After Nicola Sturgeon, the UK’s relationship with Scotland needs a reset

Editorial: Whether independence is close at hand or far away, the two governments – and the other devolved administrations – have formidable challenges that they must work together to resolve

(Dave Brown)

Though she might not instinctively agree, Nicola Sturgeon was, in one respect, the Margaret Thatcher of Scotland.

While undoubtedly strong, she’s been incredibly divisive, too. She’s had huge success, but some would say she let her party down by becoming involved in gender politics. It was to prove her undoing. She stayed too long, and overplayed her hand. She has left Scotland divided, and harmed her cause.

It is a marked unravelling. For the best part of a decade, Ms Sturgeon dominated not just her party but the entire Scottish political landscape, and was a major player in British politics. No one else came close, including her predecessor Alex Salmond, who did his best to oust her. She dispatched him readily and with characteristic cool.