Independence Groundhog Day shows SNP and John Swinney are stuck
With his renewed focus on the constitution, John Swinney is attempting to do three things
A second independence referendum has never been “more important, more urgent or more necessary”, John Swinney told activists in Leith this morning.
The First Minister marked the first week back after Holyrood’s summer recess by stressing Scots must have the “right to decide” their constitutional future.
“This is our pledge, our right, and our opportunity,” he said. “To write the next chapter in Scotland's story together. That’s the right to decide. And it is our declaration today.”
It was a speech aimed squarely at next year’s Scottish Parliament election. Mr Swinney argued the 2011 vote, in which the SNP won an overall majority and secured a referendum on independence, set a “precedent” he was “determined” to repeat.
Elsewhere, he sought to draw a dividing line between his party and Westminster politics. “Over the summer, the language in Westminster around immigration and asylum has become utterly chilling,” he said.
Mr Swinney’s focus on independence was immediately lambasted by opponents.
At First Minister’s Questions in Holyrood, Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay accused him of a cynical attempt to distract attention from the SNP Government’s “dismal” record.
“The same old John Swinney is back,” he said. “He’s obsessed with independence and distracted from the day job. The majority of Scotland has a message for him: move on John.”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar made a similar point, arguing Mr Swinney was “using independence to hide from his failures and desperately trying to cling on to power”.
He said: “It is clear that John Swinney and his knackered Government are totally out of touch with the reality facing Scots.”
It is the Scottish political equivalent of Groundhog Day, on all fronts. An accompanying Government document on “your right to decide” was memorably described by one journalist as “cauld kale rehet”.
Regardless of its merit or otherwise, we’ve heard it all before. The truth is, the SNP is stuck and there are no easy routes forward.
With his renewed focus on independence, Mr Swinney is attempting to do three things: break the deadlock, shore up his core vote and manage internal party politics. He might have varying levels of success with the latter two, but the first will prove much more difficult.
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