Leaders' vitriol raises questions

AFTER the Christmas and New Year break, it's back to battle for Scotland's politicians. MSPs are ready to lock horns over the SNP's budget proposals and a host of other issues, as well as resuming last year's rows about Alex Salmond's involvement with the controversial Trump development and the dodgy donation to Wendy Alexander's leadership campaign.

And today they were waiting to assess the latest state of hostilities between Mr Salmond and the Liberal Democrat leader Nicol Stephen, which seemed to reach boiling point before the holidays.

For the three weeks running up to Christmas, the regular Thursday session of First Minister's Questions (FMQs) was notable for the bitterness of the exchanges between the two men, who were once seen as potential coalition partners.

During last year's Scottish Parliament election campaign, Mr Salmond would often go out of his way in television debates to woo his Lib Dem opposite number, offering to include a "more powers" option in the SNP's promised independence referendum. And the two men joined forces against the common enemy of Labour and the Tories on the issue of local income tax.

But there's no love lost between them now, as is plain from their clashes in the chamber. At FMQs on December 6, Mr Salmond used his reply to Mr Stephen to quote a recent SNP-commissioned opinion poll, pointing out: "A mighty four per cent of the population are impressed with the performance of Nicol Stephen as an opposition leader."

But Mr Stephen appeared ready for the attack. He responded: "I have here the last poll that was not paid for by the SNP in Scotland. It shows that, of the views expressed about all the leaders of all the parties, the most common was that Alex Salmond is 'arrogant' and 'patronising'."

The following week, Mr Stephen homed in on the Trump plan for a £1 billion golf resort in Mr Salmond's constituency.

He told MSPs: "Every step of the way, there has been contradiction, concealment and cleverness from his Government on the issue. It smells of sleaze."

Mr Salmond hit back, reminding Mr Stephen of the controversy he faced over the Aberdeen bypass when he was a minister. And the "sleaze" allegation was still rankling with the First Minister a week later at the last FMQs before Christmas. Even though Mr Stephen's question was about another issue altogether, Mr Salmond was determined to take a swipe at the Lib Dems over sleaze, highlighting dodgy donations the party had accepted.

Mr Salmond said: "Given that he has not repeated his allegation of sleaze in government, I remind him of what sleaze is. Sleaze is taking £3.4 million from a jailed donor, using it to finance election campaigns in England and Scotland, and refusing to give the money back. That is what sleaze is."

And for good measure, he quoted at length an editorial from the Aberdeen evening paper, accusing Mr Stephen of gutter politics, mud-slinging and scoring cheap political points over the Trump controversy.

Mr Salmond has also claimed the Lib Dem leader is so out of tune with local opinion that he is "unelectable in the north-east". So why this new level of vitriol? Senior figures on both sides have failed to come up with any old conflict buried in their past to explain the bitterness. One SNP source suggests it stems from Mr Salmond's success in winning Gordon from the Lib Dems to get into Holyrood last May.

"The Lib Dems have not managed to get over the fact that Alex Salmond took a Lib Dem seat," he says. "The Lib Dems did badly in the election when they are not used to doing badly in Scotland. They are not used to losing seats in Scotland and certainly not to the SNP."

The Nationalists deny that Mr Stephen's barbs have needled their man. "That's what First Minister's Questions is about – it's hyperbole, it's theatre."

But they insist the attacks on the First Minister have not played well for Mr Stephen back in the north-east, where they both have their seats.

"A breakdown of the YouGov poll last month showed 49 per cent of voters in the north-east chose Salmond as the leader that impressed them most, while only five per cent chose Stephen.

"If you're weak and indecisive, sometimes you overcompensate to appear tough. It's the John Major syndrome – if people think you're a wimp, you overcompensate and all it does is prove you are."

Lib Dem insiders insist the exchanges simply show Mr Stephen has been able to highlight the First Minister's weaknesses and get under his skin.

One says: "Alex Salmond finds it difficult to cope with criticism. Having spent his entire career up till now in opposition, he is not used to the degree of scrutiny that goes with being in government – and the most effective scrutiny has been coming from the Lib Dems and, in particular, Nicol Stephen."

Mr Stephen – never previously noted for his performances in the chamber – has noticeably upped his game, though aides deny he has received special coaching.

One thing is for sure – any chance of a cosy coalition between these two has gone for good.