The Hated and the Dead

Kissinger said that ninety percent of politicians give the other ten percent a bad name. Each week, a guest and I discuss the life and legacy of one politician from recent times. Some are well-known, others obscure; all have left an indelible mark on our world, and often for the worse. Join me, Tom Leeman, in a journey through the corruptible and the controversial.

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The Hated and the Dead

EP113: Alex Salmond

January 14, 2024 • Tom Leeman • Season 10

Alex Salmond was First Minister of Scotland between 2007 and 2014, during which time he led the unsuccessful referendum campaign for Scottish independence.

Salmond was a ruthless political operator, who was difficult to pin down on the political spectrum. This made him the perfect candidate to spearhead the independence campaign, as he meant different things to different voters. This ambiguity can make it difficult for non-Scots, like me, to get to grips with the drive for independence.

The guest I have chosen to discuss Salmond is Murray Pittock. Murray is a Scottish historian, and a professor of literature at the University of Glasgow. He is also the author of a large selection of works on Scottish history, including 2022’s Scotland: The Global History: 1603 to the Present.

As well as Salmond, we discuss the ideological variety inside the independence movement, Scotland’s relationship to North Sea Oil, Scotland’s experience with Blairism and New Labour, and the state of the SNP in 2024.