Salmond is ‘not as scary as he thinks’

Labour leadership contender Tom Harris last night said Alex Salmond “is not nearly as scary as he thinks”, as he tried to persuade the grass roots that he was the right person to take on the First Minister.

As the only MP in the contest, Mr Harris acknowledged that Mr Salmond was a formidable opponent, but was beatable.

“He is a substantial politician. He has succeeded because he has created division for Scotland,” Harris said. “But the arguments for Nationalism are superficial. They’re paper-thin.

“He doesn’t like being made fun of and we need somebody who can make fun of him and who will stand up to his blowing and bluster.

“He is not nearly as scary as some people like to think – as he likes to think.”

At a hustings event at the Apex Hotel in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket, Mr Harris’s rival Ken Macintosh said taking on the SNP ought to be defined by politics rather than personalities.

The third contender for the leadership, Johann Lamont, was critical of the SNP’s plan for a referendum ballot with a third option of devo-max, a settlement that would see more Holyrood powers short of full independence.

“I don’t accept that I am someone oppressed by the English who needs to be liberated by Alex Salmond. [With devo-max] he is now defining the position of people who want to remain within the UK.”

Mr Harris said devo-max was “undeliverable, unworkable and non-existent”, describing the SNP as “devolutionist”.

The remarks appear to be at odds with a speech by Douglas Alexander last week, in which the Westminster front-bencher appeared to indicate that the party should be comfortable with devolving more powers to the Scottish Parliament.