The Scottish National Party’s limitations have been laid bare

Who needs HBOSNP SNPSNPSNP when you can watch the melt down? A vicious battle to take the place of an all-powerful Scottish leader has turned “Succession” into must-watch television. The fight to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as leader of the Scottish National Party () had the same plot line and the same mix of underwhelming pretenders and fratricidal ambition. The successor in the real-life drama is now known. , previously the health secretary, this week became the new head of the and Scotland’s first minister. But the party he leads suddenly seems as as Waystar Royco.That is a remarkable shift. The is an election-winning machine. Ms Sturgeon, who had led the party since 2014, masterminded eight ballot-box wins in eight years. Under her and her predecessor, Alex Salmond, the cause of Scottish independence went from a fringe pursuit to the defining question of politics north of the border. But the past few weeks have seen the party’s reputation for discipline implode and the goal of statehood recede further into the distance. For the sake of all Scots, not just those who want secession, Mr Yousaf needs to reflect on the limitations of the Sturgeon era. They hold lessons for politicians elsewhere, too.