Scottish Government should have stepped in to pay to send Alex Salmond's body home

Record View says it’s legitimate to ask why Holyrood officials did not offer at the outset to pay for the repatriation of a former first minister.

The family and friends of Alex Salmond will be hugely relieved his body will soon be repatriated from North Macedonia to Scotland.

The sudden death of a loved one is always traumatic but the added complication of such an event taking place abroad can only make it more stressful. Credit is due to the unnamed individual who has stepped in to pay for the private plane which will fly the former first minister back to Scotland.

It has brought an end to a waiting game which stretched on so long as to feel unseemly. Officials in North Macedonia made it clear on Tuesday the process at their end had been completed.

But it took another 24 hours for the Scottish Government to issue an updated statement clarifying its involvement. It’s legitimate to ask why Holyrood officials did not offer at the outset to pay for the repatriation of a former first minister.

Salmond died a private citizen, having not been an MP or MSP since 2017, but his contribution to public life meant such an intervention would surely be appropriate. It is difficult to imagine a private citizen being relied upon to pay for the repatriation of a former prime minister who died overseas.

Understandably, there would be questions raised about why the government wasn’t prepared to step in to honour one of its former leaders. It is to be hoped there are no further delays in bringing Salmond home, so his friends and family can grieve in peace.

Protect women

Natalie Morgan endured three years of hell at the hands of Garry Corbett.

She told how she lived in fear in her own home, unable to sleep properly, and was diagnosed with PTSD. At one stage, Corbett told her she was only alive because he allowed her to be.

No woman should have to live under the threat of violence and mental torment by brutes like him. Sadly, Natalie is not alone. Women up and down the country will experience similar treatment from inadequate men who should know better.

As Scottish Women’s Aid said, her experiences are “all to common”. The organisation gives valuable support to people like Natalie who feel alone and trapped by their abuser.

But it is only through shaming people like Corbett and giving the subject the air of publicity that progress can be made. If telling her story today means one woman finds the strength to break free from a brute like Corbett, then it has been a success.

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