Nicola Sturgeon not standing for election

Although I follow the SNP and their policies, I have no idea. I wonder if she thinks she can make more impact without being a local MP?

Or maybe there are other more personal reasons. x

I don't understand it much either.

Am I over thinking something and is it simply the case that Scotland, N.Ireland and Wales are fortunate to have their own parliament but the English do not. Meaning this is a General Election in words but not in meaning as it is for Westminster MP's only, not for every MP in the UK to be elected, some are safe at this General Election in other words.

If I have that right how on earth is that a fair playing field for English/Westminster MP's?

A naive question if I have come to the right conclusion when are elections taking place in Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland.

Alex Salmond may well get a seat in Westminster, but it sounds as though NS expects to be doing all the talking!

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/generalelection/general-election-2015-nicola-sturgeon-puts-alex-salmond-in-his-place-by-saying-shell-be-in-charge-of-postelection-talks-10191551.html

I have been inundated with election bumff, mostly for the Lib Dems but also some for the other parties, so the parties in Edinburgh seem to think that the election is for all the UK.

I can follow her reasoning that she might be more effective in by staying in Scottish politics (if that is her plan) but I don't understand either how NS can be the leader of a political group in parliament at Westminster without being an MP there herself. Surely the leader of that group is one of those who are at Westminster and attending Parliamentary sessions?

Leaders of new parties which have never had a representative elected can't help but be outside Parliament, but I would have thought that they would be one of the first to put themselves forward for election.

Big fish in smaller pond vs small fish in bigger pond?

No Pogs to attend, if by that you mean sit in the chamber, you have to be an elected MP. You could lead the government from the House of Lords of course, as has happened in history, that is clearly impractical which is why the Earl of Home renounced his title when he became Leader of the Tory party. NS is an MSP but we may yet be "blessed(?)" with Alex Salmond's presence in the Commons. Or indeed a Sinn Fein member if one is elected to an Ulster constituency or a plaid Cymru MP in similar circumstances
The next elections to the Holyrood parliament and Welsh Assembly are I think in 2016.

Offer NS a life peerage? Then she can claim HoL attendance allowance!

So with the present situation, everyone in the UK with a vote, votes for the UK Parliament at Westminster. But voters in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales also vote for their own parliament/assembly. That means that the Scots, Welsh and N Irish have two votes. The English have only one. And the
Scottish, Welsh and N Irish MPs in the Westminster/UK Parliament can vote on matters affecting England. So if Nicola Sturgeon keeps a firm hold on the SNP MPs at Westminster, and there are enough of them, the SNP could make quite an impact. Does the present situation make sense?

She is a Member of the Scottish Parliament. Presumably one cannot be both and MSP and a Westminster MP, but as an MSP she can still be leader of the SNP.

both an

Does that apply to Alex Salmond bags? I thought he was an MSP and he is standing for the Westminster Parliament. I suppose that's the same with Nigel Farage who is a member of the European Parliament and is standing for a seat in the House of Commons. Can they be dual members?

Thanks, POGS. DH and I were discussing this this morning but I didn't like to ask on here unless I was missing the beedin' obvious.

I assume that the intention is for Alex Salmond to be leader of the Parliamentary SNP. Nicola Sturgeon has an onerous job as first minister of Scotland as well as representing her local constituency at Holyrood. She is, nevertheless, the leader of the SNP and will be party to all discussions regarding policy. I can't see her relinquishing oversight of policy decisions. I'm sure she will have the wily AS on speed dial!
There is some concern in Scotland that a large number of the SNP candidates in the GE are inexperienced. The highly experienced Douglas Alexander (Shadow Foreign Secretary) is opposed by a 20-year-old undergraduate. However, The SNP is on such a roll that many votes will simply be cast for the party rather than the candidate. Time will tell.

The Welsh Assembly has elections at a different time to the GENERAL election - the First Minister of Wales is Carwyn Jones - who is actually a very good leader. He is leader of the Labour Group in in the Welsh Assembly but is not standing for Parliament. The Leader of Plaid Cymru is Leanne Woods and she is not standing for Paliament either although she has had quite a bit of exposure on TV. The Leaders of the Conservaives or Lib Dem group in the Welsh Asembly are not standing or a Parliamentary seat either.
If he gets in Alex Salmond will be the Leader of the Scottish Nationalist group in the Houses of Parliament. If not presumable they will need to elect/appoint a leader of that group.
The whole system in UK is now so multilayered and we are paying salaries etc to all these people and civil servants needed. More devolution in the NE or anywhere else will be the same. I think the Constituencies should he a bit smaller and the same person represent the people both in London and in the devolved parliaments/assemblies. If they had say three days a week with all MPs sitting in Westminster and two days in Cardiff, Edinburgh or Stormont and the MPs for English constituencies could do business just oncerning England.That would save millions on salaries!

I like that, Bez!

The Welsh Assembly elections are next year; I presume the Scottish and NI ones are at the same time.
In my opinion they are just another layer of government costing the taxpayer a fortune.

Local council/ county council/Welsh assembly/parliament/house of lords/ european parliament
Six layers - all paid for by us.

I suppose as leader of the SNP and a member of the Scottish parliament she can campaign along with the rest of them. Leanne Wood, leader of Plaid, is an Assembly member not an MP. Natalie Bennett is not an MP or any other elected member, although she is standing for St Pancras and Holborn. Would she continue as leader if she was not elected? Probably.

They don't have to be an MP to be leader of the Party.

But it is all confusing and shows what a mess it all is since devolution.

Good idea, Bez!

I think Salmond did serve as both an MSP and an MP for a time, gaga, but as anno points out, Sturgeon has enough on her plate right now.

I like that approach too, bez.

Alec Salmond is an MP, Nicola Sturgeon is an MSP.

thatbags because the elections are at different times, our local Welsh Assembly member stood for Parliament, won the seat, and continued with both jobs for quite some time (the whole year I think).

Apparently he just took one salary, refusing the one from the Welsh Assembly.

felice, Alex Salmond is a former MP. He has not been one for some time. Of course, it can't be guaranteed that he will win the Westminster seat of Gordon, but it's odds on that he will.

Isn't all this a disadvantage for English MP's who have no resident parliament in situ as they have the pleasure of with Stormont, ,Holyrood and the Welsh AssemblyAssembly during this election , because England was never given the opportunity for devolution as privileged to the other nations who make up the UK.

The Conservatives would still have Cameron, Labour Miliband and Lib Dems Clegg in situ until the English Voter decides which party they want to rule England, as Nicola Sturgeon et al have that right at the moment in their respective devolved parliaments/countries.

It seems to me England/English MP's should have a devolved parliament for parity and fairness with the other UK nations, why not?

This General Election would be better described as the English and Westminster Parliamentary Election as only the English MP's are all up for election for their country and Westminster at the same time. Other MP's from the devolved nations who are not placed in the same position can and are time and again having a major input into an election where they are sitting in a very comfortable safe seat, their position during this election is guaranteed. How is this a fair system when one country is disadvantaged so openly.

Forget Nicola Sturgeon, Cameron, Miliband being accused of nationalism or stirring up trouble the ruddy system of devolution is the cause of all this anymosity because 3 out of the 4 nations were treated differently.

I had heard of the West Lothian Question but I gave it little thought until the Scottish Independence referendum took place did I think much about it. Even until this election did I sit up and take much notice but the point re Nicola Sturgeon and not standing for election has certainly woken me up to it now.

I have gotten to the nub of it now.

only the English MP's are all up for election for their country and Westminster at the same time. Other MP's from the devolved nations who are not placed in the same position can and are time and again having a major input into an election where they are sitting in a very comfortable safe seat, their position during this election is guaranteed

You appear to be tied up in constitutional knots, Pogs. Most MSPs are not standing for a Westminster constituency, with the notable exception of Alex Salmond. There is a largely different cohort of SNP parliamentary candidates from those that already represent constituencies at Holyrood. Even the constituencies are different, though usually overlapping.

One of the things many people object to about the present dog's breakfast is that we have TWO sets of elected representatives for Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, one lot sitting in their own part of the UK and one lot at Westminster. I believe a lot of Scottish MPs (not SMPs) were in the habit of abstaining from the vote in cases just affecting England. But they didn't have to and both Sturgeon and Salmond have said they will encourage members of their party, sitting at Westminster, to vote tactically to their advantage. Bez explains it very well and suggests a solution. The worst of it is, we knew this was going to be a mess. Rather as the invasion of Iraq was.

I think this argument was fairly exhaustively discussed at all levels both at the time of Scottish devolution and of course the independence referendum.
I am amazed it passed anyone by.