The SNP’s partygate deceit

For weeks now, much of Westminster has been in full hue and cry of Boris Johnson over partygate. While some of the PM’s critics have legitimate grievances; others frankly, do not. Mr S has rarely seen a scandal spawn so much cant, humbug and windbaggery, as life-long opponents of the PM queue up to issue yet another demand for him to go. And what better embodiment of such self-righteous moralising than ardent Boris-basher, Ian Blackford?

The SNP leader popped up at yesterday’s Commons debate to play another game of Blackford bingo. All the usual buzzwords were there: ‘public trust’, ‘shame’, ‘dignity’. Honour in public life – drink! Tory sleaze and corruption – have another! He even got his fifteen moments of TV time after repeatedly accusing Johnson of misleading the House, forcing Speaker Lindsay Hoyle to eject him. Laudable stuff – except that his own party’s record is far from spotless either. Blackford can talk of a ‘culture of contempt’ but his own leader, Nicola Sturgeon, was found to have misled Holyrood by a parliamentary committee, just last year.