Frustrating trailblazer

Former first minister unable to fulfil promise | Long time charge ultimately achieved little

- PAUL HUTCHEON

NICOLA Sturgeon will look back on her 26-year political career with a mixture of regret, frustration and anger.

Regret over the policy shifts she wanted to achieve in office but failed to deliver.

Frustration that her life-long dream of independence never materialised.

And anger at Alex Salmond, who she feels betrayed her and who ultimately overshadowed her.

Sturgeon's ascent to the post of first minister was planned and inevitable.

She was a key part of the Salmond modernisation project that started in the 90s and continued into devolution.

She was always going to take over the SNP one day and no one else stood a chance.

The tragedy of Sturgeon's nine years in Bute House was her inability to transform a country she had waited so long to lead.

Yes, as the first woman in the job she was a trailblazer.

True, becoming the longest-serving first minister is worthy of respect.

Granted, she led Scotland through the emergency of Covid in a commendable way.

But winning and holding on to power through successive election victories should only be the means to an end.

The question that must nag Sturgeon is: what did she actually achieve?

So much of her time in office was spent on a second independence referendum, an issue reserved to Westminster.