Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Nicola Sturgeon could be independence Obi Wan Kenobi, say Angus activists

Independence activists across Tayside and Fife have vowed to continue campaigning after Nicola Sturgeon's resignation.

Indy Wan Kenobi
Indy Wan Kenobi

Campaigners in Angus have called on Nicola Sturgeon to emulate a movie hero when her time as first minister comes to an end.

Local activists have called on the SNP leader to become the Obi Wan Kenobi of Scottish independence when she finally lays down her lightsaber at Bute House.

They are calling on the party boss to take more of a guiding role within the grassroots movement when she is no longer constrained by leading the country.

And one even went as far as to compare her to the Star Wars character made famous by the late Alec Guinness and later portrayed in the prequels by Perthshire star Ewan McGregor.

‘It is the people’s movement’

Ruth Watson from Yes Kirriemuir said her group’s fight to make Scotland an independent country will continue after Ms Sturgeon’s leadership comes to an end.

She said: “It is the people’s movement, a people whose time has come.

“Most people will say thank you for your service, but it may be she can be like Obi Wan Kenobi now she is no longer fettered by her political role.

Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi
Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi. Image: Supplied

“She may become a more dominant presence when she is not constrained by the niceties of being first minister.”

Ms Watson added that Ms Sturgeon has been a “remarkable figurehead” for the independence movement and has done a “huge amount” for the people of Scotland.

‘This was never about one person’

Following on from her resignation announcement, other independence groups in Tayside have vowed to carry on their campaigning, saying independence will not end with Ms Sturgeon’s premiership.

Colin Clement from Yes Dundee said: “The Yes movement put a lot of investment in Nicola Sturgeon because they like what she did and the way she behaved.

Colin Clement from Yes Dundee. Image: Kim Cessford/DC Thomson.

“She was the kind of politician people put emotional investment in because they felt like she did the right things for the right reasons, even if she was not always popular.”

Mr Clement added: “Nothing changes because this was never about one person, it is a movement.

“Nicola Sturgeon will still be a part of that.

“Having a new leader will mean starting with a blank sheet of paper and it is up to them to convince the nation that independence is the solution.”

Vow to carry on campaigning

In Perth, independence activists came together to watch Ms Sturgeon’s resignation speech at the Destiny Perth and Kinross Yes Hub on the old High Street.

Jacqui Jensen from the group said she was “saddened” by the news, but added she is also feeling “optimistic” about what this change could mean for independence.

Jacqui Jensen from Destiny Perth and Kinross Yes Hub. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson.

She said: “I don’t anticipate the fight for independence to change, despite Nicola Sturgeon being a big figure for us.

“She was our leader and as a feminist I looked up to her and had a lot of respect for her.

“But the independence movement is bigger than just one person.”

Conversation