John Swinney needs better allies than Scottish Greens, and quickly – Scotsman comment

Incoming First Minister should reach out to the mainstream parties or may find working with the hard-left Greens as difficult as Humza Yousaf did

John Swinney’s impending coronation as First Minister should be quickly followed by a democratic election but, alas, it seems unlikely. Instead, like Rishi Sunak, he looks set to cling to power for as long as possible in the hope that ‘something comes up’ which reverses his party’s decline in the polls.

Swinney obviously has a role to play in trying to turn the SNP’s fortunes around, and focussing on the issues that really matter like the state of the economy, education and the NHS – as he has promised to do – sounds like a good place to start. These three issues are fundamental to all others, and it should not be controversial to say they matter more than independence or ‘culture war’ favourites. Without a well-educated workforce we will not have a strong economy; without a strong economy we will not be able to afford a decent health service; and without that then we may, in the worst-case scenario, be dead.

Such an agenda will almost certainly require Swinney to separate himself from the Scottish Greens and instead seek allies among the other parties. However, crossing the gaping chasm that separates the hard-left Greens from the mainstream parties could prove to be a decidedly tricky, metaphorical trapeze act. A misstep before he can make allies on the other side, and the Greens could join with the other opposition parties to vote down his government.

John Swinney needs to think about making new allies to keep his minority government in power (Picture: Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images)

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He essentially has until the next Scottish Budget to make the transition. Stealing some of Labour’s policy clothes could put Anas Sarwar in an interesting position – oppose for the sake of opposition or back measures they agree would help the country. Deigning to work with the “detested” Conservatives on measures like their Right to Recovery Bill – designed to tackle Scotland’s shocking drug-deaths rate – would be another positive step that could help restore the Holyrood Parliament’s reputation for working together for the greater good.

If Swinney fails to make new friends, he would be forced to fall back on the Greens and, we suspect, would find the experience equally as difficult as Humza Yousaf clearly did, with similar results.