Contest shows bitter divisions
The trains never ran on time. The police were strained to breaking point. The NHS has record high waiting times.
More of the same is not a manifesto. It’s an acceptance of mediocrity.
Not my words to attack the SNP’s record in government. The words of the finance secretary and leadership contender Kate Forbes during the recent STV leadership debate.
If you missed the debate, it is well worth going back to watch. After all, one of the three hopefuls will become Scotland’s next First Minister.
One of these people, who each of the others think is unqualified for the job, will be leading the country in a matter of weeks.
What a dire state of affairs we are in.
Ministers who sat around the table with one another, now openly criticising each other and trashing Nicola Sturgeon’s legacy.
It made for brutal viewing but it was also incredibly vindicating to see SNP MSPs finally accept the scale of the problems they have caused but have denied exist for so long.
“The SNP has lost its way”.
Another criticism from one of the leadership contenders – and something I absolutely agree with.
This is a party that has no idea what it’s doing, where it’s going or why. Even on independence they have no plan between them. If Sturgeon couldn’t deliver independence then there’s no chance any of these three could.
This isn’t just any old leadership contest, this is the undoing of the SNP, exposing the very deep and polar opposite divisions that exist.
Humza Yousaf even suggested that Forbes’ ideas would push the SNP closer to the Tories, putting at risk our NHS and other public services.
The SNP is bitterly divided and entirely unfocused on you and the issues facing the country.
One in four children living in poverty, with 9,000 growing up in temporary accommodation.
One in seven Scots on NHS waiting lists. Here in Renfrewshire, we know all too well how bad this problem can be. The number of people waiting more than four hours at the RAH A&E hit record high levels in recent months.
Cuts to Renfrewshire’s education attainment funding as the gap between richer and poorer children widens.
The Lower Clyde’s reputation undermined by the ferries fiasco whilst selling contracts for shipbuilding to the highest overseas bidder.
And, of course, little action to support working people through the continuing and crippling cost-of-living crisis.
Scotland deserves better but the people who caused so much of the decline in our communities cannot be the ones to fix things.
At the next General Election, an alternative to this will be on offer.
The Labour party will put forward progressive plans for the country that will unleash Scotland’s potential and root out failings of the past decade.
We will create a greener and fairer future.
We will provide the cash for investment in public services and commit to restoring politics as a force for good.
Scotland needs change and the SNP are a party incapable of delivering on people’s hopes. It’s not just opposition politicians like me who think that now, it’s SNP MSPs too.
Let me leave you with this line from one SNP leadership hopeful to another which I think summarises the position we are in: “How can anyone trust you to stand up for the people of Scotland?”