Let’s pop champagne Salmond’s bubble

EFFRONTERY has l ong been Alex Salmond’s strong suit but, even by his world- class chutzpah standards, his interview with the New Statesman is breathtaking.

Over fish, chips and mushy peas accompanied by a bottle of pink champagne – which Mr Salmond ordered to toast his much-derided book – he holds forth for all the world like the leader of the SNP.

He lays out precisely, complete with timetable, what his party will do to bring down a Tory minority government.

He criticises Labour for walking ‘hand-inhand’ with the Tories and in the same breath talks of forming a pact with the party to ‘ lock out’ David Cameron from Downing Street.

The SNP will end Britain’s nuclear deterrent and throw the doors open to immigrants who can claim benefits as soon as their feet hit the ground.

But let us not treat this all with wideeyed credulity. Let us instead take aboard a few salient facts:

Mr Salmond is clearly the back- seat driver but he is not leader of the SNP.

That is, of course, Nicola Sturgeon. Who could blame her if her eyes start rolling as Mr Salmond again s t eals al l t he headlines?

Miss Sturgeon has a duty to both her party and the wider public to make it clear just who is really in charge of SNP policy.

And despite his portentous talk of the stars being in alignment to usher him in to the Lib Dem stronghold of Gordon, Mr Salmond is currently a humble MSP yet to f ace the rigours of the General Election.

He is in no position to dictate anything, let alone bring down governments.

The Prime Minister was criticised for being presumptuous by suggesting who might succeed him.

That is nothing to Mr Salmond’s assumption that the people of Gordon will bow to his will and anoint him. This country emerged intact from the crucible of the independence campaign and we have the measure of a man who can, with a straight face, say the politician he most identifies with is Nelson Mandela.

Mr Salmond is revelling in the role of bogeyman south of the Border.

Stoking tension between Scotland and England ramps up the separatist narrative that the break-up of Britain is inevitable as we are so very different.

Let’s prick Mr Salmond’s pomposity by treating his pronouncements with the contempt they deserve.