In an unexpected announcement yesterday that has shocked British politics, Leader of the SNP and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon resigned in a short notice press conference in Edinburgh.
Sturgeon has led her party and the devolved government at Holyrood for 8 years now, and served as previous First Minister Alex Salmond’s deputy for a similar amount of time. She has undoubtably been a dominating force in Scottish and British politics for almost 20 years, and has kept the cause of Scottish independence alive after the failed 2014 referendum.
Some say she has bolstered the fight for independence by highlighting the inequalities between Westminster and Holyrood after Brexit, for which Scotland did not vote. Others argue she has placed her own ambition to be the first leader of an independent Scotland above the welfare of her people. Arguments around whether she has helped or hindered the country continue, and Scots still remain divided on the independence issue, with most polling showing support for both sides of the argument at around 50%.
Sturgeon’s resignation was such a shock for a number of reasons; a clear successor is not obvious, and the SNP haven’t held a leadership election since electing Alex Salmond in 2004. She was widely seen as at the top of her game, and despite the short-term pressures the Scottish Government is undergoing, Sturgeon was by no means a sinking ship.
However, the response to her resignation has been positive from the majority of commentators; it is being seen as one of the more graceful resignations British politics has had recently. More than that, her political opponents both in Westminster and Holyrood are happy as the SNP are losing one of the most effective and well-known leaders they’ve had in years, opening opportunities, especially for Labour, to make significant in-roads in Scotland for future elections.
She cited the “brutality” of modern politics as one of the reasons for her departure, and said that she felt, instinctively, that the time was right for her go. It’s a positive thing that such a senior leader has been able to leave on her own terms, and with most of those effected happy at her departure; a rare thing in modern politics.
The “brutality” Sturgeon mentioned is a problem being cited by an increasing number of leaders; modern politics is becoming a much more vitriolic space across the board, especially for women in public office. Whilst all politicians have to deal with a much higher volume of unpleasantness from members of the public than an average citizen, women in politics are often at the receiving end of the worst of it. They receive threats of violence, rape, assault, etc., on a far more frequent basis than previously, and as we have seen in cases such as Jo Cox’s, those threats have every possibility to become a reality.
Jacinda Ardern, the former PM of New Zealand, was another shock resignation that happened recently, also citing the brutality of modern politics, as well as “burnout”, for her resignation. Ardern was a model PM during the pandemic, leading her nation impressively throughout the crisis and making a name for herself as a competent, compassionate, considerate leader. She was also on the receiving end of some appalling threats as a result of this, which undoubtedly contributed to her decision to resign.
This trend shows no sign of stopping, and politics seems to be growing more divided and corrosive with each passing crisis. The availability of information on the internet gives the opportunity for every viewpoint to be validated, and as such people are less inclined to give ground on their opinions. As politics grows more divided, unpleasantness of the kind experienced by Sturgeon, Ardern, and doubtless every female (and male) politician across the planet, will only become more commonplace.
These two women were both trailblazers in their own right, and regardless of your opinions on what they each stood for, their commitment to their people and to public service cannot be understated.
The turnover of high-ranking political leaders seems to have grown markedly since the end of the pandemic; many of those who led their nations at the outset are no longer in post. Angela Merkel, Donald Trump, Scott Morrison, Giuseppe Conte, Boris Johnson, as well as Sturgeon and Ardern, are just a few of the big names we have seen leave office in recent years.
Perhaps this high turnover is due to the increasing “brutality” that Sturgeon referenced in her resignation speech. Perhaps it is just down to the quickened pace of politics in the wake of the period of geopolitical upheaval we are living through; Boris Johnson’s resignation already feels like a lifetime ago. Or perhaps more leaders are simply deciding to take their fate and their legacy into their own hands.
Leaders across the world rarely get to go out on their own terms; they either lose elections, like Gordon Brown, or crucial votes, like David Cameron with Brexit, or they are pushed out of office, as was the case with May, Johnson and Truss. My guess is that Sturgeon saw what happened to those other British leaders that came before her, and decided her exit would be different; graceful, considered, and on her own terms.
stay safe
/e