SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon doesn’t have the “intellectual capability” for the job as party leader and First Minister of Scotland; she hangs onto her job because of the lack of a decent replacement, Jim Sillars says he hopes she will improve, considering her bad judgement and track record, that is a bridge too far

Dear All

For years, and years, I have harped on about the complete lack of talent within the SNP, not just in the activist base but right through the entire party. Now the focus has turned on Nicola Sturgeon and her lack of ability which if you seriously looked at her performance not just as a Minister but also as an MSP has been poor. No matter what area Nicola Sturgeon has involved herself in a constituency area be it Govan or Govanhill, the population suffer due to her couldn’t careless attitude.

The Govanhill ghetto is a classic example of how an area can be run down, and the MSP, her staff and other elected members have completely failed the people, the area, and the City of Glasgow.

Nicola Sturgeon doesn’t have the ability to led, but that isn’t just her problem, her ability to make good judgement is also debateable along with something which former Deputy leader Jim Sillars says Sturgeon lacks, she lacks “intellectual capability”. I think Jim Sillars nails it completely when he says that Nicola Sturgeon should step aside to make way for someone of greater “intellectual capability”. The problem is along Nicola Sturgeon is terrible, there is the lack of a decent replacement within the SNP, something which I noticed as a member.

Because the SNP is run like a cult, the promotion of less than capable people was used in order to secure the leadership, this wasn’t just a new thing to keep Sturgeon in post, it was a continuation of what was done in the Salmond era. Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond kicked Scottish Independence stone dead in 2014. In the wake of Brexit, the SNP led by Nicola Sturgeon is incapable of moving on, instead battles are refought that have already been lost.

What type of leader is Sturgeon when she can’t get passed the word No?

Nicola Sturgeon is a bad leader; she is a vacuum, a shallow and hollow politician who cannot make herself relevant to the political world that has changed around her in Scotland.

The fact that Jim Sillars criticised Sturgeon’s “helter skelter” push for a second referendum shows that she is worried about her position and the people in the SNP behind her. 2014 has been and gone, the debate now is Scotland’s position in the UK in a post Brexit era.

I doubt that Nicola Sturgeon will heed Jim Sillars’s call to “step aside” as SNP leader due to the simple issue of money, £145k a year is something which Nicola Sturgeon couldn’t hope to achieve in a post Sturgeon Scotland. Did you see a line of Fortune 500 companies rush to sign up Alex Salmond after he stepped down?

Me neither!

Jim Sillars told BBC Sunday Politics Scotland:

“Suppose Nicola was knocked over by a bus... where are the candidates of the necessary stature to take over the leadership of the SNP? So she’s what we’ve got at the present time. I would like to see her improve.”

One problem in that respect, a closed mind can’t develop, Nicola Sturgeon may have a university education but the mindset is still that of the ‘scheme’. Her pre MSP history wasn’t exactly that of a high profile lawyer, no one was beating down her door from a prestigious law firm.

Check out her wiki page and other resources to see what others said about her.

Jim Sillars added:

“At my age I can talk honestly. If there was someone better around who had the intellectual capability to understand that you’ve got to analyse things first before you take a decision, yes, I think she should step aside. But there’s no one there at the moment. So we’ve got Nicola and I hope Nicola improves. We lost seats at Westminster because the day after the [EU] referendum she went helter-skelter for a second referendum which everyone knew we would lose and most people didn’t want.”

I have to agree with Jim Sillars that there will be no second independence referendum before the 2021 Holyrood election, and the SNP may not be able to hold one after that, this is because the SNP have peaked, and their support is going down. The situation at present according to polling is that 2021 is looking like the SNP unable to form a majority. This is prompted a few to suggest a deal with Scottish Labour which is doubtful because the SNP and Scottish Labour fish in the same pond for the same thing, the working class vote.

As to Sturgeon’s rush for an independence referendum on the back of Brexit, he said:

“You cannot have [a referendum] sensibly until you know exactly what the Brexit deal is in detail, and then take time to assess it, and then take time to formulate an argument for independence. Because we’re in a new paradigm. What was in 2014 will no longer be the case when we Brexit. So we have to have a new thinking of the structure which we put to the Scottish people. It’s a huge amount and discussing that needs to be done.”

He is of the opinion that 2022 or 2023 is a date for a second referendum but if the majority goes in 2021 with pro independence parties at Holyrood, these proposed dates are moot. The 2021 election for Holyrood is one of the most important elections in the political calendar of this country.

Finally Nicola Sturgeon doesn’t as Jim Sillars says have the “intellectual capability” to lead Scotland to independence, her track record of failure, promoting pals to jobs such as Shona Robison tells a story all by itself. Sturgeon hasn’t made a success of being First Minister, we aren’t living in the days of a better tomorrow regarding health, education and jobs. The fact is the SNP is lacking in genuine talent right through the organisation, it is a party that is rather squalid, petty and unimpressive.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University