SNP Leader Nicola Sturgeon botched Cabinet, Scottish Government cabinet reshuffle sees Nicola Sturgeon pick the weakest Cabinet since SNP took office in 2007, this is a ‘leaving Cabinet’ as in leaving political office, the idea that she has brought in ‘fresh talent’ is just risible as is her attempt to sell this to the public

Dear All

Yesterday we saw SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon conduct the equivalent of the ‘Last Supper’, her reshuffle was long, slow and drag out, however, there was material for people to laugh at.

SNP depute leader Keith Brown isn’t up to the task of walking and chewing bubblegum, he left the cabinet to take up the role of ‘campaign director’, what does it say that Nicola Sturgeon’s supposed right hand man has effectively been demoted? It also begs the question, who is stupid enough to believe Keith Brown is a thinker when he is just a follower? Can Keith Brown turn around the SNP fortunes, I serious doubt that prospect any time soon!

I am glad to see that Scotland’s famous ‘dumped’ wife Shona Robison has also jumped ship as Health Sec, of course she should have gone much sooner, could run and save her marriage, couldn’t run a health service, on her way out the door she said as an excuse:

“it was an "immense privilege" to serve as Health Secretary for three-and-a-half years, "albeit at times very challenging and all-consuming".

If you were a patient who nearly died or someone getting a substandard service, you might be tempted to say that Robison’s claim of ‘all consuming’ is a bit much to stomach.

Robison also added to pad out her failure that this year had also been "particularly challenging" personally with the loss of her parents, a health scare and "some big changes in my personal life".

This bit is a cracker from Robison:

"I feel that I have reached a point in my life just now where I would be best to step down from a role in Government."

As Robison sails off after doing a bad job, she is replaced by 'queen of the Scottish quango circuit' Jeane Freeman, so if you think this is a step up for the public think again. Freeman didn’t turn around Police Scotland and she didn’t achieve anything of note as Social Security Minister, in fact the SNP told Westminster that they weren’t ready to take welfare powers to be devolved.

If you had to pick a major failing of Nicola Sturgeon in this ‘new’ cabinet, you have to wonder why Sturgeon was stupid to pick Humza Yousaf as Justice Sec given his past and opportunist playing of the ‘race card’. I see this as effectively breaking the rule, ‘don’t shit were you eat’. To me, his appointment is the clearest sign that Nicola Sturgeon clearly wants someone to put her out of her misery by removing the SNP as the government of Scotland.

Humza Yousaf as Transport Minister couldn’t guarantee ‘food security’ during the bad weather, kinda makes you wonder about Justice doesn’t it. The delivery of new hate crime laws for Scotland under Yousaf will no doubt attempt to tread on people’s rights to free speech.

Ex Justice Sec Michael Matheson aka the ‘invisible man’, has been moved to Transport, well I am sure he will be invisible there as well, plus the weather is sunny at present, no snow for ages!

The failure that is Mike Russell remains as Brexit Minister, so Sturgeon’s claim of bringing in fresh talent looks rather weak to me, there are plenty of failed Ministers including her, the old lot looks unsurprisingly like the new lot.

I would say this is the weakest SNP line up since 2007.

Derek Mackay has retained his finance portfolio, with added responsibility for the economy, he is s disaster, now a disaster with more responsibility, John Swinney, Roseanna Cunningham and Fiona Hyslop retain their current roles with responsibility for education, the environment and culture. Swinney had to ditch his flagship education bill due to a lack of support, plus he doesn’t look well in my opinion, when you see a big physical change in someone, you wonder.

In trying to sell the ‘Last Supper Cabinet’, Sturgeon said:

"The new cabinet I am announcing today brings fresh talent to the Scottish Government and ensures that we are fully equipped to meet the challenges and opportunities facing the country in the months and years ahead. With the impact of Brexit on our economy and wider society, it is right that the issues it presents are fully reflected at cabinet level, while the delivery of a new Scottish social security system also requires a voice at the cabinet table."

She added:

"I will shortly be appointing a fully refreshed junior ministerial team, which will also include a number of fresh faces and a wealth of new talent."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-44628099

Christina McKelvie represents new talent, who is kidding who?

During the Westminster by-election of 2008, McKelvie came to the Glasgow North East Campaign, she volunteered herself to be Alex Salmond’s driver, at the time, she didn’t strike me as ‘one to watch’.

Scottish Conservative deputy leader Jackson Carlaw said:

"This is an SNP government that is tired, completely out of ideas and all over the place on key issues".

I think this could be shortened to fucked!

Labour's Rhoda Grant said:

"This reshuffle is long overdue but the real change Scotland wants and needs won't come from changing the odd Cabinet Secretary - it will come from changing the government."

Quite so ma’am!

As to the rest of the junior ministers, there isn’t much there, although Sturgeon took the opportunity to big them up. If you think back to the snap 2017 election, I done Glasgow North East, on polling day, it was raining hard. I was put on the same polling station as Ivan McKee, It was about the back of 11 am when I turned up there, he said to me he had already been there for four hours. As I look at him, he had a big golf umbrella like me, when I look at his clothes and footwear it looked remarkably dry considering he alleged he was standing there for four hours.

He left after half hour, three hours later, he drove by as the hard rain hadn’t let up to see me still standing there, didn’t stop, kept driving. Sturgeon said he brings a wealth of expert to his new role as trade minister, one wonders if that includes sticking it out till the job is done.

Finally, although the SNP via Nicola Sturgeon are proclaiming ‘fresh blood’, this is a ‘leaving Cabinet’ as in leaving political office, it is by far the weakness SNP Cabinet as I mentioned since 2007; one thing this Cabinet does tick the boxes for it is a hung parliament in 2021.

Nicola Sturgeon has picked a rotten Cabinet and her attempt to justify it, to me, clearly bares this out, you could pick a better Cabinet at a bus stop!

  

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University