Out for revenge! Alex Salmond’s Alba Party poses ‘biggest threat’ to Scottish independence

Nicola Sturgeon gets told off for getting ‘personal’ during FMQs

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The former SNP leader launched the pro-independence party claiming he wanted to win a supermajority at May’s Holyrood elections so it could pressurise Boris Johnson to allow a second referendum on independence. He would do this by hoovering up second round votes which would have ordinarily gone to the SNP.

Under Scotland’s current system these “wasted” ballots are redistributed to voters’ third or fourth choices – meaning pro-Unionists parties often benefit.

Mr Salmond wants this form of tactical voting to benefit the nationalist cause, and return enough MSPs to give pro-independence parties a supermajority.

But Leo Kearse, a pro-Unionist political commentator and comedian, claims that his current actions could undermine his lifelong goal of breaking away from the rest of the UK.

This is because Mr Salmond’s newly created party could muddy the waters and discredit the pro-independence cause, Mr Kearse said.

And with egos playing an increasingly large role in the very public fallout between Mr Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon – it could cost them both dearly – Mr Kearse claimed.

He said: “We mustn’t lose sight of the fact that Sturgeon and Salmond just want to be in power, regardless of whether Scotland remains in the UK or not.

“Sturgeon prefers the slow and steady march to independence, as that creates the least discord that could unseat her.

“Salmond preferred this approach too, but now that he’s not in power, disharmony suits him.

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“And Salmond wants revenge against the woman who, in his eyes, orchestrated a conspiracy to not only destroy his reputation and political career but sent him to the gulag for 10 years.

“Scottish politics is turning into a village hall production of MacBeth.

“It could all end up losing the SNP seats, but the SNP’s opposition is in disarray too, so who knows?”

Mr Kearse was referring to how the SNP handled harassment allegations against its former leader.

He successfully sued the SNP-led Scottish government and was found not guilty of all criminal charges against him.

Ms Sturgeon denies there was a conspiracy against her predecessor.

Last week a Holyrood committee found the Scottish government’s handling of harassment complaints against Mr Salmond as “seriously flawed”.

But first minister Ms Sturgeon was cleared of having misled parliament, much to the outrage of opposition parties.

The judgement did nothing to dampen Mr Salmond’s rage at the treatment he received and he announced last week that Alba would add another party into Scotland’s nationalist mix.

A day after the ruling, he also said he would take fresh legal action over the conduct of the Scottish government’s top civil servant.

Since launching Alba two SNP MPs have since defected to the party.

More members loyal to former leader Mr Salmond expected to cross the floor over the coming days.

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