Has Stephen Flynn damaged his chances of succeeding John Swinney with his “inelegant”, as one former colleague put it, announcement last week that he planned to get into Holyrood by ousting the respected sitting SNP MSP Audrey Nicoll and to continue to work as an MP until the next general election?
Certainly at The Herald’s Scottish Politician of the Year, hosted in association with Scottish Power, many of those assembled at the Prestonfield House Hotel in Edinburgh thought so.
The applause from the audience was more muted than I would have expected when Mr Flynn’s name was called out as a nominee for the Best Scot at Westminster. (The gong went to Scottish Secretary Ian Murray.)
In accepting a Lifetime Achievement award, the words of former Scottish Conservative leader Baroness Annabel Goldie seemed to strike a rather uncomfortable chord when she called for parties to “boot out” politicians with a sense of entitlement who sought to promote themselves.
READ MORE:Â
Analysis: The battle to succeed John Swinney has begun
Sarwar: first minister in waiting or held back by Starmer?
Analysis: Do not underestimate the threat of Kate Forbes
“If there’s anyone in politics who’s in it to promote themselves in their own advancement, and most distastefully of all to, through some grotesque sense of entitlement, seek to grab every passing trimming and frill going past, then get them out.
“Boot them out your party. They’re no use to your party. They are no use to the public, and there’s certainly no use to the reputation of what should be an admired and respected vocation, and that is a privilege of political service,” she told the audience.
The Aberdeen South MP’s Holyrood bid to also become MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine dominated headlines since last Monday when he set out his goal.
It was given fresh attention when The Herald’s awards event got underway when Mr Flynn released a statement announcing he had “got it wrong” and he would not be seeking a dual mandate after all.
“Hands up, I’ve got this one wrong and won’t be pursuing a dual mandate,” he admitted.
It was a huge and rather embarrassing U-turn.
Some of the guests thought the whole sorry episode called into question Mr Flynn’s political judgement.
This would be quite some flaw in someone who has never denied his ambition to lead the party and his country.
“If you can’t get your bid right to become an MSP why should you be trusted as party leader and First Minister?” goes the thinking among such critics.
Of course there’s no opening for SNP leader at the moment and may not be until well after 2026 should Mr Swinney take his party to a record seventh term in power at that year’s election.
But for a party which has seen considerable psycho drama around high profile leaders in recent years and is in a mood to unite around more consensual figures, a politician whose personal ambition could have easily risked sparking a whole new row, may not in the end be the most popular choice as successor when the time does come for Mr Swinney to step down.
