Resigned.

“Being your First Minister has been the privilege of my life.”

Many sentences from her resignation speech today were memorable. And one or two are personally poignant.

“I am not expecting violins – but the fact is, I am a human being as well as a politician.”

“A First Minister is never off duty.
Particularly in this day and age, there is virtually no privacy.
Ordinary stuff that most people take for granted, like going for a coffee with friends or even for a walk on your own becomes very difficult.”

“All in all – and for a long time without it being apparent – it takes its toll, on you and on those around you.
And if that is true in the best of times, it has been more so in recent years.
Leading this country through the Covid pandemic is, by far, the toughest thing I’ve done.
It may well be the toughest thing I ever do. I certainly hope so.
Now, by no stretch of the imagination – to be clear – was my job the hardest in the country during that time.
But the weight of responsibility was immense.
And it’s only very recently, I think, that I’ve started to comprehend, let alone process, the physical and mental impact of it.”

First Minister for over 8 years; and was Deputy First Minister for the best part of 8 years before that. Involved in politics since school days. Won election after election and handled many challenges. And criticisms. Age 53. Time to move on.