With Nicola Sturgeon’s departure, the UK has lost an expert in constructing a public image and winning support across political divides. Sturgeon led the Scottish National Party (SNP) to an unprecedented five electoral victories – three in Westminster and two in her home parliament of Holyrood.
As deputy and then first minister of Scotland, Sturgeon turned the map of electoral allegiances upside down. She made normal what once seemed impossible – taking from Labour what was always assumed would be its birthright as the dominant party in Scotland.
Perhaps more impressively, she did this in a period in which Scotland’s governance in a range of policy areas including education and climate – and crucially, the constitutional question – have not delivered on electoral promises. Other politicians seeking to shift opinion and win public support have a lot to learn from her tactics, including whoever replaces her as first minister.
