JOHN Swinney’s bid to deliver an SNP majority to secure a second independence referendum has been branded “self-preservation”.
On Monday, the First Minister insisted that a majority of SNP MSPs at the Holyrood 2026 election is the only route to achieving a legally recognised referendum.
He cited the election result of 2011, when Alex Salmond led the party to a historic majority of 69 MSPs. This included 53 constituency seats and 16 regional seats.
Swinney is urging Scottish voters to back the SNP on both the constituency and regional lists.
This move led to criticism from Scottish Greens leadership candidate Ross Greer, who said that a vote for any pro-independence party should count “whatever the First Minister says”.
Former SNP MP Joanna Cherry said the strategy was “back to the future”.
Meanwhile, Unionist politicians accused the First Minister of being “obsessed” with Scottish independence.
In a statement, Greer said: “This is not a strategy to secure Scotland’s independence, it’s a plan for self-preservation by the SNP and, ironically, it is profoundly antidemocratic.
"Every vote for pro-independence parties next May is a vote for independence, whatever the First Minister says.
“We need to demonstrate that independence would make people’s lives better and build a fairer, greener Scotland. That's how we secure clear and consistent majority support.”
“The current Scottish Government is constantly reducing its ambitions for Scotland,” he added.
“Less action on equality, less effort to tackle the climate crisis, less activity to advance the cause of independence itself.”
Writing on X, Cherry said the strategy wouldn’t work the same as it did in 2011 when “so many have lost faith in the SNP to govern well or deliver”.
“Good strategists evolve their strategy to deal with changed circumstances,” she added.
“Alex Salmond recognised this with his super majority strategy designed to recognise all votes for pro-Indy parties. This strategy looks like a cynical attempt to maximise the SNP vote in an election they know they cannot win outright.”
Alba MSP Ash Regan also accused Swinney of pursuing “the most cynical side of politics”.
“SNP were given power to deliver independence, they abused that trust, especially with women yet have the audacity to be back, nine months from the next election, begging for more from independence voters,” she wrote.
Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour deputy leader, said the [[SNP]] had “lost its way and ran out of ideas”.
“Despite that, John Swinney can’t end his own obsession with division and today has confirmed he’ll put Scots second to appease his own party,” she said.
“This is not as good as it gets and in 2026 Scotland will have a chance to put a stop to SNP decline and vote for a fresh start.”
Alex Cole-Hamilton, leader of the Scottish LibDems, said the [[SNP]] took an “almighty beating” because voters were “tired” of the party’s obsession with independence.
“It seems like John Swinney is a glutton for punishment,” he said.
“Perhaps rather than focusing on what the SNP membership cares about, he should focus on what the country needs.”
Rachael [[Hamilton]], Scottish Tories deputy leader, claimed Swinney is “like a broken record”.
“In a bid to silence internal critics of his weak leadership, he has thrown diehard nationalists some more red meat on the one issue they all agree on: independence,” she said.
“Ordinary Scots are sick and tired of the SNP’s obsession with breaking up the UK.”
Meanwhile, Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop wrote on X: “Winning independence by winning a majority in 2026, winning the arguments with a positive vision of a fairer, prosperous independent Scotland and winning the right of the people of Scotland to decide their own future with one million people having never had that chance in next term.”
We told how the FM insisted there is “no shortcut” to independence at a media event in Falkirk on Monday.
“We got a majority of SNP MSPs into the Scottish Parliament and a referendum, and I think we have got to take bold action to break the log jam,” he said.
This is a move away from his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon’s position, where she said a joint pro-independence majority of [[SNP]] and Green MSPs was a sufficient mandate for a second referendum.
