John Swinney needs to realise why other parties are 'miserable doom-mongers'
We agree with John Swinney about tactical voting and cross-party working, but he should reflect on why there is so much doom and gloom in the run-up to Thursday’s election
In an interview with The Scotsman, John Swinney criticises other parties for trying to persuade people to vote for them “to stop the SNP”, acting like “miserable doom-mongers who don’t give you a reason to vote for them”, and sending out “a dull, boring, uninspiring message with no new ideas”.
The First Minister also stressed that “if I am fortunate enough to be elected with a majority... I intend to govern with a minority mindset. I won’t just govern knowing I can win every vote [in parliament], I want to reach out to people and find common ground.”
We broadly agree with the thrust of his sentiments. There is a place for tactical voting but, as we have argued, it is far better for democracy if people are able to vote for the party that most closely matches their views, rather than against one they dislike.
And Swinney’s remarks about governing with a “minority mindset” suggest he agrees with The Scotsman about the need for a party that could win a majority in parliament despite their supporters being outnumbered by the opposition’s by two to one to adopt a conciliatory approach, rather than trying to force through unpopular legislation.
Fix the NHS
However, that said, there are good reasons why opposition parties are so miserable and full of doom, such as the dire state of public services, most especially the NHS.
As we report today, a freedom of information request by the Scottish Liberal Democrats has revealed that, between 2020 and 2025, 61 people waited for an ambulance for more than an hour despite being classified as among the most high-risk callers, while 1,512 in the second-highest risk category waited a similarly long time.
The SNP have continually talked a good game on the NHS and continually failed to deliver. Plans to spend public money on election gimmicks like £2 bus fares instead of the health services’ problems suggest they are still not treating them with sufficient seriousness.
With lives at stake, the nationalists have got their priorities badly wrong. Fixing the SNP’s mistakes may be “dull” and “uninspiring” but, whoever wins the election, it is an urgent task.
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