Did Alex Salmond 'chuckle' about destroying Nicola Sturgeon or was it a 'guffaw'? – Scotsman comment

It is perhaps one of the strangest controversies of the whole Scottish election campaign.

Did Alex Salmond “chuckle” before saying “if I wanted to destroy her [Nicola Sturgeon], that could have been done” – as reported by the New Yorker magazine – or was it, as he claims, a “guffaw”?

To some, the New Yorker’s description of the telephone interview suggested Salmond had been hinting that he possessed explosive information which could bring about the end of the First Minister’s career.

Salmond, however, told the National that this idea was based on “misreporting of misreporting”. Double fake news? Even Donald Trump would be shocked.

The New Yorker journalist had asked why he had “tried to destroy his former protégée”, meaning Sturgeon. Salmond said his response had been “totally taken out of context. I did not ‘chuckle’… I think I guffawed at the suggestion that was being made”.

Guffaw or chuckle, we think the public has the right to know. It is only then that we will be able to make a judgement about the apparently all-important context.

If the interview was taped, the people should be given the opportunity to listen to the evidence and decide for themselves about the true nature of what we are fairly sure can be safely described as “some kind of laugh”, although perhaps we should have checked that with our lawyers first.

Alex Salmond smiles for the camera. Or is it a grin? (Picture: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

And what if the New Yorker and Salmond are both wrong? If it turns out to have been more of a chortle or a giggle, a cackle or a snicker, what then?

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.