Humza Yousaf, Ash Regan and Kate Forbes
The least admired candidate received an underwhelming number of votes on the first round. When you study the figures, macho Yousaf was the poor man’s choice. How the SNP keeps screwing up its public standing. Once more, the SNP took no soundings from outside its inner circle, the public had no say in their future. With a track-record of poor achievement, Yousaf’s administration is expected to crash and burn before the year is out, the vultures are overhead.
Ash Regan did not secure enough of her colleague’s support to be a big contender, which is a pity but not a surprise; her platform was based on independence first, the last thing on the mind of an SNP colonial administration.
Regan got just 11.1% of first-preference votes. Kate Forbes managed amuch bigger return, a remarkable achievement considering she was pilloried by press and voters for weeks over her religous beliefs.
Forbes got 40.7%. In other words, Regan and Forbes combined votes amount to almost 52%. Adroit readers good at arithmetic will spot 52% is over half of the votes, and yet the candidate that got a weak response – that is, not an overwhelming mandate from the SNP – was elected.
A combinbation of Regan as first minister, and Forbes back in her old job of finance secretary would have raised hopes and spirits among Scots of a new SNP reorientated to civil and constitutional rights and securing Scotland’s freedoms. Instead we have dread and cynicism, and lots of talk of a re-emergence of the notorious Vow Party – Labour. The Labour party promises to throw Scots a 10-foot rope if anybody poor should founder more that fifteen-feet.
Poor Yousaf, now elected as leader but clearly nopt the best wanted candidate, (almost wrote liked) got in on the second choices of Regan voters. The man now reorganising the SNP cabinet to mirror Sturgeon’s cabinet, was the first choice of fewer than half the SNP members. How’s that for freaky serendipity? He has signed up a cabinet with women that choke when asked to define what a woman is. At least none sported patchy cheek beards and a female wig.
Forbes refused to serve in Yousaf’s cabinet unless given her old job back, and as expected, Regan was sent into the wilderness. Instead, Yousaf brought back to prominance the most discredited and least intellectually equipped old guard. His idea of diversity is promoting the descredited, the shady, the inexpert and the plain dull. Yousaf has a great gift for mediocrity. He is going to have a job firing individual members when they screw up. What will be his criteria of judgement? What does he say? “You’re not competent enough”?
The cry from SNP faithful is ‘give Humza a chance’, a resetting of ‘wheest for Indy’. Somehow, it has little chance of reaching the top of the independence chart. Nor does ‘let’s get together’ have the upbeat ring of happiness and joy about it. It’s too close to ‘better together’, the unionist dirge for ‘keep Scotland as it is – wealthy for plunder but the people poor’. His minister for independence wants us all to be in his team, the team that caused the break-up of unity, tried to jail an innocent man, and ostrasized men and lots of women by pushing repressive laws. This is the party that dislikes Russia, China, Syria, Iran, and North Vietnam’s politics, but has affection for England’s mores and customs.
Newly elected leaders are quick to show the public they are spiritual, that they have a god. They do it by ensuring the press and television receive images of them attending church service. (Margaret Thatcher and her hubby managed that almost every week.) Hours in Bute House, Yousaf released a completely inappropriate photograph of himself and family praying for Ramadan, thus proving his promise of keeping religion and the state separate was a pile of stale chapati.
No wonder so many people are reducing SNP membership by leaving, some signing up with the ALBA party, a party that thinks Scotland’s liberty is paramount – and has to happen soon.
POST SCRIPT:
A recent poll determines the ALBA party will win seats at the next election, and the next election being two years away may show a greater number than now. And look how ALBA’s unanimously elected leader, Alex Salmond, is being rehabilitated by the British press. (Your investment can fall or rise. Always read the small print.)
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Grouse Beater 
Some people have argued that we must retain the SNP so as to be the vehicle to take us to our destination. All we needed was to change the helmsperson (Sturgeon) and navigator (Murrell) and the necessary change of direction could be achieved to take us home. Now that has happened the same folk suggest a few minor repairs is required and the vehicle is required will be roadworthy once more.
I once held the latter sentiment but no longer. The vehicle is damaged beyond repair and no amount of servicing is going to make it pass its MOT. This has been borne out by only 8% of the party membership voting for the only candidate – Ash Regan – who at least had a roadmap for the journey. Worse, the vehicle now has a non-licensed driver (Yousaf) with a crazed and incompetent crew ill-equipped for their various cockpit roles. It’s only a matter of a short time for they all crash and burn.
What is crucially important Scotland’s Cause must not go up in flames with them. To some extent that is happening if recent opinion surveys are anything to go by: As with their membership public support for the SNP is falling in the polls for voting intentions at both Westminster and Holyrood elections. Meanwhile YES support is holding up reasonably well (so far) at around 48% in 2023 to date. (It should, of course, be much, much higher given the opportunities of the last 8 plus years).
The SNP is like an out of control runaway bus.
We must decouple it from the wider YES movement.
Offer a home in ALBA to the unhappy SNP members.
Reblogged this on Ramblings of a now 60+ Female.
That ‘SNP’ is Simply Not Possible as our political Party…