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Posted by: Smint 15th February 2023, 10:25 AM

Breaking now. Such a shame as she was by far the most talented and relatable politician at the highest level


Wonder if it is TERF abuse being the main driver?

Posted by: Silas 15th February 2023, 10:36 AM

Honestly I think it’s probably the straw that broke the camels back. Covid hasn’t been easy but the past couple of weeks have been absolutely non-stop day and night hounding by a viciously hostile and aggressive unionist terf media


This is a huge blow, there isn’t really a good alternative waiting in the wings tbh



The Tories got exactly what they wanted from their Veto of self-ID, the party to eat itself alive and Sturgeon to be out.

Posted by: Brett-Butler 15th February 2023, 10:44 AM

If the Tories were nefariously smart, they would use this opportunity to call a Scottish referendum, when polling for a “Yes” vote is at its lowest in a decade and there’s no obvious leader within their wings to lead the party in the same way as Sturgeon when she took over.

Can’t think of who could step into her shoes now, there aren’t that many household names that would be as effective a leader.

Posted by: Jessie Where 15th February 2023, 10:44 AM

Wow

Posted by: Iz 💀 15th February 2023, 11:03 AM

She had a lengthy and very impressive career, and seemed like a constant of Scottish politics, damn.

It has big implications. A big shame that it seems to have come out of the UK government's raging desire to prioritise being transphobic over their claimed love of the union. Independence case might struggle indeed now, Sturgeon was the most effective advocate of it.

Posted by: J00prstar 15th February 2023, 11:10 AM

My first thought was her health actually. Hope she is well

Posted by: Rooney 15th February 2023, 01:06 PM

I think she can hold her head up high that she has done a good job. Obviously her ultimate aim wasn’t enacted, and with her gone now I think it will be difficult for Scotland to gain independence. She was the figurehead and I don’t think there is a politician in the wings in the SNP who has the same stature. This is a big win for Scottish Labour if they’re clever. Don’t know anything about the inner workings of the SNP but assume like most parties there are different factions etc. are we expecting an internal power struggle?

Can only assume the Trans prison stuff is the straw that broke the camels back. Can’t be easy (and I do think they got it wrong to start with). But not an easy one and the timing was probably unfortunate with everything else that happened before it.

Posted by: dandy* 15th February 2023, 01:10 PM

Wow. I'm genuinely shocked by this.

Posted by: Amanda Hugginkis 15th February 2023, 02:30 PM

f***IN WAAAT

WHY?!

SHE COULD HAVE WEATHERED THIS STORM

Posted by: Chez Wombat 15th February 2023, 02:46 PM

If it was the gender recognition bill that pushed her over the edge, then that just depresses me but I guess that's a conversation for the other thread...

I'm surprised (I guess the denying of a second referendum showed the writing was on the wall though) and quite saddened, she was one of the few UK politicians who I quite respected and seemed to always have the correct morals and priorities. A huge blow for the SNP and Scottish independence now indeed.

Posted by: Amanda Hugginkis 15th February 2023, 02:56 PM

She and Corbyn were the only two British leaders I have liked in an AGE!! Leanne, I don't know much about, ans Caroline Lucas dowsn't have much clout, and the Green Party as a whole is full of neolibs.

I guess she had nowhere else to go, once the UK government scuppered tje referendum snd her big piece of legislation for the year.

Posted by: Harve 15th February 2023, 03:59 PM

What.

Posted by: Ho-Lee Smokes 15th February 2023, 04:15 PM

Gutted

Posted by: J00prstar 15th February 2023, 05:36 PM

Personally I think if anything has shaken her support base it's the handling of covid. NS opted for an uber-cautious approach regarding lockdowns, restrictions etc. as some of you may or may not be aware of, and stood by that decision come hell or high water.

I think as more questions are asked about the cost of that on public services and the community who weren't actually at that much direct risk from covid - as they are increasingly now in the media - that might have started to put her in a difficult position.

I don't think it will have been the trans thing as that bill had so much cross-party support and investigation prior to being proposed to be put into law. That just feels like a smear from English media and English people who don't like the thought of Scots being 'uppity'.

Posted by: Smint 15th February 2023, 06:19 PM

The timing is certainly unfortunate though as the message will go out that the "trans issue" did it for her. But she has to consider her health first and maybe she'll be just as/more effective on LGBT rights when not First Minister.

Although I'm a big advocate of finding out what the enemy is thinking and so check Right Wing twitter and press often, not in the zone today. Won't be able to handle inevitable gloating.

Posted by: T Boy 15th February 2023, 07:00 PM

Such a shame, I can’t think of many other UK politicians that embody integrity as much as she did. Following the resignation of Jacinda Aderne as well, it does look like its incredibly difficult to be an honest and good politician these days and I expect she is frustrated, as all devolved nation leaders will ever be, that her hard work can be so easily taken out by the pigs in England. It must be disheartening and tiring but she will leave an excellent legacy.

Posted by: Jessie Where 15th February 2023, 07:46 PM

I think the straw that really broke the camel's back was a poll emerging yesterday putting the 'no' vote for independence 12 points ahead, and her defacto wanting to run the next election campaign solely on the independence issue might have put her at odds with her party and made her position less tenable?

It's a shame though

Posted by: Y'all Starlight 15th February 2023, 07:58 PM

Wow, huge shock today. I do think the anti-defacto poll did play a large part in this decision. Still, shocking occurence

Posted by: Waverly 15th February 2023, 09:05 PM

Although recent events certainly won't have helped, to be honest I 100% believe she was sincere she is resigning for personal reasons. After eight years in the top job (and seven before that as deputy first minister) she probably is just totally burnt out at this point and figured she would go now while she is still relatively popular.

The question is what happens now with no obvious successor. I imagine there will be plenty of candidates, many of who will be relative unknowns. It will be a genuinely interesting contest to watch.

The SNP certainly has internal factions, pobably most notably in the last few years along gender self ID lines but also radical/gradual independence strategy and the more classic typical left/centrist/right as well. Depending on which candidates stand and are accepted it could be quite a divisive contest.

Posted by: Envoirment 15th February 2023, 09:22 PM

I think it's a combination of things that lead to her to resigning, but I can't help but think the gender recognition bill is the main reason - particularly as she was getting a lot of hate which was further exacerbated by J.K Rowling posting a picture wearing a shirt accusing Nicola of being a destroyer of women's rights.

I do wonder where the SNP go from here. Losing Nicola is going to be a big blow and with recent polling showing a fairly big lead for "No" regarding independence I wonder if the SNP will lose quite a few seats in the next election? Will Labour/Lib Dems make big gains there next election?

Posted by: J00prstar 15th February 2023, 09:27 PM

Rowling is a menace, plain and simple. Definition of power corrupting. She keeps quiet that she's a devout Presbyterian as well which no doubt informs her rhetoric.

Posted by: Suedehead2 15th February 2023, 09:27 PM

From a look at the list of current SNP MSPs, they are going to have to look beyond people with fishy surnames. Widening it to food (including sweets) makes Jenni Minto and Willie Coffey the early favourites with Keith and Siobhian (Hash) Browns an outside bet.

Posted by: Amanda Hugginkis 15th February 2023, 09:56 PM

She has mentioned those religious beliefs in the past, and no doubt they do inform her views, you're right.

I'm not surprised No is up in the vote at the moment. We have lurched from crisis to crisis, thanks to the Tories, and the global security situation at the moment is ... tremulous. The cost of living crisis has bills SKY HIGH and food prices are waaay over the 10% inflation of luxury Tory goods, and Scotland always has Russian subs lurking in its waters. No wonder that the Yes side is suffering.

Posted by: spiceboy 15th February 2023, 11:18 PM

I was very shocked to hear about No winning the polls, I thought the Scottish were very much in favour of independence?

Posted by: neill2407 15th February 2023, 11:54 PM

Well shocked to hear her resign. She is miles better than any of the Tories in Westminster which wouldn’t be hard. Will be hard to find someone as strong as her as a replacement.

Posted by: ~1^∞ 16th February 2023, 02:07 AM

As a trans person outside the UK its depressing how much the press focuses on making life harder for us, any1 with the slightest respect for trans people can clearly see that trans prisoners should get to choose where they stay and that a GRC doesn't endanger cis people at all, it just gives us a little bit of dignity, and they're more worried about the chance that we might endanger cis people, when we are the 1s in danger and cis people who do the same or worse harm still get trusted in being treated as the gender they are

I know all of that has been said countless times and it just exhausts me how cis people have been running in a hamster wheel of surface level ignorant fearmongering and debates amongst themselves for years now without learning anything, and they're treated more seriously than trans people who have to live with cis people thinking they're more rational and victimised while being the opposite, and the only way to win is just trying not to engage with it at all to save your energy, and that'sn't even a guarantee if 1 terf finds a tweet of yours

I'm happy to see Nicola Sturgeon, a cis woman with power, stand up for trans rights, and it sucks she or any politician with a spine get endlessly berated for it, I hope that the tides turn, it has to, I don't know when, but I hope at the very least trans acceptance becomes normal of politicians soon, and later on expected

Posted by: Silas 16th February 2023, 07:38 AM

We are, one poll for the daily Hitler doesn’t erase that

Posted by: Jessie Where 16th February 2023, 04:54 PM

So potential successors being bandied around include Ash Regan, a fully-fledged TERF and Kate Forbes, by all accounts an evangelical nutjob/potential homophobe. Joy.

Posted by: steve201 16th February 2023, 05:37 PM

Very shocked to hear this!

Sturgeon was the most effective party leader opposing the Tories and now she’s gone I can’t see much hope for Scottish independence which is a pity. Feels like the (English) Tories once again have played the agenda wonderfully for them with the constant culture wars winning over. Scum so they are.

The only decent leaders I can see are Stephen Flynn (an excellent orator at Westminster) or Hamsa Yousef in the Scottish parliament.

And don’t get me started on that scumbag Douglas Ross who couldn’t even show some dignity yday and thank her for her service.

Posted by: Jessie Where 21st February 2023, 11:04 AM

Lo and behold:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-64715944

Posted by: Silas 21st February 2023, 12:24 PM

Idk who is advising her but they blew up her campaign on day one. The terf wing aside, the membership of the SNP is rather progressive and this will go down like a lead balloon.


Personally I think she’s a very capable and excellent finance Secretary


@Steve - it’ll need to be a MSP chosen as they will become first minister and you would have a weird dynamic to have the First Minister to be subservient to a Westminster politician. It would vastly undermine like half the argument for independence!

Posted by: steve201 21st February 2023, 04:46 PM

Yeh true I had my NI politics head on when I mentioned an MP as people like Jeffrey Donaldson stand as a MLA in NI and the day after the election stand down and give the MLA job to another party colleague sticking two fingers up at the electorate, thankfully doesn’t happen as much inUK politics!

Posted by: JSG 15th March 2023, 07:49 AM

I'm very much backing Humza Yousaf. I'm not a fan of any of the candidates but I feel he's the only one with the vision and compassion to be the leader of Scotland. He represents the best of the SNP out the three of them but it's not a high bar to break.

Posted by: Ho-Lee Smokes 15th March 2023, 09:09 AM

I’m backing neither, I honestly think the SNP is going to have an embarrassing fall in the next elections!

Posted by: Smint 15th March 2023, 09:19 PM

It's all a bit disappointing that she didn't have an obvious primed successor and that 2 of the 3 candidates want to drop the Gender Recognition Bill (and the only one pro trans rights isn't impressing people) Is it because of the horrificly toxic environment for standing up for trans rights that people sympathetic to the cause are too scared to stand? That's (without knowing the ins and outs of Scottish politics) what it looks like to me sadly. As usual, the arseholes won.

Posted by: Ho-Lee Smokes 15th March 2023, 10:07 PM

Labour are really gonna benefit, even i don’t see myself supporting SNP

Posted by: Iz 💀 27th March 2023, 01:15 PM

Humza Yousaf elected the new leader, 52% to Kate Forbes' 48% after second-preference votes.

Seemed like the good option, cool cool.

Posted by: uhsting 27th March 2023, 01:38 PM

Phew!!

Posted by: Silas 27th March 2023, 01:55 PM

That’s a relief

Posted by: Jessie Where 27th March 2023, 02:27 PM

Definitely, the other two are nutters and I would have felt very concerned had either won.

Lol @ how far behind Ash Regan trailed.

Posted by: JSG 27th March 2023, 03:36 PM

Very happy with the result. A bit close for comfort mind you which leads me to believe he's gonna have a tough time.

Posted by: Suedehead2 27th March 2023, 03:44 PM

Winning margins of 52-48 always work so well

Posted by: blacksquare 27th March 2023, 03:54 PM

The whiplash I got reading this...

Posted by: Smint 27th March 2023, 04:01 PM

Worrying that nearly half voted for someone who wouldn't approve equal marriage as well as being very anti trans. I bet Kate Forbes will get a great media career as a tormented concerned woman ala Julie Bindel and Kathleen Stock.
Let's hope Yousaf does well although feel that he may struggle to do as well as Sturgeon

Posted by: Iz 💀 27th March 2023, 04:11 PM

I reckon Yousaf will basically be managed decline for the SNP. He doesn't seem like the most effective communicator and potentially gaffe prone. The good thing for the SNP is he'll keep some of the progressive vote, but probably Labour have a chance to win back parts of Scotland under this set-up.

on the bright side, going with prior logic, looks like Yousaf is now the uncontested dictator of Scotland, it's what the people wanted.



damn Keir-GPT is malfunctioning. But then even his party political tweets are dry and uninspiring so there's not much to take offense over.

Posted by: steve201 27th March 2023, 04:36 PM

Surprised it was so close - hope Humza can unit the old 79 group in the party and regain control.

Posted by: Brett-Butler 27th March 2023, 05:29 PM

I wish Humza all the best on his upcoming 3 months as leader of the SNP.

Posted by: Rooney 27th March 2023, 07:10 PM

Feels very much like the unity candidate from Nicola, but you feel he's really going to struggle. Scottish Labour will be smelling blood.

Posted by: Ho-Lee Smokes 27th March 2023, 08:11 PM

he was suing a nursery two months ago for refusing to let his children in

rip snp and i’m done with it tbh

Posted by: Y'all Starlight 5th April 2023, 11:47 AM

Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell has been arrested in connection with an investigation regarding SNP finances. Could this have led to Sturgeon's resignation?

Posted by: Smint 5th April 2023, 07:55 PM

There were rumours of that at the time.

Posted by: Harve 6th April 2023, 04:31 AM

The theatre of the police tent, digging in the back garden and sending an entire army of police officers to bring out two small boxes from SNP HQ lmao

Posted by: ElectroBoy 11th June 2023, 02:11 PM

Now confirmed Sturgeon has been arrested

Posted by: Big Fat Sue 11th June 2023, 02:44 PM

Tory police deflecting the landed elite from the Tory gov collapsing, oe losing popularity, over media scrutiny into their infighting. Nothin to see here.

Posted by: Doctor Blind 26th January 2024, 11:15 AM

Silas now confirmed as alias of Nicola Sturgeon...

Posted by: uhsting 26th January 2024, 12:08 PM

she's not wrong though

Posted by: Danuary 26th January 2024, 01:48 PM

sadly that's just a satire page and she didn't actually say that

Posted by: Klumzee 26th January 2024, 02:42 PM

Must say I was gullible enough to believe earlier today! I kinda wish she did :’)

Posted by: Silas 26th January 2024, 03:28 PM

Given that she called Boris a „f***ing clown“ it’s not far off



And she’s totally correct. Living for the unionist media trying to unleash a smear campaign against her and it massively backfiring coz everyone hates Boris

Posted by: Chez Wombat 26th January 2024, 05:02 PM

I was so hoping that would be true too :') Those insults are world class though so kudos to whoever made them up

Posted by: Steve201 26th January 2024, 05:46 PM

Absolutely this been desperate to bring her and the snp down!

Posted by: Silas 26th January 2024, 07:56 PM

Honestly Scottish Twitter has been on fire since the messages were released. And it happened on Burns Night. Like they couldn’t have picked a better night for the good side of Scottish Twitter to run absolutely rampant and blow this up in the unionist presses face.

There’s another set from Humza as well where he goes after a gobshite of a labour MSP. Peak entertainment value in the dark of Jan.

Posted by: spiceboy 27th January 2024, 01:24 PM

I've never been more in agreement with her!

Posted by: J00prstar 27th January 2024, 05:20 PM

There's a lot I could say about Sc0tGov's handling of the pandemic that I know from behind the scenes...

Long story short the disappearing Whatspp messages did not surprise me at all. They may or may not be part of an 'accidental' trend.

Posted by: Smint 15th March 2024, 11:00 AM

Anyone catch Stephen Flynn, Westminster SNP leader, on Question Time yesterday? They had the Anders Breivik idol, deranged racist Melanie Phillips on claiming that there was no famine in Gaza because she had seen YouTube videos of food on shelves! (Even Tory stooge Fiona Bruce had to call out that bs) and he completely destroyed her., Plus he was excellent on the Diana Abbot racism affair too. Got morals and strength and freedom to say that.

So we get the best opposition from within the UK, not from our mealy mouthed official opposition leader who wants to suppress what his MPs say on the big issues affecting us but from someone who wants to break up the UK. Ironic but badly needed. And Scots show up England yet again.

Posted by: Steve201 15th March 2024, 07:40 PM

Flynn is a excellent weekly performer at PMQs - his questions are brilliant at attacking both blue Tory versions!

Phillips was awful but you expect it from her she likes to be controversial. Most wide eyed moment of the night for me was learning Fiona was from the Wirral 😳

Posted by: uhsting 25th April 2024, 02:01 PM

We might need a foot-shoot thread for SNP because this is funny

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/snp-green-coalition-government-scotland-humza-yousaf-b2534497.html

First breaking the Greens coalition in by u-turning on gender-affirming healthcare and ditching climate targets, and now SNP is on the brink of total collapse

Posted by: Smint 25th April 2024, 05:42 PM

Shame if only for the fact that Humza Yousaf is 100% anti Israeli genocide but he doesn't have the glue that Sturgeon had.

Posted by: Calum 25th April 2024, 05:55 PM

The SNP really has gone to shit since Nicola Sturgeon resigned. Even Alex Salmond back in his day had an agenda and something worth talking about. Humza Yousaf just sits here and hopes for the best, undoing everything good that came before him. Can only see a destructive, unionist Tory government on the horizon come 2026.

Posted by: Steve201 25th April 2024, 06:45 PM

Would a Labour government not be the likeliest alt gov now?

Posted by: Calum 25th April 2024, 06:49 PM

Hopefully, but in the current parliament they're 9 seats short of the Tories and I'm not confident losses from the SNP at the next election would fully translate to Labour (or other oppositions). A hung parliament is probably going to be the most likely outcome if the SNP lose a vast amount of voters.

Posted by: Steve201 25th April 2024, 08:12 PM

Of course the system was created to ensure a hungparliament!

Posted by: Rooney 25th April 2024, 09:08 PM

Looks like the SNP leader has called this one badly, reckon he's toast now. He either bends over backwards to Alex Salmon, or he's out.

Posted by: Long Dong Silver 25th April 2024, 10:02 PM

His goose is cooked!!

Posted by: Jessie Where 25th April 2024, 10:06 PM

I imagine he's in for a sleepless night

Posted by: DoBelieveTheHype 26th April 2024, 12:53 PM

You won't be waiting until 2026 for an election in Scotland. The Conservatives are tabling a motion of no confidence in Humza but Labour are tabling a motion of no confidence in the government. Both should pass - if the second one does an election looks likely short of Labour and the Tories working with each other - which isn't happening.

Posted by: uhsting 29th April 2024, 12:07 AM

The streets are saying Humza will resign

Posted by: Smint 29th April 2024, 09:05 AM

On the same day as possible resignation by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

If both happen, bad day for left wing politics. As inevitable Kate Forbes (anti trans rights, gay marriage) will get in.

Posted by: Jessie Where 29th April 2024, 11:48 AM

And he's gone

Posted by: Smint 29th April 2024, 12:54 PM

But the good news is that John Swinney may go for it - and he was a name lots of people wanted to go for the role when Sturgeon had first resigned as he's very experienced as her deputy

Posted by: Steve201 29th April 2024, 07:18 PM

Swinney goes back a long way in the snp back to the 79 Grouping in 1979 following the snp bringing the Labour government down in the vote of no confidence (we all know who got in then)! He was close with Salmond from then and moved the snp in the social democratic route like other independence movements of the time.

Easy attack for the tories though as he’s a Sturgeonite!

Posted by: Long Dong Silver 29th April 2024, 07:39 PM

Vile, giving us Thatcher!!!

Posted by: TheSnake 29th April 2024, 09:10 PM

I thought the Alba Party was for the more conservative pro-independents.

Posted by: Doctor Blind 29th April 2024, 09:36 PM

I'm obviously quite sad about what has happened, especially because he seemed to be one of a quite rare breed of decent and principled politicians, and also for him considering what he and his wife's family had to go through recently in Gaza. Humza Yousaf looked to me to be a sensible politician with solid morals and the strength to stand up for what he believed in, but in the end his naivety and inexperience definitely showed over recent days. I really don't see why, if they wanted to continue governing with the Greens, that they simply didn't allow the party membership vote to happen and give the democratic choice to member, arguing for the coalition to continue. It was always pretty obvious that such a humiliation for the Greens was going to lead to this acrimony and blow up like this..

Such a frustrating self-inflicted backwards step for progressive politics.

Well, it's essentially for the gammonista who boil into an apoplectic rage over the mere sight or mention of gender neutral toilets.. or toilets, as most of us would be familiar with.

Posted by: Steve201 30th April 2024, 11:35 PM

No Alba is for the more radical nationalists and republicans who have more socially conservative views for example the woman’s rights issues being one arguemrnt that split the snp. They also dip into populism as well!

Posted by: Steve201 2nd May 2024, 10:46 PM

Looks like John Swinney is going to be the next SNP leader and Scottish Prime Minister!

Posted by: Calum 5th May 2024, 04:57 PM

The most sensible option, in my opinion. Swinney definitely leans more towards being a solid continuation of all the good Nicola Sturgeon did for the SNP/UK politics. Kate Forbes being guaranteed a high position in government so as not to challenge for the leadership is disappointing, but at least it prevents what I could only see being a turbulent leadership with awful views being at the forefront of Scottish politics.

Posted by: Silas 7th May 2024, 10:16 AM

Before her social conservative views came out fully I thought she was doing a great job as finance minister. Would not be opposed to having her back there. She was good at balancing the priorities that having no borrowing power requires.

Glad to avoid a knock down fight on this. He’s a great politician. I’d maybe have preferred Angus Roberston or perhaps even an MP like Flynno or Black to take it but this will hopefully steady the ship a little and get us on the right track again.

But after 17 years at some point you have to be prepared for the fatigue and to sit a term out. We’re not a one party state

Posted by: Calum 9th May 2024, 10:54 PM

Get the feeling they're planning ahead here and appointing her DFM with the eventuality of Swinney stepping aside come election time for her to crawl in and take the mandate?