I’m not sure how many viewers the recent Scottish Conservative leaders’ debate on STV attracted, but I’ll guarantee a lot more tuned in to the BBC’s two-parter Salmond and Sturgeon: A Troubled Union, the documentary marking the tenth anniversary of the independence referendum. If that campaign seems like yesterday, the features of the two protagonists tell a different story, not just the natural spread of advancing years to which most of us succumb, but the weariness, the resignation and, yes, the anger about subsequent events. In the darkened confines of Prestonfield House where the interviews were shot, long gone was the swagger with which they bestrode its manicured lawns in the heady days of victory in 2007, 2010 and 2011.
Sad and beaten They all agreed on one thing, however, that party loyalty and discipline, and single-minded focus on the drive to independence were absolutely crucial to success. It must therefore follow that in laying bare the rancour and division of recent years, the contributors to the mini-series have helped ensure that the dream will remain just that. Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon, Humza Yousaf and John Swinney all looked sad and beaten.
Only former adviser Geoff Aberdein seemed to be enjoying himself. Maybe it’s only to be expected that Mr Salmond would use such language as “venomous and biased” towards the BBC, long seen as an enemy of independence by its supporters, even though unionists have long suspected the opposite. As most Con.