by Rab Bruce’s Spider

Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.Scot

X / Twitter: @RabBrucesSpider

It is no surprise that the Bute House Agreement has ended, but Humza Yousaf has definitely stolen a march on the greens by ending it first. It is a decision which has outraged the greens, and whether the SNP can rely on their support in the future must now be in doubt. Will resentment fuel the decisions of Green MSPs in future?

Some will no doubt be pleased that this arrangement has ended. Some recent policies pushed out by the coalition Government have clearly been brought forward at the behest of the Greens but have not gained much public support. The gender Recognition Act was blocked by the UK Government, and the banning of wood-burning stoves has been widely criticised for its lack of recognition of people’s needs in rural areas. The debacle over Highly Protected Marine Areas was another source of ridicule, and when you add in the well-meaning but botched Deposit Return Scheme, the Greens have not endeared themselves to many voters. Not that the SNP have covered themselves in glory. As the senior Party in the coalition, they really ought to have managed things a lot better.

But what now for the SNP? What if there is a call for a vote of no confidence? Can they survive that? If the greens turn against them, as seems likely, then the Government may fall. The big question is whether Humza Yousaf has taken that into consideration before making his astounding U-turn. Having praised the Bute House Agreement only a few days ago, he has now decided it must be scrapped. Is this the first real sign of him stamping his authority on the Scottish Government, or is it a fatal error of judgement which will result in the collapse of that Government? If the latter, it is hard to see how the SNP could be returned to power in a Holyrood election.

This is a bold but risky decision by Humza Yousaf, but it must be said that he would have looked even weaker if he’d waited for the greens to make the decision for him. He’d have been a really lame duck First Minister if that had happened, a politician reliant on another Party’s decisions. In that sense, he perhaps had no choice, but quite where we go from here is anyone’s guess.