"Time" report on the rise of the SNP

This Woman Is Forecast to be the Biggest Winner of the U.K. Election

• Megan Gibson/Edinburgh @MeganJGibson

May 4, 2015

Andy Buchanan—AFP/Getty Images First Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon campaigns in South Queensferry on the outskirts of Edinburgh on April 28, 2015.

Nicola Sturgeon and her Scottish National Party are predicted to wipe out all opposition in Scotland and become the United Kingdom's third biggest party

“Oh my god, it’s Nicola Sturgeon,” a twenty-something woman in a wool beanie cries, sounding genuinely star struck, as she spots the rising star of U.K. politics in the middle of a scrum of journalists, photographers and selfie seekers. The Scottish National Party (SNP) leader and Scottish First Minister is on the campaign trail, visiting a street in South Queensferry, a town on the western outskirts of Edinburgh, and stopped at a promenade with the spectacular Forth bridges in the distance. With just days to go before the U.K.’s general election on May 7, “Sturgeon-mania” — as the British press has branded the politician’s sudden spike in popularity — is in full swing.
Dressed smartly in a red suit and heels, Sturgeon stops to embrace voters, hold babies and snap selfies with the people crowding along the cobblestone street to meet her. Builders call out to her from nearby scaffolding and those working in the cafes and hair salons across the road line up along the street, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of her. Though she took the reins of her party less than eight months ago, Sturgeon has clearly achieved celebrity status in her home country.
“She’s more of a statesman than anyone else we’ve got,” says Sandy Thomson, a retired builder who lives down the road and came up to meet Sturgeon. He’s planning on voting SNP on May 7, after years of voting for either the Labour or Liberal Democrat parties. It’s a story repeated over and over by people in the crowd.