You Had One Job

You Had One Job

There is a great deal I could say about the – completely predictable – turmoil plaguing Hollywood, ever since became clear that Humza Yousaf was simply not up to the job of Scottish First Minister. It should have been evident from the moment Nicola Sturgeon drove her career onto the rocks – making a serious number of unforced errors in the process – that the SNP needed change, not continuity, and selecting Yousaf as her successor was merely delaying the inevitable reckoning. With the benefit of hindsight, it is clear that Kate Forbes would have made an infinitively better choice. But that is now water under the bridge.

The SNP had one job. In order to accomplish the goal of an independent Scotland, it had to prove that an independent Scotland was viable and that the SNP could be trusted to govern it. This was a difficult task. Scotland was not – and never has been – a state held in bondage, certainly not in any real sense of the word. Scotland is not Russian-occupied Ukraine or Chinese-occupied Tibet or even Kurdistan, a ethnic region divided between four countries that agree on very little, beyond the refusal to allow the Kurds any real degree of independence. The SNP needed to prove that it could do a better job than Westminster of governing the country. It also needed to make a case for Scottish independence that was practical, addressed many issues that would result from independence (from the division of government property between Scotland and England to membership in the European Union) and avoided, as much as possible, wishful thinking and hand-waving. This would not have been an easy task at the best of times, but the SNP has proved that is simply not up to the job.

The core of the problem is that the SNP has increasingly lost touch with the Scottish voters. It needed to address concerns held by those voters, both pro- and anti-independence, and make it clear that is taking those concerns seriously even if it disagrees and/or feels that they are exaggerated or rooted in prejudice rather than legitimate issues. At this, the SNP has comprehensively failed. It has chosen to grandstand on global issues, which are not a part of Hollywood’s remit, and fight cultural wars that are of little importance, compared with the rising cost of living, the decline in public services, and the ever-growing number of people who no longer have any faith in the government (Westminster as well as Hollywood) to do its job. Worse, it has displayed strikingly illiberal traits that are alarmingly close to fascism, a willingness to smear detractors instead of taking their concerns seriously, and a paternalistic ‘we know best’ attitude that cannot fail to irritate the voters on whom its government depends. Like many other modern governments, the SNP is more focused on looking good than actually being good, but it is no longer capable of maintaining the illusion that Scotland is a smoothly functioning country.

I recall the day when it became clear there would be a new Scottish Parliament. Like many other Scots, I believe that a devolved government would be better for Scotland. It was simple common sense. A government based in Edinburgh, much closer to the average Scot, would be –  I thought – far more responsive to their concerns. In this, I and the rest of Scotland have been bitterly disappointed. The SNP might be a Scottish party, but it has lost touch with the average Scotsman and is simply incapable of representing their interests or addressing their concerns. Indeed, its bid to put itself on the right side of history led to its worst nightmare: a clash between Westminster and Hollywood where the Scottish people were, largely, on the side of Westminster! It is the SNP’s great good luck that it has not faced any serious external challenger, yet even that is turning against them. The decay of the Conservative government in Westminster is mirrored in the decline of the SNP government in Hollywood. I imagine the irony is not very amusing to Yousaf and Sturgeon.

The SNP needs a prolonged period in the political wilderness. It must address the very serious questions about the conduct of its senior leaders, both financial and political, and seek out new MSPs who have close ties to their constituents and can be relied upon to put their interests ahead of political expediency and cultural war. It must abandon the urge to be progressive, to try to be on the mythical right side of history, and address practical issues that are extremely important to the voters. It is not easy to address such issues – and the SNP’s failure ensures that the next government will have to spend more and take more time fixing those issues – but it must be done. Above all, it must recommit itself to the essential building blocks of democracy – free speech, free debate, and compromise between two sets of entirely legitimate points of view.

It is a deep irony that Braveheart, a movie renowned for historical inaccuracy, served – for many people – as their first introduction to Scottish nationalism. Braveheart might have had its virtues as a movie, but it presented a deeply warped impression of both mediaeval Scotland and England (as well as Edward I, Edward II, Isabella of France, William Wallace and Robert the Bruce). It was deeply popular at the time, yet it is now regarded as deeply embarrassing.

The SNP, today, represents the people of Scotland no better than the film represents the past. It is time for a change.