HUMZA’S REMARKABLY UNENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORTERS

A guest post from Gordon Millar.

HUMZA’S REMARKABLY UNENTHUSIASTIC SUPPORTERS

From the first minute of Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation speech, her departure and the election of her successor have been covered by a cloak of dishonesty.

For example, while people certainly do resign because of burn out, they don’t normally do it via a midweek emergency press conference at 11.00am, leaving chaos behind.

Similarly, while it’s not unusual to hear someone easing off to spend more time with their children, it very definitely is unusual when the person is the careerist heir-apparent whom a party has spent considerable effort easing into position.

And finally, while it’s normal for a party’s leadership to to promote their preferred successor, that successor is not normally a serial failure, who has never previously come up as a contender when the succession has been discussed.

But Humza Yousaf is absolutely, definitely, Nicola Sturgeon’s choice of continuity candidate to succeed her.

All doubt on that front was removed on 19 February when Mhairi Hunter tweeted: “Good morning. Started my day nominating Humza Yousaf as leader of the SNP and very happy to do so”. As everyone knows that Mhairi is Nicola Sturgeon’s Representative on Earth, that tweet effectively settled the matter of Nicola’s preference.

So, there is clearly a lot going on in the background about which we’re not being told. Eventually, the truth behind these events will emerge but, in the meantime, is there anything that can guide SNP members on how to vote for their new leader?

Well, as the payroll vote, with a few notable exceptions, has come out for Humza Yousaf, might their endorsements tell us anything?

Let’s have a look at who’s backing Humza Yousaf, and why (Spoiler – this is a dispiriting process).

Here’s the first batch:

Alison Thewliss MP: I’ve known Humza since our time in the YSI together and know how hard he has worked. 

Karen Adam MSP: Delighted to have nominated Humza Yousaf. He is a genuinely kind person, and he’s a true humanitarian.

Owen Thompson MP: Having known Humza for many years now I know he has the drive, ability, experience of Government AND experience within our party, making him the best person to take on the job 

Fiona McLeod (Former MSP): I’ve known Humza for many years. I’ve campaigned with him. I’ve been an MSP and a Government Minister alongside him. 

Chris Stephens MP: Nominated my good friend Humza Yousaf to be the next leader of the SNP and Scotland’s next First Minister. 

Jenny Gilruth MSP: I am delighted to offer my support to my friend & colleague Humza Yousaf to be our next SNP leader and a First Minister for all of Scotland.

 Alasdair Allan MSP: I have known Humza Yousaf as a colleague and as a friend for many years, and believe he has both the ability and personality that we need to take Scotland forward.

Well, that’s not going to set the heather alight! Essentially, all the above can be reduced to “I’ve known him a long time and he’s my friend”. And, admirable though it is to stick by your friends (especially when your future job security may depend on it), is this really a good enough reason to make Humza Yousaf First Minister?

It’s the sort of bland, anodyne statement that you come up with when you’re being pressured (by, for example, the Party leadership) to support someone, but you can’t think of anything really positive to say. And it’s certainly not going to persuade the undecided to cast their vote for Humza.

Surely Humza’s supporters can do better than this? So let’s move on to the next batch, where we come to the question of Mr Yousaf’s experience. This falls into roughly two categories – his overall life experience and his experience in government.

Let’s start with his life experience and leadership skills:

Jenni Minto MSP: I believe Humza Yousaf has the experience, passion and skill set required to lead us 

Tommy Sheppard MP: The SNP needs a leader with experience who can shore up the firm foundations we have built for independence.

Luke Buchan SNP Youth Officer:  I think with his professional competence and diverse life experience he brings great experience to the role. 

Karen Adam MSP: He has vast professional competence and diverse life experience which he brings to his roles. 

Alison Thewliss MP: He has the passion, knowledge, and commitment to lead Scotland to independence. 

Graeme Dey MSP: We need to emerge from this contest with a first minister who has a vision for meeting the challenges the country faces and the skill set, and experience required to deliver on that.

Joe FitzPatrick MSP: (Humza) has the experience to lead Scotland as first minister.

Jamie Hepburn MSP: The task now is to determine who can best lead the SNP. Humza Yousaf (is) someone who understands has the experience, commitment, and ability to bring the independence movement together.

Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP: Like me, Humza Yousaf believes in a better future for Scotland and with his leadership, I have no doubt that he has the energy and compassion to take us on to independence. 

There’s a bit of overlap between the groups but these people are, broadly, suggesting that Humza Yousaf”s wide and diverse life experience, coupled with his experience in the Scottish Parliament, make him uniquely suitable to lead a broad and diverse party.

It certainly sounds good but, unfortunately, this is another area where rhetoric crumbles on meeting reality.

Humza Yousaf was, in fact, privately educated at Hutcheson’s Grammar School. He then studiedPolitics at the University of Glasgow, graduating in 2007. He was President of the Muslim Students Association and is also said to have been prominent in the Students Representative Council. 

On graduating, Yousaf worked as a parliamentary assistant for Bashir Ahmad, Scotland’s first Muslim MSP until Ahmad’s death two years later.  Yousaf then worked as parliamentary assistant for a few other MSPs including Anne McLaughlin, Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond before being elected to Holyrood in 2011.

In short, far from having wide and diverse life experience, Yousaf comes from a privileged background and has spent his entire life as a career politician, from student politics, through various levels in the Scottish parliament, to being a minister. The facts of his life are so easily available that to suggest otherwise, especially with the enthusiasm shown above, is either stupid, dishonest or, most likely, another manifestation of what happens when you’re being pressured to support someone, but still can’t think of anything positive to say.

But what about his “proven track record” and “excellent experience” in government:

Councillor Mairi McMurty: Humza has a proven track record of delivering for Scotland. As First Minister, he will bring that successful track record and deliver independence for Scotland!Councillor Ross Clark: Happy to be backing Humza Yousaf for SNP Leader and FM after nominating him. He’s got excellent experience in government and the right vision to lead Scotland forwards and on to independence. 

Mhairi Black MP: Humza has the skills, experience and resilience needed to lead 

Ian Blackford MP: Humza is that leader. He has demonstrated his ability to lead in political office across a host of roles within the Scottish government.

Julie Hepburn SNP Activist: He has a breadth of experience – – – as a grass-roots campaigner from a young age to a senior member of the Scottish Government. He’s taken on tough and diverse roles within government, including his international work and also one of the toughest gigs in government, as Scotland’s Health Secretary. He has displayed the kind of personal and political resilience that few people in politics ever have to muster,

If true, this batch of Humza endorsements has at last turned up a reason for voting for him. 

But, of course, we all know that it hasn’t. While it is undeniably true that Humza Yousaf has been appointed to the toughest roles in the Scottish government, it’s also true that he has failed miserably in all of them.

A brief reminder of his finest moments:

After being appointed Minister for Transport in 2016, Yousaf presided over the embarrassment of ScotRail being nicknamed ScotFail due to poor service times and trains routinely skipping stations. He also managed to get fined £300 after being caught by police driving a friend’s car without insurance.

When appointed as Justice Secretary (with no legal experience or qualification), his Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill introduced a new offence of ‘stirring up hatred’ and he insisted thatprivate conversations over the dinner table which “incited hatred” must be prosecuted too.Although the bill was eventually passed, it has still not been implemented as Police Scotland say this would currently be impractical.

Admittedly, when moved to healthcare, he inherited a creaking system from his predecessors, but he still managed to create his own headlines when he suggested that people should think twice about phoning 999 – a suggestion which prompted accusations that he was putting lives at risk. 

Once again, the facts are so easily available that to suggest that Humza has a proven track record of success in tough jobs is both stupid and dishonest. So why do it? Is it contempt for the SNP members who will vote for the new leader or is it, once again, people taking parts of a pre-prepared script because they can’t think of anything particularly positive to say about a candidate they don’t really believe in?

So far, in this dismal list of “endorsements”, we’ve mainly heard from what could be described as the careerist grifters. So, let’s move on to the shameless, deluded fantasists. Firstly the “Uniters”

Jamie Hepburn MSP: someone who understands has the experience, commitment, and ability to bring the independence movement together. 

Jenni Minto MSP: The next leader of the SNP needs to be able to unite our party and country.

Graeme Dey MSP: “We need to emerge from this contest with a leader who will be a unifier of the party.

Joe FitzPatrick MSP: “Our country and party need someone who can bring people together, deliver for Scotland,

Neil Gray MSP: Humza Yousaf has the skills and experience to bring people across the party and civic Scotland together behind our vision for a fairer independent Scotland. 

Julie Hepburn SNP Activist: We need someone who can unify not just one political party, but a wider movement with a shared goal. 

Councillor Stefan Hoggan-Radu: For me he is the only candidate that can not only unite the party and lead us to independence – – – 

These people would have you believe that Humza is the man to unite the independence campaign and heal the splits caused by his predecessor.

Except, this is the man who gave a ranting speech in Holyrood complaining bitterly that most of the establishment in Scotland, a country with a 95% “white British” population, were, well, white – – – His speech is widely available on YouTube and the vehemence and the way that the word “white” is almost spat out does not suggest someone whose greatest skill is compromise and unification. This is also the man who constantly refers to his colour and religion and who made an opportunistic legal claim against a children’s nursery, alleging racial discrimination (referred to by the Guardian as “publicly calling attention to structural racism in Scotland”!)

And then there was his reaction to the video of him falling off a knee scooter, while showing off and going too fast. Most people would have laughed it off with a self- deprecatory joke, but not Humza whose response positively oozes entitlement: “All for media scrutiny & never shy away from it. Just not sure there is need or purpose to tweet out a video of me falling over while injured. If anyone else had fallen over while on crutches, a knee scooter, or in a wheelchair would your first instinct be to film it & tweet out?” Or, more succinctly, how dare you laugh at someone as important as me!

So, sorry, but the idea of this prickly, entitled man, whose entire career has been handed to him on a plate, being a uniter of the Yes movement is more of a fantasy than anything in the entire Harry Potter canon.

But the most delusional Humza supporters don’t stop there because, of course, there are his well-known “progressive” qualities:

Marie McNair MSP:  He will put social justice at the heart of our campaign for independence.

Elena Witham MSP: I want to live in a fairer, equal socially just society where everyone is able to be their authentic self. Humza Yousaf will ensure it is at the heart of an independent Scotland.

Luke Buchan SNP Youth Officer:  Not to mention his guaranteed protection of equal rights for all. 

Councillor Finlay McFarlane: We need an FM we can rely on to continue delivering our election winning manifesto, progressing the rights of all Scots.

Emma Roddick MSP: a passionate, progressive politician 

Councillor Allan Casey: The country needs a FM that will continue to champion equality & progressive policies. 

Kat Cary SNP Activist: I’m enthusiastically backing @HumzaYousaf. No other candidate can match him in experience or progressive values.

Councillor Stefan Hoggan-Radu: – – – but will also stand up for socially progressive policies which our party is built on. 

Suzanne McLaughlin SNP Activist: Our party is chock-a-block full of progressives. Anne is one of them & Humza another. Humza Yousaf is the man we need as leader of our party.

Amy Callaghan MP: Our future party leader – and First Minister – must be progressive. Now is the time to double down; we must – – – – build an independent, socially just Scotland. The person to do that is Humza Yousaf 

Natalie Don MSP: I’m backing @HumzaYousaf to be the next SNP leader and First Minister of Scotland. Humza has a progressive vision to take Scotland forward.

Kirsty Blackman MP: We are fighting for independence every day, not just for the sake of it but because we want a better, fairer, more inclusive Scotland.

Ben Macpherson MSP: I am proud to be supporting Humza Yousaf and his progressive approach, to keep taking our country forward. 

Well, that certainly sounds more positive – a passionate progressive politician, standing up for social justice and progressive policies. Who could quibble with that?

Well, basically anybody who’s been paying attention for the last three years. Because this is Scotland, where we all know that “progressive policies”, “progressive values”, “equality” and “equal rights” have all lost their original, everyday meanings and are used as code for extreme gender ideology of the “Trans Women are Women”, Stonewall-backed, Queer Theory variety.

So, what these Humza supporters are actually saying is that he’s the only candidate who can be relied on to resurrect the Gender Recognition Reform Bill and allow men to self ID as women to access women only spaces and services.

But I don’t think that this is the selling point they imagine. Because, if gender Self ID was such a wonderful, progressive idea, why did everything have to be done by stealth and hidden from voters? The SNP leadership prevented any debate on Self ID at party conferences, they kept it off public election material and they buried a bland reform paragraph (which didn’t actually mention Self ID) on page 33 of their manifesto. The SNP/Green alliance then bullied a Self ID bill through Holyrood, intimidating opponents and pretending that this was a manifesto commitment that Scottish voters had solidly supported. Although, of course, if this was true, then they wouldn’t have needed to whip MSPs to vote. 

Subsequent polling has made it clear that approximately 70% of Scots are against self ID and believe that it poses a safety risk in women-only spaces.

These Humza supporters know, as well as anyone else, that resurrecting a thoroughly dishonest process, which produced a piece of massively unpopular, misogynistic legislation, would be a major problem for any Scottish independence campaign (the SNP’s raison d’etre) and so I think that we can safely conclude that, for these Humza backers, Scottish independence is not their first priority.

Which brings us to the final category of Humza supporters – the Kamikaze Tendency. They are apparently inspired by a delusional piece of self-publicity put out by Humza himself: “If we cave in and let the UK Government veto a Bill passed by a majority of the Scottish Parliament we set an incredibly dangerous precedent. We must defend the democratic will of the Scottish Parliament. If we do not, the UK Government will feel empowered to veto any legislation we bring forward in the future.”

Which leads to:

Karen Adam MSP:  This is why I am supporting Humza. I trust him to stand up for our democracy and to uphold our firm stance on independence. This shows our commitment and confidence in our country. 

Stewart Hosie MP: This is what leadership looks like. Never backing down in the face of an anti-democratic UK Government. Always standing up for the democratic decisions of Scotland’s Parliament.

Councillor Finlay McFarlane: We need an FM we can rely on to continue – – – -protecting our sovereign parliament.

Councillor Susan Aitken: Humza Yousaf’s platform is what modern Scotland needs: inclusive, progressive, compassionate & unequivocally committed to defending Scottish democracy against Westminster attacks. 

Councillor Annette Smart: Humza has impressed me with his dedication & desire to keep the independence movement going forward & not let Westminster dictate what the Scottish Government are “allowed” to pass as laws.

Shona Robison MSP: Humza is the only candidate who can continue the independence-supporting coalition in government – – – 

Councillor Angus Millar: Almost exactly 18 months ago SNP party members gave their overwhelming backing to the Bute House Agreement, which delivers a progressive agenda for Scotland & a pro-independence majority coalition. Humza Yousaf is absolutely right to commit to continuing this historic deal. 

Mhairi Black MP: Humza’s concrete commitment to maintain our pro-independence majority at Holyrood is a critical factor in how we ramp up the campaign for independence. 

I’ve included the Green coalition enthusiasts because the Greens have made it clear that they expect and support a challenge to the S35 ruling, so anybody supporting them is automatically going to be in favour of a S35 challenge.

So, what is Humza’s master-plan to protect Scottish democracy from Westminster attack?

In summary it appears to be to ignore the Supreme Court ruling on Scotland’s ability to hold an independence referendum but to challenge Westminster on their intervention on the GRR bill. 

This will make the SNP and the Scottish Parliament look completely ridiculous by ignoring a serious independence issue, while fighting an intervention that most Scots agree with, to rescue a bill forced through the Scottish Parliament by lies and bullying. The said bill is also opposed by a substantial majority of Scottish voters and is unworkable in practice, post Isla Bryson. An absolutely brilliant plan– Baldrick would be proud.

At least the original Kamikazes were motivated by a belief in duty and honour, and not just blind stupidity.

And a quick word about the rash of video endorsements which have appeared since I began to work on this. These are more of the same – once again, we are seeing elected members being wheeled out, daily, to read a script written by someone in SNP HQ. All the videos completely lack conviction, but the standout is Collette Stevenson, who reads her script with all the enthusiasm of someone who can see her family being held at gunpoint, just off camera – – –

So, what can we conclude from this depressing trawl through the world of Humza “supporters”?

Quite a lot, actually. First of all, five things are crystal clear:

One – Humza’s candidacy has very little, if anything, to do with independence. None of his backers are saying “Humza is the man to restore Scotland’s independence, and this is how he’ll do it”. Independence is always tacked on as a bit of an afterthought in the endorsements: “and deliver independence for Scotland” or “to take us on to independence”. 

Two – while it may be unfair to say that nobody actually wants Humza Yousaf as SNP leader or First Minister, it’s obvious that he’s no-one’s first choice. There is absolutely no actual enthusiasm or original thought in any of his “supporter’s” statements – no-one is backing him because they genuinely believe that he is the best man for the job. Their “endorsements” don’t represent any real feeling or commitment – they’re obviously copying and pasting from the same script. 

Three – The payroll vote is being orchestrated behind Humza. Regardless of the SNP’s constitutional rules, the entire available resources are being used to try to ensure a Humza victory. Just look at the similarities in presentation and content of the Twitter endorsements and videos, and also the timing with a steady drip of daily endorsements.

Four – the only plausible explanation of the blanket, if uninspired, payroll endorsements is that Humza is the official Sturgeon/Murrell choice as continuity candidate. This was made clear early on by Mhairi Hunter and it suggests that, despite appearances, Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell are still in charge and intend that things should stay that way. Nicola Sturgeon will still be controlling the SNP from the backbenches, supported by Peter Murrell in SNP HQ.

Five – Every person quoted above, especially the elected members, is a spineless grifter, much more concerned with their career and salary than Scottish Independence. Like Humza, they owe their current positions, income and salaries to Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell. They will vote for Humza because they’ve been told to and don’t want to rock the boat. In turn Humza, whatever the truth is behind the current SNP leadership contest, will protect the Murrells. He won’t ask to see the financial books, he won’t bring back membership democracy to the party and he won’t dilute the Murrell’s control by uniting the Yes Movement 

Some final thoughts:

My late father-in-law was a successful businessman. His rule of thumb at AGMs of companies that he had shares in was to vote against the directors’ recommendations on the basis that these almost always benefited the directors a lot more than the company.

And why has Humza, who has never been mentioned before as a potential leader, suddenly received all this support. Because, to slightly misquote Sheriff John T Chance in Howard Hawks’ classic Rio Bravo – “I don’t think Humza has a friend in the world and he won’t have unless somebody buys him some for $50 a head”.

So, in conclusion, my plea to SNP members, before they vote, is to ask themselves who benefits from Humza’s election as leader? What is in it for the directors, aka the current leadership? And why is the payroll vote, who clearly don’t really rate Humza as a leader, suddenly queuing up to receive their $50?

MY COMMENT

I don’t think I need to add anything to Gordon’s article which certainly rings all too true to me.

I am, as always

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