There are legitimate questions to be asked about what Nicola Sturgeon has been doing with her paid time as an MSP of late, argues Gregor Gall

The popular opinion that the month of August is the "silly season" for political reporting – on account of the Scottish and Westminster parliaments being in recess – certainly seems to have held true this year.

Recalling the lexicon of language that is often used to "big up" news items in which not much is happening, the sensational, soaraway story of the summer was of Nicola Sturgeon and the publication of – and publicity surrounding – her memoir. Indeed, it seems this silly season was given an injection of steroids just for Sturgeon.

The book became the most long-awaited and heavily trailed of any in recent times. In the run-up to the launch of the book on Thursday August 15 and for a good week thereafter, the media fed off itself after pre-publication serialisation in The Times.

It seems it was somewhat foolish to entitle the book "Frankly", as the common consensus was the one thing the reviews could not substantiate. And it did not help either that the beginning of the sub-title runs: "The Revelatory Memoir …"’.

The Herald's Alison Rowat opined: "For a political memoir, Frankly is remarkably light on policy... Look under F in the index and you will find naff all on ferries. Covid ends up a blizzard of questions but no answers. Education gets a glance... If you are looking for an insightful analysis of the........

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