I HAVE two old friends who have known me since my early twenties. They are both women, and both teachers.

A year or so ago I was with them on a visit to Arran. Whilst playing a game of Trivial Pursuit, I irritated them beyond what they considered to be reasonable, and they burst out: “We are so glad you were never in our class…you must have been a nightmare.”

I had to confess I was. My ambition at school was to be the class clown and that desire has never quite left me. If I made the class laugh, I enjoyed it.

But then, in unison, they proclaimed that I must suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. And I think they may well be right.

I have a very short attention span. I don’t like long speeches or long explanations. I have often been tempted during community, health or church meetings to say to someone who drones on too long: “And your point is, caller?”

All this is to say that if you have something to say, let it be brief, concise, unambiguous and to the point.

That is why, for the life of me, I can’t see why the BBC was considering pulling their live TV broadcasts of the Scottish Government’s daily media briefings on Covid – and why I was delighted to see them change their position last week.

Nicola Sturgeon has been the epitome of straightforward, easily understood communication. And this is not a political point, because I know her briefings have struck a chord with people who would never dream of voting SNP.

Those briefings have been a blessing to many during those troubled times.

As she tells us what to do and what not to do we are left in no doubt. I still think we need that, as we are faced with the crass stupidity we see in our own back yard in West Dunbartonshire, which has played a large part in our area, and several others, being placed under additional restrictions to our daily lives.

As an example of this crass stupidity, recently I heard the comment of one – otherwise intelligent – individual who proudly proclaimed that she would go on partying with her friends as she’d done before. Because who was “wee Nic” to tell her what to do?

Such despicable selfishness deserves the same language that comedian Janey Godley has been using in her YouTube spoofs of the First Minister’s briefings.

For the sake of the many people, here and beyond, who are concerned to keep themselves, and their neighbours, safe, I was hugely relieved to learn that the BBC has decided to keep the briefings on live TV.