Like her aquatic namesake, Nicola Sturgeon is a long-lived but slippery creature. The Scottish First Minister has seized on COP26 as a chance to push her separatist agenda — conveniently forgetting the fact it was the UK government which won the UN summit bid and selected Glasgow as host city. Just yesterday, she was relishing the chance to act the part of statesman on the global stage, telling Sky News:
I hope we can all put egos aside over the next few days and just work together to get the outcome we need. That’s what I am committed to doing. I’ve said that to the Prime Minister, to Alok Sharma. We’ve all got a big responsibility here and if ever there is a time and a moment in history for everybody to put their political interests, their egos to one side and focus.
Unfortunately that talk of setting egos aside came just hours after a full-page advert was splashed across newspapers in Scotland. It features a glowing image of Sturgeon replete with her signature and an image of a Scottish landscape in sunshine with a large slogan: ‘A nation in waiting welcomes the nations of the world.’ Adorned with the SNP logo it claimed:
Scotland helped lead the world into the industrial age. Now we’re proud to help lead the world into the net zero age. We’re busy creating a greener, fairer, sustainable Scotland. While not yet an independent nation, we’re more than ready and able to play our part on the global stage at COP26.
Needless to say, the advert conveniently ignores both the climate targets missed by Sturgeon’s administration and the fact the UK government has accommodated her demands to lead or attend an array of events being held around the talks. Quelle surprise.
But leaving aside the shameless propagandising of her slavish acolytes, what of Sturgeon’s own efforts to set aside egos? Well, judging by her Twitter feed it looks to Mr S to be yet another broken SNP promise, given the number of pictures posted by the attention-loving MSP.
Despite not having any part of the negotiations — and claiming that this month is ‘a moment in history for everybody to put their political interests’ aside — the First Minister has run around the conference hall snapping selfies with anyone vaguely of note. Sir David Attenborough, Greta Thunberg and, er, the President of the European Investment Bank have all been forced to pose for pics over the last 24 hours, with the fortnight-long eco-jamboree only having just begun. No wonder Jacinda Ardern chose to give the summit a miss, in light of Sturgeon’s attempts to ingratiate herself with the New Zealand premier.
Let’s hope the efforts to save the planet fare better than her push for independence eh?
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