Under sunless skies on Thursday, the residents of Nicola Sturgeon’s constituency and the community activists who have worked with her since she became an MSP were reeling from her shock announcement that she is standing down as first minister. At Larkfield community centre in Govanhill, Glasgow, where Sturgeon holds a monthly surgery, Anne Marie Miller said the resignation of Scotland’s longest-serving and only female first minister was still hard to take in. “It was a real shock,” says the former Labour councillor. “When she came in last Friday there was no hint.” She added: “She’s a human being and a lot of politicians lack that. She’s come up through the ranks and she knows what the issues are on the ground. “There will always be people who want to take a pop at her because she’s first minister but I’ve always found her very open.” What is evident is the strength and longevity of the relationships Sturgeon has built here, and the pride and protectiveness felt by the local groups that have witnessed her rise from party activist to a figure recognised on the national and international stage. Raza Sadiq runs the Active Life Club on Dixon Road, where teenagers are streaming out of the school gates opposite to pick up lunchtime pizzas. Founded in 1999, the year Sturgeon was first elected to Holyrood as a Glasgow regional MSP, the volunteer-run youth charity has seen her attend many events and meetings over the decades. Most memorably, though, Sadiq recalls the club’s 20th anniversary celebrations in 2019. “It was also the 20th anniversary of the Scottish parliament, she was meeting the Queen that day, but despite all those commitments she still came to our event. “She was exceptional at talking to young people. She would sit on the floor with them and get up and dance with them. That’s how accessible she is. “I know people say different things about her, and I’m not affiliated to any party, but I was personally shocked that she’s going.” On the streets, local people have almost all heard the news and most are willing to offer an opinion, with some referring to “Nicola” warmly, but others raising serious complaints about fly-tipping and community cohesion in the complex and diverse Glasgow Southside constituency.
“She did a lot for Scotland and for Glasgow,” says Oonagh White, who works in marketing. “You were always aware of her out and about.” White, in her 20s, describes Sturgeon as “a massive role model”, adding: “To see a woman in that position was pretty powerful.” Paul Clark, a homeless worker, is less effusive: “She was the best of a bad bunch, but she’s still a politician and there were problems in the constituency that she didn’t want to touch.” His friend Frazer Dougan says: “A lot of people are living close to the breadline around here. There’s not enough integration, for example with asylum seekers, and she should have taken more control.”
Fraser Stewart is director of the community-owned New Gorbals Housing Association, which has overseen the transformation of the notorious district over 30 years. He describes how Sturgeon was supportive of regeneration work long before she became first minister and how, on the dozens of occasions they met, the only time she was late was because she was helping an elderly constituent with their water supply. “I remember one year she led the parade for the Gorbals fair. It was chucking it down but she trudged through the rain for half an hour, getting drenched, then stayed and spoke to everyone afterwards. “This year she spoke at the fair again. There was no opposition in the crowd, even [from] people you know are not supporters of independence.” He adds – in contrast to Sturgeon’s own remarks on Wednesday that she feared she had become a divisive figure – “people don’t see her that way”. He praises her energy, approachability and ability to take a brief “in a flash”. A significant minority of Glasgow Southside’s population are Pakistani and Muslim, and Stewart adds: “It was known within ethnic minority communities that she was batting for them.” At her press conference on Wednesday, Sturgeon said she intended to remain as an MSP until the next Holyrood election but would not commit to standing again. “We’ve lost a star,” Stewart says. “People will be saying ‘remember when that Nicola Sturgeon used to be our MSP’, and they’ll remember that fondly.” Sturgeon’s constituency campaign manager, Mhairi Hunter, has been watching the first minister knocking on doors in the area since 1997. “She’s a SNP activist before anything else. She loves knocking doors and going to community groups.” In contrast to the protocol of national and international politics, Sturgeon views her constituency work as “somewhere she can be more herself”. “It’s her home patch and she relishes the time she spends here.” Among local party activists, the initial reaction was one of shock and dismay, says Hunter, “followed by understanding”. “People have listened to what she said and digested it. They trust her judgment. People here know very well just how hard she’s worked all these years.”