Salmond’s ‘tuition fees’ stone rejected by St Andrews

A commemorative stone inscribed with Alex Salmond’s self-proclaimed rallying cry against tuition fees was originally planned for St Andrews University, which he attended.

Alex Salmond said rocks will melt before he would levy fees. Picture: Hemedia

But the plan ran into problems before the stone eventually was moved to its current base at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.

The Clashach stone carries Salmond’s quote: “The rocks will melt with the sun before I allow tuition fees to be imposed on Scottish students.” It was unveiled by the former SNP leader in his final hours as First Minister last November.

But it has now emerged that the Edinburgh institution was the Scottish Government’s third choice to accommodate the stone, which was carved and designed by Historic Scotland apprentices.

E-mails released through Freedom of Information show plans to house it at St Andrews fell through because it “had a separate campaign at present involving carved paving stones which they are looking to be sponsored”.

The Scottish Government then looked at “another university, most probably Strathclyde”, before Heriot-Watt was approached.