HOURS after Scotland's political leaders gathered to discuss how to safeguard the country’s democracy from the rise of the far right, journalists were summoned to a stuffy hall to hear the unveiling of their master plan.
Prior to the press conference, there was a lot of talk amongst gathered reporters about what to expect from the summit, and whether it would achieve anything to stop the growing popularity of parties like Reform UK who are preying on disenfranchised voters.
The big announcement from John Swinney and co: they have made a start in opening discussions about the topic.
Not really the grand scheme to thwart Reform we were (perhaps vainly) hoping when the First Minister announced the summit back in February.
In credit to all those who turned up, which included Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, Greens co-leaders Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie, Scottish LibDem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton, and Alba MSP Ash Regan, along with a host of civic and religious leaders, it did look like the summit was held in good spirit.
It highlighted growing concerns that much of the political debate has “become polarised and soured” and that a vast number of Scots have become completely disenfranchised with politics.
There were calls to no longer focus on “big personalities” or on a party brand, but rather address the deep-rooted issues that underlie why people are flocking towards divisive political parties.
But there was precious little said about how to actually do that. Politicians are at risk of looking full of talk, and empty on action. Plus ça change.
As the gathered politicians appeared to get a little tetchy with a media that was too focused on which bathroom a trans person should use, there were a few glimpses of insight.
As Sarwar put it: “I think many people are going towards [the far right], to put it in a crude sense, as an ‘FU’ vote because they are so scunnered with institutions, political parties, with governments.”
Roz Foyer, the general secretary of the Scottish Trade Unions Congress (STUC), said that the summit had been about “recognising that here in Scotland we have a problem, and we have a deep problem, it is a threat to our democracy”.
She stressed it is important that leaders acknowledge “something is wrong and people are feeling deeply disenfranchised”.
Foyer added: “I am not a politician, but I am a woman in a public position in Scotland and I have certainly seen a negativity that has not been witnessed before in the last few years.
“That does affect our democracy, it affects getting women who are prepared to come forward and put themselves and their families through that sort of experience."
There, we were perhaps on to something. Foyer is not a politician, but a normal woman trying to make a difference.
If politicians want to present themselves as the same, perhaps they should think about whether delivering the message from a grand hall in central Glasgow is the best idea.
Swinney whizzed through the rest of the media questions, but there didn’t seem to be anything tangible that had been produced from the gathering – except an understanding that people are unhappy and Reform are tapping into their dismay far too effectively.
Is that anything we didn't know yesterday?
