IS Nicola Sturgeon’s new Cabinet the right mix for the next five years of ducking and weaving in minority government? Probably yes – but much depends on whether the SNP leader can loosen her grip on the policy process so Cabinet members have space to explore fresh thinking and whether she involves non-commercial interests as fully as business and other interest groups.

Obviously the Cabinet is once again gender equal – a pioneering move two years ago that’s already become quite unremarkable. Ironically, though, Scotland’s leading Muslim politician Humza Yousaf – recently named as a possible future First Minister – may have missed Cabinet membership because of his gender. Nonetheless his new post of Minister for Transport and the Islands represents promotion and greater visibility.

But the way portfolios have been split is far more significant because it allows the new Cabinet room to breathe and space to really consider progressive policy alternatives – if they so choose. And that may be more likely than party loyalists imagine, because deals with the Tories will be politically nigh impossible.

John Swinney’s enormous portfolio has been split into Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, to be handled by Keith Brown, and Finance and the Constitution which falls to Derek Mackay. Brown, the former Infrastructure Secretary, is tasked with promoting economic growth, improving productivity and creating jobs – a role similar to the UK Government’s business secretary. Mackay, the former Transport Secretary, will operate more like the Scottish Chancellor, handling the budget and new tax powers.

But that’s not the only interesting divvy-up in the new Cabinet.

Land reform and climate change will no longer have to jostle for attention with the long-standing interests of farmers and fishermen in the enormous environment brief – held by Richard Lochhead for nine years. Now Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform (hitherto a ministerial portfolio) are the Cabinet responsibility of Roseanna Cunningham, whilst Rural Affairs falls to Fergus Ewing – along with ensuring 100 per cent of all households are connected to fibre optic broadband.

This loosening of Cabinet roles could give new ideas genuine house room in the Scottish Parliament. On income tax, for example, it will be difficult for Nicola Sturgeon to do a deal with the austerity-supporting Scottish Conservatives who are nonetheless their nearest bedfellows in opposing tax rises. When Alex Salmond dealt with the Scottish Conservatives in 2007 it was a much smaller party, wasn’t part of a benefits-slashing UK Government and had not just ousted Labour.

If the progressive opposition parties do back the SNP’s policy of imposing no immediate income tax rises, they’ll expect movement on other aspects of taxation – most likely the heavily criticised council tax proposals. Stand by for a concerted effort by Labour, the LibDems and Greens to push for more progressive local taxation options including a long overdue revaluation of properties and maybe an element of land tax. Axing air passenger duty and a permanent fracking ban may also be part of the price for backing the SNP budget along with dropping the policy of standardised primary school testing.

But there are interesting new possibilities. The economy and rural affairs portfolios could work together to focus on Scotland’s land-based economy – hopefully without any attempt to reinstate fracking by Fergus Ewing. According to Common Weal director Robin McAlpine: “John Swinney’s massive workload gave him little time or space to do more than juggle interest groups. There was no time for blue-sky thinking. Now Keith Brown has the chance to develop a strategy and involve civic society, not just commercial interests.”

Other ministers soon to be in the spotlight include Angela Constance, now Cabinet member for Communities, Social Security and Equalities, who must steer local government finance reform through Holyrood. Already there’s a developing head of steam to consider council size, structure and function, too. One commentator suggests: “Angela Constance gets the argument for smaller councils. Her own constituency of Livingston and West Calder is full of small towns stifled by the fact they don’t run themselves.”

But will a Cabinet full of party loyalists rock the boat to question SNP thinking on key issues?

If they don’t, others will. It’ll be particularly interesting to see how land ministers Cunningham and Ewing (both qualified lawyers) deal with the tenacious, forensic probing of self-taught legal expert and new Green MSP, Andy Wightman.

But the non-Cabinet ministerial line-up has a sparky mix including Mark McDonald, Women for Indy’s Jeanne Freeman – who becomes the Scottish Government’s first dedicated Minister for Social Security – Shirley-Anne Sommerville and Kevin Stewart. Will they remain independent-minded or go “on message” now?

And what about the new intake of backbenchers? Some represent constituencies where voters want available and affordable land in their lifetimes. Will the newbies flex their muscles to push for more action on land reform – or play it safe?

Committee chairs – to be appointed next week – will help shape the answer to that question. Since the SNP doesn’t have a working majority, it won’t control almost every committee as it once did – a welcome move in terms of diversity, though not one likely to be entrenched by rule changes to follow the example of Westminster (for once) where committee chairs are elected by fellow members not nominated by Government. Former Cabinet ministers may well be in the running, including Mike Russell for the Rural Affairs Committee and possibly Alex Neil. Though he announced his intention to retire and has suffered bad health lately, he’s still a powerful performer with a useful Labour background and has been a very effective operator with the straight-talking stalwarts of the housing movement.

Finally, of course, there’s Swinney. His move to education was widely predicted and means the biggest hitter and safest pair of hands is now focused on Sturgeon’s top political priority. Presumably institutional memory of Swinney’s way of working is now so embedded in civil service minds that Sturgeon feels she can safely transfer her loyal deputy elsewhere. Tackling the attainment gap will be his priority, but I’d hope Swinney’s support for preventative spending as Finance Secretary sets him up well for considering improvements in other budgets like housing, health and welfare to indirectly tackle inequality which lies behind so many individual problems of educational underperformance.

It’s all there to do. And after years of elections and referenda, Scots may be looking forward to a little bit of old-fashioned government – especially if it’s collaborative and open-minded, too.