Before the SNP leadership election ended on March 27, The Student asked students in Edinburgh their opinions on it.
The race, won by Humza Yousaf, determined who succeeded Nicola Sturgeon after her eight-year long tenure as First Minister.
While interviewing students, a lack of engagement in Scottish politics was clear, with the majority asked for their thoughts not being able to give one candidate’s name.
Humza Yousaf, Kate Forbes and Ash Regan offered differing proposals for the future of the SNP and Scotland in a post-Sturgeon world.
Students who were aware of the contest to some degree resonated with Yousaf more than the others.
Yousaf is “the most likeable candidate” according to one student and was consistently the favourite to win the contest, presenting himself as the continuity candidate who will move the country in a similar direction to the outgoing First Minister.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, informed students seemed to generally dislike Kate Forbes’ views.
In particular, her statement that she would have voted against the Equal Marriage Law in 2014 if she was an MSP at the time was raised as an issue.
Ash Regan was generally ignored as a candidate by students interviewed, polling the worst of the three in the race to become First Minister.
Students’ views on the state of the SNP rather than the candidates themselves were stronger, with one student believing that:
“The SNP are likely to lose support for the upcoming general election… people will vote more tactically” because of the leadership race.
With the contest being characterised as generally “messy” by several interviewees, some believe Labour may be the choice party for voters in the next election, with discontent with the disorganisation and division being uncovered.
It was exposed during the race that the SNP leadership figures had been overstated by 30,000 members, causing SNP chief executive Peter Murrell to resign.
Candidates in the race have highlighted key differences between SNP MSP’s opinions of issues surrounding independence and recent gender recognition reforms.
Some students believed that these have previously been ignored due to the unity Sturgeon brought to the party.
Students understood more about the exit of Sturgeon and its effects on the SNP and Scotland rather than the leadership contest itself.
One student characterised Sturgeon as “strong” while not knowing much about the individuals and their beliefs on how Scotland should progress into the future.
Overwhelmingly, students were simply not aware of the specifics of the events of the contest or knew enough to give an opinion on an event that will affect people living in Scotland and beyond for years to come.
“First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s first FMQ’s” by Scottish Government is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.