SNP insiders are urging Humza Yousaf to give members a say on whether to continue the party’s power sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens as their make or break conference gets underway today.
Delegates are meeting in Aberdeen to forge a path forward on Scottish independence but MSPs and MPs are also calling for a reset following a crushing by-election defeat and growing division within the ranks.
We revealed last week that former SNP health secretary Alex Neil wants Green politicians Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater kicked out of government in favour of ministers “who can actually do the bloody job”.
Meanwhile, backbencher Michelle Thomson said a fresh look should be taken at the Bute House Agreement in the wake of a more than 20% swing to Labour in Rutherglen and Hamilton West.
What is it actually delivering?
Speaking exclusively to The Sunday Post, senior party figures warn the deal has too often put the government at odds with the Scottish public.
Perthshire South and Kinross-shire MSP Jim Fairlie is among those who believe members should make the call on whether it should continue.
He said: “I don’t think there’s any harm in us discussing it and asking what does it actually mean now; what is it delivering?
“Are we getting the benefits of it? Is it working for us? And if it is, okay, let’s stick with it. If it isn’t, then let’s review it.
“It will very much depend on what the membership wants to do. The membership has to decide.
“They are our eyes and ears on the ground and will know whether the public are getting out of this agreement what they need to be getting out of it.
“But I don’t think there is any harm in checking in with the membership and asking them what they want, and are they still as comfortable two and a half years in.”
‘Gender recognition policy put us at odds with public’
Fairlie points to the Gender Recognition Reform Bill, a key part of the Bute House agreement, as an example of a policy that put the party at odds with voters.
It aimed to simplify the process for a person to legally change their gender but campaigners say it also undermined women’s rights and safety.
Fairlie abstained when it was brought before MSPs in December before it was later blocked from becoming law by a challenge from the UK Government.
He said: “I don’t think there’s any getting away from the fact that the gender reform policy did not go down well across the country. That was quite clear.
“The really sad thing about that is the people who get damaged by that more than anyone is the trans community, and they have not been well served in this at all.”
Agreement to be a major talking point
Dunfermline and West Fife MP Douglas Chapman believes that in some cases, policies fronted by the Greens – such as the controversial Deposit Return Scheme – have been taken over by minority interests.
He said that perception made things difficult for the SNP during the by-election in Rutherglen.
Chapman predicts the deal with the Greens will be one of the major talking points of the conference but is sceptical over whether things will change.
He said: “I think it doesn’t do any harm to review some of the decisions made in the past but I think really that’s in the hands of Humza and the rest of the leadership.
“They’re working with the Greens every day of the week so they’re in a much better position to decide what is really working and what’s not.
“So a review or an internal review wouldn’t be such a bad thing.”
‘Time for a reset’
Chapman is hoping Yousaf will use the conference as an opportunity to reset and lay out a plan that will see other factions within the independence movement brought closer together ahead of a fresh push for a new referendum.
But the SNP leader will also need to deal with factions within his own party, with Kate Forbes set to miss the conference in Aberdeen in favour of “longstanding engagements” in the United States.
Opponents suggest her decision to stay away has been calculated to create a dividing line with Yousaf.
It comes amid calls from SNP figures for her to be installed as deputy first minister as part of a radical reshuffle to avoid “doomsday” at the next general election.
SNP veteran Fergus Ewing is also planning to skip the conference, saying the event “isn’t really what it used to be”.
He was suspended because of his outspoken criticism of Scottish Government policy and voting for a no-confidence motion in Greens minister Lorna Slater.
Former cabinet minister Alex Neil is also planning to stay at home and quipped he would rather watch paint dry than attend.
Fury over MP’s defection to Tories
SNP politicians have reacted with fury and disbelief at Lisa Cameron’s defection to the Tories just days before their conference in Aberdeen.
The East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow MP was facing a selection contest to remain as the party’s candidate at the next general election.
But she decided to quit and become a Conservative MP because of what she described as a toxic culture within the SNP’s Westminster Group.
Dunfermline and West Fife MP Douglas Chapman said he was not surprised to see Cameron join up with another party.
He said: “I think if you speak to a lot of our MPs, they would not say that it came out of the blue – if you’ll excuse the pun.
“It looked a lot like she wasn’t going to be reselected as the SNP candidate so I think she was maybe looking for other ways to put her name forward.
“The theme of the comments among the group was that this might be a surprise announcement but we weren’t too surprised.”
Michelle Thomson, the SNP MSP for Falkirk East, acknowledged there is a significant amount of work to do and huge challenges ahead for the party.
But she said Cameron’s decision to leave would have almost no impact on the feeling of members heading into the conference.
Thomson said: “To be honest, I think it will have no impact on the mood.
“Joining the Tories is so far beyond the pale that it will be discounted.
“Many can and do have frustrations but would never countenance that.
“She has simply proven her branch right in wanting to de-select her.”
We have clearly attracted people who have looked at the SNP as a way of furthering their own career.
SNP MSP
Meanwhile another SNP MSP said he was astounded by Cameron’s decision.
“I’ve heard hundreds of times since I entered politics that politicians are all just in it for themselves,” he said.
“We have clearly attracted people who have looked at the SNP as a way of furthering their own career and it makes you wonder if that was their intention all along.
“Was it all just about getting into parliament and not really about independence at all?”
In a statement, Cameron said she did not feel able to continue in the SNP because of a bullying and toxic culture that resulted in her requiring counselling.
She went on to claim families, including her own, have experienced significant division regarding the issue of independence.
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