Earlier this week I sat watching the evening news, and the report on the first SNP budget since coming into government. The ditching of the commitment to write off student loans rightly raised the temperature and deserved some serious debate. What we got was a slanging match, and the First Minister behaving like a yah-boo schoolboy. It doesn’t matter which party the First Minister represents, he or she represents the public face of Scotland and the pubic image of Scottish politics. Mr salmond was an embarrassment. So I emailed him, and so far have no response. But here’s what I wrote. Tell me if I am being unreasonably optimistic about the public role played by poltiicians who represent the Scottish peopleDear Mr SalmondI have just listened to the TV coverage of your response to questions about non fulfilment of election commitments. Now I realise that there are ways of interpreting election promises, such as those made in relation to student debt. I work in academia and see first-hand the impact of debt on student morale and motivation. No doubt you have more substantial arguments / responses / excuses.However my question is much more straightforward – are we to assume that the First Minister of Scotland, can only respond to opposition questions at the high intellectual level of worn out cliches such as over the moon, and sick as a parrot. The dignity of office, and the right of the Scottish Parliament to be taken seriously within and beyond Scotland, deserves better than this ranting rhetoric more suited to a playground show-off than one who aspires to lead this country to Independence. Funny it was not – embarrassing it certainly was, coming from a senior politician, and playing games with the disappointment of many of the young people whose commitment to Scotland will matter in our futureYours with considerable disappointment,
I am posting this 2 hours and 25 minutes before our date with destiny…..and Italy. I met some of the tartan army in the centre of Glasgow, outside the Central Station, again exchanging pleasantries, Greggs pastries and handshakes with the vastly outnumbered Italian fans. Hope none of them watch the news on Scottish TV; hope their view of the Scottish people as generous, hospitable, and contributors to European Enlightenment is based on such encounters, and not on the level of debate and snide silliness so ably demonstrated on the floor of our Parliament.
OK. now I feel better and can settle down to watch the outcome of the greatest game ever watched by Scottish fans in the last half-century. And whether we win or not, we walk away holding our heads up cos, as big Eck said, ‘This is the team that won in Paris’. Still the mood and tone of tomorrow’s blog will reflect the outcome.
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