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The media coverage of the ‘lunchgate’ scandal has barely subsided and the SNP lurched into more stormy headlines.  At Thursdays FMQs, Labour was calling for the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health.  Ms Sturgeon’s crime was to provide a character reference for a constituent who is currently facing charges of benefits fraud and has previously been convicted of the same crime.  Regardless of your opinion on the actions of Ms Sturgeon, two questions have to be asked: would the same media storm have been created by a backbench MSP? And, should we differentiate between when cabinet members are acting in their ministerial roles and when they are acting as a constituency MSP?

Doing what an opposition party does when presented with such an opportunity, Labour have gone on the offensive in a bid to discredit the Deputy First Minister.  Throughout calls for her resignation, Ms Sturgeon was always referred to as the Deputy First Minister or Cabinet Secretary.  It was never mentioned by opposition parties that she was acting in her role as an MSP on behalf of a constituent.  Whatever mistakes have been made by Ms Sturgeon throughout this story, no accusations have been made suggesting her performance in either of the aforementioned roles is inadequate.  When launching a staunch defence of his Deputy, Alex Salmond listed MPs who have acted in a similar manner.  Based on this, it has to be suggested that, had this been a backbench MSP (from any party) then neither the media nor the opposition parties would have been interested in the matter. 

It could be argued the story was owed to Ms Sturgeon’s elevated position.  This leads us into the second question of whether or not we should differentiate between when a cabinet member is acting in their ministerial role and when they are acting as a constituency MSP?  Based on my assumption that we wouldn’t have noticed this story had it been a backbench MSP, it seems that, for ministers, we do not separate the two.  In their constituency an MSP represents tens of thousands of people.  In a cabinet position they are responsible for a portfolio that affects the whole country not only the constituency that elected them.  Whether they like it or not the actions of those at the top of the political ladder are held to a higher standard than a backbench MSP. 

Career progression is something that should be earned and therefore enjoyed but politicians of all people should know that the bigger they are the harder they fall.

For now, it appears as though Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing Nicola Sturgeon MSP has weathered the storm and only time will tell if there has been any lasting damage inflicted by this event.  Rightly or wrongly, she acted on behalf of a constituent. After all isn’t that what she’s supposed to do? And if a Minister cannot represent their constituents as well as they would wish to precisely because they are a minister, does that not raise a whole lot of other questions about whether constituents have to accept a lower level of service if their MSP is also a minister.

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