Euan McColm: Humza Yousaf’s greatest first 100 days achievement was surviving for 100 days

First Minister’s achievements after 100 days are few and far between – and he’s already starting to preach to the converted rather than reaching out to non-SNP voters

An email containing a list of the achievements of First MinisterHumza Yousaf during his first 100 days in office arrives.

The folk in the SNP press office have tried their best, bless them, but it’s weak stuff.

There’s a handful of minor spending commitments, the publication of various reports and strategies, and the signing of a new agreement with local government. So inconsequential are some of the achievements listed that, had Yousaf’s spinners added “did the dishes” and “washed the car” to pad things out, it wouldn’t have been surprising.

Yousaf’s greatest first 100 days achievement was surviving for 100 days. At times, his leadership has been so chaotic that speculation about possible coups sounded entirely plausible.

Nobody’s talking about toppling Yousaf, now. Nobody sensible, anyway. The SNP is on course for its worst general election result in some time and the leader’s colleagues are united in their desire that he should be seen to brave that particular storm.

Announcements from a number of senior MPs including former Westminster leader Ian Blackford and, just a few days ago, high profile deputy Westminster leader Mhairi Black, have not done much to shift the sense that some kind of electoral punishment for the SNP is now an inevitability.

The crisis caused by the arrests of Nicola Sturgeon, her husband, the SNP’s former chief executive Peter Murrell, and former party treasurer Colin Beattie over fraud allegations has – naturally – overshadowed almost every moment of Yousaf’s leadership. The pressure on the First Minister must, at times, have been unbearable. The period between the arrests of Murrell and Beattie and the eventual arrest of Sturgeon must have been especially tense. Every time Yousaf opened his mouth to speak, he must have wondered whether events were about to smash into him.

Faced with the loss of support in the polls, Yousaf has turned his attention towards the party’s core supporters. An SNP leader calling, as Yousaf recently did, for members to join a for-the-converted march organised by an organisation calling itself “Believe in Scotland” is not an SNP leader overly concerned with the business of attracting the support of those not yet persuaded of the merits of independence.

In a recent speech at the SNP’s day-long Independence Convention in Dundee, Yousaf tried to satisfy both his party’s core supporters and those sceptical of independence. In an oration held together by ifs and buts, Yousaf seemed at once to be both endorsing and ruling out the use of the next general election as a de facto referendum. It later took a lengthy briefing from his official spokesman to untangle the speech and uncover its message which was that the de facto referendum’s off.

Events beyond his control may have made the first 100 days of Humza Yousaf’s time in office especially difficult but unless he gets used to the world as it is rather than as he would want it to be, he will find it hard to stabilise his leadership.

Honesty is always a good idea and so the First Minister should forget silly attempts to make the SNP membership believe a second referendum is closer than it is. He should revert clearly and unequivocally to the message he sent supporters when he succeeded Nicola Sturgeon three months ago which is that only a legitimate referendum will do and they only chance of getting one of those is to build support to a substantial, sustained level (a figure of 60 per cent for six months or more seems reasonable).

And, having brought some clarity to his referendum strategy, he might want to look at his his messaging.

Just as both Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond did before him, Humza Yousaf took office promising to be a First Minister for all, regardless of constitutional position. And, just like them, he promptly forgot all about that. At some point, it is going to dawn on an SNP First Minister that ignoring the majority of voters is no way to win them over to your cause. When Sturgeon stepped down, among the reasons she gave was that she had become too divisive a figure. I think, regardless of the reason for her resignation, that was true. By the end of her time in power, Sturgeon had persuaded everyone she was going to.

If Yousaf doesn’t start paying attention – paying proper attention and not merely delivering “I-respect-your-position” bromides – to the UK-supporting majority, soon. he will quickly become just as solidly divisive a figure as either of his predecessors.

I wonder, perhaps, if there is a simple change in messaging that could help Yousaf. The SNP press office churns out releases every day in which assorted elected members declare than only independence can save Scotland from a future of eternal misery and woe. It’s pretty clear to anyone paying the slightest attention to Scottish politics that that particular line has grown tired.

If Yousaf and his team accept – and I think they do – that support for independence is not moving in the direction they need it to be, then what is the point of singing only to the choir? What is the point of antagonising the undecided?

If I were Yousaf, I’d invite my colleagues to begin speaking – in a practical, unflashy way – about more powers. Why call for independence and irritate the majority when you could suggest more powers and bring most people with you?

Humza Yousaf’s first 100 days in office have, frequently, been painful to watch. If he wants an easier life, he should begin by telling his party the truth about where it stands and then sticking to his story.