Alex Salmond obituary: The Scottish firebrand who shook up British politics Opinion Alex Salmond was the dominant figure in Scottish politics of the past three decades. He led the Scottish National Party for 20 years, was the first pro-independence First Minister of Scotland and brought about a referendum on the Union which ended his front-line career but put to bed any lingering notion that a separate Scotland was unimaginable.
Humza Yousaf’s SNP is more like a cult than a political project Alys Denby The SNP has held on to power in Scotland through the force of personality of its leaders and the pursuit of independence at all cost