Nicola Sturgeon is used to talking to big crowds. In 2014, after the referendum defeat, the newly crowned SNP leader and First Minister made her debut conference speech to 12,000 party delegates at the Hydro in Glasgow. With 30-plus years in politics, she has spoken at hundreds of rallies.

That said, picking up a microphone and talking unscripted to a crowd of more than a million people must be a daunting prospect for even for the most experienced of public speakers. As we saw at the weekend and have come to expect, however, Ms Sturgeon more than delivered on the big stage.

Indeed, the speech she made to People’s Vote marchers in London was pitch perfect. And, regardless of whether or not the march changes the outcome of Brexit, her presence was both expedient and symbolic. Joining protesters was also simply the right thing for the First Minister to do.

Read more: Nicola Sturgeon: Theresa May already 'out of power'

As well as appealing to the party faithful, Ms Sturgeon would have been looking to attract support for her stop-Brexit stance from the wider majority of Scots who voted Remain yet face being dragged out of the EU against their will, having watched Theresa May and her cronies ignore and provoke the Scottish Parliament in equal measure. After all, we may yet be taking part in May’s European elections and/or a snap general election.

In a passionate and rousing speech that set out Scotland’s dilemma, clearly articulated the frustration many feel with arrogant Tory intransigence and bizarre Labour dithering, and laid out what needs to be done in the short term to get the UK out of this appalling mess, the First Minister was also looking to win solidarity and respect from English Remainers. And, as we saw from the overwhelmingly positive response to her presence, she succeeded on that front too. 

Read more: Devolution 20 years on and Scottish Government ministers still feel ignored by Whitehall, says report

One of the reasons for this success is the authenticity of her stance against a hard Brexit. Despite what her political enemies may say, Ms Sturgeon is surely sincere in her opposition to either a no deal or Mrs May’s deal, both of which would be disastrous for the Scottish economy. After all, Scotland is tied to England’s economic fortunes whether it remains part of the UK or not; anyone who believes a no-deal Brexit would be a boon for independence is living in the same cloud cuckoo land as Jacob Rees-Mogg and his pals.

As Ms Sturgeon knows very well, an independent Scotland that re-joined the EU would find it very difficult to prosper if its nearest neighbour and biggest trading partner was outside the customs union. Tariffs and checks on all goods, services and people is, as all sensible people now realise, a nightmare scenario for both sides of any negotiation or border.

Since the Brexit vote in June 2016 the First Minister has defended Scotland’s position and interests vigorously, showing leadership, statesmanship and a willingness to work with others. Compare that to Scottish Secretary David Mundell and the Scottish Tories in Holyrood and Westminster, who have hardly opened their mouths to oppose the increasingly reckless, wrong-headed approach of their disastrous Prime Minister, even showing themselves ready to plunge their Remain-voting constituents into no-deal hell. 

Contrast Ms Sturgeon’s approach, too, with that of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who spent Saturday having his picture taken beside a statue of Eric Morecambe instead of supporting the marchers. It’s also grim that despite the fact one in four voters in Mr Corbyn’s Islington North constituency have signed the petition to revoke Article 50, many of their MP’s supporters spent the weekend accusing them of being undemocratic. 

Brexiter Mr Corbyn, meanwhile, evaded questions from journalists about why he is so against giving voters the opportunity to have another say on Brexit, preferring to talk about the impact of austerity on Morecambe, one of the most deprived towns in north-west England. Such hypocrisy is quite astounding when you consider how much worse it’s going to get for the people there – and the rest of us – if and when the hard Brexit the Labour leader has spent the last two years enabling goes ahead. 

As for Mrs May… well, what can one say? As I write her scarily unhinged yet breathtakingly incompetent party has just tried and failed to get rid of her yet again. Perhaps by the time you read this Larry the Downing Street cat will be PM. If only. 

As just about every sphere of life reveals, good leadership is both an art and a craft, a skill you can possess innately but also learn. How catastrophic for the UK that at such a moment of crisis the leaders of both main parties are so similarly and fundamentally ill-suited to their jobs.  

It’s hardly going to be a bed of roses in the weeks and months to come for Ms Sturgeon as she grapples with events outside of her control while trying to keep her own increasingly frustrated and fractious supporters on side.

But as the only UK party leader willing to put the economy of her country first, she deserves credit from Scots of all political persuasions.