It is often said that a week is a long time in politics – and it has certainly been a tumultuous time since my last column in this paper.

A General Election has been called and will be held on July 4. I would encourage all readers to make sure they are registered to vote and apply for a postal vote if they need one.

John Swinney has also been appointed as First Minister of Scotland.

He has pledged to be a leader for everyone in Scotland. But looking at his record, people in North Ayrshire will be right to be sceptical about that claim.

Mr Swinney’s predecessor, Humza Yousaf, was forced to resign after only a year in charge and the fallout from his decision to end the SNP’s power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens.

Of course, neither John Swinney’s nor Humza Yousaf’s status as First Minister was voted on by the Scottish people: in both cases, only their party members had a say in who would lead the country.

Also in both cases, SNP members claimed they had a right to appoint the First Minister and that no election was needed – despite themselves calling for an election when the Conservatives twice appointed a UK Prime Minister in 2022.

What hypocrisy.

John Swinney has claimed to bring ‘fresh leadership’ and new ideas to our politics.

There is no doubt that new ideas are needed: individuals and families in North Ayrshire and across the country continue to struggle after 17 years of SNP failure, with taxes rising and public services being cut.

But looking at his record in various Cabinet Secretary positions over the years, and even in his short time as First Minister, it is clear that Mr Swinney is not the man to solve Scotland’s problems.

As Education Secretary during the Covid lockdown, Mr Swinney oversaw the downgrading of the grades of 125,000 school pupils purely because their schools were in less affluent areas.

This move would have seen countless young people in places including North Ayrshire denied key life opportunities. But John Swinney defended it. 

Only pressure from pupils, parents and political parties eventually forced him to u-turn.

As Finance Secretary under Nicola Sturgeon, John Swinney was responsible for relentless local council budget cuts in North Ayrshire and beyond.

Vital public services across the country – which are relied upon often by the most vulnerable in our society – are still suffering as a result.

There is a huge number of issues that Mr Swinney needs to deal with, because the story of this Scottish Government has been one of not focusing on the people's priorities.

Will he reverse his government’s cuts to educational attainment funding for North Ayrshire?

Will he resolve the issues at Ardrossan Harbour to ensure the ferry link to Brodick is safeguarded for the future to avoid any more damage to North Ayrshire’s economy?

Given his previous record, I have my doubts. 

John Swinney is right about one thing – that we need fresh leadership in our politics. But this should come from a Scottish Parliament election.

The Scottish people deserve an opportunity to end the SNP’s shambolic time in power, just as they are finally being given the chance to do so with the Tories.