Former first minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has recalled advice given to her by Hillary Clinton, saying women leaders are often expected to "carry the can for the behaviour of a man". Speaking at the Féile an Phobail festival in Belfast on Thursday, Ms Sturgeon described the former US first lady as a "huge inspiration" who had faced misogyny and sexism with resilience.
Ms Sturgeon said she first met Mrs Clinton briefly in New York, where she was told: "Never let them get you down, no matter how tough it feels, just get up and fight back." She praised Mrs Clinton as "the most prepared and on top of her brief person that I've ever met".
The former SNP leader also commented on Prime Minister Andy Burnham, noting they had a "massive fight" over Covid-19 regulations when he was mayor of Greater Manchester. She said she hopes Mr Burnham succeeds because his success is "potentially the only thing in England standing in the way of a Nigel Farage Reform government". However, she added that she does not think he offers much for Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Ms Sturgeon criticised the government's "No 10 of the North" initiative, saying Manchester's location in the English Midlands reflects a "very southern view of what it means to be northern". She predicted that an independent Scotland and a united Ireland would happen within the next two decades, and that if one occurs first, the other would follow "pretty quickly".
