Sturgeon dismisses ‘gambler’ Alex Salmond as independence movement diversifies

Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has hit back against her predecessor, Alex Salmond, branding him a “gambler” for forming a new pro-independence party.

Salmond formally launched the Alba (Scotland) Party on March 26, asserting that the new pro-independence platform will work towards a “successful, socially just, environmentally responsible, independent country”.

But Sturgeon has rejected this initiative by saying: "I take no pleasure whatsoever in saying this but I think there are significant questions about the appropriateness of his [Salmond’s] return to public office given the concerns that have been raised about his behavior previously but that's for voters to judge and decide”.

Sturgeon, who is on the campaign trail for the Holyrood election scheduled for early May, added: "This is an election. We live in a democracy. For my part, in this campaign, I am focused on the interests of the country".

The latest spat between the giants of Scottish nationalism comes in the wake of a long-running dispute centered on allegations of sexual assault by Salmond.

Although Sturgeon has been cleared of breaching the Scottish ministerial code over the complex legal and investigatory processes surrounding her predecessor, nevertheless her handling of the case has caused significant friction within the Scottish independence movement.

Effect on independnece movement 

The big political question is whether Salmond’s latest political initiative will promote or hinder the quest for Scottish independence.

For his part, the former leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), has said his aim is to build a “supermajority for independence” after the Holyrood election in early May.

But Sturgeon, who succeeded Salmond as leader of the SNP, has dismissed the vision of a “supermajority” by claiming the former First Minister makes “big claims” which “often don’t stand up to scrutiny”.  

"Alex Salmond is a gambler. It is what he enjoys doing. But this is not the time to gamble with the future of the country", Sturgeon added.

Unionists try to unite 

But in a sign the Unionist parties in Scotland perceive Salmond’s initiative as a threat, the Scottish Tory leader, Douglas Ross, has requested a meeting with the leaders of Scottish Labor and the Scottish Liberal Democrats with a view to rediscovering the “Better Together Spirit”.

The Better Together campaign was formed in 2012 to sabotage the bid for Scottish statehood in the run-up to the independence referendum of September 2014.

Ross is reportedly planning to persuade his counterparts to sign a “Unionist manifesto”, and by extension to commit to rejecting a second independence referendum (popularly referred to as Indyref2), regardless of the result of the upcoming Holyrood election.

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