Nicola Sturgeon takes a pop at her online detractors in farewell speech as she says there’s now a ‘harsher and more hostile’ environment for female politicians – with departing SNP leader agreeing with Tony Blair that social media is a ‘plague’

• Nicola Sturgeon despairs at how social media ‘mis-shapes’ political debates
• Departing SNP leader uses farewell speech in London to warn of dangers

Nicola Sturgeon today hit out at online trolls as she warned of a ‘harsher and more hostile’ environment for female politicians created by social media.

The departing Scottish First Minister, beginning her last week in office, used a speech in London to despair at how online platforms ‘mis-shape’ issues.

She claimed that politicians could lose an ability to ‘address the massive, era-defining issues the world faces’ without the rediscovery of ‘civil’ debates.

Ms Sturgeon, speaking at the RSA, also admitted she agreed with ex-prime minister Sir Tony Blair’s recent assertion that social media is a ‘plague on modern politics’.

The SNP leader’s visit to London, in which she also conducted a series of TV interviews, comes as she counts down her final days in power.

Nicola Sturgeon, the departing SNP leader, used a speech in London to despair at how online platforms ‘mis-shape’ issues

Speaking at the RSA, the Scottish First Minister admitted she agreed with ex-prime minister Sir Tony Blair’s recent assertion that social media is a ‘plague on modern politics

Ms Sturgeon claimed that politicians could lose an ability to ‘address the massive, era-defining issues the world faces’ without the rediscovery of ‘civil’ debates

Ms Sturgeon’s trip to the capital also put her 400 miles from the chaos enveloping her party at Holyrood over how their new leader is chosen. 

Her husband, Peter Murrell, was forced to quit as the SNP’s chief executive at the weekend amid a row over the release of party membership figures. 

His interim replacement, party president Mike Russell, admitted the SNP were in a ‘tremendous mess’ just a week before Ms Sturgeon’s successor is due to be unveiled on March 27.

In her RSA speech, Ms Sturgeon acknowledged that social media ‘has many benefits’ but warned the ‘damage’ it causes was ‘outweighing the benefits’.

‘I haven’t always – or even often – in my political career agreed with Tony Blair,’ she said.

‘But I recently heard him express the view that social media is a plague on politics – and while I don’t agree that this is an inevitability, I do think it is the reality right now.

‘It is distorting debate. The sheer pace of rolling news encourages us all to speak first and think later.

‘Minor dramas become crises and then catastrophes in what can feel like nano seconds.

‘Algorithms create echo chambers, obliterate nuance, and force us into binary positions that polarise even the most complex of issues.

‘The distinction between objective fact and subjective opinion has all but disappeared.’

The First Minister added the ‘amplification effect’ of social media ‘too often leads politicians to think that extreme opinions are the view of the majority, when they are most definitely not’.

She continued: ‘Politics has always been tough – and it should be.

‘But social media is creating an environment that, frankly, is harsher and more hostile – particularly for women and those from minority communities – than at any time in my political career.

‘It gives racism, misogyny, sexism, bigotry generally – not new phenomena by any means – a platform and a vehicle.’

Ms Sturgeon warned that if social media ‘continues to dominate and shape – or rather mis-shape – debate in the way it does now… we risk destroying our ability to address the massive, era-defining issues that the world faces’.

‘We must, as a matter of urgency, rediscover and recharge one of the basic functions of democracy – to peaceably and civilly resolve our differences,’ she added.

Ms Sturgeon’s husband, Peter Murrell, was forced to quit as SNP chief executive at the weekend over a row over the release of party membership figures

Kate Forbes, who is competing to be Ms Sturgeon’s replacement, said she has confidence in the process to find a new party leader

Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf, Finance Secretary Kate Forbes and former community safety minister Ash Regan are currently competing to be Ms Sturgeon’s replacement.

She advised whoever takes on her job to be bold ‘especially on the issues that matter the most’.

In an appearance on ITV’s Loose Women earlier today, Ms Sturgeon insisted the SNP was ‘not in a mess’ despite the bitter infighting that has marked the ongoing leadership contest.

She put the party’s woes down to ‘growing pains’, which she said were ‘necessary but difficult’. 

Mr Russell told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme this morning he has been brought in to ‘steady the ship’ and will focus on doing that for the next week.

Asked what has gone wrong, Mr Russell told the BBC: ‘A whole host of things quite clearly.

‘But my focus as I said yesterday and I’m saying again today, is to ensure we get to next Monday to the declaration of the (leadership) result in a much better form and do it in an orderly fashion and that’s what I’m going to be doing this week: making sure that we focus on the important things for the people of Scotland actually because we have a duty to the people of Scotland.

‘The person that the party selects will be the party’s nominee for First Minister and we’ve got to get this right and we’ve got to do it in the proper way, so that’s the focus just now.

‘I think then the new leader needs to look very closely at a whole range of issues, including the organisation of party HQ, and also the fact that we haven’t had a leadership election in 19 years and I have to say it shows.’

Party president Mike Russell admitted the SNP were in a ‘tremendous mess –  just a week before Ms Sturgeon’s successor is due to be unveiled

Mr Murrell quit with immediate effect on Saturday following a row over the party’s membership numbers.

Mr Murrell said he took responsibility after misleading information was briefed to the media over membership numbers, but said there was no ‘intent to mislead’.

The party this week confirmed there had been a big drop in membership numbers.

His departure came shortly after that of media chief Murray Foote, who said there had been a ‘serious impediment’ to his role. 

And last week, two of the SNP leader candidates to succeed Ms Sturgeon as first minister: Ms Forbes and Ms Regan, questioned the independence of the election process.

Ms Forbes said she has confidence in the process to find a new leader.

Asked whether she would like the leadership contest to be rerun, Ms Forbes told BBC Radio Scotland: ‘Personally, no. I personally would like us to get to the end which is next week.’

During the interview, Ms Forbes was also asked what she makes about the drop in SNP membership, which has fallen by more than 30,000 in the past two years.

She said: ‘I think that absolutely demonstrates that this needs to be a change election.’

On Sunday, Ms Forbes said decisions in the SNP are being taken by too few people.

She told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg: ‘I think at the heart of this is the fact that the decisions within the SNP have been taken by too few people.

‘I think that’s well recognised across the political domain.

‘SNP members want to know that our institution is democratic, that they can influence it, that they can shape policy.’

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