Legacy of shame that Sturgeon will leave behind

I THOUGHT that Nicola Sturgeon had already quit Holyrood, since she’s been AWOL for months. But it turns out that she’s only now, two years after quitting as First Minister, decided to stand down as an MSP.

- Rachael Hamilton

During that time, Nicola Sturgeon has not shown much enthusiasm for a backbench role at Holyrood, opting instead for a round of chat shows, book festivals, schmoozing with celebrities and lucrative election-night punditry.

It’s customary to wish any member who’s leaving well, whatever their party or politics.

But in her case, personal good wishes have to be tempered by the knowledge that, as First Minister, she presided over a government that set out to create and deepen divisions.

And not only on the SNP’s never-ending obsession with breaking up the UK.

She never stopped pursuing it, though most Scots remained opposed, and were even more opposed to a second vote on the matter. She then came up with the absurd idea of a de facto referendum and wasted taxpayers’ money on a doomed Supreme Court challenge.

But it wasn’t the only wedge driven into public life during her period in office. The SNP produced hugely damaging splits on a wide range of issues.

These confrontations were deliberately manufactured and actively encouraged in an administration notable for its secrecy, evasion and lack of transparency.