THE former First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, who died on Saturday, was “one of the significant figures in modern Scotland”, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Revd Dr Shaw Paterson, has said.
Mr Salmond, who was the First Minister from 2007 to 2014, and led the Scottish National Party twice (from 1990 to 2000 and from 2004 to 2014), died suddenly, aged 69, on Saturday, at a conference in North Macedonia.
Dr Paterson paid tribute to Mr Salmond, a member of the Kirk, on Sunday. “Mr Salmond was one of the significant figures in modern Scotland,” he said. “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. 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.”
The Prime Minister said in a press release: “For greater than 30 years, Alex Salmond was a monumental figure of Scottish and UK politics. He leaves behind an enduring legacy. As First Minister for Scotland he cared deeply about Scotland’s heritage, history, and culture, in addition to the communities he represented as MSP and MP over a few years of service.”
In a video posted by the Church of Scotland in 2015, Mr Salmond described the part that he played in introducing “Time for Reflection” to the Scottish Parliament at first of every week. “It was the one vote I ever won against the late Donald Dewar [the Labour politician who was the inaugural First Minister],” he said.
“Donald was somewhat sceptical of faith . . . and he desired to avoid having the identical parody of prayers that they’ve within the House of Commons. And so we got here up with Time for Reflection, where all religions get a shot, and the humanists as well, and it provides approach to start the parliamentary week.”
Mr Salmond continued: “I’m biased, after all, because I’m a Church of Scotland adherent. I prefer people of religion to individuals who haven’t any faith or individuals who have lost their faith. I believe the entire Church’s denominations have a key role to play in society.”
Mr Salmond resigned from the SNP in 2018 after allegations were made against him of sexual misconduct. After a two-week trial in 2020, he was acquitted on all counts. In 2021, he founded the pro-independence Alba Party, which he led until his death.
