Webchat with Nicola Sturgeon - 1pm Tuesday, 5th May

[JustineMumsnet]

We’re pleased to announce that Nicola Sturgeon MSP, the First Minister of Scotland and leader of the SNP, will be joining us for a webchat at 1pm on Tuesday 5 May - just two days before the General Election.

Nicola is the MSP for Glasgow Southside. Before becoming an MSP she worked as a solicitor at the Drumchapel Law Centre. She has the distinction of having been called 'the most dangerous woman in British politics' by the Daily Telegraph (among others).

Whatever your hopes for the outcome of the election, there’s no doubt that the SNP’s surge in Scotland is one of 2015’s biggest stories of this election, with, most likely, big ramifications for UK as a whole.

So we hope you’ll join us and put your questions to Nicola on Tuesday 5 May at 1pm - and if you can’t be there on the day, please post up your questions in advance.

Please remember our webchat guidelines - do be polite/civil, and only one question each please as we reckon this is going to be a busy one!

[frankie80]

My first question please MNHQ if you really can't ask both

[urgentpanda]

The SNP party political broadcast describes Scottish people as 'rough around the edges', argumentative and 'gallus as hell on a night out'. Those, as you know, are direct quotes. (For anyone unfamiliar with the word 'gallus', it means bold, daring, reckless.)

I'm not rough, argumentative or reckless. Neither am I Scottish - but I do live in Scotland. Why do you think that I would want to vote for the SNP if that's the disrespectful way in which the SNP views the electorate?

[AtomicDog]

Nicola, I have read the SNP manifesto (full version) and much of it seems laudable if one is coming from a socialist PoV- spend, spend, spend and tax the rich to do so (as you do state you will be reducing the deficit too). I don't personally believe Scotland to be particularly good at keeping to budgets ( 414m costs of Holyrood, + 11m maintenance so far, plus 72m p.a. just to run). One phrase in you manifesto caught my eye though: "Those with no democratic mandate should not be writing the laws of the land"...however isnt that the situation we have whereby Scottish MPs are still votimg for or against legislation that is only applicable to England? Indeed, people voting SNP o on Thursday, thinking theyre xgetting Nicola Sturgeon, are likely to be disappointed to find that Alex Salmond is the one doing the negociating in Westminster because as an MSP you won't have any sway in the carve-up of power after May 7th.

[RowanMumsnet]

@frankie80

My first question please MNHQ if you really can't ask both

Thanks Frankie

[daimbardiva]

Hello Nicola.

I live in the north of Scotland and since the SNP have taken power at Holyrood we've seen the creation of one police force and one fire service for the whole country - a process which was really unpopular in rural and peripheral areas and doesn't seem to reflect the differing needs of different parts of the country.

I worry that this reflects a general move towards 'centralisation' i.e. focus on the central belt.

What can you say to reassure me that this is not actually the case, i.e. that quite apart from Scotland having different requirements from the rest of the UK, you recognise and plan for the fact that not all of us live in Glasgow or Edinburgh?

[ComicKittta]

Hi Nicola. I am a mature student at Forth Valley College in Falkirk. After the summer i start a new course at The city of Glasgow. My question is what do you plan to do for students in the coming years?

will you open positions in the scottish parliament for promising mature students or help them in some way network into better jobs after years of dedicated education?

Thankyou.

Lauren

[OOAOML]

Wow urgent I haven't seen the PBB but I am Scottish by birth and where I live (although also identify as British) and that is pretty offensive.

[Whendoigetadayoff]

I think a big group of SNP MPs would be an asset to Westminster. They will give a backbone to Labour and speak for ordinary people not just the rich, businesses, or vested interests. Im sure lots of people across the rest of the UK wish they had chance to vote for party/MP who didnt want to continue to make cuts.
Q. What one policy - apart from independence - do you want to most achieve in your time in politics - in Scotland and across the UK.

[urgentpanda]

OOAOML - it was on TV last night (has been on before but I can't remember exactly when).

[NicolaSturgeonMSP]

test

[NicolaSturgeonMSP]

@RowanMumsnet

Morning all

We do need you to stick to one question each, please. If you've posted more than one, do you want to let us know which one is your priority?

Thanks
MNHQ

testing quote function

[MmeLindor]

Urgent
I'm Scottish and would not describe myself that way at all. Rough around the edges? Um. No. Never even heard the word 'gallus', never mind use it to describe myself.

[NicolaSturgeonMSP]

Phew! (Am not NicolaSturgeon, as if you didn't know this already. Am HQer.)

[urgentpanda]

Mme Lindor - I don't think that I know any Scottish people who would describe themselves that way. But they are the words of the SNP party political broadcast!

[FannyFifer]

On the another referendum issue, the SNP has 115,000+ members, thet have National council, conference etc which as a democratic party the members vote & decide on policy at.

If another referendum is in next years manifesto, people have the option to either vote or not for the SNP and their policies.
It's not on the cards this year.

[funnyossity]

This year!

[funnyossity]

Will Scotland lurch forward towards a referendum every 2 or 5 or even 10 years?

That's not to NS more to Fanny!

[whiskeytangofoxtrot]

Hello Nicola
Thanks for coming on MN -
Do you watch/listen to political satire?
If so which ones?
Is it hard to concentrate on doing your job when they're sending you up as The Most Dangerous Wumman in the World?

[GrannyWeatherwax2015]

I live in a very rural part of Scotland and work in the local hospital (met you there two years ago after we were affected by a power cut). Can you tell me what the SNP plans are for rural health care? We have 19 beds in our hospital, most maternity cases have to travel to Glasgow and any trauma cases have to be transferred to Glasgow too as we don't have facilities to deal with them here. This can cause isolation for patients who have to be away from home for more than a couple of days.

Keep up your excellent work, our local SNP candidate has my vote (and I voted yes).

[TheHandbagOfGlory]

Hello Nicola,

I am a SAHM and often feel undervalued by the political parties as the focus is always on childcare and returning to work etc.

I wondered if you think SAHM have a value to Scottish society today?

[expatinscotland]

Just a message saying best of luck from Argyll and can't wait till Friday morning!

[tabulahrasa]

I'm voting SNP in this election as I'm left wing in my ideology and am unhappy with the shift labour have made towards the right and SNP feel like viable opposition (I'm also not against independence) however given that independence is the reason that the party exists and that the shift left is pretty recent, what is to stop them moving right again if it would build more support for independence?

In other words, how secondary are the parties other policies to independence?

[JugglingFromHereToThere]

Hi Nicola

Great you chose to be here on MN this lunch-time

OK, one question, hmmm ....

How do you see things going on May 8th?

That is, what's your prediction on the election, and how will things go from there? (still is one question, honest)

It's all quite complicated isn't it - I'm not sure many of the other leaders have their heads round it yet?

So, hoping for some Nicola clarity!

[AtomicDog]

Expat- do you get to vote? (Just wondering if you took British citizenship)

[NicolaSturgeonMSP]

MNHQ test