Sturgeon is ‘one mistake from being cast aside’
Nicola Sturgeon is one mistake away from being cast aside by SNP diehards, a former Nationalist senior adviser has warned.
alex Bell claimed it is ‘astonishing’ the First Minister has stayed in power as he attacked her for her ‘failure’ to read the public mood over Brexit.
He warned her reputation could be ‘damaged beyond repair’ if she continues to use the EU to bid for independence.
Mr Bell, alex Salmond’s former policy chief, accused Miss Sturgeon of already making ‘two huge mistakes’ – and said a third could leave her shunned by SNP ‘fundamentalists’.
He praised her as a ‘confident leader’ who has a ‘grip on policy and process’, but noted that the Scottish Government Budget will mean ‘cuts at local government and education’.
However, Mr Bell said it is not Miss Sturgeon’s domestic policies that could cause her to fall out of favour with SNP members, but her approach to independence and Brexit.
‘She [Miss Sturgeon] has made two huge mistakes in office,’ Mr Bell wrote in the Press and Journal newspaper. ‘The first was to think the EU referendum result would fundamentally change Scotland, the second to set a timetable on another indy referendum.’
He referenced Miss Sturgeon’s decision to call for a second vote on breaking up Britain only hours after it was disclosed that the UK would leave the EU, insisting that Scotland must be given a choice on remaining part of Europe.
She was forced into retreat last year after losing 21 MPs only weeks after she asked the Prime Minister to grant her the power to hold another vote by spring of this year.
Mr Bell said: ‘in some ways it is astonishing she is still in office – bad calls like hers usually ignite rebellion.’
He claimed Miss Sturgeon has survived only because ‘the SNP is still loath to break ranks in public’, and due to the lack of opposition from Scottish labour on the left.
But he added: ‘She cannot, however, afford another mistake.’
Mr Bell suggested this could come in the form of another mistimed call for a referendum on separation, adding: ‘Pressure within the SNP is building for an indyref date.’
Miss Sturgeon had been due to announce her plans for another vote in the autumn, but this was postponed and she promised to unveil her preferred timeline this year.
Mr Bell claims some within the party are already calling for a ‘new leader if she won’t deliver’ a second referendum – warning this ‘erodes the loyalty which has preserved the image of a competent party’.
He added: ‘Sturgeon will keep pushing the date away for the simple reason that the polls haven’t shifted in indy’s favour, which cuts to the heart of her difficult year and possibly the reason she will ultimately be judged a failure by her party.’
last night, Scottish Tory chief whip Maurice Golden said: ‘Nicola Sturgeon made a colossal mistake calling for another referendum so soon after the Brexit vote.
‘it’s no wonder her most loyal supporters are so close to abandoning her.
‘While her rush to create her legacy was desperately cynical, her real failure lies in our struggling schools, hospitals and deteriorating roads.’
Pamela Nash, of Scotland in Union, said: ‘alex Bell is right to say there’s nothing on record which supports the idea working-class Scots will be protected or public services will be better under independence – that’s because it’s a simple fact people will be worse off if we leave the UK.’
The SNP declined to comment.
‘Astonishing she is still in office’