A couple of weeks ago, Alex Salmond picked a fight with the BBC’s Nick Robinson. Cue a mob descending on the BBC’s shiny new Pacific Quay HQ in Glasgow demanding that the journalist be sacked. In fact, much as it pains me to admit it, Robinson was actually in the right on that occasion. Salmond hadn’t answered a question he’d asked. He’d spent several minutes giving a rambling answer about the first part of his question before lambasting the BBC for publishing a story that the Royal Bank of Scotland would move its HQ from Scotland in the event of a Yes vote. It was quite bizarre to see hundreds of people demand that a news station takes the Government line. Where else would you see that?
Yesterday, political commentator David Torrance, who is probably one of the most fair minded people around, wrote a pretty critical but in my view accurate article about Salmond for the Herald. Torrance had written a well-received biography of the First Minister some years ago. This is what he had to say yesterday:
But then blatant hypocrisy never seemed to bother Mr Salmond. The Liberal Democrats, another party which wasn’t spared his tribal warfare, were pilloried for reneging on their no-tuition-fees promise after the 2010 General Election, yet three years previously Mr Salmond had ditched a manifesto pledge to eradicate all student debt, even though it had arguably captured a significant chunk of the student vote.
And in spite of lofty rhetoric about being “positive”, divide and rule was a hallmark of his style, as was phoney outrage.
Anyone not perceived as a threat was treated with charm and thoughtfulness, but for those who fell outside that category condescension, pettiness and often downright rudeness were the order of the day.
I can think of no other politician who behaved as badly as often and, more or less, got away with it.
It seems that the First Minister choked on his Corn Flakes before reaching for his pen to write a rather bitter rebuke:
I think this might be the proudest moment of my career… pic.twitter.com/nKZ3FT9zvz
— David Torrance (@davidtorrance) September 23, 2014
The First Minister pulled no punches in his letter to the Herald:
NOW that I have time on my hands to read newspapers, I noted the musings from my self-appointed biographer David Torrance (Why the Salmond magic is in need of a revisionist take, The Herald, September 22).
I understand, of course, that thus far the general Scottish response to the referendum is the exact opposite of what Tory-leaning David would have wished, and also he must be totally devastated by my standing down – thus depriving him of a lucrative income stream.
However, allow me just two observations. First, I hardly know David Torrance. And secondly – and much more problematically for a biographer – he doesn’t know me at all.
The man has already spent two thirds of the term of office for which he was elected focusing almost exclusively on the Referendum. It would be nice if he and his party would just get on with governing now. After all, there are loads of things he could be doing to tackle poverty and sort out housing in Scotland.
Nick Clegg takes much more unfair and downright rude criticism from the likes of Quentin Letts on a daily basis. He deals with it with humour and good grace. Salmond’s intervention just makes him look a bit pathetic and rather diminishes his office. You have to wonder what press regulation would be like left in his hands.
Before John Tilley mentions it in the comments, yes, Salmond’s party has had a bit of an influx in members these last few days. It would be surprising if it hadn’t. It’s actually time for the Liberal Democrats to speak to those 55% who said No Thanks last Thursday and invite them to join us. We, after all, have been campaigning for home rule for Scotland for over a century. Willie Rennie led the way on developing the thinking behind more powers and got the other parties to do the same. Had it not be for him, the cupboard would be embarrassingly bare right now. Not for the first time, the political landscape is shifting towards our way of thinking. We get the need for more powers not just to Holyrood but from Holyrood to communities. It’s instinctive to us. That’s why people who truly want to see these powers delivered but don’t want independence, should think about joining us.
* Caron Lindsay is Co-Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
