Another day, another SNP scandal

Dogs bark, cows moo and the SNP duck their failings. It seems as though every day brings fresh revelations about Nicola Sturgeon’s regime in Scotland as more and more questions are asked about her party’s record in office. The only novelty is the sheer range of scandals which can outrage, shock and rile: last week it was the terf war and her plans to rig the electorate. Today it’s ferries and the news that, once again, proper records were not kept of the Scottish Government’s mismanaged takeover of the Ferguson shipyard.

For Audit Scotland has now demanded a fresh review about how an initial £97 million deal for two vessels spiralled into a quarter of a billion pound disaster with two new lifeline vessels still out of service after six years. Stephen Boyle, the Auditor General, expressed his ‘frustration’ to MSPs over a failure to provide crucial evidence on why ministers went ahead with the contract – despite the concerns of the government’s ferry procurement body about a lack of financial guarantees that placed them at risk.