One political adviser here at Holyrood said things would
take their time and then it would all happen very quickly.
That’s pretty much what happened.
John Swinney set out his intentions and then three hours
later the other potential big hitter in any prospective leadership race swung
in behind him.
Kate Forbes is now guaranteed a big cabinet job.
So, it’s almost over – but not quite.
Officially, nominations close at noon at Monday.
No serious candidate could stand now but the SNP
constitution states a valid nominee must have the backing of at least 100
members drawn from at least 20 different branches.
Could a member desperate for an open debate about the
party’s future seek that level of support and force John Swinney to travel
round a series of hustings?
Highly unlikely. The opinion here at Holyrood is it
would be difficult to achieve that.