"Nicola Sturgeon." "Until recently, a name few outside Scotland had heard." "Now it's a name on everyone's lips." "So, who is she?" "It's good to be able to say, in Scotland, it doesn't matter your background." "If you're good enough, you can do what you want." "I think we need to get this show on the road." "I'm behind the scenes with the woman who now holds the future of the UK in her hands." "I still describe myself underneath as quite a shy person, which..." "People laugh when I say that, but it's true." "All eyes are on her relationship with the Prime Minister." "I'm a great believer that in our United Kingdom, we want a strong Scottish Parliament, but we also want the solidarity between the different parts of our United Kingdom." "And I don't want to lose that." "If he acts as if it's business as usual after the election result that we've had in Scotland, then he's going to send the wrong message to Scotland." "And on the man who used to be her boss." "Why on earth would I possibly resent when a plan seems to be working out rather well?" "And you're sure he won't undermine you?" "Alex will never undermine me." "Branded the most dangerous woman in Britain," "I want to know if her party's election victory means the break-up of the UK is now inevitable." "She is hugely dangerous to unionism, to anybody who wants the UK to stay together." "For the simple reason that she is devastatingly good at what she does." "The First Minister of Scotland as you've never seen her before, taking a trip down memory lane." "We both grew up here in Dreghorn, a former mining village on the West Coast of Scotland." "This is really bringing back memories." "This hedge used to be slightly further back, OK, but that fence was still there." "We used to play shops between the hedge and the fence." " So that was our counter." " Really?" " Yeah." "And so, you used to live in here?" "That one there." "Yeah, this is where all my childhood years were spent." "And what was it like?" "I remember being really happy growing up here." "My mum and dad still live up there, so it feels very familiar to me." "'The politician she is today is defined by where she came from.'" "Coming from a working-class background and being able to get on in life and do whatever you want," "I mean, that's ingrained in me." "That aspirational, getting on in life, making the most of what talents and abilities you've been given." "That's just almost the essence of who I am, really." "This is where Nicola Sturgeon is now." "Centre stage in a new political reality." "Where the Prime Minister is forced to listen to a woman who wants to break up the union he governs." "I do think the relationship between David Cameron and Nicola Sturgeon will be very important." "And it will be important because she will be trying to get one over on him." "And she'll probably succeed." "At their first meeting after the election, she pushed for more powers for Scotland." "He said he'd think about it." "But that won't be enough for Nicola Sturgeon." "The Scottish Nationalists have got 50-odd seats and David Cameron has got 320-odd seats." "I think that is the basis of the real world of politics." "So I don't think David Cameron is going to be sitting there preoccupied with the views of Nicola Sturgeon." "It's a Scottish Cabinet meeting this morning." "It'll be the first time that Nicola Sturgeon's met her ministers since David Cameron came to see her in Edinburgh last week." "So I think there'll be a lot to talk about." "'I'm allowed behind the scenes 'in the First Minister's official residence." "'I even get a cup of tea." "'The meeting itself is private." "'On the agenda will be how they plan to oppose more welfare cuts.'" "I think we need to get this show on the road." "It's issues like austerity that will set the Scottish Government on a collision course with David Cameron." "And could provide the trigger for the SNP to propose a second independence referendum." "I was very blunt with him about the choice he has just now." "You know, if he acts as if it's business as usual after the election result we've had in Scotland, then I think he's going to send, in my view, the wrong message to Scotland." "It's extraordinary to think, six months ago, few south of the border had heard of Nicola Sturgeon." "I think we've seen tonight from this discussion why we really need to break the old boys' network at Westminster." "She might be a familiar face to me and others in Scotland, but, like, an episode of Britain's Got Talent," "Nicola Sturgeon was revealed as the unexpected star turn of the televised debates." "In a way, it's rude to compare her to Susan Boyle, but the idea of having what you thought was an ordinary woman, who you thought you knew, suddenly sing, in her case, a political song which resonated right around Britain," "it's quite something." "Today, she's back in Dreghorn to meet old friends." " Hello!" " Hello, there!" " How are you?" " I'm fine." "Come in." "I want to understand how Nicola Sturgeon rose from our wee Ayrshire village to become one of the most powerful women in Britain." "When we were kids, few people here voted SNP." "I should know." "My mum was a seasoned SNP campaigner back then." "The Scottish National Party is determined to save the steel industry." "When she stood for the SNP in the 1987 general election," "Nicola Sturgeon turned up on our doorstep." "She was 16." "I knocked on her front door one night during the 1987 general election campaign and she came to the door." "And I said something like, "Can I help your campaign, Mrs Ullrich?"" ""My name's Nicola Sturgeon, can I help your campaign?"" "She remembers it better than I do." "LAUGHTER" "And then she said, "Yes, come away in."" "Margaret Thatcher was on her way to a third term as Prime Minister." "Nicola Sturgeon's burning hatred of Tory economic policies drove her to action." "And it's been driving her ever since." "I just sat there thinking, "I've got to do something about this."" " You were 16 at the time?" " I was 16, yeah." "That's pretty young to get involved in politics." "Yeah." "Still, to this day, really," "I can't work out what it was that gave me the courage to do it." "Because I was..." "She'll remember, I was quite a shy young person." "She was a bit of a poser, as well, I have to say." "A poser?" "I was not a poser!" "LAUGHTER" "Do you remember the black coat you used to have?" " In the '80s, there was the black coat and serious pose." " There was." "To pluck up the courage to come here, I don't know." "I don't know where I got that from, but I'm glad I did." " Oh, and so are we!" " LAUGHTER" "My life might have turned out rather differently if I hadn't." "The rest, as they say, is history." "My mum and her new recruit were unusual." "Most people around here supported Labour." "There was a lot of damage being done to the communities we grew up in." "And Labour had, I don't know how many it was, 50 MPs at that point." "Labour couldn't stop it, so we should be independent and get the government we did vote for." "Her own gradual path to power mirrors that of the party she now leads." "Power she could never have imagined." "Talking about the SNP being at 11% when I joined, there also wasn't a Scottish Parliament." "There wasn't a First Minister." "So the idea of ever being in elected office - certainly the idea of ever being a government minister - it just would never have entered my head." "Fast-forward nearly three decades to a sight I could never have imagined in the place where we both grew up." "Philippa Whitford, Scottish National Party," " 26,000..." " CHEERING" "CHEERING AND APPLAUSE" "That is a massive defeat for the local Labour MP here." "He's held the seat for 23 years and his 12,000 majority has gone just like that." "CHEERING" "'I watched them fall like dominoes." "Labour was swept aside." "'By the end of the night, the SNP had scooped 'all but three of Scotland's 59 seats." "'Now it's the third-largest party at Westminster.'" "We were badly organised." "We were complacent." "We didn't see this coming." "The SNP were brilliantly organised." "Behind the scenes, they've got some of the best organisers." "They got the message over." "During the campaign, Nicola Sturgeon even enjoyed positive approval ratings in England." "I think a lot of people voting in the general election weren't voting for their local SNP candidates, they were voting for Nicola Sturgeon." "Time to talk politics." "We're both in interview mode now, and I want to know why she thinks the SNP triumphed." "I think, post-referendum, there was a feeling that," "OK, there hadn't been a Yes vote," "Scotland had voted to stay within the UK, but Scotland had also, during the course of the referendum campaign, really come alive." "And there had been such a fantastic sense of empowerment and engagement." "And people didn't want to let that go." "It's clear she's enjoying something of a political honeymoon." "On the road at a photo call with trainee female mechanics," "I see the Nicola effect up-close." "A common touch that many politicians can only dream of." " She's lovely." " She put you at your ease?" " Yeah, she really did." " She's just a normal person." "She's just like one of us." "Is it quite hard to be "on" all the time?" "To be honest, it's part of the job I really enjoy, because you get to speak to folk that you would never get to speak to." "You hear about people's lives and experiences." "So it's actually the privileged part of the job." "She knows all too well about being an apprentice in a man's world." "For over a decade, Nicola Sturgeon served her time as Alex Salmond's deputy." "And before that, he was her mentor." "This is Nicola Sturgeon." "I asked him how he rated her back then." "She had a good recognition of her abilities." "Perhaps not initially." "You know, this is a characteristic which is much more present in female politicians than male politicians." "Most male politicians have an outstanding grasp of their own abilities." "Many women in politics, even confident women, would probably underestimate the extent of their abilities." "She finally emerged from his shadow after Scotland voted No to independence last autumn." "I believe that this is a new, exciting situation that's redolent with possibility." "But in that situation, I think the party, parliament and country would benefit from new leadership." "APPLAUSE" "She was the right leader for the party at this point." "And Alex was very wise in his decision to step down." "He was totally aware of what he was doing." "And it wasn't about defeat, it was about progress." "CHEERING AND APPLAUSE" "As SNP leader and First Minister, she's quickly proved to be more popular than her old boss." "He's now one of her MPs at Westminster." "She's certainly an outstandingly popular leader." "On my own behalf, I would note that, er..." "I went through an entire 7½ years as First Minister of Scotland without a single negative opinion poll rating." "BAGPIPES" "I like what you've done with your new office, Alex." "It's no good, Nicola, I can't wait!" "I want independence and I want it now!" "I can't stand this master-servant relationship any longer!" "It's got to end!" "Patience!" "We'll leave England soon enough." "England?" "!" "I want independence from you!" "There's been a lot of speculation recently about whether she'll be able to keep you under control at Westminster." "Will she?" "I've also seen her replies, which I thought was rather good, that she had no intention of wanting to keep me under control, and why on earth should she?" "For a leader, as I am now, in my position, not to want to have a talent as big as Alex Salmond on your side contributing to your team, you'd be pretty daft." "And you're sure he won't undermine you?" "Alex will never undermine me." "Every instinct I have politically tells me that to have a leader in Scotland and someone as powerful as Alex Salmond in the House of Commons is not sustainable." "The very idea that the SNP would be such a strong force at Westminster and Holyrood was unthinkable 15 years ago." "When Tony Blair visited Scotland after the Yes vote to devolution, he and triumphant Scottish Labour leader Donald Dewar thought he'd put the Nationalists back in their box." "It's good to see you." " Satisfactory, I think." " Very satisfactory." "And well done." "Well done indeed." "And Labour did dominate, for a time." "But the creation of a Scottish Parliament also awakened a Scottish spirit." "The Scottish Parliament adjourned on the 25th day of March in the year 1707 is hereby reconvened." "APPLAUSE" "I remember the late lamented Donald Dewar saying, this is not about our politics or our laws, this is about who we are and how we carry ourselves." "He knew this was about our identity." "Not in an anti-anybody sense, but in who we are, how we develop and, indeed, our aspirations." "I, Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon, do solemnly, sincerely and truly declare and affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, her heirs and successors, according to law." "'Nicola Sturgeon and my mum 'were both elected to that first Scottish Parliament." "'They celebrated its opening alongside one of Scotland's 'most famous sons, Sean Connery." "'So, where was the woman 'who would become one of its most famous daughters?" "'" "That's me." "That's my head." " Have I just pushed you out of the way?" " You have." "She has completely..." "That is me." "Because I remember..." " She elbowed you out of the way to get to Sean Connery." " Yeah." "So you have literally elbowed me out of that..." "LAUGHTER" "The party didn't last long for the SNP." "Labour triumphed again at the next Scottish election." "I hereby declare that Gordon Jackson is duly elected to serve as..." "But, like the party she now leads," "Nicola Sturgeon is driven by a single-minded sense of conviction." "How often have we fought campaigns, lost campaigns and come out of it saying," ""We won the campaign, we just lost the election"?" "She herself has lost seven elections over the years." "I hereby declare that Mohammad Sarwar is duly elected to serve as a Member of Parliament for the Glasgow Govan constituency." "On a night when we have seen a national swing to the Labour Party, the SNP have slashed Labour's majority in Govan..." "Even as a loser, she's full of fighting spirit." "She tried again, and again, and again until she finally won Glasgow Govan in 2007." "Her political character is forged out of defeat." "I can't believe I'm going to say what I'm about to say, but I am very, very grateful that I suffered so many defeats as a politician before I experienced success." "Because we know what it's like to lose and we know how hard it is to persuade people to vote for us and to win." "Her Govan constituency was once home to a thriving shipbuilding industry." "I've come to meet former union convener Jamie Webster, who, in the 1990s, felt the full force of her determination there." "I would have thought a young woman in her late 20s coming into a shipyard, traditionally Labour, that might have been quite a hostile environment for her." "She was never intimidated in any way." "She had a passion for what she believed in and she stood her ground all the time." "And I respected that and we stood with her." "First of all, the woman in black." "Can I ask George Robertson what the Labour Party will do when Scotland votes once again against the Tories en masse?" "We already have a Tory-free Scotland, what we need now is a totally free Scotland." " Right, let's just..." " APPLAUSE" "The young Nicola Sturgeon was bold, but perhaps a bit harsh, according to Jamie Webster." "Sometimes, I think she did come across as a bit headmistress-like." "I remember telling her on occasion that she should chill out." "As she was being advised to soften up, she was also facing the toughest political decision of her life." "'In 2004, she put herself forward to become SNP leader." "'Then, unexpectedly, Alex Salmond announced 'he wanted his old job back.'" "How did you feel when Alex Salmond asked you to stand aside?" "I don't remember feeling any great sort of, you know, insult or injury." "I think I..." "I know what I remember feeling more than anything is that" "I had to think about it, both in terms of my own credibility, but also what was in the best interests of the SNP." "'Once again, she played the long game." "'She put her ego aside and became his Deputy." "'Together, they set about transforming the image of the SNP.'" "It's time for a parliament with real power." "It's time for strong leadership." "They started telling a much more beguiling story about their party, about Scotland, and, crucially, about Scotland's potential, and Alex Salmond was good at that, but Nicola Sturgeon was also key to that process." "'It was also the start of a personal transformation for Nicola Sturgeon.'" "MUSIC:" "Paparazzi by Lady Gaga" "When you're in public life, when you appear on television, you do become more conscious of wanting to not have to kind of avert your own gaze when you see yourself on television, so, yes, you become naturally just more aware of these things." "Er, but, you know, did I ever sit down one day and say," ""I need to overhaul my image"?" "No, I never have." "'She somehow manages to channel an ordinariness - 'an authenticity that sets her apart from other political leaders.'" "This is the great paradox of Nicola Sturgeon." "I mean, we're not supposed to like career politicians now." "David Cameron, George Osborne, Nick Clegg, all of them marinated in politics ever since they left university." "But Nicola Sturgeon's been marinated in politics since she was a teenager." "She has been every bit as much of a machine politician as the Tories that she so reviles, and yet, somehow, she gets away with it." "'With a commitment that's all-consuming, 'she's even married to the party," "'SNP Chief Executive Peter Murrell." "'Although home life does get a look in sometimes.'" " You done the washing?" " Er, no!" "I haven't done the ironing either." " That's my job." " Indeed." " So I keep telling people." " Yeah, exactly." "We've exhausted our small talk." "That's terrible." "'This is the comprehensive 'both Nicola Sturgeon and I went to in the 1980s.'" "It's very nice." " Oh, look who's waiting for us." " Oh, look!" "Oh!" "We're late, Mr Kelso." "Yes, late detention, I think." "Oh, lovely to see you, really nice to see you." "'The building's all new now, 'so it's nice to meet a familiar face from our time there.'" " I know, it's all changed, hasn't it?" " It certainly has, uh-huh." "'A former teacher who inspired a passion for debate in both of us.'" "I was getting more interested in politics, and, er, Mr Kelso " "Roy, I'm told I've got to call him now, which is very difficult to do - er, I think it's fair to say encouraged that interest in me." "My recollection of this place was that it was a bit of a rough-and-tumble school, it wasn't particularly easy to be clever here." "I know exactly what you mean, but, I mean," "I loved it, it was the school I went to, so I didn't..." "I don't look back on it and think that, you know," "I had to sort of hide wanting to get on and go to university." "I just always loved taking the opportunity to say to kids from any school - but particularly kids who went to the same school as me - you can do anything, you know." "Just because you grew up in a working-class area, go to a working-class school, doesn't mean you can't achieve absolutely anything you set your mind to." "Her Scottish government's record on education is under fire after eight years in power." "At First Minister's Questions recently," "I watched as she was attacked from all sides over falling standards." "We have declining standards in literacy and numeracy, and a persistent gap between better- and worse-off children." "And these are simply facts, First Minister." "I agree with her that there are improvements to be made in our education system" " I've said that consistently, every time this issue has been raised." "Falling literacy, numeracy standards in Scotland," " that can only be seen as a failure." " Let's get a sense of perspective." "Firstly, our education system today, if you look at exam passes in secondary school, generally, fewer pupils today leave school with no qualifications than was the case when the SNP government took office." "More pupils are leaving school today with not just one, two or three Highers, but four, five, six or more Highers than was the case when the SNP government took office." "But you're not closing the attainment gap at school." "I'm not accepting a situation where we're not equipping our young people with basic skills of literacy and numeracy." "We've got work to do there, and yes, we've got work - further work - to do to close the attainment gap between the least and the most deprived parts of our country." "They've taken their eye off the ball." "The astonishing thing that worries me is that they're getting away with it." "They appear to be Teflon-coated." "When I've gone round and knocked on doors and made this point to people, they've shrugged it off." "Because they have become enthused by the nationalist cause." "Thanks, Nicola." "This is the huge flaw in nationalism, the huge flaw in Nicola Sturgeon's agenda, more broadly." "Because the independence debate has eclipsed everything, it's taking the space that the far more important questions ought to occupy." "Back at the school, our old teacher had a surprise for us." "An essay written by Nicola Sturgeon that he's held onto for nearly 30 years." " It concerns Trident." " Is that..." " And it's from 1985..." " Certificate six, your studies exam paper." " I can't believe..." " You probably did that about 1988." " What does it say?" "This is quite amazing." "I want to read you this, OK?" "I just recall some of the debates during the recent election." ""I would strongly recommend" ""on economic, moral and political grounds," ""that the government do not go ahead" ""with the purchase and installation of the US Trident missile system."" "SHE LAUGHS" " Nobody can say I've not been consistent..." " No." "..on the issue of Trident, eh?" "She's proud, not embarrassed, that her views have never wavered." " Is that a wee reminder of what drives you now?" " Yeah." "Listen to the last sentence here." ""Britain should have the courage to stand up and put a halt to" ""the increasing nuclear madness which prevails in the world today."" "Wow." "# I want your love even if it's wrang" "# I like being told what I should dae... #" "Has she been consistent, though, on the question that was supposed to have been settled last autumn?" "Nicola Sturgeon had said a referendum on independence" " was a once-in-a-generation event." " We start them young." "But that was before her party's sweeping election victory." "Nicola Sturgeon, ladies and gentlemen!" "Now it seems all bets are off." "Has the result brought Scotland closer to independence?" "Not necessarily." "You know, I said repeatedly during the election campaign that a vote for the SNP in the general election campaign was not a vote for independence." "So are you categorically ruling it out of your manifesto for the next Scottish election?" "No, I didn't say we were ruling it in or out." "What I've said is that we haven't written our 2016 manifesto yet." "But in the run-up to the general election, it was talked about as a once-in-a-generation thing, so surely you would rule it out" " for next year's manifesto." " I guess what I'm doing here is making a pretty fundamental democratic point." "I'm one politician." "And it's not ultimately for me to decide whether there's another referendum." "Have they given up their ambition?" "I wouldn't believe any suggestion they had." "Whatever they may say at the moment, the leaders of that party are committed to breaking up the United Kingdom." "Do you think this general election result has brought independence closer?" " Yes, I do." " In what way?" "Because the SNP are now outstandingly and obviously the most credible force in Scottish politics." "Nicola Sturgeon says she would only propose another referendum if circumstances changed." "So what would those circumstances be?" "FANFARE" "My government will continue the work of bringing the public finances under control, and reducing the deficit, so Britain lives within its means." "During last week's Queen's Speech at the State Opening of Parliament, the battle lines ahead were clear to see." "The context of a Tory government - especially a majority Tory government - provides a very useful backdrop in the next few years." "They have something to rail against, they can rail against more austerity, the renewal of Trident, more welfare reform." "Even, to a degree, the European referendum." "And, you know, although they'll never admit it, that's quite a useful backdrop for building even more support." "Before the election," "Nicola Sturgeon was called the most dangerous woman in Britain by those who feared she would hold the balance of power at Westminster." "That didn't happen." "But what now, with her Tartan Army of 56 MPs?" "She is hugely dangerous to unionism, to anyone who wants the UK to stay together, for the simple reason that she is devastatingly good at what she does." "Are you the most dangerous woman in Britain?" "SHE LAUGHS" "I don't know who I would be comparing myself to." "I'm not dangerous, I'm the First Minister of Scotland." "The road from shy teenage idealist to confident national leader has been a long one for Nicola Sturgeon, with lots of defeats along the way." "The question now is whether she'll lead us ultimately to the break-up of Britain."