Nationalists at war as Salmond launches new attack on Sturgeon
THE war of words between the two heavyweights of the nationalist movement intensified yesterday as Alex Salmond launched a blistering attack on Nicola Sturgeon’s independence strategy.
The Alba Party leader claimed the First Minister’s suggestion that a referendum will happen in 2023 or later depending on the battle against Covid has caused ‘consternation’ in the proindependence movement.
He also accused her of a ‘lack of urgency’ in the bid to tear Scotland out of the UK.
Miss Sturgeon used a newspaper interview to launch new attacks on Mr Salmond and claim that Boris Johnson will grant a referendum if there is a proindependence majority.
Critics said the latest exchanges show nationalists will be ‘fighting like ferrets in a sack’ in the next term of parliament.
Calls also grew for a full judge-led inquiry into the Scottish Government’s handling of harassment complaints after Miss Sturgeon admitted the various probes had not properly got to the bottom of the issue.
Scottish Conservative candidate Annie Wells said: ‘Scotland deserves better than nationalists fighting like ferrets in a sack over who is trying to break up our United Kingdom quicker.
‘At a time when we should all be focused on our post-Covid recovery, nationalists
‘Fighting like ferrets in a sack’
are only obsessed with their fresh drive for another independence referendum and trying to settle personal grievances.’
Mr Salmond’s comments are the most direct attack on Miss Sturgeon’s strategy since he launched his rival pro-independence party last month.
He was responding to Miss Sturgeon telling journalists last week that her ‘preference’ is to hold a referendum in the first half of the next term of parliament, a period that runs until the end of 2023, but that whether that will ‘definitely happen’ depends on the fight against coronavirus.
In a statement issued yesterday, Mr Salmond said Miss Sturgeon’s comments about an independence referendum in 2023 or later had caused ‘total consternation’ in the nationalist movement.
He said: ‘It seems to be that Scotland will not “be free until after 2023” – more seriously, it seems to indicate a lack of urgency in bringing the independence question to a decision.’
Mr Salmond also claimed the Prime Minister would find it ‘substantially more difficult’ if there is a pro-independence ‘supermajority’ in Holyrood.
In an interview with the Guardian, Miss Sturgeon claimed Mr Johnson would not ‘stand in the way’ of a referendum if her party wins the election.
She hit out at Mr Salmond’s tactics – which include support for street protests – saying they will put off voters, and again questioned whether he should be able to return to public office. Scottish Liberal Democrat campaign chairman Alistair Carmichael said: ‘Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond don’t care about your job, your parent’s operation or your child’s schooling.
‘Scotland deserves better than a nationalist movement that wants to spend the next five years arguMIDDLE-class ing about the timeline for independence.’
Meanwhile, calls grew yesterday for a judge-led inquiry into the handling of complaints about Mr Salmond after Miss Sturgeon admitted various probes had not got to the bottom of the issue. Women who complained about Mr Salmond told MSPs a ‘blind eye’ was turned to his behaviour before they made their complaints.
Asked if the inquiry had discovered exactly what was going on in government prior to 2017, Miss Sturgeon told the Guardian: ‘Have any of the inquiries properly done that? Probably not.’ Murdo
Fraser, one of the members of the Holyrood inquiry, said: ‘At every turn during this inquiry, it was the SNP Government who obstructed our work and attempted to keep vital evidence secret from us.’
He insisted ‘a judge-led inquiry is now necessary’.
NICOLA Sturgeon is entirely right that neither of the Salmond inquiries got to the bottom of a deeply murky affair.
But it is also disingenuous, given that one of the obstacles they faced was the intransigence of her own Government.
The women involved believe a ‘blind eye’ was turned to their complaints about the former First Minister’s behaviour.
In time-honoured Holyrood fashion, one report – on Miss Sturgeon’s own role in the saga – was heavily redacted. Even its author, a respected former prosecutor, voiced his unease about the amount of material that had to be left out.
The other report, by MSPs, was utterly damning – but the First Minister escaped any sanction thanks to parliamentary arithmetic. No one has been forced to pay the price for this shambles – apart from the taxpayer, left with a bill of more than £500,000 for Alex Salmond’s legal costs.
It may suit the Nationalists to claim that it’s ancient history, and time to move on – but it’s clear that important questions remain unanswered.
There are calls for a judge-led inquiry, which should have been ordered in the first place. Until we get to the truth, a stench will hang around this scandal – however much the SNP wants it to go away.