[90] In her first speech as leader, Sturgeon said that it was "the privilege of her life" to lead the party she joined as a teenager. and Duran Duran, and enjoyed spending Saturday nights at Frostys Ice Disco in Irvine. Is Nicola Sturgeon A Catholic | Latest In Bollywood- News [235], On 22 December 2022, the Scottish Parliament voted 86 to 39 to pass the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill which was introduced by Sturgeon's government, but the bill was vetoed by the UK Government. Lori Lightfoot is not Jewish. [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. RELATIONSHIP DETAILS BELOW Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon is a Scottish politician and the fifth and current First Minister of Scotland and the leader of the Scottish National Party, in office since 2014. [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. [147] Labour MP Jess Phillips, a former employee of Women's Aid, accused Sturgeon of being "unprofessional with those women's lives" and said there had been a "litany of failures in professionalism and decency. Nicola Sturgeon's Enthusiastic Talk on Catholic Schools Leaked To Catholic Truth! This also made her First Minister-Designate, given the SNP's absolute majority in the Scottish Parliament. Recently, Nicola Sturgeon caught the headlines after being accused of treating the north of England with contempt. [297][298], In the 2021 SNP manifesto, Sturgeon committed the party once again to reform the Gender Recognition Act[233] and in August that year included the commitment in her agreement with the Scottish Greens on power-sharing. However, infighting between the two rival candidates for the Labour nomination, Mohammed Sarwar and Mike Watson, along with an energetic local campaign,[citation needed] resulted in Glasgow Govan being the only Scottish seat to see a swing away from Labour in the midst of a Labour landslide nationwide. [217] She asked Scotland's Lord Advocate to consider referring the matter to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom to rule if the Scottish Government has the power to host a referendum without the Government of the United Kingdom's approval, this request has since been granted. [327], Forbes magazine ranked Sturgeon as the 50th most powerful woman in the world in 2016 and 2nd in the United Kingdom. He spelled out the risks of partitioning Britain with so little elementary homework having been done. [211] She argued that her government had an "indisputable mandate" for a second Scottish independence referendum. [217][218], In October 2022, Sturgeon launched her government's third independence paper, which outlines the currency in an independent Scotland and joining the EU. [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". On 15 February 2023, Sturgeon announced that she would resign as first minister and SNP leader once a new leader is elected. [287] However, she defended her party's leader Alex Salmond from accusations of sexism. The previous leader, Alex Salmond, announced at the time that he would not stand. Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has said her government is an "unequivocal supporter" of Catholic schools. John Swinney and Nicola Sturgeon "wrestled" with the idea of leaving at the same time, the Deputy First Minister has said. Overall, it concluded that ministers "could have been better prepared to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic". [34], As leader of the SNP in the Scottish Parliament, she served as the Leader of the Opposition in Holyrood. [316], Speaking after Johnson had resigned in 2022, Sturgeon said that he was the only prime minister she had worked with who was a disgrace to the office". "[288][289][290] Commenting on the need for men to challenge their friends misogynistic behaviour, Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament in 2021: "I would say to all men in this chamber and all men across the country challenge it [misogyny] if its on the part of other men you may know, challenge your own behaviour and then lets collectively, as a society, turn the page and turn the corner so that women can live free of the fear of harassment, abuse, intimidation, violence and, in the worst cases, death. Sturgeon and I 'wrestled' with leaving office at the same time, says Affiliated with the Scottish National Party, she took office in 2007 as Deputy First Minister of Scotland. [30], However, once Cunningham emerged as the favourite to win,[30] Salmond announced his intention to stand for the leadership; Sturgeon subsequently withdrew from the contest and declared her support for Salmond, standing instead as his running mate for the depute leadership. The event has been described as being like the birth of a megachurch rather than a conventional political rally, in which new members were inducted into the political faith. In Alex Salmond's shadow cabinet, she served as Shadow Minister for Children and Education from 1999 to 2000. Can Sturgeon's bid to narrow the 'educational gap' survive austerity Michael Matheson was promoted asjustice secretary. [171], In April 2021 Scotland's death toll from COVID-19 passed 10,000. Nicola Sturgeon Decries Anti-Catholic acts at First Minister's There was no agreement on oil and gas exploration, but the government now argued that it had a stronger case for a national independence referendum. If Scotland was outside Europe, they would lose the right to stay here."[74][75]. She was the Scottish National Party (SNP) Leader until her resignation on February 15 . "[155] However, on 18 March Sturgeon announced to the Scottish Parliament that all schools and nurseries in Scotland would close on 20 March to try to limit the spread of the virus. [18][19][20], In an interview with the BBC's Woman's Hour, Sturgeon revealed that it was Margaret Thatcher who inspired her to enter politics, because, due to rising unemployment in Scotland at the time, she developed "a strong feeling that it was wrong for Scotland to be governed by a Tory government that we hadn't elected". [161] Many had been infected with the virus and ended up passing it on to other care home residents. [65], In December 2012, Sturgeon said that she believed that independence would allow Scotland to build a stronger and more competitive country, and would change spending priorities to address "the scandal of soaring poverty in a country as rich as Scotland". [115][116][117], The UK Government held the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum to decide the future of the United Kingdom's European Union membership, in which all 32 council areas in Scotland voted by a majority for the United Kingdom to remain a member of the EU. "The First Minister must stop hiding behind Boris Johnson," a spokesperson for the organisation said. Pro-life, Same-sex Marriage, Politicians, Marriage, Morals, Catholic education, Ecumenism, Abortion, Transgenderism, LGBT+, Politics nicola sturgeon, first minister of scotland, cardinal winning lecture, university of glasgow 22 Comments Nicola Sturgeon denied taking a different approach to Scotland fans last week travelling to London to Rangers fans when they celebrated their league win. [107] As part of the election campaign, Sturgeon indicated that the SNP would hold another independence referendum if it won the upcoming 2016 Scottish Parliament election. [citation needed], In the mid-1990s Sturgeon and Charles Kennedy went together on a political study visit to Australia. It would indeed be ironic if this Hibernian invasion of the SNP proved the wake-up call that reinforced the determination of many other Scots to strain every sinew to hold the union together. There was, however, significant public opposition to repeal and an unscientific postal vote on the issue organised by SNP donor Brian Souter suggested most Scots wanted to keep the clause. [306] Following Johnson's appointment as British prime minister, she claimed he "rambled" in his first speech outside 10 Downing Street and suggested he was "blame shifting". Nicola Sturgeon Telling Lies? Never! (She Insists) - Catholic Truth Nicola was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, on July 9, 1970. Nicola Sturgeon Resigns: What to Know, and What's Next for Scotland [145], On 4 March 2021, Sturgeon answered questions over a period of eight hours from members of the committee. She was unsuccessful, having been beaten by almost 15,000 votes by Labour. Nicola Sturgeon has rejected an accusation she lied to the Scottish people about the country's currency after independence. Nicola Sturgeon blasted Rangers revellers for their anti-Catholic rampage Credit: Reuters. The paper was sent to the central British Government to be read by Prime Minister Theresa May. There have been questions going around saying is Nicola Sturgeon lesbian. Their sense of grievance, anti-imperialism and touchiness are traits that chime with plenty other Scots. She served successively as the SNP's shadow minister for education, health, and justice. We may be seeing social volatility on Clydeside harnessed and turned it into a powerful weapon. [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 couple have been in a relationship since 2003. Nicola Sturgeon - An Opportunistic Politician - Catholic Truth Shortly after being elected, Sturgeon appointed John Swinney to the newly created position of Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery. [338], In May 2022, Sturgeon tested positive for COVID-19. [271] The Government of Spain criticised Sturgeon, claiming she had "totally misunderstood" the situation in Spain and Catalonia. . The first minister was answering a question from Labour MSP Pauline O'Neill about "anti-Irish and anti-Catholic prejudice" in Scotland after arrests were made in the wake of . From 18 November until her official appointment on 20 November, she served as the acting First Minister, essentially the First Minister-elect. [231][293] The Scottish Government said it had paused the legislation in order to find "maximum consensus" on the issue[231] and commentators described the issue as having divided the SNP like no other, with many dubbing the debate a "civil war". Her second term was dominated by the result of the 2016 Brexit referendum, when the UK voted to leave the European Union, in spite of 62% of votes in Scotland backing remaining in the EU. [127] As the constitution is a reserved matter under the Scotland Act 1998, for a future referendum on Scottish independence to be legal under UK law, it would need to receive the consent of the British Parliament to take place. [85][86], Nominations for the SNP leadership closed on 15 October, with Sturgeon confirmed as the only candidate. [45], Sturgeon served as Health Secretary in Salmond's first, and for a year, in his second cabinet. "[207][208][209][210], In June 2022, Sturgeon officially announced her plan for Scottish independence once again. She also said that the result "renews, reinforces and strengthens" the mandate for Indyref2.[154]. Nicola Sturgeon Catholic Archives - Wealthy Peeps Yes, I think that is true. Image: Belfast Telegraph First Minister condemns anti-Catholic bigotry First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has publicly condemned anti-Catholic bigotry during First Minister's Questions in the Scottish Parliament. She said that there were different reasons for much of the criticism of Rangers fans in George Square citing "anti-catholic abuse". Some will see this as the acquisition of belated self-confidence by a submerged community. [56][57], On 11 June, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the influenza virus a pandemic. [105] Sturgeon had stated that the party's success in the election was not a mandate for another independence referendum, but primarily for a stronger voice for Scotland in London. [274] On the day Queen Elizabeth II became Britain's longest reigning monarch, Sturgeon travelled with her to open the Borders Railway and told a crowd of well-wishers: "She [The Queen] has carried out Her duties with dedication, wisdom and an exemplary sense of public service. Following the SNP's landslide majority in 2011, she was appointed as the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Capital Investment and Cities, which saw her in charge of the legislative process for the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. She was categorised in 2015 as part of the SNP's gradualist wing, which believed in achieving independence through accumulating the Scottish Parliament's powers from the UK Parliament over time. Facemasks introduced in English schools to 'avoid argument' with Nicola [63] In June 2012, the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Act 2012 was passed after receiving support from the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Greens. Acknowledging this, Sturgeon suggested: "That is why the SNP have urged a policy for many months that we believe can provide people with the necessary reassurance, by providing a statutory underpinning to the guidelines, and resolve this difficult debate.