Whoever wins the SNP contest today will face the biggest set of challenges of any First Minister in history.
Our cherished NHS, a lifeline to millions of Scots, is at breaking point due to a lack of staff and money.
The ambulance service is creaking, accident and emergency departments are struggling to cope, and waiting lists are at record levels.
Our education system, once the envy of the world, is now a symbol of how unequal Scotland has become.
The life chances of pupils are determined by their postcode, despite Nicola Sturgeon’s commitment to closing the educational attainment gap.
Drug deaths are still shamefully high and the scandal of two ferries that have still not been completed remains a national embarrassment.
When Nicola Sturgeon took over in 2014, child poverty levels stood at 23 per cent. The latest figure is 24%, a badge of shame for our country.
Some of the issues have been aggravated by covid, such as in the NHS, but many pre-dated the pandemic.
Scotland’s next First Minister, whether it is Humza Yousaf, Kate Forbes or Ash Regan, must be bold in office when tackling these deep-seated problems.
The days of modest progress should be over and we need radical change to improve the lives of Scots.
A central part of the next FM’s approach must be bringing our divided country together.
Regardless of whether people voted Yes or No, the unifying purpose of the next Government must be to mend the fractures in society and build public services we can be proud of using.
The next FM will argue for independence, but he or she will also be humble enough to know a referendum is not going to happen in the short or medium term.
A more inclusive approach to independence would be rediscovering competence in government and building a progressive vision of the future.
If these things happen, support for independence will likely increase as will the clamour for a referendum.
But the priority for whoever wins must be to use the devolved powers in full to tackle the cost of living crisis and restore our public services.
As we reveal today, Yousaf’s first act as FM would be to front an anti-poverty summit with a view to introducing a wealth tax.
This is encouraging, as was Forbes’ commitment during the campaign to eradicate poverty if she succeeds Nicola Sturgeon.
Although she has committed gaffes during the contest, Ash Regan has also made tackling poverty a key part of her platform.
The SNP contest has been bruising for all three candidates and it will be difficult to unite the party immediately.
But the next leader’s most pressing challenge is to heal the country and bring Scots back together again.
And then he or she must fix our broken public services and get Scotland working again.
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