According to leading pollster Sir John Curtice, there is less than a 1 per cent chance that anyone other than John Swinney will become First Minister after Thursday's vote. While nearly one in five Scots remain undecided, the smart money points to another five years of SNP rule. This raises a pressing question: who is John Swinney, and why should we trust him?
A Dangerous Constitutional Zealot
Swinney is a constitutional zealot determined to take Scotland out of the UK, even if it means cooperating with Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the IRA. His pitch for power relies on personal integrity, but the nickname 'Honest John' no longer applies.
The Glasgow Superhospital Scandal
Consider the £1 billion Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH), hailed as 'world-class' by Nicola Sturgeon. It is now at the centre of a scandal linking contaminated tap water to patient deaths, including 10-year-old Milly Main. Swinney knew of two patients with fungal infections on a mouldy cancer ward but assured the public the hospital was safe. He and Health Secretary Neil Gray kept the infections secret amid a political storm.
In February, when questioned, Swinney accused Labour leader Anas Sarwar of attacking his personal integrity. Sarwar had highlighted 14 alerts to the Scottish Government between 2015 and 2018 about QEUH conditions. Sarwar also urged Lord Brodie to summon Swinney and Sturgeon to give evidence after NHS bosses admitted 'pressure' to open the hospital too soon. Swinney dismissed this as 'political interference'.
The Named Person Scheme
Swinney championed the Orwellian Named Person scheme, which sought state guardians for all children, including unborn babies. He denied that Liam Fee, a two-year-old murdered by his mother and partner, was subject to an early version of the scheme, calling the connection 'atrocious'. However, an official report later confirmed the policy 'contributed to confusion' in Liam's case. Swinney never apologised.
A 2016 press release headlined 'Swinney commits to roll-out service as legal bid to scrap NP scheme fails' remains on the government website, despite the scheme being largely ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court. The SNP wasted around £800,000 of taxpayer money fighting to salvage it.
Child Poverty and Exam Fiascos
Swinney claims to tackle child poverty, yet his government missed its own legal targets. As Education Secretary in 2020, he oversaw an exam results fiasco that disproportionately downgraded pupils in poorer areas. He apologised and survived a no-confidence vote with Green support.
Legal Advice and WhatsApp Messages
As Sturgeon's consigliere, Swinney oversaw the piecemeal publication of legal advice on the Salmond judicial review. In 2021, he ignored two votes to publish documents, caving only under threat of a no-confidence vote. He won with Green support, who later became partners in the Bute House Agreement.
On the eve of polling day, the Scottish Government faces contempt of court proceedings for allegedly obstructing details of the 2018 harassment probe into Alex Salmond. Swinney also wiped his WhatsApp messages from the pandemic, depriving the inquiry of information.
Other Scandals
Swinney refused to say if his aides knew about the Jordan Linden sex scandal, despite being at the heart of government for 19 years. Linden, a former SNP rising star, was found guilty of sex assaults on teenagers. Swinney also backed Michael Matheson, who claimed £11,000 in expenses for a mobile roaming bill on holiday, arguing a 54-day Holyrood ban was too harsh.
Don't buy the 'Honest John' act: Swinney is a charlatan who, like his colleagues, deserves political oblivion.
