DAVID STEWART: Will Chancellor fall in game of snakes and ladders?
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Harold MacMillan was once asked what the most troubling problem of his Prime Ministerial time was.
His answer? “Events, my dear boy, events.”
Politicians at Westminster and Holyrood might have a wry smile at Prime Minister MacMillan’s insight. Like some real-life snakes and ladders game, golden sons and daughters climb up the political ladders – Prime Minister, First Minister, Transport Secretary, whatever – and then out of nowhere an event hits them and down the snakes they go. Derek MacKay, Peter Mandelson and David Cameron all resigned over one personal or political event in recent years.
So that brings me to Rishi Sunak. Very well-educated, great at the dispatch box and received kudos across the party divide for his furlough scheme during the Covid pandemic. Then, a bolt from the blue (a leak from Treasury officials?) that his wife Akshata Murthy has “non-domiciled” tax status, which is likely to have saved her some £20 million.
This falls right into the opposition playbook that the Tories are the privileged elite, who don’t care about the problems facing ordinary folk, like spiralling energy costs. The Chancellor, seen as the bright young alternative to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, saw his leadership credentials crash as quickly as Eddie the Eagle’s Olympian hopes.
Press reports from last weekend suggest that the Chancellor has moved his family out of Number 11 Downing Street and might even quit politics altogether.
Will this event spell the end of Rishi Sunak’s glittering rise within the Tory Party and government? Or will he become a modern-day Lazarus and fight back for his political life?
n I do not often agree with Nicola Sturgeon, but she could be right to lower the age for candidates for Scottish parliamentary and local authority elections to 16.
This would give Scotland the youngest parliament in the world, potentially. Sixteen-year-olds can already get married, apply for a passport or join the Army – so why not stand for elected office?
When I was chairman of the Scottish Parliament’s petitions committee, I saw, week-in week-out, the first-class work of the youth parliament – young people with passion, ideas and commitment.
Surely it is good for our democracy to shake things up occasionally and not to assume the status quo is always best? Should our elected body not be fully representative of the people it serves?
n I was delighted to see Inverness-born Karen Gillan was Grand Marshal of the Tartan Day Parade in New York City last weekend.
Karen has had a stellar career as an actor in Dr Who and on the big screen in Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as Avengers: Endgame. She has brought great pride to the Highlands and the rest of Scotland.
Can I be the first to ask our new local councillors after May 5 to nominate her for the Freedom of the Burgh of Inverness?
n My daughter Kirsty’s wedding is in a few months’ time.
I thought just wearing my kilt would be spot on for the big day – just the job for my father-of-the-bride speech – no such luck!
Kirsty is taking me down town to a local kilt shop to make sure my dress sense causes no embarrassment at the wedding. Oh well, at least I will get a nice Café One lunch on her as part of the bargain!
