Amid a flurry of criticisms over a variety of issues, First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon is stepping down as leader of the SNP. She says it's a combination of two things: she's burnt out and ready to quit politics, and the SNP is about to hold a conference on the future of the independence campaign, and she thinks it would be unfair to lead/direct that conference, only to pass the results off onto someone else.
Although Sturgeon is still popular, and coming off a high from her performance during the Covid pandemic, the economic downturn and the government's seemingly too-radical gender policies, combined with the Supreme Court's ruling that Holyrood doesn't have the authority to hold another independence referendum, have taken a bit of shine off her party, and her own standing, and that leaves people wondering where the SNP will stand politically. If the new leader doesn't have the charisma and following of Sturgeon it could effectively end the independence movement for a generation. Only the Greens (7 seats in Scottish Parliament) also officially support independence, and Scottish Labour (which politically lines up very closely with the SNP, except for independence) is already planning for how they can become relevant again in Scottish politics. It's unlikely to do much for the Tories, especially since the party is looking at a rough couple of years nationwide, anyway. But if Labour can again become ascendant, and deliver what Scottish citizens want without a promise of independence, nationalism may enter a significant period of decline.
Although Sturgeon is still popular, and coming off a high from her performance during the Covid pandemic, the economic downturn and the government's seemingly too-radical gender policies, combined with the Supreme Court's ruling that Holyrood doesn't have the authority to hold another independence referendum, have taken a bit of shine off her party, and her own standing, and that leaves people wondering where the SNP will stand politically. If the new leader doesn't have the charisma and following of Sturgeon it could effectively end the independence movement for a generation. Only the Greens (7 seats in Scottish Parliament) also officially support independence, and Scottish Labour (which politically lines up very closely with the SNP, except for independence) is already planning for how they can become relevant again in Scottish politics. It's unlikely to do much for the Tories, especially since the party is looking at a rough couple of years nationwide, anyway. But if Labour can again become ascendant, and deliver what Scottish citizens want without a promise of independence, nationalism may enter a significant period of decline.
