WHEN The National asked me to write a review about BBC Question Time filmed in Glasgow, I can't say that I was overly keen on the idea. I take absolutely zero pleasure in watching Fiona Bruce chair that panel. But I thought “yeah, why not”, let's see who she will excessively talk over this week.

To be honest, I was surprised. Fiona Bruce exceeded my expectations. Elsewhere our guests this week were Kate Forbes of the SNP, Ian Murray of Scottish Labour, Patrick Harvie of the Scottish Greens, Fraser Nelson of the Spectator, and Malcolm Offord ... a man who was given a peerage by Boris Johnson in 2021, after donating £150,000 to the Conservative Party but failing to win a Holyrood seat at the election.

Although it is always good to see someone representing the Greens, I can't say that I was at all compelled by any of the other guests. And I can only imagine the reason why the Conservative Party didn't put forward an actual MP was because they would have been torn to shreds.

The National:

Especially after last week when Tory minister Alex Burghart was heckled almost every time he spoke nonsense (which was pretty much every time he opened his mouth, and was also met with laughter as he praised Rishi Sunak and then silence when he stated that when it comes down to the next General Election, people will vote for him). And this was in Northern Kent – a Tory-held area.

The audience also never cease to astound me on BBCQT. This week it was a great moment to have an almost universal response of applause when a guest spoke about demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, but then we had a question about whether Scotland should have free prescriptions and free travel for young people.

We were introduced to the "Lady in the Pink Jacket" – herself from the era that provided people with all kinds of amenities courtesy of the state – complaining about teenagers receiving free bus travel to get to college.

And then there was the woman who was concerned that free bus travel is encouraging obesity. Top lass.

The first question was on the Covid inquiry and those pesky deleted WhatsApp messages that are always escaping the phones of politicians – in this case Nicola Sturgeon. And in reality, whichever way you look at it, a promise was made by the then first minister that all evidence would be handed over to the Covid Inquiry – and it wasn't ... or was it?

The National: Nicola Sturgeon giving evidence at the UK Covid Inquiry in Edinburgh on Wednesday

Nicola Sturgeon appears to have got a new phone – this is a more genuine excuse than that we saw from the Westminster goons. In reality, Nicola Sturgeon did retain copies of correspondence AND handed it in upon request. This was not mentioned at all by anyone during Question Time.

So the answer to the question: “Has this week's UK Covid Inquiry in Edinburgh exposed a fatal lack of transparency in the Scottish Government?”

Not necessarily. Sturgeon did say she didn't discuss Covid over WhatsApp, but I think it would be incredibly naïve to expect someone to not mention the biggest health crisis this country had ever seen in modern history on a messaging platform. 

Then there were questions about Gaza. “With over 26,000 deaths in Gaza, when will the UK Government ask for a ceasefire?”

It won't. It should have a long time ago. It didn't. But I guarantee we will, eventually, see the Government slowly try to revert from their unwavering support for Israel as Benjamin Netanyahu continues on his seemingly proven mission of ethnic cleansing.

READ MORE: BBC Question Time crowd member defends Nicola Sturgeon's Covid record

What was shocking in regards to the situation in Gaza was the fact that despite a member of the audience bringing up the issue of the British government selling arms to Israel, Fiona Bruce failed to address it. There was also no mention about the International Court of Justice's ruling about the plausible genocide being committed by Israel, which also wasn't mentioned in last week's episode, by the way.

It's almost like the the report on the unsubstantiated claims made by the Israeli Government about UNRWA housing terrorists, leading to the withdrawal of hundreds of millions of pounds worth of aid from Palestinians in Gaza, was some sort of distraction tactic. Who knows?

Fiona Bruce says every week that the audience is a reflection of the nation. If that's the case then why doesn't the show talk about the REAL issues concerning the people of this country?

The National: Fiona Bruce on the set of Question Time. Image: Richard Lewisohn/BBC

Right now, people clearly care about taxing the rich, the housing crisis, the cost of living crisis, ending support for insane wars ... and the politicians that are the sole reason as to why we're not tackling those very issues.

The one thing we have learned over the last few months is that the majority of people aren't satisfied with pretty much any government. People are sick of the “norm”.

They're sick of politicians avoiding questions, wasting screen time and avoiding proper scrutiny. And this is exactly the problem with Question Time.

It – like many platforms – offers nothing new, nothing fresh, hardly ever any young people at the table offering progressive takes or saying things straight.

If Question Time does nothing in terms of truly representing the attitudes of the majority of the country on that panel, then we have to ask ourselves ... what's the f****** point?

Danny Price is an internet personality with a focus on making complex news stories digestible. Follow his Instagram here.