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Ex-Scottish leader Salmond resigns from SNP amid misconduct allegations


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Ex-Scottish leader Salmond resigns from SNP amid misconduct allegations

By Andrew MacAskill

 

2018-08-30T010541Z_2_LYNXNPEE7S1K6_RTROPTP_4_BRITAIN-SCOTLAND.JPG

FILE PHOTO: Former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond talks about his show 'Alex Salmond Unleashed' at the Edinburgh Fringe, Edinburgh, Scotland, Britain August 12, 2017. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond said on Wednesday he has resigned from the Scottish National Party, which he led for two decades, days after allegations of sexual misconduct became publicly known.

 

Salmond has denied the allegations and taken legal action against the SNP administration he once ran over the way it has handled the complaints against him.

 

The driving force behind Scotland's 2014 independence referendum and still a popular figure in Scotland, Salmond said he was taking the action to protect the SNP from its opponents and avoid any internal division were he to have been suspended from the party.

 

"I did not come into politics to facilitate opposition attacks on the SNP and, with parliament returning next week, I have tendered my resignation to remove this line of opposition attack," Salmond said in a statement.

 

Salmond said he would reapply to the party if he wins his court action. At the same time he launched a crowd-funding appeal to raise 50,000 pounds ($65,000) to help pay his legal costs against the Scottish government over its handling of the misconduct complaints against him.

 

The Scottish government said last week two allegations of misconduct against Salmond were filed in January of this year. Salmond said he rejects any suggestion of criminality.

 

Salmond, who headed the devolved Scottish government for seven years until 2014, is credited with helping to push support for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom to record levels during the referendum campaign.

 

Scots, however, voted 55-45 percent in favour of staying in the UK.

 

Nicola Sturgeon, his successor as party leader and first minister, has come under pressure from opposition parties to suspend his membership while the claims are investigated.

 

Sturgeon said she felt "a huge sadness about this whole situation" but understood why he decided to resign.

 

She said that Scotland's battle for independence is "bigger than any one individual."

 

Salmond's relationship with his own party has been more strained since he lost his seat in the Westminster parliament last year.

 

"I am conscious that if the party felt forced into suspending me it would cause substantial internal division," Salmond said. He intended to reapply for party membership "just as soon as I have had the opportunity to clear my name", which he hoped would be by the end of the year.

 

"For my part I have always thought it a very poor idea to suspend any party member on the basis of complaints and allegations," Salmond said. "Innocent until proven guilty is central to our concept of justice."

 

($1 = 0.7676 pound)

 

(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; additional reporting by Subrat Patnaik; editing by David Stamp and Grant McCool)

 
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-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-08-30
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1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

An odious little man.

 

I hope he took his flies with him.

Can you be a bit more specific with regards to the origin of your emnity towards him? In terms of integrity, the current unspecified allegations against him notwithstanding, he appears to be one of the more decent politicians in the UK. 

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8 minutes ago, RuamRudy said:

Can you be a bit more specific with regards to the origin of your emnity towards him? In terms of integrity, the current unspecified allegations against him notwithstanding, he appears to be one of the more decent politicians in the UK. 

That's comforting......?

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6 minutes ago, RuamRudy said:

Can you be a bit more specific with regards to the origin of your emnity towards him? In terms of integrity, the current unspecified allegations against him notwithstanding, he appears to be one of the more decent politicians in the UK. 

I went to hear him speak in Edinburgh, his on TV performance is something quite different to his live offering.

 

His whole performance was laced with spite. I was not at all impressed

 

But then I suspect you guessed that.

 

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A disappointingly poor article from Reuters, which seeks to imply (deliberately?) that there is now an internal rift in the SNP.

 

The reality, and surely any competent journalist would know this, is that Salmond is taking the Scottish Government to court, not the SNP administration. There is a world of difference between the two.  

 

He is even quoted as saying, 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

"I did not come into politics to facilitate opposition attacks on the SNP and, with parliament returning next week, I have tendered my resignation to remove this line of opposition attack," 

yet the hack who penned the piece didn't pick up on this? 

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29 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I went to hear him speak in Edinburgh, his on TV performance is something quite different to his live offering.

 

His whole performance was laced with spite. I was not at all impressed

 

But then I suspect you guessed that.

 

No, I wasn't assuming anything. I haven't seen the show so cannot comment upon the content, and while the majority of reviews seem to have painted it as a bit of a damp squib (toeing the editorial lines?), I cannot see any suggestion that he displayed any spite. 

 

In fact, the Guardian, which stands up for independence anywhere except in Scotland, complained that he gave David Davis a very easy ride and stated: 

 

"The show ... passes a pleasant enough hour: Salmond is convivial company, and enjoys a laugh at his own expense." 

 

Maybe he had an off-night when you saw him?

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I am sick of politicians full stop. They live in a totally protected and hypocritical bubble. For the most part, they are out of touch with reality and actual real life. They wouldn't last five minutes in a commercial environment.

 

Come the revolution my list is long of the first ones that will go against the wall.

 

Power to the people!!!

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8 minutes ago, Snow Leopard said:

I am sick of politicians full stop. They live in a totally protected and hypocritical bubble. For the most part, they are out of touch with reality and actual real life. They wouldn't last five minutes in a commercial environment.

 

Come the revolution my list is long of the first ones that will go against the wall.

 

Power to the people!!!

And who will represent ‘the people’.

 

 

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2 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

And who will represent ‘the people’.

 

 

Well Stalin is out, for obvious reasons..Red Ken has shown his true colours via the cost of his one hour speeches.......Thought about Arnie but his todger raised a question....Suppose postman Pat maybe worth looking into, or even Ivor the train...Forget Geoffrey Archer, very complicated..?

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6 minutes ago, Snow Leopard said:

Who represents them now?

 

Most politicians I have dealt with or seen only care about themselves.

What is the saying, nature abhors a vacuum?

 

If we don't get decent, honest, principled people standing for election, there will be a long line of unprincipled scumbags who are willing to take over. Indiscriminate demonisation of politicians is hardly going to encourage more of the former to put themselves forward. 

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This man should be prosecuted for bending over and assuming the position for trump's golf course con. (It will employ 6000 yes that is six thousand). And he believed the liar in chief. What a fool.

Although the good people of Aberdeenshire had no desire to have a con man's business in their mist this a--s licker overruled the council's. decision. Then when he saw the tide turning against him the two faced clown then said DJT was a fool.

The two faced moron then lost the safest SNP in Scotland.

 

Be nice to people on your way up as you never know who you will meet on your way down

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3 minutes ago, RuamRudy said:

What is the saying, nature abhors a vacuum?

 

If we don't get decent, honest, principled people standing for election, there will be a long line of unprincipled scumbags who are willing to take over. Indiscriminate demonisation of politicians is hardly going to encourage more of the former to put themselves forward. 

Tell me how you know Salmond is 100% decent and honest...?

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23 minutes ago, RuamRudy said:

What is the saying, nature abhors a vacuum?

 

If we don't get decent, honest, principled people standing for election, there will be a long line of unprincipled scumbags who are willing to take over. Indiscriminate demonisation of politicians is hardly going to encourage more of the former to put themselves forward. 

Yes but power corrupts. I understand what you are saying for sure. They also should be role models in society and put their job and principles first before themselves. Which doesn't happen these days.

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1 minute ago, transam said:

Well it seems he has stood down for some reason, if I had nothing to hide I would not stand down from anything...

It's there in the article - I even quoted the relevant statement, although, to be fair, the journalist who wrote it also failed to pick up on it, so I will let you off.

 

He stood down because, as he said, he recognised that his remaining in the party while the investigation was ongoing would present the opposition with an opportunity to attack the party and the notion of independence. By resigning, he has reduced their scope for exploiting his troubles. 

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33 minutes ago, transam said:

Well Stalin is out, for obvious reasons..Red Ken has shown his true colours via the cost of his one hour speeches.......Thought about Arnie but his todger raised a question....Suppose postman Pat maybe worth looking into, or even Ivor the train...Forget Geoffrey Archer, very complicated..?

Wile e Coyote all the way. for sure.

 

Image result for wile e coyote

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18 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

Scotland's now crowd funding a politician yeah right? 

Salmond lost his seat in the 2017 snap election so he has not been a politician since then. As a former First Minister, I assume he retains the status of Privy Councillor, which is for life, apparently, but I am not sure that that classifies him as a current politician.

 

A more accurate statement would have been 'Scotland's now crowd funding a media personality and former politician.' Interestingly, the target of GBP50k was met in a couple of hours. 

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