Shake off defeat, get over divisions

THE SNP conference kicks off this weekend as the party deals with a series of thorny disputes over independence strategy, the new Labour Government and John Swinney's leadership.Here, former chief of staff to Nicola Sturgeon LIZ LLOYD speaks openly and honestly about the problems facing the SNP...

THE SNP must offer an alternative against the worst financial backdrop in years. That's a tough task.

Picking a political party up after a defeat and getting back on track is hard in opposition - just look how many years and how many leaders it took Labour to recover. It's even harder in government.

Thankfully, bar a few predictable post-election explosions, SNP members have passed the first test and instead of blaming the electorate or each other, have recognised that voters had reasons not to send them to Westminster this time.