Scottish Parliament election: Nicola Sturgeon's TV Covid briefings give SNP an unprecedented advantage – John McLellan

Only two more months of this joyless existence and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has promised we can maybe move to Level 3 on April 26 and, er, that’s about it.

On April 26 we can look forward to pubs and restaurants still banned from selling alcohol, cinemas and theatres still closed, amateur football and rugby not being played even though the pros can. Two months to wait for a hair cut unless you have trained yourself to master the mirror and tapering scissors as apparently has Ms Sturgeon.

Every three weeks until then we can gather expectantly around our televisions to listen to the latest instructions, and perish the thought there will be any subliminal political messaging as we approach the May elections.

Lest anyone forget, the First Minister said that in dealing with the pandemic, nothing was further from her mind than party politics.

But then as the vaccine roll-out promised an end to the nightmare, she used the daily briefing to announce that the election should be a judgement on how she has handled the emergency, turning each briefing and press conference into a not-so-subliminal party election broadcast

With formal campaigning activities like face-to-face canvassing, volunteer leaflet drops and hustings banned, which even the return to Level 3 is unlikely to change, no political leader has ever gone into an election with such a built-in advantage.

And now there is a suggestion of moves straight to Level 2. What a pre-election sling-shot that would be.

John McLellan is a Conservative councillor for Craigentinny/Duddingston

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