Nicola Sturgeon #dollgate shock lights up Twitter

The SNP leader's childhood antics are causing a stir on social media

Doug Bolton
Saturday 25 April 2015 15:59 BST
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Nicola Sturgeon's younger sister has spilled details about the SNP leader's childhood, exposing some troubling information that many think will destroy her party's campaign.

Of course, we're talking about #dollgate, the Twitter trend that started this morning with the publication of story in The Sun about Sturgeon's childhood escapades.

The damning leak had previously been reported by the BBC, in an interview where Gillian Owens, Sturgeon's younger sister, said: "She used to tease me quite a bit, and she used to cut the hair off my Barbie dolls, but apart from that she was a lovely sister."

The unfortunate slip of the tongue shows the hugely popular SNP leader in a very different light, and could derail her campaign at a crucial point just 12 days before the general election.

Naturally, it provoked quite a stir on social media - most prominently, with a strong denial from the SNP leader herself.

The slip prompted an outburst from media commentators, including Mandy Rhodes, editor of Scottish current affairs magazine Holyrood.

Condemnation from dolls across Scotland soon followed.

Scotland's political elite were quick to exploit the weakness in the mighty SNP campaign, with Scottish Labour deputy Kezia Dugdale calling for action.

However, words of support soon came in from sympathisers, keen to show solidarity with Sturgeon.

In a desperate swerve into damage-control mode, Sturgeon tried to make amends for her past mistakes.

Fears were stoked - Sturgeon could well be pulling the strings of government in a few weeks, and concerned citizens wondered what having such a person in power could do to the UK.

The evidence began to build against Sturgeon as new details were uncovered.

New areas of unlikely support arose, but Sturgeon's fate is sealed.

And now, as revelations emerge implicating other party leaders, the election campaign looks set never to recover from today's events.

Sturgeon could be the power broker after the election, but Labour leader Ed Miliband has ruled out any coalition with her party - and with developments like today's, it's easy to see why.

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