Is Nicola Sturgeon Catholic - What Is Her Religion? Scotland would then have to reapply for EU membership and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso predicted this would be "extremely difficult, if not impossible". As Shadow Education minister, Sturgeon backed Labour's efforts to repeal Section 28 a Westminster law that banned the promotion of homosexuality in schools. First Minister condemns anti-Catholic bigotry. Established in 1999, Catholic Truth is a lay-led apostolate, launched for the purpose of . [71][72], During the campaign, the European Commission said that if Scots decided to leave the United Kingdom, it would also mean leaving the European Union. The answer is No. [103], Sturgeon led the Scottish National Party through a landslide victory in the 2015 UK general election, winning 56 out of 59 Scottish seats at Westminster, the party's best ever performance. Speaking at the annual Cardinal Winning Lecture at the University of . [16][17], In her early teens, Sturgeon joined the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and in 1986, at the age of 16, she became a member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), quickly becoming the party's Youth Affairs Vice Convener and Publicity Vice Convener. Despite Ullrich failing to win the seat, Sturgeon ploughed her political energy into the Young Scottish Nationalists (now the Young Scots For Independence), joining its national executive when she was 17. He spelled out the risks of partitioning Britain with so little elementary homework having been done. Others, myself included, glimpse the triumph of a new form of passivity skilfully managed by the ruling centre. "[69], In November 2013, Sturgeon joined Salmond to launch Scotland's Future - the Scottish Government's prospectus for independence. SNP convener Derek Mackay publicly congratulated Sturgeon as de facto leader in waiting, saying that she would be "a fantastic new leader" for both the SNP and for Scotland. . ", "Nicola Sturgeon says transphobia in SNP 'not acceptable', "Nicola Sturgeon: transphobia in SNP is 'not acceptable' video", "Nicola Sturgeon signs 'Rethink Trident' pledge", "Nicola Sturgeon attacks 'utterly failing' Tories and says economic case for independence will come next week", "Sturgeon accused of divisive rhetoric for saying 'I detest the Tories', "Sturgeon accused of 'dangerous language' after saying she 'detests the Tories', "Sturgeon accused of using 'dangerous language' about Tories", "Nicola Sturgeon seen as "really dangerous" after saying she "detest" Tories", "Nicola Sturgeon doesn't regret saying she 'detests' Tories", "Boris Johnson only PM I've worked with who has disgraced the office Sturgeon", "Sturgeon slams Johnson's 'divorced from reality' Downing Street speech", "Nicola Sturgeon blasts Boris Johnson's PM speech as 'divorced from reality', "Boris Johnson booed and heckled on Scotland visit", "Boris Johnson booed by protesters while visiting Nicola Sturgeon in Scotland", "Boris Johnson rejects Nicola Sturgeon call for emergency Omicron meeting", "Boris Johnson declines Nicola Sturgeon's invitation to meet for talks during Scotland trip", "Boris Johnson snubs Nicola Sturgeon invite for Covid recovery talks", "Boris Johnson has 'fragile male ego', suggests Nicola Sturgeon", "Sturgeon: Boris Johnson's 'fragile male ego' may explain why he doesn't meet me", "Scotland's First Minister warns Boris Johnson cannot keep country in UK against its will", "Nicola Sturgeon calls Boris Johnson 'disgrace to office of prime minister', "Nicola Sturgeon: The SNP 'nippy sweetie' who learned how to crack (a bit of) a smile", "Is this the 'most dangerous woman in Britain'? "[124][125] Sturgeon later said that while she believed in Scottish independence, her starting point in these discussions was to protect Scotland's relationship with the EU. [256], While foreign policy remains a reserved matter,[257] Sturgeon has undertaken a number of visits to Europe, North America and Asia to promote Scotland as a place of investment and Scottish businesses to trade and do business with. She raised these with the Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government, Leslie Evans, two months later, rather than reporting them immediately, as she should have done if they constitute government matters (as per the ministerial code). At the time, Queen's Counsel under the reign of Elizabeth II, now King's Counsel under the reign of Charles III. Aged 21, Sturgeon was selected as the SNP candidate in the Glasgow Shettleston constituency. [157][158][159] Subsequently the restrictions were repeatedly tightened, loosened and adapted in parts or all of Scotland in response to developments in the situation. [171], In April 2021 Scotland's death toll from COVID-19 passed 10,000. Sturgeon had already announced the compulsory wearing of face masks in corridors . [29] The political columnist Iain Macwhirter declared that while she "didn't inspire great warmth", she was "quick on her feet, lacks any ideological baggage and has real determination unlike Roseanna Cunningham". [48] Sturgeon oversaw the scrapping of prescription charges In Scotland, an election pledge by the SNP originally for the chronically ill and those with cancer. "[166], In July 2020, Sturgeon advocated that the leaders of the four UK nations adopt a coordinated Zero-COVID strategy. [236], Sturgeon has campaigned against replacing the Trident nuclear weapons system. "If she wants to show leadership on climate she must clearly say: stop Cambo. "[207][208][209][210], In June 2022, Sturgeon officially announced her plan for Scottish independence once again. catholic Is Shakira a Roman Catholic? Nicola Sturgeon is to stand down as Scotland 's First Minister after eight years in the role, according to reports.N The Scottish National Party leader is expected to make the announcement at a hastily-arranged news conference in Edinburgh. Sturgeon immediately announced that she would be a candidate in the election to replace him, and received huge support from the SNP hierarchy. If any Irish politicians warned these people about the risks of independence, he would likely be told to mind his own business. [146] Two of the civil servants who made complaints about Salmond later said they felt they had been "dropped" by the Scottish Government after it lost the judicial review against him, adding they feared their experiences would make it less likely people would make complaints in the future. [48], As Health Secretary, Sturgeon became more widely known internationally for her handling of the 2009 flu pandemic. No. [181] The SNP won a fourth consecutive election, albeit short of an overall majority, with a record number of votes on both the constituency and regional vote[failed verification] as well as increasing their share of the constituency vote and making a net gain of one seat. In the 1987 UK General election, Sturgeon got her first taste of campaigning, going door-to-door to get her local SNP candidate, Kay Ullrich, elected to Westminster. However, the details regarding her belief remain unknown as she has never opened up about it with the press. [39][40] Although the SNP was recognised as the winners of the election, it failed to obtain a majority and Labour was not willing to allow the SNP to enter government. "[59] Four days later, a Scottish woman with underlying health conditions died at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley. [163] When asked by the BBC if the policy had been a mistake, Sturgeon said: "Looking back on that now, with the knowledge we have now and with the benefit of hindsight, yes. The SNP continued to enjoy this electoral success throughout Sturgeon's eight years in office. A video of the interaction went viral[187] and a few days later, Sturgeon wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, asking that the development of Cambo should be "reassessed in light of the severity of the climate emergency". [15] Sturgeon was a fan of Wham! Fiona Hyslop and Richard Lochhead remained in their portfolios of culture secretary and rural affairs secretary, respectively. [247], In August 2021 the Scottish Government announced there had been 1,339 drug deaths in the previous year a new record high. [24] Shortly after this, Sturgeon was appointed as the SNP's spokesperson for energy and education matters. Many of these Catholic SNP converts were likely to have been among the 12,000 people who packed the Hydro arena in Glasgow on November 22. Recently, Nicola Sturgeon caught the headlines after being accused of treating the north of England with contempt. [299], At the SNP's 2022 annual party conference in Aberdeen, Sturgeon stated "I detest the Tories and everything they stand for" in an interview on the BBC. "[177][178][179], Sturgeon led the SNP into the 2021 Scottish Parliament election on a manifesto promise to hold a second independence referendum after the COVID-19 pandemic was over. [272], An advocate for Scottish independence, Sturgeon has campaigned for independence from the United Kingdom since her late teens. The defeat of the Yes Scotland campaign in the referendum resulted in the resignation of Salmond as leader of the SNP and first minister. ", "Nicola Sturgeon's sister urges the critics to 'cut SNP leader some slack' on Covid", "Sunderland roots of SNP's Nicola Sturgeon", "Gary Elliot: Nicola Sturgeon and I come from the same working class stock - trying to paint her as the 'new establishment' is laughable", "Nicola Sturgeon on taking Scotland to the world", "Profile: Nicola Sturgeon spoke to Mandy Rhodes about her miscarriage", "Sturgeon: "Now or never" to banish Trident", "Sturgeon on Charles Kennedy 'a most talented politician', "Nicola Sturgeon reveals how she and Charles Kennedy watched Trainspotting together as she pays tribute to former Lib Dem leader", "BBC News | SCOTLAND | Poll 'backs' Section 28", "Edinburgh News, "Salmond in shock bid for leader", "Scotsman.com, "Salmond's arch-rival buries hatchet with declaration of support", "Why does Nicola Sturgeon not have a seat in Westminster? Scotlands Catholic community, to which I belong, has often felt itself to be a perennial underdog at the hands of a frosty establishment. On Salmond's resignation, Sturgeon said: The personal debt of gratitude I owe Alex is immeasurable. "[155], In April 2022 Sturgeon demanded that Prime Minister Boris Johnson resign after police fined him for breaking lockdown rules in 2020. The 50-year-old politician created history by being the first female Minister of Scotland. Their sense of grievance, anti-imperialism and touchiness are traits that chime with plenty other Scots. [10][11] Her younger sister, Gillian Sturgeon, is an NHS worker. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [64], At the 2011 election, the SNP won a large overall majority. He has been my friend, mentor and colleague for more than 20 years. The SNP emerged as the second largest party and sat in opposition to the Labour-Lib Dem coalition. "[254], In 2021, Audit Scotland concluded that, "Progress on closing the poverty-related attainment gap between the most and least deprived school pupils has been limited"[255] and fell short of the Government's aims. However, in 2016 the plan was abandoned and the Scottish Government blamed Westminster. "[245], The crisis has particularly impacted the homeless in Scotland: 216 homeless people died in Scotland in 2019 an increase of 11% on the previous year; over half (54%) of these deaths were drug-related. We believe that the value of marriage should be clearly referred to in the guidelines, without denigrating other relationships or children brought up in other kinds of relationship." [14], Sturgeon was a quiet child and has been described by her younger sister as "the sensible one" of the two. The down side is that you just end up talking about it all the time and you never leave it outside. [51][52], On 26 April 2009, the Scottish Government announced that two people who had returned from Mexico had been admitted to Monklands Hospital in Airdrie after experiencing "mild flu-like symptoms". [114] Sturgeon announced her intention to seek a second term in office as a minority government. What religion are the Bee Gees? [283] She has hailed Scottish feminist economist Ailsa McKay as one of her inspirations. On 15 February 2023, Sturgeon announced her intention to resign the leadership of the SNP and as First Minister. The recent controversy, however, involving Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's deputy first minister, the BBC and Ireland's Europea minister Lucinda Creighton should be a warning to the SNP government at . [267], Sturgeon had previously stripped Trump of his ambassadorial role for Scottish businesses with the Scottish Government in the aftermath of Trump's views of an outright ban of Muslims from entering the United States. And many in Sturgeons party have rather different views from Archbishops Tartaglia in Glasgow and Cushley in Edinburgh about when the sacredness of human life begins and ends and how far the state should micro-manage the individual. We believe in the free flow of. She also served as a member of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee and the Health and Community Care Committee. by Anthony Horan in News. ", "Donald Trump is 'misogyny at its worst' says Sturgeon", "Scottish independence: Sexist envoy Tony Abbott is boost for second referendum, says Nicola Sturgeon", "Sturgeon slams 'sexist' tweet by Labour MSP Neil Findlay", "Sturgeon Insists Salmond is the 'Least Sexist Man' She Knows", "Sturgeon rejects sexist jibe about Salmond", "Challenge friends over sexist conduct, Nicola Sturgeon urges men", "Men must challenge misogynistic behaviour, says Nicola Sturgeon", "Several women 'close to quitting SNP over gender recognition plans', "Joanna Cherry accuses SNP colleagues of 'performative histrionics' over transgender issue", "Anger over trans woman on all-female SNP shortlist", "Why has the SNP been accused of 'transphobic views' and who is Teddy Hope? Their poverty had been alleviated by post-1945 British reforms. She insisted her resignation was not as result of "short term pressures", such as the ferry fiasco, the gender recognition reform bill, transgender prisoners, or the police fraud inquiry into SNP finances, but stated that the job "takes its toll on you".