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CHARLIE WHELAN: Governance of Scotland is turning into a very bad joke


By Gavin Musgrove

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First Minister Humza Yousaf announced on Monday he was resigning from the post.
First Minister Humza Yousaf announced on Monday he was resigning from the post.

Now Humza ‘Useless’ Yousaf has fallen on his sword what next for the SNP?

If we the people had their say in an election now there would be only one answer and that would be out of office and out of power.

It may be of course that the Nationalists could be forced to hold an election but that’s seems unlikely as it’s only really the Scottish Labour Party that wants one.

Once it became clear that Independence, the sole reason for the existence of the SNP, was off the agenda for another generation it was inevitable that they would fall apart.

The SNP is not the progressive party that the greens wish it to be.

How could it be with the likes of Fergus Ewing probably more right wing than the Tory leader Douglas Ross as a leading light?

Could anyone imaging the SNPs most capable candidate Kate Forbes who is more socially conservative than most Conservatives doing a deal with Greens?

The truth is that a party so divided as the SNP can’t continue to govern the country but it is the country that will suffer as a result.

The governance of Scotland is actually becoming a joke down south. I was with political friends in London last week and they couldn’t believe that the SNP in Scotland were as incompetent as the Tories in Westminster.

As in Scotland a party is clinging onto power when it’s clear that the people want change.

We won’t get that change until the Prime Minister decides to call an election which could be next year.

Here in Scotland we may have to wait even longer for the election we need.

Meanwhile the health system is in crisis and gets worse by the day. Even here in the Highlands it’s almost impossible to see an NHS dentist and in Glasgow you can forget it.

I’ve no idea who the Nationalists will elect as their next leader and even if they elect someone who is at least competent unlike the last one the only right thing to do would be to call an election.

But when was the last time the SNP did what was right?

If there is one party who wants an election least it’s the so called Greens.

They have been exposed as a party that seems to put green issues at the bottom of their agenda.

They have also benefitted from SNP supporters giving them second preference votes something that will surly end now.

• It’s been so cold recently that I’ve only been down fishing on the river a couple of times and have yet to see a salmon though I did hear of one being caught on the Grantown beat.

Any one walking down from the old bridge towards Cromdale will have seen a huge pile of cows muck right next to the river which has now been spread on the grass.

Unbelievably this is perfectly legal even though it will undoubtedly pollute the river.

The Spey Fishery Board who are partly responsible for the health of the river are powerless to act but given that the owners of the land also own the fishing rights and have representation on the board don’t expect anything to happen that will change this practice.

Meanwhile wild salmon remain an endangered species.

Charlie Whelan (Labour) is a former spokesman for Gordon Brown.


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