Nicola Sturgeon
Nicola Sturgeon
Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon PCis a Scottish politician who is the fifth and current First Minister of Scotland and the leader of the Scottish National Party, in office since 2014. She is the first woman to hold either position. Sturgeon has been a member of the Scottish Parliament since 1999, first as an additional member for the Glasgow electoral region from 1999 to 2007, and as the member for Glasgow Southside since 2007...
NationalityScottish
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth19 July 1970
CityIrvine, Scotland
The teachers who taught me at Dreghorn Primary and Greenwood Academy were fantastic.
The total impact of the Tory/Liberal tax, welfare and public spending changes has hit the poorest 10% in society disproportionately hard - and women have been affected even more badly than men.
Under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, it is possible for other parties to change the direction of a government without bringing a government down.
Voting Labour in the past hasn't protected Scotland against Tory governments.
To every woman out there who thinks that they might like to get involved in politics or stand for parliament, I say go for it. If I can do it, so can you.
I believe we should support people to live, and I am therefore in favour of good quality palliative care.
Scotland's relationship with Malawi is perhaps unique - with almost every town or village in Scotland having some connection.
Scotland has a great deal to offer the world in terms of our approach to key economic and social issues.
Since I became First Minister, I have made clear my priority to alleviate poverty and tackle inequality in Scotland. Ensuring that everyone can do better in life will not only make Scotland fairer, but it will also make it a more prosperous place.
We already know that social security is more affordable in Scotland than it is in the rest of the U.K. - spending on social protection takes up a smaller share of our economic output and our tax revenues than is the case in the U.K. as a whole.
Taxing people for having a spare bedroom and forcing them into rent arrears or the possibility of losing homes they have lived in for years has always been a cruel and heartless measure, and so it is good that the Scottish Parliament has been able to step in.
Tax credits are designed to help people who work hard but who, through no fault of their own, don't earn enough to keep their families out of poverty.
T he fact almost 40,000 Scots waited more than six months for treatment is an absolute disgrace, and these figures clearly expose Andy Kerr's claim that no patient waits more than six months for treatment as nothing more than a cruel deception.
Governments in countries across the world have a duty to do everything possible to keep the public safe from terrorist attacks.