Scottish independence: Scotland’s unpopular Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tries to defend Alex Salmond who entered a Scottish School without permission or knowledge of the head teacher, Labour Party says Alex Salmond 'out of control' now!

Dear All

Have you ever heard the expression, ‘milking it on all four tits’?

It means over doing something beyond what reasonably could be expected, Alex Salmond has been branded out of "out of control" by Labour at Aberdeen City Council.

Scotland's top civil servant, Sir Peter Housden has since entered the row and dismissed calls for an inquiry into Salmond’s conduct during the recent Donside by-election.

No surprises there at all.

This is the episode when Salmond entered a School through a fire exit and without the permission or knowledge of the headteacher.  

In the continuing ‘verbal brawl’ between Alex Salmond and Barney Crockett, the Labour leader of Aberdeen City Council, the stakes are getting raised further and heated.

Barney Crockett, the Labour leader of Aberdeen City Council has since threatened to make a formal complaint against the Scottish Government's Permanent Secretary.

It seems that things are spiraling out of control as the mud and verbals flies back and forth.

Housden is still refusing calls for a probe into visit during the recent Aberdeen Donside by-election to closure-threatened Bramble Brae Primary, this was a mistake on his part.

The Scottish Government's Permanent Secretary has decided to just accept Alex Salmond’s version of events without an investigation, I can therefore understand why Crockett considers that a formal complaint is possibly needed into Housden.

Crockett in the meantime has decided that this isn’t good enough and he would complain to the head of the Home Civil Service, Sir Bob Kerslake.

So, what are the facts?

Alex Salmond entered a School without the permission of the head teacher. He should have known he should have sought permission during the School day, is his defence stupidity?

Crockett also claims that Salmond is no longer being held to account by his politically impartial civil servants which I think some people might agree with Crockett's accusation totally.

He said:

"It is astonishing that the First Minister finds it acceptable to march into a primary school unannounced to any of the staff or education officials and address a classroom of children. He [Alex Salmond] is out of control."

Presumably there will have to be a review of security at Aberdeen Schools to ensure all possible measures are in place to stop incidents of this nature happening again. Salmond hasn’t the right to enter the School without going through proper channels, and to do it during a by-election stinks.

Salmond says "the visit was totally private" with "no media" except that the SNP issued a press release ask reporters to turn up outside the School.

The First Minister has accused the council's ruling Labour and Conservative coalition of bringing the authority into "total disrepute" by criticising his behaviour.

This was petrol on an already bad tempered fire which seems to be spreading, Scotland’s unpopular Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has since been brought in and held clear-the-air talks with the council leader and chief executive.

Not surprisingly Sturgeon backed Salmond's comments as "justified".

Mr Crockett said:

"We can work with even the most negative of people if we have to for the future of the city. No matter how intemperate and wild and uncontrolled the First Minister is - he is the First Minister and we have to work with him for as long as he is in post."

Which isn’t going to be that long, time is ticking down fast, on this issue the Labour leader Barney Crockett has a point, no one should be entering a school without proper permission during the School day from the head teacher, and they certainly shouldn’t be giving speeches during a by-election in a School threatened with closure.

Salmond was right to do his photo op with parents outside, anyone can do that, but he was plain wrong in what happened next.

Barney Crockett says he is ‘out of control’, this could be seen by some as understandable, he has a Scottish independence referendum to lose in September 2014, he is politically at the end of his career, like a man in quicksand, he is sinking, everything he grasps falls apart as the panic increases.

There is no one with any talent coming to save Alex Salmond and as to the buffoons already there, well, we have already seen what they are capable of.... not very much!

Finally, I don't think I would have Nicola Sturgeon as my advocate, might as well have a big sign up saying Guilty!!!!! 

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University