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| Alex Salmond 1954 - 2024 |
I met Alex Salmond once at the Edinburgh book festival and shook his hand out of respect. He seemed to thrive on the situation, when he chatted amicably with renowned Scots author Iain Banks. He was there for a photo shoot and to host a talk with Iain, as he did each year. He also attended Edinburgh festival each year, often giving a series of interviews. He was clearly a man of robust intellect, charisma and character. He thrived on good debate and was also greatly respected at Westminster.
Alex Salmond has been the towering figure of our times, both in Scotland and abroad and across the UK. He brought Scotland close to independence and led the Indyref 2014 campaign. He was Scotland's first minister from 2007 to 2014, as well as a MP at Westminster from 1987 to 2010. He took the SNP from the fringes to the centre of Scottish politics. He developed Scotland’s wind energy – today Scotland’s wind powers 100% of our electricity – at a time when England's Tories short-sightedly vetoed turbines. He was also an astute politician – with charisma and high intellect. He believed that if Scots knew their own history, many more would vote for an independent Scotland.
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| Iain Banks & Alex Salmond at Edinburgh |
Even Labour recognises that the present UK system isn’t working. The UK needs to move to a modern state. One thing we can be sure of, there are bad actors, disrupters and spies causing chaos among our Scottish politics. I experienced this at the Indyref 2014, with shouting at voters as they walked into the Polling stations. I’ve heard that people were also intimated at work – with town hall meetings where employees where asked to raise their hands to show how they intended to vote! I assume all these acts of aggression are illegal and anti-democratic.
I always enjoyed when Salmond came on TV debate shows. He was eloquent and forceful with sound arguments. He thrived on debates, because he had an informed hinterland. Unlike so many of the fake, ill-informed present day politicians, who appear shallow. Perhaps it was his grounding at St Andrews university.
Many advocate that Philosophy and History should be taught to all children throughout school and not only for a couple of years. Critical thought and analysis is essential for a future modern state. Education is the key for our future, as Salmond recognised and he was rightly very proud of Scotland’s free university tuition. Scotland boasts four leading and ancient universities. Sadly, a major weakness in Scotland is our lack of press, media and broadcasting. There’s the constant barrage in the mainstream British press of negativity to put Scotland down.
But Salmond showed Scots how to stand tall and proud, on the world stage – as we once did before. Scotland gave the world innovations, scholarship, and enlightened thought. Salmond leaves a profound and deep legacy. Will we ever see his like again - “the dream will never die” Thank you Alex for raising us up again.
He was a Jacobin reformer and he spoke truth amongst the lies. And he forged a path ahead where none existed before him and held his head high. Will we see his like again - for Scots freedom and all your bonnets so blue! The dream shall never die.....
