The polling of voters in Scotland found that 25 per cent think Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale is doing a very well or fairly well in her position, while 42 per cent think she is doing fairly badly or very badly – a net rating of -17.
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“To ensure that the voice of everyone in Scotland is heard in these changed times, I am today launching Scotland’s biggest ever political listening exercise”, Sturgeon said.
Nicola Sturgeon has offered to form a “coalition” with like-minded United Kingdom government ministers who want Britain to stay in the European single market.
Ms Sturgeon has already ordered ministers to start drawing up legislation for a second independence referendum, which she said is “highly likely” – although not inevitable – following the Brexit vote.
As a result, she said her programme for government “makes clear that we will consult on a draft Referendum Bill, so that it is ready for immediate introduction if we conclude that independence is the best or only way to protect Scotland’s interests”.
“Brexit raises afresh the issue of independence”. First, Scotland will only become independent when a majority of people choose it. There are no shortcuts.
“We are determined to build an economy where everyone has a fair chance to contribute to growth and where everyone can share in the benefits of growth”.
“And second, important though the issue of European Union membership is, the case for independence is about more than that”.
Speaking to an assembly of the party’s MPs, MSPs and MEPs in Stirling, she said: “We want to understand in detail how people feel now about Europe, Brexit and independence”.
“We must not assume that people’s views – yes or no – are the same today as they were in 2014”.
“Sometimes, for whatever reason, having a baby just doesn’t happen – no matter how much we might want it to”.
In a chapter of an upcoming book, “Scottish National Party Leaders”, Holyrood editor Mandy Rhodes revealed that Sturgeon would have been six months pregnant at 40 years-old during the 2011 Scottish Parliament election campaign, had she not miscarried in January of that year.
She added: “That (independence) has to be an option that Scotland has to consider”.
“Nicola Sturgeon should take the idea off the table and concentrate on the issues that people really care about”.
“Constant talk of a second referendum is creating uncertainty that is damaging our economic prospects”.
Sturgeon went on to challenge unionist assertions that a future vote in favour of independence would jeopardise trade and open borders with the rest of the UK. “I don’t think there is going to be a referendum until the first minster thinks she can win”.
“Either we can add to the turbulence and the instability … or we can now work to try and put this period of instability behind us so we can all focus on building a stronger and more stable country”.
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She went on to accuse the Conservatives of making “high handed, arrogant comments.that Scotland should know her place, that Westminster is boss, we’ll simply have to like it or lump it, whatever is decided”.
