RUTH Davidson and Jackie Baillie reached new depths while scraping the bottom of their barrels on Wednesday while attacking the Scottish Government over the findings in the Auditor General’s report in respect of the pandemic.

How many governments throughout the world had contingency plans ready for a Covid-19 pandemic?

While the autocratic governments in China and North Korea took immediate action and several other geographically isolated countries – including South Korea, Australia and New Zealand – closed their borders very quickly, most other countries had to start from a similar position to that of Scotland.

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It is likely that in dealing with the pandemic Scotland suffered more from its inability to act before permitted by Westminster legislation and lack of borrowing powers than it did from the few critical points raised in the Auditor General’s report, which was much more positive than the opposition leaders.

John Jamieson
South Queensferry

RUTH Davidson and Jackie Baillie spent First Minister’s Question Time accusing the FM of failing to prepare for the Covid-19 pandemic. I’m sure they thought they had a winner in quoting from the Sygnis and other projects. The resulting papers detailing the problems and actions were published for anyone to read and no doubt were circulated to the political parties at the time, therefore available to Davidson and Baillie several years ago.

Many people claim to be clever in hindsight (and taking words that suit them out of a newly published report intended as lessons for the future) but parliamentarians of all parties are there to do what is best for the public. So, is there evidence that Labour or Tory MSPs made any reference, before Thursday, to these reports since their publication years ago?

I have no doubt that Scottish Tory MPs will be taking Boris Johnson to task over the same issues. The whole of Scotland will be watching.

Mike Underwood
Linlithgow