Mild-mannered Swinney, 60, who joined the SNP at 15, is the party’s third leader in 14 months.
Glasgow, Scotland – John Swinney, with glasses and good manners, is not a political firebrand.
The new leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), who was officially sworn in as Scotland’s seventh First Minister on Wednesday, has made a career out of being a constant political presence at the heart of an SNP government that has been in power for 17 years.
The veteran politician, who served as Scottish finance secretary and deputy first minister in previous SNP administrations, and who was leader of the SNP between 2000 and 2004 during the party’s opposition years in the devolved Scottish Parliament, described his rise to the highest high office in Scotland as “something of a surprise”.
Lawmakers confirmed his appointment on Tuesday, following Humza Yousaf’s resignation last month.
“When I stepped down as Deputy First Minister in March last year, I believed it would be the last major role I would hold in politics,” Swinney told the Scottish Parliament after his confirmation. “Having served as a senior minister for 16 years, I felt I had – to coin a phrase – done my part.”
But senior SNP figures turned to Swinney, 60, when Yousaf, 39, was forced to resign after he overturned the SNP’s power-sharing deal with the Scottish Green Party in April.
‘He hasn’t changed much in 20 years’
The SNP, which made international headlines 10 years ago after nearly winning Scotland’s independence from the British state in a 2014 sovereignty referendum, has lately become a beleaguered force.
Scandal, including the 2020 trial and acquittal of former SNP first minister Alex Salmond on sexual assault charges, and last month’s decision by Scottish police to charge Peter Murrell, husband of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, with Embezzlement of funds from the SNP went hand in hand with the fall in the party’s voting figures.
As a resurgent Labor Party in London threatens to end the SNP’s dominance at both the UK’s Westminster and the Scottish Parliament, is Swinney the man who can turn around his party’s weakening fortunes?
“Those who sympathized with Swinney during his first period as leader felt he was a good behind-the-scenes organizer, but accepted that he failed because the public did not warm to him or trust him,” said James Kelly, who runs the pro blog -independence Scot Goes Pop. “The problem is that he hasn’t changed much in 20 years. His communication skills are still professional and not at the same level as Salmond and Sturgeon.”
Kelly admitted that “not all popular leaders are conventionally charismatic”, adding: “The fact that he is older and that the public has seen his competence in government over many years will make him more popular a second time.” .
Swinney appointed 34-year-old socially conservative Kate Forbes, widely seen as a future leader of the party, as deputy prime minister.
The new Prime Minister has committed to making combating child poverty a priority of his mandate.
He joined the party aged 15 and has been a sitting Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) since its creation 25 years ago.
But his four-year term as leader was considered unsuccessful after he presided over the SNP’s poor performance in the 2003 Scottish Parliament election. After the pro-independence party claimed victory over the Scottish Labor Party in 2007 under the Salmond’s leadership, Swinney was appointed cabinet secretary for finance.
Despite his reputation as a scholar, Swinney once admitted that he had contributed to the divisive nature of the Scottish Parliament by “breaking away from a sedentary position”.
As Scottish First Minister, he will have to juggle the responsibilities of being a reassuring presence for his wife, Elizabeth, who has multiple sclerosis, and dealing with the day-to-day demands of running a minority government in a legislature where SNP opponents are eager to end the party’s dominance in the next Scottish Parliament elections in 2026.
Some SNP voters say they have faith Swinney will weather the political storms – and steer the party into calmer waters.
“Swinney will make an excellent prime minister for the people of Scotland,” said SNP supporter Angela Curley, a university professor who believes his “calm manner and experience” would bring together the party that is now its third leader in just 14 years. months.
The SNP’s ultimate goal is an independent Scotland, which polls say is supported by around 50 percent of Scots.
“I think the debate is still there. Polls suggest that the independence debate has not lost momentum, which may indicate that it is now above party politics or manifesto mantra,” said Curley. “I think Swinney simply needs to be the constant gardener, making sure the right people are in the right positions to maintain public trust.”
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
