John Swinney promises ‘new chapter’ for the SNP and Scotland
IndependentMay 06
Scotland: Swinney Elected SNP Leader, Set to Become First Minister
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The Facts
John Swinney was elected without opposition as the Scottish National Party's (SNP) new leader Monday. The news comes a week after First Minister Humza Yousaf announced his resignation.
Swinney won the position following activist Graeme McCormick's decision to pull out of the race Sunday, and former finance secretary Kate Forbes's announcement last week that she would not run after being offered a "significant" role in a new government by Swinney.
The Spin
Left narrative
Swinney, who has participated in Scottish politics for decades, knows how to play the game well. Instead of bashing anti-independence members of the Scottish parliament, Swinney has set out a cross-party agenda aimed at rejuvenating key sectors, including healthcare and schooling. Scotland has recently endured unnecessary political turmoil, and now it's time for Swinney to bring back normality.
Right narrative
Swinney's entire career is connected to Nicola Sturgeon's tainted legacy and also support for many unpopular gender and hate-speech policies that have led to the downfall of his party. The appointment of Swinney shows that the SNP hasn't learned from its mistakes and is incapable of providing the cure to Scotland's problems.
Nerd narrative
There's a 5% chance that Scotland leaves the UK by Jan. 1, 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.