In 1989 when I was working for Punch, I visited Bucharest a few days after the fall of Nicolae Ceaușescu in December 1989 and it was wonderful. People were celebrating in the streets, almost as if it was VE Day. A great weight had been lifted from their shoulders – the hated Marxist control system had finally been vanquished – and people were free to think and say what they liked. I imagine the atmosphere in Scotland in the next few days will be remarkably similar.
The proximate cause of Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation was her mishandling of the Isla Bryson debacle. Whenever gender critical feminists draw attention to the risk that convicted male rapists will end up being housed in women’s prisons if self-ID is made easier, trans rights activists accuse them of the ‘straw man’ fallacy. But Isla Bryson was the straw man come to life and Sturgeon has been on the back foot since the moment he appeared, bereft of her usual political gifts. She and her advisors must have concluded there was no coming back from this and she had to go for the good of the cause.
Taking one step back, it seems like a case of ‘Get woke, go broke’, since something like this was bound to happen to discredit the Gender Recognition Reform Bill, which Sturgeon had gone all-in on. The Scottish people just aren’t ready to embrace a policy of gender self-ID and all its ramifications, and may never be. Even if Isla Bryson hadn’t popped up at exactly the wrong moment, it was only a matter of time before there was another, similar scandal. An elderly Muslim lady on a Scottish hospital ward waking up to see a naked man in the next-door bed. A Scottish female track star being denied a medal because she’s pipped to the post by a man. A male domestic abuser turning up at a Glaswegian women’s refuge and demanding entry. This is progressive overreach, arrogantly shoving a woke policy down the throats of the public and not realising how much opposition there’s going to be because you never leave your ideological bubble.
Taking another step back, I like to think Sturgeon is going for the same reason Jacinda Ardern went – because she realised no leader can hope to get re-elected after embracing the disastrous zero-Covid policy. It’s clear now that Scotland’s draconian non-pharmaceutical interventions designed to stop the spread of COVID-19 were a catastrophic failure, imposing a massive cost without any benefits. And those costs continue to accumulate, with drug and alcohol addiction soaring, educational attainment plummeting, hospitals bursting at the seams, and the economy in the doldrums. It was ever thus in SNP-run Scotland, but Sturgeon’s hopeless mismanagement of the pandemic, always trying to out-Ceaușescu Boris, has made everything worse. She leaves behind a country in crisis, worse in virtually every respect after her nine years as First Minister. Even more catastrophic from her point of view, there’s now less public support for independence than there was when she took office – and I imagine it was that, more than anything else, that did for her.
I wonder if her successor will ditch the Gender Recognition Reform Bill? Or at least press pause, so it can be more widely consulted about? Under Sturgeon, the SNP’s ideology became a cocktail of ethnonationalism and hard Left identity politics – a horribly toxic brew. Among other things, it saddled her with an unmanageable coalition. White working class voters, who make up a lot of the SNP’s support, were never going to enthusiastically embrace self-ID. The SNP bucked the global trend – which I wrote about here – of Left-of-centre parties shedding electoral support as they become captured by social justice warriors. The reason? If you try to please your middle class liberal activists at the expense of your traditional working class base, you’re not going to win elections. I expect that rule, which the SNP has hitherto proved an exception to, will apply to the SNP at the next General Election.
Sturgeon’s fate should serve as a warning to Keir Starmer, who has also embraced the woke agenda. If he still can’t answer the question, “Can a woman have a penis?” by the time the next election comes around, I doubt he’ll win an overall majority.
Nicola Sturgeon was one of the West’s most authoritarian leaders, an enemy of free speech and someone who had no qualms about turning her country into a temporary dictatorship during the pandemic. Thank God she’s going. Let’s hope all the other Western leaders who have made the same mistakes over the last three years follow her lead and resign before they’re rejected by their electorates, starting with Justin Trudeau.
Stop Press: Brilliant tweet from Julia Hartley-Brewer.
Stop Press 2: Guido has an amusing round-up of comments from so-called political experts who strongly advised against Rishi Sunak weaponising section 35 to try to block the Gender Recognition Reform Bill, claiming it would play into Sturgeon’s hands. Turns out, Rishi got this one right.
To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.
Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.
Fair review, but you’re totally wrong with regard to her real view and role reg. independence.
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2023/02/nicola-sturgeon-used-and-discarded/
Thanks. I much appreciate Craig Murray’s point of view.
‘The SNP bucked the global trend – which I wrote about here – of left-of-centre parties shedding electoral support as they become captured by social justice warriors.’
Are you sure?
Isn’t that precisely what is happening in nearly every ‘democratic free’ (can’t stop laughing) Country – have you seen what is going on in the US; isn’t it what the Labour & Conservative Party (The Oneparty) are doing? It certainly is EU policy.
“The reasons? If you try to please your middle class liberal activists at the expense of your traditional working class base, you’re not going to win elections.”
The Democrats did, twice in the USA.
‘I imagine the atmosphere in Scotland in the next few days will be remarkably similar.’
Lets hope so – remind me what happened to Ceaușescu.
My exact reaction to the article. Wishful thinking.
Also, the Sturgeons and Ardens are just frontmen, regional managers if you like. They will be replaced and moved to sone international intergovernmental organisation as a reward for their service but the agenda will remain broadly the same. At most, you’ll get the momentary appearance of a minor change.
We know what it looks like when someone slips in who actually wants to change something of any significance, however minor. Just ask Liz Truss.
Democrats stole an election with a 30 million vote fraud; lost the House in 2022, even after stealing, printing votes.
The only way the libtards win is by criminal activities.
Brexit is a miracle – keep in mind they did it the same during Brexit – no voting IDs and counting Leave as Remain votes (saw that as a scruntineer). Real vote was 62-38 for Leave.
Re Brexit ‘ counting leave as remain’ – I was not aware of that, please elaborate
Can you substantiate that with evidence, as if so, would be a bombshell.
Good riddance! Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!
Long live the fallen idols
All moths into the flame
You’re chasing your own shadows
Are you not entertained?
— Five Finger Death Punch
TFFT!
I had to work that out – but I got there when I realised it was what I was thinking…
Sorry ellie.
And the bad news is: “The first minister said she would remain in office until her successor was elected.” According to the BBC news article linked to from here.
Indeed. There is still time for hectoring and malice.
It’ll be interesting to see how long the Party takes to elect a successor whose time in office may be very short given the likelihood of inter-party strife. There must have been a lot of simmering resentment in the Party while Nicola ruled them with a rod of iron and squashed any dissent. It was Her Way or The Highway…
I doubt its really down to the trans issue. Thats probably added a straw or two to the camels back, but my guess is that the real reason is that the police have recently been given permission to start interviewing SNP people (politicians and party workers) about the missing £600k in the SNP accounts. Money they took in public donations on the undertaking it would be held ringfenced for a future independence referendum campaign (which they thought was on the cards at that time), but now is nowhere to be found.
The Wings Over Scotland blog actually first noted the problem several years ago, its taken until now for the police to actually do anything about it, despite several formal complaints from donors wanting to know where the money they donated is.
Its all laid out here:
https://wingsoverscotland.com/the-great-indyref-swindle/
The fix is in – NS resigns now so when the police find malfeasance at some point in the future the then leader of the SNP can say ‘Nothing to do with me Guv, it was that dodgy Sturgeon woman wot dun it’.
£600 k?
That’s nothing.
Roland Rat allowed the looting of £400 billion.
That sounds like the truth!
I love these DS cheering and humorous articles.
Of course no problem north of the border since the SNP is chock-full of immensely capable and gifted politicians ready to step up…….or not really……
For example: Kate Forbes, John Swinney, Humza Yousaf, Angus Robertson and Keith Brown?
No, me neither…….
Hilarious….
I reckon that whoever the “winner” is will be an interim leader as there will be massive infighting in the background. They need to find a new leader quickly to get Nicola out properly.
Apparently she wants too spend more time with her family! Bet they’re thrilled.
I am sure she will pop back up in another tax payer funded sinecure. She ha known nothing other than spending and living on other people’s money for the last 24 years.
It will be interesting to see if her husband also resigns.
“Apparently she wants to spend more time with her family!”
That’s her warm and caring side flagged up.
According to some scurrilous rumours circulating on some sites she is ahem, cough, apparently a rug muncher.
Ooh, I say.
Will the ban on the press reporting anything about past events still be active, do you think?
More than likely.
I can’t stop thinking that all these former COVID hawks resigning now is them running away from having to repair all the damage they’ve done. Ideally, this thankless job can be left to their successors and they can than later make a comeback once the situation has successfully stabilzed that another round of experimental agenda-politics seems feasible again.
New York State and New York City recently replaced despicable leaders with worse ones. In the absence of a Ceaușescu-style “retirement party,” no meaningful change for the better is likely.
So she is planning a gender change and a return as Nicholas Trout, hoping that no-one will notice.
LOL, too funny!
Brilliant!
As a minority government, Sturgeon only ruled thanks to the support of the Greens, thus adding even more zeal to her more bonkers policies.
Now that Sturgeon has gone and her policies so unpopular, will her replacement continue the political suicide and continue to pursue them, or will they gamble on the ditching them, and the Greens, and hope to rebuild the support of their far more conservative (small ‘c’) traditional followers?
How many people in the SNP heartlands, like Glasgow, believe in Net Zero and being able to choose your own sex?
.
Where is the current political home for the numerous previous Scot Labour voter? Does the small ‘c’ conservaive and Labour Scot voter now tend to vote SNP?
Great news, ..but who do the Scots get now?
Who cares, at least she’s gone!
I’m sure Starmer is frantically working on a form of words which will appease the militant trans-activists whilst trying to pretend to the nation’s women that he does know what one is.
Whatever bollocks he comes up with is irrelevant ….. he can’t wipe his previous statements from the record.
Sadly Tice is 100% useless. He’s scared someone might call him an “anti-vaxxer”.
Unfortunately it’s one Evil Tyrant down but thousands more in Parliament, Devolved Governments, local councils, Quangos & Civil Service to go.
Stand in the Park Make friends & keep sane
Sundays 10.30am to 11.30am
Elms Field
near Everyman Cinema & play area
Wokingham RG40 2FE
She is a failure and I for one won’t miss her.
Like it or not (and I don’t), the SNP has been remarkably popular with the Scottish electorate, time and again.
That can’t have been because of the SNP’s competence. Everything scheme and policy they’ve touched has been a disaster.
So, despite polling and referendums putting the majority (just) in favour of remaining in the Union, why have the Scots kept voting for them in such overwhelming numbers?
When Joel Barnett’s Formula was introduced, it was only intended to be a temporary measure, for two or three years at the very most. But despite all the Natsies loud shouts about being proud, independent Scots, they can never quite bring themselves to stop sucking on the English teat and stand on their own two feet.
As someone born to Scots parents, who grew up within a stone’s throw of the Border, who wore a kilt as a kid, and thought myself Scots, and who worked for many years in Scotland, I’ve seen anti-English xenophobia grow over the years. Still, I hope, a minority, but a significant and ever increasing one.
I wish the rest of the UK had been given a vote on Scots independence. Had we had the vote, I think Sturgeon would have got her wish.
.
I agree that the union between England and Scotland should only continue with the agreement of both peoples.
Les rois du monde vivent au sommet,
Ils ont la plus belle vue mais y a un “mais”,
Ils ne savent pas ce qu’on pense d’eux en bas,
Ils ne savent pas qu’ici, c’est NOUS les rois!
Incidentally, Nicola who?
Krankie is a Tranny !!!..
Good riddance to bad rubbish
Sadly many apparently intelligent people in Scotland thought/think she was wonderful throughout the lockdown years – she looked calm and efficient on the surface compared to Boris, and her propaganda was very effective. Few seem to be aware of our relatively appalling record on education, drugs, policing, care etc etc. I fear Scotland will not be cheering – though some of us can easily ‘cope with the news’.
“Don’t worry, @NicolaSturgeon, you can still self-identify as the Scottish First Minister.” … in your padded cell.
‘Insanity’: Unsoundness of mind sufficient to render a person unfit to maintain a contractual or other legal relationship or sufficient to warrant commitment to a mental health facility.
Sounds about right.
Was Sturgeon Labour’s gift to Scotland (as is Dripford to Wales)through Blair’s obsession with devolved government?
Drakeford Next Please (Yes I know he’s said he will go soon, but it’s not soon enough to save Wales).
Most people in other parts of the UK will perhaps not be aware of “The Named Person Scheme” that the SNP tried to get into law in Scotland. This was a scheme whereby a person, perhaps a teacher, or other professional person would be checking on the “welfare” of every child in Scotland up to the age of I think 16. They would report their findings back to government. ———-“I think little Johnny is eating too many Mars Bars”, or “I don’t think little Johhny cleans his teeth regularly”. or “Little Johnny is living with parents who don’t believe in climate change” or “Little Johnny is told there are no gods” etc etc etc………You can see how sinister this is and how it is totally not the role of government to interfere in family life in this way. ——–The scheme was decaled illegal by the Supreme Court, but it gives insight into the totalitarian mindset of this insidious bunch of goons.