Covid: Edinburgh's SNP should stand up to Nicola Sturgeon over tiers like English Tory MPs do to Boris Johnson – John McLellan

It’s another week to enjoy the thrill of crossing the county line to go to the Straiton retail park knowing you’re breaking the law, you little Covid-spreading devils.

Or is it just another week? Who knows, because following the science is the last thing which will help you understand how the Scottish government reaches decisions about restrictions these days, but we do know that thousands of workers in the hospitality sector have had their hopes dashed once again and hundreds of Edinburgh businesses will regard themselves lucky if they are still on a knife-edge when Christmas comes round.

Trying to find a correlation between the statistics and the tiers is pointless because there isn’t one, as a glance at Public Health Scotland’s seven-day positive data demonstrated.

On Tuesday, Tier 3 Edinburgh had 71.2 cases per 100,000 people compared to East Lothian’s 74.7 and Aberdeen’s 72.2, both Tier 2. The excuse that Edinburgh’s figure was rising also applies to those areas, with Edinburgh moving to 78.3, Aberdeen 76.5 and East Lothian 84 by yesterday. Falkirk is moving down from Tier 3 to 2, but Tuesday’s 74 went up to 75.2.

For all the monopoly of BBC airtime enjoyed by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and for all the apparently robust representations to Deputy First Minister John Swinney by his man on the ground in Edinburgh, council leader Adam McVey, little convincing public explanation was forthcoming from either level of SNP administration when the announcement was made.

At least Cllr McVey acknowledged the falling infection rate on Twitter, saying, “This week we’ve went (sic) from stable mid-80s to averaging 60s-low 70s,” but it appears he was caught on the hop because other social media messages revealed his expectation from a weekend conversation with Mr Swinney was Edinburgh would indeed move to Tier 2.

Eventually, Cllr McVey said he was “extremely disappointed” by the decision, but the First Minister could order the reimposition of total lockdown if she thought it would prevent the spread of infection, knowing SNP councillors will offer little, if any resistance.

Feelings are running justifiably high at the way Edinburgh is being treated, but for all the claims of making a robust case to ministers, local SNP representatives are arguing without a negotiating position unless you count a bended knee, as has happened year after year with the paltry financial settlement which forces the council to make unnecessarily deeper cuts to services.

Contrast that with Conservative MPs up and down England who put their communities ahead of party loyalty and voted against their own government because they opposed unjustified lockdowns which are wreaking on their local economies.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon fears moving Edinburgh to Tier 2 will spark a pre-Christmas dash to Edinburgh from places like Glasgow, at over 150 cases per 100,000, one of Scotland’s most infected local authority areas, for some last-minute shopping laced with festive spirit, but why should Edinburgh suffer for the actions of people from elsewhere?

With National Clinical Director Jason Leitch blaming holiday-makers for the second wave, no wonder the SNP were huffy about the Duke and Duchess of Strathearn’s audacity at taking a train to Edinburgh.

John McLellan is a Conservative councillor for Craigentinny/Duddingston

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