What will John Swinney do for Scotland's independence movement?
New first minister promises 'stability' for SNP, but some say outlook is 'bleak' for Scottish independence

"I have changed." So declared John Swinney, the new SNP leader, when he was sworn in as Scotland's First Minister on Monday – after winning the backing of 64 MSPs, a narrow majority. Swinney said that he would discard the partisan politics that had dominated the SNP and Holyrood in recent years, and take a more collaborative approach.
The new First Minister has a reputation both as a "deal-maker who can work across parties" and as "a ferocious heckler of opponents", said Kieran Andrews and John Boothman in The Times; he promised that there would be no more "shouted put-downs from the front bench or heckling from a sedentary position". Swinney's path to the leadership was cleared when his main competitor, Kate Forbes, stepped aside.
He is seen as a "safe pair of hands", said Simeon Kerr in the FT, the most likely candidate to unite a party in disarray following Nicola Sturgeon's 2023 resignation and the collapse of its coalition with the Greens under Humza Yousaf.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
'Bleak' prospects
"The coronation of John Swinney, a 60-year-old yesterday's man" is "bleak news for the independence movement", said Iain Macwhirter in The Spectator. When Swinney was last the party leader, early this century, he took the SNP to 20% in the 2003 European elections. In the 2004 general election, the SNP won six MPs to Labour's 41. "That was his legacy."
It was surely a bad idea, said John Gray in The New Statesman, to choose a second "continuity candidate" after Yousaf's brief reign. Swinney has served, in recent years, as finance secretary, education secretary and deputy first minister. The SNP's problem is that, under Sturgeon, it "lost itself in hyper-liberalism". Instead of addressing Scotland's "long-standing failings in healthcare, education and the economy", the party became "fixated" on causes such as transgender rights, anti-racism and "net-zero cultism", wasting political capital on the ill-fated Gender Recognition Bill, and the chaotic hate-speech legislation.
Swinney has a cheek, too, to pose as a bipartisan peacemaker, said Euan McColm in The Scotsman. The First Minister conceded that he had, in the past, "contributed" to the toxic mood of Scotland's politics. That's "quite the understatement": Swinney was "one of the architects of an SNP strategy that has demonised opponents, accusing critics of government failure of attacking Scotland herself".
A stable bet
Well, Swinney has proved a peacemaker so far, said Dani Garavelli in The Guardian. He persuaded Forbes to throw in her lot with him, by promising to make her deputy first minister. And now, leading a minority government, he is well aware that he'll be able to do nothing without "building vote-by-vote alliances".
He says he'll prioritise "bread and butter issues": the cost-of-living crisis and child poverty will come ahead of a second independence referendum. Swinney is not a bold visionary who will lead Scotland to independence. "But he is the man best placed to restore stability."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why does the U.S. need China's rare earth metals?
Today's Big Question Beijing has a 'near monopoly' on tech's raw materials
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
When did divorce begin?
The Explaine Couples have always split up, but the institution has undergone major changes over the years
By David Faris
-
What are your retirement savings account options?
The explainer The two main types of accounts are 401(k) plans and individual retirement accounts (IRAs)
By Becca Stanek, The Week US
-
Merz's coalition deal: a 'betrayal' of Germany?
Talking Point With liberalism, freedom and democracy under threat globally, it's a time for 'giants' – but this is a 'coalition of the timid'
By The Week UK
-
The Resistance: Is it finally taking off?
Feature Mass protests erupted across all 50 states during the 'Hands Off!' demonstrations against the Trump administration
By The Week US
-
Loomer: Feeding Trump's paranoia
Feature Trump fires National Security Council officials after the conspiracy theorist attended a meeting in the Oval Office
By The Week US
-
Inflation: How tariffs could push up prices
Feature Trump's new tariffs could cost families an extra $3,800 a year
By The Week US
-
DOGE: Have we passed 'peak Musk'?
Feature The tech billionaire suffered a costly week after a $25 million election loss in Wisconsin and Tesla's largest sale drop on record
By The Week US
-
Tariffs: Time for Congress to take over?
Feature Senators introduce a bill that would require any new tariffs to be approved by Congress
By The Week US
-
Abortion protests: is free speech in retreat?
Talking Point The conviction of 64-year-old Livia Tossici-Bolt for breaching abortion clinic 'buffer zone' has made her the unlikely focus of a transatlantic row over free speech
By The Week UK
-
Kennedy: Cutting to the bone at HHS
Feature The Health and Human Services Secretary has laid off 10,000 HHS employees
By The Week US