Male, stale and pale - the election problem facing our party leaders

ReformUK’s Scottish leader Malcolm Offord was standing outside the Mercat Shopping Centre last Friday as he gave his take on our High Street.

It was a description that could equally be applied to any Scottish provincial town, including his own in Greenock.

I could fill this entire column highlighting the positives happening in Kirkcaldy right now and berating Offord for not mentioning them - but, to be fair to him, he did describe Kirkcaldy as “a craving mainstream town.”

And none of them were the reason he was here.

Come election time, towns, groups and people are all just props for visits which are aimed at getting national coverage showing the party leaders out and about, and, more importantly, some eyecatching images for television.

In Offord’s case it was a go on the waltzers at the Links Market which sounded much more fun than watching the Lib Dems’ Alex Cole-Hamilton baking a cake. The only thing duller would be Alex Cole-Hamilton wielding a paint brush and then watching the wall dry.

It would have been great had the ReformUK leader picked one of the many fantastic community projects to highlight on his visit, but there’s a problem with politicians right now - nobody really wants to entertain them.

The backlash aimed at the Strathearn Hotel for posting pictures of the group’s private visit was social media at its absolute worst.

The performative nonsense which followed saw it publish a statement explaining its doors are open to all parties and groups. Welcoming someone into their venue does not equate to an endorsement - a point seemingly missed by ‘way too many commentators. Calling for a boycott of the venue was utter nonsense. All that would do is harm a good local business and the people it employs.

I know of a number of venues which have turned down requests to be used for a photo-op. It’s no surprise when you see the knee-jerk reaction online where reputational damage can wound deeper than any knife.

So, on that level, roll on May 8 when the leaders can stop channelling their inner Willie Rennie and get back to shouting at each other across the chamber in Holyrood. None of them will ever match the North East Fife MSP when it comes to having fun - genuine fun - on the campaign trail, and he did it with something too many politicians seem to lack. A smile.

For me, the bigger issue was the dire BBC debate featuring the party leaders; all male, and all worryingly stale.

There is something fundamentally wrong with politics right now if all our leaders dress like dummies in a Burton window and perform just as robotically. They talked over each other, stuck doggedly to their scripts and given they all opted for dark suits, it was hard to tell the difference between any of them - apart from Ross Greer who ditched his tied. That was about as radical as it got.

The gulf between people and their politicians is deeper than ever at a time when we need our party leaders to speak with conviction, to show true leadership and tap into the ambitions we should all have for our country and our constituency.

If their voices are dull then it is our voice that has to jolt a spark - and that means voting.

Doing nothing achieves nothing. We deserve, and need, better than that.