Yousaf’s historic election results in abrupt resignation

Humza Yousaf became the first Muslim to lead a Western European country a year ago. I hailed his historic election. 

But he banked his leadership on an uncompromising pro-independence agenda. I warned it was “bound to go bankrupt.” 

Sure enough:

Scotland’s first minister, Humza Yousaf, resigned on Monday in the latest setback for his Scottish National Party, which has been engulfed in a slow-burn crisis over a funding scandal that erupted after its popular leader Nicola Sturgeon stepped down last year.

Mr. Yousaf’s departure had looked increasingly inevitable after he gambled last week by ending a power sharing deal with the Scottish Green Party, angering its leaders and leaving him at the head of a minority government without obvious allies. His opponents then pressed for two motions of no confidence, which were expected to take place later this week.

(The New York Times, April 29, 2024)

Implications for Scottish Politics and DEI Initiatives

To put a finer point on this resignation, here is how the Daily Mail summed up what it portends for Yousaf and his SNP:

‘Independence is dead for a generation. What’s our big message? Vote for us and we’ll try not to f*** things up so badly next time?’ says one veteran SNP politician.

Meanwhile, White supremacists are crusading against diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) across all facets of public life. So this news will undoubtedly have them reveling in schadenfreude. 

On the other hand, progressives must be cursing their luck. But Yousaf has only himself to blame. After all, from the outset, he doomed his tenure with political missteps that inevitably led to his tearful resignation announcement.

In this respect, his rise and fall emulated that of former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss. Hers ended in Truss becoming the shortest-serving PM in British history. 

Yousaf’s rise was a shining milestone for DEI in politics. But you can bet his fall will cast a dark shadow over future efforts to promote DEI in politics and all areas of Scottish life. 

Incidentally, Rishi Sunak stole some of Yousaf’s thunder by becoming the first person of color to serve as British prime minister. However, Sunak seems poised for a similar downfall in the upcoming General Elections. Expect the same gloating from those crusading White supremacists then.

Strategic failures and political isolation

Of course, political missteps are commonplace. But rare is the politician who makes one that is suicidal. 

Yet Yousaf’s decision to end an existential power-sharing deal with the Scottish Green Party was certifiably suicidal. Not least because he didn’t bother to secure allies to replace them beforehand. 

This blunder exposed him as a self-righteous amateur, more concerned with political grandstanding than pragmatic governance. Thus, alone, he stood, with his once-allies in the Green Party feeling betrayed and the opposition ready to pounce. 

Here’s to what could have been.