That headline does not capture the thrust of what Jeanne Freeman said.
Well before agreeing that everything was on the table, the Health Secretary made it very clear that copying Boris Johnson’s frankly stupid macho intervention to disillusion the vast majority who are conforming and those who wish to conform but have legitimate barriers to doing so,was not on her mind and was very careful make it clear that Scotland would be coming at this differently:
I think we need to look at this the other way round. In Scotland we have benefited hugely from the Scottish public complying with all the steps that we’ve asked them to take and I think what you need to do is look at what are the obstacles in somebody’s way who wants to self-isolate, wants to do the right thing but may have difficulties in doing so. One of those will be financial difficulties. So there needs to be an extension to ensure that we can offer financial support to people…Brewer interrupts.
They’re in different worlds. Freeman can imagine and empathise with those in insecure, low-paid jobs, under-pressure to return from unscrupulous employers in, for example, care homes. She will have seen guidance telling her that this, rather than extra large fines for young folk coming back from Xante, will be a more productive strategy.
Brewer, judging by his regular tendency to ask whether Scotland will follow the latest daft wheeze from Johnson or Hancock, will have seen images of badly behaved youth in England, heard Hancock blaming everyone and have based his questions on that world.
Freeman’s response was just another of many wee glimpses we see of working as if you live in the early days of a better nation.
Talking-up Scotland / Scottish media fact checking is like shooting fish in a barrel 
“Brewer interrupts”—–that sums him up to a tee.
Whenever a pro-independence person speaks, Brewer interrupts.
“And will you copy the Health Minister (yup, the ACTUAL one for Brewer) policy”?
“What”?
“Oh, wait”.
“I dont quite understand”?—-“Who are you, again”?
Freeman is doing fine, if our Gov General and the Linesman have to resort to telling lies in parliament about her.
Did Brewer raise this with El DRoss? NO! I’m shocked—not!
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Freeman is proving herself as a capable manager and I am sorry she is retiring at the next election. If it wasn’t for the Covid19 crisis I feel sure she would be leading the NHS to improve the efficiency of their services and freeing up resources to build on the foundations established by NHS staff.
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Please please please Jeanne Freeman do not retire , we need you .
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Of course Boris Johnson has made this announcement which applies in England but nary a word about how it will be enforced. The understaffed and overstretched police forces in England? Has he managed to increase the police numbers in England yet? Maybe the border force will do it? Nope. I know give the contract to some chum. There sorted
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Brewer is no different to the other “stars” of Scottish media, they pay my wages.
“The audience were with me all the way, but finally shook them off at the station” is an old music-hall joke, but Brewer & Co believe the first part with mainly media watchers as audience.
PQ’s propaganda output is no joke, it is deliberate, insidious, and relentless,
but I doubt many who watch these theatrics believe a word of it any more, years of the same old “Scotland is shite” doesn’t work any more, folks only watch it to see what today’s weasel wording will be.
The OFF switch and cancelling Direct Debits is going to squeeze nuts, better to know your enema eh Gordon ?
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Throughout the pandemic, Jeanne Freeman has conducted herself immaculately, never losing patience despite impertinent and aggressive questioning from the likes of Gordon (‘I don’t understand’) Brewer, and calmly continuing to give answers despite interruptions. She has been admirable, and when compared with spokespersons from the Westminster government, has shown herself to be in quite a different class.
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