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Original poster

Who do you want to see as new First Minister?

483 replies

Rememberal · 18/02/2023 17:44

And who do you think it'll be if they are different?

Not seen any threads on this yet!

My two cents -

I voted SNP when I was very young (Salmond) and under the impression they were a kinda catch-all working man's party who didn't do much to offend the left or right, but I stopped voting for them ages ago and recently started to actively despise them.

Normally I'm the polar opposite of the Reddit consensus and they seem to want Robertson but only, it seems, because they can't have Mhari Black (which is one MP I DO know and absolutely cannot stand). I feel like Forbes is the only one who'd bring them back to the centre and increase membership as she might attract everyone who left back.

So I suppose I'm a toss-up between Forbes who might pull them away from their more (imho) farcical policies and Black who might finally start to kill them dead in the water.

I do believe Sturgeon resigned because the recent polling data (where ALL age demographics agreed with the WM overturn including a large amount of SNP membership) showed that people vote SNP despite their progressive policies and not because of them. I reckon they knew it would really hurt them at the next election, and since she can't U-turn, the only thing left to do was step aside and let a new leader shift their direction.

I'm interested to know what people on here think though.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Rainbowshit · 24/02/2023 09:40

Ah ha ha! Interesting times.

Whatthediddlyfeck · 24/02/2023 09:41

Shelefttheweb · 24/02/2023 09:36

But MSPs from other parties could elect an SNP MSP that a proportion of other SNP MSPs object to?

Please let this happen!🍿🍿

BigBoysDontCry · 24/02/2023 09:47

As delicious as all this is, it does highlight that the entire structure and workings of Holyrood needs sorting. It was never meant that we'd be stuck with a single party in power (with a single agenda) and basically being controlled by a party (the greens) that we didn't vote for. I mean Lorna Slater got 1700 votes...

ArabellaScott · 24/02/2023 09:55

BigBoysDontCry · 24/02/2023 09:47

As delicious as all this is, it does highlight that the entire structure and workings of Holyrood needs sorting. It was never meant that we'd be stuck with a single party in power (with a single agenda) and basically being controlled by a party (the greens) that we didn't vote for. I mean Lorna Slater got 1700 votes...

Yes. Holyrood is a shitshow.

The STV is a shambles and we need a second chamber. I think someone needs to raise the clear issues with our government and look at reform.

Shelefttheweb · 24/02/2023 10:05

Unfortunately reform of Holyrood at the moment would be like expecting turkeys to vote for Christmas.

ArabellaScott · 24/02/2023 10:10

I know. It's all quite worrying.

StatisticallyChallenged · 24/02/2023 10:15

The indy/unionist voting split has completely ruined the way holyrood was meant to work. It was designed with coalitions in mind

We've almost ended up at a Northern Ireland type situation but without the bloodshed - with two groups of parties divided on a single issue, and roughly half of the population willing to vote for each side. But on one side you have 3 big parties splitting the vote whilst the other only really has one so you have one side in perpetual power.

The NI powersharing is obviously a shit show at the moment but in some ways I think Scotland could do with something similar for day to day government which represented both sides.

Rainbowshit · 24/02/2023 13:43

Shelefttheweb · 24/02/2023 10:05

Unfortunately reform of Holyrood at the moment would be like expecting turkeys to vote for Christmas.

It very much benefits the SNP so don't expect them to change it.

StatisticallyChallenged · 24/02/2023 13:55

Yup, zero chance of reform

user567543 · 24/02/2023 14:05

Had to chuckle at this - wasn't aware anyone in the SNP could identify a conflict of interest:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-64757594

Bold move!

Jacopo · 24/02/2023 15:01

It shows how corrupt the whole thing has become that it’s taken one of the candidates to say this out loud. The situation with Murrell should never have been allowed to happen. Of COURSE it’s a conflict of interest.
ex-SNP member here.

BigBoysDontCry · 24/02/2023 16:41

I don't think it will be long before sturgeon emerges from the closet and gets back as leader, unless she is in jail of course.

Her marriage to murrel will then be a moot point

Abhannmor · 24/02/2023 17:37

All this she should be in jail stuff has a huge bang of Trump about it to an outside observer.

I'm hearing she was stitched up from US , Canadian and Irish people. Now I don't have a scooby but it doesn't look great tbh.

No use blaming coalition government. The big party calls the shots really. This is on the SNP. A second chamber can only do so much.

user567543 · 24/02/2023 18:22

Not quite as bold as Ash Regan's statement though, any SNP majority means immediate independence, no referendum.

Well, that's a game changer...

twitter.com/ashregansnp/status/1629081412161744896/photo/1

SirChenjins · 24/02/2023 18:30

…Which won’t be recognised by the around 50% of the electorate or the UK Govt. Not sure what she’s hoping to achieve there, other than to create further division.

StatisticallyChallenged · 24/02/2023 18:47

She's been banging this drum for a few days in various forms but this is the clearest statement. It's insanity. Not sure it would be recognised internationally as a legal referendum, UK Govt wouldn't recognise it, half the population wouldn't recognise it...

That sort of crazy starts civil wars

SirChenjins · 24/02/2023 18:50

I suppose she has to appeal to the drum bangers who would otherwise vote for Yousaf because he’s toed the party line up until now.

Shelefttheweb · 24/02/2023 18:58

SirChenjins · 24/02/2023 18:30

…Which won’t be recognised by the around 50% of the electorate or the UK Govt. Not sure what she’s hoping to achieve there, other than to create further division.

Possibly more than 50% of the electorate given less than 64% of people voted in the last election. So Ash Regan is bedding in on making the SNP only about independence? We would be truly f*** . We need a government to focus on running the country, sorting out the NHS, education etc. Not another term of ‘ignore out crap governance and vote for us cos independence’. Or perhaps given their crap governance that is the only way they can stay in power?

Shelefttheweb · 24/02/2023 19:03

Is she thinking of following Catalonia’s lead?

BigBoysDontCry · 24/02/2023 19:05

No idea what Ash is banging on about. No-one is going to recognise it, the international community won't recognise it. UK gov could just switch off Barnet returns, scotgov would still have no facility to borrow which is apparently the magic token that suddenly makes all the numbers work and therefore not send Scotland into a 20 year recession....

Abhannmor · 24/02/2023 19:09

Tricky. Sinn Féin won a landslide victory on exactly that prospectus in 1918 ( iirc) . But every one knew what they were voting for. A party who would not take up their seats in Westminster , as per their manifesto from day one.

Im not sure you can just re-invent yourself as an Abstentionist party ? You could resign and force an election maybe.

NatashaDancing · 24/02/2023 19:10

BigBoysDontCry · 24/02/2023 19:05

No idea what Ash is banging on about. No-one is going to recognise it, the international community won't recognise it. UK gov could just switch off Barnet returns, scotgov would still have no facility to borrow which is apparently the magic token that suddenly makes all the numbers work and therefore not send Scotland into a 20 year recession....

Regan is as delusional as the next separatist.

When is the penny (or possibly the groat) going to drop? They can bang on about their petty grievances and cult of oppression as much as they like but they can't make a persuasive case for separatism.

Being gender critical doesn't make her any less useless than Yousaf.

BigBoysDontCry · 24/02/2023 19:19

And yet these 3 are supposed to represent the huge talent pool in the SNP.

For me the best and only route to independence without breaking the country forever is for them to do a good job at running the country.

Then you can ask for further powers and the middle 20-30% of the population that they need for a definitive vote would be broadly in line with what by that time would be a done deal.

There are always going to be 30-40% that want indi at any cost and the same who want to remain in the UK at any cost. It's that middle ground that will sway the deal either way.

Now, if they'd concentrated on showing competence from day 1, we'd be 15 years down that road by now.

I'm not an indi supporter and wouldn't vote for the SNP but that's not to say I wouldn't be supportive of an effective soft handover given that powers were already in use and mostly used well.

Shelefttheweb · 24/02/2023 19:33

BigBoysDontCry · 24/02/2023 19:19

And yet these 3 are supposed to represent the huge talent pool in the SNP.

For me the best and only route to independence without breaking the country forever is for them to do a good job at running the country.

Then you can ask for further powers and the middle 20-30% of the population that they need for a definitive vote would be broadly in line with what by that time would be a done deal.

There are always going to be 30-40% that want indi at any cost and the same who want to remain in the UK at any cost. It's that middle ground that will sway the deal either way.

Now, if they'd concentrated on showing competence from day 1, we'd be 15 years down that road by now.

I'm not an indi supporter and wouldn't vote for the SNP but that's not to say I wouldn't be supportive of an effective soft handover given that powers were already in use and mostly used well.

Totally agree. IF there was effective governance (including effective democratic scrutiny in Holyrood) then I would feel happy with a gradual handover of power. As it is the incompetent management of pretty much everything, together with the failure of the parliamentary system, means it is clear independence would be a disaster.

SirChenjins · 24/02/2023 19:52

Absolutely agree @BigBoysDontCry I voted no in the last referendum but was always open to persuasion - there is literally nothing they’ve done that suggests to me they could steer Scotland out of the UK without fucking up this country for the next 30 years.