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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:
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5
Rainbowshit · 21/02/2023 13:03

According to the National she has said having children outside marriage is wrong. She's toast.

SirChenjins · 21/02/2023 13:13

To be fair, that's not quite all she said - there is more here which gives context and sets the views of her faith against her own views news.sky.com/story/kate-forbes-says-her-faith-means-children-outside-of-marriage-is-wrong-12816429

Margarita45 · 21/02/2023 13:18

God it’s like turkeys voting for Christmas. Ash for me has flown under the radar so I don’t know much about her just yet. But Humza Useless? I dread the thought.

Rainbowshit · 21/02/2023 13:43

SirChenjins · 21/02/2023 13:13

To be fair, that's not quite all she said - there is more here which gives context and sets the views of her faith against her own views news.sky.com/story/kate-forbes-says-her-faith-means-children-outside-of-marriage-is-wrong-12816429

Don't be ridiculous. Imagine asking people to listen to what someone has actually said rather than what the headline ipropaganda is. 😂

ArabellaScott · 21/02/2023 13:47

'"For me, it would be wrong according to my faith, but for you I have no idea what your faith is. So, in a free society you can do what you want."'

Seems completely fair enough to me.

Rainbowshit · 21/02/2023 13:48

ArabellaScott · 21/02/2023 13:47

'"For me, it would be wrong according to my faith, but for you I have no idea what your faith is. So, in a free society you can do what you want."'

Seems completely fair enough to me.

To reasonable people it will but most will only read the headline.

Aphrathestorm · 21/02/2023 14:02

I think abortion is now devolved to Holyrood

No the abortion act is reserved.

Nothing any MSP can ever do about it.

What the Scottish government can do is fund more NHS abortions than rUK (which it does significantly) and ban protests as it controls criminal justice policy/criminal law.

NatashaDancing · 21/02/2023 14:10

Aphrathestorm · 21/02/2023 14:02

I think abortion is now devolved to Holyrood

No the abortion act is reserved.

Nothing any MSP can ever do about it.

What the Scottish government can do is fund more NHS abortions than rUK (which it does significantly) and ban protests as it controls criminal justice policy/criminal law.

Can do, but doesn't necessarily do.

If women need abortions after about 16 weeks they go to England as not provided in Scotland.

Exclusion zones have not been introduced. E&W have started to.

SirChenjins · 21/02/2023 14:24

Rainbowshit · 21/02/2023 13:43

Don't be ridiculous. Imagine asking people to listen to what someone has actually said rather than what the headline ipropaganda is. 😂

Show quote history

I know - I’m sorry!!! 😂

StatisticallyChallenged · 21/02/2023 14:31

It's funny, she's being pilloried for her (admittedly quite conservative) religious beliefs, but when you read the whole thing she actually sounds far more tolerant than many of the supposedly liberal politicians.

Not specific to her but in general terms I'd rather have a politician who says "I personally believe X and so wouldn't do Y or Z, but consider Y and Z to be completely personal choices for other people and not something to interfere in" than the current "this is the right thing to believe and if you don't you're a bigot" brigade.

BigBoysDontCry · 21/02/2023 14:45

I couldn't agree more @StatisticallyChallenged . I'm not religious but others can believe what they like as long as they don't allow it to interfere with the job they are paid to do which is, at it's core, to represent their constituents.

I still don't particularly rate her (and I don't rate the others either) but I wouldn't penalise her honesty.

So effectively we have?:

Ash - Feminist and GC and pro business but wedded to the idea of using elections as referendi, no idea about her general competence.
Kate - GC, pro business but with views that SNP fans are calling right wing (lol). On paper she's bright but made a bit of a fuck up with the tax/barnet thing.
Humza - bargain basement sturgeon, incompetent, not very bright, "woke" appeasing.

Or am I missing something?

StatisticallyChallenged · 21/02/2023 14:50

Think that's about it. No shining stars

user567543 · 21/02/2023 15:10

I wish I thought Forbes just goofed on GERS it seemed deliberate misinformation to me.

I tend to agree though, to hear someone talk about toleration, so hard to find in politics in the last 10 years.

NowThatsWhatICall22 · 21/02/2023 15:10

StatisticallyChallenged · 21/02/2023 14:31

It's funny, she's being pilloried for her (admittedly quite conservative) religious beliefs, but when you read the whole thing she actually sounds far more tolerant than many of the supposedly liberal politicians.

Not specific to her but in general terms I'd rather have a politician who says "I personally believe X and so wouldn't do Y or Z, but consider Y and Z to be completely personal choices for other people and not something to interfere in" than the current "this is the right thing to believe and if you don't you're a bigot" brigade.

Yes, completely agree

Rainbowshit · 21/02/2023 15:14

So if Kate Forbes can't be FM because of her religious views are we saying that as a society we're going to discriminate against every person of religious faith when it comes to being PM or FM?

ArabellaScott · 21/02/2023 15:17

BigBoysDontCry · 21/02/2023 14:45

I couldn't agree more @StatisticallyChallenged . I'm not religious but others can believe what they like as long as they don't allow it to interfere with the job they are paid to do which is, at it's core, to represent their constituents.

I still don't particularly rate her (and I don't rate the others either) but I wouldn't penalise her honesty.

So effectively we have?:

Ash - Feminist and GC and pro business but wedded to the idea of using elections as referendi, no idea about her general competence.
Kate - GC, pro business but with views that SNP fans are calling right wing (lol). On paper she's bright but made a bit of a fuck up with the tax/barnet thing.
Humza - bargain basement sturgeon, incompetent, not very bright, "woke" appeasing.

Or am I missing something?

Sounds about right.

BigBoysDontCry · 21/02/2023 15:19

The problem is that people (especially SNP MPs and MSPs) have been encouraged not to think. To be happy that others are there to do the thinking and they just need to agree. They are expected to believe in what they are told is what they need to believe in and what you are then left with is the majority of people unable to critically think about anything and unable to decide for themselves. They have either lost the ability, choose to go along with it for ££ they'd be incapable of earning elsewhere or were incapable of it in the first place (and probably chosen for that).

StatisticallyChallenged · 21/02/2023 15:27

I reckon Humza will be pushed to the front by Sturgeon and Murrell. But realistically the reason they got away with being useless for so long is that Sturgeon comes across very well most of the time. She debates well, she spent most of covid seeming like the grown up in the room*. But Humza doesn't have that, so he'll be trying to push shite policies without any of the polish and charisma to help. He's fucked.

*note - seems like. She's not half as competent as she appears and GRR made her look like a halfwit

BigBoysDontCry · 21/02/2023 15:36

Agree again Stats but I also think she got away with it so long because she was given an easy ride. Humza already looks like he'll get more of the same. You look at him though and it's not even like the lights are on and there is definitely no-one home.

Until GRR, she wasn't meaningfully pushed and she got away with using her political nouse in terms of not answering anything and making it look like the person asking was being completely unreasonable for asking.

StatisticallyChallenged · 21/02/2023 15:53

Humza might not be meaningfully challenged internally but he'll be roadkill outside the party. Sturgeon is slippery and quite hard to challenge and debate but he doesn't have that going for him.

But we'll probably end up stuck with them as the main party because of the indy split.

containsnuts · 21/02/2023 16:07

Rainbowshit · 21/02/2023 15:14

So if Kate Forbes can't be FM because of her religious views are we saying that as a society we're going to discriminate against every person of religious faith when it comes to being PM or FM?

If her religious beliefs are really separate from her politics then why do we need to know about it? Surely it's a personal matter that has nothing to do with running the country?

StatisticallyChallenged · 21/02/2023 16:11

It was already well known that she's religious - don't think she could avoid it so she's obviously decided to tackle it head on.

Would a Muslim man be challenged the same way for similar beliefs? I doubt it.

(I'm a raging atheist by the way)

BigBoysDontCry · 21/02/2023 16:18

Would a Muslim man be challenged the same way for similar beliefs? I doubt it.

A Muslim man like Humza perhaps....

Someone needs to directly ask him the questions to be honest.

Workerbeep · 21/02/2023 16:42

I can believe SNP members think Humza is the right person though.

In my opinion he does not have the qualities I’d look for in a first minister.

driving without insurance when justice minister.

speeding and falling on his wee scooter through holyrood; his response highlighted his thin skin.

his Scotland is a white supremacy speech

outrage at a supposedly racist nursery then dropping the action because they weren’t.

politicians have a right to a personal life but… didn’t his second wife have an affair during her first marriage, with a SNP Dundee councillor and the whole thing was discussed in a court case?

Abhannmor · 21/02/2023 16:46

ArabellaScott · 21/02/2023 13:47

'"For me, it would be wrong according to my faith, but for you I have no idea what your faith is. So, in a free society you can do what you want."'

Seems completely fair enough to me.

True. Homosexuality is wrong in Islam at least theoretically. But you don't see self appointed lgbtq+ spokespersons having a meltdown about Muslim politicians. Or Catholics?

Plenty of Scottish Labour and Tory members are in the Masons or the Orange Lodge ffs. Such rank hypocrisy.