The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Rivals have say on one year of Yousaf
Humza Yousaf has been described as a “weak leader” whose first year was “nothing short of a disaster”, as opposition leaders made a pitch to voters on the anniversary of his election as SNP leader.
The first minister narrowly defeated rival Kate Forbes in his run for the top job on March 27 last year, beginning a turbulent 12 months in charge.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar pointed to the SNP’S electoral troubles in the past year, particularly the loss of the Rutherglen and Hamilton West byelection to Labour and the defection of two elected members – Ash Regan MSP to the Alba Party and MP Lisa Cameron to the Conservatives – as well as MP Angus Macneil leaving the party.
Mr Sarwar also attacked the first minister’s efforts to tackle child poverty and drug deaths.
Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross highlighted more than 100 instances of what he claimed were failures during Mr Yousaf ’s time in office, including missing A&E waiting times targets, the publication of nine new papers in the independence prospectus series, and the country’s economy.
Mr Ross added that voters have the chance to pass judgment on the first minister’s “dire reign” at the upcoming general election.
Mr Sarwar said: “After a year, it is clear Humza Yousaf is a weak leader who is out of his depth and leading a chaotic and divided government that is not delivering for Scotland.
“Every sector of our public services is now weaker thanks to Humza Yousaf ’s SNP.
“Not only is it clear to the people of Scotland that Humza Yousaf has no vision for the future – even his own former cabinet colleagues are saying so in public.
“This is a record of shame and failure. With Humza Yousaf scrambling for a new election strategy on a weekly basis, it is no surprise that the people of Scotland are now looking for change.
“We need change here in Scotland and across the UK, and only Scottish Labour can deliver it.”
Mr Ross said: “Humza Yousaf ’s first year has been nothing short of a disaster for him, his party and – most importantly – the people of Scotland. It’s a tale of independence obsession, abject failures and broken promises; of a first minister out of his depth and unable to control his feuding, scandal-ridden party.
“Humza Yousaf has ignored the real priorities of Scots – fixing our ailing public services and growing the economy – and instead doubled down on the SNP’S fixation with breaking up the UK, while cosying up to the anti-growth Greens.
“This detailed and damning dossier lays bare his appalling record, which includes every A&E target being missed, Scotland’s economy shrinking, rising levels of violent and sexual crimes, unacceptable train cancellations at Snp-run Scotrail, and public cash being squandered on independence propaganda papers.
“Later this year voters will get the chance to cast their verdict on his and the SNP’S dire reign. In swathes of seats across Scotland they know that only the Scottish Conservatives can beat the SNP and get the focus back to the issues that matter to them.”
The Scottish Government has been contacted for comment.
Iforesee an outbreak of absolute apathy at the next election. You don’t need a crystal ball to recognise great numbers of folk are fed up with empty boasts off political parties who promise the earth and fail to deliver.
Spoiled ballot papers with ‘None of the above’ scribbled on them might be among the most polite form of words to feature, with many voters scunnered at politicians who seem more out of touch with public opinion than I can ever remember.
Towards all of the political parties there seems to be a wave of voter revulsion at a political class which embrace causes barely relevant to the vast majority of folk who are trying to eke out their wages and salaries to pay inflated shopping and energy bills, mortgages and rents.
The indifference of voters towards all parties seems infectious.
I’m speaking to more and more people who don’t intend to vote at all at the general election and, if that sense of detachment continues, I see the same happening at the Scottish elections.
For a while we seem to have been drawing our politicians from increasingly narrow and rarefied backgrounds: folk who come straight out of university into political research jobs, then into Parliament.
Their limited life experiences can be written on the back of a fag packet, something which is abundantly clear when we see the sort of narrow interests they’re trying to force on an electorate which doesn’t share their minority obsessions.
The Tories have had 14 years in power to come up with a vision of what a fairer and more equitable country might look like, but have achieved little other than bitter infighting and the likelihood of electoral wipe-out.
Labour seem a sure-fire bet to deal the Conservatives a massive knockout blow.
But they, too, are riven as usual by their infantile left-wing carping from the sidelines and the party has traditionally been hostage to a section of virtuesignalling Marxists who prefer to beat their breasts than beat the Tories, as one MP put it.
Sir Keir Starmer’s vision of what he hopes to achieve looks woolly and vague and, although he holds a massive lead over Rishi Sunak’s embattled troops, it seems that many casting their vote for him will be doing so more as a protest vote than any ringing endorsement of a galvanised Labour Party.
In Scotland, the SNP appears on course to lose swathes of their MPS. Between ongoing police investigations and a struggling leader in Humza Yousaf – who when he was justice secretary was responsible for the chillingly dangerous Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 due to become law on April 1 – their prospects of halting the return to Labour of many of the voters who transferred their loyalties to them in the past are evaporating daily.
However, voter disenchantment and indifference isn’t something to be celebrated. The reason we’ve arrived at the current mess is because too many of us opted out and let the zealots take over the various parties.
They’ve been pretty much free – and unchallenged – to pursue policies which many voters regard as irrelevant and daft and now we’re paying the price with a political cadre totally ignorant of the real needs of voters.
The only solution is to vote for the least bad option of the big parties or, even better, give independent candidates unencumbered by party dogma a chance. I don’t think it can be any worse to elect some free thinkers than the current party conformists mindlessly towing their party line.
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With Ann Summers the latest shop to call it a day in Dundee’s embattled city centre, the once illustrious Reform Street will look even more impoverished.
I walked up the formerly grand thoroughfare last week past the abandoned empty units, coffee and charity shops, and other down-at-heel frontages.
It was a depressing dander through a street which once boasted elegant and stylish emporiums like Cairds and Jaeger.
Dundee isn’t alone; this blight is leaving many formerly swish city streets in Scotland looking like ghost towns but unless it’s reversed the retail flight from the centre could become unstoppable.
Planners and shopping specialists need to find a solution and I wonder if certain central streets need to be designated only for shops while others are redesigned to accommodate city centre living.
Often on trips abroad covering football matches I found myself living in hotels in cities which appeared to marry perfectly the idea of town living with a cafe and retail culture, providing thriving and bustling city centres.
Places like Bern and Lucerne are swankier than Dundee and they embrace a city centre culture which sees their centres thrive day and night. We should endeavour to copy their model.
Labour are riven as usual by their infantile left-wing carping from the sidelines