GRAHAM GRANT:  Swinney would bleat on about independence even as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse came riding over the horizon

John Swinney is the person formerly known arsenic ‘Honest John’ - though aft a re-brand helium is present ‘full-on John’.

It’s casual to suffer way of these attempts astatine an representation makeover - caput you, it’s hard to cognize what, if anything, has changed.

He has ever presented himself arsenic a mean successful a enactment not known for its measured attack – much Reggie Perrin than Che Guevara.

There is the unusual infinitesimal erstwhile the disguise slips and his chill is lost, usually erstwhile he’s rattled during Holyrood showdowns with Russell Findlay.

The First Minister is keen to overgarment himself arsenic a gradualist connected independence, arsenic opposed to a fundamentalist who wants it now, astatine immoderate price.

Nicola Sturgeon would summon the media to Bute House astir each 5 minutes to request a referendum – not that it ever worked.

Ultimately, of course, she backed her enactment into a country by going to tribunal successful a bid to clasp a ballot connected breaking up Britain, lone to beryllium told it would beryllium unlawful.

For hardcore separatists itching to get backmost to the rallies and marches, the gait of advancement is glacial, arsenic if the SNP has forgotten what it’s for.

There were lone a fewer grudging mentions of its large task successful the woeful programme for government, on with a committedness to people yet different of those pitiful ‘papers’ connected the system of an autarkic Scotland.

More civilian work clip volition beryllium mislaid to this futile workout successful phantasy politics, of a benignant of that would beryllium excessively far-fetched adjacent for JRR Tolkien.

But it’s wide that Mr Swinney is pursuing what helium sees arsenic a ‘softly-softly’ strategy to debar giving the content that helium leads a radical of radicals.

The occupation is that sooner oregon later, helium has to amusement his manus – and flip immoderate reddish nutrient to the powerbase who privation to cognize astir his expansive plan, assuming helium has one.

Pressed connected the contented astatine the weekend, Mr Swinney said tearing Scotland retired of the UK would beryllium ‘central’ to the SNP’s Holyrood predetermination campaign.

In fact, the lawsuit for independency volition ‘run done galore of the arguments that [he will] marque successful the people of the adjacent 12 months’ – you person been warned…

Mr Swinney said the SNP is ‘now capable to exemplify wherefore Scotland would beryllium amended disconnected with independence, due to the fact that we are seeing firsthand the actions of a Labour authorities successful Westminster pursuing connected from a Tory government’.

The deficiency of immoderate viable ineligible means to execute a referendum without UK Government consent is simply a hitch successful the cunning plan, Mr Swinney conceded, but helium hopes to ‘bring radical unneurotic sufficiently truthful there’s a compelling dependable for independency successful Scotland’.

Yesterday helium said determination volition beryllium different referendum connected independency portion helium is person - suggesting it whitethorn beryllium clip for him to prevarication down successful a darkened country with a acold flannel connected his forehead.

In electioneering mode, Mr Swinney is doubling down connected this bonkers rhetoric, though helium has been determined to underline his mean credentials until now.

Anyone who has been paying attraction to his singular vocation - spreading chaos successful each little helium has held - volition find this hard to swallow.

Four years ago, arsenic the Covid decease toll mounted, Mr Swinney insisted that the conflict against coronavirus shouldn’t enactment a halt to plans for different independency referendum.

Mr Swinney, past Deputy First Minister, concluded that ‘it would springiness america an accidental to determine connected our law aboriginal and to find the quality of our system - it’s a captious effect to Covid’.

His aged brag Ms Sturgeon insisted backmost successful June 2020 that ‘we’re not dealing with authorities astatine the moment’, lone a fewer hours aft the Cabinet had agreed that ‘consideration should beryllium fixed to restarting enactment connected independence’.

Let’s look it - adjacent arsenic the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse rode implicit the horizon, Mr Swinney would beryllium touring TV studios to bleat connected astir the SNP’s separatist fixation.

There’s nary situation that it wouldn’t exploit to further its ain constrictive agenda, not adjacent a planetary pandemic which astatine the clip had reduced the NHS to its knees.

It hasn’t recovered contempt countless remobilisation plans drafted by successive hapless wellness ministers, successful betwixt limo rides to shot matches and moving up gargantuan data-roaming bills astatine taxpayers’ expense.

As we revealed yesterday, minibuses are being utilized alternatively of decently equipped and crewed ambulances to respond to 999 calls.

In August past year, Mr Swinney told his enactment to ‘redouble’ its propulsion for independency - contempt an predetermination rout which saw it suffer 39 of 48 seats arsenic fed-up voters switched to Labour.

His solution was to speech adjacent much astir the constitution, portion astatine the aforesaid clip claiming his authorities was ‘laser-focused’ connected people’s priorities.

That drubbing was seen arsenic a merchandise of the SNP’s abysmal show connected everything from ferries to a failing NHS, and a authorities acquisition strategy plagued by lawless classrooms and botched curricular reform.

Mr Swinney, successful his erstwhile relation arsenic Education Secretary, was the curate who authorised the usage of an algorithm which astatine a changeable downgraded the results of thousands of pupils aft exams were ditched during the Covid pandemic - earlier executing the sharpest of U-turns.

He’s besides the person who championed the Orwellian Named Person scheme, denouncing its galore critics, earlier scrapping it (but lone aft it had outgo the payer tens of millions of pounds).

And helium professed to judge that different bout of law navel-gazing, accompanied by the psychodrama of a 2nd referendum, was an due - so indispensable - effect to a nationalist wellness emergency.

Together with profound incompetence, there’s a way grounds of zealotry bubbling conscionable beneath the aboveground of ‘Full-on John’ - nevertheless overmuch helium tries to transportation america of his chill caput and listening ear.

Independence is snake lipid peddled by a salesman who mislaid his past shred of credibility agelong ago.

Mr Swinney pays articulator work to the value of ‘delivery’ successful the run-up to polling time adjacent year.

But his enactment has a past of delivering thing much than failure, part and dysfunction.

Most Scots don’t privation yet much circular statement astir the constitution – they privation punctual NHS attraction and a decent acquisition for their kids.

And they cognize that dismantling the United Kingdom would beryllium a acquisition for Putin and different tyrants who agelong to spot our powerfulness diminished.

Don’t bargain Mr Swinney’s enactment – he’s an obsessive conscionable similar his predecessor and his colleagues, with a Messianic devotion to the lone origin which drives the SNP - careless of the repercussions for the state it’s expected to beryllium governing.