National Focus: Stories from Scotland

Scandal Over Covid Inquiry 

The Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry is scrutinising  WhatsApp messages sent between members of the Scottish government to determine if former First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, acted in the Scottish public’s best interest during the pandemic or if she was motivated by political gains. There are no available WhatsApp messages between Sturgeon and her top advisor Liz Lloyd from the first six months of the pandemic, leading opposing parties to accuse the Scottish National Party (SNP) of having a “mass deletion” policy, suggesting that these messages were deleted as part of a conspiracy to cover up the SNP’s attempts to manipulate COVID-19 policy to its political benefit. The SNP says that any deleted messages were “informal” and therefore not relevant to the Inquiry. 

Yousaf and Sarwar vie for Scottish Votes  

With a Westminster election coming in the latter half of the year, Scottish parties are beginning to campaign for votes. Anas Sarwar, leader of the Scottish Labour Party, said that Scots should vote Labour to “boot the Tories out,” as Labour is the only party capable of gaining a majority. Humza Yousaf, leader of the SNP, countered this claim, arguing that the UK Labour Party doesn’t need Scottish votes to gain a majority. Yousaf insisted that voting SNP is the only way to ensure independence remains a priority, arguing that SNP voices are needed in Westminster to ensure Scotland isn’t “ignored.” 

78th Holocaust Remembrance Day 

The UK observed Holocaust Remembrance Day on Saturday 27 January, marking the 78th anniversary of the liberation of  Auschwitz. Holocaust Remembrance Day is intended to respect the memory of the 11 million people who died as a result of Nazi persecution. The theme chosen by organisers this year was ‘Fragility of Freedom’. The theme acknowledges the preciousness of freedom and emphasises the importance of maintaining it around the globe. Across the UK, people were encouraged to light candles to symbolise the fight against forces of discrimination and hatred.  

Image by Wikimedia Commons