First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has proved herself to be a good communicator throughout the pandemic, delivering clear, concise messages to keep Scots informed.
In the first months of the crisis she held daily briefings and Scots were in no doubt about the dos and don’ts.
But on the latest hospitality rules the Scottish Government has dropped the ball.
The hospitality sector has been one of the hardest hit and the news that social distancing will end and nightclubs re-open should have been a cause for celebration.
But the industry has been left in confusion and anger after mixed messages about what will be allowed.
Yesterday, Deputy First Minister John Swinney, the man in charge of Covid recovery, said vertical drinking – standing up at a bar instead of seated at a table – may not be allowed.
And he also said masks would be a requirement while dancing in nightclubs – which is against World Health
Organisation guidance.
But within hours the Government appeared to do a u-turn on vertical drinking after a meeting with enraged trade associations. The industry, however, is still awaiting clarification on face masks.
It is not the first time Swinney has delivered false information. Just a fortnight ago, he shared a misleading face mask graphic on social media and was forced to take it down after having to admit the figures weren’t verified.
With just four days until clubs are allowed to re-open there is no time for misinformation.
The Scottish Government needs to act now to clear up this messaging shambles and allow the hospitality sector to begin to get back on its feet.
Serious question marks over heading in football
As well as the terrible experiences of some famous footballing veterans there is a growing body of evidence linking heading a ball repeatedly to degenerative brain disease.
Campaigners who want the damage to professional players to be classified as an industrial injury and for the football clubs to become liable are frustrated by the lack of support they are getting from the Scottish Government.
Obviously the standard of evidence would have to be high and there must be a strong link proven between heading the ball and dementia before the law could be changed.
Whether the ruling could be applied retrospectively is also an area fraught with difficulty.
The dangers of heading the ball have to be taken into account in the modern game, with football chiefs in England already moving to limit headers in training.
Setting up a working group to look at the issues involved is the least the Scottish Government could do to show that it is taking this issue seriously.
