HOW despicable is the media frenzy in what has become a trial of Nicola Sturgeon and her team! Every single possible interpretation has been squeezed from her every look, her every word and every silence!

Memories are very short. During the Covid crisis her regular broadcasts were lauded and appreciated; now they are the feeding fields of those who by their very intense scrutiny show how deliberate and relentless the pursuit of her and the Scottish Government is.

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Perhaps people should remember that Covid has no political allegiance. It was relentless in its attack, and no-one across the entire planet knew what the best way to handle this was. But now, oh yes, everyone who has access to a media platform is a hindsight expert! The Johnson chaos forgotten, the Tory pursuit of sponsors getting lucrative PPE deals, the jollies in No 10, all forgotten ... it’s “get Nicola” time!

She and her team have all conceded mistakes were made, but not driven by politics or malice, just not knowing what was best. Haven’t we all been there? All this frenzy just show how Gove et al know that Scotland WILL fight to become independent and every avenue, every chance, every bitter opponent of this will be encouraged to voice his or her attacks to save the Union.

Accountability is correct, but trying to apportion blame should not be the purpose of this inquiry and that is just what it has become! I understood the inquiry aims to learn how to handle such crises, and that’s not the direction the questioning appears to have taken! Why??

E Ahern
East Kilbride

I RECOGNISE and respect the sadness and hurt caused by the death of so many during the pandemic. However the witch-hunt that is the Covid inquiry in Scotland is a dreadful spectacle trying to tarnish our then FM and other officials.

Alister Union Jack’s entitled, dismissive, arrogant, attitude to all things Scottish Government, all things SNP and all things Nicola Sturgeon should result in Scotland issuing a demand for his resignation. He does not represent my country.

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I am also disgusted with the Unionist politicians in the Scottish Parliament using the distressing circumstances of the pandemic as a political tool. The venom as well as the frothing at the mouth of “three jobs” Douglas Ross and the millionaire Anas Sarwar is so disgusting. Their obsession with the Union at Scotland’s expense offers us in Scotland no future.

The atrocious behaviour of Messrs Johnson, Sunak, Cummings and Hancock – “a parcel o’rogues” – showed scant regard for what people were experiencing. They have not been subjected to the innuendo and character assassination of our own Scottish Government ministers.

Tories and Labour in Scotland have glossed over the behaviour of the UK ministers – yet again! For them the Union comes first.

I hope shortly we will see a front page from The National thanking our then FM and all associated with keeping Scotland informed and safe. They did us proud.

Jan Ferrie
Ayrshire

HAVE people really forgotten Nicola Sturgeon’s handling of the Covid crisis? This pandemic was like no other known in most of our lifetimes. There was a lot of whistling in the dark – especially in Westminster.

Boris Johnson was renowned for not attending Cobra meetings, allowing drinks events, dithering and bumbling his way through what was a frightening time for all of us. Nicola Sturgeon stood at the podium each and every day – reassuring, and understanding what a devastating pandemic Covid was.

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And before you all put pen to paper, no, she is not a saint – not perfect – she is human. She made mistakes and has regrets and no, it won’t bring folks back, but in the larger scheme of things, she led – she didn’t shirk.

Folks praised her handling throughout the pandemic – very clearly different from the bumbling, indecisive BJ and his motley crew of partying minions. And incidentally she did not use Covid as a platform for independence.

I hope the relatives who had a family member die in the pandemic remember this was an unknown – there was no road map and therefore decisions were made (or not) that had consequences. In my book Scotland handed the pandemic so very much more sensibly and competently than Westminster.

Let’s not go for a feeding frenzy of recrimination. Sturgeon is – like the rest of us – human, and in many, many peoples’ books she did the very best she could.

Frieda Burns
Stonehaven

AS the usual suspects try desperately to use the Scottish leg of the Covid inquiry to do what they accuse Sturgeon of doing – ie, make non-too-subtle political capital – they are missing a crucial truth (again).

Sturgeon had a far higher approval rating DURING the pandemic for her management, despite being under attack at the time from both the odious Alex Salmond and Boris Johnson’s ever-gurning Tory attack-dog Ruth Davidson (since rewarded with a seat in the Lords).

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Can The Sun not understand that, coming from the paper that trashed the whole of Liverpool after Hillsborough, calling Sturgeon “shifty” will not have the effect they imagine?

Just as with previous reports that the former first minister referred to Johnson as a “f***ing clown”, this will in fact just secure the idea that she is someone who, while she made some genuine mistakes, clearly had basic sound judgement.

Amanda Baker
Edinburgh