Ready to rumble – or be rumbled

Richard Allison (Letters, 8 December) describes Alex Salmond’s decision to stand for election to Westminster as “breathtaking arrogance”. I must say, Mr Allison is rather easily excited.

He also says that Mr Salmond will keep his MP’s salary of £67,000 and his First Minister’s pension, when it has been stated by Mr Salmond, and widely reported in the press, that both those benefits will be given to charities in Scotland.

Mr Allison should check his facts before allowing his hatred of the SNP to blind him in such matters. He also owes Mr Salmond an apology for impugning his integrity. No politician of any party has contributed so much for so little personal gain.

James Duncan

Rattray Grove

Edinburgh

Fiona Campbell (Letters, 9 December) should not be surprised that Alex Salmond failed to attend the post-
referendum service of reconciliation as he has clearly no wish for reconciliation, what with his talk of “holding feet to the fire”.

He can be accused of many things – hubris comes to mind – but hypocrisy, at least in this case, is not one of them.

Jane Ann Liston

Largo Road

St Andrews

Alex Salmond has declared that he wishes to “rumble up” the UK Government at the next general election.

It would be fair to say that the Scottish electorate effectively “rumbled” him at the recent referendum.

The percentage of Scots who either voted No Thanks, or declined to vote in the referendum was 62.24 per cent, while support for Salmond and independence amounted to only 37.76 per cent.

I sincerely hope that the good folks of Scotland, in the Aberdeenshire constituency of Gordon, will reject Mr Salmond’s application to become a Member of Parliament for their area.

It should be noted these self-same voters, in the referendum, voted 60.3 per cent No against 39.7 per cent Yes.

The “Laird of Udny’s Fule” was not as daft as his title implies and, having lived in the Aberdeenshire area myself, at one time, for more than 15 years, I can vouch for the fact that the folks of Aberdeen, and its hinterland, are not uninformed either.

When one considers the amount of public funds which Mr Salmond and the SNP have spent on their vain attempt to split up the UK, I just hope that the guid folk of Gordon will reject him and his policies, and send him home to Linlithgow to think again.

Robert I G Scott

Ceres

Fife