What does the ‘scathing attack’ on the SNP mean for John Swinney?

He dismissed the idea of ​​a cooling-off period, writing: “It should be contrition, because July 4 was inevitable, given how the Sturgeon/Swinney era has misled the movement, how much the government has lost its common sense, and how fringe issues have been elevated to national priorities while people’s real priorities like education, housing, the NHS and infrastructure have only been conspicuous by the staggering incompetence with which they have been handled.”

For those who follow Scottish politics closely, his criticism should come as no surprise.

But the brutal tone of his letter has raised the stakes even further as the SNP continues to recover from its first electoral defeat in over a decade.

The result was worse than many members had feared – and the votes were still being counted when the inevitable consequences began.

Joanna Cherry, who was ousted from her Edinburgh seat, was one of the first to point the finger at Nicola Sturgeon and demand that she apologise.

In the past, she has been outspoken in her criticism, particularly of the former First Minister’s efforts to push for gender recognition reforms and the centralisation of power in the hands of a few key figures at the top of the party.

At the weekend, she told Sky News that voters were “disillusioned” with the SNP because of its failure to advance independence efforts.

She also told The Guardian newspaper that John Swinney – who took over after a turbulent year under Humza Yousaf – had failed to get the ship back on course, adding: “The ship has sunk.”

Although Ms Cherry has not explicitly called on Mr Swinney to resign, former Cabinet Secretary Alex Neil argues the First Minister’s position has become untenable after just two months in office.

He called on Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes and Westminster politician Stephen Flynn to take over the leadership of the SNP.

This is hardly surprising given his support for Ms Forbes in last year’s party leadership election.

With the blame game mounting, is there a risk that Mr Swinney will become another electoral casualty?

In short, there is virtually no chance of this happening.

In fact, there seems to be no desire among senior SNP politicians for another change at the top.

Former Westminster Prime Minister Iain Blackford told the Sunday Mail newspaper: “There isn’t really anyone else, so he’s the right man for the job.”

If the SNP’s elected politicians are happy with Mr Swinney’s leadership, what about the party’s grassroots?

In his letter, Mr Sillars also calls on the entire SNP membership to repent.

“You have become so accustomed to not thinking for yourself that you have allowed the party to be intellectually hollowed out,” he told them.

The former vice-chairman continued: “It is time to take back the power of the party.”

Mr Swinney’s popularity among members was one of the reasons why he was seen as an obvious choice for party leadership just a few months ago.

And so far there are no signs that his reputation at the grassroots level is waning.

Nevertheless, in this turbulent post-Sturgeon period, there are many questions that the party must answer.

And with Holyrood elections looming in 2026, answers must be found quickly.