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. [111] The manifesto also included a commitment to increase NHS funding by 500 million, "baby boxes" full of essentials to newborn parents, and an ambitious new target to cut emissions by 50% by 2020 as of the party's effort to tackle climate change. [185] As part of the agreement, the Green Party co-leaders would be nominated to serve as ministers. Covid in Scotland LIVE as NHS in 'crisis' with cases remaining high across country She has served as a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) since 1999, first as an additional member for the Glasgow electoral region, and as the member for Glasgow Southside (formerly Glasgow Govan) from 2007. She said that there were different reasons for much of the criticism of Rangers fans in George Square citing "anti-catholic abuse". Nicola Sturgeon Speaking At National Economic Forum (Source: Instagram) He spelled out the risks of partitioning Britain with so little elementary homework having been done. Their neighbourhoods are shared with people who adhere to a Protestant culture, but they are less likely to have been at the crest of the SNP wave. In 2022 Audit Scotland concluded that the final price tag for the vessels would be somewhere between 250m and 400m once the ships were finished in 2023. [106], In the run-up to the elections, Sturgeon took part in several Scottish and UK-wide TV election debates and according to opinion polls was regarded to have had a successful performance. Private Eye has described the police investigation into SNP finances as the "game-changer" in Nicola Sturgeon's abrupt decision to resign last month.. A column in the magazine also questioned whether Ms Sturgeon and her husband, the SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, have a joint bank account and, if so, whether his loan of 107,620 was made from it. She also served as Cabinet Secretary for Health, Infrastructure, and Parliament. [297][298], In the 2021 SNP manifesto, Sturgeon committed the party once again to reform the Gender Recognition Act[233] and in August that year included the commitment in her agreement with the Scottish Greens on power-sharing. They announced their engagement on 29 January 2010,[332] and were married on 16 July 2010 at ran Mr in Glasgow. [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. You would need to be wired to the moon to think Nicola Sturgeon and her Government give two hoots about the teachings of the Catholic Church or the sensibilities of genuine Catholics. [184], In August 2021, Sturgeon and Scottish Green Party co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater announced a power-sharing agreement between their parties. By Democrat reporter A fundamentalist representative of the Catholic Church in Scotland has called out the Scottish National Party's (SNP) "open and vicious hostility" towards pro-life Christians. Sturgeon argued that the meetings were SNP party matters, and thus not covered. Born in Ayrshire, Sturgeon is a law graduate of the University of Glasgow, having worked as a solicitor in Glasgow before her election to the Scottish Parliament in 1999. However, the details regarding her belief remain unknown as she has never opened up about it with the press. We meant it", resonated in areas that had voted strongly for the Union in 2014. Sturgeon said there were "lots of lessons to learn". Nicola Sturgeon has: Played herself in "Question Time" in 1979. University of Bradford provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation UK. [319][320][321] The term was used to describe Sturgeon's "fierce" attitude. [279] However, in 2018 she endorsed her party's Growth Commission report that pledged to reduce an independent Scotland's budget deficit as a percentage of GDP[280] something the Institute for Fiscal Studies concluded meant "continued austerity". by Anthony Horan in News. Nicola Sturgeon . We may be seeing social volatility on Clydeside harnessed and turned it into a powerful weapon. [268], In May 2022, Sturgeon made a trip to the United States and met with controversial Republican member of Congress Robert Aderholt, a prominent anti-abortion supporter. The nascent leadership contest to replace Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister of Scotland turn nasty: the flashpoint is the beliefs of finance minister and evangelical Christian Kate Forbes . [283] She has hailed Scottish feminist economist Ailsa McKay as one of her inspirations. The defeat of the Yes Scotland campaign in the referendum resulted in the resignation of Salmond as leader of the SNP and first minister. Sturgeon apologised for being overexcited although expressed that she was celebrating Amy Callaghan's win. She has described herself as being an austere teen whose style tended towards goth, adding that if you see pictures of me back then, you would struggle to know whether I was a boy or a girl. [107] As part of the election campaign, Sturgeon indicated that the SNP would hold another independence referendum if it won the upcoming 2016 Scottish Parliament election. 3: Robert Aderholt and Alabama's 4th District", "Sturgeon backs Catalan referendum calls", "Iain Macwhirter: Madrid should have learned the lesson of the Scottish independence referendum", "Nicola Sturgeon has first audience with the Queen", "First Minister Nicola Sturgeon leads Scottish tributes to Queen", "First Minister Nicola Sturgeon: 'The Queen was special to Scotland', "Nicola Sturgeon attacks 'Westminster austerity economics', "What's in the SNP's growth commission report? She joined the SNP following an assumption by her English teacher, who was a Labour councillor, she would be a Labour supporter. 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. From 18 November until her official appointment on 20 November, she served as the acting First Minister, essentially the First Minister-elect. But he may have swayed enough members of the community to prevent a complete swing to separatism. SNP convener Derek Mackay publicly congratulated Sturgeon as de facto leader in waiting, saying that she would be "a fantastic new leader" for both the SNP and for Scotland. [264], With a view towards Brexit, Sturgeon demanded greater powers for the Scottish Parliament, arguing that Brexit is threatening Scotland's devolution settlement. "[98], Sturgeon began making appointments to her first cabinet on 21 November 2014, beginning with the appointment of finance secretary John Swinney to become her Deputy First Minister. However, that decision is not for today. [89], Sturgeon was formally acclaimed as the first female Leader of the SNP on 14 November 2014 at the Autumn Conference in Perth, with Hosie as her depute. Nicola Sturgeon is to stand down as Scotland 's First Minister after eight years in the role, according to reports.N The Scottish National Party leader is expected to make the announcement at a hastily-arranged news conference in Edinburgh. The Catholic church has long ceased to be an effective opinion former a charge that could equally be levelled at most denominations, of course. Fiona Hyslop and Richard Lochhead remained in their portfolios of culture secretary and rural affairs secretary, respectively. [217][218], In October 2022, Sturgeon launched her government's third independence paper, which outlines the currency in an independent Scotland and joining the EU. [267], Sturgeon had previously stripped Trump of his ambassadorial role for Scottish businesses with the Scottish Government in the aftermath of Trump's views of an outright ban of Muslims from entering the United States. [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. [47] She reversed the decision to close casualty units at University Hospital Ayr and University Hospital Monklands. [266] Sturgeon highlighted her disapproval of his language and views relating to sexism and misogyny, and stated upon Trump's victory that she hopes "Trump turns out to be a president different to the one he was during his campaign and reaches out to those who felt vilified by his campaign". First Minister Nicola Sturgeon hit out at anti-catholic bigotry in Scotland (Image: PA) Read More Related Articles. "We have seen a rapid increase in the number of confirmed cases in Scotland over the past 10 days," she told Parliament. "[190] In November 2021, although no assessment had taken place, Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament she believed the oilfield "should not get the green light". [243] In December 2020 figures were released revealing that 1,264 people in Scotland had died from drug overdoses in 2019 the highest number in Europe per head and more than double the number in 2014. [21].mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}. The 50-year-old politician created history by being the first female Minister of Scotland. At the time, Queen's Counsel under the reign of Elizabeth II, now King's Counsel under the reign of Charles III. [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. If he was engaged in a contest for the hearts and minds of Scots with a Catholic upbringing and some Irish roots, he failed: Glasgow and its environs voted decisively Yes. "[54] The following day, she confirmed that these were cases of the swine influenza A (H1N1) virus. It would indeed be ironic if this Hibernian invasion of the SNP proved the wake-up call that reinforced the determination of many other Scots to strain every sinew to hold the union together. Recently, Nicola Sturgeon caught the headlines after being accused of treating the north of England with contempt. [32], The results of the leadership contest were announced on 3 September 2004, with Salmond and Sturgeon elected as Leader and Depute Leader respectively. Overall 52% of voters in the United Kingdom voted for Brexit (leaving the EU), with 48% voting to remain. [265] With London seeking to restrict immigration to the United Kingdom, she asserted that Scotland should be able to set its own immigration policy, as well as policies relating to employment and trade. The worldwide pandemic of COVID-19 began during Sturgeon's second term as First Minister. [76] Following the defeat of the Yes Scotland campaign, Salmond announced his resignation as First Minister and Leader of the SNP. Some will see this as the acquisition of belated self-confidence by a submerged community. [citation needed] She later studied law at the University of Glasgow School of Law, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) in 1992 and a Diploma in Legal Practice the following year. [163] When asked by the BBC if the policy had been a mistake, Sturgeon said: "Looking back on that now, with the knowledge we have now and with the benefit of hindsight, yes.