IT is interesting and rather sad to note that no member of the current Cabinet or even a junior minister felt they have the ability to do the job of First Minister – including the current Deputy First Minister.
There is only a short amount of time until the Westminster elections. By all opinion polls and recent by-election results, the SNP vote is hovering around the 30% range. In the time we have left it will be very difficult, if not impossible, for any first minister to turn the ship around and avoid the loss of a potentially large number of SNP seats. In the past few years some SNP policies and performance have not been attractive to the average voter.
READ MORE: John Swinney: Leadership challenge from SNP activist will 'delay' rebuild
The real challenge starts the day after the Westminster elections. May 2026 will by that time probably be only 18 short months away. A week is, as the saying goes, a long time in politics. With a good campaign, who knows what the overall result will be?
It could well be argued that the current lack of a large independence majority in the Scottish Parliament is a direct result of the policy of voting SNP on both ballot papers in May 2021. As a result, more than a million SNP votes on the regional lists ended up being wasted.
A question which must be asked and answered fairly soon is – are we going to repeat the same mistake? Perhaps it is time for personality to be put aside in favour of practicality and for hearts and minds to come together to find a way to maximise the independence vote in May 2026.
I hesitate to quote Winston Churchill, but “those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
Brian Lawson
Paisley
WITH the General Election at some stage in the future I am left with several questions.
Are the people of Scotland going to change back to pre-1997 voting trends, when the Labour Party ruled the Scottish roost, with Tony Blair and Gordie Broon, who both created and saved us from the financial collapse in 2007?
READ MORE: Patrick Harvie speaks out after end of Bute House Agreement
Or will the time machine carts us all back further back to 1955 when the Conservatives owned Scottish voters’ hearts and minds?
No! The genie is out of the bottle and, despite the misinformation in some media sources, Scots can see the good and admittedly the bad in our Scottish Government.
The bad is brought up at every opportunity by most media sources, as we all know that bad news sells. The bad could be reduced but not eliminated by the Scottish Government having the full levers of power, a higher focus on making stuff work better, and not being required to back-fill gaps in the social policy of UK Government. I am not sure if the media noise would reduce much.
The good could be even better when full fiscal autonomy is achieved, with increased support for the early and later years. I am thinking about care workers and the like, social care in the community, increased dentistry and GP practices.
However, on the horizon is a UK General Election which is a fight between Labour and Tory, where the difference is not worth arguing about.
READ MORE: Labour 'couldn't imagine' alliance with SNP, senior MP says
It’s ugly with either Labour or Conservative parties in charge, and both have designs on curbing Holyrood powers. The Internal Market Act is one of the ties to our hands and feet.
The Labour Party under Starmer are wedded to sticking to the fiscal austerity that Tories in Westminster have been dishing out like the Dickensian medicine of “brimstone and treacle” since 2010, or 14 years.
No wonder we need them out, but Labour, no change then?
Alistair Ballantyne
Angus
ONCE again a week is a long time in politics, especially Scottish politics this week. Over the last week we have seen the fall of the coalition agreement at Holyrood, the resignation of the SNP party leader and First Minister Humza Yousaf, and now we have one candidate forward to be SNP leader and possibly Scotland’s new first minister.
In this candidate, John Swinney MSP, you have experience and commitment, because Mr Swinney has held the second most senior post in government, deputy first minister, along with a number of top-ranked ministerial posts. And it was during Mr Swinney’s service in the Cabinet for a number of years that the SNP secured four election victories at Holyrood.
Going forward, should Mr Swinney secure the position of first minister his experience and service to the Scottish political scene over many years will surely be called upon.
Catriona C Clark
Falkirk
HAVING watched Thursday’s FMQs, I cringed as I had to listened to Douglas Ross bumping his gums about how he had single-handedly had removed the FM from post to the rapturous cries and desk-banging from the Tory rabble.
Having now heard the various SNP announcements about a successor, surely even D Ross must now realise that he “single handedly” had managed to remove a FM who, although I had great respect for, was not always universally popular with what can only be described as “The Dream Team” so far as reviving SNP fortunes and future electoral success is concerned.
Here’s to the future.
Robin Hastie
St Andrews
NOW that chattering classes are turning their ire/fire on to John Swinney, we can no longer tell friend from foe. May I offer a word of advice to all backstabbers, saboteurs and agents provocateurs?
When the hunting season starts in the US, it is safer to be a bear, as the rednecks are too busy shooting each other in the woods and kill more hunters than hunted.
Donald Anderson
Glasgow
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel