Nicola Sturgeon not standing for election

If only!

(joke! before anyone posts in indignation)

At one time we were considered old, now we're middle-aged!
So Nicola is no longer 'middle-aged', she's just a young girl

But it was patronising! She is a senior politician for heaven's sake, First Minister is the equivalent of Prime Minister. Would you refer to Angela Merkel "confident"?
And as for "young", well, David Cameron was a year younger when he became Prime Minister in 2010, and a couple of centuries ago, William Pitt the Younger was 24!

Sorry granjura but one of the 7 Signs of Ageing has to be referring to people as "confident young men /women" !!

My 2 are about the same age- extremely capable and with senior positions- but they are young as compared to us ;) my comment was not in any way deragotary or patronising- shame you would see it as such.

My DS born 1971, more than capable

Wasn't Tony Blair 44 when Labour won the 1997 election?

We were married in July 1970, she could have been my "love child"!

So was my youngest child. If he had gone into politics, he would be quite mature enough to lead a party.

Wow. now I do feel old!

Born July 1970 I believe.

Certainly not a young woman anyway.

Are you sure about her age Soutra?I assumed she was about 50 at least?

Hear, hear, Soutra!

I think that sounds so patronising! Why on earth should anybody be surprised at this " confidence"? She is a 44 year old lawyer and First Minister of Scotland, not some "wee girl". She is 1 year younger than Ed Miliband and 4 younger than David Cameron. It is a serious sign of ageing when people refer to political leaders as "nice young men" or "a confident young woman".

How long before Scotland goes for another Referendum and this time, wins?

Got to the stage where many would say 'good riddance' - but go, find your own currency, get passports to come to the UK, and forget about any funding. What do you think?

Mind you, I take my hat off to Nicola Sturgeon- she is a very persuasive and confident young woman.

Iam64 At that time, I also "tooted" the miners and their families even though when working they earned far more than my husband and I together. One story I was told (a relative who worked in a pet shop) was of miners' children buying pet mice at 50p and a cage at £5. I couldn't afford the mouse. At least Thatcher only hit with words and with her handbag - unlike miners who formed gangs amongst themselves to physically intimidate colleagues into voting for Arthur. Not only their colleagues, but wives and children too were involved. (See Billy Elliott film.) As I said, leadership is a funny old thing. Or is it the followers? I read in this week's news that Germans and Nazis were two different nations/peoples. I wonder then who made all the uniforms similar.

CelticRose, along with friends and family, I was involved in fund raising/supporting striking miners. I always struggled with Arthur Scargill, felt at the time he was so like Thatcher in having that unreasonable belief in self that allows some people to trample rough shod over everyone else.

I was living near Barnsley at the time when Arthur was trying to buy an old Quaker mansion with its acres and acres of prime land, plus outbuildings. It all fell through (not because of undermining) but because he could not justify cost to out of work miners. The wives of miners - and their husbands - that I knew at that time, did not like Arthur. Funny old thing - leadership. A lot of Northern Ireland protestants didn't like Paisley either.

Thank goodness for that! NS is Scotland's answer to Tony Blair. Who wants another lawyer as PM.

I cannot see the point of a Thatcher museum anywhere. Perhaps instead there should be a museum in honour of that inspired leader Scargill, who did so much to keep the mines open and secure their future.

There will be no museum to Thatcher in Wales, but the Welsh (and Scottish, Cornish, Geordie, etc) and ex miners throughout the UK will have the privilege of contributing to the museum via their taxes.

Are you joking about a museum to Thatcher in Wales, Dotsmam?
The very idea makes me feel sick.

I doubt it Dotsmam as much as I doubt I will put my name down to fly into outer space , and I will not go in a lift or look out of a first floor window . Only place to remember her is in the British crime museum.

so Anniebach will we start a collection to help with her museum then?! (Joke)