Alex Salmond is currently on trial for sexual misconduct. And he seemingly has taken Nicola Sturgeon down with him.
Ireland’s former director of public prosecution led an independent inquiry examining whether or not the First Minister misled parliament over what she knew and when, after texts arose which heavily suggest she was aware of Salmond’s actions to some degree, and that they had a conversation about it long before the story broke to the public. She has been found to be not guilty of breaking the mistrial code of conduct.
A separate inquiry by a Scottish Parliament committee has been examining the Scottish government’s response to the initial complaints against Salmond. There are several concerns that have come about surrounding Salmond’s behaviour being an open secret.
Sturgeon’s association with the matter has called into question a lot of political issues for the SNP. The toxic culture that existed under Salmond and Sturgeon is being called into question, although Sturgeon denies one ever existed.
Scottish independence has been one of the main aims of the SNP for years. The divisive campaign needs a strong leader in order to face the critics and answer the important questions surrounding the reality of Scottish independence. The integrity of the previous ‘yes’ campaign has been questioned, and this is increasingly important as they have just drafted their second piece of legislation towards this goal. This move is being perceived as poorly timed at a time where the UK should be acting together towards rebuilding after the pandemic.
The First Minister is facing a vote of no-confidence later this week, and the repercussions of this could have long-term shockwaves for the Scottish independence campaign.
Written by Jessica Craighill
Artwork by Zara Masood
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