Nicola Sturgeon's Final Parliamentary Address Delivers Platitudes Amid Legacy of Failures
After an extended absence from Holyrood proceedings, Nicola Sturgeon made what would be her final contribution as a Member of the Scottish Parliament. The former First Minister and occasional parliamentarian appeared during Thursday's third-stage consideration of the Children (Scotland) Bill, delivering remarks with a sometimes trembling voice that combined personal advice with political reflection.
Contradictory Counsel from a Selfie Queen
Sturgeon ventured guidance while conceding she "had not always lived by these principles." Her counsel consisted largely of quote-a-day-calendar bromides—urging colleagues to "keep a sense of perspective" and "do not forget to think for yourself." She employed the clunky Americanism "reach across the aisle," suggesting she was departing not just Holyrood but perhaps the cast of The West Wing.
Then came the Alan Partridge-worthy musings that confirmed the former leader's complete detachment from self-awareness. As a gospel, "Do not live life on social media" earns a hearty "amen" from many, but it becomes difficult to maintain a straight face when delivered by the selfie queen herself.
Remarkable Hypocrisy on Division and Discourse
She observed that the current Holyrood session was "the most fractious and divided that I have served in." One day, the Sturgeon who frets about division might encounter the Sturgeon who handed ministerial power to the Greens, attempted to eliminate women's sex-based rights, and told parliament Scotland was "being treated like something on the sole of Westminster's shoe." Should that day ever arrive, the universe would surely implode from the contradiction.
It's tempting to chortle at the woman who attempted to legislate away rights guaranteed in the Equality Act declaring that equality is "the thread running through everything that I have sought to champion and achieve." Yet there remains little to laugh about in Sturgeon's actual record of governance.
A Catalogue of Policy Failures and Missed Targets
The attainment gap she prioritized closing continues to yawn wide. The emissions targets she assured were vital to avoid ecological disaster were missed repeatedly. The procurement of two ferries brought nationalisation of a shipyard and the ignominy of posing before an unfinished boat with painted-on windows.
Complacency allowed Scotland to become Europe's drugs deaths capital. High-handed secrecy manifested in deleted Covid-era messages and unconvincing performances during the Holyrood inquiry. Even to her own supporters, she delivered disappointment after disappointment.
The Independence That Never Materialized
Despite what critics called "banging on about independence," that's essentially all she ever did—talk about it. Handed the 2015 "yellow tsunami," Brexit, the Internal Market Act, Westminster chaos and sleaze, and a cost-of-living crisis, she could parlay none of these opportunities into a second referendum.
Instead, the leader of Scottish nationalism conceded independence was a matter of constitutional law by placing the question before the Supreme Court, knowing only one outcome was possible. That she has yet to appear on the Honours list for services to the Union represents a particular injustice.
Dismal Stewardship of Scotland's NHS
While numerous failings deserve condemnation, they pale compared to her dismal stewardship of the NHS—an institution she consistently professed to love. As both health secretary and first minister, Sturgeon made grand promises about NHS waiting times that evaporated upon examination.
The 12-week target for outpatient appointments illustrates the pattern. Ninety-five percent of new outpatients were supposed to be seen within 12 weeks of referral. When Sturgeon left Bute House in March 2023, this standard was met in just 63 percent of cases—a staggering 32 points off-target.
Examining the Pre-Pandemic Evidence
Defenders cavil that this merely reflects Covid-19's lingering impact on a health service in recovery. So let's examine figures from the final quarter of 2019, before NHS Scotland adopted pandemic footing. If Covid explains Sturgeon's failure to meet targets, pre-Covid statistics should show 95 percent or more patients seen on time.
The actual figure: 77 percent—off by 18 points. Apologists might contend October-December 2019 figures were distorted by winter flu pressures. Yet July-September 2019 numbers reveal the same percentage: 77 percent. Eventually, excuses simply run out.
From Fresh Air to Political Tragedy
When Sturgeon first reached Scottish politics' summit, many held high hopes. Alex Salmond's blokey, bellicose persona appealed little to certain sensibilities; she seemed a breath of fresh air. We all want to believe the latest political fad differs from predecessors—that this one truly cares and will deliver promises.
The problem, or one major issue, remains the gulf between what political leaders promise and what they deliver. Nicola Sturgeon could serve as a case study. Whether on waiting times, the attainment gap, Ferguson Marine ferries, climate change, drugs deaths, or independence, her leadership was defined by promises made with rhetoric and unmade in results.
A Single Positive Contribution Amid the Wreckage
Ironically, Sturgeon's last Holyrood remarks concerned The Promise—an undertaking from her First Minister tenure to improve care-experienced children and adults' lives. This represents the one regard where she made an unambiguously positive national contribution, addressing a class long written off or ignored entirely.
The word "trauma" gets overused, but for young people today and older people in the past, their lived experience involved multiple traumas: family breakdown, abrupt entry into the system, abuse and maltreatment for some, and official indifference. Sturgeon became the first person in power who bothered to meet them, learn their names, and most importantly listen.
A Legacy of Wasted Potential
Whether The Promise is achieved or proves more rhetoric remains an open question. She broke numerous promises, and while keeping this one wouldn't compensate for others, it would at least provide a legacy to recall without regret's pangs—regret even she must feel.
Substantial numbers in this country despise Nicola Sturgeon—her very mention sets teeth on edge. I'm not among them. I consider her a terrible first minister who cast a baneful spell over Scottish politics and public life. Excepting her care-experienced people advocacy, Scotland would likely be better today had she never darkened the Scottish Parliament's door.
Yet I cannot hate her. She appears a tragic figure—an object lesson in pursuing office for its own sake. She demonstrates the incalculable waste of time, opportunity, and resources that follows when limited political imagination gains nearly unlimited access to state levers. All that power, all that potential, all that promise—ultimately for nothing.
