Nicola Sturgeon’s deputy tries to deflect outrage after she says ‘I detest the Tories’
Nicola Sturgeon #NicolaSturgeon
Nicola Sturgeon’s deputy has attempted to deflect outrage over her declaration that she “detests” the Tories by blaming the actions of Margaret Thatcher’s government and insisting she was referring to Conservative policy.
John Swinney, the Deputy First Minister, admitted Ms Sturgeon’s language was “blunt” but argued that “people want to hear it the way it is” and praised her as a “great communicator”.
Although Mr Swinney was told the First Minister had referred to “Tories” rather than party policy, he rejected accusations that her attack was inflammatory or that she was guilty of double standards.
Two years ago, Labour’s Emily Thornberry apologised to SNP MPs after saying she “hated” the party and Ms Sturgeon criticised her language, saying: “Hate is not a good emotion in politics.”
But Mr Swinney argued that the basis of her attack was that she had “lived through the 1980s” and witnessed the “wreckage” inflicted by the Thatcher government on Scotland.
Ms Sturgeon made the comments in a television interview when asked whether she would prefer a Labour or Tory government, telling the BBC: “I detest the Tories and everything they stand for, so it’s not difficult to answer that question.”
Nadhim Zahawi accused the First Minister of using “really dangerous” language and the Scottish Tories said she had insulted the 630,000 Scots who voted for them in last year’s Holyrood election.
She insisted she was referring to Tory “policies and values” rather than individual politicians or voters, and later said she did not regret her choice of words.
Interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland ahead of Ms Sturgeons keynote speech to the SNP conference, Mr Swinney said: “I have very strong objections to the policies of the Conservative Party, as the First Minister said yesterday. I think it’s right to call out the things that you disagree with.
“I think her language was blunt, and I think often people want to hear it the way it is, and the First Minister essentially expresses herself in that fashion, a very direct fashion, a great communicator to members of the public in explaining what she thinks and what she feels.
“And what lay behind her comment was the fact that the First Minister – and I’ve had much the same experience in my life – she lived through the 1980s, saw the wreckage done by the Conservatives to many parts of central Scotland, saw life chances blunted as a consequence.”
Mr Swinney also cited the austerity policies pursued by David Cameron’s government and “all this carnage created in the economy by the mini-Budget”.
Asked whether Ms Sturgeon was guilty of double standards given her previous criticism of Ms Thornberry, he insisted that her attack was on the Tories’ policy agenda.
Stephen Kerr, a Tory MSP, wrote to Alison Johnstone, Holyrood’s presiding officer, asking for help with restoring “standards and decency in politics” following Ms Sturgeon’s comments.
“I am asking what you can do, with the influential place you hold in Scottish politics, to counter the damage the First Minister is doing by promoting a more cordial state of affairs where we can disagree with each other without resorting to such hate,” he wrote.
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