Official Report 1092KB pdf
We begin this afternoon’s business, and I welcome the representatives of the Alba Party who join us today. The sudden passing of the Rt Hon Alex Salmond on 12 October has shocked and saddened us all, and we gather this afternoon to express our condolences as a Parliament.
Alex Salmond’s contribution to the development and life of this Parliament is an integral part of our history. Elected to the Parliament in 1999 and one of the first members of this Parliament, Alex was leader of the largest Opposition party in our formative days. He was elected to the Parliament again in 2007 and elected as our fourth First Minister, serving from 2007 to 2014 and holding office throughout session 3 and much of session 4. He will be remembered for forming the first Scottish National Party Government and for winning a remarkable overall majority in 2011.
I have received messages of tribute from Parliaments and Governments worldwide, along with some personal reflections of meetings with Alex. All who have written remark on his immense impact on political life in Scotland. One says:
“The invaluable contribution of Alex Salmond to Scotland and his tireless dedication to public service are legacies that will not be forgotten. His commitment to the interests of the Scottish people and his vision for a strong and vibrant independent Scotland forged an indelible mark on the history of the nation.”
All the tributes that I have received express sincere condolences to those who feel the loss of Alex Salmond most keenly on a personal level. It can be too easy to forget that such a well-known public figure was a husband, brother, uncle and friend to many. We hope that the countless tributes from far and wide provide some measure of comfort to Alex’s loved ones. Our thoughts are with you.
I call the First Minister to speak to and move the motion of condolence.
14:35
It is with sadness that I move the motion of condolence on the death of Alex Salmond, the fourth First Minister of Scotland. On behalf of the Scottish Government and the people of Scotland, I express my deepest sympathies to Alex’s wife, Moira, to his family and to his friends.
Many tributes have been made since Alex’s sudden death. They include the tributes that have been left outside this building and the many signatures that have been added to the book of condolence here in the Scottish Parliament and online. The flags on Scottish Government buildings flew at half mast at the time of his death, they did so again yesterday on the occasion of his funeral and they will do so again today as the motion of condolence is debated. The minute of applause that we witnessed at Scotland’s recent football match with Portugal was a tribute to Alex’s enduring love of the beautiful game.
Alex Salmond left an indelible mark on Scotland and on Scottish and United Kingdom politics and public life. He was born in Linlithgow in 1954, and it was not long before his reputation for being a rebel was built. He studied economics at the University of St Andrews and joined the Scottish National Party during that time, becoming an influential member of the 79 group.
Elected politics began for Alex Salmond in 1987, when he became the MP for Banff and Buchan—he was one of only three SNP MPs at that time. He went on to serve in the same constituency when this Parliament was first elected in 1999. In a political career that spanned three decades and two Parliaments, Alex became leader of the Scottish National Party in 1990 and again in 2004. He became the first SNP First Minister of Scotland in 2007 and served in that role for more than seven years. He led a Government that was wholly devoted to serving the people of Scotland. That Government and that devotion to Scotland and her people continue today.
I first met Alex in the SNP club in North St Andrew Street in Edinburgh in 1981. He had come to speak to—literally—a handful of young Scottish nationalists, of whom I was one, who were trying to stir things up in Edinburgh for our cause. Much of what I heard from Alex on that day 43 years ago is reflected in the assessments that we have heard in recent days of Alex’s contribution to Scottish politics. He was creative in the arguments that he put forward. He was driven to make the case for Scottish independence. He was fierce in his analysis of political rivals and determined to challenge their positions. He was, in short, a “man o’ independent mind”—that reference was taken from his favourite Burns poem, which summed up his politics and his aspirations.
I served for seven years as his finance and economy secretary. It was a relationship that was generally defined by the First Minister wanting to spend more money than we actually had available and the finance secretary trying to make as many of the First Minister’s creative ideas happen as was possible. It was never a relationship without challenging moments, but he recognised—perhaps reluctantly—that possessing financial credibility was always an advantage in government.
Many of the significant moments in my political life took place when I was working closely with Alex Salmond: our success in securing the re-election of Winnie Ewing to the European Parliament in 1994, where she was joined by our dear friend Dr Allan Macartney; Roseanna Cunningham’s success in the Perth and Kinross by-election in 1995; my own election to the House of Commons in 1997; persuading our party to support a yes-yes position in the 1997 referendum; the election at that time of the largest group of SNP parliamentarians in one night in the 1999 elections to the Scottish Parliament; our entry into government in 2007; the passing of the first budget of an SNP Government in 2008; and the build-up to the independence referendum in 2014.
Those were all landmark moments that brought much joy, but I must acknowledge that our relationship changed over the past six years. We all know that, in life, human relationships can change. One moment, they are strong; the next, they are not. Politics is no different because, at all levels, politics is simply about people.
What cannot be denied by anyone is that Alex Salmond led the Scottish National Party from the fringes of Scottish politics to become the Government of Scotland and come close to winning our country’s independence. That has changed Scotland and our politics forever.
It is now up to those of us who believe that Scotland should be an independent country to make that case and win that future.
I move,
That the Parliament expresses its shock and sadness at the untimely death of Alex Salmond; offers its deep sympathy and condolences to his family and friends; appreciates the many years of public service that he gave as an MP, MSP, and First Minister of Scotland, and recognises the substantial and significant contribution that he made over many decades to public life, Scottish and UK politics and the cause of Scottish independence.
[Applause.]
14:40
The sudden passing of Alex Salmond at the age of 69 reminds us all how precious but precarious life is. In the words of our national bard, who Alex Salmond often quoted,
“Nae man can tether time or tide.”
Just a few weeks ago, he was here in the Scottish Parliament to mark its 25th anniversary, along with His Majesty the King. In the hours before his death, Alex Salmond was still hard at work and engaged in political activism. However anybody feels about his politics, we can all surely recognise his duty and commitment to public service.
Alex Salmond served his constituents for decades as an MSP, an MP and First Minister for Scotland. It is in that spirit that I pay tribute to him today, because I confess that I did not know him and I never met him. I am unable to provide a personal tribute to Alex Salmond as other members in the chamber can. I was not as close to him as the First Minister was, having served as his finance secretary for many years. I did not work with him, as members on the SNP benches did for decades, or as Ash Regan has done in recent years.
I did not know Alex Salmond the man, but everyone in Scotland knew Alex Salmond the politician. He was a figure whose presence loomed large across my life and our country. Nationalist or unionist, there was no ignoring him.
As a former journalist, I appreciated his flair for understanding how to grab attention and make headlines. He was a powerful and commanding presence in this chamber and in the House of Commons. He was a formidable politician of undoubted talent, who could both inspire and intimidate. Many members across this chamber, whether on the Conservative benches or those of other parties, would be wary about the prospect of going up against him.
Beyond the corridors of Holyrood and Westminster, his influence shaped our society. He made a lasting impact on our country. How many politicians can we say that about?
It has been noted that Alex Salmond was a complicated and, at times, controversial figure, who divided opinion, often strongly. Today is not the occasion for a verdict on his every action. However, we can say with confidence that there will be a place for him in the history books.
He created modern Scottish nationalism and personified the independence movement of his age—those facts cannot be denied. From a unionist perspective, as someone who values Scotland’s proud place in the United Kingdom, I will still pay tribute to a man who held the office of First Minister for many years.
From the outside, it seemed to me that Alex Salmond took the role of First Minister deadly seriously. It appeared to me, as a journalist and a member of the public, that he acted with great energy and sincerity. Although I profoundly disagree with his vision for Scotland, I have no doubt that he was utterly sincere in his beliefs.
Therefore, I pay tribute to the service of Alex Salmond and I offer my party’s sincere condolences to his family—especially to his wife, Moira. Our thoughts are also with his friends and colleagues. May he rest in peace.
“Nae man can tether time or tide.”
14:44
The sudden death of Alex Salmond came as a shock to me and to millions of people across our country. My thoughts and those of everyone at Scottish Labour are with his wife, Moira, his friends and family, and his colleagues in both of the parties that he led.
As we saw yesterday at his poignant send-off in his beloved Strichen, the loss of Alex Salmond has been felt keenly by people in his own local area as well as across the political spectrum and across our society. Alex was committed to his constituents and to the people whom he served in Holyrood and Westminster for more than three decades. He was a politician of rare and unique political ability whose impact and legacy on Scottish politics cannot be overstated.
As will be the case for others in the chamber and for many people who are listening at home, Alex Salmond was a big figure in Scottish politics throughout my adult life, so it will be hard to imagine the world of Scottish politics without him on our screens, on our airwaves, on doorsteps and even on podiums.
As has been mentioned, Alex Salmond joined an SNP on the fringes of our political life and, through his leadership, transformed the party and brought it into the mainstream of our politics. From the 1980s to the present day, Alex Salmond was a mainstay of Scottish and UK politics. In Westminster and Holyrood, Alex dominated the political scene and excelled as a parliamentarian of clear skill, with a gift for a turn of phrase. As SNP First Minister, Alex wrote his name into the history books and secured his place in our national story.
Many people might not know this, but Alex Salmond was a parliamentary colleague of my father at Westminster—they both served as MPs at the same time. I am not sure how SNP members will feel about this, but I recall Alex, on several occasions, trying to convince my father that I should ditch the Labour Party and join the SNP instead. He did not succeed in that, but that demonstrates Alex’s bold confidence, which allowed him to confound the odds time and again.
For many of us, Scottish politics will never be the same without Alex Salmond. First and foremost, he was a committed Scottish nationalist. He led the yes campaign with skill, energy and enthusiasm. It will come as no surprise that Alex Salmond and I had very different views on the future of our country, but, as the person who led the Labour campaign to remain in the UK, I came across him on many occasions throughout the referendum and, on every occasion, he remained polite and civil despite the temperature of that debate.
Never far from controversy, Alex never shied away from making his views known, with that characteristic confidence. He always made passionate arguments, and he knew how to get his points across. Let us not pretend that he was not of the ability, or ever afraid, to clamp a political opponent or journalist if he had the opportunity to do so, but, through it all, he kept his natural charm and his affability.
Scotland is a very different place due to the political career of Alex Salmond—a controversial but charismatic figure. His absence will be felt by many. He leaves behind two parties the existence of which he was fundamental to, as well as a generation of politicians in those movements who looked to him as a father figure and mentor.
This will be a particularly difficult time for many of Alex’s former colleagues and for his friends and family, particularly his wife, Moira. He was a huge part of their lives, and I know that so many will be feeling his loss deeply. On behalf of Scottish Labour, I send my sincere condolences to all those who mourn the loss of Alex Salmond in this chamber and across our country. [Applause.]
14:48
Everything that we do here we do despite our differences. The whole purpose of a Parliament is to bring people together, regardless of what separates us in political, professional or personal terms. That is never more true than at a moment such as this, when we are recognising the loss of someone who made a profound impact over many years.
Every politician, especially those who serve in the highest office, understands the impact on personal and family life. That aspect of the role is a sacrifice for the individual, but it is also a sacrifice for their family and friends, so it is important that the Parliament as a whole recognises the loss that Alex Salmond’s family and friends are experiencing now and that we offer our sincerest condolences.
Especially in the wake of such an unexpected death, it is a moment to begin to acknowledge the impact of the life that has ended. People’s lives and their legacies can be contested and complicated, so this is not a moment for an assessment of the entirety of the man—there will be more appropriate times for that—but we can all acknowledge the scale of Alex Salmond’s impact on Scotland’s politics. The events of the past few years are an important part of his story, but they do not change the fact that Alex Salmond was the political personality who enabled the SNP to advance in its political journey.
When the Parliament first met, 25 years ago, the SNP had just a handful of well-known faces and names in national politics. Suddenly, it was the main Opposition party. Within eight years, it was not only ready to form a Government; it was chosen to do so by the Scottish people. When it did so, Alex Salmond called it what it was. It might seem simple to say it now, but he recognised that the office of First Minister is the highest office in Scottish politics and that the group of people who sit on the front bench of the Parliament, to be held accountable by the representatives of Scotland, are not merely an Administration but a Government. In showing his understanding of that and in giving the right name to this young political landscape, Alex Salmond advanced Scotland’s political journey.
In the early years of the Parliament, the idea of independence was by no means in its infancy. A large minority had consistently supported it, but the case for independence as a viable proposition had barely been developed. Some people will remember Alex Salmond for the phrase
“the dream will never die”,
but, in his time at the forefront of Scottish politics, he did more than most to turn it from a dream into a tangible, imminent choice—something that even its strongest opponents had to recognise as a real choice that Scotland could make work. That legacy endures, and independence remains an undeniably real and imminent choice, there for the taking, if the people will it. [Applause.]
14:51
Today, we commemorate the sudden death of Alex Salmond, the passing of a political pioneer of our age. Whether we agreed with him or not, he challenged us to picture Scotland and its place in the world differently. Alex Salmond was an unapologetic disrupter and a formidable opponent for any parliamentarian or interviewer. Although we never sat in the chamber at the same time, I have faced him in debate and I know the work that my predecessors had to do and the preparation that was required to try to get the better of him, such was his strength in any arena.
He joined forces with the likes of Jim Wallace and Donald Dewar in the effort to deliver our Scottish Parliament, before going on to do something that few thought possible by obtaining an overall majority in a Parliament that was designed for minorities. That result sparked the two-year-long referendum campaign and intense public discourse about Scotland’s place in the United Kingdom—a discussion that continues to this day. That was perhaps the most significant moment in the life of this 25-year-old Parliament, and his role, his influence and his personality were all at the centre of that. In so many ways, today’s SNP Government is one in his image, even a full decade after his departure from it.
There will be time to debate Alex Salmond’s legacy and his political and personal impact, but today we recognise the substantial impact that he had on our politics. On behalf of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, I wish comfort to all those who mourn him today, especially his wife, Moira, and his close friends and family. [Applause.]
14:53
We gather today not only to mourn the loss of a political giant but to celebrate the life and legacy of Alex Salmond, Scotland’s most extraordinary First Minister. Alex was not just a leader; he was a unifying force, awakening the political consciousness of a nation and inspiring us to dream bigger for ourselves and for Scotland. To Alex’s beloved wife Moira, his family—Margaret, Gail, Bob—and all who knew him closely, I say that the thoughts and sincere condolences of all in the Alba Party are with you. I hope that the tributes that are pouring in from across Scotland and beyond offer some comfort during this difficult time. We stand beside you in your grief, just as Alex stood beside Scotland in every battle, every challenge and every triumph.
Alex did not just help to shape this institution; he forged its very identity. Under his leadership, the Scottish Parliament transformed from an assembly into a Parliament. His energy, passion and political will were unparalleled. He loved this country with a pride that radiated from his very being. Even his critics could not deny the force of his conviction. When, against all the odds, he led the SNP to a historic majority in 2011, it was not just a victory for a party but a mandate for an idea that the people of Scotland should decide our nation’s future. The 2014 independence referendum, spearheaded by Alex, saw 84 per cent of Scots turn out to have their voices heard. Although the result was not what many of us might have hoped for, the campaign ignited a democratic fire that has not been extinguished.
Alex Salmond’s political life was dedicated to a profound cause: the belief in Scotland’s right to choose our own path. Through that tireless effort, he took the Scottish National Party from the fringes of politics to the pinnacle of Government, making it the dominant force in Scotland. His vision gave this nation the confidence that it had long been denied, and his accomplishments in office speak for themselves. Those included abolishing bridge tolls and prescription charges, eliminating university tuition fees, hosting the Commonwealth games in Glasgow, harnessing Scotland’s green energy potential to position Scotland to take full advantage of the renewables revolution and, of course, the record-breaking Queensferry crossing. His ambition in devolved politics was a statement of competence and confidence in what Scotland could achieve through fairness, compassion and independence.
Alex Salmond was a man of intellect and strategy, but, above all, he was a man of the people. He had the rare ability to make complex issues accessible to everyone, and he took the time to listen to and speak to people across Scotland. Whether he was addressing a crowded village hall or standing before world leaders, he represented Scotland with pride, dignity and a wit that often disarmed even his staunchest opponents.
His presence on the world stage brought our cause to the attention of leaders across Europe and beyond, and his articulate vision of a fairer, more prosperous Scotland inspired generations. Alex showed us that the path to a better Scotland begins with self-belief, and he spread the message far and wide—ensuring that the seeds of ambition were sown in every corner of the land—that Scotland could stand tall, shoulder to shoulder with other nations, proud and independent.
His resilience and confidence were not just admirable but contagious, a source of inspiration that ignited a fire that encouraged us to aim higher and believe in better. He could dismantle an argument with a single quip or rally a movement with a stirring call to arms, his oratory skills leaving both colleagues and adversaries in his shadow. His voice, wisdom and unwavering commitment to justice reassured us all, even in the most challenging of times. He leaves behind a forever changed Scotland that is more confident, more assertive and, above all, determined to control its destiny.
Alex once said:
“The real guardians of progress are not the politicians at Westminster, or even at Holyrood, but the energised activism of tens of thousands of people who I predict will refuse meekly to go back into the political shadows.”
The people of Scotland will honour Alex Salmond’s memory by carrying forward his vision as we continue to fight for a better Scotland, with the confidence and the ambition to become a normal independent nation. Let Alex Salmond be remembered as the First Minister who made the political weather, a leader who inspired ambition by building bridges, not walls. Scotland’s greatest First Minister may no longer be with us, but his spirit, his wisdom and his legacy will guide us forward.
Alex, like too many of those giants on whose shoulders we now stand, may not see the destination of their dream for Scotland, yet one thing is clear. His place on Scotland’s journey is indelibly forged through his determined work and unwavering passion to prevail. [Applause.]
We will now have a short period of suspension before we move to the rest of this afternoon’s proceedings.
15:00 Meeting suspended.