THE SNP, and subsequently the Scottish Government, have garnered much criticism this week due to a meeting between Cabinet secretary Angus Robertson and Israeli diplomat Daniela Grudsky. Most of the criticism understandably came from SNP and Scottish Government supporters.

Not only did the meeting show an egregious lack of political savvy, but it also encapsulated the stale and arrogant kind of thinking that is driving people away from the SNP.

Knowing firsthand the amount of hard work and effort put in by the former SNP group at Westminster in building credible international relations, the acceptance of the meeting should have been enough to send alarm bells ringing.

The world has watched on with (not enough) horror as Israel has carried out war crimes with impunity against the people of Palestine. Whilst the hostages taken in October last year should absolutely be returned to their loved ones, the indiscriminate bombing campaigns have shown Israel is committing genocidal acts in retaliation.

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No government should be carrying on with a “business as usual” attitude with regard to Israel so long as these atrocities continue without consequence. It is worth mentioning that both the Conservatives and Keir Starmer’s Labour Party have deftly managed to only speak about Israel in such a way that will not jeopardise the financial support they receive from Israeli sources.

Meanwhile, the SNP have had no such financial links to maintain, so have been steadfast in their support of the people of Palestine. Where the SNP previously led the charge in condemning the actions of the Israeli state, this meeting has left a deep wound in the credibility that has been built.

Meeting with foreign ambassadors (particularly those you disagree with) is a key part of any government, but so is the responsibility to ensure there is a suitable purpose that justifies that meeting. The purpose of such meetings is usually to build international relations and contacts, so the lack of any political nous in the room, which should have easily predicted how such a meeting with Israel would be perceived in the current climate, is troublesome.

The fact that it was Israel that publicised this meeting with their own messaging shows that either the Scottish Government didn’t want the meeting to be publicised, or they were completely out-played by Israel’s comms – either way, it doesn’t look good.

The delay in getting out an explanation or apology for the meeting was far too long. John Mason, finally, had the whip removed by the SNP due to his idiotic attempts to justify Israel’s actions. Whilst his suspension is welcome news, it also proves that the party acts only when it feels it must.

Someone with Mason’s beliefs should never have passed vetting as a suitable candidate for the party in the first place. In fact, most of the SNP’s woes over the last 10 years can be traced back to dismal organisation and the absence of a professional vetting system.

The reason I say this saga encapsulates the problematic attitude of the SNP is because this debacle is the latest in a long line of self-inflicted pain for the party. Whether the party has grown arrogant or is simply showing how tired it is 10 years on from 2014, either way, the one thing that is certain is that the party is not in election mode.

With a Labour government in Westminster, Labour in Scotland are already campaigning to take Holyrood in 2026. It is for this reason that the SNP Scottish Government cannot afford to make mistakes. Incompetence has been much more prevalent in recent years, whether it be police investigations into camper vans, or £11,000 iPad bills, the dismal manner in which the Bute Agreement ended, or meetings with states engaged in genocide.

We know that Starmer’s Labour are responsible for continuing austerity and echo the Tories in many of their policies, but we can already see how this fact will be dismissed in order for attention and blame to turn to the Scottish Government instead.

(Image: PA)

It is absolutely fair and right to remind people that ultimate power and responsibility rests with Westminster, but pointing the finger of blame alone is not enough.

Even in areas where Holyrood hold ultimate responsibility, the cracks and poor decisions are there for all to see. The Scottish Government announced this week that peak rail fares would be reintroduced in September. It was concluded that the pilot scheme removing them did not see the expected uptake in customers.

Maybe the pilot scheme would have shown more favourable results if ScotRail invested in enough staff to be able to cover and ensure a frequent and reliable train service.

The fact that ScotRail staff continually have to resort to industrial action to have their needs taken seriously shows that the problems in Scotland’s public transport run much deeper than simply cheaper tickets.

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Post-2015, the strategy of the Scottish Government has involved acting like an independent government despite not having the full fiscal powers of one. Acting like the grown-ups in the room allowed the Scottish Government to demonstrate maturity and competence to an international audience in the face of consecutive calamitous UK Tory governments.

It has served the party well, but as times change and develop, so must strategy. It was the creativity and boldness of the SNP in 2007 which led to it winning over so many hearts, minds, and crucially votes.

We need that renewed creativity and sense of hope that things can be better if there is to be any hope of retaining Holyrood in 2026.