The Guardian view on the SNP feud: the personal is political | Editorial

The battle between Alex Salmond’s zeal and Nicola Sturgeon’s caution risks pushing the women at the centre of the saga to the marginsWhen Alex Salmond finally gives evidence to a Scottish parliament committee in Edinburgh on Friday, one thing should become diamond clear. The argument between Mr Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon is not, as many nationalists have claimed, some second order distraction from real politics, got up by the evil Tories, the wicked English or the Westminster press. Instead, the row about Ms Sturgeon’s role in the sexual misconduct charges that were either thrown out or dropped against Mr Salmond last year is now a full-on power struggle. It pits the two dominant figures in modern Scottish nationalist politics against one another. It is a battle that one, and perhaps both of them, will lose.Larger issues hang on the outcome. These stretch beyond individual careers, through the credibility of the Holyrood parliament and the workings of the Scottish National party government, and into the prospects of Scottish independence and the future of the United Kingdom. Arching across them all, often barely heard amid the sound and fury of the clash of Scottish political titans, the feud will decide whether modern Scotland takes the trauma of sexual harassment as seriously as it claims to do – and as it absolutely should. The women at the centre of the dispute were brave. They have been trolled in Scotland’s virulent social media for doing so. They must not be betrayed. Continue reading... https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/feb/25/the-guardian-view-on-the-snp-feud-the-personal-is-political #scottish_politics #scottish_national_party_(snp) #politics #scottish_independence #nicola_sturgeon #alex_salmond #boris_johnson