It has been a quiet festival season for Scottish politicians. Time was when you could barely swing a canvas tote bag in Edinburgh without hitting some MSP or MP paddling in the shallow end of showbusiness. This year? Hardly any.
Mhairi Black tried her hand at stand-up to mixed reviews, while Nicola Sturgeon set up her stall at the book festival. Last Sunday the former First Minister interviewed Paul Lynch about his Booker Prize-winning novel, Prophet Song, a dystopian tale about a mother struggling to keep her family together in a fascist Ireland. Ms Sturgeon’s presence drew the usual moaning minnies and carpers, among them some cheeky pup at the Daily Express.
A story on the paper’s website was headlined: “Nicola Sturgeon’s new favourite book features an autocratic government trampling on freedom - the jokes write themselves.” No respect, some folk. Ms Sturgeon was full of praise for Lynch’s book, adding in passing that it would do political leaders the power of good if they read fiction “as a general principle”.
It is a sentiment she has long nurtured, and one she elaborated on in a 2018 interview with The National. “Books have given me so much,” said the then First Minister. ”They give you a sense of perspective, escapism, and relaxation.
They are a window to the world, taking you to countries you have never been to, periods of history you have never experienced. They open your eyes to backgrounds and lives you’ve never had. There is joy and educati.