Humza Yousaf needs to spell out his vision for Scotland

He made a good case for why he has so far been unable to do so. ‘Overshadowed’ is an inadequate adjective to describe what the police investigation into the SNP’s finances have done to the early premiership of Mr Yousaf. He cited, on Tuesday, the example of his ‘reset’ speech in Parliament.

It was, in fact, a much more radical speech than many had expected, including the promise of a New Deal for Scottish Businesses and a tacit acknowledgement that the relationship between government and industry was (and remains) very poor, with an accelerating concern about the presence in government of a party, the Greens, which is opposed to economic growth.

READ MORE: Is the SNP imploding – and can Humza Yousaf find a solution?

Nobody noticed, though, because the speech was delivered on precisely the same day that Colin Beattie, the party’s Treasurer, was arrested (and later released without charge) as part of the investigation. News is news, and the harsh reality of political life is that an arrest as part of an investigation which involves the former First Minister is an exponentially larger piece of news than a policy reset by her chosen successor.

It is not the only intervention for which he can feel aggrieved at getting no credit. His decision to reverse years of head-in-the-sand refusal to understand the relative state of our schooling, by re-entering the international comparators, was an unexpected bonus for children and parents everywhere. His ditching of the alcohol advertising and Highly Protected Marine Area proposals brought a collective sigh of relief to remote and rural communities everywhere.

So, waiting for the right moment is understandable. Nonetheless, political capital comes with a use by date and, not far off half a year into his leadership, Mr Yousaf’s political capital is beginning to go off. The Programme for Government, the annual set piece speech in the Scottish Parliament, is the time to deliver.

The PfG, in and of itself, is a bit of a ‘bubble day’ in the political world, but it has the ability to become of wider public interest depending on its content. And so, since he has the stage, the question becomes whether or not he has the content.

Mr Yousaf, as has been well versed, was the chosen successor of Nicola Sturgeon which, at the time of the leadership election, still seemed like a significant feather in his cap. For obvious reasons, that particular coin has flipped and many around Mr Yousaf are looking for opportunities for him to define himself. To go from being the person trying to fill the shoes to being the person with a new pair of shoes.

Humza Yousaf and Nicola Sturgeon (Image: free)

This is in him, I believe. I have known him, and been around politics, for long enough to know that he has ‘Yousafism’ and a ‘Humzavision’, whatever we may wish to call them.

But now it is time to hear it. There is no point in waiting for the bad news to go away; it is not in his control. He needs to put the police investigation in a box marked ‘Nothing To Do With Me’, focus on what he does control, admit that Scotland needs fixed, and tell us how he’s going to do it.

When we delve into that level of detail, I am afraid we cannot avoid a discussion about the Bute House Agreement, for all policy roads, one way or another, lead to the Greens. On Tuesday, Mr Yousaf reaffirmed that the coalition would be in place until 2026 and restated his belief that it is making Parliament and Government easier to run, but it is impossible to believe that he is blind to the damage being done to the reputation of the SNP outside Edinburgh’s political bubble.

When I asked him, on Tuesday, how he can build credibility on his economic vision when his coalition partners do not believe in economic growth, he cut me off and said: “I’m not a communist”.

That will be a relief for the capitalists who make up the overwhelming majority of the country and the western world, but it does not necessarily mean that he will feel politically able to create the conditions for economic growth without risking the departure of the Greens from the governing agreement.

And that is why all roads lead to the Bute House Agreement, is it not?

Because talking about something called ‘progressive taxation’ only gets you so far. There’s nothing progressive about a tax regime which starves investment and discourages working-age wealth creators. Without economic growth, there can be no public spending growth on the health service, or education, or welfare of whatever else.

READ MORE: Humza Yousaf warns his premiership will 'p*** people off'

Because campaigning is binary, but government is nuanced. How do you encourage an electric vehicle revolution without investing in the road infrastructure which will carry them?

How do you promote a rush to renewables when you cut off the supply and employment foundation, and the profits, which will create it and which come from continued exploitation of hydrocarbons?

How do you encourage more supply of homes, and therefore cheaper prices, for renters when you have created a rent cap which is leading to the institutional investors who will build the homes to take their money to a less hostile environment?

The truth is you can’t. Being in government is irksome, because you can’t have your cake and eat it. That’s a luxury only the opposition can enjoy.

As Geoff Aberdein, my Holyrood Sources colleague and former chief of staff to another First Minister, is fond of saying, you only get one shot at this. Mr Yousaf has his doubters. Frankly, I’m not one of them. I think he has this in him. But he cannot waste more time trying to make omelettes without cracking any eggs.

He might upset Patrick Harvie. He might upset Nicola Sturgeon. He might upset Fergus Ewing. He might upset Kate Forbes.

No matter. He’s the one in the office. So let’s have the Humzavision.

• Andy Maciver is Founding Director of Message Matters and Zero Matters