A couple of you have asked for the link to Alex Salmond's appearance on the Scot Goes Popcast at the time of Alba's founding. You can watch the video version below. I was one of umpteen alternative media people (and indeed mainstream media people) who were given a slot with him that day, so he'd already been going for hours by the time it was my turn - his mental stamina was incredible.
Although I was an enthusiast for the Alba project and I may already have joined the party by the time the interview took place, I didn't allow my journalistic pride (or my blogger's pride if you prefer) to desert me - I made sure I asked him a few awkward questions. One in particular had longer term significance than I could possibly have realised at the time.
It's only 25 minutes long, so sit back and allow yourself to be transported back in time three and a half years to what already seems like a very different political era.
A blast from the past right enough. We’re going to miss those fluent answers, always delivered with a touch of humor and the occasional withering put down. I wonder who can rise up to at least partially fill the void.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I’m afraid I never quite made my peace with the supermajority notion. It seemed a bit of a cheap trick to try to get 70% of the seats with only 45% of the vote. Even if it had worked I always felt it would have lacked legitimacy and would have risked undermining Holyrood. Much better to try to get 70% of the seats with 70% of the vote…and much harder of course.
I remember reading these exact same words on SGP before the 2021 Holyrood election. You were wrong then.
DeleteA cheap trick, its unfair, lacked legitimacy. You would actually think we lived in a democracy. Unbelievable - wake up Scotland is a colony where we are ruled by people like Labour who can in 2017 say 4000 pensioners will die if the winter fuel payment is removed then remove it themselves without any hesitation. People like you need to wake up to the true reality of Scotland's position. We only have the rights that kind England deems to give us. They don't play fair.
The naivety of the above anon post at 10.38pm is incredible. I could understand it more back in 2013 but now. Just look at the number of MPs Starmer got on his percentage of the vote. Or Cameron getting his EU ref on 37% of the vote. Did they think they lacked legitimacy. Did they moan that it would be unfair to exercise their mandate. Did they think it undermined Westminster. No they did not.
DeleteI’m not Starmer or Cameron you may be relieved to hear (then again I would hardly admit it, would I?), but I do routinely moan about the illegitimacy of Westminster. It’s barely democratic when a majority of votes are cast without achieving any representation.
DeleteI like that Holyrood is different and much closer to achieving proportionality. That’s precisely why I never liked the idea of gaming the system to achieve a disproportional result. Happy to agree to disagree though.
Anon at 7.11am - I hope for your sake you don't play cards for money. You would keep playing and losing a lot of money to someone cheating at cards but be happy saying well I wisnae cheating. You may not be cheating but you are still a loser who continues to play knowing you will lose.
DeleteYou taking the personal moral high ground disnae help the pensioners freezing this winter or the hungry schoolchildren in Scotland.
Im another poster. IfS, I understand the points you're making but there are more persuasive ways of making them.
DeletePart of the reason we are where we are is a lack of mutual respect across the movement.
If scotland wants independence then a hefty majority of seats and votes will be required to be delivered by the Scottish people.
" I'm another poster ". - well how on earth is anyone supposed to distinguish between you anons when you make no effort to do that. Is that respectful - I don't think so.
DeleteMore than 50% of the vote is sufficient
ReplyDeleteMy resolve has been strengthened by Mr Salmond's passing to help Scotland gain independence more than ever.
ReplyDeleteIt's time to ditch the dreary defeatism and start calling unequivocally for what we believe in. What's the worst that can happen? Lose? So what.
We shall not see his like again.
ReplyDeleteI don't idolise politicians but I can tell you one thing I would be happy to see Dewars statue at the top of Buchanan street tore down ( like Sadam Hussein's in Iraq - hitting it with a pair of sandals being optional ) and replaced with one of Salmond and his bonnet.
ReplyDelete' And tremble false independence supporters, in the midst of your glee,
You have not seen the last of my bonnet and me. '
It would have to be both he and Nicola Sturgeon or neither.
DeleteAnon at 8.32am - I didn't know Sturgeon had died. Missed that in the news.
DeleteShe hasn't.
DeleteAnon at 9.24am - so why would you want a traitor to the independence cause who is still alive today commemorated with a statue.
DeleteBecause Nicola Sturgeon was better than Alex Salmond.
DeleteAnon at 10.28am - aye Better Together with the Britnats.
DeleteNicola's only lasting achievement was squandering the best opportunity Scotland's had for freedom in centuries. She can be remembered with the devil Dundas and Butcher Cumberland.
DeleteI think we should have the Lib Dem’s, tory and the labour so called leaders statues lined up with the broken promises written underneath. Would take up the whole of Buchanan Street. Linwood, no more, steel no more, shipbuilding no more (well apart from the token frigate to keep pals with the British Nat TU’s, ) Grangemouth , no more, …..
ReplyDeleteAnd of course the SNP have been so brilliant in government.
DeleteAnon at 9.56am - the SNP government was pretty good when Salmond was in charge but now Britnats like you are in charge it's a different story.
DeleteYou'd be hard pushed to claim there was not a grudging respect for the competency of the Scottish government from 2007 until mostly til the end of covid.
DeleteRevisionist tripe to say otherwise and I'm no fan of the govt as things stand. It's tired and Scotland needs a refresh.
I would like to see all of it.
DeleteThe tributes in the House of Commons yesterday showed the respect Alex Salmond had from across the political spectrum.
ReplyDeleteHe was one of those politicians who could have political opponents, fierce & heated debates but then go out for dinner or have a drink with them afterwards. Unlike now where those you disagree with are seen as the enemy.
The 2007-2011 administration at Holyrood is widely seen as being the most effective in the history of Devolution due Alex's belief that you need to build consensus, engage with those with different political persuasions and work together to deliver for the people of Scotland. The electorate obviously agreed with how well Scotland was governed during that period due to how the SNP were rewarded in 2011.
He had the capability to disagree with people politically but still engage with them on a human level, not many politicians today are capable of doing that.
Absolutely.
DeleteBut then you look at Swinney, and he's hardly a firebrand, is he? That pic of him smiling with his British masters on Friday, which Salmond so memorably criticised, speaks louder than words. Swinney's the man who'll drink and laugh with his opponents, too, but unlike Salmond he mistakes them for his allies.
Let us not be negative about John Swinney who has done a good job so far.
DeleteSURENESS-OF-TOUCH
Delete