IF you were to be asked which party leaders have been hiding from media accountability during this election campaign, it's highly unlikely you'd answer Nicola Sturgeon.
The SNP leader has appeared on multiple UK-wide election debates, last week's STV Scottish leaders' debate and done a number of interviews for print, radio and TV. She was even interviewed by Chief Commissioner Miekelson from Scot Squad!
Meanwhile, the Tories' Boris Johnson and Brexit Party's Nigel Farage have been ducking and diving from reporters, debates and hustings this whole time. And even when they do turn up, it's not likely you'll get a straight answer out of them ...
It seems if you asked BBC Scotland presenter Kaye Adams that very question though, you might get a different response.
Today during her Mornings with Kaye Adams radio programme, the SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford was live answering listener's questions.
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One listener, Martin, got in touch questioning Blackford's appearance on the programme and suggesting Sturgeon should have been taking calls instead.
Adams said he was “saying, you know, Nicola is on Good Morning Britain, I’m afraid the SNP must be confident that no-one is listening to your show".
She asked Blackford: "Well our listening figures are out there and people can look at them if they like but Nicola Sturgeon was on Andrew Marr yesterday, she was on Your Call on Five Live, she was on GMB this morning, she was on This Morning on ITV on Friday, is unable to be with us today. I mean, is there any reason behind that?”
The SNP candidate (below) explained that Sturgeon was on government business while the show was on. He replied: “Yes well actually I’m grateful Martin’s asked the question by text because there’s a simple answer there, she is First Minister of Scotland and she has an important government meeting this morning which had been in the diary for some time. She has made herself available on numerous occasions to debate with others and of course it’s Boris Johnson in many cases which has failed to show up …”
Adams interjected: “But not to the listeners of Scotland.”
Blackford rejected that claim and reminded the presenter of the debates Sturgeon has taken part in over the past few weeks, but Adams questioned whether the SNP leader had taken part in an open phone-in.
The SNP's Westminster leader replied: “But the fact is Kaye when you talk about some of the others that you’ve had on the programme, they’re not running a government, they’re not running a country. There’s a government meeting that the First Minister has this morning that she has to participate in. I am the leader of the SNP at Westminster … of course this election ..."
Cutting him off again, Adams asked: “Is it that the UK audience in this election is more important to Nicola Sturgeon than the Scottish audience?”
“Good grief, no," Blackford responded. "It’s about making sure that we win this election in Scotland for Scotland and of course we project that voice throughout the United Kingdom. But the First Minister has been on countless programmes in Scotland over the course of the last few weeks and months and I guess she will be over the course of the coming days.
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"I’m here as the SNP Westminster leader, as a person that’s standing to lead that group in Parliament to answer the questions the listeners have …”
Adams replied: “Sure sure.
"We appreciate she has a busy schedule and of course she has all these other commitments, you know, for Five Live and GMB and This Morning and Andrew Marr, so you know. Clearly she can’t do everyone and we’ve come to the bottom of the pile.”
Interesting.
The First Minister has to juggle the dual responsibilities of leading her party's General Election campaign and running the Scottish Government, but she faces more BBC scrutiny than the Prime Minister (whose parliament is currently dissolved).
In the same episode, Adams has been accused of cutting off Blackford's answer to a listener about NHS concerns too.
Great work, Beeb!
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