FIRSTLY, I want to thank Humza Yousaf for his service to our country and for always putting the people of Scotland first.
As First Minister, he prioritised ground-breaking policies such as the Scottish Child Payment, which has helped so many families in Scotland against Westminster austerity.
As the first Muslim leader of a European country, he bolstered Scotland’s standing in the international community by publicly and consistently calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
As leader of the SNP, the effort he made to work closely with the grassroots of our movement must also be commended.
READ MORE: John Swinney rejects claim independence is 'frustratingly close'
I wish him and his family all the best going forward.
As the SNP now looks for a new leader, I am glad John Swinney has decided to throw his hat into the ring.
He has dedicated his entire life to serving the public and the cause for independence.
In his years of experience, he has weathered many a difficult storm and after more than a year of challenging headlines for the SNP, to say the least, I can think of no-one better placed to navigate the party through it.
For him to volunteer to lead the SNP, Scottish Government, Yes movement, and Scotland, at such a time serves as a testament to him as a person and as a leader.
John highlighted in his speech on Thursday that he wants to build a modern, diverse, and dynamic Scotland. This will only be possible if we focus our efforts wisely.
The upcoming General Election is going to be the toughest election the SNP has fought in a very long time.
There is absolutely no doubt that the first step to electoral success within a party is unity.
Without it, there is no chance of progressing the case for independence.
Anyone can see that the SNP need internal reform, and John Swinney has committed to do so.
The direction of the SNP must now be laser-focused on the cost of living crisis. It overwhelmingly remains the main issue impacting families across the country in some way or another.
Energy prices, food prices, and housing costs are completely unrealistic for far too many people, both in and out of work.
READ MORE: Mairi McAllan: Scottish independence is not dead
For as long as the main economic and social levers remain at Westminster, Scotland is better served when SNP MPs are elected to Westminster.
The UK Government has the powers to solve many of these problems, yet no answers are coming from either the Conservatives or Labour.
After years of cuts coming from the UK Government to the Scottish budget, our public services are far from perfect, but statistics show that under the SNP Scotland’s services are in a better state than in Tory-run England or in Labour-run Wales.
This is why our opponents are always careful to avoid direct comparisons between the other nations in this Union.
If done correctly, and with the hard work of activists all over the country, I believe this is a chance for a new wind to catch the sails of the SNP and John Swinney is the one to take us closer to our inevitable destination of an independent Scotland.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel