What is Nicola Sturgeon's political legacy?

Nicola Sturgeon volition beryllium remembered arsenic 1 of the astir awesome politicians of her generation, delivering a drawstring of landslide predetermination victories for the SNP.

But the archetypal curate entered authorities for 1 happening supra each others and, successful the end, she failed to present it.

As she pointed retired herself successful her resignation speech, she has been campaigning for Scottish independency since she was a teen successful Ayrshire successful the 1980s.

Ms Sturgeon erstwhile told maine that it was Margaret Thatcher, Conservative premier curate passim that turbulent debate, who had pushed her into politics.

The representation the Scottish National Party person painted of the federation of her younker was bleak, a satellite of dying manufacture and fading spirit.

Mrs Thatcher, she said, had created a consciousness of "hopelessness" by presiding implicit the diminution of coal, alloy and shipbuilding.

"You had the imaginable of leaving schoolhouse and possibly ne'er getting a job," said Ms Sturgeon.

Back past it was not the pro-independence SNP which bestrode Scottish authorities but Labour.

The enactment had built a powerfulness basal which helped propel Tony Blair and Gordon Brown into Downing Street successful 1997, delivering devolution of powers to Cardiff and Edinburgh.

When the caller Scottish Parliament opened successful 1999, the thought that the SNP would beryllium successful complaint wrong a decennary would person been dismissed by galore arsenic absurd.

But nether Alex Salmond, with Ms Sturgeon astatine his broadside each measurement of the way, the nationalists not lone won powerfulness arsenic a number authorities successful 2007 but went adjacent further 4 years later, securing a bulk astatine Holyrood which led to a referendum connected independence.

In September 2014, Scotland voted to stay successful the national by 55% to 45%. When, wrong hours, Mr Salmond resigned determination was nary uncertainty astir the individuality of his successor and nary uncertainty that she represented continuity successful the party.

At the clip Ms Sturgeon was fulsome successful her praise, describing Mr Salmond arsenic her "friend, mentor and colleague," and adding, "Quite simply, I would not person been capable to bash what I person successful authorities without his changeless advice, guidance and enactment done each these years."

That narration would interruption down successful spectacular manner erstwhile Mr Salmond was charged with intersexual battle and harassment. He was acquitted of each the charges astatine the precocious tribunal successful Edinburgh.

The proceedings was bruising for each involved. There were revelations astir precocious nighttime drinking with pistillate unit members successful the chamber of the archetypal minister's authoritative residence, Bute House. His ain lawyer accepted that Mr Salmond could person been a amended man.

But the occurrence besides had a governmental effect, with Mr Salmond yet creating a rival party, Alba. Although his outfit did not interruption done with the electorate, it was astatine times a thorn successful the broadside of his successor.

In the aboriginal days of her leadership, though, it had seemed Ms Sturgeon could locomotion connected water. The popularity of the archetypal pistillate to clasp the occupation of archetypal curate was astatine times extraordinary.

In the UK wide predetermination of 2015 the SNP swept astir each earlier it, securing 56 of the 59 Scottish seats astatine Westminster.

Ms Sturgeon embarked connected a circuit of elephantine venues, feted by adoring fans.

Behind this idiosyncratic popularity laic a profound electoral shift.

Many moving people voters successful Labour's aged post-industrial heartlands had switched allegiance to the SNP.

The party's rank soared but this was a situation arsenic good arsenic a blessing. Many of the caller members were impatient — demanding different ace astatine independency immediately.

Ms Sturgeon did not respect that arsenic realistic, preferring alternatively to absorption connected proving that her SNP could govern efficaciously portion gradually gathering towards a sustained, wide bulk successful favour of independence.

In June 2016 Brexit scrambled that calculus.

Scotland voted to stay successful the European Union by 62% to 38% but was forced to permission anyhow due to the fact that the UK arsenic a full had opted to discontinue the trading bloc.

For Ms Sturgeon, enduring years of Tory authorities which Scotland had voted against was atrocious enough, but this was worse.

Brexit, she said was a "material change" which merited a 2nd referendum connected independence.

And yet she was yet incapable to present that vote. Ms Sturgeon whitethorn person seen disconnected 4 Tory premier ministers but the fifth, Rishi Sunak, volition beryllium capable to accidental that helium saw disconnected the menace she posed to the union.

So wherefore is she going now, with her halfway concern unfinished?

There is rather a agelong database of imaginable reasons.

Governing is hard. Nicola Sturgeon has failed to support her committedness of closing the acquisition attainment spread betwixt richer and poorer pupils though she is keen to accent her grounds connected ensuring that much deprived students tin spell to university.

In communal with different parts of the UK the NHS is successful dire straits but devolution means this is Ms Sturgeon's work northbound of the border.

There are besides problems with issues arsenic wide ranging arsenic ferry services and societal care.

And determination were questions astatine her resignation quality league astir a constabulary enquiry into the SNP's finances.

But possibly we person been excessively speedy to hide the interaction of Covid.

During the pandemic the archetypal curate was wide praised for the calmness and consistency of her nationalist messaging, successful contrast, said galore of her supporters, with the behaviour of UK premier curate Boris Johnson.

There has been overmuch statement astir the interaction our leaders had connected nine during that nationalist wellness exigency but understandably overmuch little treatment astir the interaction it had connected our leaders.

Maybe the pandemic took a greater toll connected Ms Sturgeon than was evident astatine the time. She surely mentions it often, and did truthful again successful her resignation speech.

And then, of course, determination is gender, the contented that has dominated authorities successful Scotland this year.

The archetypal curate was adamant that removing medical, ineligible and administrative hurdles to marque it easier for idiosyncratic to alteration enactment connected their commencement certificate was morally the close happening to do.

But her dismissal of critics who said this would endanger women successful female-only spaces enraged not conscionable immoderate of her opponents but besides immoderate members of her ain party, including immoderate successful her government.

The Gender Recognition Reform bill, supported by Labour, was approved by Holyrood by a large bulk but blocked by Downing Street from becoming law.

Then came an outcry astir the archetypal determination to nonstop a convicted treble rapist, Isla Bryson, to Cornton Vale women's situation adjacent Stirling.

Ms Sturgeon stumbled successful her response, struggling to articulate whether she believed Bryson was genuinely transgender oregon was simply claiming to beryllium a pistillate to guarantee an easier clip successful jail.

The outgoing archetypal curate insists sex was not the underlying, oregon adjacent the proximate, origin of her resignation.

Even so, it is simply a headache for her successor. The SNP person had promised to question a judicial reappraisal of the unprecedented determination by the UK authorities to usage Section 35 of the Scotland Act, which established devolution, to artifact the measure from receiving royal assent.

Now a caller SNP person volition person to determine whether to proceed oregon wantonness that fight.

He oregon she whitethorn besides person to re-examine and perchance adjacent refresh some the strategical imaginativeness for Scottish independency and the applicable tactics needed to present it.

Ms Sturgeon volition spell down successful past arsenic a person who kept the occurrence of independency burning aft it was rejected astatine the ballot box.

How she is judged by past volition beryllium connected whether her tenure was a waypoint connected the roadworthy to a caller Scottish authorities oregon a diversion starring to a law dormant end.