Reader's Letters: Nicola Sturgeon's political career was a case of ambition overruling ability

At last former first minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed what everybody knew – that she will stand down as an MSP at the next Scottish election.

This decision will be welcomed by many, and in particular by women.

However, her own self-belief shines through once again when she boldly states that by stepping down this will allow the electorate “to allow you to select a new standard bearer” for the drive to independence and that she hopes to “contribute to make that ambition a reality”. In the cold light of day it is clear that her legacy, if it can be described as that, has been disastrous for Scotland.

The young Nicola Sturgeon and the seasoned politician - will Scotland see her like again?

She has sown division, left a Health Service in disarray, a widening of the attainment gap in education, higher taxes with no obvious benefit to the hard-working people of Scotland and, of course, the poisonous gender identification policy that has put women in danger and eroded their rights.

It wilI, I am sure, be too much to hope for that she sails off quietly into the sunset (of course, not on a ferry!) and contemplate that one should never let ambition overrule ability.

Richard Allison, Edinburgh

A new SNP?

Are we witnessing an attempt by the SNP to reset their dreadful record in office by removing most of the MSPs responsible, including Humza Yousaf and now the jewel in the crown, Nicola Sturgeon, by announcing that they are not re-standing as MSPs in the 2026 election?

Add in the announcement that the vote-losing heat pump scheme is being watered down – which will isolate the Greens, particularly Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater – and it looks as if John Swinney is trying to relaunch the party. His big problem is the very poor record of SNP achievements over almost 20 years.

Will the public buy into the rebrand, particularly since Mr Swinney was in a position of power for all that time – or is Mr Swinney not going to re-stand either?

Gerald Edwards, Glasgow

Toilet trading

Murdo Fraser suggests a solution to the transgender changing areas issue by suggesting an intermediate zone for transgender people (Perspective, 12 March).

Forty years ago changing areas in hospitals usually had separate male and female spaces, with a flexible zone between. This was to cope with gender fluctuations in the workforce. However, if single-sex spaces are to be designated as such with no exceptions then such flexibility will be in doubt.

When transgender rights first surfaced about 15 years ago we simply incorporated a unisex toilet, shower and changing area into the design because the number involved was small. If any affected individual still felt aggrieved about being seen accessing a transgender zone from a public area then a common access lobby serving all three toilet types addressed any privacy requirement.

In addition, staff facilities are invariably “security entry”. Nowadays we can programme a staff identity card to control access to female or male spaces. If there is an overspill requirement you can stipulate zones so that a female can access a female transgender changing area at peak periods if she so chooses, but not vice versa.

Mr Fraser also cites unisex wheelchair disabled toilets as an example to be followed but fails to answer the question as to whether that would require separate male and female wheelchair disabled toilets if single-sex places are made legally binding (technically speaking, the existing shared solution is non-compliant with the Workplace Regulations).

Such problems are normally solved by sitting down with all the relevant users and working out the optimum solution on a case-by-case basis as the Equality Act demands. This invariably requires compromise from all those involved and can be challenging at the best of times.

However, this becomes virtually impossible when the ill-informed on both sides of the debate seek to hijack the discussion.

Robert Menzies, Falkirk

Back education

History repeats itself. The effect of SNP university funding policies are the same as those of Margaret Thatcher, which led to lots of redundancies and department closures; in Aberdeen we lost Music and Physics, and many medics had to transfer to the NHS because their teaching duties involved clinical care.

In The Scotsman’s measured but hard-hitting leader (“SNP should help Dundee University save jobs”,12 March) you quote universities minister Graeme Dey as saying that Dundee University is autonomous.

So are all Scottish universities. But that does not mean their funding comes from a magic money tree independent of government. They have been getting public support for centuries. Oliver Cromwell went out of his way to give grants to Aberdeen and Glasgow, for example, and it is very appropriate to use the words from his 1650 letter to the General Assembly in Edinburgh to describe current SNP policy: "I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ; think it possible you may be mistaken.”

Hugh Pennington, Aberdeen

No cover-up

Not content with rehearsing the myths about the “hidden McCrone report” of 1974, which, as Professor Gavin McCrone himself has said, was a ministerial briefing paper and never intended for publication, Grant Frazer goes on to claim that "the devolution settlement prevents Holyrood from setting up its own energy company” (Letters, 11 March).

If that is so, why did Nicola Sturgeon announce at the SNP conference in 2017 that the Scottish Government would establish a publicly owned, not for profit company to sell gas and electricity to customers at low prices by 2021? After spending £500,000 on consultants and an outline business case, her administration dropped the idea in 2021, blaming Covid as the reason.

It is true that Shona Robison claimed in 2022 that “these things are very, very challenging to do under devolution”. If that was the case in 2022 why did Ms Sturgeon announce her aspiration, to great fanfares, in 2017 and spend a tidy sum on developing it? Was this yet another case of the SNP not understanding the Law of Unintended Consequences?

Instead of a nationalised energy company, the SNP established in 2022 a National Public Energy Agency. According to the then Net Zero secretary, Michael Matheson, “This will coordinate and accelerate delivery of heat and energy efficiency work, inform and educate the public on the changes required, provide expert advice… to deliver this transformative national project”.

In other words, it’s a quango. Not exactly what the rapturous SNP conference expected in 2017.

Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh

Last quangos?

I see Keir Starmer is preparing to scrap government quangos in an attempt to reduce public sector headcount in England and Wales, and cut red tape.

Will John Swinney and the SNP follow his example? Scotland already has a central government public sector that is proportionally much larger than that down south.

But with many ousted SNP MPs heading up quangos, is this gravy train really likely to derailed anytime soon?

Martin Redfern, Melrose, Roxburghshire

Protect politicians

I was appalled to learn that our council leaders are receiving online abuse, including death threats, after unpopular council tax rises. I had thought this kind of grotesque behaviour was mainly directed towards female MSPs and MPs (your report, 10 March).

Whatever decisions elected members make they deserve our respect and should be assured of protection. Midlothian Council leader Kelly Parry had to have police protection after death threats following reports of councillor pay and council tax increases.

Similarly, Falkirk Council leader Laura Murtagh received death threats after the council announced a record 15.6 per cent tax increase. Some people are understandably angry given the cost of living crisis is still apparent, and many will not be able to pay tax increases, but that should never boil over into acts of criminality which puts public servants and their families in danger.

This week we were reminded of the death of David Amess MP who was brutally murdered on constituency duty in 2021. This followed the murder of Jo Cox five years earlier. Both were dedicated conviction politicians.

It’s time the government conducted an inquiry into the safety of our elected members from violence and online abuse. They deserve much better.

Neil Anderson, Edinburgh

No respect!

Why do the American delegation not wear Arab dress when they are in Saudi Arabia just as Volodymyr Zelensky was asked to wear a shirt and tie in America?

Ian G Petrie, Edinburgh

Cunning plan?

Until recently I was prepared to think United States president Donald Trump has a cunning plan for Ukraine that's just too bold and subtle for us mere mortals to comprehend, and I still hope he can shift the UK's dials on woke and net zero.

But after watching film thriller The Manchurian Candidate last night I'm beginning to wonder if the world's greatest democracy has voted in a man whose many business trips to Russia were actually for brainwashing sessions and over the past year Vladimir Putin has flicked the switch.

Allan Sutherland, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire

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