Nicola Sturgeon has been one of the most controversial First Ministers in the devolution era.
As a supporter of independence, she has doggedly pursued IndyRef2 despite the policy being a divisive one for Scots.
Her determination to push through a new gender recognition law also drew mixed reviews. However, regardless of individual policies, Sturgeon has been a popular leader of her country and of the SNP, with opinion polls regularly putting her top compared with her rivals.
Her record in elections speaks for itself. Eight wins out of eight. Sturgeon has also seen off a succession of Tory prime ministers whose governments have made the UK a worse place to live.
She took over in 2014 during the leadership of David Cameron, who foisted an unwanted Brexit referendum on the country to appease his right wing.
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She then had to deal with the wooden Theresa May, followed by the bungling and inept Boris Johnson.
Liz Truss, who famously said it was best ignoring Sturgeon, came and went, while Rishi Sunak also seemed out of his depth compared to the First Minister.
Anyone who criticises Sturgeon should first remember the charlatans who have inflicted chaos and disaster on the British people.
The fact is she has been a steadying and reassuring presence compared with her Tory counterparts.
This was evident in the pandemic –the defining moment of her time in office.
While Johnson and his cronies were partying hard, Sturgeon and her team communicated hard truths to voters.
Even die-hard Tories were overheard praising the First Minister’s professionalism during an awful period.
The Scottish Government made some awful mistakes, and the public inquiry should leave no stone unturned, but the Sturgeon administration looked competent by comparison.
If she writes a memoir of her time in office, she will likely reflect on the failures of office, as well as successes.
The Scottish Child Payment was a plus, as was expanding childcare hours, but the mission to narrow inequality in schools failed.
Her underfunding of councils was also a short-sighted move that put huge pressure on services for the vulnerable. The ferries debacle has been nothing short of embarrassing.
But party politics aside, Sturgeon has been an admirable servant for Scotland, particularly during some of our darkest days over the last three years.
On top of being First Minister since 2014, she was also deputy first minister for the previous seven.
She is about to leave office but not public life. We hope the next chapter sees our longest-serving FM put her considerable talents to good use.
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