From dog walkers in picturesque Dunbar to the few shoppers braving high winds in nearby Prestonpans, shock was the initial reaction at the news that Nicola Sturgeon, for so long the most dominant figure in Scottish politics, had resigned.
In most cases, once the initial surprise and surmising over Sturgeon's motivations had subsided, the old divides returned over whether her departure could have an impact on how Scottish people vote come the next election. "I'm devastated," said Daniel Tulloch, a 29-year-old barber busy with a haircut in Prestonpans, who described himself as "staunch pro-independent". "I genuinely think that everything she did was for the people in Scotland," he added.
Yet it was the response of Marianne Wheelagher, 64, on the nearby high street, that hinted at the political possibilities - in theory at least - that Sturgeon's departure could open up. She liked Sturgeon and voted for the SNP previously. However, the first minister’s departure “might change how I feel about politics ”, she said. “It depends on the new leader, what they’ll do … and what Labour do.”
In the short term, it was a row over gender recognition legislation and self-identification for those who wish to change legal sex – as well as her unsure handling of the case of a transgender prisoner initially remanded at a women’s prison – that seemed to have been the last straw for Sturgeon, after a sustained political backlash she had never before endured.
She had taken on the UK government after it blocked her bill, yet even prominent SNP figures were concerned by the tactic. “I think this is something she feels quite passionately about – even assuming it’s the right thing to do, is this really something we want to keep going?” asked one.
This story is from the February 24, 2023 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
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This story is from the February 24, 2023 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
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