After hiding away from open debate Douglas Ross was left badly exposed in last night’s Leaders Debate for the Scottish Parliament.
Until he picked up a hamstring injury at Christmas the Westminster MP was busy scooping up fees and expenses from the SFA who helpfully provided him with six weekend Celtic matches in Glasgow to top up his income representing the people of Moray.
When Jackson Carlow was ditched by the Scottish Tories Ross was elected unopposed with Baroness Davidson providing the opposition in Holyrood.
So far Ross has been given a cosy time of it on a circuit of interviews with BBC Scotland and other unionist publishers but yesterday he was put in a room with four other leaders without the prompting of his handlers. It wasn’t a pretty sight.
On every subject his stock answer was to return to defending his beloved union. No case was put forward for the benefits just a flow of attacks against a referendum for the Scottish people.
SNP and the Greens aren’t pushing for Independence, just a referendum but that is a step too far for the favoured match official of the SFA.
Rather than stand for a constituency at the May 6 election Ross is looking for the back door list route to Holyrood while retaining his Westminster salary and expenses.
Douglas Ross would rather let the planet burn than work with the SNP. pic.twitter.com/oDRfCzXMFS
— Charlotte Armitage (@charlottearmit7) March 30, 2021
You’ve got more chance of reviving print sales of the Daily Record than trying to spin that gormless clown as some sort of leader. Get Baroness Roof to hold his flag. #redcardredcard https://t.co/EwR1Biiamr
— Joe McHugh (@videocelts) March 30, 2021
Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross turning a question about prejudice and hatred in public life into an attack on Scottish Labour’s Anas Sarwar over his supposed failure to be sufficiently stridently anti independence was a real low in this #BBCLeadersDebate
— Peter Geoghegan (@PeterKGeoghegan) March 30, 2021
Douglas Ross was a car crash on the live election debate tonight. Here are some moments his supporters would have winced at.#BBCLeadersDebate https://t.co/9i6E7JCibj
— MSM_Monitor (@msm_monitor) March 30, 2021
Nicola Sturgeon – class apart
Anas Sarwar – performed well
Willie Rennie – who?
Douglas Ross – horrific
Lorna Slater – refreshing #BBCLeadersDebate #BothVotesSNP— Craig M (@ScoCraigm) March 30, 2021
This video features a nurse fighting tears with the implication she works for the NHS and wants ‘answers’ from @NicolaSturgeon
In fact, the footage has been taken without permission from one of my TV reports and the woman is not an NHS nurse. She works in a private care home. https://t.co/Bs8Y0apZDe
— Ciaran Jenkins (@C4Ciaran) March 30, 2021
What we learned from the #BBCLeadersDebate
1. Nicola Sturgeon is in a league of her own
2. Douglas Ross is out of his depth
3. Anas Sarwar is going after Ross
4. Lorna Slater showed the Scottish Greens will take list votes from every party
5. The Lib Dems are in trouble
— MSM_Monitor (@msm_monitor) March 30, 2021
