It has been a week of extraordinary firsts in Scottish politics. It was the first time a former minister accused their successor of breaking the ministerial code. It was also the first time that a major political party chose a leader from an ethnic minority background. Although these two events may seem unrelated, they represent polar opposite images of Scotland’s future. Are we going to be a country of corruption and bickering elites or a nation of fairness and equal opportunity? Recent events have made it abundantly clear which side the SNP are on. If we are going to stop them, unionists from across the political spectrum need to work together.
Alex Salmond’s testimony was front-page news and does not bear repeating. Suffice to say, his account directly contradicted Nicola Sturgeon and suggests she broke the ministerial code. Sadly, an injunction prevented him from showing social media messages that supposedly corroborate his story. It all paints a bleak picture of a political elite rotten to the core. Intent on ‘blurring the lines between party, government and prosecution service’.
Sturgeon appears before the committee next week, where she will have to answer some very awkward questions about her conduct. We can only hope that as the investigation draws to a conclusion, it leaves no stone unturned in its search for the truth.
In stark contrast to the SNP, Scottish Labour is making positive strides by electing Anas Sarwar as the first-ever BAME leader. Alongside other BAME politicians from across the spectrum, Sarwar demonstrates that Scotland can be a country of justice, where politics is transparent and open to anyone.
Unfortunately, he has turned down the offer of a possible unionist coalition against SNP corruption. This has come as an immense disappointment to BAME conservative candidates who saw real opportunities for cross-party dialogue. The Scottish Conservatives now stand as the only major party who are guaranteed to defend the union. For Scottish Labour, the issue is clearly of secondary importance, one they would rather not discuss.
In the end, it remains to be seen how the Salmond scandal will play out in May. If unionist parties cannot unite, it is up to unionist voters to put their weight behind a single party. The Scottish Conservatives are the only ones who can tackle the SNP head-on and restore trust in our public institutions.