The short farewell
Posted on
March 16, 2016 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
We thought quite a lot of you would probably like to see this:
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Thanks Stu, That certainly beats all the handwringing going on today waiting for Giddy to open his red box.
Thank you Stu.
Thanks Rev.
Many thanks for this Stu 🙂
Statesmanlike and gracious as ever – liked Ms Marwick welling up;
human side of all very clear.
Nice touch at the end (for now!)
Thanks. A warm hearted, gracious and optimistic speech.
I was looking for the video on the BBC Scotland article, but nothing there so far. There is a nice clip from Duncan McNeil’s speech, but I thought there would have been just as much public interest in Salmond’s words.
Yoonies will go mental at; ‘for now’ ..just watch
Compare Salmond to any of Labour’s spineless lackeys, or Tory’s aloof gamekeepers … on second thoughts, dismiss the idea from your mind.
Salmond is the standard by which all following, of all parties and political persuasions, will be judged.
A lot of people do think well of this parliament and a lot of people think well of Alex Salmond. Haste ye back oor Eck!
The Presiding Officer Patricia Marwick, who is also retiring, was on the verge of tears at the end of Alex Salmond’s valedictory speech.
Was lucky enough to be there when Alex was elected leader of the SNP – handing him the Saltire on the stage that day without his knowing, was my idea. Seen the party rise through tough times under his guidance to deliver our referendum which shook the establishment to its core.
If Nicola achieves half of what Alex did then we shall be independent before the middle of the century comes around. What form that independence would take will be another matter however, as the geo-political world continually changes.
As ever, a class act.
Liked that. Thanks.
There have been but two main phases in the movement for Scottish independence in modern times:
Before Salmond and after Salmond.
He is still the most dangerous man in Britain. 🙂
My Granny,on advising a neighbour about attracting birds to her garden.
‘All you can do is create a habitat,that is inviting to the birds,one that is clean,safe,that provides a shelter,a place to raise their young and if you lucky,they will grace you with their presence’.
‘Remember that you cannot force them,cannot control them,birds have ‘wings’,and they will flee from any accipters’.
My Granny likes Big Eck,’he keeps a clean hoose’.
N.B. When the accipters outnumber the birds or when there are no birds left,they will turn on each other.
Tick Tock
Appreciated Rev.
Until recent years and events, I was no fan of politics or the political class. Mr Salmond had a big impact on washing a great deal of that political apathy away. A proper statesman and parliamentarian in my view, but more than that, he simply gave a damn about his electorate. He cares.
I reckon his best day is yet to come. 😉
Aye, nae sae bad!
Thanks Stuart
Alex Salmond bidding farewell to the Scottish Government in his customary statesmanlike fashion & now free to do his worst at confounding the naesayers in Westminster.
PO Patricia Marwick struggling to respond to his speech & probably recognising that Alex, retiring as an MSP, denotes the end of an era for the Scottish Parliament.
Thanks, Stu, much appreciated. An important moment in the history of our parliament and nation which will be largely ignored by our traditional media.
Next Thursday, the 24th March, will be what should have been our Independence Day. SNP members can mark this poignant date with Alex Salmond himself at Joan McAlpine’s adoption night in Dumfries where he will be one of the special guests. Tickets £32 including a 3 course meal and music from Pat Kane and his daughter, Eleanor. Tickets from Eventbrite:
link to eventbrite.com
One Alex Salmond. There’s only one Alex Salmond.
Gaun yersel’, Eck – all the best 🙂
Thanks for that Stu.
Lump in my throat, even though he’s still in Westminster, his presence at holyrood will be missed.
Thank you Stu. Great speech by a real Scottish statesman
alex salmond a man who fights the for the cause i salute you . a man who will be remembered in 100 years time for sticking up for scotland . as for the yoon parties they will only be remembered for there treachery to scotland . roll on may and the end of the unionists .
What a truly great man.
“For those standing for election, then I wish you all luck, albeit with varying degrees of enthusiasm”.
Thanks for including this in your excellent and informative Wings site. And thank you Alex Salmond for all you have done, and tried to do, for Scotland. Your dream of an independent Scotland is now in the safe hands of your worthy successor as First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon.
With Nicola in charge of Scotland’s future in Holyrood, and you fighting our corner down in the “enemy’s lair” of Westminster, that’s a powerful political pincer movement that will be hard for the Unionist parties of whatever persuasion to resist and continue to thwart.
Thank you Mr Salmond for the tears, the laughs and the grim resolve to make Scotland better than she was.
“For those standing for election, then I wish you all luck, albeit with varying degrees of enthusiasm”.
That would have went down well with the likes of Jackie Baillie like a lead balloon.
Stephen.
Tioraidh an drasda, Alasdair. 🙂
Simply put, one of our greatest statesmen saying goodbye with style.
Thanks for putting this up Rev.
As the wee man said on Saturday after Pollok booked their spot in the Junior Cup semis, thanks to a magnificent display of goalkeeping and a late penalty “my eyes are watering”.
Cheers Eck, and thanks Stu for putting it up.
Thanks for this, Rev. The end of an era. Sad to see the Big Man depart. Big shoes to fill. Just glad Nicola’s shoes have bigger heels.
Cheerio, Eck – for now. 🙂
Thank you for all you have done for Scotland Alex! A great man who will be remembered in our nation’s history. He makes his detractors look like the useless worms they are. I say worms deliberately – they have no spine!
[…] The short farewell […]
Thanks Stu for posting that. What a man Alex Salmond is and what an example to us all.
Well done that man!
Och, but he’s still a youngster at 61. Clinton is 68 and Trump is 69 and one of them is just about to become their country’s leader! Scotland isn’t the US, thank heavens. However, we certainly haven’t seen the last of Alex Salmond!
“for now”.
Love it.
Alex Salmond.
A thoroughly decent human being and a credit to Scotland and humanity in general.
When I hear anyone saying ‘I can’t stand Alex Salmond ‘ I look at them and think,what the f–k is wrong with you ?
Every one of his detractors should take good hard look at themselves and realise they are to Salmond what the Romans and Judas Iscariot were to Jesus.
Especially the lovely middle class professionals who think they are pillars of society and salt of the earth.
I still haven’t watched his post-referendum speech, and I don’t intend to. I haven’t read his “Yes” speech, and I won’t be reading that either. Not until we’re independent.
I watched this, though, because some part of me knew that this farewell may indeed be shorter than we think.
As Anagach says, a class act! tick,tock 🙂
Alex will go down in Scottish history as the father of independence. The man is pure class.
Get stuck into Westminster Alex and when you come back to an independent Hollyrood you will have a seat at the head of the table.
Now that the Lib Dems are no longer the third party at Westminster we don’t get to hear the SNP’s response to the Budget in Parliament by our media.. not even on the BBC Parliament Channel.
Does anyone know if SNP will get a Budget broadcast?
Alex Salmond just shows his class and is head and shoulders above any of the unionist pygmies.
Can anyone envision any unionist politician making a such speech?
No me neither
Ta -bit teary.
Used walk passed Holyrood on my lunch break and see Alex out talking to the punters. Same in Linlithgow when he was visiting his mum.
He could would can will talk to anyone to support Scotland because he obviously cares about its people above all.
Hope he keeps at it.
Thanks Rev and a massive thanks to Alex Salmond for all he’s done.
Here’s hoping he’s got plenty more in the tank as we still need him.
He left the Scottish Parliament in 2001, only to come back in 2007. Six years flew by quickly. You never know, maybe in 6 years he’ll be back as an MSP in an independent Scotland? Or at least as an MP negotiating Scotland’s Independence? You ain’t seen the back of him.
Maybe his catchphrase should be, “I’ll be back?”
Stephen Roney.
Thanks for the link Stu.
As expected no bitterness from a world class politician but there was as is his usual way some top class humour thrown in. 😀
He will be a loss to Holyrood but he is certainly a gain, a HUGE gain to Westminster … provided they don’t mind having a real pain in the earse constantly gieing them a richt guid kicking! 😀
Thanks for posting this video Stu.
Alex Salmond was a hero to my Dad & he continues to be a hero to me.
Lang may yer lum reek big man!
Thanks for posting Stu, for us in far flung places you are a life-line. What a man!!
What a difference between the Scottish parliament and the ‘sty’ of Westminster!
This is how business in such a place should be conducted.
Blast, forgot my manners – and the very best of wishes to Mrs Salmond too. She’s put up with a lot during Alex’s time both at the helm and on the benches. She’ll be glad that the pressure is coming off a tad.
There’s a fine figure of a lady in red, with jet black hair, sitting all alone at 0.00 on the video. lol. “Thare be Whales, arr”.
Stephen Roney.
Bye bye Alex……….for now.Nice one.
Thanks for the link. No doubt this will be largely ignored by the establishment media so glad to have been given the opportunity to listen.
Without a shadow of a doubt he is one our greatest and should always be seen as one of the (very) few who can be considered decent amongst politicians.
Shed a tear watching it as I am sure others have.
Thanks, Alex for all you do for our wonderful country.
Hail Alba.
bugsbunny says:
16 March, 2016 at 2:36 pm
There’s a fine figure of a lady in red, with jet black hair, sitting all alone at 0.00 on the video. lol. “Thare be Whales, arr”.
Stephen Roney.
I think she was reading the operating instructions for the BBC calculator Stephen. After her totally incomprehensible conclusions about A.P.D. someone must have told her to go back and re-think her figures. In order to do that though she needs the BBC calculator. 😀
Salamanda we salute you.
Alex, you will be back, I just know it…
Alex is statesmanship writ large. Head and shoulders above the unionist rabble of Holyrood and Westminster. Same goes for Nicola.
He’ll be back, and soon. I feel it in my bones.
Nice one Alex and Tricia Marwick very touched there
Over but not out
Alex Salmond is a tremendously talented politician.and there would have been no Independence Referendum without his efforts.
He single handedly almost succeeded in securing a YES vote, I certainly wish him well in the future and could never understand why he felt the need to resign as leader,even he must regret his hasty departure.
Properly done, well done Eck, very well done.
They are not going to like this in Unionville 🙂
link to archive.is
What a man. What style and class. We’ve no seen the last o’ him yet, quite sure about that.
Thank you Mr Salmond, for all that you have done for Scotland so far. Here’s hoping you come back to an independent parliament in the not too distant future.
Reuters “Chancellor George Osborne said he would cut taxes for energy companies pumping oil from the country’s North Sea fields, in a boost for the industry which is suffering from the impact of low crude prices.
“We need to act now for the long term… backing this key Scottish industry and supporting jobs,” Osborne said in his annual budget statement on Wednesday.
A low oil price has slashed jobs in Scotland’s oil-rich northeast and sapped Scottish public revenues.
“I am today cutting in half the Supplementary Charge on oil and gas from 20 percent to 10 percent. And I’m effectively abolishing Petroleum Revenue Tax too,” he said.
Both measures will be backdated and effective from the first of January this year.
The tax changes will save the industry around 1 billion pounds in the five financial years from 2016/2017 to 2020-2021, the budget document showed.
“We are only able to provide this kind of support to the oil and gas industry because of the broad shoulders of the United Kingdom. None of this support would have been remotely affordable if … Scotland had broken away,” Osborne said.”
He just can’t help himself. We wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for us filling the bottomless pockets of the Union. Away back to Wazzockstan ya clown!
@Almannysbunnet
Its not Scotland’s oil industry, its the UKs and the only fat he’s pulling out of the frier is his own. Its a no brainer he’s had a bee in his ear from both industry and the treasury to get his shit together PDQ, or risk pushing the industry into a dangerous ever downward spiral.
Love the way he’s portraying his clusterfuck as magnanimity. 😮
This sociopath is the chancellor. OMG 😮
@Almannysbunnet says:
“We are only able to provide this kind of support to the oil and gas industry because of the broad shoulders of the United Kingdom. None of this support would have been remotely affordable if … Scotland had broken away,” Osborne said.”
What pish. Reducing taxes when prices are low is the only sensible thing to do – to help sentiment and to help protect jobs, infrastructure and future income. But if companies aren’t making money, they wouldn’t be paying tax anyway.
It might give oil companies a bit of hope for more future profits, but does anyone seriously think that taxes won’t shoot up again when the oil price recovers ?
Alex Salmond, the first President of an independent Scotland. Ably assisted by prime minister Nicola and treasury secretary John Swinney.
What a team!
Alex Salmond is one of the finest politicians of our lifetime!
When the blinkers are finally removed from the disillusioned 55% they too will soon realise and fully appreciate what a true leader you have been to the people of Scotland.
Somehow i dont think that is the last we will see of Eck in the Scottish parliament.
It makes sense for him to leave as he has a MP job to do down in the belly of the beast,plus there is no need for him to look after Nicola anymore she has surpassed him and with big John and the SNP at her side Scotland is in fine hands.
Thanks for everything Eck keep your eye on the kids for us they are doing a grand job 🙂
Worth watching. A gracious and optimistic sign off.
Thanks for making it available.
Our hero! He took them on.
Thanks for everything Alex, you do honour to your nation and your calling every day, haste ye back as faither of a nation newly reborn!
What a statesmen I cried like a baby during his Bute house resignation .One of my abiding memories of him was at France 98 and him with Scotland top on bladdered on top of the Suns Scotland fan bus ,truly a man of the people.
Weep ye not folks – Alex is a man with a plan and I suspect he’s already at least a step or two ahead of us! He’ll be back – and playing a significant role in our independent parliament! Au revoir Alex – already looking forward to your return 🙂
Like Caesar,Veni, vidi, vici, et convertenture. A great man of State.
Thanks a lot Wings Over Scotland for this video.
I particularly liked Alex Salmond’s,”Diverse but not divided”.
John Swinney,Deputy First Minister closes the morning Session of the Consent to the Scotland Bill here:-
Scottish Parliament TV
link to tinyurl.com
just scroll to 1:53:00
and ends at 2:01:55
[it’s fiddly but worth it]
Well worth a watch–a generous,humorous,courteous speech in the presence of Alex Salmond,Jackie Baillie,Annabelle Goldie and others.
Special speech from a special statesman.
Tricia wasnt the only one with a rear in her eye!
In Rutherglen just now.
Just had an Labour election leaflet delivered by a man, that has a striking resemblance to the “ordinary student” quoted in said leaflet.
He says that James Kelly “has a track record for standing up for my generation” and the us all pish about “SNP have failed (insert education, people from mars etc)”
The misinformation and lies gave me a chuckle, two steps away from saying he wrestled a bear.
link to petition.parliament.uk
read and pass on
It is a stark contrast compared to the rabble that rules us badly from Westmidden. The braying and the goading coming from the English Tories and their Press and Media toadies was too much to stomach today.
His For Now I hope is a very short for now because I cant stomach being ruled by Braying English Tories and being preached at by their even more rabid Press and Media toadies!
Andrew McLean,
Signed, sealed and delivered.
Stephen.
@Andrew Mclean
Signed and thanks for the headsup.
A fine statesman and ambassador for Scotland.
Haste ye back, Alex.
Thanks for this clip, Rev.
SNP x 2 and EU in.
You either like him or your wrong!
Thanks Alex haste ye back, yer welcome
Duly signed Andrew. 😉
The brilliant Eck. What a speech.
Salmond has class unlike Osborne or “impartial” Sir Nicholas MacPherson.
Remind Unionists that UK’s National Debt is more than 100 times that of Scotland’s current deficit and during referendum Bank of England confirmed that it would honour ALL of the UK National Debt if Scotland voted “YES”.
Thanks Alex see you soon.
Yer no awa’tae bide awa’
Wrote a piece on Osborne’s bombshell budget:
link to daisycollinsblog.wordpress.com
Feedback much appreciated 🙂
Alex will be missed, but I get the feeling he will return. . . perhaps when Scotland is Independent.
Wrote a piece on Osborne’s bombshell budget:
link to daisycollinsblog.wordpress.com
Feedback much appreciated 🙂
Thanks Rev = )
Thank you Alex = )
Classic Alex Salmond. The man’s a giant. A sense of humour like no other politician.
O/T anybody hear Osborne’s wee dig at Scotland today. Funny thing is, if what he says is true, then he could cut £15 billion off his budget straight away by asking Dave and his pals to repeal the Act of Union.
But he doesnt, why ever not?
Alex was right. Donald Dewar’s opening address to the Scottish Parliament was Dewar’s finest. It mirrored his remarks at Westminster when proposing the bill; it went something like “There will be Scottish Parliament. – I like the sound of that.”
Sometimes I feel the current unionist parties in Scotland Labour and the Lib Dems who were for the reconvening of the Parliament should read Dewar’s speech and blush at their antics during the referendum and the sham vow they signed up to. Better together noo wi the Tories at Westminster?
I had the privilege recently of meeting Alex Salmond at the opening of Dr Philippa Whiteford’s office. He stood beside me quietly waiting for the next stage of the opening process. I turned to him, offered my hand and said, ” A pleasure to meet you, you are a star”.
I found him to be what just what I expected. Pleasant, unassuming,witty, gently teasing Philippa.
Ayrshire is fortunate in having two excellent MPs, Philippa and Corri Wilson.
In my +30 years in Ayrshire I had never met nor seen the former labour MP Brian Donahue.
signed Andrew.
Great speech , reminds me of how well read Alex Salmond is , his command of the English language , ranks him among st the great parliamentarians .
Will go down in the history books alongside the charge of the Old Guard at Waterloo,
Alex phone in starting at 6pm
link to lbc.co.uk
A remarkable human being, by anybody’s standards.
Poignant speech.
like tricia marwick watching alexs speech had the same effect, choked…same with his resignation the day after the indy ref, heart rendering stuff…really shows up the shallow arguements and posturing from the unionist, who can argue with self government, they have no pride or shame..thank you alex salmond for being our spokeman and giving us a reason to believe..hope you will be back at holyrood some day…
I’m an emotional old fool like the speaker, I had a tear in my eye at the end.
Farewell Alex, for now, the journeys not over yet.
Our star and heroine of Misreporting Scotland the notoriously unbiased Jackie T-rd has just plugged this weekend’s Scottish Labour Conference.
She pointed us in the direction of a phone-in with Kez and Ever Bigger Brian and ivited viewwers to send in questions which will no doubt be subject to the same selection criteria as was so ably demonstrared last thursday in QT from Dundee.
A statesman-like speech from a true statesman – a true Scottish statesman.
And still he stands head and shoulders above anyone (Nicola Sturgeon’s almost there!) that the UK’s Unionist can put forward as their spokesman or representative.
What he had to put with, and still has to put up with – the abuse, vilification, offensiveness, insults, the sneering smearing and jeering – as a Scottish man who believes that Scotland should be independent and its people free was, and still is an absolute disgrace.
May Alex Salmond be with us, fit and well, when Scotland does, at last, proclaim itself as the world’s newest independent country. He truly deserves to see and be part of that moment for all that he has done to make it happen. Here’s tae ye, Alex!
The people who voted No because they hate Alex Salmond are the most stupid people on earth.
Our star and heroine of Misreporting Scotland the notoriously unbiased Jackie T-rd has just plugged this weekend’s Scottish Labour Conference.
Gus
I have heard that even the tumble weed isn’t going this year.
So proud of Alex, that was an excellent speech, then Tricia had me near bubblin too.
What can you say? Scottish ‘nationalism’ in the 21st century, eh? Bad, bad, bad. It’s simply bad.
Is Mr. Salmond a Znanieckian humanist or an authoritarian Stalinist? Whatever, he must be bad. So bad that Scotland is now in touching distance of self-awareness and self-determination.
Thank you sir, for the role you have played in helping a very sick society towards the road to recovery.
@Mr thms says: 16 March, 2016 at 12:32 pm:
“The Presiding Officer Patricia Marwick, who is also retiring, was on the verge of tears at the end of Alex Salmond’s valedictory speech.”
All Scotland, whether they think so or not, owes Trish Marwick a great debt. She set a standard as PO that will be rather hard to follow and do to do justice to.
That was a very elegant and sincere speech from our Former First Minister. No condemnation of the other parties, but rather, offering moments of reflection for everyone. Beautifully poignant in parts, he also added enough subtle hints to the Unionists, that it is Scotland that they serve first; not the UK state, for what higher and more noble cause is there.
His point that the Parliament should discuss Scottish history and culture more often is a very relevant point. If a nation forgets its history, heritage and culture, then what is that nation? A soulless land, and nothing more than a province of a greater realm. With that, all the parties should strive to make Scotland a better nation, instead of at times, the continual withering and pointless attacks on government policy. Many spin doctors for the Unionist parties seem to have forgotten who it is that they serve; this is not the UK parliament, but the parliament of the Scottish people, and at times, the Scottish people have been left angry and bemused at what has taken place some Thursdays during First Minister’s Questions.
So, will Holyrood be a duller place without Alex Salmond? Of course it will.
But, as he mischievously hinted …he will be back. On that, there is no doubt.
Now that is you deliver a farewell speech, good to see the camera panning onto Annabelle Goldie laughing at Alec’s jokes, you can see the respect was there despite their political views being poles apart.
Many thanks from me for all you have done for Scotland, the greatest gift you given Scotland was the foresight to take Nicola under your wing.
Now go and raise hell in Westminster
There is cold cruel look in the Tory politician’s eye and a sleekit, self-interest one in the eyes of Slab and the LibDems which deadens and disconnects wth humanity.
In the SNP politician’s eye there is a light of determination, compassion, fairness, intelligence and burning anger at a great injustice endured by Scots for way too long. You can see it, you can feel it.
But in no SNP politician’s eyes does it burn brighter than in those of Alex Salmond.
Gracious, warming, respectful with touches of humour. A true statesman.
Haste ye back Alex!
Worms, is it? Worms are remarkable, they transform death in to life. Worms are one of the key drivers of most ecosystems and so pretty vital to the continuation of life on earth. Pretty useful to have around, even if generally lacking in charismatic appeal.
Yoon politicians and hacks are largely useless, with many of them soon to be made redundant. Nature has determined them as not fit-for-purpose, therefore, unnecessary. They may go down in history as yet another species unable to adapt to a changing environment. Nothing remarkable in that.
It all boils down to umwelt, see….and worms. 😉
What a truly great man.
‘Dropping the Pilot’
I wonder how future historians will regard Alex Salmond , on the anniversary of the Easter Rising , will historians in 2114 be more critical .
A Scotland cajoled into the Union of 1707 , 300 years of oppression at the hands of their imperialist masters , the English establishment .
A UK economy crushed by a banking crisis , and the worse recession and spending cuts since the 1930’s .
A walkover you say , yet for some reason we got embroiled in “keeping the pound , leaving the assets , taking the debt ” or some such complication , coupled with a Daily Record journalist , and a visit by the 3 amigoes .
And Scotland is the only country to have ever voted to stay IN the Union .
Alex Salmond for President of an Independent Scottish Republic.
We ain’t seen nothing yet.
For anyone interested, this paper in the Polish Sociological Review, explains Znaniecki’s central role in the evolution of sociological theory and the understanding of ethnic prejudice. I’m guessing he would have voted yes.
link to cdclv.unlv.edu
AS is the best example of what a politician should be, a master class, loved the wee “for now” comment at the end, as we know he is a master of the long game.
I’m sure he is thinking when he does return to Holyrood, he will be returning to an independent Scotland :-))
CamB
Good paper.
I am what you might call a pragmatic non-ethnic culturalist but with an accommodation for modern science.
Chic McGregor
Thanks. Same here Chic, I think. 😉
As a Scot, I could not be prouder of, or be more greatful to,Alex Salmond.His political contribution to Scotland is immeasurable. It saddens me greatly that,so many in Scotland are not aware that he is without doubt, Scotland’s best friend.Thank you Alex,haste ye back !