The collapse of the SNP

For the past few years, Scotland has been sold a story about itself by our nationalist governing leaders.

There, down south, was nasty mean-spirited 'Westminster', stuffed to the gunwales with Tories and other small-minded types.

Up north, by contrast, was 'progressive' Scotland. Independence was needed, we were told, so our liberal Scandinavian souls could be freed from the grip of Anglo-spitefulness.

This woke ideal reached its peak three years ago, when Scotland's then rock-star politician Nicola Sturgeon brought into government two achingly right-on Green MSPs, Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater. Together – so the story went – this new enlightened SNP-Green coalition would march Scotland out of the UK (as both parties favoured independence), leaving behind the reactionary boors of Downing Street.

Well, yesterday, this bogus and sanctimonious story finally collapsed. 

Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf. With a general election in the offing, the SNP's panicking men in grey kilts began to wake up to the damage the deal was causing. The pressure has been building for months. Finally, the hapless First Minister pulled the plug

Lorna Slater (pictured) will be remembered principally for the car crash she made of a bottle deposit scheme designed to boost recycling rates but which has now been dumped, burdening businesses with millions in pointless set-up costs

Douglas Ross (pictured) of the Tories announced he was lodging a vote of no confidence in Yousaf, 'a failed First Minister'. Given that Labour and the Lib Dems will likely back the motion, the SNP will not survive the vote without the support of... the Greens

The SNP kicked out its progressive pals, leaving Ms Sturgeon's successor Humza Yousaf in charge of a minority government. During First Minister's Questions, the derision in Holyrood was overflowing, with the Lib Dems' Alex Cole-Hamilton likening the government to a 'circus' despite the 'two clowns' having left, while Douglas Ross of the Tories announced he was lodging a vote of no confidence in Yousaf, 'a failed First Minister'. Given that Labour and the Lib Dems will likely back the motion, the SNP will not survive the vote without the support of... the Greens.

But this marriage of nationalist convenience is no more. And for once, the SNP can't blame the English. This was a political farce made in Scotland.

The core reason behind yesterday's events was cold political maths. In their short time in office, the Scottish Greens repelled many middle-of-the-road voters in Scotland, concerned that hobbling the country's oil and gas industry would be ruinous for the economy.

And with a general election in the offing, the SNP's panicking men in grey kilts began to wake up to the damage the deal was causing. The pressure has been building for months. Finally yesterday, it forced the hapless First Minister to pull the plug.

The severing of the deal is, let it be said, a complete humiliation for Mr Yousaf, a man who billed himself as the 'continuity' candidate to Ms Sturgeon when he took over last year. Only weeks ago, he described Ms Sturgeon's Green Alliance as 'worth its weight in gold'. Even on Tuesday, he was still declaring adamantly that it wouldn't be dumped. 'I hope that the cooperation agreement will continue,' he said. Yesterday, less than 48 hours later, he declared that he had, in fact, been thinking of binning the Green Alliance for 'quite some time'.

Truly, butter would not melt in his mouth.

The truth is he was forced into the decision and not just by his restive party. Green activists had been threatening to walk out over the SNP's embarrassing announcement that it will ditch a key target of net zero last week.

The once happy love-in between the SNP and the Greens was in flames. 'This is an act of political cowardice by the SNP who are selling out future generations to appease the most reactionary forces in the country,' declared the Green co-leader Ms Slater.

This woke ideal reached its peak three years ago, when Scotland's then rock-star politician Nicola Sturgeon brought into government two achingly right-on Green MSPs, Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater (pictured)

The Sturgeonite experiment over the past few years has shown that Scotland is not, it turns out, a bastion of right-on wokeism

She can complain all she wants, but the Greens had it coming. It hasn't been their environmental agenda that's riled up Scots so much as their ultra-liberal extremism and their extraordinary incompetence at governing.

Ms Slater, for example, will be remembered principally for the car crash she made of a bottle deposit scheme designed to boost recycling rates but which has now been dumped, burdening businesses with millions in pointless set-up costs. Characteristically, she has shown little or no awareness of what she is responsible for.

Mr Harvie's legacy will be his shameful response to the findings of Hilary Cass's review into transgender services. Despite the report pointing out the lack of evidence around the use of puberty blockers for children, Mr Harvie refused to say whether he accepted its findings or not. His zealotry over the transgender issue appears to have been the straw that broke many SNP backs.

Aside from the 2 per cent of people in Scotland who say they will vote for the Greens in the election later this year, few will mourn the departure of this pair.

But perhaps, between them, they have done Scotland a favour. The Sturgeonite experiment over the past few years has shown that Scotland is not, it turns out, a bastion of right-on wokeism. Never forget that, after Ms Sturgeon quit last year, 48 per cent of its members voted for Kate Forbes to be leader, a member of the strict Wee Free Church of Scotland who opposed her party's radical gender recognition bill.

Instead, it's shown that Scotland and the SNP are far more socially conservative and (whisper it) far more like England than the nationalists have tried to claim.

Forced by the mood of the electorate, the SNP can now be expected to tack back to the political centre-ground.

Its strong representation in the north-east of the country will demand that the party adopts a more sympathetic position on North Sea energy. The SNP will also likely shift its position on trans issues too. That will be more popular – but, for the SNP, the damage is already done.

Never forget that, after Ms Sturgeon quit last year, 48 per cent of its members voted for Kate Forbes (pictured) to be leader, a member of the strict Wee Free Church of Scotland who opposed her party's radical gender recognition bill

Mr Yousaf's abrupt U-turn yesterday has exposed him as a man without a plan. The smart money is on his swift removal from office the moment the general election is over

Lurking behind everything in Scotland is the continuing investigation into the party's finances, which last week witnessed the re-arrest of Ms Sturgeon's husband, former party chief executive Peter Murrell.

He has been charged with embezzling party funds. Ms Sturgeon is still awaiting her fate.

Mr Yousaf's abrupt U-turn yesterday has exposed him as a man without a plan. The smart money is on his swift removal from office the moment the general election is over. The SNP's grip on Scotland is far from dead – it remains a ruthless, power-driven political organisation. But the days when it could preach pompously about Boris Johnson and Tory ministers in Westminster from a position of moral righteousness north of the border have long gone.

This is a party mired in scandal and, as of yesterday, led by a man with little credibility in the tank.

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