'Civilised' debate on equal rights impossible today, says Sturgeon

The "civilised" debate that led to the legalisation of equal marriage in Scotland would not be possible 10 years on because of a trend towards polarisation and inability to find common ground, Nicola Sturgeon says.

- Libby Brooks

Sturgeon, who led the Scottish government's drive for equal marriage rights when she was deputy first minister, said she believed the outcome would probably be the same, but "the nature of the debate would be much more toxic, divisive and unpleasant than it was 10 years ago".

She added: "That's what should give all of us pause for thought. This is a global phenomenon, that debate on all manner of issues has become so polarised and people find it impossible to breach the divide, to find common ground."

The campaign for same-sex marriage, which has been legal in Scotland since 16 December 2014, remains a template, according to the former first minister, who cited the polarisation of politics as a reason for her stepping down in February 2023.

"What is striking is how relatively civilised the debate was, notwithstanding some of the opposition," she said. "There wasn't the same rancour or thinly veiled prejudice that had characterised the repeal of section 28 just a few years previous to that, and it didn't have the toxicity that most debates in current discourse tend to have."