At First Minister’s Questions this afternoon Nicola Sturgeon accused Ruth Davidson of peddling baseless conspiracy theories, dredged up from ‘the bottom of the barrel’. For all that Davidson, like the rest of Sturgeon’s political opponents, might profess that their interest in the Salmond-Sturgeon affair rests on nothing more than ‘just the facts, ma’am’, the First Minister was clear their concern is primarily opportunistic and political. If they wished to pal around with Alex Salmond and his cronies in some kind of ‘old boys club’ that was their prerogative, but the people of Scotland will deliver their verdict in May’s elections.
And there is, of course, some truth in that charge. The Salmond affair is the opposition’s last, best, chance of damaging Sturgeon, and by extension, the SNP before the election on 6 May. Like many other observers, I am shocked to discover politics taking place.
But if Sturgeon’s opponents are motivated by political calculation, the same must be true of her defenders too.
