Nicola Sturgeon has announced that she is resigning, after eight years as First Minister. She has been in charge for a long time: a full generation by some definitions. This is certainly time enough to make your mark on a country with devolved powers unparalleled in the democratic world.
But as she prepares to leave the political stage, how much difference did she actually make in Scotland?
1. Life expectancy for Scots men and women has seen the sharpest fall in 40 years – accelerating in the time Sturgeon’s been in power.
Scottish men born today can expect to live 77 years, the lowest of any UK country (it’s 79 in England) and a fall of some 18 weeks on the year before. The same is true for women who can expect to live to 81 – a six week fall. Glasgow has the lowest life expectancy of anywhere in the UK.
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