SNP LEADERSHIP RACE: THE STRAWBERRY GENERATION
Years of political dominance under Salmond & Sturgeon leaves the SNP with a strawberry generation of leadership candidates; easily bruised, spoilt and sluggish in their work
In Taiwan the Chinese language neologism ‘Cǎoméi zú’ or sometimes ‘cǎoméi shìdài’ is used, meaning “strawberry generation”. Used to describe those born after 1990, it outlines the elder generation’s view that the younger ones "bruise easily". That these younger Taiwanese are like strawberries – meaning they cannot withstand social pressure or work hard like their parents' generation. The term is used to refer to people who are spoiled, selfish, arrogant, and sluggish in work.
Closer to home it is possible to view this SNP leadership election as unveiling the nationalists very own “strawberry generation”. Notes on Nationalism writer Blair McDougall sums the three leadership contenders up as “summer children”, untested by the heat of political failure. He has a point.
The recent history of the SNP reveals a small elite dominating its internal politics for much of the last two decades. Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon and a handful of others set the agenda, defined the optics and ruthlessly set about defenestrating Scottish Labour to usher in the nationalist period. Political figures such as Salmond and Sturgeon have tasted political failure before, indeed Ms Sturgeon was a repeat election loser before finally getting elected to Holyrood and Mr Salmond had to wage internecine warfare to marginalise the fundamentalist wing of the SNP in favour of the gradualist pro-devolutionary approach.
But casting our eyes over Humza Yousaf, Kate Forbes and Ash Regan it’s hard to find the political trials that have forged these figures. Sure Mr Yousaf has had to deal with racism and Ms Forbes misogyny, but they lack any meaningful political set-backs that provide the necessary reserves of experience to draw upon.
Whereas Sturgeon failed to get elected in 1987, 1992, 1994 and 1995 (before finally getting into Holyrood) none of our strawberry generation SNP candidates have tasted and learnt from the bitterness of defeat. Ms Forbes - like Mr Yousaf - were twenty-somethings getting elected in an SNP landslide. They have benefited from (and owe their careers in politics) to Salmond and Sturgeon’s coattails.
And don’t they bruise easily?
Humza Yousaf
Humza Yousaf is unable to bat off questions concerning his failure to vote in stage 3 of the equal marriage vote. Perhaps a politician longer in the tooth would find shutting down such questions easier? Alex Neil, who was in charge of navigating the marriage equality bill through Holyrood at the time has effectively accused Mr Yousaf of telling fibs. Mr Neil told The Herald it is “not true” that Yousaf had no choice but to miss the crucial vote, labelling the continuity candidate’s explanations a “cop out”.
Humza Yousaf is uniquely well placed to win this leadership race given he is up against Ms Regan - that nobody has ever heard of - and Kate Forbes MSP for the 19th century. Yet he is behind in every piece of polling measuring the state of the race. Why? Perhaps a big part of this is a lack of political experience, character and ability all due in part to him being a prince of the greenhouse.
Raised in the overprotected cocoon of SNP political hegemony, this particular nationalist strawberry prince knows little of the grim struggles the SNP marched through during the 1980s-1990s. Alex Salmond’s first election as SNP leader saw a mere three MPs elected. It’s safe to say Mr Yousaf is politically speaking incredibly spoilt.
That all being said, he is certainly sluggish in his work. His record in charge of health is a disaster as Scotland grapples with some of the worst waiting times on record. He was a junior minister for transport and the islands (2016-2018), given the absence of the infamous ferries I doubt he will be eager to talk up his time in that role. As Justice Minister he pushed the Hate Crime Bill, which made certain forms of speech (even in private at home) a criminal offence. That was dubbed “the most controversial piece of legislation” in devolutionary history - at least until Ms Sturgeon’s self-identification Gender Recognition reforms.
Kate Forbes
Then there is Kate Forbes, whose stunning lack of political skill in recent days is flabbergasting. Her recent tour of the news studios revealed a stunning lack of political or communication skill. If Mr Yousaf struggled to shut down inconvenient questions, Ms Forbes exposed a total lack of knowledge about how to even campaign.
If you wish to become leader of a party which likes to project the image of progressive politics, spending your time attacking gay marriage, sex outside marriage and condemning kids born outside wedlock isn’t a smart move.
Ms Forbes communication skills have been found lacking finesse - a deadly weakness for politicians. She failed to distinguish personal belief from the political realities of a largely secular post-religious modern Scotland. As a result she became abhorrent to the same people who previously supported her and backed her. Within twenty four hours she was shedding political support as key backers fled like rats from a sinking ship. None of this indicates the sort of skill, ability and talent necessary to lead the SNP or Scotland through what will be incredibly challenging days ahead.
Our poor little cǎoméi found herself hurled under the bus. John Swinney was suddenly out doing his pearl clutching routine. He was shocked - shocked he assures us - to discover that Ms Forbes was actually an evangelical Christian. But his horror was about as convincing as Claude Rains character Capt. Louis Renault in Casablanca when discovering gambling was going on.
The bottom line here is simple, everyone in Scotland knows the headline doctrine of the ‘Wee Frees’. Swinney and Sturgeon knew it when promoting her to finance secretary. Her local SNP association knew it when selecting her to run. The truth is they just didn’t care before now, and Ms Forbes lacked the political experience to anticipate the backlash her confounding honesty generated. Why? Because she is used to the overprotective bubble her political career is grown in.
This is why when the Sturgeonite cabal decided to chuck her beneath the bus she never saw it coming. Political strawberries can be forgiven for being so naïve, but it doesn’t indicate the necessary resolve leadership of Scotland requires.
Ms Sturgeon has already broken her vow to remain neutral, intervening to insist that the values of a first minister “matter” in a “socially progressive country”. I suppose being a social reactionary disapproving of gay rights doesn’t matter if you’re to run the economy - at least in Ms Sturgeon’s eyes. But putting the laughable hypocrisy of the outgoing First Minister aside, the stunning reality remains: Ms Forbes has never had to face up to the political realities of holding a value system so incredibly out of tune with the majority of the public. Why? Because she has been political sheltered, at least until now.
Clown show
Yousaf cannot launch an event or control the messaging war despite heavy backing from the Sturgeon cabal and Forbes is too busy revealing her inner social regressive. And nobody cares much about Regan. One may wonder how on earth these folk not merely got elected despite demonstrating such woefully inadequate political skills, but ended up the only challengers to lead the governing party of Scotland.
In answer - to risk repeating myself - these are strawberry generation politicians. Overprotected by the political dominance of the SNP in recent years, whose careers were ushered in by the hard work of others during the SNP landslides. But as Mr McDougall observed in his Notes on Nationalism piece, “winter is coming”. Many nationalists may feel the chilly winds of concern that our precious little strawberries may struggle to survive the harsher political climate ahead for the nationalist movement.
The thing about strawberries is that they are more expensive than other types of fruit, bruise easily and struggle to keep well. Some may wonder whether the price is worth it.
None of this has made for edifying viewing or listening, it really does make Scotland seem more and more like a laughing stock!