Swinney's SNP failed to sparkle

John Swinney failed to win over the rank-and-file

John Swinney decided to step down as leader of the Scottish National Party amid growing internal concern over its direction and performance.

The MSP for Tayside North struggled to emulate his predecessor Alex Salmond and the SNP failed to make inroads into Labour's electoral stranglehold.

Mr Swinney, 40, successfully battled a challenge to his leadership, but could not convince the party rank-and-file.

Critics suggest his acceptance of devolution contributed to his demise.

Mr Swinney believed that independence would be achieved by increasing the power and influence of his party, using the Scottish Parliament as a platform.

Rose through the ranks

Mr Swinney was elected the Westminster MP for Tayside North in 1997, beating the Conservative Bill Walker and he won the same constituency at the Scottish Parliamentary elections.

He was elected deputy leader of the SNP in December 1998.

Born in Edinburgh in April 1964, Mr Swinney graduated in politics before pursuing a career in Scotland's financial sector and working in later years as a strategic planning principal with Scottish Amicable.

He rose through the ranks of the SNP swiftly and was elected national secretary at the age of 22.

Mr Swinney then became SNP leader in September 2000 after beating Alex Neil in a two-horse race, by 547 votes to 268.

In the years of Alex Salmond's leadership we have moved from the fringes of Scottish politics to the centre stage John Swinney

He urged the party to speak with one voice as it made the final push to achieve independence.

"In the years of Alex Salmond's leadership we have moved from the fringes of Scottish politics to the centre stage," he said in his victory speech.

"We have made such progress that I believe I stand here as the first leader in the history of the SNP who has a hard-headed opportunity to lead our party into government and our country onto independence."

Mr Swinney was one of the driving forces behind the SNP's strategy of seeking a referendum on independence after forming a government in Scotland or securing a majority of Scottish seats at Westminster.

Grassroots opinion

But following Alex Salmond and attempting to lead the party to electoral success proved a difficult task.

Amid mounting criticism of his leadership style, the SNP leader successfully saw off a challenge in September 2003.

Glasgow activist Dr Bill Wilson accused Mr Swinney of not listening to grassroots opinion.

At the party's conference, Mr Swinney won the subsequent leadership vote by 577 votes to 111.

He said the vote represented a turning point for the SNP and urged Nationalists to replace "the corrosive re-running of past contests".

"This is the moment when this party draws a line, this party moves on, and I expect every single member of the party to move on today," he said.

Dr Bill Wilson's leadership challenge failed

But despite his appeal, the party continued to disappoint at the polls.

A relatively poor performance at the 2003 Holyrood election saw Labour and the Liberal Democrats continue their coalition dominance.

The SNP returned 27 constituency and regional list MSPs, eight down on the previous election.

However, a determined John Swinney said he would support the executive's programme when it was in Scotland's interest.

"We will not oppose the government just because we are in opposition," he said.

Suspended rebel

"We will ensure that the best argument and not the strongest party machine, prevails."

In May 2004, the SNP suspended rebel MSP Campbell Martin from the party for six months.

The action followed the 44-year-old's repeated public criticism of Mr Swinney's leadership.

Mr Martin was accused of conduct "inimical to the interests of the party".

Campbell Martin believed John Swinney was damaging the party

The suspended MSP said the party could suspend him but could not prevent him from thinking or speaking his mind.

The SNP leader said he would not tolerate individuals damaging the direction of the party.

Mr Martin said "a sizeable body of opinion in the party" believed it was time for the SNP to elect a new leader.

In June, former deputy SNP leader Jim Sillars said it was time for Mr Swinney to stand down.

Mr Sillars said the independence campaign was being sidelined and that the SNP faced deep-seated problems and the prospect of disaster at the next General Election.

He added that "a leathering" at the polls could be a wake-up call for the party.

The European elections offered little cheer for the embattled leader, although Mr Swinney said he was happy the party would have two seats in the European Parliament.

Ultimately, it was not good enough.