# Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon unexpectedly resigns {2023-02-15} **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 15, 2023, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819 "2023-02-15T11:18:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2023, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819/183 "2023-03-29T14:01:58Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Is there any chance for a party split? I don’t see any inherent reason there couldn’t be two pro-independence parties. And with party membership so low, the barrier to creating a new one would seem low. Technically we’ve got three independence parties now - SNP, Greens and Alba (although Alba don’t have any MSPs to date).The Scottish Greens of course started as a purely environmental party but they have adopted indpendence as a core part of their platform. Alba is the result of a split already - led by Salmond and with a few ex-SNP MSPs. Will the Forbes faction split away? They’re not going to be welcome in the Greens; Alba would take them but is already looking like a busted flush so not very tempting unless Forbes et al thought they could take over wholesale, evict Salmond and start afresh. Not likely, because you might as well go your own way at that point and I think that that is less tempting that waiting for Yousaf to screw up (very likely to lose seats at the next Westminster election) and having another pop at leadership. The SNP has the money, the grassroots infrastructure and the clout so you want to stay with the brand if you can. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2023, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819/184 "2023-03-29T15:00:12Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > So now he has a rival with major party backing unbound by Cabinet responsibility sitting on the back benches. Better yet, he pulled the same trick with one of her close supporters, the Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, who has also returned to the backbenches. So it’s not an accident. In fairness, I am seeing people say that this is all good: he won, she lost, this is what winning means. Consolidate your gains, don’t apologise for them. The reference example is that other 52/48 result, Brexit, in which the winning side were not notably troubled by the need to give close losers a voice or a role in the process, and subsequently got everything they wanted. Ignore the question of whether what they wanted was good or not; they think it is and they got it. So why shouldn’t we also get what we want when we win, rather than give half of it away again? It’s a fair point. I guess the question is simply whether it works - if Forbes et al are consigned to the outer darkness, or if they get to simply bide their time and return? Will the members who voted for them be aggrieved and get combative, or will they fall in line? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2023, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819/185 "2023-03-29T15:20:45Z")
OTOH, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. There are aphorisms and “common sense” explanations favoring both approaches. People be complicated critters & doubly so in ambitious groups. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819/186 "2023-03-31T21:37:38Z")
Two months ago, the SNP were, as they had been for over a decade, utterly dominant in Scottish politics. Electorally unassailable, untroubled by media criticism, facing a comfortable future of all but guaranteed hegemony in spite of any policy failures. Today: > The best description I’ve heard if this is to do with unspoken criticism. Lots of people did have issues with the SNP, but no one voiced it so no one else voiced it. Everyone thinking everyone else is happy, so why be the lone complainer? And then suddenly there’s permission to say “actually, that was a bit shit” and everyone is saying it all at once. And all this long suppressed dissatisfaction won’t be going back in the bottle very easily. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2023, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819/187 "2023-03-31T22:06:22Z")
Sounds like Sturgeon scored the decisive own goal that Salmond lacked the heft, or perhaps the propitious set-up, to score. Although maybe later political archaeology will determine that Salmond’s departure holed the SNP below the waterline and it just took this long for the ship to take on so much water that it was finally obvious to all. Sturgeon noisily jumping ship from the bridge destabilized things just enough and here a month later the poor thing is listing 30 degrees to port and increasing by the day. With the UK Conservatives facing electoral wipeout and the SNP potentially facing their own cataclysm in Scotland, ISTM that a lot of long-time UK political verities are very much in play over the next 12-24 months. The new configuration may be well-nigh unrecognizable to somebody who went into hibernation a year ago and wakes up in 2026. It may not be fun for anyone to live through, but it will be very entertaining to watch. We on our side of the pond promise to produce an equally nail-biting audience experience for you folks’ entertainment over the next 2 years as well. Special Relationship and all that rot. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819/188 "2023-04-05T08:52:29Z")
OK, I’d thought that with the election over it was better to let this thread pass from our ken rather than have a running commentary on Scottish politics. And then this: > **[Sturgeon's husband arrested in SNP finance probe](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65187823)** > > The former first minister's husband Peter Murrell was taken into custody. Not many details yet, but for those of us still wondering “But why, why did canny political operator Nicola Sturgeon resign so hastily” this may be relevant data. Standard disclaimer: arrested does not mean charged, still less tried, still less convicted. But if you foresaw an embarrassing arrest followed by a public and ultimately successful effort to clear your husband’s name, you might not want to be in the hot seat while the legal mill ground on. FWIW, Sturgeon recently gave an interview saying that one of her reasons for resigning was she was the target of scurrilous rumours about her personal life: specifically (and I’m only saying this because she’s addressed them): that she is secretly a lesbian, that she is having a long-standing affair with a French diplomat and that Judy Murray, mum of tennis legend Andy, bought them a “love-nest”. So this is obvious nonsense and rather pathetic nonsense at that. What’s interesting is these rumours have been floating about for ages, but she has never dignified them with a response. Until three days ago. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819/189 "2023-04-05T12:53:15Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > But if you foresaw an embarrassing arrest followed by a public and ultimately successful effort to clear your husband’s name, you might not want to be in the hot seat while the legal mill ground on. Or even worse, an ultimately _un_sucessful effort to clear his name. Between the finances and the scurrilous rumours, sounds like perhaps all sorts of well-hidden skeletons in well-hidden closets are about to see the light of day. Or more like the glaring light of massed TV cameras. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819/190 "2023-04-05T14:05:03Z")
ouch, I wasn’t quite expecting that. An internal enquiry with a fudged outcome in regards to the loan? sure. Arrest? In the words of Ron Burgundy, that escalated quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819/191 "2023-04-05T14:10:43Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Or even worse, an ultimately _un_sucessful effort to clear his name. Oh sure. But my point was just that even with full presumption of innocence we can still say this the sort of thing that might prompt people to leave the main stage. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Between the finances and the scurrilous rumours, sounds like perhaps all sorts of well-hidden skeletons in well-hidden closets are about to see the light of day. Or more like the glaring light of massed TV cameras. There are a lot of cops going into SNP HQ right now, so…maybe? > > [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > ouch, I wasn’t quite expecting that. An internal enquiry with a fudged outcome in regards to the loan? sure. Arrest? In the words of Ron Burgundy, that escalated quickly. Police investigations of political parties seems to be a recent feature of UK politics in a way it wasn’t before. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819/192 "2023-04-05T14:14:48Z")
A valuable reminder regarding things like presumption of innocence etc. > ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819/193 "2023-04-05T15:17:02Z")
Perfectly normal politics: > ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819/194 "2023-04-05T15:46:15Z")
For fans of popular TV show, Britain: The Series, this is shaping up to be an excellent series finale. And in the spirit of “Previously On…” segments that remind you of plot points laid many episodes ago, here is an item from May 2021 > **[SNP finance boss Douglas Chapman quits over 'lack of information'](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-57299030)** > > MP Douglas Chapman resigns after claiming he was not given enough information to do the job. > He wrote: "Despite having a resounding mandate from members to introduce more transparency into the party’s finances, I have not received the support or financial information to carry out the fiduciary duties of National Treasurer. > > “Regretfully I have resigned with immediate effect.” ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819/195 "2023-04-05T16:02:12Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > Perfectly normal politics: This is… wow! I feel like I’ve suddenly been transported into a Val McDiarmid novel. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819/196 "2023-04-05T16:12:13Z")
Got to admit, I am wondering when anybody last saw Alex Salmond. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819/197 "2023-04-05T16:14:26Z")
I’m getting an image of Sturgeon, in a pair of yellow wellies, in the middle of the night digging a hole and dumping in papers, hard drives, usb sticks and probably an effigy of Salmond with a cock and balls drawn in sharpie on its face. Bizarre in the extreme but very entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819/198 "2023-04-05T16:16:03Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > I’m getting an image of Sturgeon, in a pair of yellow wellies, in the middle of the night digging a hole and dumping in papers, hard drives, usb sticks and probably an effigy of Salmond with a cock and balls drawn in sharpie on its face. > > Bizarre in the extreme but very entertaining. Absolutely on both counts. But… the cops genuinely think something like that may have happened? Really? Like, _really_ really? I don’t know what would be funnier: there really is something worth digging up, or the cops are just playing up for the cameras. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819/199 "2023-04-05T16:21:35Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > Oh sure. But my point was just that even with full presumption of innocence we can still say this the sort of thing that might prompt people to leave the main stage. Quite. As you say, even the best-case outcome from Sturgeon’s / Murrell’s predicament is pretty darn awful. The worst-case … one shudders. At least, unlike certain recent presidents, she had the decency to resign when the cloud over her head became tornadic. > [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > I’m getting an image of Sturgeon, in a pair of yellow wellies, in the middle of the night digging a hole and dumping in papers, hard drives, usb sticks and probably an effigy of Salmond with a cock and balls drawn in sharpie on its face. > … I’d sooner believe the hole contains about £600,000 in £100 notes. Or at least _one_ of the holes does. You’re probably right the others are full of incriminating records. And a heaping helping of spite. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819/200 "2023-04-05T17:00:21Z")
Alex Salmond, leader of a rival party to the SNP, is very, very sad about what has happened to the SNP > ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819/201 "2023-04-05T17:04:54Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > I’m getting an image of Sturgeon, in a pair of yellow wellies, in the middle of the night digging a hole and dumping in papers, hard drives, usb sticks and probably an effigy of Salmond with a cock and balls drawn in sharpie on its face. Sounds more like Janey Godley - or Jimmie Krankie [https://mobile.twitter.com/JaneyGodley/status/1643598085807898624/mediaviewer](https://mobile.twitter.com/JaneyGodley/status/1643598085807898624/mediaviewer) ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2023, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819/202 "2023-04-05T17:13:45Z")
Chrome didn’t like teh “mediaviewer” part of that link - > (And let’s not do the Jimmie Krankie thing again). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scotlands-first-minister-nicola-sturgeon-unexpectedly-resigns-2023-02-15/979819.md?page=11)