NICOLA STURGEON IS NOT AS DOMINANT AS SHE ONCE WAS
THE Queen of Scotland’s crown is looking slightly tarnished today. Nicola Sturgeon had been tipped to be anointed as the head of a virtual one- party state north of the border this weekend.
Instead, her Scottish National Party fell short of a majority in the Holyrood parliament after Thursday’s elections.
As a result, her dream of a second Scottish independence referendum has been put on hold for the foreseeable future.
The mildly disappointing poll returns suggest the nationalist surge that shocked Westminster last year may have reached its peak. And the spectacular success of the Scottish Tories, led by the impressive Ruth Davidson, in overtaking Labour as the second largest party in the Scottish Parliament marks a significant shift in the political dynamic.
Ms Sturgeon must be quietly hoping that Miss Davidson is tempted away to play a key role at Westminster, as some Tory MPs would like her to do.
A year ago, a general election landslide in Scottish seats meant an army of 56 SNP MPs marched on the Commons with a revolutionary spirit in the air. Now that fervour appears to have dissipated a little. Westminster insiders say the SNP’s MPs have settled down to a more tranquil life in the Commons chamber.
“They appear to be rather enjoying themselves here,” a fellow MP on the opposition benches told me. “I suspect that winning independence and having to give all this up would be the last thing some of them want.”
The blood- curdling radical speeches that were heard in the first weeks after the SNP landslide have certainly died away.
Angus Robertson, the SNP leader at Westminster, has seamlessly assumed the role at Prime Minister’s Questions that used to be taken by Lib Dem leaders before the coalition was formed of raising issues of conscience. He has been a voice in the campaign to bring more Syrian child refugees to Britain that forced the Government into a U- turn earlier this week.
Ms Sturgeon remains a formidable figure in Scotland and appears to have confirmed that with her conclusive rout of Scottish Labour. However, for all her dominance, this week may have shown that her once insurgent party is becoming a fixture of the establishment.