Just picking up something from the previous thread - the 'everyone knew what AS was like' angle but turned a blind eye while they were benefiting from his other talents. What's happening now is almost the same - the extraordinary lengths those around NS are going to, to preserve her position.
She's clearly an asset to the SNP, they need her to ride on the back of her personal approval ratings & the positive regard on her handling of the Covid pandemic (even if there are failings there too), there's a lot invested in her particular agenda - the GRA (on hold), HCB, ensuring JC doesn't get anywhere near Scottish Parliament & pandering to a narrow faction she's invested in as an integral part of the party/future plans despite the extreme elements of this group (who would ordinarily be viewed as problematic & certainly not pandered to).
The handling of AS back then is being repeated with NS now, with some questionable behaviour by those around her/her government to protect her. There might be differences in what is prompting that behaviour compared to what happened back then with AS but this is very much 'politicking' that normally goes on behind closed doors.
NS's problem is she's been part of something (whether directly or indirectly/unknowingly) that targeted AS specifically & which was done so unbelievably incompetently, it's all spilling out in public in the most damaging way imaginable.
It's continuing now, with Scotgov still trying to control the information being made available to the committee & there comes a point where they need to realise the game is up. The institution under scrutiny should not be pulling the strings of the committee set up to investigate their failings.