@eosamh77 & @brads – at some point Sturgeon will go, it may be in the next few days or in 10 years time. However the problem she has is that some of a credibility is starting to wear off. She appears weaker and others, inside and outside of the SNP, will start to challenge her. When Labour ran Scotland, no one could see the SNP in charge for an extended period.

The SNP at the moment in many peoples eyes appears to the Sturgeon party, especially since her husband is the chief exec. So her actions are amplified and have a greater impact on the SNP and eth Scottish Government. Both suffer for the fact that there are limited options beyond Sturgeon, there is no identified replacement for when she will go. And she is starting to alienate some of her front bench and force them out.

As an Englishman think she has done a great job in communication about the actions to manage the pandemic in Scotland and is a order of magnitude better than most of the shower in Westminster. She has done brilliantly to build on the work done by Salmond for an iScotland. But this ‘squabble’ between them over a technicality could finish all that. As an example Blair is hated for taking the UK into an illegal war, rather then celebrated for his part in the Good Friday agreement.

There’s a certain type of Englander that gets his or her Fanny full of sand when it comes to Sturgeon. And I love her for it. 😀

I actually hate homophobic attitudes

Interesting phraseology

I thought she came over very well. The actual presentation of facts was good, and more credible than the few highlights shown on news bulletins. Much more so than Salmond, and more articulate and objective than some of the Inquiry representatives’ approach

The inquiry representatives came across as useless. Like people that had been asked to stand in at the last minute.

sadmadalan,

I’ve been saying similarly about a succession plan for Sturgeon for some time. The reality is none of the opposition has a credible alternative first minister either! IMO this debacle will be her undoing, but I sincerely hope she doesn’t go now – and leave John Swinney to muddle through until after May. I’m not sure who on the front bench you think is alienated – could they just be distancing so that if she has to go they can take the reins without having been too close?

If she was forced out (which I think could only happen if the greens were willing to support a motion of no confidence), who do you think would become leader? Realistically that person is going to the be first minister in June – albeit if it goes really badly possibly with a significant minority government.

Er that’s rubbish re no obvious successor, if I was Queen of Scotland and could name the next leader how about Kate Forbes?

Or did you mean no obvious male successor? The misogyny is strong in this thread, I would start a “where is the Nicola Sturgeon thread” thread as it seems wrong and ironic that we are discussing her in Salmond’s thread. But I have to go to work!

I’d agree with the Kate Forbes recommendation if she was a wee bit older, but maybe it would be a good idea regardless.

I believe that Angus Robertson is the annointed one, though that would need to be after the My election.

I can’t see why someone’s sexuality is apparently a “skeleton in the closet”

WGAF

My impressions of meeting them both is that you would have liked Salmond to organise your stag and NS to organise your wedding. I have always kind of felt the same when it came to running the country.

you would have liked Salmond to organise your stag

I can’t imagine anything worse

NS is definitely damaged now and I think she will survive this but unless there’s a successful indy referendum she only has one more term as leader at the most.

unless there’s a successful indy referendum she only has one more term as leader at the most

I’d have thought that was true even without the current goings on. I’d agree with Kate Forbes as potential future leader material, but think she’d really need several more years learning her craft as a politician before she steps up.
I did wonder if wee Alec fancied his chances of another go – is he that that detached from reality to think he’d succeed with Indyref 2 after failing first time round?

sadmadalan
Full Member
@eosamh77 & @brads – at some point Sturgeon will go, it may be in the next few days or in 10 years time.

😆

I can’t see why someone’s sexuality is apparently a “skeleton in the closet”

WGAF

It’s something they can attack them on later. Claim bias or such.

awaits the outraged Tories demanding Patel resigns………..

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/mar/04/priti-patel-reaches-six-figure-settlement-with-ex-home-office-chief-philip-rutnam

I know its nit the same but worst possible timing for the Sturgeon haters!

Or let’s not talk about the Westminster government spending £1million trying to avoid a judicial review into the PPE tendering process

No SNP Baaad!

SQUIRREL!!

There’s a certain type of Englander that gets his or her Fanny full of sand when it comes to Sturgeon. And I love her for it. 😀

You’ve just described the entire readership of the Daily Mail 😆 They hate her as much as Harry and Megan.

NS is definitely damaged now

That’ll be why SNP membership is up thousands overnight then?

@dovebiker yes that caught me by surprise a bit. I’m pleased that there has been such a reaction to her evidence session though I am not sure why, perhaps people reacted to the unfair treatment she gets in the media. For me as a long time indy supporter and an SNP member there are many things that NS should have sorted in her time as leader, eg her husbands position he should have moved on quickly after she was elected leader. Internal party democracy has also been damaged, and many members are frustrated about the current strategy on getting a referendum.

Or did you mean no obvious male successor? The misogyny is strong in this thread, I would start a “where is the Nicola Sturgeon thread” thread as it seems wrong and ironic that we are discussing her in Salmond’s thread. But I have to go to work!

No I simply meant no obvious credible successor – I personally would like to see Kate Forbes as FM but she’s only held one senior cabinet position and for a short time; and only cos her predecessor got the heave ho. It’s quite a leap from Finance Secretary for a year or so, to FM. In fact I predicted to myself that she might end up as the next FM but that was before the current debacle, which might bring forward a change.

Compare it to Nicola who had been in Education and whatever Enterprise was called that month, and Dep first min for 7 yrs. The only people I can think of with that sort of exposure are Swinney and Humza. I think the bookies were backing Humza, I’m not sure if that’s any better than Angus Robertson who I guess does have broad coverage and plenty of years experience – but has not been in government as such (it’s not like an opposition coming in who can just blame the other party). Joanna Cherry would probably be the other name to crop up. She might be popular with the party faithful but she’s not a vote winner.

You can start a NS thread if you want but since this is talking about the AS debacle I’m not sure there’s much point in doing it somewhere else. If salmond wasn’t a chauvinist there wouldn’t even be a thread.

@dovebiker yes that caught me by surprise a bit. I’m pleased that there has been such a reaction to her evidence session though I am not sure why, perhaps people reacted to the unfair treatment she gets in the media.

Does seem strange – I did wonder if people were smelling a leadership election and getting their chance to vote in (either for NS or someone else).

Yeah 5000 new SNP members in 24 hrs is a bit fishy

Be interesting to see what the indy polling says in the coming weeks

There was a wee propeller plane flying over Edinburgh with a #resignsturgeon banner today.

Wtf?

Free Member
There was a wee propeller plane flying over Edinburgh with a #resignsturgeon banner today.

Wtf?

I remember seeing “Vote Brexit” banner on the day of the ref flying over Milton Keynes, it gave me a bad feeling at the time

I dont think Sturgeon has to worry though

#resignsturgeon

I suspect she’ll be resigned in May on a new 5 year contract!

Whats the verdict on Sturgeons evidence? I thought she got the tone right and apologised for errors but rather too much convenient memory lapses.

Even the anti scotland anti snp media are having difficulty nailing her for anything that came out of the day

To me it all depends on the report from the committee. Just a flesh wound on her so far and IMO she did rather better than Salmond but a critical report could still do for her

She’s done well saying that victims of Salmonds abuse have been let down, it keeps salmond looking the shady one.

She managed 8hrs of questioning often looking much more clued up than those questioning her

Latest evidence that scot gov pressed on against legal advice for 3? weeks or so is bad, but not damming, her memory lapses were not convincing.

What’s really saved her is that in the last week Patel has wasted £370k of taxpayers money on her own legal farce

Johnson was found to have lied to the commons about disclosure of PPE contracts, despite a court order.

Johnsons spent 200k on a designer refit of No 10, 2.5 million on a propaganda centre for Allegra Stratton

The Tories have picked a fight with nurses they just spent a year idolising…

Ultimately
Corruption at Westminster has made a tricky job for her that much easier

victims of Salmonds abuse

Sorry, did I miss that trial?

Sorry, did I miss that trial?

Seriously?

And then folk wonder why abuse vitims have a hard time coming forward.

Abuse isn’t subject to a criminal test you know.

He was found not guilty though.

If you want to be subject to the law then what’s the point in ignoring it when it doesn’t go your way?.

And that’s from someone who cannae stand him.

Salmond was found not guilty of a criminal offense.

Now I know its the court of public opinion but enough people have come forward with credible stories of him being a groper that I for one accept he is.

His own admitted behaviour is enough to label him a groper.

Edit – of course Sturgeon must have know this and to some extent enabled his behaviour by ignoring it.

That was my point

By saying his accusers had been failed & emphasising it more than once, attention is drawn to salmonds reprehensible (if not illegal) behaviour, Sturgeon is putting herself on the side of those accusers.
Helping re-enforce a narrative that she was concerned only with taking down a sexual predator etc

In the midst of the metoo moment, being seen to aggressively ditch sleazy salmond by any means isn’t necessarily a bad position

She’s a canny operator

By saying his accusers had been failed & emphasising it more than once, attention is drawn to salmonds reprehensible (if not illegal) behaviour, Sturgeon is putting herself on the side of those accusers.

Pity she didn’t ensure the discipline process was lawful then.

Shame the notes of a meeting between Sturgeon and the lawyers have been “lost” or we might know more about her actions rather than her rhetoric.

“The Government’s claimed it had no minutes of a key meeting at which the First Minister and her officials discussed the case with the external lawyers.”

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/19140295.sturgeon-government-discounted-advice-concede-legal-fight-salmond/

enough people have come forward with credible stories of him being a groper

Name one.

Pity she didn’t ensure the discipline process was lawful then.

That’s not her responsibility – the screwed-up investigation is down to the Permanent Secretary, a civil servant. It’s only the media and people who don’t understand how Governments work who are trying to blame her. The legal case was fatally damaged by other’s decisions like the selection of the investigation officer – nothing to do with Sturgeon who quite rightly would have been keeping an arm’s length on proceedings.

nothing to do with Sturgeon who quite rightly would have been keeping an arm’s length on proceedings.

Or not, as the case may be lol.

There is quite a legit argument to say she should have nothing to do with the investigation

But she was in charge, even if not directly at fault,?, she bears responsibility

This has damaged Sturgeons credibility, but she seems to have ridden it out

Whether it will really effect elections in May remains to be seen (Greens see that as the bigger picture & are backing her)

the reality is that corruption in Westminster right now provides her with plenty of cover

That’s not her responsibility – the screwed-up investigation is down to the Permanent Secretary, a civil servant.

The civil servant who cocked up the investigation then got her contract extended by Sturgeon?

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/leslie-evans-top-civil-servant-to-stay-until-2022-9hf7kqr8b