Who do you want to see as new First Minister?

[Rememberal]

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.

Well of course they worked with Westminster, it was the same party. I actually don’t think grievances were manufactured. The political argy bargy you see reported in the news is what you’d expect when two completely different parties have to work together. The day to day reality was very different, the ministers and officials worked well together.
Wales had issues with Westminster and some very real issues dealing with Whitehall. They even produced a document to change the working relationship because of the problems with Whitehall. Were they generating grievances too? or, does the party of independence make for more sensational headlines?

Oh come on. There are so many examples of the SNP manufacturing grievances.

The court case over the section 30 is a prime example. If isla Bryson hadn't popped up when he did the section 35 challenge would be underway.

Time band money that would be better spent ACTUALLY trying to improve Scotland. The sooner the SNP are voted out the better.

I don't care how lovely or sensible Ash Regan is. She's still a separatist. Getting rid of the GRA or the Greens only makes the SNP slightly less toxic but it's still toxic.

The census - not so much generating a grievance but generating a "Scotland is different , dontcha know" scenario.

Remind me which part of the UK completed a successful census with little fuss or bother? Clue - it wasn't Scotland.

His dropping of his legal action against the nursery was also conveniently timed just before nippy resigned. It would have been fairly improper (even by SNP standards) for him to become FM while suing a nursery.
He's Nippy's/the Murrell cabal's yes man (otherwise he would have been let go a long time ago) so I think he's got a good shot at it as they could still be running the show through him.
Also the SNP deviating from their own party rules that say the leadership process should take about 4 months (to allow for candidates to gather support and publish their policies etc) is a bit odd - they are compressing it into 4 weeks, which their own rules say should only be in an emergency (such as FM drops dead) - Nippy has said she will stay on till a successor is elected so there is no need to rush.
Maybe Polis Alba have been knocking on her door about the missing money and she's rather be remembered for handing over the keys to Bute house during a scripted The Daily Nippy show broadcast, rather than for flinging them out a Cornton Vale cell window to her successor.

I'm inclined to think that if the SNP had simply walked about with an empty briefcase for the last 15 years we would currently be better off.

I am torn. Ash Reagan is clearly the better candidate but as I do not back independence, humza useless will highlight the lack of strength and depth in the SNP much better.

He's the Liz truss that anyone outside of the inner circle thinks is a numpty. But as the vote works in just the same way, is likely to get in.

Either way I'm glad Ash has chucked her hat in the ring as we'll see what party members think of a policy that apparently we all wanted.

Unfortunately Ash's campaign is not off to a positive start unless you want someone focussing on nothing else but independence - again

The problem with anySNP MSP / MP is that they have to pretend that independence would be good for Scotland when anyone with half a brain knows that it would be a screaming shitshow of rampant poverty. Presenting it as anything else makes them look thick, which I assume they are.

I would like someone like Kuakab Stewart (MSP for Kelvin). She's a former primary teacher, however I't won't actually happen, or not yet anyway.

It seems though that it's irrelevant what anyone else wants as Sturgeon and Murrrell will have picked a puppet for them to carry on full steam ahead as they were. 😡

The one that happily posed with signs about killing terfs? That one?

Aside from the politics of it, do I want a leader so gormless they don't look behind them at a controversial rally when having their photo taken?

twitter.com/bbcjamescook/status/1627604618728316928?s=46&t=ncw-OeeRuZHK7HgbDncsKg

Sent too soon - Angus Robertson not running

I'd see Ash Regan or Kate Forbes as FM but I think it's unlikely. I'm afraid they'll go for Yousaf and his successful NHS pay deal before anyone will have a chance to ask where did the extra money come from in the budget.

Professor McGonagall.

They are all separatists though, that’s who we’re going to get until such time as there’s an election and we hopefully vote them out

(How have I only just realised how brilliant 😂 your screen name is @MichaelFabricantWig )

Just big sighs from me. Had to laugh at Sturgeon quoted today as saying ‘there’s an array of talent in the SNP’ about all the candidates who’ve declared 🙄

Whoever they choose they should have to report to Penny Mordant on a weekly basis. Get their homework checked .

Ash Reagan at least says she will support oil

The greens will have an absolute fit if she gets in.

In reality we all know it'll be Nicola's yes man that gets the job and they'll breenge on with the section 35.

Penny is quite wonderful at ticking off the Westminster SNP MPs

Interesting that Yousaf is being mentioned here as the preference - he doesn’t strike me as particularly charismatic or competent (Sturgeon and Salmond were the former, at least!). Forbes seems like she’s got her head screwed on more than the rest of them and sees the importance of growing the consensus for independence rather than Regan’s parroting of Sturgeon re the de facto Indy vote in the next election. Most importantly (for me) they both seem to have similar views on the shambles that are the gender reforms so it will be interesting to see where that goes with a new leader. Yousaf sticking to the same path on that issue as Sturgeon will (hopefully) stymie his chances of getting the top job.

I want Yousaf because he's the most incompetent of the 3.

Forbes is a hypocrite - she could easily have voted against the GRR Bill if she'd cared to. Although she's incompetent too but possibly less than Yousaf.

Regan is just another separatist die hard wittering on about "de facto referendum"

I think the SNP will probably choose Humza Yousaf. I'd prefer Kate Forbes and her election would at least mean the end of anything like the self ID for rapists and other criminals the bill the UK government vetoed.