Tributes have been paid to “titan” of Scottish independence, Alex Salmond, after his sudden death on Saturday on the age of 69.
Salmond had been attending a conference on the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy Forum in north Macedonia on the time of his death.
For a long time he was the face of the Scottish independence movement, serving as first minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014. He was twice the leader of the Scottish National Party, the primary time from 1990 to 2000, and again from 2004 to 2014. Later, he became leader of the Alba Party from 2021 until his death.
Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Rt Rev Dr Shaw Paterson, called Salmond “one of the crucial significant figures in modern Scotland”.
“He played a pivotal role within the SNP’s transformation into Scotland’s party of presidency, which he led as First Minister, but his influence was not only felt on the national stage. For a few years he served the communities of his adopted North-East as each an MP and MSP,” said Dr Paterson.
“We acknowledge his a few years of service to the country he loved and offer our sincere condolences and prayers for his family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time, most especially his wife, Moira.”
Deputy First Minister of Scotland and committed Christian, Kate Forbes, said she was finding it “unimaginable to process” the news of his death.
“The impact he had on Scotland, our party and the independence movement was monumental. Like me, many will probably be in shock tonight, and my thoughts are with Moira, his wider family and his closest friends,” she said.
Pastor and apologist David Robertson called Salmond a “good politician and a flawed man (like all of us) whose death can have significant impact in Scotland and beyond”.
Christian commentator Adrian Hilton paid tribute to Salmond as “a conviction politician”.
“You could disagree and argue robustly, but you usually knew exactly where you stood with him, somewhat like Margaret Thatcher and the Rev’d Dr Ian Paisley. Sadly, a dying breed,” he said.
Lois McLatchie Miller, of the Alliance Defending Freedom UK, remembered Salmond as someone who “railed against dangerous imported ideologies threatening women’s rights and safety in Scotland”.
“I disagreed with him on much. But one thing’s needless to say: Salmond’s Scotland would have looked remarkably different to Sturgeon’s/Yousef’s,” she said.
Tributes have been paid to Salmond across the political spectrum, with the SNP party describing him as a “titan of the independence movement”.
“His leadership brought the SNP into the mainstream and the Scottish Government,” he said.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called him a “monumental figure of Scottish and UK politics”, while former Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon said he had been a “mentor” to her.
Sturgeon was Salmond’s deputy first minister from 2007 to 2014, and his deputy leader of SNP from 2004 to 2014, but they fell out after he was accused of sexual misconduct. He was later cleared of the allegations.
“I’m shocked and sorry to learn of Alex Salmond’s death,” she said.
“Obviously, I cannot pretend that the events of the past few years which led to the breakdown of our relationship didn’t occur, and it might not be right for me to try.
“However, it stays the undeniable fact that for a few years Alex was an incredibly significant figure in my life. He was my mentor, and for greater than a decade we formed one of the crucial successful partnerships in UK politics.
“Alex modernised the SNP and led us into government for the primary time, becoming Scotland’s fourth First Minister and paving the way in which for the 2014 referendum which took Scotland to the brink of independence.
“He will probably be remembered for all of that. My thoughts are with Moira, his wider family and his friends.”
