No mention of Sturgeon’s so-called priorities in ‘divisive’ conference speech

15 Oct 2019

Nicola Sturgeon failed to give a single mention to her so-called priorities of health and education in her speech to the SNP conference today.

The First Minister has repeatedly said she wants to be judged on her performance on schools and hospitals since she took office five years ago.

Instead, she spent her 45-minute speech talking about Brexit and separation, and confirmed she will demand before the end of the year the powers to hold a second referendum on independence.

The Scottish Conservatives said the speech exposed Ms Sturgeon’s true priorities, which were to “get through conference” and “throw red meat to the hardliners”.

Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw said:

“Nicola Sturgeon wants to be judged on health and education, yet she couldn’t spare a single sentence for either during this lengthy and divisive speech.

“Instead, she simply wanted to get through what was a potentially hostile conference with a series of vacuous promises which will never be kept, and throw some red meat to the hardliners.

“Both the NHS and Scotland’s education system are in a dreadful state – a state that has significantly worsened over the 12 years the SNP has been in power.

“You’d think the First Minister would make some kind of effort to explain that, to apologise, or at least set out how she planned to turn things around.

“But she preferred to play to the gallery and say things she knew would go down well in the hall.

“And when she does demand the powers to hold a second unwanted and divisive referendum, the answer should be an unequivocal no.”