SNP Leadership contest 2004

'I did it not for glory nor riches nor honour but for freedom and freedom alone.' John Swinney MSP, 28 th June 2004.

Constituents talk fondly of a 'decent man'

By William Lyons in the Scotsman 23 rd June 2004

IN THE heart of John Swinney's constituency, the news of his departure was greeted with both sadness and relief. Tayside North, famous for its fresh fruit growing and before 1997, largely Conservative support, embraced Mr Swinney's vision of Scottish nationalism.

Yesterday on the streets of Blairgowrie, it was clear that he is regarded by many of his constituents as a decent, thoughtful local MSP. But as leader of the party, the jury is still out, with a number of people saying they had become dissatisfied with his performance and questioning whether he was ever up to the job.

One SNP voter, a retired engineer, who asked not to be named, summed up the mood: "A decent man has lost a job perhaps he wasn't cut out for. It is a pity it has had to end like this. Perhaps John Swinney didn't have the aggression of Alex Salmond, he was more of a gentleman and he carried this into his politics. I would say this is a huge loss to the party."

Margaret Young, a massage therapist, said Mr Swinney has been such a fundamental part of the party that it was difficult to see how they could now fill the void: "It is a good move. Possibly he wasn't focused on all his policies. However, there was quite a division in his party that didn't help. But the SNP have been very good for Blairgowrie. Where they will go from here I don't know, it is very sad."

Eric Sticht, who runs the local fishing-tackle shop, said Mr Swinney's departure was a symptom of modern politics.

"There is no middle ground these days, if you are strong and confident, they attack you and if you are weak, they attack you. I felt he was a decent man, I dealt with him a couple of times over education issues and he was pretty straightforward and wanted to help out," he said.

Paul Sutherland, an optometrist, said: "Scotland is a bit fed up with SNP politics. Once we got the parliament it was the end of the story."

At Mr Swinney's constituency office, Elaine Wylie, the office manager, said she felt it was more of a disappointment than a shock. "It has been an incredibly tough couple of weeks with some very nasty and personal attacks, John is a human being like any other person."