Salmond family pay tribute to ‘loyal and loving’ family man

The family of Alex Salmond, who died on Saturday aged 69, said the former Scottish first minister was “a devoted and loving husband, a fiercely devoted brother, A proud and caring uncle and a loyal and trustworthy friend.”

They said in a statement that the “formidable politician” was “admired around the world” but was also a “loving” family man whose presence helped them get through their “darkest moments.” ”.

They said life would never be the same but vowed to continue his work for Scottish independence.

Salmond died of a suspected heart attack after giving a speech in North Macedonia over the weekend. Arrangements are under way to return his body to Scotland.

His family – including wife Moira, sisters Margaret and Gail, his brother Bob and his nieces Christina and Karen and his nephews Mark, Neil and Ian – issued a statement on Sunday night A statement.

The statement read: “Alex was a formidable statesman, a brilliant orator, and a brilliant intellect who was admired around the world. He loved meeting people and hearing their stories, and Show incredible kindness to those in need.

“He has dedicated his adult life to a cause he believes in – Scottish independence. His vision and passion for Scotland and the Yes movement are both inspirational and contagious.

“But to us, first and foremost, he was a devoted and loving husband, a fiercely devoted brother, a proud and caring uncle, and a loyal and trustworthy friend.”

They added: “In our family’s darkest moments, he was always the one to get us through, which made this time even more difficult because he wasn’t around for us to turn to. His resilience and optimism knew no bounds. .

“He made us believe in better. Life will never be the same without Alex. But he wanted us to continue his life’s work of fighting for independence and justice, and that’s what we should do.”

The final words of the statement were “The dream will never die” – the same words Salmond used when he resigned after the failed Scottish independence referendum in 2014.

Salmond was speaking at the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy (ACD) conference in Ohrid, North Macedonia on Friday.

That evening he attended a dinner to discuss plans for next year’s ACD event in Scotland, before attending the next day’s meeting on Saturday.

He participated in a panel discussion and then a luncheon.

It was there that he became ill – falling backward in his chair and being caught by a deputy.

He is believed to have suffered a severe heart attack. However, an autopsy will be conducted to confirm the cause of death.

The remainder of the event was canceled as paramedics attempted to resuscitate him without success.

Just hours before his death, he posted on X, concluding: “Scotland is a country, not a county”.

Former first minister Henry McLeish told BBC News Scotland on Monday morning that Salmond “broke new ground” in Scottish politics.

MacLeish, 76, described Salmond as “a formidable politician and a friend”.

he told good morning scotland: “Today, too many politicians regard each other as political enemies [rather than] opponent.

In 2014, Salmond resigned as SNP leader and first minister after the Yes campaign failed in the referendum.

MacLeish described the 45% independence vote as a “stunning result” for the pro-independence movement, which surprised people in Westminster.

“He was only a few hundred thousand votes away from having Scotland leave the union,” McLeish said.

McLeish said Salmond saw devolution as a “stepping stone” to independence and praised his pragmatism.

He continued: “He supports devolution but I think he takes a very pragmatic approach and I think that’s what we’re missing [since] He resigned in 2014.

Salmond’s old friend Kenny MacAskill, the former Scottish justice minister, said he had “made Scottish independence mainstream”.

MacAskill, now the de facto leader of Dawn’s party, added: “His [Salmond’s] The legacy is all around us, whether it’s in infrastructure projects…or without tuition or prescription fees, which is a blessing for many across this land.

He continued: “Alex brought independence into the mainstream.”

Former Conservative MP David Davis was due to have dinner with Salmond on Sunday after returning from Ohrid.

The pair have been close friends since entering the House of Commons in 1987, despite their political differences.

Davis said Salmond was a “brilliant” economist and said he “admired” Salmond’s dedication to the cause of independence, although he had never been convinced by his arguments.

“Sometimes he has an impact on my views, but not on the core issue of independence,” he said.

“But on other issues we ended up on the same side on the Iraq war, for example we co-signed a motion Criticized Tony Blair for launching the Iraq War in 2016.

“On the other hand, he’s often been supportive of things I’ve done in terms of civil liberties, the rule of law, appropriate limits on government. So there’s been a lot of alliances along the way.

MPs will pay tribute to Alex Salmond in the House of Commons this afternoon.