There was a moment in the depths of Covid insanity, where a certain subset of liberal opinion hailed Nicola Sturgeon as a saviour. Compared to nasty bad Boris, St Nicola was a beacon of hope and good sense. Now – with all the grim predictability of rain in Edinburgh in January – we’ve ended up here, with the one-time Covid messiah facing a rash of awkward questions. Outside the conference suite, an epic storm provided a fittingly ominous backdrop. Birnam Wood was en route to Dunsinane.