Parliament, they like to say, is a bubble.
Whether it’s Holyrood or Westminster, those on its benches inhabit a different reality from the rest of us.
That was certainly confirmed by Mhairi Black in a recent interview when, speaking about her time in the SNP, she reflected on feeling “uncomfortable” at the “cult of personality” surrounding Nicola Sturgeon.
Read more: Mhairi Black on Nicola Sturgeon and a 'cult of personality'
Despite describing Sturgeon as “one of the best, if not the best, performing politicians that I’ve seen,” Black said that Sturgeon’s resignation was “healthy” for the party, since it allowed it to focus more on policy and less on personality.
Ironically Black, who will be standing down as an MP at the general election, is not without personality herself. Her fearlessness and straight-talking played a large part in her electoral success.
Mhairi Black speaking in the House of Commons (Image: PA)
What struck me about her comments, however, was that for an ordinary voter like me, with no inside track on how the SNP functioned during Sturgeon’s term in office, there was never any sense of a cult.
When she first became Deputy Leader of the SNP, she was rather shy and awkward. It took years for her to become sufficiently confident to relax and allow her personality to shine.
Admittedly, public admiration for Sturgeon’s political skills soared during the Covid crisis, when her approval ratings were high even among diehard unionists. With her directness and clarity, she impressed people across the political board, who recognised a politician working her socks off to do their best for the country.
But a cult? Did some........