TO be fair to John Swinney, he scarcely craved the education remit in the first place. When told in 2016, his instinctive private reaction was: “But I do the money!”
He had, indeed, been a notably successful Finance Secretary for nine years, skilfully balancing the budget, even when the SNP lacked a majority.
Still, Nicola Sturgeon had declared that education was her top priority. As her deputy, he could hardly jib at addressing that objective. It has not ended well.
Partly, he may be relieved to relinquish the turbulent, confused world of education, with its vested interests and its internal contradictions.