Afterlife of Alex

So, Alex Salmond wants to make a comeback as an elected politician. The question is though, who will want him? His various past constituencies in the North East have turned Tory blue and are likely to stay that way. He will not be able to magically reinvent himself as a socialist to take any of the seats in the Central Belt. He could potentially get a nice Holyrood list seat, but will SNP party members see him as an asset or a liability? Nicola Sturgeon’s patronage has obviously helped some SNP politicians, but how is she going to react to Mr Salmond coming back again to threaten her position. And how would all this affect the chances of Scotland becoming independent when Mr Salmond was the reason that many, many people voted No?

The former First Minister needs a reality check. Scotland has changed, again, and he is now less popular than the Tories when ordinary people in Aberdeenshire are given the opportunity and given the choice. In essence, the narrative that he has spent a lifetime developing is now no longer a vote winner, and while he may be too young to retire completely, he is certainly too old to learn new tricks. VICTOR CLEMENTS

Taybridge Terrace Aberfeldy, Perthshire