Humza Yousaf under fire from opponents as SNP-Green Scottish government power-sharing deal collapses

Humza Yousaf is putting on a brave face in sunny Dundee.

For 30 minutes or so he toured a housing development in
an attempt to demonstrate he was getting on with the business of governing.

He popped in and out of a portable building; he donned a
high vis vest; he made small talk with the workers.

That was the easy part.

Next he made his way to a cluster
of cameras to face dozens of tough questions – or, more accurately, dozens of very
similar questions.

We learned that he was fighting on and that he does not
appear to have given up on winning back the support of the Greens, despite
their insistence that their position won’t change.

When asked whether he would accept the demands of Alba’s Ash
Regan on independence, competent government and “protecting the dignity, safety
and rights of women and children,” he said he would set out his position by
writing to all the opposition parties – including Alba.

Most interestingly there was a glimpse of something close
to regret, when he told me he empathised with Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater
and would be writing to them.

Would that letter contain an apology for the manner of
their departure from government?

The SNP leader wouldn’t say.