Back to Scotland, where it’s set to be another turbulent day. The SNP continues its slow-motion implosion while leadership frontrunners Kate Forbes and John Swinney ponder about standing for the top job. To add insult to injury, Scottish Labour’s motion of no confidence in the Scottish government will be voted on this afternoon. As the nationalist psychodrama ensues, what exactly do Scots makes of it all?
The SNP establishment has hailed former deputy first minister Swinney as its candidate of choice, with Holyrood cabinet ministers and Westminster group leaders coming out to support the Nicola Sturgeon ally. Meanwhile Forbes – onetime rival to First Minister Humza Yousaf in last year’s rather, um, unedifying contest – remains unfazed in the face of the nationalist machinery getting to work on their ‘Anyone But Kate’ campaign.
Perhaps she’s right to drown out the noise: among the public, the 34-year-old Highlander has a six-point lead over Swinney, according to the latest polling from Ipsos, with more than a quarter of Scots believing the centre-right Nat would make the best FM. However, among SNP voters who supported the party at the last Holyrood election, the man who was once Sturgeon’s second-in-command is the preferred option. But it’s not a clear victory for the former deputy, with only a third of 2021 SNP voters logging their support for Swinney. Over a fifth can get behind Kate as a mere 14 per cent would prefer Stephen Flynn to led the party. Talk about voter apathy…
While eight in ten people agree Yousaf was right to go, over half of the public think the FM lived up to his ‘Youseless’ moniker, believing the First Minister has ‘made no difference to Scotland’. Ouch. And there’s similar indifference from the public on what Yousaf’s resignation means for independence, with half of voters certain it won’t have an impact on the separatist cause. Meanwhile, the First Minister has conducted his first round of media interviews since his resignation statement on Monday – telling broadcasters the last week has been an ’emotional rollercoaster’. That’s putting it mildly…
But as Scottish Labour looks forward to its no confidence motion in the Scottish government later today, the party might be a little disappointed to hear that it isn’t held in higher regard by the Scottish public. Less than two in five people think a Labour-led Scottish government would be better than an SNP administration – and third even think it could do a worse job. Moreover, despite the chaos currently ensuing within SNP ranks, the public would still rate a Nat, whether Forbes or Swinney, six points higher than lefty leader Anas Sarwar for First Minister. Hardly the vote of confidence the party is looking for…
Comments