Of course, it’s safer to castigate a man for his moral flaws after he’s safely gone. You know there can be no prospect of ever having contact with him again. It’s in this context that we must view some of the more vindictive commentary that followed the death of Alex Salmond.

Some of us who had known and admired Mr Salmond prior to his acquittal on all 13 charges of misconduct in 2020 nevertheless felt ethically obliged immediately afterwards to express anger at elements of his behaviour while in high public office. It simply needed to be said and that was the time to say it. It led to a couple of testy conversations with the man afterwards and then it was done.

Part of our anger was rooted in the realisation that his flaws had provided the chance for a cast of opportunists lurking in the SNP to bring him down. Their actions have since been found to have been questionable and tainted by bias. Some of their media glove-puppets cheered them on.

Nicola Sturgeon gives evidence to a Scottish Parliament committee examining the handling of harassment allegations against former first minister Alex Salmond (Image: JEFF J MITCHELL) There are currently civil and criminal investigations ongoing into the conduct of senior civil servants and some politicians over the course of the sprawling, multi-million-pound police investigation of Mr Salmond that occurred between 2018 and 2020.

Meanwhile, David Hamilton, Scotland's information commissioner has fiercely criticised the Scottish Government for its desperate three-year legal battle against releasing documents relating to Nicola Sturgeon's conduct during the Alex Salmond inquiry. What are they hiding and why does it terrify them to the extent that they would spend tens of thousands in public money seeking to keep it hidden?

Mr Hamilton........

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