When Nicola Sturgeon gave the go-ahead to raising money among patrons and supporters of the Scottish SNP in preparation for a second independence referendum, she could not have imagined that the sum obtained would be exactly £666,000. Because according to the Book of the Apocalypse of Saint John, and as a result of this in popular culture, 666 is the number of Satan, the one with red skin and goat’s horns, seven-eyed beasts and many-faced monsters heads, the one who will wear “the Beast” printed on his forehead to be recognized when the end of the world arrives.
So far, fortunately, no one has found any monster or any animal with the 666 tattooed, unless it is the mark of a ranch. But even the most incredulous supporters of the Scottish National Party (SNP) must think there is some truth to the legend following the arrest yesterday of the group’s former leader and former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as a suspect in a funding scandal, the disappearance of funds raised for a sovereignist consultation that is no longer on any political calendar. “I am convinced that I have not committed any crime”, she declared.
If it’s not exactly the end of the world for Sturgeon and the Apocalypse for the SNP, it’s not far behind. The ex-premier, who for eight years dominated Scottish politics with overwhelming majorities, was released without charge, pending the development of the investigation, after several hours of questioning at a police station where he appeared by appointment, like who goes to the doctor, the tax advisor or the oral hygienist. At least she was spared the humiliation of being raided at her Glasgow home, being handcuffed and put into a police car in front of neighbours. And as far as the party is concerned, the disenchantment is tremendous among the grassroots, the new leadership has lost its way and is preparing to suffer a severe setback in next year’s general elections. It may lose a good number of seats, with Labor the main beneficiary on its way to Downing Street.
“A 52-year-old woman has been arrested today, Sunday 11 June 2023, in connection with the ongoing investigation into the finances of the SNP,” said a rare statement from Police Scotland at half past three in the afternoon, when many Brits ate the traditional roast in pubs, or had picnics in parks taking advantage of a day of exceptional heat and sunshine across the country. SNP supporters had their lunch interrupted by the unexpected announcement of expected news. Unionists, on the other hand, celebrated as if their team had won the league, the collapse of a towering figure who had dominated the country’s politics since 2014, and left without warning and without ever losing an election .
When Nicola Sturgeon said she was leaving in February citing “the pressure of politics” and that she was tired, many people frowned. There had to be something more. Some attributed it to the strong opposition to the trans law (similar to the Spanish one) that he had sponsored. Others, at the ruling of the Supreme Court to close the doors to their great crusade for a second independence referendum. There were even those who speculated about the desire to lead a UN agency. Only the most perceptive saw the SNP’s financial problems as the heart of the matter.
But in both crime and politics, it’s a good start to follow the money. And while the news media (except those most viscerally opposed to the SNP) treated the issue cautiously, by then the police had long been investigating the disappearance of the £666,000 that was raised to organize a new referendum when it appeared not only possible but probable, and in reality they were used for the management of the group and its electoral campaigns, without informing or consulting anyone, without asking the authorization of those who had given the funds.
When the Supreme Court vetoed the sovereignist consultation, a patron thought to take a look at the party’s coffers, and discovered that there were only 95,000 pounds; the rest had evaporated. The scandal took shape. Sturgeon ate the game, and left Jacinda Ardern (former New Zealand Prime Minister) style with the excuse of pressure and fatigue, before being pushed, even arrested, while still in power . Soon he began to see what was actually behind it. First, in a spectacular raid on the family home, her husband, Peter Murrell, chief executive of the SNP, was arrested. Then Colin Beattie, the group’s treasurer. It was only a matter of time before she met the same fate.
Scottish sovereignty is looking for a new direction after the referendum veto, and it has Humza Yousaf as a transitional leader with little charisma and little internal authority. The militancy is divided between those who opt for a “Catalan-style” invitation (unauthorized referendum) and those who prefer to wait, reorganize and gradually attract followers, until at least 60% of Scots want the break. Most people expect an electoral disaster, the loss of around ten or twelve seats in next year’s general elections, even if the party continues to be the most voted by far. But the days when it held 56 of the 59 Scottish seats at Westminster are long gone. The decline had begun, but yesterday’s arrest of Sturgeon has hit rock bottom. Citizens unhappy with the management of health and education, with crime and the deterioration of infrastructure, are considering giving Keir Starmer’s Labor a chance (and their vote). The SNP needs a new strategy.
In the movie Mes dura serda la cuida, an unscrupulous manager takes the brash Argentine boxer Toro Moreno to the world heavyweight title through rigged fights. In the fight, the boxer takes a brutal beating and his purse is only $50. Sturgeon has not come out so damaged, but her fall has also been very hard; the SNP is preparing to be out of action, and £666,000 has disappeared from its coffers. If the United Kingdom had adopted the euro, it would be 777,000 at today’s exchange rate. And 7, in the Bible, is not the number of Lucifer but the number of perfection. They would be figs from another loaf.
