I was sure I heard octogenarian former SNP bigwig Jim Sillars talking on radio the other day about being trapped at a Beyoncé concert.
A startling scenario for a man of 86, but each to their own.
Perhaps even more surprising, given that Queen Bey’s target audience is said to be 70% single females aged under 34 – the “Bey Hive”, as it’s known.
But, when I paid more attention, I realised I wasn’t quite picking him up right. What the former SNP deputy leader, and now arch party critic, was actually saying was that he witnessed something which was far more than a back-slapping political-party event in Glasgow.
He was struck by the atmosphere being more like a Beyoncé concert, as it was an SNP love-in and the object of the crowd’s adulation was none other than Nicola Sturgeon on stage. Cultish hero-worship demonstrating the incredible power of personality in politics – for good and bad.
For Sillars, it was alarming because the party, and essential daily governance of Scotland, had become a one-woman show. The sort of power commonplace in a dictatorship, but decidedly unhealthy in a democracy, he argued.
Even Sturgeon conceded later that she was drowning in toxicity around her personality.
We don’t need another showman
So, in which direction is John Swinney heading? A “safe pair of hands” is the best many can muster about a man whose previous party leadership stint ended in failure.
Despite his protestations, he resembles a classic caretaker manager, which in football is often a bad omen for long-suffering fans. We wouldn’t wish that on our new first minister, would we?
Were you not touched by the image of Swinney and his wife on the steps of Bute House? They were dignified in the face of enormous pressures ahead; party bosses desperate to go backward to a veteran before it can go forward.
In our farcical UK political circus, we don’t need another showman or clown juggling while walking a tightrope Swinney needs to concentrate on selling ice creams down below with his feet rooted firmly on the ground; creating instant contentment to calm things down.
But, in metaphorical terms, he’s only got until lunchtime – a doom-laden general election for the worn-out SNP and Tories is close, and a Holyrood vote just two years away. It seems a tall order.
But, maybe, at the end of the day, this curious back-to-the future experiment with Swinney is all about what’s best for the SNP at this stage, rather than the country itself. And his appointment of Kate Forbes as deputy might be a masterstroke – while laying a succession plan at the same time.
Lack of A9 and A96 action is a national disgrace
Swinney’s opening drumbeat about independence was predictable, and aimed at the party hardcore. As that faded, he banged away at transport, economy and the NHS – the real priorities for the rest of the country.
But many doubters will still find it hard to shake off the image of a man at the heart of keeping independence at the top of the agenda for two decades – at the expense of almost everything else. If he’s really genuine about spanning the great divide to win converts in sufficient numbers, he must deliver on domestic issues first.
No amount of flag-waving, marching and rhetoric about independence will cover up the sad truth about a cynical lack of action on these major domestic issues
He could start by parking his election bus somewhere on the A9 and A96 linking Inverness with Perth and Aberdeen. Lack of full upgrades on these roads under the SNP is a national disgrace.
Ironically, while Swinney’s exhortations were still ringing in our ears, another former leader, Alex Salmond, was facing the resumed A9 Holyrood inquiry a few days ago.
He argued that the dualling project would still be on course if he hadn’t left government, but the whole sorry mess was about as illuminating as a foggy night in Strichen.
In a couple of weeks, we can look forward to finding out why it all went wrong after Salmond when it’s Sturgeon’s turn at the same inquiry – possibly.
Make a credible case for independence
No amount of flag-waving, marching and rhetoric about independence will cover up the sad truth about a cynical lack of action on these major domestic issues. Otherwise, like the Grand Old Duke of York song, you can march them up to the top of the hill and march them down again all day long.
I have to agree with Sillars that only an “overwhelming” swing in favour of independence – sustained day in, day out for several years – would make a credible case. Winning hearts and minds on such a grand scale requires a dramatic turnaround on all the things the SNP has been accused of failing at for so long.
Unfortunately, I was left scratching my head when Swinney declared his pride over how the Scottish Government had transformed Scotland. Nothing sprang to mind immediately – apart from forcing two unelected first ministers on us in a short space of time, but I don’t think he meant that.
David Knight is the long-serving former deputy editor of The Press and Journal
Conversation