The ego has landed again, carelessly delivering yet more collateral damage to Scotland’s new First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon’s attempt to be accepted as the single senior authority in the SNP and in Scotland.
On Buzzfeed yesterday, the oxygen of media attention made former First Minister, Alex Salmond, light headed in self regard – and up went the familiar helium balloon.
It was all about him.
What HE had been doing with indyref: ‘it was a dry run’; ‘I was testing out the No side’.
Oh yeah. Does he really think even the bravehearts are that daft?
If this was a dry run it was most irresponsibly extravagant dry run in history – with a total cost to the public purse that will never be tallied up, because the Scottish Government refused, under FOI, to reveal the extent of the redirection of civil service staff to work up the political case for independence.
Nevertheless, Mr Salmond promised ‘We’ll be getting another chance’. He may be right. The SNP is just starting a ‘consultation’ with its post indy mega-membership on the contents of its manifesto for the General Election. NO prizes for guessing where that will go. And remember that after her elevation, Nicola Sturgeon said that if an SNP manifesto contained a repetition of the party’s determination to take Scotlnad to independence and the party won, she would regard that as a mandate.
Up went the balloon another 1,000ft.
What HE would be doing at Westminster: ‘The problem for the Tories – and Labour for that matter, [Mr Salmond somehow forgot to add The World, The Universe and The Galaxy, so beloved of children getting their locations straight] is that I’m more popular than David Cameron and Ed Miliband in England.’
Oh dear.
Then we had an altitude alteration of another 5,000 ft up – into Ms Sturgeon’s rightful domain – as if he noticed.
How HE would deal with the opposition in Scotland: talking of Scottish Labour Leader, Jim Murphy, the First Swagger said ‘He doesn’t worry me at all’ – somehow forgetting that he is himself simply an SNP MSP a- nd that confrontation with Mr Murphy is nothing to do with him, but is the province of Mr Salmond’s successor, First Minister of Scotland and SNP Party Leader, Nicola Sturgeon.
Mr Salmond’s antics on the sidelines have already left Ms Sturgeon having to defend her authority on national television, with her predecessor setting out ‘his’ conditions for any post-general election horse trading and promising to steer the SNP as a wrecking ball at Westminster.
The best possible result for the SNP’s opponents is a triumphant return of Alex Salmond to Westminster via winning the seat in Gordon in May.
He will be a one man rampage of necrotising fasciitis, a predatory flesh eater, destroying his party and its new leader from within, unable to see what he is doing but revelling in being the focus of attention.
In footballing terms, Paul Gascoigne was always better copy than the coolly strategic Gary Lineker.
Assuming the inevitable – that the adoring hordes in Gordon send Nicola Sturgeon the political equivalent of a suicide bomber in May – how will the Leader of the SNP group of MPs at Westminster be chosen?
Whatever its final size, the majority of this group will inevitably be rookies, out-voting the six existing hardies and systemically enamoured of the man who bawled for Scotland.
This situation cannot be anything but the most hilarious spectator sport for aficionados of schadenfreude.The future is bright – with mischief.
As a footnote, Mr Salmond has left Nicola Sturgeon a legacy of additional trouble on her immediate doorstep – his raucous personal Bella Caledonia, the ludicrously over-promoted and self-important Joan McAlpine, his former personal adviser [Ye Gods].
Ms Sturgeon’s tastes being more refined than Mr Salmond’s, the mouthy McAlpine is not cut for the current cloth – but has suddenly felt empowered to cut loose herself and has been engaged in all sorts of public and troublesome follies. Poor Nicola Sturgeon does not have her troubles to seek.
