and support for independence. But the SNP still rides high. Yes, the SNP has slipped six points - but, face facts, it’s still at 44% after 16 years in government. So let’s get some grown up perspective on this.
The gender recognition issue has been brutally damaging. A potentially positive policy that would have extended rights for a minority group was handled appallingly. The SNP was clumsy and stupid.
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The party has also riled teachers who are now targeting Sturgeon’s constituency for strikes. There’s signs of trouble brewing internally. Glasgow City Council leader, the SNP’s Susan Aitken - a Sturgeon ally - warned the Scottish government not to interfere in local authority spending decisions. A number of SNP MSPs joined protests at Holyrood over transgender laws, including former minister Ash Regan. The much trumpeted ‘deposit return’ policy is floundering. There were astonishing revelations about the financial idiocy behind the ill-famed ScotWind deal, which seemingly lost Scotland £60 billion. That’s just this week.
It’s bad. But let’s reach for perspective again. Weigh the Scottish government against the UK government and we see a badly listing ship in Edinburgh but a sunken wreck in London. Now, that’s no excuse for the calamitous behaviour of Sturgeon’s government.
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