John Swinney clarified his policy from the last time he was Party Leader is unchanged – SNP campaigns will not include Independence as a priority signalling an end to the gradualist and fundamentalist battle for policy supremacy – Campaigning for Scottish Independence will be for other Party’s to pursue

John Swinney – The last time and this time

Alex Salmond resigned the Party leadership in 2000 and Swinney was elected Leader in the ensuing election. His leadership was ineffectual, with the Party losing an MP in 2001 and a disastrous loss of 27 MSPs in 2003 despite all the political advantages being with the party.

Critics blamed the losses on the Swinney’s style and his lack of charisma. But Swinney’s dictatorial style of leadership had alienated a number of MSP’s including former MSP, Dorothy-Grace Elder and legendary SNP, figure Margo McDonald both of whom had resigned from the Party. A senior Party activist commented: “This shows the widespread frustration among the grass roots. This was Labour’s worst election performance, but we could not capitalise on it – in fact we lost eight seats. And to add insult to injury, we had John Swinney and others claiming that it was a good campaign.”

His leadership was challenged in 2003, but, in a lack lustre campaign marked by a low turnout and abstentions, the party confirmed Swinney as Party Leader.

Speaking just after the result was announced a relieved Swinney said: “This has been an uncomfortable summer for the SNP. But we have emerged stronger. I have made it clear that I have listened to members’ concerns and I will continue to listen.

But the row between the gradualist side of the party and those who are in favour of an independence referendum, and the fundamentalist wing, who want all or nothing, should now end. The door is shut on these arguments”.

But Senior SNP fundamentalist figures, who believed victory at the ballot box was all that is needed for independence, said that Swinney’s failure to grasp the nettle of independence and fudging the issue only confused voters. One senior official said: “What we want is independence not indecision”.

Swinney retorted: “the choice for the SNP now is to follow my route into government and deliver independence through a referendum, or go into the political wilderness as it did in the 1980s, and that wasn’t a nice place for us. I’m prepared to talk to any political Party who supports independence”.

But a senior party figure questioned the wisdom of Swinney’s plans to build a coalition over time, saying: “This smacks of desperation. Swinney wants to reform the party believing a referendum on independence supported by the Westminster Government at some obscure date in the future is the way forward.

But that he wants to do that in coalition with the Greens makes the SNP look like a fantasy party. His ploy is to silence the fundamentalists and it won’t work. All it will do is show that the SNP under his leadership doesn’t have the confidence it will gain a majority in the next Scottish Parliament”.