STURGEON IS QUITTING

[Clymene]

Just seen on BBC headlines

It’ll be interesting to see if Nic/the SNP try and play up the gender row to distract from a criminal investigation into financial irregularities…

So would or could Alex Salmond make a return? Who is likely to be her replacement?

Fabulous news!!!!

It’ll be money. Of course it will.

A crap record on women’s rights is not a resignation level issue for politicians. That’s just women’s rights.

A financial scandal, OTOH…

It’s quite depressing really.

Is the return of an unflushable turd a cause for celebration now?

I despair of politics. Was the quality of politicians always this dire and it’s only now that I’m old enough to properly appreciate the problem?

100%

It’ll be interesting to see if Nic/the SNP try and play up the gender row to distract from a criminal investigation into financial irregularities…

While I agree, it seems to me they've lost either way
Apart from the screaming activists few seem to support their manic gender agenda, and hopefully even fewer would support anyone found to have committed fraud - though with politicians being what they are I doubt many would be surprised

As for "Who'll take over?", who can say? The recent poll reveals only single figure support for any of them, with a huge majority "Don't knows"
Hardly a great position for any political party, so it'll certainly be interesting to watch

I’m hoping the gender recognition bill will be the sacrificial lamb to try and distract from dubious financial management.

About time! Woman's a disgrace. Let's hope the other SNP misogynists have realised rapists in women's prisons is a vote loser

Not at all - I’m trying to work out who will get the job. Wondered whether he would have another go. At least the Gender Recognition Act will almost certainly go now. No one is going to want to be linked with that

A slightly sharper exit than Denholm Reynholm.

Yes!

I think this is true to an extent. What I think has happened is that her fall in popularity and support due to genderism made her vulnerable. Once a politician is shown to be weak out come the knives in retaliation for all kinds of things and the media grasp the opportunity to bring to the fore things they've been sitting on waiting for such an occasion.

Salmond has already led the SNP twice and has his own party now, Alba. He is the one person you can rule out as a contender.

Am I the only one on here that likes her? She's not our PM but she was great during the pandemic. I would have swapped her for BoJo anyday. Couldn't have worse

On Salmond coming back. I seem to remember like 2-3 years ago Sturgeon doing a real hatchett job on him. Abusing the fact that the Scottish Attourney General is part of the Scottish Cabinet and so not politically neutral to really give him a good kicking.
Would we see a return match where Sturgeon is on the receiving end this time of Salmond gets back in. It was really dirty what they did to him. I imagine he remembers it much better than anyone. Given the police has already been mentioned it wouldn't even need him to bide his time.

But Salmond isn't a member of the SNP any more. Hasn't been for a while.

Alex Salmond was actually quite gracious.

And deliciously pointed I feel.

I have other views (of course) on the chiel.

But his arse is still dirling from when Nippy hoofed him off the bus. Her arse might be the same as it might yet feel the skelp of a polis boot.

Combination of a reduced appetite for independence; the gender thing and defo the money thing. `Going before she’s pushed IMO

Clown world, this: twitter.com/MhairiBlack/status/1625820229463904257

You're falling for the spin.

apricot

Not my clown. Not my circus…

twitter.com/GlennBBC/status/1625824995728408577?cxt=HHwWgoC-lYfOi5AtAAAA

No BJ got it right.
Parts of Scotland weren't allowed visitors for 9mths from Sep 20-Jun21
Softplay were closed over a year
Children were forgotten about English kids were in nursery while ours were in front of the telly.
Business are still trying to recover from the pandemic are getting tax relief in England but not in Scotland.

All her searching for zero covid meant we had the highest covid rates at one point.
What was her plan B if the vaccines didn't work?

The SNP will hold an election among its members for a new party Leader. Sturgeon stays as leader and FM until that's completed.

Sturgeon then formally resigns, and Parliament (Holyrood) opens nominations for FM, open to any sitting MSP. The new SNP leader (or deputy, if the leader is not an MSP - very unlikely!) will be nominated, among others - if I remember right, the leader of the smallest party usually is nominated as well, so that there's the appearance of a contest. MSPs vote to decide who will be FM. The appointment of an FM requires Royal Assent, and therefore (similar to WM) it must be someone who's believed to be able to hold the confidence of the Parliament - so usually the leader of the party holding the most seats/the party of government or senior coalition partner.

IF no one makes it through all the hoops to become FM by the legal time limit (28 days after the FM's formal resignation) the Parliament is dissolved and the Presiding Officer (equivalent of the Speaker at WM) proposes a date for an "extraordinary general election". The monarch must approve this before Parliament disbands.

At any time, the Parliament can dissolve itself, but this requires a 2/3 vote of all MSPs - so 86 out of a possible 129, regardless of abstentions. Neither the FM nor the Scottish Government can call an extraordinary general election.

(This is from memory, so any legal bods, please feel free to correct!)