Former Scotland First Minister Alex Salmond dies

Good.

LOL.

If he was that good, how come Scotland's still part of the UK?

Has Nicole Sturgeon commented?

[quote] Has Nicole Sturgeon commented?

This all seems fishy.

An impressive politician but a vain man, a sex pest and a bully who targeted journalists who held him to account.

Have you heard of MI5 r3?

Several actual prime ministers of the entire UK (and not just Scotland) have been of Scottish birth:

John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute

George Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen

Arthur Balfour

Henry Campbell-Bannerman

Ramsay Macdonald

Tony Blair

Gordon Brown

And until recently he was on the payroll of Putin.

Like Macron he had a much older wife that many viewed as a marriage of convenience, but not a lavender marriage like Sturgeon’s.

Was he a great big fat person?

Do you have any evidence he was "on the payroll of Putin", r9?

That the true story behind the criminal prosecution hasn't been widely reported says 2 things: the SNP remains captured by fear with Sturgeon and Murrell still involved, and the London media see Scottish politics as irrelevant.

There are 2 things which are definitely true.

1. Salmond was a bully and a sex pest and deeply inappropriate with staff - Sturgeon, other SNP people and the Scottish civil service knew all about it and covered it up.

2. There was plotting between government and SNP people about how best to harm Salmond with criminal charges, and lying on oath during the inquiry that followed.

Testimony was made under oath that civil service rotas were scheduled so no woman would be left alone with Salmond. What did all the men think, suddenly told they had to work evenings and weekends to chaperone female staff?

With that and the financial scandals it should be enough to burn the SNP into the ground but Scottish Nationalists will tolerate anything for their cause.

LOL at R11.

He took Putin's cash for FIVE YEARS.

Sturgeon's comment:

[quote] “I am shocked and sorry to learn of Alex Salmond’s death.

[quote] “Obviously, I cannot pretend that the events of the past few years which led to the breakdown of our relationship did not happen, and it would not be right for me to try.

[quote] “However, it remains the fact that for many years Alex was an incredibly significant figure in my life. He was my mentor, and for more than a decade we formed one of the most successful partnerships in UK politics.

[quote] “Alex modernised the SNP and led us into government for the first time, becoming Scotland’s fourth First Minister and paving the way for the 2014 referendum which took Scotland to the brink of independence.

[quote] “He will be remembered for all of that. My thoughts are with Moira, his wider family and his friends.”

Collapsed midway through a speech. What a way to go.

He certainly does not exude great physical fitness and health in his pictures. But then the traditional diet of Scotland (and England for that matter) is not ever featured in the headlines of Nutrition and Health Magazine as exemplary. A friend of mine lived for a few years in Scotland, and she said the consumption of sugar in the form of jams and jellies was astounding to her - but then she also said maybe it was necessary, as the kids attended school wearing shorts most of the year in very cold weather. Most people seem to exist on sausages, oatmeal, potatoes, eggs, scones and copious amounts of butter and jam.

[quote] sausages, oatmeal, potatoes, eggs, scones and copious amounts of butter and jam.

That’s the healthy diet of a middle class Scot.

Take your snide racism elsewhere r17.

Salmond was a fatso whale, he ate and drank excessively and did fuck all exercise, other than fingering his "colleague and business associate" Tasmina Ahmed Shriek.

Remember in 2012 when Salmond was angry at the media focus on the London Olympics so he called for Scottish people to cheer on the "Scolympians" instead of Team GB?

Remember in 2013 when he was at Wimbledon to watch Andy Murray win and he pulled a Scotland flag out of his wife's handbag to wave behind David Cameron? Andy Murray wasn't keen and criticised Salmond.

[quote] Most people seem to exist on sausages, oatmeal, potatoes, eggs, scones and copious amounts of butter and jam.

This magical place sounds like UTOPIA!

Not just for Lens!

[quote] Collapsed midway through a speech.

In North Macedonia, notable for its government being recently Putin-captured. Grifting right to the end.

I walked past him once. Anecdotes don't get much more fascinating than that.

Hadn't realised he married his wife when he was 27 and she was 44. You learn something new every day.

I take it back - Salmond didn't collapse during the speech, but during lunch. Appears to have been a heart attack.

This is nice.

Deranged trannies are celebrating because Salmond criticised Sturgeon's focus on polarising self ID policies that saw a drop in support for independence.

Giving paid speeches in Northern Macedonia sounds like the politicians equivalent of a fading celebrity going on Dancing with the Stars.

Salmond would have loved to have done Strictly but even the BBC drew the line at a man accused of multiple sexual assaults

[quote]a man accused of multiple sexual assaults

He was acquitted on all counts.

[quote]even the BBC drew the line at a man accused of multiple sexual assaults

Because they already have plenty amongst the Italian and Slavic dancers.

Love him or loathe him he had real presence, a first-rate mind and was peerless at making Tories look stupid on television. I didn't think I would vote Yes to independence in 2014 but ultimately I did.

RIP Alec.

Ohrid in North Macedonia is beautiful and peaceful, if you have to go it's not a bad place to do it.

Four of Scotland's most talented politicians from more or less the same generation all died young and alcohol most likely contributed in each case.

John Smith died aged 56 of a heart attack Charles Kennedy died aged 56, probably of a ruptured liver. Robin Cook died aged 59 of a heart attack. Alex Salmond died aged 69 of a heart attack.

Donald Dewar also died aged 63 following heart troubles but I'm not sure that drink contributed in his case.

Scottish male drinking culture and Westminster drinking culture is a nasty combination.

Susan Boyle, you in danger, girl.

[quote]Ohrid in North Macedonia is beautiful and peaceful, if you have to go it's not a bad place to do it.

They were very nice and respectful preparing him to go home today. Plus I love the dashing uniforms on the honor guard.

R34 They're an interesting little country, I go every year. They still have some of the solid educational and cultural foundations of the old Yugoslavia, while ethnically they're a solid mixture of Slav, Albanian and Turkish. Unfortunately they also feel very much on the fringes of things in Europe, Bulgaria are blocking their accession to the EU for ridiculous chauvinistic reasons, while Greece forced the ridiculous name of 'FYROM' on them for nearly thirty years.

[quote] FYROM

North Macedonia!

I'm just here for the ongoing collapse of the UK

So fat.

That was a lot of mutton.

I’m sorry he died, but at least he died at the naughtiest age

People say I’m a great orator too!

Scottish newspapers reporting Nicola Sturgeon has been banned from the funeral.

LOL

She'd be pretty cheeky if she attended. And when I say cheeky I mean cunty.

I'd like her to show up so Tasmina could kick her in the cuntbone.

Tasmina thought she was Camilla, just waiting for Moira to do a Diana.

Moira will outlive all the fuckers

[quote] Several actual prime ministers of the entire UK (and not just Scotland) have been of Scottish birth:

Yep, just as long as they attend a private school first where that accent can be driven out of them.

Don't be bitter R45

In fairness Gordon Brown never lost his accent. He tried very hard to make the English love him though, even claiming he wanted England rather than Scotland to win the World Cup once. His office had to issue a correction afterwards.

A fun fact which might surprise you.

Where did Michael Gove grow up? Aberdeen.

Brown made the comments to support England's bid to hold the World Cup in 2018.

To be fair there's no point wishing Scotland win the world cup considering they've qualified once in the last 8 tournaments.

R49 The beauty of wishing is that you can wish for whatever you like! Shut your eyes and try it!

I understand he was constantly terrified of a backlash against him from English voters (and in fact anti-Scottish sentiment did play a role in the subsequent 2015 election) but wishing your own team loses to its historic rivals just looks inauthentic and cringe. It alienated Scots and didn't win over any English. But alas, poor Gordon wasn't the best at putting himself across, even if he might well be the most decent and genuine person to become PM in the last 40 years (ok, low bar).

Age is a bitch..

Very interesting that a number of quite significant figures - some very unexpected, some a little less so - have come out since his death to either state or at least heavily imply that there was a conspiracy to orchestrate complaints against Salmond. Not only McKenna in the piece above, but also Joanna Cherry and, of all people, Brian Wilson too.

According to former MP Neale Hanvey every journalist in Scotland knows all about it.

R51, my partner mentioned last week that young Alex was quite attractive, and unexpectedly swarthy. But so was I, once upon a time. You're right, age is a bitch.

[quote]According to former MP Neale Hanvey every journalist in Scotland knows all about it.

Even I I know who one of the alphabetties is (the one who apparently just split up with her husband).

Salmond's close allies like Cherry and Hanvey want people to believe there was a big plot against Salmond and he was an innocent man who treated everyone with respect and kindness.

There wasn't a plot, he wasn't innocent.

Sturgeon etc want people to believe Salmond was treated fairly and they have all been honest about what they knew and when.

They haven't been honest.

Salmond was a horrible bully and sex pest that no one challenged because that would have damaged the party and the independence movement. Sturgeon and her husband SNP Chief Exec Peter Murrell knew all about it but kept quiet because she was lined up as his successor and they both had a party first attitude - see also Sturgeon's covering up of sex pests Derek McKay, Patrick Grady and Jordan Linden.

When the complaints were made *officially* in 2018, not long after the Weinstein #MeToo ball started rolling Sturgeon and her staff jumped into action and tried to plot the outcome. The idea that it was an independent investigation is ridiculous. Nothing under the SNP is independent.

Everyone in politics knew about the Edinburgh Airport incidents and journalists tried to get people to go on the record but the party and the project came first. The complaint was dealt with informally. Everyone in the Scottish government knew the rotas had been changed so women weren't allowed to be on their own with Salmond in the First Minister's official office.

The "conspiracy" was the government machine trying to cover their backs, not to frame Salmond for things he is innocent of.

[quote]Salmond was a horrible bully and sex pest

You'd think the unionists would have used this to their advantage during indyref, then.

R56, you missed the bit where I wrote that it was covered up because the people involved didn’t want to damage the independence movement and go on the record.

The unionists/Better Together campaigns didn’t need to make claims they couldn’t back up, they just asked questions about the SNP’s currency plans.