Holyrood spends thousands on the National

Nicola Sturgeon’s latest independence wheeze might have received a near-universal panning but there’s one organ she can always count on for stellar support: the National. ‘SAVE THE DATE’ screamed its front page today, replete with ten pages of Pyongyang-style praise for the Dear Leader and her latest, brilliant move that will almost certainly fall short of legal reality.

Still, at least the National get something in return for such fealty. For the Scottish Government under Sturgeon has spent thousands in recent years on purchasing hundreds of copies of the newspaper – even though it is available online or via a (cheaper) digital subscription.

Some £5,456 has been spent on 5,371 individual copies of the newspaper, along with 443 subscriptions in the past three financial years. The figures come from a Freedom of Information request by the Taxpayers’ Alliance, whose investigations campaign manager Elliot Keck told Mr S that: ‘Taxpayers are fed up of funding the Scottish government’s endless campaign for independence.’

But is financial sense finally catching up with ministers? For the number of copies and subscription has dropped by more than half from 2,675 copies, 208 subscriptions worth £2,549 in 2019-20 to now just 842 copies, 75 subscriptions worth £985 in 2021-22.

No slacking on the gluttonous praise then comrades!