Gary Robertson ✒ Wednesday Feb 15th 2023 a date that will be etched in the memory of many.

The day Nicola Sturgeon decided enough was enough and stepped down from her position as most powerful person in Scottish politics, resigning her post as First Minister.

Love her or loathe her one can’t help but admire her meteoric rise from teenage activist to a leader recognised and admired on the world stage.

Sturgeon, an anti austerity champion, feminist and genuinely sympathetic to the plight of the working class, herself growing up in Irvine, Ayrshire on Scotland's west coast. Driven by the desire to right the wrongs inflicted on Scotland by the Thatcher government and her deep mistrust of all things Tory she joined the SNP in 1987 aged just 16. She entered parliament in 1999 and became member for Glasgow Govan in 2007.

A staunch anti trident campaigner and vocal in her support for an independent Scotland she very nearly achieved her dream in 2014 only to be defeated by a coalition of Westminster “worthies” who convinced the majority that the “union” was indeed “better together”

I don’t want to get into truthfulness of this statement I’ll leave the reader to draw his or her own conclusions on that one.

Sturgeon helped manoeuvre Scotland though the dark days of covid and whilst it hasn’t all been plain sailing she made sure Scotland's voice was heard and always did what she believed to be best for the country she loves dearly.

One could argue why now? Was it the Supreme Court decision that proved beyond doubt that Scotland is part of the “union” as long as England says so that finally convinced her that “enough was enough” or the Gender recognition reform bill being vetoed by our “Lords and Masters” in Westminster that was the straw that broke the camels back? Only time will tell but one thing is for certain Nicola Sturgeon proved to young women that nothing can stop them reaching the very top and showed us all that with drive and determination, with dedication to the cause, we can achieve great things.

Sturgeon leaves a huge hole in Scottish politics but her legacy will last long after we are all but distant memories.

Unionists in George Square, Glasgow may celebrate but be warned the end of the “reign” of Nicola Sturgeon does not mean the end of the push for Scottish independence or the end of the SNP.

It will be a formidable challenge for anyone taking over as Scotland's First Minister and whoever that may be, personally I wish them well. Finally, Nicola on behalf of Scotland and all you have done for us “Tapadh leat “ 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

🐼 Gary Robertson is a Glasgow Celtic fan.

Nicola Sturgeon

Gary Robertson ✒ Wednesday Feb 15th 2023 a date that will be etched in the memory of many.

The day Nicola Sturgeon decided enough was enough and stepped down from her position as most powerful person in Scottish politics, resigning her post as First Minister.

Love her or loathe her one can’t help but admire her meteoric rise from teenage activist to a leader recognised and admired on the world stage.

Sturgeon, an anti austerity champion, feminist and genuinely sympathetic to the plight of the working class, herself growing up in Irvine, Ayrshire on Scotland's west coast. Driven by the desire to right the wrongs inflicted on Scotland by the Thatcher government and her deep mistrust of all things Tory she joined the SNP in 1987 aged just 16. She entered parliament in 1999 and became member for Glasgow Govan in 2007.

A staunch anti trident campaigner and vocal in her support for an independent Scotland she very nearly achieved her dream in 2014 only to be defeated by a coalition of Westminster “worthies” who convinced the majority that the “union” was indeed “better together”

I don’t want to get into truthfulness of this statement I’ll leave the reader to draw his or her own conclusions on that one.

Sturgeon helped manoeuvre Scotland though the dark days of covid and whilst it hasn’t all been plain sailing she made sure Scotland's voice was heard and always did what she believed to be best for the country she loves dearly.

One could argue why now? Was it the Supreme Court decision that proved beyond doubt that Scotland is part of the “union” as long as England says so that finally convinced her that “enough was enough” or the Gender recognition reform bill being vetoed by our “Lords and Masters” in Westminster that was the straw that broke the camels back? Only time will tell but one thing is for certain Nicola Sturgeon proved to young women that nothing can stop them reaching the very top and showed us all that with drive and determination, with dedication to the cause, we can achieve great things.

Sturgeon leaves a huge hole in Scottish politics but her legacy will last long after we are all but distant memories.

Unionists in George Square, Glasgow may celebrate but be warned the end of the “reign” of Nicola Sturgeon does not mean the end of the push for Scottish independence or the end of the SNP.

It will be a formidable challenge for anyone taking over as Scotland's First Minister and whoever that may be, personally I wish them well. Finally, Nicola on behalf of Scotland and all you have done for us “Tapadh leat “ 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

🐼 Gary Robertson is a Glasgow Celtic fan.

10 comments:

  1. Agree with your sentiments towards Sturgeon personally, Gary.

    SNP after Nicola will be like Aberdeen after Alex Ferguson went to Man U: win the odd cup for a few years, but never again the league. Long-term tendency towards decline.

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  2. She was a massive failure. If you want to create a massive constitutional shift you need to bring the people with you. Sturgeon, like SF, bitterly divided the population into them and us, just blame everything on the English and hope for 50%+1. Scotland now is an ugly, divided nation and that is before we look at her spunking millions of taxpayers cash down the drain on vanity projects and failed programs while poverty, obesity and drug rates soar. Scotland is well rid.

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  3. @ Peter

    It was Salmond who led the SNP during the referendum, not Sturgeon.

    Scotland is not "bitterly divided" - compared to the cesspit sectarianism of NI, and the Brexit splits and Tory endorsed, scapegoat seeking, "culture wars" in England, Scotland is calm. The 2014 referendum had its mostly online and inconsequential "flame wars" but in the real world, it was conducted well and was generally fairly good-natured.

    Sturgeon is significantly more popular than the leader of the opposition in the Scottish Parliament, Douglas Ross (and the PM), not slightly more popular than the Keir Starmer. I don't have full statistics, but according to this poll on Ipsos, she's the most popular leader (of a large party) in UK politics: https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/public-perceptions-nicola-sturgeon-dip-while-over-half-scots-are-critical-scottish-government.

    Regarding poverty, Scotland suffers less poverty than England, according to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation: "Looking at the geography of poverty, the latest data reflects a similar ranking, with
    Northern Ireland and Scotland having lower poverty rates than England and Wales."

    Drug deaths have risen, the one policy failing I would agree with you that the SNP have been found wanting. The reason for this are worthy of Quillversations galore, but fit's happened on Sturgeon's watch.

    Poverty hasn't risen in Scotland: https://data.gov.scot/poverty/2022/persistent.html#:~:text=more%20commonly%20used.-,All%20individuals,period%20(2015%2D2019).

    What Nicola Sturgeon does do is infuriate and upset a certain cohort of middle-aged men, in much the same way that Greta Thunberg does. I don't think it's a coincidence, in Scotland, and the North of Ireland that these men are often Rangers fans.

    The calibre and motivations of those at the "conga" on George Square (https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/scottish-news/23325225.crowd-celebrates-nicola-sturgeons-resignation-glasgow/) bring to mind the observation that Ian Archer made in 1976.

    Sturgeon is a flawed political leader, and one I rarely voted for, but she's almost always head and shoulders above her critics.

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    1. @Brandon
      "Scotland is not "bitterly divided" - compared to the cesspit sectarianism of NI"
      It's heading that way. It is much more divided than it was in the 80s and 90s.
      "...these men are often Rangers fans"
      Wise up

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  4. Brandon - fascinating comment. Would you fancy trying to initiate a Quillversation around that?

    I think she alienated more than Rangers fans with her most dubious decision to place a violent rapist of women in a women's prison.



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  5. @ AM

    I've a few things to finish off for the blog (William Black p3, another piece on violence within CNR communities in the 70s), but could well be up for it. I'm sure Sandy Campbell would have a thing or two to say on the subject.

    Regarding the Bryson/Graham case, it is true that her stance alienated a lot of people, but equally true that her most vocal critics tend to be those emotionally attached to the union, and for obvious reasons: she's an absolute threat to it.

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    1. Look forward to getting it if you manage to do it. Sandy would be great for it.

      I think it would make sense for the swathe of her critics to be found in the anti Independence camp. It has been a long festering issue whereas the rapist is a more recent thing and her stance probably alienated people both sides of the Independence debate.

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  6. I can't help but notice no one has mentioned the Hate Crime and Public Order Act (brought in under Sturgeon's watch), which has raised concerns among numerous groups of people across the societal and political divide:

    https://freetodisagree.scot/catalogue-of-concerns/

    Also worth mentioning that one of the people being tipped to replace Sturgeon, Humza Yousaf, has a history of using the courts to silence critics:

    https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/23118242.snp-supporter-branded-humza-yousaf-racist-piece-s-/

    Brandon,

    I think you're being a bit disingenuous there with Peter. He didn't say that she led the initial campaign for independence, but she has been campaigning voraciously for an IndyRef2 when some polls seemingly indicate the lack of desire for one at this stage.

    "What Nicola Sturgeon does do is infuriate and upset a certain cohort of middle-aged men, in much the same way that Greta Thunberg does."

    More conflation, and one that ignores the fact that both are (in terms of public perception) driven by a single issue (Sturgeon: IndyRef2, Thunberg: green activism) and have glaring contradictions in their ideology (Sturgeon wants to rejoin the EU, Thunberg is an anti-humanist).

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  7. Worse drug deaths in Western Europe. Cheerio Crankie Nicola.

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