Kevin McKenna: 'Hopelessness of Labour and the Tories virtually guarantees SNP power'

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What’s been the highlight of your career?

I was appointed Deputy Editor of The Herald in 2000 at the age of 36. When starting out in journalism I’d always wanted to write for this paper, so to start there in such a senior role was the stuff of dreams.

Prior to that I’d been appointed the UK’s first group sports editor of a national newspaper group, The Scotsman in 1997. And it was there that I appointed the UK’s first female sports editor of a national title, the brilliant Ginny Clark, at Scotland on Sunday. Landmark moments in my career included helping to produce The Herald’s acclaimed coverage of the 9/11 bombings and to design and produce a unique Spanish language wraparound edition of The Herald in 2002 to commemorate Real Madrid’s European Cup triumph in Glasgow.

King Juan Carlos of Spain wrote to us and said that of all Real’s European Cup memories our coverage made this one stand out for him.

What’s your favourite part of Scotland and why?

Glasgow, the city and its people, is where I belong and although I’ve travelled all over the world in this job all roads lead back here. I also love the Western Isles and Orkney where I’ve visited often on assignment. These wild and beautiful places and their wise, friendly people always make me want to return.

What was the last book you read?

Bandit Capitalism: Carillion and the corruption of the British state, by Bob Wylie. Like many others, I’m occasionally exasperated by the fake liberalism of the Scottish political classes and their obsession with feel-good proclamations that amount to little of any great import.

But this book is a sharp reminder that, no matter how dark it gets up here sometimes, the British state is influenced by corrupt forces who use patriotism as a camouflage for fleecing the country they profess to love. It’s a great book and proof that Socialism is the only antidote to the embedded greed in the UK’s political system.

What do you write about for The Herald? Give us a brief description

I write mainly about politics and social affairs from a left-wing perspective. However, although I’m persuaded by the arguments for Scottish independence I try to remain free to cast a critical eye on the activities of its main protagonists, the SNP.

Sadly, too many of my colleagues currently think their job is to lay palms before the feet of Nicola Sturgeon rather than ask hard questions about her party’s 14 years (and counting) in Government.

What will be the biggest stories of 2021 and the next decade?

Following May’s Holyrood elections, inevitably our focus will settle on the date of a second referendum, assuming the SNP secure an overall majority. This though, is by no means guaranteed as I sense that many grass-roots activists have become so disillusioned by the bullying and intimidation that go unchecked inside the party that they now recoil at the thought of voting for them.

The toxicity of Boris Johnson’s administration though, and the general hopelessness of Labour and the Tories in Scotland virtually guarantees SNP power for another generation. I’m also convinced that the gap between the affluent west and the poor nations of the southern hemisphere will become wider still with the effects of coronavirus. How we address this will define us as a people. If we don’t there may be terrible consequences not just for these poor nations but for us too in perpetual wars caused by perpetual famine.

What do you make of both the Scottish and UK government’s response to Coronavirus?

Not good enough. Our people have been badly served by the political classes and their failed managerialism. A challenge of this magnitude required innovation, creativity and minds capable of thinking the unthinkable. Sadly, on both sides of the Border, we reward mediocrity and people who have been on the right leadership courses or who have insinuated themselves into the hidden power networks which have always worked against the majority. They were badly caught out by greed and corruption in England and in Scotland the catastrophic failure to plan for this when they had the chance a few years ago. Civic and political Scotland rewards incompetence and boot-licking and this has come to haunt us.     

Who’s going to win the Holyrood election and why?

SNP. Mainly because none of the other parties are fit for purpose. My only hope is that there is no scope for the Scottish Greens, who have never won a single constituency in their history, to play any part in Government. They are not a serious political party and serve only as a vehicle for an elite, middle class group of virtue-signallers with way too much time on their hands.

What will happen with indyref2 after the election?

The SNP will make all the usual noises and kick it into the long grass … again. They have become expert at raising the hopes of their support base at just the right time and then dashing their hopes. Too many of their most senior figures have grown soft and lazy on devolved power. An early statement of intent would be to signal their intention to withdraw from Westminster. Their presence there is dishonest and meaningless.

Why should Scots sign up for a Herald subscription?

The Herald’s combination of world class Commentary and a commitment to reporting Scotland as it is makes it essential reading for those who want to know how we got here and where we’re going. No other newspaper has a Comment section which represents so widely all of the main political tribes in Scotland. I’ll always be proud of having worked alongside some top-class writers and a production and picture team which performs small miracles of concept and design every day of the week.