Nicola Sturgeon to resign as First Minister of Scotland, Humza Yousaf elected as new First Minister.

[Intercity110]

Acoording to the BBC nicola sturgeon, scotland’s first minister, is resigning

Nicola Sturgeon says time is right to resign as Scotland's first minister

The Scottish National Party leader is standing down as first minister after more than eight years.

www.bbc.co.uk

Nicola Sturgeon is to resign as Scotland's first minister after more than eight years in the role. A source close to Ms Sturgeon - the longest-serving first minister - told the BBC that she had "had enough".

 

[102 fan]

The Trans prisoner U turn must have spooked them.

 

[AlterEgo]

Being reported on BBC News.

Nicola Sturgeon to resign as Scottish first minister https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-64647907

Breaking news at present. More to follow apparently.

The Scottish National Party leader is expected to make the announcement at a hastily-arranged news conference in Edinburgh.

 

[Intercity110]

The BBC says a press conference is going to happen around 11.

 

[brad465]

The Trans prisoner U turn must have spooked them.

Either that and/or the idea of the next General election being a de facto referendum vote not going down well.

 

[GS250]

Good for Scotland. Virtually everyone I speak to in Portree doesn't speak highly of her. I admire her concise approach but she clearly knows her big agenda is likely to fall flat.

Also...going hugely woke with the trans issues has effectively made her broke. This is the fundamental issue with these types of politician. They surround themselves with a certain type of ideologist and have little idea of what the silent majority are thinking. The majority of Scottish women I know were appalled at the prison situation too.

SNP need to concentrate on the shoddy NHS and Education situation in Scotland.

 

[londonteacher]

Regardless of her politics, it is a great achievement to be the first female First Minister as well as the first female leader of a devolved nation.

I wonder who will come next, and whether the conservative government will have a better working relationship with them.

 

[Parjon]

If your whole policy direction is determined by being Tommy Opposite and cultivating difference and division, at some point it will work out badly. Her successor won't fare any better. The whole party is just about "independence".

 

[londonteacher]

going hugely woke with the trans issues has effectively made her broke

The definition of woke is to be alert to injustice and discrimination in society, especially racism. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing, it’s how people act because of their alertness that is the issue.

 

[Cloud Strife]

Speaking as a lifelong SNP supporter, I think this isn't much of a surprise. She had taken the SNP as far as she could, and she leaves the party in an incredibly strong position. Where could she realistically go from here? The SNP will win yet another landslide in the next GE, but then there will be a huge amount of work to negotiate with the next UK government about further devolution or a referendum. By going now, she gives the new leader a chance to move into the 2025-2026 election cycle as their own person, rather than being under the shadow of Surgeon. Her time was up, and by going peacefully now, the SNP will move forward without any drama.

The amount of abuse and insults that she's had to endure from English voters was beyond the pale however. It's not Scottish voters that have been insulting her, it's been the endless "Jimmy Krankie" type comments from little Englanders that have really been unacceptable.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Feb 2023 ==

If your whole policy direction is determined by being Tommy Opposite and cultivating difference and division, at some point it will work out badly. Her successor won't fare any better. The whole party is just about "independence".

The SNP have won every single election since 2007. How is that "working out badly"?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Also...going hugely woke with the trans issues has effectively made her broke.

Unfortunately that issue is what is referred to as a "liberal paradox" - one where you can't not discriminate against one group or other and views are so polarised that no compromise is acceptable (see also Brexit ). Goodness knows how we ended up there, but it's not really wise for any politician to do anything other than leave things as they are in that area at the moment and sit back and wait while societal views develop.

 

[102 fan]

The definition of woke is to be alert to injustice and discrimination in society, especially racism. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing, it’s how people act because of their alertness that is the issue.

When in doubt mention racism.

 

[GS250]

Unfortunately that issue is what is referred to as a "liberal paradox" - one where you can't not discriminate against one group or other and views are so polarised that no compromise is acceptable (see also Brexit ). Goodness knows how we ended up there, but it's not really wise for any politician to do anything other than leave things as they are in that area at the moment and sit back and wait while societal views develop.

Yes you are right with that assessment. However the irony here is that when you claim to stand up vigorously for one minority group, yet end up alienating another group that is of apparent political concern, going bust is often the outcome. Dangerous times for ideology but again, when you refuse to listen to those outside of you bubble of thought, expect things to go wrong.

My partner, who is very much from the Highlands is presently having a huge giggle amongst her friends at the outcoming news.

 

[londonteacher]

When in doubt mention racism.

I’m confused by this reply. The definition is lifted from a search on the internet.

 

[AlterEgo]

It seemed to me like she ran out of political road once IndyRef2 was scuppered. The trans prisoner thing wasn’t what finished her off but it did make her look beleaguered and isolated. Anyway she’s to hold a conference at 11am, apparently, so let’s hear what she says.

 

[yorkie]

The definition of woke is to be alert to injustice and discrimination in society, especially racism. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing, it’s how people act because of their alertness that is the issue.

The term is a colloquialism and can mean different things to different people but this isn't the place for it here. I've never heard a moderate with sensible views describe themselves in this manner though. Worth creating a thread if we have not had one before if you wish to discuss further. Edit: we had a thread before: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/help-what-does-‘woke’-mean.224742/

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Feb 2023 ==

The amount of abuse and insults that she's had to endure from English voters was beyond the pale however. It's not Scottish voters that have been insulting her, it's been the endless "Jimmy Krankie" type comments ...

She has sowed hate and division; she has imposed authoritarian policies in some areas and in others she has been completely illogical and contradictory. It is therefore not unexpected that she will be on the recieving end of angry comments.

She won't be missed. However I am not convinced any successor will be much better.

 

[Cross City]

I said this in another thread but this could be big for Labour in Scotland, especailly if they offer something like Devo-Max in the next manifesto. There is no obvious successor to Sturgeon.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Feb 2023 ==

When in doubt mention racism.

That is the literal dictionary definition of the word. I'm not sure how being aware of injustice is a bad thing, and therefore why woke is used an an insult, but there we are.

 

[yorkie]

There was already a thread discussing the meaning of the slang term "woke" at https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/help-what-does-‘woke’-mean.224742/ ; it is a colloquialism and therefore a matter for debate, but it's best debated in the dedicated thread rather than elsewhere

 

[MikeWM]

Maybe we should saw the bottom off some school classroom doors in celebration

 

[d9009alycidon]

She has sowed hate and division; she has imposed authoritarian policies in some areas and in others she has been completely illogical and contradictory. It is therefore not unexpected that she will be on the recieving end of angry comments.

She won't be missed. However I am not convinced any successor will be much better.

Totally agree, I for one am glad to see the back of her. The next leader must listen to the voters and act on what they see as the priorities, this is not the time for vanity projects. A poll published in the papers yesterday showed this to be the case.
The SNP will continue to win elections, but I think that is primarily due to the lack of an effective opposition.

 

[Intercity110]

She has sowed hate and division; she has imposed authoritarian policies in some areas and in others she has been completely illogical and contradictory.

just out of curiosity, could you give me an example?

 

[d9009alycidon]

just out of curiosity, could you give me an example?

Example of being Contradictory - planning to place restrictions on the advertising of alcohol while promoting the "yes" branded spirits

SNP flog whisky as they plan booze promo ban

THE SNP has been slammed for selling ‘Yes’ branded whisky, gin and vodka – despite ministers preparing a crackdown on alcohol advertising Bottles of spirits can be snapped up on the SNP’s off…

www-thescottishsun-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org

 

[yorkie]

just out of curiosity, could you give me an example?

Did you read the Covid section? Plenty of material there! Later on when I'm on a laptop I will see if I can edit this post to provide some links.

But it shouldn't be difficult to find! (The Covid section is now a sub forum under General Discussion; later in the year it will appear at the very bottom in an initially hidden, but expandable, 'Archived' category)

Edit here is an example discussion:

End of all remaining Covid restrictions in England

I don't know why you lot are entertaining OldandRambling. Clearly he's going to keep rambling on and living the rest of his life worrying about something which every sensible person in the world has decided to move on from now.

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Scotrail12]

This evil woman ruined two years of my youth that I will never get back. We were living under constant fear that we wouldn't get many basic freedoms and she appeared to relish in this, hinting at more restrictions at any opportunity. All of this supposedly in the name of public health, though it was really for her ego, she wanted to prove herself as 'more effective' than England and we had to suffer to give her an ego boost. My education was heavily impacted for almost four semesters in addition to that.

She will never be forgiven by me. Good riddance.

 

[gabrielhj07]

Well it's official, fantastic news.

 

[tbtc]

Whilst she squandered the momentum/ goodwill that the Indy side had from the 2014 referendum, what did she actually achieve?

Baby boxes, sure, but public services have been nothing to write home about

Independence seems to have been a useful tool to keep “loyalists” hushed, always just a couple of weeks before a supposed big initiative/ announcement but never actually making progress, stirring the pot without improving things (knowing that a lot of people will “wheesht till Indy”)

I don’t want to debate her Covid policies on here but the spat with Burnham seemed significant - a grown up leader would have been keen to work with people like him, but Sturgeon preferred to make enemies to look better in the eyes of her existing supporters

The Isla Bryson case shows a real lack of political nous, regardless of where you stand on the debate it was inevitable that someone would “test” the new boundaries but it seems to have caught the SNP off guard, showing a leadership who were so confident of being in the right that they never anticipated any bad faith actors (whereas an Alastair Campbell figure would have had contingency plans for such events)

So well done in eight years but with years of what? Looking for any petty little grievance to then claim that “you’re either on our side or you’re a Tory”?

She seems an interesting person outside of politics, her book reviews etc.., maybe she managed the way she did because that’s the only way you can rule the SNP (you can’t make a success of devolution because that scuppers the argument that independence is essential)?

 

[GusB]

If your whole policy direction is determined by being Tommy Opposite and cultivating difference and division, at some point it will work out badly. Her successor won't fare any better. The whole party is just about "independence".

I'm sure you'd hardly be surprised that a party whose main aim is to achieve independence continues to further its agenda!

By going now, she gives the new leader a chance to move into the 2025-2026 election cycle as their own person, rather than being under the shadow of Surgeon. Her time was up, and by going peacefully now, the SNP will move forward without any drama.

I've been thinking for a while that Sturgeon probably wouldn't have much longer to go as First Minister and I've had mixed feelings about her latter months in office. Eight years is a good innings for any politician in a top job (not forgetting her time a deputy FM) and, regardless of anyone's views of the SNP or their policies, I think she has been a fairly successful leader.

I'm not sure I'd be able to cope with the abuse she has received online and if that's one of her reasons for stepping down, fair enough.

It'll be interesting to see who her successor will be.

 

[GS250]

The term is a colloquialism and can mean different things to different people but this isn't the place for it here. I've never heard a moderate with sensible views describe themselves in this manner though. Worth creating a thread if we have not had one before if you wish to discuss further. Edit: we had a thread before: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/help-what-does-‘woke’-mean.224742/

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Feb 2023 ==


She has sowed hate and division; she has imposed authoritarian policies in some areas and in others she has been completely illogical and contradictory. It is therefore not unexpected that she will be on the recieving end of angry comments.

She won't be missed. However I am not convinced any successor will be much better.

I agree with this. Like many Senior Politicians she had good and bad points.

However she was one of those failing MP's who gave the impression that she wanted to take on the electorate as opposed to serve them.

Authoritarian approaches do not work in the UK.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I agree with this. Like many Senior Politicians she had good and bad points.

However she was one of those failing MP's who gave the impression that she wanted to take on the electorate as opposed to serve them.

Authoritarian approaches do not work in the UK.

You can of course counter this by saying that many people did want clear instruction over things like COVID even if they didn't necessarily like all of it.

There is a general libertarian leaning here (which is in some ways odd because libertarianism tends to favour cars over public transport due to the freedom cars provide) which was quite apparent in the threads in the COVID subforum but I wouldn't necessarily assume that that is the overriding political view in Scotland. Indeed I suspect it isn't because of the success of the SNP, unless one thinks that people put up with the authoritarian aspects of the SNP in order to further independence?

(Note: COVID is being used as an example here because I think it's quite a good one, but it is not intended to create a debate on COVID restrictions - there are dedicated threads for that so please reply to those if you do wish to!)

 

[AlterEgo]

There’s no clear successor is there? Like her or not she is a talented politician and I’m not sure who else the SNP has in reserve.