When Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, announced his resignation On Wednesday, comparisons were immediately drawn between her decision and Jacinda Ardernformer Prime Minister of New Zealand leave last month Citing burnout. “In my mind and in my heart, I know the time has come,” said Scotland’s first lady and longest serving first minister. The similarities run really deep. As with Ms. Ardern, whose popularity was waning due to policy setbacks, there were underlying reasons behind Sturgeon’s exit. Ms Sturgeon came to power in 2014 after Alex Salmond, the former leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), quit following a defeat in the Scottish independence referendum (55% said no). The vote was seen as a blow to the SNP’s bid for independence, but Ms Sturgeon revived the campaign after Britain left the EU, arguing that most Scots wanted to stay in the EU . When UK Supreme Court ruled Last November, when the Scottish Parliament no longer had the power to hold another referendum on independence without Westminster’s approval, it proposed using the next UK general election in 2025 as a de facto referendum on independence. A victory for supporters of what would be seen as a ‘yes’ vote sparked considerable opposition even within his own party. It cannot be a coincidence that his decision to quit comes ahead of a crucial SNP conference, which is expected to consider the motion.
Independence was not his only major challenge. Her promise to expand transgender rights hit a wall after a convicted double rapist, a transwoman, was sent to a women’s prison. A bill passed by the Scottish Parliament to make it easier for trans people under the age of 16 to seek government recognition of their acquired gender identity has been blocked by the UK government, citing “safety issues for women and children”. I went. In addition, there were growing concerns about the state of the health care system (nurses’ strike over waiting times for accident and emergency cases and vigilance in times of emergency), an ongoing teachers’ strike (closure of educational institutions) and a police The inquiry was loaned to the SNP by her husband Peter Murrell. All of this puts Ms. Sturgeon, an otherwise formidable leader, on the spot. Ms Sturgeon has been the face of the independence campaign since Mr Salmond left office in 2014 and her resignation is a blow to that. Both Mr Salmond and Ms Sturgeon failed to cross the threshold of their most important cause. His successor will have to rebuild the movement while immediately addressing more pressing economic and governance issues.
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