IN her resignation speech, Nicola Sturgeon said one of her reasons for standing down was that her views as leader carry “enormous, probably decisive weight” and that she could not “in good conscience ask the party to choose an option based on my judgment whilst not being convinced that I would be there as leader to see it through”.

She went on to say that in taking the decision to step down, she is freeing the SNP to choose the path it believes to be the right one on how to achieve a second referendum on independence. Much has been made of the abrupt nature of Nicola Sturgeon’s departure and her apparent failure to properly have a succession plan.

Frankly, politics should never be a place comfortable enough to allow for succession planning. It certainly isn’t something we expect of Westminster parties. The process of choosing a new leader down there usually resembles a Game of Thrones battle scene.

But maybe people have grown to expect something different from the SNP, such is its reputation for stability and, at times, outright control freakery. You need only look at The National’s letters pages to readers to see why the SNP’s lack of an obvious successor might be no bad thing in the long run.

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There is a huge breadth of opinion about what should happen next. Candidates are either heroes, destined to lead Scotland onwards to her independence, or villains with the capacity to destroy the party for good – depending on who it is you are asking.

There are already arguments over process and the timing of the leadership race. There are squabbles about who should be eligible to vote in the contest and briefings about the suitability of some of those who are expected to announce their candidacy.

We’ve heard dire warnings about what will happen if the SNP shifts too far to the right or the left, as well as the dangers of maintaining the status quo.

It’s a mess, but it’s a necessary one. It’s like when you decide to clear out the junk cupboard or embark on a mammoth spring cleaning session.

There comes a point where you wish you’d never started.

The house looks like a bomb has hit it and you have run out of binbags. But slowly, surely, order appears from the chaos and what you are left with is something better than before.

The SNP and their members should embrace the inevitable chaos of the next few weeks.

We’ve seen what happens when internal disagreements are kept under wraps for too long. It’s a situation that breeds resentment and bad feeling, leaving all involved feeling hard done by.

Some SNP bigwigs might look to the absolute carnage of the last Tory leadership race and pledge to resist similar scenes for their party at all costs. That would be a mistake. Not only for the party but for the country too.

We’ve had no word yet on any plans for televised leadership debates between the candidates. It is a given that broadcasters will want to run them, so the only question is whether the party will agree that candidates will participate. There would be no reasonable justification for saying no to that.

While the process might be slightly different, to all intents and purposes, SNP members will choose our next First Minister. The country deserves to hear from each of the candidates for that role and see them face tough questions from journalists.

It’s to be expected that – just as we saw during the last Tory and Labour leadership debates – internal party divisions will be exposed and there will be an embarrassing headline or two for the SNP as a result.

Tough luck, that’s politics. In the coming weeks the SNP need to ensure that its infamous party discipline doesn’t stifle the necessary conversations ahead.

There has to be space for disagreement and debate. It goes without saying that candidates and their supporters should maintain civility and show good faith towards their (short-term) opponents. But beyond that, anything goes.

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This isn’t a contest that should be stage-managed in an attempt to spare party blushes – it’s too important for that.

For the SNP, it will be the first step towards a fresh start – with all the short-term disruption that brings. For the independence movement, the contest will determine the likelihood of a referendum in our immediate future.

For the country, it means a new first minister – not chosen by the electorate, but by SNP party members. The public needs to have confidence that that person has been chosen not just because they are the best person to lead the party to independence but because they are the best person to lead the country.

The contest is going to be – at times – messy and uncomfortable. The party should embrace it. We are in for a thoroughly invigorating month of debate ahead.