Opposition MSPs say Sturgeon’s resignation ends ‘Groundhog Day of 2014’
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Highland opposition MSPs have been offering their reaction to Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation but in what is a departure from the norm they have been highly critical of the First Minister.
Frequently, when leaders leave after long tenures – no one spent longer in Bute House than Ms Sturgeon – to offer respectful sounding lines but that was not the case with the First Minister.
At her news conference she joked that some people would be able to “cope” with her leaving better than others but it is an indication of the frustration and even the resentment that has emerged in Scottish Politics over the years.
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Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross MSP recognised that political leadership “takes its toll on a person and their family” but said: “We cannot ignore that she has presided over a decade of division and decay in Scotland.”
He went on to blame her for leaving Scotland “in a state of constitutional paralysis” and “unable to move on from the Groundhog Day of 2014 and its toxic legacy, despite the wish of the majority of Scots to do just that.”
Donald Cameron said the country would enter a “new phase” of politics and both the “people and businesses across the Highlands and Islands will be keen to hear how a new First Minister intends to deliver for them.”
Labour’s Rhoda Grant praised the First Minister for showing “a degree of self-awareness with regard to the current political climate” saying the “broken promise on the A9, the NHS in crisis and the ferries fiasco” may have led to her departure.
For Edward Mountain, Highlands Tory MSP it was clear from what Nicola Sturgeon said that “her long years of public service have started to catch up with her” along with “her errors of political judgement too.”
Veteran LibDem MP Jamie Stone hopes the “blind faith in independence” can be shelved and “at long last attention being turned to the issues that really matter in the Far North. Health, transport, education, issues of remoteness and rurality.”
Finally, Jamie Halcro Johnston believes there is no way that it was simply the toll of the job on her leadership but political factors played their part, saying: “While she might claim otherwise, this decision was one forced upon her.
“Her SNP colleagues are increasingly turning against her, there is a police investigation into her party, her policy agenda is in tatters, and she’s failed to deliver any movement on independence.”
Douglas Ross, Scottish Conservative leader, Highlands and Islands MSP
“Whatever our differences, it is right we recognise that political leadership is always demanding and takes its toll on a person and their family. I am glad Nicola Sturgeon has recognised this is the right time to go.
“However, at this time, we cannot ignore that she has presided over a decade of division and decay in Scotland.
“Instead of trying to unite the country in the wake of the 2014 referendum, Nicola Sturgeon refused to accept the result. Her entire tenure as First Minister has been characterised by relentless agitating for another vote on separation – governing in her party’s interests, rather than Scotland’s.
“As a result, Scotland has been in a state of constitutional paralysis ever since – divided and unable to move on from the Groundhog Day of 2014 and its toxic legacy, despite the wish of the majority of Scots to do just that.
“The SNP Government now needs to use this opportunity to focus on the Scottish people’s real priorities, especially the cost-of-living crisis, supporting our NHS and rebuilding our public services.”
Donald Cameron, Scottish Conservative Highlands and Islands MSP
“It goes without saying that our two parties have enormous political and constitutional differences. But on a personal level I wish Nicola Sturgeon well for the future.
“She has dedicated her life to public service and is respected across the UK and beyond as a result, and I’m sure interesting and valuable work awaits her in different fields.
“We now enter a new phase of Scottish politics, and people and businesses across the Highlands and Islands will be keen to hear how a new First Minister intends to deliver for them.”
Rhoda Grant, Highlands and Islands Labour MSP
“Nicola Sturgeon led the country for eight years and during a pandemic. That was not an easy task for anyone and her communication skills were helpful in delivering clear public information at the start of the pandemic.
“In stepping down she has shown a degree of self-awareness with regard to the current political climate in Scotland.
“Her legacy will be judged in the coming days and I am sure a number of policies that are attracting attention may have had a bearing on her decision to step down, such as the broken promise on the A9, the NHS in crisis and the ferries fiasco. Her successor inherits a challenging position.
“I wish her all the best in whatever she does next.”
Edward Mountain Highlands and Islands Conservative MSP
“Scotland has required fresh leadership for a while so I welcome that Nicola Sturgeon has now recognised her time as First Minister has come to an end.
“It was clear from Nicola Sturgeon’s statement that her long years of public service have started to catch up with her, along with her errors of political judgement too.
“The next incumbent of the First Minister’s office will be left with an overflowing in-tray which needs urgent attention, whether it’s the waiting times crisis in our hospitals, the broken promises concerning the A9 and A96, or the growing attainment gap in our schools.”
Jamie Stone, Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross
"For some time, the divisions within the SNP and the wider nationalist movement have become increasingly apparent. In view of this, perhaps it is no surprise that Sturgeon has called it a day.
"What this means for Scotland's future is very important. I hope that it means the shelving of a blind faith in independence and - at long last - attention being turned to the issues that really matter in the Far North. Health, transport, education, issues of remoteness and rurality. These are the things that truly matter to my constituents.
"The direction of the next Scottish Government remains to be seen, but I am utterly convinced that Scottish people want to see a decent, compassionate, and united Government, not one riddled with the in-fighting and bullish dogma that has arisen from the independence movement - a movement that means increasingly less to the constituents I speak to day in, day out."
Jamie Halcro Johnston, Highlands and Islands Conservative MSP
"While this news may have come as a surprise to many, it has been clear for some time that Nicola Sturgeon’s leadership of both the Scottish Government and the SNP was coming to an end.
“She has been in government for 15 years, a time when the SNP’s push for independence has always trumped the need to deliver better public services or a strong economy.
“And more recently, her refusal to compromise on gender reform has divided her party just as much as her obsession with independence has divided our country.
“While she might claim otherwise, this decision was one forced upon her. Her SNP colleagues are increasingly turning against her, there is a police investigation into her party, her policy agenda is in tatters, and she’s failed to deliver any movement on independence.
"There will now be a new First Minister and, while there is not abundance of talent available in the SNP, whoever follows Nicola Sturgeon must put aside their own ambitions and work to bring the country together and end more than a decade of constitutional navel-gazing.
“Scotland’s needs a government focused on delivering better schools, cutting NHS waiting lists, investing in transport infrastructure, and building an economy that supports jobs, livelihoods and opportunities across our country.
“Whoever the SNP choose, they must put the Scottish people’s priorities first, not the SNP’s”.
