STURGEON REFLECTS ON PANDEMIC
NICOLA Sturgeon has addressed speculation about her political future by saying every First Minister has a “shelf life”.
In an interview, she said that whenever she stops being leader, she will be young enough to go “in a different direction”.
She also said her key role in dealing with coronavirus has made her feel differently about turning 50 this month.
Sturgeon has been First Minister for more than five years, after succeeding Alex Salmond.
Her biggest challenge has been leading the Scottish Government’s response to Covid-19, which has taken the lives of thousands of people north of the Border.
Speaking to Holyrood magazine, she tackled long-standing rumours about when she would stand down.
Sturgeon said: “You can always create speculation if you decide to speculate but it’s not anything I’m saying or doing that feeds that.
“But, you know, I suppose one of the nice things about having been First Minister for five-and-a-half years by the time I turn 50 is that, while I’m not planning for it to be imminent, whenever I do stop being First Minister – because every First Minister has a shelf life – I will still be young enough, and hopefully healthy enough, to go in a different direction and do other things.
“I find that is something that is quite uplifting.”
Sturgeon also spoke about how she felt as she edged towards her 50th birthday.
She said: “I think I’ve probably been dealing with enough tough stuff recently to not allow myself to dwell too much on me getting older. And, actually, without all of this going on, I may have been a bit more morose about turning 50 and thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’m getting old’.
“I don’t want to sound at all twee here but this virus, and the tragedy of it all, has made me think about life and, you know, how much you’ve got to value life and make the most of it... In a strange sort of way, it has absolutely changed my approach and mindset to turning 50.
“In a way, that makes me much more, if not positive about it, then just less depressed about it, because I think it’s more important that we concentrate on the things we have got as opposed to the things we don’t.”
She added: “I wouldn’t be human, though, if I hadn’t at times over the past few months felt pretty overwhelmed by the magnitude of this. But I’ve forced myself to keep very focused on it and just get through every decision, every step, every day, every week.”
The First Minister said her own difficulties were “nothing” compared to those of her sister, who works as a medic taking blood samples from coronavirus patients.
She said: “It’s been grim. There were periods where I genuinely wondered if we would get through this without literally everybody knowing somebody who had died from it. That’s what we were trying to avoid.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t avoid that for more than 4000 people and that will always live with me.”
She also spoke about the importance of her husband Peter, who is the chief executive of the SNP, in her life.
She said: “Peter has been hugely important, as he always is, in my life. I’ve really valued having him over the past three months just to give me that emotional support and help me at the moments when it’s all felt most difficult.
“And, of course, he has worried about me. I think, like me, a lot of people, if not the majority of people, have just learned to value those around them that bit more and maybe think a bit more about what actually matters in life.”
The First Minister also addressed fears the deadly virus could delay next year’s Holyrood election.
She said: “I think the election will
NICOLA ON .. PRESSURES OF THE JOB
I wouldn’t be human if I hadn’t at times felt overwhelmed by the magnitude of this
happen next year. In fact, I’m pretty sure the election will happen next year, and debates about the country’s future will restart too and we will go back to normal politics. But hopefully thinking a bit more about how we conduct our politics. But I don’t think the country is quite there yet.
“I think I have probably learned already that I’ve got an even deeper resilience than I might have ever thought possible and I think I will also come out of this with a much lower tolerance for some of the crap of politics.”
NICOLA ON .. TURNING 50
Without all of this going on, I may have been thinking, ‘Oh my God, I’m getting old.’
NICOLA ON .. PREVENTING DEATHS
We didn’t avoid that for more than 4000 people and that will always live with me
NICOLA ON .. HER HUSBAND
I’ve valued emotional support at the moments when it’s all felt most difficult