DOUGLAS Ross has admitted it’s “sad and boring” that he enjoys watching videos of cows online, but insists on doing so in order to watch the “crème-de-la-crème of the Holstein world”.
The Scottish Conservative leader was speaking to Gloria De Piero for a segment called “The Real Me” on controversial right-wing channel GB News.
In the interview, the presenter – a former Labour minister – asked Ross if it’s true that he watches clips of cows to relax.
“Yeah, my wife doesn’t really like it,” he said.
“So, I was big into showing – I had pedigree cows myself, I’d done a bit of judging in the past,” the agricultural college graduate explained.
“So I like to see these big American or Canadian shows where you’ve got the crème-de-la-crème of the Holstein world.
“That was the type of cows I like, but it sounds a bit sad and boring when you say it out loud so I probably shouldn’t repeat that.”
Elsewhere in the 15-minute interview Ross was asked if he could imagine having a drink with any of the candidates hoping to replace Nicola Sturgeon in the SNP leadership contest.
“Possibly,” he said. “It’ll be interesting, because it’ll be a very different style of politics that we’ve seen from Nicola Sturgeon over the last eight or so years.”
Asked if there were any candidates he was concerned about becoming leader due to their abilities, Ross insisted that was not the case.
“I don’t think any of them will be successful, because they’ve all said they’ll put independence front-and-centre,” the MSP and MP said.
“The problem is everything else gets ignored. The health service that Humza Yousaf’s in charge of, the economy that Kate Forbes is in charge of, all of these issues are far more important than independence but that’s all they’re speaking about.
“Genuinely, and this isn’t a politician trying to be evasive or anything, they’re all very different. For different reasons they’ll bring challenges and opportunities for the opposition parties, and I look forward to seeing who’s successful and who I’ll be facing at First Minister’s Questions.”
Ross was challenged to say something nice about Sturgeon after coming under fire for a pointed statement in the wake of her resignation.
“Absolutely, for one very good reason. We had a bet on together and she’s still got to pay up. I bet that she wouldn’t be the leader of the SNP come the next election, so I want to make sure I get my money out of her before she leaves,” he joked.
“But it’s an incredible stint at the top of Scottish politics, she’s not just the longest-serving first minister that Scotland has ever had, she was the first female first minister – and I think you’ve got to accept the huge strain that will have placed on her and her family, and she’s done that job, she believes, to the best of her ability.
“At times I disagree significantly with her but she has held that very prestigious post for a long time and she deserves credit for that.”
He confirmed that the £100 winnings will go to charity.
