Tories at Holyrood
I got this picture from Calum Mathieson's Facebook page. I'm sorry about the poor quality. It's from a video and I haven't yet worked out how to 'capture' a clear still from a Facebook video.
This is Nicola Sturgeon answering calls from the Conservatives at Holyrood for her to 'get on with the day job' at First Minister's Questions.
Now, I'm no great fan of Nicola Sturgeon - or the SNP, come to that. They're a bit too keen to deliver legislation that will bring in votes and get them appearances in the media, rather than the legislation that we really need, you know, boring stuff to do with the environment, equality, improvements in education, social care, etc. (You'll have gathered I'm a Scottish Green). But that's not my objection to this picture.
In the video clip, Ms Sturgeon had listed all the things she'd done in the previous 24 hours, and none of what she'd been doing had to do with independence or a 2nd independence referendum. It all had to do with running the country.
And I want you to note the reaction of the Tories: they're laughing.
Quite a few clips like this have appeared after First Minister's Questions since the SNP took over the government of Scotland. And I have some questions of my own: what the hell are the Tories laughing at? Do they think what Nicola Sturgeon is saying is untrue? Or that what she's describing is not worth taking seriously? Or is it that Holyrood, Scotland's devolved parliament, is not to be taken seriously?
Or - as I suspect - are the Tories embarrassed at being offered a list of what's happening in government because their party so obviously has no policies of its own (apart from getting Nicola Sturgeon to get on with the day job and stop talking about a 2nd independence referendum). And if you don't believe me, I challenge you to name 3 Conservative policies in Scotland. Okay, I'll settle for 1.
Another issue for me is this: I don't remember this kind of reaction when men holding the office of First Minister were talking at FM questions. And some of them were a lot less competent than Nicola Sturgeon. This kind of behaviour by the Tories does not inspire confidence in me. Especially when the Tory pack is led by another woman (but then, women are often their own and other women's worst enemies).
This is not the standard we should aspire to in debate and discussion, whatever party our MSPs represent (the man in the picture is, I'm sorry to say, a list MSP in my area). And it's particularly galling to get this nonsense from people who claim to be 'the natural party of government.'
Now, I'm no great fan of Nicola Sturgeon - or the SNP, come to that. They're a bit too keen to deliver legislation that will bring in votes and get them appearances in the media, rather than the legislation that we really need, you know, boring stuff to do with the environment, equality, improvements in education, social care, etc. (You'll have gathered I'm a Scottish Green). But that's not my objection to this picture.
In the video clip, Ms Sturgeon had listed all the things she'd done in the previous 24 hours, and none of what she'd been doing had to do with independence or a 2nd independence referendum. It all had to do with running the country.
And I want you to note the reaction of the Tories: they're laughing.
Quite a few clips like this have appeared after First Minister's Questions since the SNP took over the government of Scotland. And I have some questions of my own: what the hell are the Tories laughing at? Do they think what Nicola Sturgeon is saying is untrue? Or that what she's describing is not worth taking seriously? Or is it that Holyrood, Scotland's devolved parliament, is not to be taken seriously?
Or - as I suspect - are the Tories embarrassed at being offered a list of what's happening in government because their party so obviously has no policies of its own (apart from getting Nicola Sturgeon to get on with the day job and stop talking about a 2nd independence referendum). And if you don't believe me, I challenge you to name 3 Conservative policies in Scotland. Okay, I'll settle for 1.
Another issue for me is this: I don't remember this kind of reaction when men holding the office of First Minister were talking at FM questions. And some of them were a lot less competent than Nicola Sturgeon. This kind of behaviour by the Tories does not inspire confidence in me. Especially when the Tory pack is led by another woman (but then, women are often their own and other women's worst enemies).
This is not the standard we should aspire to in debate and discussion, whatever party our MSPs represent (the man in the picture is, I'm sorry to say, a list MSP in my area). And it's particularly galling to get this nonsense from people who claim to be 'the natural party of government.'
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