BACK in the dark days before the yoke of Labour and Tory mediocrity had lost its grip on Scottish politics, one of the last salvos was fired by then Labour first minister Jack McConnell – or Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale, as fans of the House of Lords will now know him.

The “do less, better” message was launched by McConnell when he became first minister in November 2001 in the aftermath of the resignation of his predecessor, Henry McLeish. It was the beginning of the end for Labour, a party out of ideas in a country whose people were impatient for their new Parliament to do better, having watched on as it failed to deliver the much-needed change they had hoped for.

Remarkably, then and current SNP leader John Swinney, against that Labour message lacking in ambition and optimism for Scotland, managed to take the party down to only 27 seats in the Scottish Parliament and under 400,000 votes, despite fighting a Labour Party offering Scots nothing.

As we look ahead to this week’s Programme for Government, you could be forgiven for thinking that events are repeating themselves – but this time it’s Mr Swinney who is adopting the McConnell philosophy of do less, better.

On the back of an unlawful gender bill, a costly and failed deposit return scheme, attempts to ban Scottish fishermen from, erm, fishing, delayed ferries, cancelled trains, an under-performing health service and filthy city centres across the country, Scots could be forgiven for urging the Government to adopt the mantra of “please do anything, competently”.

READ MORE: John Swinney says it’s ‘time for SNP to step up’ in conference speech

What the country and the independence movement need to see is John Swinney’s Government focus on “doing more, better” as he sets out the priories of his Government for the coming year on Wednesday.

Swinney will become the third first minister in three years to set out the priories of the Scottish Government. His two predecessors became unstuck by taking their eye off the ball and off the public’s priorities of health, education, jobs and the economy. Parliament returns this week after a long summer recess that saw a change in UK Government and the loss of dozens of SNP seats across Scotland at the General Election.

Last week, a poll by Nortstat showed the SNP were also heading towards large losses at the next Scottish Parliament election. The same poll showed that votes for Alba Party on the regional list will be key to maintaining a pro-independence majority at Holyrood in 2026.

It is time for a new chapter of government that moves away from the self-centred version we’ve seen in recent years with far too much focus on the priorities of the few while ignoring the urgent needs of the many.

Over the course of the last week, attacks from the Unionist commentariat have urged Swinney not to put independence on the back-burner in response to the heavy losses at the General Election.

But restoring competency should be the starting block of a new era for a Scottish Government that wants to win back the trust of the Scottish people and progress the cause of Scottish independence.

(Image: PA)

You don’t need to stop campaigning for independence to start governing competently. But if you don’t start governing competently you will stop people listening to the “why” of the need for Scottish independence as an urgent priority.

People across Scotland are impatient for change. For too long they have felt like the Government has been pre-occupied with its own priorities and that these have not aligned with their priorities.

This week’s Programme for Government must see John Swinney put the Scottish Government back on the side of the Scottish people and he can do that by ensuring it does more, better. It’s time to put the focus back where it is needed: on health, education, jobs and the economy.

Meanwhile, we live in an energy-rich country but our people are not seeing the benefit from the massive resources we have, whether from the North Sea or for renewables.

The Scottish Parliament cannot be allowed to become a place that exists simply to administer UK Labour austerity. The entire point of the Scottish Parliament was to give Scots the option of making different choices. With independence we can make every choice but in the here and now we need to make sure that at the very least people in Scotland know that the Scottish Government is on their side.

Re-establishing the hard-won reputation of a competent Scottish Government is vital to regaining the trust of the Scottish people. This is paramount for us to have in place the foundations for making the case for Scottish independence.

The First Minister is under pressure to put independence on the back burner in response to the General Election result – he must to do the opposite. Put independence back at the top of the list of Government priorities and use the powers of the Scottish Parliament to show the people of Scotland that when it comes to UK Labour austerity there is a better way.