THE only news in Scottish politics today is the resignation of Humza Yousaf – whose term in office lasted one year and 31 days.
However, he is not the shortest serving Scottish first minister, not counting caretaker first ministers. That dubious honour belongs to Labour's Henry McLeish, who lasted just one year and twelve days in power between 2000 and 2001.
During his year and a month in office, Yousaf did make some significant achievements, for which he has received little credit from a begrudging anti-independence Scottish media.
Under his leadership Scotland is the only part of the UK which has avoided strikes in the NHS. Shamefully, BBC Scotland rushed through this achievement in under 30 seconds – even though it had been very obviously building up for a wall-to-wall barrage of SNP-bad had the strikes gone ahead.
READ MORE: Stephen Flynn rules himself out of leadership run and backs John Swinney
Calculations over the weekend led to the conclusion that Yousaf was not going to find the votes he needed to get through the two motions of no confidence due to be held in Holyrood this week.
The infuriated Scottish Greens were prepared to vote with the Tories in order to bring down the First Minister, an act which has been met with immense disquiet amongst many grassroots Greens, outraged at the idea of their party supporting the Tories.
Many SNP supporters are as angry as Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater were last week, and will certainly think twice before giving their second preference votes to the Scottish Greens in future Holyrood and local authority elections.
For its part, the Alba party of Alex Salmond overplayed its hand, seeking too high a price for the vote of its sole MSP, the former SNP leadership contender Ash Regan.
This would have given Salmond huge influence within the SNP and would be anathema to many in the party – especially since Alba has never been able to come close to winning an election under its own banner. Its two MPs, one MSP and one councillor are all defectors who were elected as SNP candidates benefiting from SNP resources and the hard work of SNP activists.
READ MORE: Who are the favourites to become SNP leader after Humza Yousaf?
Just as the Greens stand accused of threatening to vote with the Tories in order to bring down a majority pro-independence government, the same accusation can also be levelled at Alba, a party which claims to put independence front and foremost. That will not do Alba any favours amongst the SNP supporters it needs to court if it is to have any chance of ever winning an election on its own merits.
With no other options left, Yousaf took the decision to step down as SNP leader – but will remain in place as interim first minister until a replacement can be appointed.
The Scottish Tory vote of no confidence is now rendered moot, although the Tories may still seek to press ahead with it.
The Labour vote of no confidence was always likely to be less difficult for the Scottish Government to survive. This is a vote of no confidence in the Scottish Government as a whole, and the Scottish Greens have made it plain that their beef is with Yousaf as First Minister.
Some Green MSPs had already signalled that they were disposed to support the Scottish Government when Labour's no-confidence motion is put to the vote. Today's decision is likely to bring the rest of the Greens on board and should allow the Scottish Government to survive.
The task now for the SNP is to find a new leader who can command a majority in Holyrood.
The First Minister must be an MSP, but there is no reason why one of the party's Westminster MPs cannot stand for election as party leader and be represented in Holyrood by a sitting MSP until he or she can get elected to Holyrood.
Stephen Flynn, the SNP's Westminster leader has consistently impressed in the House of Commons, he could stand as party leader on a twin ticket with Neil Gray or Jenny Gilruth.
Kate Forbes has also been mentioned as a possible successor to Humza Yousaf but there are doubts about whether she could receive the necessary support from the Scottish Greens – who would require assurances that her personal socially conservative views would not inform her policies as first minister.
She is also viewed with suspicion by many on the left of the SNP and it may prove to be a tall order for her to bring the different wings of the party together.
READ MORE: Read Humza Yousaf's resignation speech in full as he steps down as First Minister
John Swinney has said he has not ruled out standing and is giving “active consideration” to calls for him to step in as SNP leader and first minister, possibly on an interim basis. He is very much seen as a safe pair of hands who can steer the party through this turbulent period.
Tory Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has responded to Yousaf's resignation by urging his successor not to focus on Scottish independence. The man who is obsessed with sending vulnerable asylum seekers on a one-way trip to a brutal African regime said that Yousaf's successor must focus on policies that people care about.
I strongly suspect that there is a considerably greater proportion of people in Scotland who care deeply about progressing the case for Scottish independence than the proportion of people in the UK as a whole who passionately support Sunak's campaign of performative cruelty against marginalised, powerless, and desperate human beings.
This piece is an extract from today’s REAL Scottish Politics newsletter, which is emailed out at 7pm every weekday with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from the Wee Ginger Dug.
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