15 February 2024, 14:13

By Gina Davidson

Politicians love a legacy, I blame Ozymandias.

But Nicola Sturgeon's successor Humza Yousaf may very well be looking on the works of Scotland's longest serving First Minister and despairing.

Her decision, a year ago today, to announce she actually didn't have anything left in the tank and was standing down as SNP leader and First Minister was without doubt a political earthquake and the tremors are still being felt - particularly under Yousaf's feet.

The brutal leadership battle split the party and saw the departure of its then chief executive Peter Murrell, Sturgeon's husband, after false membership figures were released to the media. But then came the news the party had lost its long-standing firm of auditors, the Police Scotland investigation into SNP finances and the raids on party HQ and the Sturgeon home, the arrests of her, her husband, and former party treasurer Colin Beattie MSP who were all released without charge, talk of burner phones, of corruption, and who can forget the discovery of a luxury motorhome parked in Mr Murrell's mother's drive, but apparently paid for unwittingly by party members.

So is that Nicola Sturgeon's legacy? Leaving behind a divided party still trying to heal and waiting for the shoe to drop when Operation Branchform finally concludes?

Well, yes and no.

On the credit side of the ledger there is no denying she made the SNP an election winning machine. Her personal popularity perhaps even more than her policy agenda, saw Scots vote for her time and again - she won eight elections while in charge and the opposition just couldn't lay a glove on her.

She........

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