John Swinney owes Scotland's veterans answers, not another lecture

Remembrance Sunday is one of the most important occasions in our national calendar.

It is a day when political differences are set aside as we come together to remember the patriots who sacrificed their lives defending our country so we can enjoy the freedoms we have today.

That is why there are serious questions about the Scottish Government’s handling of its official X account.

At precisely 11am, as the United Kingdom fell silent to remember our fallen heroes, the Scottish Government’s X account posted a message to celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas, a Sikh festival.

There was no original Remembrance Sunday tribute made from the account, not a single one. Yet those running it somehow found time to post about other matters.

There is nothing wrong with recognising this Sikh festival; indeed more than 83,000 Sikhs died in the First and Second World Wars. But there is something very wrong with posting about it during the two-minute silence.

It’s important to know who was responsible for scheduling this post at 11am.

Was its timing deliberate, or was it an oversight? Why did the Scottish Government’s main X account not publish its own Remembrance tribute? And when did the First Minister become aware of what had happened?

These are straightforward questions and veterans deserve answers.

But instead, John Swinney chose to attack me, branding the legitimate questions about his government’s handling of the day as “disgusting”.

We need answers as to how this happened, but instead Swinney only gave personal attacks.

Scotland has a proud military history.

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From the trenches of the Great War to the beaches of Normandy, from the Falklands to Afghanistan, generations of Scottish servicemen and women have answered the call.

Some sadly never came home.

Others returned bearing physical and psychological scars that they must live with for the rest of their lives.

We owe each and every one of them an enormous debt of gratitude and most of all we owe them our respect.

Remembrance Sunday is not an inconvenience for Government communications teams to work around. It is an opportunity for the country to stop, reflect and pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

This is not about scoring political points.

It is about ensuring that the people who fought and died for our country and never forgotten.

Swinney owes Scotland’s veterans, those currently serving in the Armed Forces, and the families of those who never returned a proper explanation.

If this was a genuine mistake from a civil servant responsible for running the Scottish Government’s X account, then fine. However, Swinney should hold his hands up, admit it and set out what steps he will take to ensure this never happens again.

Because those who have served under the Union flag deserve better than excuses.

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