Following the Holyrood elections in May 2007 there was an almost palpable change to politics in Scotland.  Labour saw their 50 year dominance of Scottish politics put to the knife by a dissappointed electorate following one of the most negative campaigns I can recall.  The SNP’s victory was not a landslide though, and it was against a back-drop of disallowed votes and failed coalition talks that a minority SNP Executive emerged under the leadership of Alex Salmond, the most capable mind in Scottish, if not British, politics.

Of course it didn’t take long for the SNP to rebrand the ‘Scottish Executive’ as what it really is, ‘Scottish Government’

That aside though, just how long could an administration with only one seat more than their nearest (New Labour) rivals actually survive, this was surely an administration doomed to flounder and fail in short order allowing hte old Labour Liberal coalition to re-emerge and continue in their lack-lustre Execution of the country. 

Question.  If a Government governs and has governance, just what else can an Executive do other than execute and have executions?

Yet, whilst Labour reeled and wrapped itself up in denial, the SNP came out of the election and at such pace that it seemed that being a minority government might be some sort of advantage?!  The SNP has managed to deliver on a variety of levels from cutting prescription charges (with a view to abolishing them), to saving A&E units set to be axed under the previous administration, to saving certain key services from centralisation which would have meant massive round trips for patients and their families.

One of the SNP heroes of the hour is John Swinney, former leader of the party, with possibly the largest political portfolio in the history of Scottish politics ever, managed to deftly negotiate and deliver a budget thanks to the maturity of the Conservative opposition and Annabel Goldie’s willingness to work with the SNP in the interests of delivering benefits for Scotland.  Bizzarely, this led to the SNP’s manifesto committment of 1000 new police officers being delivered despite the SNP seemingly dropping this earlier!

The SNP have delivered parliamentary votes on local income tax, trident, and higher education, even though the numbers were against them.

Despite their success in their first year they obvuiously have their detractors, those who would have us languishing under the ‘formidable intellect’ of Wendy Alexander no doubt.  Wendy Alexander has been heard to be banging on about failed promises on Student debt, grants for first time homebuyers, and the new school building programme.

Yet the graduate endowment has been abolished even if the SNP have gone as far as they promised, new schools continue to be built and Labour complain that certain schools will not be closed.  As to the grants for first time homebuyers, well let’s face it that’s a stupid bloody idea anyway …

Any failure of a minority administration to deliver on their manifesto in it’s entirety is hardly surprising.  What is surprising is when, given 11 years in Westminster Labour still fail to deliver on theirs.  At least the SNP still have the remainder of their term to at least attempt to get through the changes they wish to make.

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