Nicola Sturgeon releases “deeply personal and insightful” memoir

It’s not clear how much the company paid for the former First Minister’s as yet untitled memoir, although speculation earlier in the year suggested it would be in the six figures.

According to industry magazine The Bookseller, the book will explore how the Glasgow Southside MSP came from a “shy child of a working class family in Ayrshire to the steps of Bute House as Scotland’s first wife and longest-serving First Minister”.

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They said it would also detail her interactions with a number of notable figures and “give her a unique perspective on the most eventful and turbulent era in modern Scottish and British politics”.

They add that Ms Sturgeon will cover “all the major events and debates of her day, including the formation of the Scottish Parliament, the SNP’s election to government, the Scottish independence referendum, Brexit, Covid and much more”.

“The result will be a deeply personal and insightful memoir by one of Britain’s most important political leaders of recent times,” says the editor.

Ms. Sturgeon promised she would be candid in the book.

She said: “I am delighted to be working with Pan Macmillan, a world-renowned publisher with proud Scottish roots.

“I have loved my life in politics, but since childhood I had an ambition to write.

“Thus, getting into this book is exciting, albeit daunting. My aim is to chronicle key events of the last three decades of Scottish and British politics, taking the reader behind the scenes to describe what it felt like to be ‘in the room’, who else was there, what the relationships were existed and how decisions were made.

“I will speak up about what I’m proud of and speak openly about what I regret. I will reflect on the challenges of being a woman in politics and reveal more about the person behind the politician.

“I will also draw on my 35 years of experience to offer some thoughts on the future of Scotland, the UK and democracy in general.”

What the book says about Ms. Sturgeon’s time outside of office will be of great interest.

She resigned as First Minister on February 15 after more than eight years in office. She admitted she had become too divisive to push for independence or gain more support for the SNP.

Six weeks later, her husband, Peter Murrell, was arrested in connection with a police investigation into SNP funding.

Investigators searched her home and the party’s headquarters and seized a £110,000 luxury motorhome outside the home of Mr Murrell’s elderly mother.

SNP Treasurer Colin Beattie was arrested on April 18 and Ms Sturgeon on June 11.

All three were released without charge after interrogation by investigators.

Officials are investigating whether the party mistakenly spent the £660,000 raised specifically for Indyref2 for other causes.

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Mike Harpley, Pan’s director of non-fiction publishing, said: “In addition to her career in frontline politics, Nicola has been a lifelong avid reader, literature lover and an avid supporter of bookshops and the book trade at large.

“So it’s no surprise that the excerpts she’s already written are characterized by wit, honesty and excellent writing. We very much look forward to working with her on this book.”

Willie Rennie, MSP for the Liberal Democrats, responded to the news: “As an avid bookworm, it was only a matter of time before Nicola Sturgeon wrote her own book.”

“I’m sure she will have interesting things to say about leading the country through the Covid pandemic, her split from Alex Salmond and more.”

“Given the ongoing unrest within the SNP, I imagine they’ll leave the last chapter blank for now.”

“And with a reportedly six-figure down payment, she can finally buy the RV she’s always wanted.”

Craig Hoy, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, said: “Nicola Sturgeon’s well-documented difficulties will certainly generate interest in her book, but if she doesn’t want it to be filed under ‘fiction’ she must be frank and honest about her major failings as a First ministers speak.” SNP boss.

“Her reputation has suffered tremendous damage in recent months, not only because of the scandal that gripped her and her husband, but also because of the fact that several of her key policies – such as the Deposit Return Scheme, the National Care Service and devastating Fishing Restrictions.” and the alcohol advertising ban – have dissolved.

“Add Nicola Sturgeon’s appalling legacy to education and drug deaths, and think about how she divided Scotland with her never-ending quest for separation, and she has quite a dark story to tell.”