We need an election now
Humza Yousaf’s resignation as First Minister is the latest chapter in a story of SNP incompetence and chaos that has lasted 17 years. People are right to be fed up with it.
In the blink of an eye, Mr Yousaf scrapped the SNP’s coalition with the Greens, and then found himself facing two votes of no confidence, and quit his post.
And now John Swinney, who was ousted as SNP leader in 2004, is set to lead the party once again – 20 years later.
But in reality, it does not matter who is in charge of the SNP.
The party’s time in power has been defined by a culture of mismanagement and distraction from the people’s priorities.
Humza Yousaf inherited a government which was completely unprepared to tackle the cost-of-living crisis and which had overseen the steady decline of our public services.
Under his leadership, things have seen little or no improvement: the Scottish economy grew by only 0.1 per cent in 2023 and over 825,000 Scots are still languishing on NHS waiting lists.
In Renfrewshire, we want a Scottish Government which will make our lives better.
Instead, we are met with one that is distracted by its own infighting and electoral prospects.
Our public transport system is a shambles.
We are paying amongst the highest bus fares in the UK whilst the services they rely on are being cut.
Our public services have been systematically reduced, forcing communities to fight year after year to stop cuts like the recent proposals to merge the Mirin and Milldale day centres for adults with learning disabilities and the closure of the excellent Montrose care home for older people.
And while the Mirin and Milldale day centres have thankfully been saved, the Montrose care home is still to close.
All of this was only on the table in the first place because NHS and local council budgets have been decimated by 17 years of SNP cuts.
Through their tireless campaigning to save their services, users and their families have made clear which issues matter to them.
But Scottish Government ministers – mired in chaos and incompetence – continue to be distracted and ignore the needs of the public they are meant to serve.
We need a Scottish Parliament election now, not just because the SNP are set to install another First Minister without an election but more importantly to end this SNP Government’s shambolic time in power.
The people of Renfrewshire, and of Scotland as a whole, deserve a government which will finally focus on their priorities, particularly living standards and public services.
Only Labour has a plan to do this.
Our New Deal for Working People will will end in-work poverty and introduce a genuine living wage for all adult workers.
We will create 50,000 new jobs in renewables, supported by a new publicly funded green energy company based in Scotland, GB Energy.
And we will tackle NHS waiting lists by cracking down on tax dodgers and investing the money into public services.
The SNP has shown time and again that it has no plan for Renfrewshire, and no plan for our country.
Only the election of a Scottish Labour government can bring the change that Scotland needs.