The immediate beginning of the crisis came on 18 April, when the government announced it was scrapping the highly ambitious climate targets written into the Bute House agreement, with minimal consultation with the Greens. For the Green membership, that was the last straw.
Party co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater announced they would ask Greens members to vote in May on whether the party should remain in the coalition.
Instead, mysteriously, Youssef decided to leave the Greens before they had a chance to abandon him. Apparently, they may have imagined that this would make them look decisive and would give the impression that they calculated that the Greens would happily return to their role as a friend in 2016–21, but not as a governing party partner. I am not.
If this was his intention, it is strange that he made no effort to negotiate an end to the coalition and give the Greens a voice over the loose arrangement. Instead he informed them briefly about the termination of the agreement. It is not entirely unreasonable that the smaller party was indifferent.
If he joined the opposition in voting in favor of the motion – which he immediately confirmed he would do – he would be forced to stand down.
The only way for Joseph to secure his position would be to compromise with the sole MSP from former SNP-leader Alex Salmond’s Alba party – something he cannot accept.
A day later, Scottish Labor tabled a second vote of no confidence – this time in the entire government. The consequences of this demise would be even more serious for the entire party, and Joseph was left with little choice.
With the Yusuf era coming to an end, speculations about his successor have intensified. John Swinney, a key figure in Sturgeon’s leadership, is fast emerging at the forefront. In many ways, his appointment reflects lessons learned from Yusuf – he will be a leader with a recognized track record of ministerial ability and political wisdom.
But while Swinney may restore the SNP’s somewhat tarnished reputation for governance, he has not faced the problem of securing reliable parliamentary allies.
(This is an opinion and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for it. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read original article Here,
