Listeners challenge Nicola Sturgeon in Holyrood election phone-in
The SNP leader faced your questions on topics including independence, Alex Salmond, mental health and reopening snooker clubs
Last updated 23rd Apr 2021
A woman who was caught up in the deadly Manchester Arena terror attack has challanged Nicola Sturgeon live on Westsound about the Scottish Government's record on mental health.
Hannah Toal was at the Ariana Grande concert in May 2017 when an Islamist extremist suicide bomber detonated a homemade bomb as people were leaving the, killing 23 people including Eilidh Macleod, from Barra, and injuring more than 800 others.
She took part in the latest of our series of election leader phone-ins and told Nicola Sturgeon: "I've struggled with mental health for years and it actually got worse after me and my sister were involved in the Manchester bombing.
"I just want to ask what you would do in order to make a change in the way mental health services are handled and provided?"
In reply Nicola Sturgeon promised: "We are going to continue to increase funding so that a much bigger proportion of the health budget goes into mental health. We've got plans to increase mental health funding by 25% over the next parliament."
Exams fiasco
18-year-old John White was among the callers who wanted their say on education, with a complaint about the handling of the exam results in 2020.
"We only received our restored grades because we took to the streets and it's something I'll never ever ever forgive the SNP for," he told her.
"I'm sorry about what happened last year," the First Minister replied.
"We didn't get it right with the algorithim that was used, but we admitted that once we saw the impact of that, and we put it right and we put it right pretty quickly."
Alba and Indyref 2
During the programme the SNP leader was challenged to defended her approach to securing a second independence referendum, claiming support must be gained around the country before Scotland can take full control.
Steven Wright asked her about a future alliance with Alex Salmond, where she reiterated her opposition to working with her predecessor.
"I don't agree with the approach he's taking to try to win independence, because I think you've got to build support, you've got to get a majority, have a process where people can vote for it,'' she said.
"All this talk of trying to bulldoze our way there, almost in spite of or regardless of public opinion, I think risks putting the undecideds off as opposed to what we really need to do to win independence, which is to bring undecideds towards us.''
The First Minister has repeatedly called for another referendum to be held, and even said she thinks it may have happened in the last term of parliament if not for the Covid-19 pandemic, but all such requests have been rebuffed by Downing Street, first under Theresa May as well as the current government headed by Boris Johnson.
Commenting on the criticism of her approach to independence, she said: "That's daft.
"I've campaigned for independence since I was 16 years old, I've dedicated my adult life to the campaign and the cause of independence and for people to say it doesn't matter to me is silly.
"Particularly for people who know how much it matters to me.
"Whatever other difficulties I have with Alex I would never suggest he hasn't campaigned for and wanted independence.''
She added: "This is about how you best get it - you can't force it, you can't wave a magic wand and bring it about and we're not going to get there with people who support independence having an argument with themselves about who supports it most.''
Snookered
Snooker club owner, Blake, was given a glimmer of hope for his sector of the hospitality industry with the answer to his question.
"The gyms can open up, the pubs can open up, the amusements can open, but I can't have two guys come in and have a game of pool?", he told the SNP leader.
She replied: "It's a fair point. I'll go away and have a look and a discussion with folk to see whether we should be thinking about bringing that forward.
"When I get of this call I'll maybe give the famous Jason Leitch a call and see if we've got it right on Snooker."
All of the main leaders are taking part in our election phone ins.
Next up is Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie on Sunday - you can leave a question for him here.