Why general election manifesto release could be John Swinney's Euros moment - Scotsman comment

Sitting in the stands in Munich to watch Scotland’s opening Euros capitulation against hosts Germany, John Swinney could have been forgiven for his mind wandering to the ‘big game’ moments that lie ahead in the final weeks of this election campaign.

This week, in particular, could be key to the overall fortunes of the SNP leader and his party.

Mr Swinney is set to unveil the party’s general election manifesto on Wednesday. And while he has already promised that independence will “proudly sit on page one, line one” of the manifesto when it is launched, it seems there are doubters within the ranks of Nationalist supporters over just how prominently the subject will feature.

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Succession star Brian Cox – a high-profile independence supporter – has said he is worried the SNP “could be backing away from the notion of independence”.

First Minister John Swinney in Marienplatz square in Munich, where he took a break from the election campaign to watch Scotland play Germany in the opening game of the Euro 2024 football tournament. Picture: PAFirst Minister John Swinney in Marienplatz square in Munich, where he took a break from the election campaign to watch Scotland play Germany in the opening game of the Euro 2024 football tournament. Picture: PA
First Minister John Swinney in Marienplatz square in Munich, where he took a break from the election campaign to watch Scotland play Germany in the opening game of the Euro 2024 football tournament. Picture: PA

“I don’t know if Scotland [has] backed off, but I think that it’s something that worries me, because I still … believe in independence,” he told the BBC One’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg.

Worryingly for Mr Swinney, a Savanta poll for The Scotsman published earlier this month showed more than one fifth who voted SNP at the 2021 Holyrood election believe the case for independence is weaker now than it was back in 2014.

And former Labour prime minister Tony Blair has said in an interview published today that Scottish independence is further away than ever.

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Against this backdrop, the First Minister is under pressure to use his document’s launch – coming 24 hours after Scottish Labour publishes its own manifesto – to regain momentum at a time when a succession of polls have shown the two parties to be neck and neck in Scotland.

Much as Scotland has to step up against Switzerland on the pitch on Wednesday night in Cologne, the spotlight is equally on Mr Swinney. And he will know a misstep at this point of a tight campaign could mean it ultimately ends up being one to forget.

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