After months of being on the defensive vis-à-vis Nicola Sturgeon’s decisive leadership over the coronavirus crisis, the British establishment has started to hit back in earnest.
An article in the Times (May 18) accuses Scotland’s First Minister of “grandstanding” on the COVID-19 pandemic in order to hide the Scottish National Party’s (SNP) “dismal record” on health and education in government.
Sturgeon, who is the leader of the pro-independence SNP, has irked the British establishment by demonstrating consistently robust leadership throughout the crisis.
The establishment’s embarrassment turned to fury earlier this month when Sturgeon opposed the government’s plan to ease the lockdown on the grounds that it was too early to relax coronavirus-related restrictions.
The attack by the Times newspaper (a scion of the British establishment) has been enthusiastically taken up by leading Tory politicians, notably Tom Tugendhat who has positioned himself as the British regime’s key voice on foreign policy.
Challenging the government is important but it's also important to know who is really responsible. The SNP's record on health and education is very poor and that matters to all of us in the UK. https://t.co/l9iwtNRKdP
— Tom Tugendhat (@TomTugendhat) May 18, 2020
However, the attacks by the British establishment and its allies in the press have not deterred Sturgeon from demonstrating resolute leadership in the crisis.
Earlier today Sturgeon announced that lockdown measures in Scotland could begin to be lifted from May 28.
In addition, the First Minister announced that coronovirus testing will be offered to everyone in Scotland over the age of five who is displaying symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
"We will continue to take a cautious approach that ensures the virus is suppressed while seeking to restore as much normality as possible where it is safe to do so", Sturgeon told the Scottish people.