Does it really matter who leads the SNP? I am not so sure that it does anymore. The usual names are being bandied about. John Swinney, deputy first minister, Kate Forbes, finance secretary, Angus Robertson, Humza Yousaf, Keith Brown, justice secretary, Mhairi Black MP, Philipa Whitford MP, Joanna Cherry MP, Ash Regan.
Yousaf and Robertson for myself are both opportunists, out of their depth, and would both be a disaster for Scotland. Kate Forbes could have a problem, like Tim Farron experienced in the Liberal Democrats wrongly, with her religious beliefs and especially with the SNP’s intolerant youth wing. Mhairi Black MP would equally be a disaster, all woke and zero substance but she can like Sturgeon communicate well to hide her flaws but not for me in any shape or form. Both are also very young and inexperienced in many ways.
John Swinney was a bit of a disaster when he led the SNP previously and I seriously doubt he would want the job anyway. Certainly won’t enthuse the voters that is for sure. Keith Brown would be your management option I suppose, a safe pair of hands. I think Whitford could do a job, as would Cherry, but would either want the toxic chalice and in Joanna Cherry the membership we are led to believe, or many in it, don’t like her. I don’t know much about Ash Regan other than she resigned from her post over GRR and got a lot of plaudits for it.
There are a lot of issues the SNP needs to deal with. Sturgeon on the back benches won’t help whoever takes over. Her (husband) still being the invisible CEO definitely doesn’t help. GRR is a dark cloud that hangs over the party, as do, party funds and the proposed referendum but I suppose they now have an excuse to kick the whole indy debate onto the back burner, which of course they will.
I don’t have a horse in the race, if it were Cherry or Whitford then I might think there is hope, the rest is just more managed decline for me with a few being disgusting excuses for human beings, and saying that the kingmakers will be the equally disgusting Scottish Greens. Sturgeon going is a good thing, even if the media, including yoons, are trying to re-write history today but at the end of the day, the SNP needs to change drastically or just waste on the vine.
grumpyscottishman.wordpress.com 
Aye, it definitely does. A honest able, Scottish nationalist might be worth a try running the SNP.?
That counts out all but 2 of your choices by my reckoning. Regan and Cherry. I’d take either.
GM
I don’t know anything about Regan, don’t think Cherry can win with the membership but overall I am not that bothered as I expect very little from the SNP and haven’t for a long time. It is a party in decline and I just don’t think they have the guts for drastic change but I would love to be proved wrong and would happily admit it if I am. Time will tell I guess but I fear they will go all Tory and make the wrong choice.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
Jury would be oot on Forbes and certainly not because of her religious beliefs which she is 101% entitled to. Is she serious about Scottish nationhood aka a Scottish nationalist.
GM
I agree, religious beliefs should not matter, but they will and especially with the SNP youth wing. I am not so sure she will stand anyway or has what it takes to lead. I don’t have a preference as I am not a member, the Scottish Greens will be the king makers and that is a problem given how disgusting that party has become, I used to give them my list vote but that ended a while back. My fear would be Robertson or Humza, both disgusting charlatans for me and way out their depth in politics full stop but at the end of the day I am not overly fussed as it is managed decline either way.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
Jim Fairlie is a genuine as they come.
GM
I don’t know much about him at all, I’ll need to have a wee skiffy.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
In little more than 36 hours she’s already forgotten.
After following the controversies for the past few years Sturgeon’s resignation is already passé – I have no idea why. Perhaps, it’s low expectations for the successor but I think it has more to do with Robin McAlpine’s recent post where he urges to drop the “messiah complex”. No one is coming to save us. If we want to be free we’ll each have to do it ourselves.
I’ve said in the past, in many places, that independence isn’t in the bag until a right-wing, pro-independence party emerges. There’s no need to be alarmed, somebody has to represent the current soft/hard noes. Once it emerges, they’ll all breathe a sigh of relief that their interests will have some representation. Perhaps it’s time for the SNP to fracture?
Stuart
It may well be, I think the SNP, and sadly Scotland right now, are in a period of managed decline, the pace will depend on who takes over I suppose as I just do not expect the membership to be brave to go for a radical even if one stands. Sturgeon staying on as an MSP is a dark cloud hanging over who gets the poison chalice, as is her (husband). What a total mess they have gotten themselves into, bad enough she was the worst First Minister we have ever had and she leaves Scotland in a far worse place than she found it and that sadly has impacted on us all.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
The damage she’s done will be felt for decades from now
100%YES
I agree, I don’t get what people can’t see about the state Scotland is in and it is mostly down to her. Devolution was always a trap after Smith but she should have made it work better by concentrating on the small things and showing good governance but she didn’t, she has been a disaster in pretty much every way and her hanging around the back benches won’t help either.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
I woke up today with the Sunshining a hang over and a bit more hope than normal. Sturgeon will be history soon. However urgency now must be made. Diana Abbott today exposed Starmers links to private health companies who have been lobbying him, it is clear why he was put in place now . The NHS is now going to have large parts privatised by a Red Red Tory’s future government. This is something the Blue Tory’s were frightened to do, fearing the public backlash.This is the way the establishment get what they want with Tweedledee tweedledum politics. They have even insured he with get a massive majority. The next leader of the SNP must be someone who can unite the movement. We need to keep the leadership away from the old guard. We dont want to get rid of one stougge only to get another.
Dissolve the Union
Alastair
I trust Starmer as much as I trust a Tory, the man is a liar in every way. Sturgeon needs to go full stop in my opinion, her hanging about will make it more difficult for the SNP as a party, and likewise, her so-called husband hanging around like a bad smell as well. It will be interesting to see what happens, there is no clear leader in there which is why I think the party is managed decline now but sadly that will apply to Scotland the indy cause as well.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
It’s a strange thing Betrayal especially from those we once held in high regard. In 2014 Sturgeon had our trust and adoration, love even yes our dud useless Supreme leader .We where duped and made fools of we cannot make the same mistake again. Sturgeon is undoubtedly a Narcissist and that is what they do Betrayal. I agree Sturgeon needs along with her SNP CEO Murrell removed to ensure that they have no influence over a future SNP. Strangely those old guard in the SNP and in my view secret agents of UK.Ok they want to keep GRA. I totally agree that they are in decline if they cannot dismantle the mad cap politics that the colonial masters have invented to bring the party down dismantling it as a vehicle for independence. .
I will watch with interest but I think the main vehicle for independence will switch from the SNP. We were at this stage previously in history before the first world war where home rule bill was passed but never enacted simply ignored. People coming back from the war where probably told now is not the time S””t ,History is now repeating itself let’s hope with a different outcome.
Dissolve the Union.
Alastair
I hope there is a new vehicle, whatever that may be, and I also hope that it is the wider yes community led. I’ve said in the past that the political parties won’t deliver independence, only the people will by convincing others but I do recognise that a huge part of that is also good common sense governance. Whom ever takes over has to shelve the woke policies, the big expensive projects and focus on the things that people can see around them pot holes, the bins being emptied, SNHS waiting times, those are the key I think.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
Reblogged this on Ramblings of a now 60+ Female.
Sturgeon, like Thatcher, will never be forgotten in my household. We went from the brink of Independence to handing the Unionist the upper hand.
The GRR Cult wedge giving London a justified reason to use a S35. That step undermined Holyrood permanently.
The stupidity of the Supreme Court Referendum case was even more pointless. A ruling that was an obvious bear trap that Sturgeon rushed into.
Clootie
I get that and feel very much the same. We all had a lot of hope in her but she has failed at pretty much every level. All she had to do was demonstrate good governance, improve the small things, and make sure services run properly. We didn’t need big projects that she totally messed up because she listened to unionists and embraced failed unionist companies like on the ferries. GRR didn’t need to happen right now, Hate Speech, named persons, none of it was a priority at all for anyone in Scotland yet her ego and lack of ability has cost us dearly as a country and as a movement. I certainly won’t forget her destruction of Scotland in so many ways.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
We really need to know what the job of SNP leaders is so that the person with the right attributes and skills is selected.
The top priority has to be how to deliver the constitutional change that we all want and Scotland desperately needs.
If its not, then they can choose who they like – it will make no difference to our plight as part of this benighted UK.
Meanwhile I note that Cherry has ruled herself out (this time) but has delivered a few much needed truths to the SNP in The National today (https://www.thenational.scot/politics/23327169.joanna-cherry-wont-standing-become-snp-leader-time/#comments-anchor).
Duncanio
I never thought she would stand for leader, why she stays in that party is beyond me. I think they will go for a drone and nothing will change, indy is dead for the long term.
Thanks for the link and commenting.
Bruce