DOROTHY-GRACE ELDER: As a Nationalist MSP, I saw first hand what a sly, sleekit and weak man 'Honest' John REALLY is
I shudder to think of the return of John Swinney as the unelected captain who sank his previous Titanic. ‘Sneaky Swinney’ was the nickname from those like me who witnessed his disastrous leadership 20 years ago.
‘Honest John’ was a scorned term. Swinney is hugely sly and sleekit, not at all the safe pair of hands of PR myth.
His current tactics have pushed aside a fresh and brainy young woman who may have been the only chance of saving the SNP. She has been too honest for her own good.
Swinney is the ultimate unelected ‘continuity’ candidate.
I was an MSP in his group during some of the downright cruel, petty years of his leadership.
Former SNP MSP Dorothy-Grace Elder, pictured here on the Bannockburn march in 2001, branded John Swinney the ‘ultimate unelected continuity candidate’
He was Nicola Sturgeon’s poodle from the year 2000, during his disastrous years as SNP leader, not just as her deputy years later.
Now, he’ll be the Greens’ poodle but still be on Sturgeon’s leash. She was pushing him around when she was only 30.
I shared an office with Margo MacDonald in that first Parliament.
Our window overlooked Swinney’s office. We’d giggle when, frequently, we’d see Sturgeon nebbing Swinney like a woodpecker at a tree stump.
Later, when he was drowning under his political failures, she didn’t throw him a lifebelt.
Swinney had no control over unity and group behaviour when he followed rather than led, so bullying exploded.
What was called SNP ‘discipline’ never existed from that time onwards.
It was gross bullying, which wasted eons of working time, converted allies to enemies and gave independence no priority.
The stairheid rammy culture flourished under Swinney as a bendy toy of a leader.
When Alex Salmond announced he would be leaving for Westminster just over a year after the parliament started, all control sank under Swinney. You could talk to Salmond. The uncharismatic Swinney hid.
On charisma, this guy couldn’t win an egg and spoon race if the egg was glued to his spoon. But that wasn’t the biggest problem.
All the ‘mild, agreeable bank manager Honest John’ stuff was fantasy.
Behind scenes, he was ruthless in his pettiness in appeasing cronies against other MSPs and being swamped by time-wasting squabbles.
The Greens will relish making him their dog basket.
They will continue controlling the SNP, deciding on SNP leaders, throwing hissy fits if the biggest party doesn’t obey them.
Under Swinney, SNP losses grew – seven Holyrood seats lost at the 2003 election, grim tolls at Euro elections.
Sturgeon herself downgraded to No2 to Sandra White on the 2003 Glasgow List, where four places were cut to two.
Years later, he was condemned for his secrecy addiction including the failure to produce all the Covid WhatsApps – and a row over the release of legal advice relating to the Salmondgate saga.
Colleagues who were not part of the SNP clique were relentlessly attacked, in case anyone other than the cronies got any success. Hideously simple as that.
I was a marked woman after I got a 17 per cent swing to the SNP in Glasgow, on the List, meaning I might even win next time – unless driven out before a favourite could win anywhere in Glasgow.
I’d served on the first Holyrood health committee for three years.
But after Sturgeon joined and became SNP spokeswoman, I was suddenly ordered off the committee by the SNP whip.
I was then preparing to take a Glasgow pollution case to the European Parliament. An incinerator, burning dead cattle, was operating in an East End housing scheme and hospital area, belching black smoke.
But the whip said I had to leave the health committee, which backed my campaign to go to Europe.
The whip announced: ‘These were orders from Nicola and John.
They think there are too many Glasgow MSPs on health.’
Orders? Eh? For the sickest city? But they would not even talk to me.
Sturgeon never did, Swinney, as leader, had scarpered and wrote saying I just had to do what the whip said.
You may imagine how bewildered I was. I had worked in TV and papers from Glasgow to Fleet Street but never before encountered such cowardice, stupidity and cruel disregard of a public issue.
But the cross-party health committee demanded I stay, Conservative Mary Scanlon and Labour’s John McAllion walked me back to the committee as an independent.
I resigned from the party in disgust at Swinney and Sturgeon.
But I won the European case. Europe demanded the incinerator was shut.
Now, tragically, it’s the past reborn, maybe seeming reasonable at first. But wait and watch.
Two people who most harmed the SNP are back – the old team of Swinney and Sturgeon.
With added Greens.
