John Swinney looks to the past as he plans for the future

The Herald Scotland

16-06-2025

Just to impress how important the First Minister's speech was on Monday, introducing him, Kate Forbes told the great and the good of Scottish public life—squeezed into Glasgow University's Imaging Centre of Excellence—that her boss was about to make a 'landmark speech.'
On Sunday, the Scottish Government told journalists it was a 'major speech,' while the previous day, John Swinney's official spokesman described it as a 'keynote event.'
Was it really that big a deal? Well, it might be—if it works.
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The SNP leader told us the status quo is no longer sustainable—that demographic pressures, fiscal constraints, climate change and rising demand are leaving public services straining at the seams.
He said bold, collective action was needed—that there had to be a fundamental shift in how public services are designed and delivered.
Central to this transformation, Mr Swinney said, were four key elements: 'empowerment, integration, efficiency and prevention.'
They were, the First Minister reminded us, the four principles of the Christie Commission.
Fifteen years ago, you might remember, the Commission on the Future Delivery of Public Services in Scotland, chaired by Dr Campbell Christie, was tasked by Mr Swinney with examining the long-term challenges facing public services—including budget pressures, demographic change, rising demand and persistent inequalities.
The Commission's report—let's call it a landmark report—called for community-driven, preventative and collaborative approaches to address these systemic challenges.
Key recommendations included prioritising prevention to reduce long-term costs, enhancing performance through technology, and closer working across sectors.
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Perhaps the biggest example of post-Christie reform was replacing the country's eight police forces with one.
Mr Swinney pointed to it on Monday as a success: 'The creation of a single Scottish Police service has led to over £200 million in savings over legacy arrangements, while crime has continued to fall to near record low levels.'
But it's fair to say, progress has been uneven at best.
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In a 2021 blog post looking at Christie ten years on, Audit Scotland said there had been a 'major implementation gap between policy ambitions and delivery on the ground.'
They gave a number of examples, including the paltry progress on closing the poverty-related attainment gap.
Dr Christie was quite clear that one of the biggest stumbling blocks to reform was that 'institutions and structures resist change, especially radical change.'
Is that still true?
In his speech, Mr Swinney told the public sector leaders he wanted them to leave with a clear sense of his ambition and commitment 'to this national project of renewal.'
'I want you to feel enthused, but more importantly empowered. This will only happen if we, if you, make it happen.
'People often tell me that they feel as though they do not have permission to deliver the change in their organisation that they know is needed. Well today, let's give each other that permission.'
John Swinney's right that the Christie principles are more relevant than ever, and maybe with modern tools, like AI, the implementation gap can be overcome.
What was interesting was how receptive the audience was to the First Minister's message—but also how sceptical they were that he could deliver it, that, as one questioner put it, the lofty goals would "bump into reality."
A landmark speech? Perhaps. Now he just needs to stick the landing.