SNP leadership race: Kate Forbes' disastrous campaign shows the dangers of political honesty – John McLellan

If anyone wonders why politicians have a reputation for dishonesty, they need only look at the disastrous launch of Kate Forbes’ bid to become the new SNP leader this week.

She did the opposite and told the truth, but having given straight answers to straight questions, many of her backers were off quicker than an Orangeman from Celtic Park, even though they must have known the depth of her Free Church faith.

Ms Forbes’ gender recognition reform (GRR) concerns were already well documented, but then she was asked to spell out other views. Would she have voted for same-sex marriage? No, because she believed marriage was between a man and woman. Children out of wedlock? Not for her personally.

It appears those fair-weather friends expected her to water down her views or deny them altogether, even if, like Galileo, it was with her fingers crossed behind her back. Or did they expect someone whose religious beliefs are at the centre of her life to become some latter-day Henry IV of France and repudiate the church in which she grew up to get her hands on power? And having professed his own “deep Christian faith” on Radio Scotland yesterday, her maternity leave replacement as Finance Secretary, John Swinney, virtually accused her of being a bigot.

SNP leadership candidate Kate Forbes, applauded by her maternity leave stand-in as Finance Secretary, John Swinney (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Having had direct dealings with all three candidates, I am happy to report they all had positive outcomes, and as a unionist I really don’t care which one wins. But I am far from the only person to observe that two candidates are adherents to religious organisations with what are regarded as less than enlightened social outlooks and only one is being castigated.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf, a practising Muslim, can at least point to his vote in favour of the GRR Bill, despite the clear opposition of Scottish Muslim associations and he yesterday sought to remove any doubts by telling Radio 4 he approved of both gay sex and same-sex marriage.

I don’t doubt his sincerity, but he has yet to fully explain why in 2014 he arranged a meeting when he should have known it would clash with an important vote on same-sex marriage and was therefore absent. He could not be true to his views and those of his religious establishment, when the British Council of Muslims was demanding an exemption, so was the solution simply to duck out?

Politics is a dirty game, and maybe Mr Yousaf has the necessary mix of pragmatism, guile and brass neck to win this contest, and perhaps he has followed the famous Marx maxim: “I have principles. If you don’t like them, I have others.” Not, of course, Karl, but Groucho.

But the clear message from this episode is if your religion clashes with your party, your faith comes second, but that should mean politicians ceasing to wear their religions like a badge when it suits them, or following Tony Blair’s example and only publicly embracing faith once your career is done.

For Kate Forbes, that moment may be now because, faced with such growing hostility, it’s questionable if she can stay in the SNP, never mind the leadership contest. To borrow from another American comedy legend, George Burns, maybe Ms Forbes’ biggest failing was not accepting that to win she needed to fake insincerity.