Who is popular today?

There have been mixed signals emanating from Bute House since the recent changing of the guard. On one hand, new First Minister John Swinney has promised to put the economy at the heart of his government’s approach and appointed Kate Forbes as his deputy, raising expectations of a renewed focus on growth. On the other hand, most faces around the cabinet table are unchanged; that speaks more to continuity than to any radical shift. John Swinney now has a small window in which to demonstrate a break from the past by showing that he and Forbes are serious about setting a new economic direction and changing tack.