For many SNP members – particularly those who have been in the movement for a long time – John Swinney embodies what they consider to be the core values of the SNP.
They think he is trustworthy, hardworking and loyal. He receives huge applause when he stands up to speak at the party’s national conference.
Above all, his admirers recognize what they see as a burning desire for Scottish independence.
Now, 20 years after stepping down after a difficult period as head of the country, it appears he can lead his party again.
Born and raised in Edinburgh, the 60-year-old has something of an old-fashioned Scottish banker, having spent five years working for Scottish Amicable Life Assurance before winning the Tayside North seat in Westminster in 1997. .
But he was already a veteran of the party, having joined it in 1979 at the age of just 15.
He led the SNP’s youth wing before rising through the ranks of the national party, becoming secretary at age 22.
John Swinney is full of contradictions. He has risen quickly among the party’s fiery young activists, but there is something quite old-fashioned about him.
Its cautious nationalism was forged during the era of SNP leader Gordon Wilson, who led the party from 1979 to 1990.
Yet he became a close and trusted colleague of the next leader, Alex Salmondfrom the more radical side of the party.
During his time at Westminster and then at Holyrood from 1999, he was a trusted lieutenant of Mr Salmond and so it seemed natural that he would succeed him in 2000, when the leader resigned.
His term as head of the country, however, was not considered a success. The early years of devolution were a surprisingly unhappy period for the party.
The Labor-Liberal Democrat coalition appeared to suppress the nationalists. Seats were lost in the 2003 Holyrood elections and the result of the 2004 European poll was disappointing.
By the end of his four years in this top job, it was clear that his tenure as leader was over.
His party colleague Michael Russell drew on stories of Tory fixers in gray suits to warn that Mr Swinney faced a visit from the “men in gray kilts”.
Mr Swinney was furious and, as he stood down, launched a scathing attack on Mr Russell and other senior members of his party, accusing them of making exposes against him and creating a “fog media speculation” about his position.
These people “should know better” not to “import the filthy concepts of conservatives,” he said.
“Our leader is democratically elected and once democratically elected, he should be supported by all members of the party,” he added.
Yet this ability to fit in, get the job done and put duty first served him well when, after a stint on the back benches, he joined Mr Salmond’s first government as Home Secretary. Finance.
It was a position he would hold for the next nine years, adding the title of Deputy First Minister to his office door when Nicola Sturgeon succeeded Alex Salmond in 2014.
He remained his faithful deputy and took over in 2016.
His mandate was not without problems. He was particularly criticized for falling standards in science and maths and survived two votes of no confidence while in the role, one in 2020 and another a year later.
Just two months after that second vote, he was appointed to lead the Scottish Government’s Covid response, while remaining Ms Sturgeon’s deputy.
And until this week, it appeared to be his last government job. Just after Ms Sturgeon resigned in February 2023, he announced he too was leaving, returning to the backbenches after 16 years as cabinet secretary.
He remains appreciated and respected by both his colleagues and his political opponents.
But remember these contradictions.
Polite and moderate in person – and much funnier than on camera – Mr. Swinney has also been a fierce parliamentary interpreter and serious political actor for almost 40 years.
For many in his party, a Swinney leadership could bring the SNP safely back into the political spotlight while acting as an obstacle to stopping Kate Forbes.
Nearly 20 years after retiring, John Swinney plans to take up the torch.
