The down side is that you just end up talking about it all the time and you never leave it outside. by Anthony Horan in News. [230][231][232] In the 2021 SNP manifesto, Sturgeon committed the party once again to reform the Gender Recognition Act 2004 of the UK Parliament and in August that year included the commitment in her agreement with the Scottish Greens on power-sharing. [258][259][260] Sturgeon has committed to strengthening links between Scotland and Africa. The previous leader, Alex Salmond, announced at the time that he would not stand. "[164], In April 2020 whistle-blowers in the NHS came forward to reveal that staff were being made to reuse dirty personal protective equipment (PPE) while at work. We feel we are being lied to. Catholic Church calls out SNP's "vicious hostility" towards pro-life Nicola Sturgeon Speaking At National Economic Forum (Source: Instagram) Sturgeon argued that the meetings were SNP party matters, and thus not covered. We meant it", resonated in areas that had voted strongly for the Union in 2014. [121] Sturgeon said it was "democratically unacceptable" that Scotland could be taken out of the EU "against its will".[122]. We may be seeing social volatility on Clydeside harnessed and turned it into a powerful weapon. while other islanders said they had missed doctors appointments, funerals and even the chance to say goodbye to dying loved ones because of cancelled sailings. Their poverty had been alleviated by post-1945 British reforms. Many of these Catholic SNP converts were likely to have been among the 12,000 people who packed the Hydro arena in Glasgow on November 22. [53] Sturgeon stated that there was "no immediate threat to public health in Scotland", but added, "monitoring of those who have been in close contact with the two people is also being carried out as an additional precaution. His then-depute, Roseanna Cunningham, immediately announced her intention to stand for the leadership. She was categorised in 2015 as part of the SNP's gradualist wing, which believed in achieving independence through accumulating the Scottish Parliament's powers from the UK Parliament over time. "[54] The following day, she confirmed that these were cases of the swine influenza A (H1N1) virus. Others, myself included, glimpse the triumph of a new form of passivity skilfully managed by the ruling centre. Professor Emeritus of Politics, University of Bradford. After qualifying as a solicitor, she worked for Bell & Craig, a firm of solicitors in Stirling, and later at the Drumchapel Law Centre and a Money Advice Centre in Glasgow from 1997 until her election to the Scottish Parliament in 1999. [330] In 2015, BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour assessed Sturgeon to be the most powerful and influential woman in the United Kingdom. [232], In January 2021, a former trans officer in the SNP's LGBT wing, Teddy Hope, quit the party, claiming it was one of the "core hubs of transphobia in Scotland". [180] In the election, the SNP won 64 of the 129 seats contested. When the British Government turned down the Scottish Government's idea of a formal currency union - on the grounds that the rationale for sharing a currency with a foreign country was "not clear" - Sturgeon accused Westminster of trying to "bully Scotland" and said it would "cost their own businesses hundreds of millions in transaction costs". First Minister condemns anti-Catholic bigotry. [300][301] She was accused of using "dangerous language" and when asked if she regretted the comments, Sturgeon simply replied "No" and emphasised the point she detested Tory policies and not supporters or voters. We can't bind our successors, but we've made very clear our belief that constitutional referenda are once-in-a-generation events. [319][320][321] The term was used to describe Sturgeon's "fierce" attitude. Yet many Scots Catholics were for a long time at ease with Britishness. Mr Swinney announced on Thursday his plans to step down when a new first minister is appointed, bringing to an end his near-16 year career at the top of the Scottish Government. She is the first woman to hold either position. [283] She has hailed Scottish feminist economist Ailsa McKay as one of her inspirations. Nicola Sturgeon Catholic Religion Parents Ethnicity Revealed [147] Labour MP Jess Phillips, a former employee of Women's Aid, accused Sturgeon of being "unprofessional with those women's lives" and said there had been a "litany of failures in professionalism and decency. Nicola Sturgeon condemns recent vandalism at St Simon's Partick at First Minister Questions today May 2nd. [146] Two of the civil servants who made complaints about Salmond later said they felt they had been "dropped" by the Scottish Government after it lost the judicial review against him, adding they feared their experiences would make it less likely people would make complaints in the future. [99] Shona Robison, a close ally to Sturgeon, became the health secretary, while Keith Brown and Angela Constance, who were both unsuccessful in their bids for the deputy leadership of the SNP, were appointed infrastructure secretary and education secretary, respectively. [65], In 2012 she pledged to build a high-speed railway line between Glasgow and Edinburgh by 2024, cutting journey times between the two cities to under 30 minutes. [24] Shortly after this, Sturgeon was appointed as the SNP's spokesperson for energy and education matters. Sturgeon stood for election to the Scottish Parliament in the first Scottish Parliament election in 1999 as the SNP candidate for Glasgow Govan. Nicola Sturgeon went on a stadium tour after becoming SNP leader She opened her premiership more like a rock star than a politician, embarking on a sold-out stadium tour amid a blaze of popular. [220][221] She argued independence would be "essential" for economic prosperity for Scotland as she claimed the economic climate throughout the UK does not offer strength, stability or security. They urged the Catholic community to spurn caution and embrace risk-taking without explaining how a largely low-income group would fare in the face of depleting oil reserves, the retreat of British state jobs, and an ageing population relying on a tax base over 12 times smaller than the present UK one. "[288][289][290] Commenting on the need for men to challenge their friends misogynistic behaviour, Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament in 2021: "I would say to all men in this chamber and all men across the country challenge it [misogyny] if its on the part of other men you may know, challenge your own behaviour and then lets collectively, as a society, turn the page and turn the corner so that women can live free of the fear of harassment, abuse, intimidation, violence and, in the worst cases, death. She insisted her resignation was not as result of "short term pressures", such as the ferry fiasco, the gender recognition reform bill, transgender prisoners, or the police fraud inquiry into SNP finances, but stated that the job "takes its toll on you". [233][234], In September 2021, Sturgeon was accused of shutting down debate about gender reforms after she described concerns about gender recognition reform as "not valid" and campaign groups and analysts complained that their concerns were being ignored. [191], In the late 2010s, Scottish islanders began to complain that the ageing ferry fleet that connected them to the mainland had become increasingly unreliable. She also served as Cabinet Secretary for Health, Infrastructure, and Parliament. [216] She sought the Prime Minister to consent to the vote by signing a section 30 order, a move that Downing Street has refused to comply. [170] This followed an open letter two months earlier, written by 200 church leaders to Sturgeon, warning her that the prohibition could be unlawful. [132] Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, all plans for another referendum were put on hold. Nicola Sturgeon is definitely opportunistic. [28] On 24 June 2004, Sturgeon announced that she would also be a candidate in the forthcoming election for the leadership, with Kenny MacAskill as her running mate. [237], On 15 February 2023, Sturgeon announced her intention to resign as first minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party until a successor was chosen. [272], An advocate for Scottish independence, Sturgeon has campaigned for independence from the United Kingdom since her late teens. [] I can think of no greater privilege than to seek to lead the party I joined when I was just 16. This followed her admitting that she had had a secret meeting and subsequent phone call with Salmond about the Scottish government's allegations against him. [18][19][20], In an interview with the BBC's Woman's Hour, Sturgeon revealed that it was Margaret Thatcher who inspired her to enter politics, because, due to rising unemployment in Scotland at the time, she developed "a strong feeling that it was wrong for Scotland to be governed by a Tory government that we hadn't elected". However, the details regarding her belief remain unknown as she has never opened up about it with the press. [92], On 20 November 2014, Sturgeon was sworn into office at the Court of Session in a ceremony presided by Lord Gill,[93][94] after receiving the royal warrant of appointment by Queen Elizabeth II. [48], As Health Secretary, Sturgeon became more widely known internationally for her handling of the 2009 flu pandemic. "[250], In July 2022 the figures for 2021 were released, revealing that 1,330 had died - nine fewer than in 2020. [6][7] She is the eldest of two daughters born to Joan Kerr Sturgeon (ne Ferguson, born 23 October 1952[8]), a dental nurse, and Robin Sturgeon (born 28 September 1948[9]), an electrician. Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon says resignation had nothing to do with Some will see this as the acquisition of belated self-confidence by a submerged community. Early life and political career Let's explore the rumors of her being lesbian and learn about her sexuality, partner and children. This also made her First Minister-Designate, given the SNP's absolute majority in the Scottish Parliament. Is Lori Lightfoot Jewish Or Catholic - What Religion