The strange case of Nicola Sturgeon's recovery from amnesia over Alex Salmond sexual harassment claims
Jackie Baillie, who served on the MSPs’ committee that looked into the government’s handling of sexual harassment claims, notes that, while Nicola Sturgeon’s memory deserted her at that time, it now seems to be recovering
Having been in the Scottish Parliament from the very start, I watched an introverted Nicola Sturgeon manoeuvre her way within the SNP to become the most powerful woman in the country. And what did she achieve with this untrammelled power – is Scotland a better place after 10 years of Sturgeon as First Minister?
The answer is not to be found in her newly published memoirs – indeed there is little about her record of achievement. There is no explanation for why the educational attainment gap, which she pledged to eradicate, still persists.
There is no excuse for the state of the NHS and the health service waiting lists that were growing long before the Covid pandemic. Never mind the stagnant economy and the lack of engagement with business.
Spoiler alert
Instead we are told a story of a powerful woman approached by her older male mentor, Alex Salmond, who asks her to protect him, but she refuses. It’s a dramatic turning point worthy of any author – which is no doubt why Sturgeon picked it to promote her book.
The former First Minister may be more comfortable in a Waterstones’ armchair these days than the debating chamber at Holyrood. But while I enjoy a good work of fiction as much as the next person, I was on the parliamentary committee investigating this very same episode. Spoiler alert – there’s more to the story.
The committee was set up in 2021 after the Scottish Government’s internal investigation into those same sexual harassment claims collapsed, costing taxpayers thousands of pounds and forcing the complainants into a spotlight they never sought.
Our committee’s job was to understand why this had happened and ensure that in future the Scottish Government’s complaints procedures would not let women down. You would think that Sturgeon, who was famed for her attention to detail, would be focused on that task.
Instead, we discovered the then First Minister’s power of recall had deserted her. She could not remember. I am glad that her memory is returning.
Throughout our evidence-gathering sessions, the SNP government blocked us at every turn, at one point taking two years to deliver the documents we requested. And when they came, some were blank sheets of paper.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon says Alex Salmond could have leaked probe against him and addresses conspiracy claim
Swinney’s role
In this obstruction, Sturgeon had a key ally. Secret Scotland came into its own with our current First Minister, John Swinney. He was Sturgeon’s political fixer and refused for many months to share information with the committee to the point that opposition parties forced a no-confidence vote. That culture of obfuscation and spin is Sturgeon’s legacy, now carried forward by Swinney.
On International Women’s Day a few years ago, Sturgeon pledged “to change for good the culture of misogyny”. With all the power she had, with a majority SNP parliament, she could have changed the country. That really would have been a legacy for Scotland’s first female First Minister. In this case, actions speak louder than words.
Jackie Baillie is the MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour’s deputy leader and her party’s spokesperson for health
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