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Hello and welcome to political thinking, a conversation with, rather than a newsy

interrogation of someone who shapes our political thinking about what has shaped

theirs. My guest this week made the cover of Time magazine when they profiled the first Muslim

leader of a Western democracy.

He is, as the headline put it, the new face of Scotland.

The youngest leader this country has had in quarter of a century of having a devolved Scottish government.

But this amidst Homsie Yusef, who's talking to me here in the Scottish Government Headquarters

in Glasgow, has actually been a difficult year for him.

Difficult for his party to, dogged by a police investigation,

criticized for failing to deliver and divided about when independence might actually be possible.

Hansi, you said first minister, thanks for joining me on political thinking.

Oh, real pleasure. It has been quite a year, hasn't it?

You're telling me.

You're telling me.

How much you feel you've aged in that time?

I think people could probably look at pictures before I became First Minister and

picked just 10 months on and

draw their own conclusions. But I suppose Hogmani was a really interesting point

when Nadi and I were seeing in the new year, my wife and Nadi and I were seeing in the new year, my wife and I were seeing in the new year, she said to me,

could you imagine last year when we were at my parents house?

We were at the south side of Glasgow or East Raimfrewshire, not far from Glasgow.

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