The First Minister’s ever expanding army of “Special Advisers”

“Special Advisers” are political appointments and are exempt from impartiality requirements normally expected of civil servants in order to provide them with the freedom to give political advice to Ministers. Although never elected by the public nor subject to the normal rules of employee recruitment and formal interview they are gifted, courtesy of the First Minister alone, with a huge amount of power.

The leader of the “Special Adviser Team, has the authority to issue instructions to any civil servant on behalf of the First Minister

The Devolution Act permitted recruitment of up to twelve “Special Advisers” to the First Minister.

A 2023 the Sturgeon led government employed nineteen, including a new adviser supporting the two new Green Party ministers in the Scottish Coalition Government.

The total annual approximate gross cost to the Scottish taxpayer of unaccoutnable Special Advisers is around £2 Million

Over two-thirds of Special Advisers are friends with or are the partners of senior SNP figures or Party influencers.

The group can be confidently described as a self-perpetuating elite surreptitiously slipped into positions of power and influence, thriving on their patronage and using it to by-pass the democratic rights of the Scottish electorate.

Oh!! A reminder total responsibility for the recruitment, employment, management, conduct and discipline of “Special Advisers” rests with the First Minister.

An informed ex servant of the crown commented:

“The introduction of “Special Advisers” into the Scottish Government established an alternative civil service.

They are an ill-disciplined bunch whose conduct is reported on through a “rebuttal unit” who feed distortions of the truth to the electorate, all with the purpose of ensuring the public are denied the truth of any given matter where the “image” of the Nicola Sturgeon or the SNP might be at risk.

In their efforts to establish and maintain their superiority they routinely pass negative value judgements on the ability of long term, full-time established civil servants.

They are immune to embarrassment and strangers to the appropriate and legal use of taxpayers monies.

They and their newly partnered green acolytes are enamoured with power and can be likened to a sick cancer bleeding off the efforts of hard working Scots.

The entire establishment should be sacked!!!!!