THE BBC Disclosure programme on Covid in Scotland does not stand up to the slightest scrutiny.
Border control is a power reserved to the Home Office and Priti “Dangerous” Patel, who were advised by the WHO to introduce quarantine for people coming into the UK
from Covid affected-areas in January. The Nike meeting in Edinburgh in February is a “red herring”, because compared to the Cheltenham Festival it was very small beer.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon dismisses claim about Edinburgh Covid-19 'cover-up'
The idea that “thousands of lives could have been saved” is a total nonsense given the multiple infective vectors by which Covid could enter Scotland without border control and quarantine measures in place.
The Skye nursing home case is more likely due to shifting staff to the home from already infected homes while not providing adequate PPE or infection-control protocols.
So where does this simple analysis leave the BBC Scotland “what iffery” regurgitated in the usual Scotch Unionist media yesterday morning? I suggest “doon the pan”.
Peter Thomson
Kirkcudbright
BBC Scotland’s news editor must be tearing his hair out looking for something to pin on the SNP government. In desperation he is using the method of last resort, blaming by hindsight.
The latest what-iffery rests on the assumption that had Scotland acted earlier, 2000 lives could have been saved. Whether they like it or not, the Scottish Government is an honest broker attempting to tackle a particularly nasty disease and yes, mistakes will have been made, Nicola Sturgeon has already said as much.
The accusatory tone of journalists questions during FM’s briefings is getting extremely tedious. Even the normally patient FM snapped at a particularly stupid question from Sky on the R rate. By comparison, one quote you are unlikely to see on any Scottish media comes from Professor Susan Michie, of University College London, who tweeted: “Lack of clarity can cost lives. Scottish Government a good example of clear & consistent messaging. No spin, no self-congratulation, no defence, just honest communication, including of the uncertainties. Engenders trust & adherence; avoids confusion & anxiety.”
Mike Herd
Highland
ENRAGED by the BBC Scotland attempt to attack the Scottish Government for not locking down earlier when in fact without control of the purse strings it could not sensibly do so. The remark that they asked Nicola Sturgeon for an interview but she was not available is disgraceful. She is on BBC for an hour to an hour-and-a-half daily (and often at other times) answering all media questions clearly and honestly. The BBC and those complicit in this parody must not be allowed to get away with it.
Dave McEwan Hill
Sandbank, Argyll
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