When I saw that the new SNP leader and presumed First Minister had a piece in today’s Sunday National setting out his plans and priorities, I thought this would make a good topic for a blog article. My first thought was that I might feature and comment on a few highlights. Unfortunately, there aren’t any. To call this stuff bland would be to imply a zest that is not there. Imagine biting into a lemon and tasting unsalted porridge. If it was John Swinney’s intention to lower expectations of his incumbency, he may have taken it too far. Whatever expectations one might have before reading his column, you’ll be into negative territory by the time you reach the end.
This matters! The SNP leadership is famed for missing opportunties, either due to hyper-cautious cowardice or an inability to recognise opportunites as they present themselves or the conviction that they are doing an absolutely brilliant job already and need do nothing further or differently. The face I see in my mind’s eye when I think of The Clique is smug, self-satisfied, complacent and condescending with a barely suppressed superior sneer about the curl of the crocodile smile and a ghost of scavenger guile behind the eyes. A bit like Angus Robertson caught off-guard. A change of leadership is just such an opportunity. It’s a chance to reset the image of the party. To break with the past. To open a new chapter. To draw a line under a period of failure and signal a change of direction. John Swinney does none of this.
Reading his column, I couldn’t help but get the impression John Swinney was quite purposefully avoiding doing any of these things. He seems to be declaring a policy of no change as if he imagines we will find this reassuring. He could hardly be more mistaken. To those outside the impervious walls of Castle Clique and not blinded by unthinking partisan loyalty, it is obvious that the SNP needs a tectonic shake-up. The closest he gets to acknowledging a need for change is when he states his intention to “re-focus our priorities and deliver the serious, steady government that the people of Scotland deserve”. I surely can’t be the only one to wish he’d used the term ‘rethink’ rather than ‘re-focus’. Nor can I be alone in considering it unfortunate that while implying a lack of “serious, steady government”, he attributes this to Westminster instead of recognising that it is an SNP Scottish Government that the people of Scotland look to for competent, principled government and that, of late, we have not been getting what we hope for.
There’s the usual listing of past successes – such as the child payment – which may have been intended to impresss but which turns out to look like nothing more than an effort to draw a veil over past failures – such as the disastrously ill-contrived gender recognition reforms.
There’s also the glowing, almost hagiographic, tribute to Kate Forbes which is unmistakably tossed-in as part of the payment for her endorsement. Which is fine! Such deals are part of politics. But it would have been nice if John Swinney had been a wee bit more subtle about his reciprocation. A tad more artful would have been good. It might have given the impression that he actually cares what we think of this particular quid pro quo.
If you’re not feeling completely deflated by this point, Mr Swinney sucks the last vestiges of enthusiasm out of his message by emphasising his incomprehensible conviction that the way forward for Scotland’s cause is to persist with the ‘gentle persuasion’ strategy which has seen support for Yes flatline for a decade. It is clear Swinney sees no need to reconsider the woefully ineffective approach to the constitutional issue dumped on the party like a stinking turd by Nicola Sturgeon.
I did not expect much of John Swinney. He still manages to disappoint.
Peter A Bell 
Ouch ! Wonder if GMc will get his numbers just so we can check the pulse of ‘fundamentalism’, or independence support as I prefer to call it, in the SNP.
LikeLiked by 5 people
“I did not expect much of John Swinney. He still manages to disappoint.”
Ooft!
LikeLiked by 5 people
So, without having read any of the National articles and just glanced at this one so far, my first thoughts about Graeme McCormick were that it would just delay the Leader and FM thing and wouldn’t we be best if Swinney got coronated and getting going this week without the delay of an election?
But competition means campaigns and hustings and Swinney being pinned to the wall about WHAT he’s going to do, particularly about Indy. Yes, I think he’s able to make the Government more competent – even getting rid of Harvie and Slater with their heads in the clouds does that. But what are (or will be) his plans to actually bring Indy about, rather than blaming the YES movement “You lazy lot need to get out and convert people”. Fuck off, it’s you SNP ScotGov doing fuck all that’s the problem, not us.
So I hope he gets his 100. SGP has an article about it.
If there’s any SNP members thinking about it – go for it – support his nomination. What harm Democracy? And you don’t have to vote for him, just nominate him.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Let’s have that discussion as politicians say (*rolls eyes*).
LikeLike
From a National article:
A spokesperson for John Swinney said: “John Swinney has pledged to unite the SNP and has made clear his determination to ensure there is open and respectful debate in the SNP on key policy questions.”
Oh good, so he’s promising to make massive, huge, enormous, changes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not sure I’d call the feeling ‘excited’, but I’m relieved there remained 100 of us alive enough to summon the necessary enthusiasm to get a debate of sorts to include the HOW of ending the ToU (clue: it doesnt involve grovelling prostrate to the British state)
LikeLiked by 2 people
“As long as a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be subjected to the lordship of the English. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself“
The SNP have forgotten stuff like that. Including “honest John”?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Sorry, it’s me again.
From the National:
(Swinney): “I think the SNP has got a chance to start rebuilding from the difficult period that we have had, under my leadership, and bluntly, I’d just like to get on with that as quickly as I possible can do, because every day that we spend in an internal contest, which I think we all probably know the outcome of, we delay the possibility for the SNP to start its rebuilding.”
THAT is exactly the presumptuous sense of self-entitlement that puts off the general public, the SNP voters and even SNP members. No wonder the SNP vote in polls is still dropping.
What on earth is Swinney thinking? Has he learnt no lessons at all?
If I was an SNP member I’d not only nominate McCormick but vote for him. I met and liked Swinney when I was a member for 3 years after the Ref, but he’s clearly part of the arrogant rut the SNP leadership have got themselves ivory-towered into.
GET REAL as they used to say in olden days.
To McCormick – I suggest you cut and paste a few quotes like that, and at hustings, confront him with them. It’s time these clowns found out why so many of the general public actually despise politicians. Of all parties.
LikeLiked by 2 people
According to Swinney “we dont need another d*v*s*v* election” WTAF? Did BT take control of his brain?
(you can fill in the ****. I’m following Rule 1 here: Never, ever repeat their propaganda: you’re doing their job for them)
LikeLiked by 3 people
OK so apparently McCormick has dropped out after a long and fruitful talk with Swinney. But he has had media attention.
I nominate McCormick as the YES movement’s monitor of Swinney as far as progress to Independence is concerned. He could report regularly, at least once a month.
LikeLiked by 1 person
So McCormack pulled out after Swinney filled his head with BS, was McCormack really serious in the first place or was it all just a ruse?
The ex-FM Yousaf who Sturgeon and her clique/Old Guard (Swinney included) forced Yousaf out of Bute House because he might have done a deal with Ash Regan, was on the news today fawning over the appointment of Swinney adding that Swinney is a safe pair of hands, safe for whom, not us or independence but safe for Sturgeon and her clique, and safe to stop independence, safe for the status quo.
Its another two-years wasted with one of Sturgeon’s closest ally’s now in office as FM, oh Swinney will like Yousaf talk a good game on independence and how he will attempt to achieve it if only you’ll vote for his party, and maybe see your way to giving them a few donations along the way, afterall its all for the greater good of Scots isn’t it?
We’ve been here before with Yousaf, and prior to that Sturgeon, actions do speak louder than words, watch what Swinney does not what he says.
What did Yousaf’s ditching of the (BHA) with the Greens and his scramble to remain FM show us?
Well on the Greens it showed us that there are SNP MSPs who wanted the BHA torn up, it also showed us that some in the SNP wanted to do a deal with Alba, it also exposed that Sturgeon ad her clique (Old Guard) still controls the party.
I can only hope that Police Scotland and the COPFS do their jobs and arrest and rearrest those within the SNP that are the road block to the SNP actually pushing for independence.
If one were cynical they think the lions share of the charges are being held back until the staring gun is fired on the GE.
LikeLiked by 4 people
“JOHN Swinney has confirmed the SNP remain wedded to Humza Yousaf’s independence strategy for the next election.”
What strategy? Did I miss something?
Not a very good start.
LikeLiked by 2 people
“Is anybody excited?“
Well, yes. Now. Swinney has some smarts, and listens at least a bit. Forbes as Economy Secretary is great, we need some better ideas and dynamism to reverse the damage done by the incompetent Greens.
We need Grangemouth now, as well as in iScotland. I already went to get diesel and they were out, as well as petrol, probably coincidental (after a very busy for Scotland tourism) Bank Holiday. But maybe a sign of things to come, with everyone forced to ride on Harvie’s bike. Tankers everywhere now, Highland Fuels and others.
And as DFM, she will have some real influence hopefully. Yousaf really did deserve all the criticism he got for his unbalanced cabinet of splitters.
First get the economy back on track, try to get some competent Government for a change. Then in 2 weeks time, it’s Independence back on the FRONT burner 🙂
LikeLike
Under Nicola Sturgeon, Kate Forbes agreed to the Tory freeports initiative. I’m no expert but I’m told freeports are potentially disastrous for Scotland and yet another potential blocker on independence.
Why are people welcoming independence-blocking Tory initiatives from two governments intent on cementing devolution in place – quick-drying cement too!?
LikeLiked by 2 people
Well there we have it, one of Swinney’s first acts as FM was to scrap the post of Minister for Independence, okay Sturgeon slammed that door shut and bolted it, but now Swinney has plastered over the door so no one can find it.
Right the Minister for Independence post was held by the useless Jamie Hepburn, was all just pretence anyway, the post was to fool those voters who were dithering on whether or not to still vote SNP.
Its the same old tired faces that are in Swinney’s cabinet many are the old guard who are blocking independence and pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Once again, I’ll declare an interest, I have never and will never vote SNP. The disgust I felt when the SNP voted with Thatcher is as fresh today as it was in March 1979. The SNP was working for devolution then and, despite what they claim, they are working for devolution now. They are NOT nationalists.
The SNP are lying to nationalists, conning them, getting away with it, and making fools of people who genuinely believe in Scotland’s cause. I used to laugh at people being taken in, lead up the garden path time and time again, and often paying actual money to the con artists. Now it makes me angry.
It’s gone way beyond a joke. The cruelty and disregard for honest people on show now is astonishing.
This week I’ve actually started to get angry with the Unionist parties; they are participating in the hoax, saying the SNP are obsessed with independence. They’re not! The SNP are obsessed about pretending to support independence.
Even Alba are participating in the charade. Alex Salmond, Neale Hanvey, Ash Regan and the rest should come clean. They know as well as I do that the SNP Government is devolutionist and fooling their own supporters.
LikeLike
Ah! The old ‘Thatcher was the SNP’s fault’ myth so beloved of old British Labour types.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I didn’t say Thatcher was the SNP’s fault. The SNP are the SNP’s fault.
I’m thinking about the SNP MPs voting with Thatcher in 1979 because here we are today with Kate Forbes and the SNP supporting Tory freeports.
In ’79 the SNP were working for devolution. Now the SNP are working for devolution.
As I understand it the two governments, SNP here and Tory there, intend to work together to cement devolution in place, and working together on free ports will help to cement devolution in place.
I’m actually an old trade unionist, active in the Banking, Insurance & Finance Union (BIFU) for 10 years, a non-party political union, long since merged.
I can only imagine the exploitation of workers SNP-backed Tory free ports will bring to Scotland.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m not getting into that old nonsense again. It has been done to death. The Callaghan government was dead anyway. It was killed, not by the SNP but by the Unions and the left of the British Labour Party. Callaghan was offered a lifeline by the SNP. He snubbed it. He knew full well what the consequences would be. The SNP HAD to vote no confidence because that was what they had promised to do and the membership would have been in uproar if they didn’t.
British Labour brought the whole thing on itself. It wasn’t the SNP that invented the 40% rule.
This is my last word on the subject. Mainly because there is absolutely nothing more to be said that isn’t demented ranting in disregard of the facts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Of course what I’m saying isn’t about any of the old spin or the whataboutery around old Labour. I was a non-party political trade unionist and self-employment hasn’t changed me much.
I do find it a sad indictment that in my life-time my earliest memories of the SNP is a party working for devolution and supporting a Tory vote of no confidence and now they are a party working for devolution and supporting Tory free ports.
LikeLike
“I have never and will never vote SNP. The disgust I felt when the SNP voted with Thatcher is as fresh today as it was in March 1979.”
Admin.
Is that so, I think not.
Wings Over Scotland | Just for the record
LikeLiked by 1 person
What makes you think I wasn’t disgusted?
LikeLike