Calm returns to Scotland: John Swinney is coming – News

Scotland’s politics are calming down: John Swinney is now leading the SNP. He is expected to become first minister on Tuesday.

The Scottish National Party is spared an ugly massacre on the open stage. After any competitors have withdrawn without a fight, a coronation takes place. John Swinney will be the new leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and wants to heal, unite and lead Scotland to independence.

The election for party leader took place in the evening. The election of head of government by the Scottish Parliament is considered a formality, as is the appointment by the king. The 60-year-old Swinney, who looks like an accountant and was one before becoming a politician, is familiar with the customs. For 20 years he sat in the center of power in Scottish politics, as finance minister, party leader and later as deputy head of government.

Without a doubt, John is the right man of the hour. We need a committed person with experience who can unite the party.

Evil tongues say that Swinney was a minister for everything and that. He resigned a year ago. The country needs fresh, young minds, he said at the time.

“Poisonous fingerprints”

However, in times of need there has now been a resurrection, which is welcomed by the majority of the party, including the eloquent, long-time parliamentary group leader of the SNP in Westminster, Ian Blackford: «Without a doubt, John is the right man of the hour. The SNP has had a turbulent time. The poll numbers have suffered, so we need a committed person with experience who can unite the party. We need to show Scots again that we are committed to their concerns and win British elections in the autumn, but also the Scottish elections in 2026.”

Debates about how to improve society or save the world are interesting, but people want to know how their everyday lives can finally become better.

The Scottish political scientist Liz Lloyd made more moderate comments to the BBC these days. The future agenda of the SNP is more important than the new head. “Voters are less interested in who exactly is at the wheel, but rather when things will finally get better again. They want their everyday life to function. You want to get an appointment at the hospital within a reasonable time. They want an income they can live on and good schools for their children. Debates about how to improve society or save the world are interesting, but people want to know how their everyday lives can finally become better.”

For a long time, the Scottish National Party successfully presented itself as the only competent political force that could fulfill the wishes of the electorate. For comparison, the SNP liked to point to the chaos of the Conservative government in Westminster and the comings and goings in Downing Street. However, with the third First Minister in just over a year, this comparison is becoming increasingly less flattering.