Nicola Sturgeon’s Frankly
Review by Andrew Murray Scott
[Scots Independent, September 2025]
Political memoirs exist to maximise successes and put forward plausible excuses to mitigate the failures. Frankly is no exception and most readers will bring pre-existing ideas about Sturgeon and her legacy to the task. It supplies mandatory behind-the-scenes drama, some insider gossip and ‘controversies’ as well as the narrative of her career. From early political involvement in Ayrshire to election as an MSP and 25 years in the Scottish Parliament; sixteen in Ministerial posts and eight as First Minister. A political career made entirely in Scotland without the taint of Westminster, so it is a pity the book was not offered to a Scottish publisher as a gesture of faith in Scottish publishing. Hyped as ‘revelatory’ it does reveal, with considerable frankness, her increasing sense of imposter syndrome as shy activist mutates into the public persona of Nicola and becomes the face of SNP campaigns. Trapped inside the carapace, she learns to function brilliantly as a national leader but often feels trapped. Details of her miscarriage, previous relationships and later, going through the menopause whilst intensely involved in high-level politics, are accompanied by insightful comments into the attitudes of men towards female leaders.
The long and successful partnership with Alex Salmond – the ‘dream team’ that almost won Independence – is scrutinised. Inevitably, for while Sturgeon’s husband Peter Murrell is referenced 48 times in the book, there are 270 references to Salmond. After his death, Sturgeon agonised about ‘whether I should even write about the events which shattered our relationship.’ Clearly it was difficult for her. While some claim it is posthumous assassination, I cannot believe that anyone who reads it could come to that conclusion. There are few who do not think Alex was a genius, fewer still who think he was a saint. Like most SI readers, I had engagement with both, and it seems to me that Frankly is a meticulously fair account and has the feel of truth, and the truth often hurts.
Sturgeon cannot be accused either of skipping over mistakes she made and admits these were many. She did not provide us with Independence of course. Some will never forgive her for that. Poor handling of various scandals, and at the outbreak of the gender ‘wars’ in 2022 she ‘lost the dressing room’ as she puts it, a ‘rabbit in the headlights’ over the Isla Bryson affair when her ‘communication skills deserted me utterly,’ and regrets not pausing GRA legislation to allow mature consideration by all parties. But it would be churlish not to recognise her hard work and her record. Victory in each of the eight elections she faced as leader: three UK General Elections, two Holyrood elections, two nationwide council elections and one European election. Yet her sense of self throughout is insecure. ‘There is no doubt that I was a massive electoral asset’ she proclaims, ahead of the 2016 Holyrood elections, immediately undercutting such immodesty with: ‘I had started to believe… that I really did walk on water.’
There are a lot of tears in the book and a prevailing sense of her own inadequacy, as well as an admission that she underwent counselling following her grilling at the Covid Inquiry. It has not been an easy road for her, or us. This book, like the memoirs of previous SNP leaders contains important insights, essential reading for our future leaders.