Next FM has big shoes to fill
I would be surprised if there was anyone left in Scotland who was not aware of Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation as both leader of the SNP and First Minister last week.
I, like many, was totally shocked and equally saddened by this, Nicola Sturgeon has been a constant throughout my entire time in the SNP and throughout a whole generation of politics.
Nicola Sturgeon was not only the first woman to hold the office of First Minister but also the longest serving one, and someone who was a major figure in Scottish and UK politics.
Serving over eight years as First Minister, she has provided stability in Scottish politics, in comparison to the ongoing struggles in the UK Tory party which has gone through five Prime Ministers over the same period.
Throughout her time in Bute House, Nicola has led the country through momentous changes from Brexit, to defending Scotland from the Covid-19 pandemic.
She won praise from many for her handling of the Covid crisis, showing dedication and providing clear, open and honest answers to the public throughout the pandemic.
Nicola Sturgeon was an inspiration to me and I am sure many others. In my eyes, she brought a more human side to politics. She is caring, compassionate but also extremely formidable.
She made it a priority to improve the lives of people in Scotland and one of the things that I most respect about her is the direction that she took both Scotland and the SNP in to this aim.
Nicola Sturgeon is, arguably, one of the only leading politicians who has, credibly, continued to fight against the Tory austerity agenda. Mitigating the worst impacts of Tory welfare policy whilst introducing transformative policies such as the expansion of early learning to three and four year olds, Scotland’s Baby Box and the Scottish Child Payment, a benefit only available in Scotland under the Scottish Social Security System, the whole ethos of which is dignity, fairness and respect.
I see and hear every day, the real difference these policies are making to the lives of people and families all across Scotland.
I’ve been reading a lot over the past few days about how Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation is somehow a blow for the Independence movement but nothing could be further from the truth.
Independence will always be bigger than one person or party and the demand – and need – for independence grows stronger with each slight Scotland suffers from being ruled by a neighbouring country.
Of course, Nicola Sturgeon will be a huge loss as First Minister, she did so much to further the independence cause, whether that is through her leadership ability or through the transformative policies she brought in which have shown not only the divergence between Scottish and UK policy choice but have also given people a glimpse of how a fairer, more equal Scotland could be possible with independence.
It is true, the next First Minister certainly has big shoes to fill but I am looking forward to this next step in our journey to independence and a fairer nation.