To wish Nicola Sturgeon was Prime Minister.

[NellyJames]

Just listening to her statement to the Scottish Parliament. I don’t want to debate her wider politics or the question of Scottish independence because that’s for the Scots to decide.
I’m just so impressed by her leadership and how clear and concise she is. There’s no waffle, no bluster. She’s just said Scotland is 4wks behind London so the time to act is now before they’re in the same position.

Her manner is just so factual and informative and if I was Scottish or lived in Scotland whether I agreed with her SNP politics or not, I’d be very glad she was my FM. She makes BJ look like an uneducated idiot who is neither responsible nor has the balls to take decisions before the effects are smacking him on the face.

Nicola Sturgeon is my local MSP as well as First Minister in Scotland.
So many comments here show such huge ignorance of the actual person she is. Not angry, nor mad, nor anything like the “wee Jimmy Krankie” reference touted by people too lazy to form an actual opinion of her.
Having met her - she’s professional but kind, genuinely cares about people (especially kids and young people), approachable and easy to talk to.
Given the circumstances, I’m glad she’s doing the job she is, as are the many, many people in Scotland who voted her in, unlike Johnston who was chosen by his party, not the country.

@durgha

Worst I'm a loony lefty, but over the last few awful years, l have a growing respect for Rory and some other, not mad Tories. Oh, for an end to party politics....

Yes, exactly the same here.

On the other thread - apparently PM recorded the message at 12.40pm today so NS jumped in and made her announcement this afternoon to try to look ahead etc as usual, as for her it scores points as this thread proves

And you believed that?

So in the space of an hour and twenty minutes, she managed to recall parliament early, discuss the matters at hand and arrange a public announcement AND she managed to let people know about that public announced 5 hours before she planned it! Astonishing!

(I knew about the announcement at 7am, and set an alarm so I wouldn't miss it).

She's even more remarkable than anyone could ever have known 😂😂

I think she would make a great leader, however she is so obsessed with Scottish independence she can't seem to make a significant impact on other issues enough to be a contender

I think she would make a great leader, however she is so obsessed with Scottish independence she can't seem to make a significant impact on other issues enough to be a contender

How dreadful, to have a leader fixated on something that they strongly to believe to be in their countries best interests. Whether she is right or wrong is yet to be seen.

What a welcome contrast to Boris, who was fixated on pursuing Brexit due to the fact that its in his own best interests financially despite never being in the best interests of the country.

(yes, before anyone states the obvious, that is merely my opinion, but I've yet to see any benefits but I see a lot of negatives)

She does always seem to just beat boris to it
You would think just once when the papers leak she is doing xyz ans will announce at this time , he would just try and beat her to it and bring it forward
But then you don't seem to get as many scottish people moaning about decisions , ) well on here)
Boris decsions about schools has half rejoicing and other half moaning and now my facebook is full of all early years saying what about us etc ? Don't seem to see much of that from scottish posters , they may not like it bit accept it and move on

Also agree with others , much easier to bring in measures in a smaller country and she is a good speaker , but scotland's record in this isn't good either.

I would have NS over BJ any day. Won’t to swap?

I've met her several times through work, and she is astonishingly professional, bright and engaged - everything BJ is not. I'm ashamed to be associated with him, and his predecessors to be fair, therefore never have and never will describe myself as British.

I respect her as an individual- unlike other figureheads who have bought their way into power without the ability to string a sentence together

She isn't 'beating him' to anything. Her decisions don't affect England in the slightest. Look at the exams being cancelled - Scottish exams were cancelled in October and December. English ones today. Was that her 'beating him to it' too?

For some reason he always makes announcements later in the day. He could change that if he wanted to make announcements earlier than we get ours. He clearly isn't bothered, so why should anyone else be?

@happystone not a chance!

Also she herself has stated she only has an interest to be Scotland's leader and not the Uk leader so she has essentially ruled herself out.

London subsidises the rest of the UK in terms of taxes raised etc , not England subsidising Scotland. As I understand Scotland raises more taxes than most parts of rest of UK outwith London.

@Mally2020 ah, interesting you made such a quick judgement and thought it appropriate therefore to make a personal attack.

Based on that alone, I'm not going to bother further. There are other, more obvious, reasons that she would never be PM. But pointing that out would be entirely missing the point of the thread.

Totally agree. She is clear, concise and to the point. Far from the bumbling buffoon we’re lumped with.

I haven't read all the comments on this thread but have skimmed through a few.

I like Nicolas Sturgeon, many of the points raised here (power mad, micron a aging, centre if attention) are actually just her being a leader, the buck stops with her. Giving the speeches and updates herself lessens the mixed messages that can arise when many people take the podium.

She has a plan and follows it through, they may not be popular but she is doing what is best for the country with the limited powers she has - she cannot close international borders, she cannot borrow large sums of money, Westminster has to borrow on Scotland's behalf, all the furlogh money and business grants are still paid for by Scotland, we just don't get a say in how much we can borrow or the terms of the loan.

Drug deaths - drugs are a reserved matter, Nicola Sturgeon cannot roll out the plans she wants as Westminster control the Drugs Act and welfare budget, so the SNP are expected to solve the drug problem but are being denied the tools needed to do it.

As for independence of course that is her goal, why wouldn't it be? Yes I believe independence is the way forward, we cannot continue as we are.

Independence does not mean Nicola Sturgeon and SNP being in charge, in fact SNP will no longer need to exist if independence goes ahead, at which point any party could be voted in, a right wing government, left wing or mixture. SNP are a means to an end that's all.

I'd just like a competent Prime Minister. There must be most of the Tory MPs who could do the job adequately. I struggle to think of any Prime Minister worse than this one- Lord North perhaps?

I’m in Scotland and do not like her. She’s part of the misogynistic wing of the party and has failed to defend women in her own party subjected to abuse and threats for gender critical feminist views.

She’s also supporting a Hate Crime Bill encouraging people to report supposed “hate crimes”, ie expressing views contrary to what they deem acceptable, including committed by family members in their own homes.

She’s a career politician married to the chair of the party and they exert tight control over members. No contrary views are allowed no matter what. They even have an online college to train members in the party line.

The drug deaths are much worse than elsewhere, and Scotland has the worst rates of poverty, and very low life expectancy in its poor areas.

She sounds better than Boris, but has kept us in lockdown for months and months here, to no avail as our death rates are amongst the highest in the world.

There’s a lot more to Ms Sturgeon and her party than you think, @NellyJames and it’s not good.

The college of party training

And a random screenshot/ oops!

Absolutely! Boris is a joke!

I can’t believe when I see English people saying this when her and her party do nothing but stoke hatred against them! I don’t understand it. Have a look at her constituency, seriously. She’s done nothing for them it’s shameful. She gets her face on telly at every opportunity though. Any question she is asked is answered with a sharp tongue and eye rolls like a huffy brat. The divide in this country (Scotland) since the SNP took hold is horrible. I feel people only like her because she’s anti-Boris. I can’t wait to see what comes out re Salmond etc

How come no one wanted her fired for breaking the covid rules?

Cummings does it and the forum is full off well I'm not following rules amy more if they're not"

Sturgeon does it and the place it happenedhas been boycotted and threatened because another customer reported it.

@ShetlandWife

I think she would make a great leader, however she is so obsessed with Scottish independence she can't seem to make a significant impact on other issues enough to be a contender

How dreadful, to have a leader fixated on something that they strongly to believe to be in their countries best interests. Whether she is right or wrong is yet to be seen.

What a welcome contrast to Boris, who was fixated on pursuing Brexit due to the fact that its in his own best interests financially despite never being in the best interests of the country.

(yes, before anyone states the obvious, that is merely my opinion, but I've yet to see any benefits but I see a lot of negatives)

"How dreadful, to have a leader fixated on something that they strongly to believe to be in their countries best interests. Whether she is right or wrong is yet to be seen."

I have some German friends who might caution you on this view.