Can John Swinney lead a united front against Reform?

There are at least two ways to view John Swinney's offer to convene a summit of mainstream party and civic leaders to counter political forces they reject.

Many people will accept his leadership at face value and applaud his efforts to achieve domestic consensus at a time of global upheaval and uncertainty.

Others will regard it as a major irony that a politician who has spent his adult life trying to divide the UK into two states is recasting himself as a unifying figure.

To be fair, he has demonstrated commitment to building consensus at Holyrood since becoming first minister.

That has been most notable in budget negotiations to secure Green and Liberal Democrat support for the Scottish government's tax and spending plans in exchange for concessions.

There also seems to be greater cooperation between the Scottish and UK governments on a range of issues and a greater willingness by Holyrood ministers to allow Westminster to legislate for Scotland on devolved issues.

That also reflects the change in the UK government from Conservative to Labour.

The first minister is now suggesting a collaborative approach could be extended to countering political forces to the right of the Holyrood mainstream.

He is offering to use the convening power of the Scottish government to bring people together.

Domestically, this is an effort to resist the politics of Nigel Farage and his anti-immigration Reform UK party, which polls suggest is on course to win seats at the 2026 Holyrood election.

A political breakthrough of that sort would probably squeeze support for the Conservatives and Labour much more than the SNP.

That probably makes it difficult for John Swinney's Holyrood opponents to reject his call for a cross-party "summit".

That doesn't mean the idea will be greeted with great enthusiasm.

One Labour MSP told me roundtable meetings were the SNP's default alternative to taking meaningful action.

Opposition parties may also spot a potential trap - worrying that the more they work with the Swinney government and accept his leadership on this, the harder it might become to distinguish themselves as alternatives to the SNP in the election campaign to come.

It is surely not an accident that the proposed date for this get together is the end of April - almost exactly one year before the 2026 election.

Reform had an elected breakthrough at Westminster in 2024

Another concern within Holyrood is that taking on Nigel Farage directly could elevate his status in Scottish politics and amplify his arguments.

The first minister's response is that public frustration with current politics must be tackled head on, with issues underlying shifting political loyalties needing to be addressed.

For him, that means demonstrating that the Scottish government and the wider parliament can deliver improvements to public services and the economy.

The SNP's rivals argue that successive nationalist administrations have underperformed over nearly two decades.

Reform UK also insists that arguing for controlled immigration is not "racist" and that they regard Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "despicable aggressor".

John Swinney accused Nigel Farage of being an apologist for Putin.

But the SNP leader has avoided extending his criticism of the political right to the Trump administration as the prime minister prepares to travel to Washington for talks with the US president.

The first minister previously said that American proposals to take over Gaza and turn it into a Mediterranean resort would amount to "ethnic cleansing".

More cautiously, the prime minister has emphasised his support for Palestinians being allowed to return to their homes and rebuild rather than attacking the Trump proposals.

Whether it was a response to Swinney's intervention or not, US Vice-President JD Vance singled out the Scottish government's abortion buffer zones law in a speech criticising perceived threats to free speech in Europe.

Vance claimed the Scottish law criminalised private prayer in the homes of those living within these zones - a claim that is without foundation.

Vice-President Vance attacked Scotland's abortion buffer zones earlier this month

Swinney still hopes that he can engage with President Trump, making the most of his Scottish heritage in an effort to help the UK avoid tariffs on exports to the US.

As the Scottish government found in its dealings with Trump as a real estate developer, he is an unpredictable character.

A friendly partner when being granted planning permission for a golf resort in Aberdeenshire became a fierce opponent when ministers allowed an offshore windfarm that he did not like.

For the second time, Donald Trump is now occupying the most powerful political office on the planet.

This time he appears to have a more determined agenda to make lasting change.

Swinney has made clear he has a "different world view" from the president.

However, he chose to use his Bute House news conference to attack Trump's cheerleaders in the UK, rather than the president himself.