There are so many unanswered questions surrounding the SNP’s current crisis. And make no mistake, this is a crisis not a drama blown out of proportion by the media.  How should it be dealt with and what are the lessons for all political parties?

First, the nature of the crisis needs to be understood. Crises may appear suddenly but more often are the culmination of mounting problems that surface suddenly and that is what has happened here.

As with the SNP Government, there has been a gap between rhetoric and reality in the internal governance of the SNP.  The gulf between its claims to be a party of democratic self-government and its practice – between its orthodoxy and orthopraxy – has been exposed yet still defended by some. 

This is a party that has accused opponents of blocking Scottish democracy.  But its internal workings have been anything but transparent, accountable or democratic. The defence of ‘confidential decisions’ made inside the SNP smacks of the same defence of closed government that the SNP has long criticised in UK system of government. Open government, it appears, is for others. This attitude, if prevalent, does not bode well in dealing with this crisis.

Want to see more SNP fails? – Education Matters