When the Scottish National Party meets for its annual conference next month, members will have plenty to celebrate. Defeat in September's from the UK was narrower than many commentators had expected, and 60,000 have since then. But the highlight of the conference weekend will be the coronation of the party's new leader, Nicola Sturgeon. Political leadership contests are normally grueling affairs. Backstabbing and double-crossing are common as candidates vie for power. Not so in Scotland last week. Sturgeon, a slight-framed 44-year-old Glasgow lawyer with a penchant for Scandinavian television dramas, was confirmed last Wednesday as 's successor without a contest. She will formally take over...
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