Fishy business
SNP Leadership Watch
Well the fun has kind of been taken out of watching the SNP leadership race. Whilst Roseanna was the clear favourite, Nicola Sturgeon was set to give her a real fight. Now that Alec Salmond has returned as the man of destiny to save Scotland the drama is over. He is a dead cert to win. A reliable leader who has the personal, political and media skills to do the job. And he's popular with the SNP rank and file.
Of course there is the small matter of why he resigned the last time. Additionally he is a Westminster MP but not an MSP in the Scottish Parliament (he has stated his intention to return, but not until the next holyrood election). Holyrood is the only stage that really matters for the SNP.
What is also not clear is the political direction that Alec will be taking. More of the same? Swinney just continued along the path that Salmond started on. And look where he ended up. Will Salmond be for making holyrood work, or will he state a bolder 'independence case'? Will he be prepared to work with others like the SSP and Greens in the independence convention, and build bridges to other political trends? Will he tilt social and economic policy away from the rural and 'celtic tiger' big business right and back towards the urban left vote that he needs to win, the vote the SSP has eaten into so succesfully?
Roseanna didn't look too pleased when interviewed on the news. In fact she looked rather sick. Not surprisingly. Still, over on her blog, she is defiant.
"We have a new system of one member one vote in the SNP and I look forward to this contest in which it is the members who will decide."
There is also suggestion that the SNP rank and file will rebel against Nicola Sturgeon and deny her a deputy leadership place. They are said to be unhappy with the unending deal making that is going on behind their backs (a joint candidature with Kenny McAskill which morphed into a joint candidature with Salmond.)
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2 Comments:
Where's the cartoon from? It tickles my fancy
http://invereskstreet.blogspot.com/By
Imposs1904, at 3:08 pm
It's Frank Boyle from the Edinburgh Evening News. I really like his stuff.
He is on http://www.boylecartoon.co.uk
Coincidentally he also does stuff for the Scottish Socialist Voice!
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