VIEWERS in Scotland were left feeling confused after Question Time host Fiona Bruce decided to ask the audience if they supported Scottish independence - despite the show being broadcast in a Conservative heartland in England.
This week's programme was broadcast from the English town of Rugby, which has had a Tory MP for more than decade.
It also featured just one Scottish panelist in the form of journalist and National columnist Ruth Wishart, even though the top story was Nicola Sturgeon's resignation.
At one point, following a discussion of Sturgeon and her legacy, Bruce asks whether anyone in the audience is supportive of Nicola Sturgeon’s views on independence and the SNP. Not one person raised their hand.
However, given the fact that nobody who votes in the constituency of Rugby would be able to vote for the SNP anyway, it seems a peculiar question to ask.
Furthermore, at the beginning of the show, despite being the only Scot on the panel, Ruth Wishart was not given the first opportunity to respond to the first question about Nicola Sturgeon and independence.
READ MORE: SNP set out when new leader will be elected after Nicola Sturgeon quits
Much to his surprise, Fiona Bruce instead turned to Private Eye editor Ian Hislop.
“Yeah, obvious first person to come to…” he quipped, prompting chuckles from the audience.
Bruce responded: “It’s an opinion and that’s all we can have.”
Hislop proceeded to say that felt Nicola Sturgeon “gets an easy ride” in terms of media coverage south of the Border.
“What we’ll lose is the cult of personality, which I think will be a good thing”
— BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) February 16, 2023
Ian Hislop describes Nicola Sturgeon as a “standard politician, not a saint” and says her resignation makes Scottish independence slightly less likely#bbcqt https://t.co/pdu2EiAv2r pic.twitter.com/TDUkWkLdNt
He added: “A lot of the tributes to her seem to me well over the top and not terribly well informed.
“She said three weeks ago that she had plenty in the tank and that she was nowhere near quitting. Then she quit. That makes her a standard politician not a saint.
“And I do think, in terms of independence, I’m sure the movement will go on – there are plenty of people here who will take it on.
READ MORE: John Swinney rules himself out of SNP leadership race
“I think what we’ll lose is the cult of personality, which I think will be a good thing for Scotland and a good thing for everyone else.”
At another point in the show, Fiona Bruce allowed the audience to express their opinions about Scotland.
One audience member took the opportunity to announce that he felt that Scotland should never be permitted to leave the UK.
He said: “I share the view with a former Lord Advocate that the Treaty of Union, as an international treaty, is in perpetuity and cannot be broken in any event so independence should constitutionally never happen.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel