Alex Salmond 1954-2024
The news broke on Saturday that former First Minister and leader of the Alba Party, Alex Salmond, had died at a conference in Macedonia where he had just delivered a speech. Since then there have been many comments and tributes.
Deputy leader of the Alba Party, former MP and MSP, Kenny Macaskill, said: “His lifetime has delivered so much. His political record as unsurpassed, I think, in Scottish politics, not simply in his generation, but going back many generations. This is a man who took a small party, persuaded me and others to join it, when Scotland was to some extent, and certainly the nationalist community, on his knees.
“There was no Scottish Parliament. There seemed no likelihood of there one coming, and independence was viewed as a fanciful dream. This is a man who got us to a situation where we have a Holyrood parliament. We came within a whisker of independence in a referendum. And where independence now polls regularly not far off 50%. That is the legacy of Alex Salmond, that one man delivered so much more.”
“I think Alex had already founded the modern SNP, taking it to success, and he was embarking on doing it yet again in a different political party.
“At the present moment, this is a time to grieve. It’s the time to reflect on Alex’s legacy. But I think all of us who are in the Alba party share Alex’s comments that the dream shall never die.”
campaign for the general election campaign.. PHOTO Alan Simpson
Out of our Depth
The three MacLean brothers from Edinburgh, Jamie, Ewan and Lachlan, are going to row the Pacific next year in the The Rare Whisky 101 Pacific Challenge.
This is the second ocean-going adventure the trio have embarked upon. Last time they crossed the Atlantic in just 35 days, winning the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, while also being the youngest trio, and also the first team made up of brothers.
They raised £200,000 for their own charity which seeks to provide clean water for charities Feedback Madagascar and Children First. Now they want to raise £1million which they estimate will provide clean water for 30,000 people in developing countries.
The brothers said: “Clean water is the most basic commodity on the planet. Despite this, 10% of the world’s population live without it. We’re doing something about this.”
On Thursday last week the premiere of the documentary which Lost Clock Productions have made about the first rowing challenge took place in Glasgow before an invited audience. Here is a trailer for the film below which will now be taken to film festivals.
Secure bike parking
This apparent legacy from the UCI Cycling World Championships was spotted in Glasgow…secure on street parking for bikes. If possible it would be good to have this in the capital. The on street cycle hangars which are available for residents are not paid for by the council. It is Cyclehoop who install them (on council land – usually a public street) and then maintain them while changing residents, issuing keys to access them.
At Birch Tree Gallery
The gallery will welcome back Paula Dunn for her second solo exhibition “Walk with Me” opening on Saturday 19 October. It will include 16 new oil paintings with gold leaf.
Paula said: “When I started this collection the only thing I had in mind was to make sure it was inspired by Scotland. When I set out to paint I don’t generally have an idea of what the final painting will look like, the only thing I do know is which colours I want to use.”
Edinburgh Short Film Festival 2024
The 14th Edinburgh Short Film Festival once again brings some of the world’s best short films to Edinburgh. Organisers say that this year the festival will welcomes audiences back to the cinema to see “one of the strongest and most varied short film programmes anywhere”.
Films in the programme will include Tribeca winners to Anneçy Animation Festival Winners and Cannes winning shorts to Scottish and Edinburgh-made films alongside award winners from across the globe.
Guest programmes from International Film Festivals including Quebec, Amsterdam, Budapest Belgium, Adriatic & Buenos Aires, networking events, Q and As and panel discussions.
The new online audience award will begin from 11 November.
The ESFF runs from Friday October 25th to Sunday November 10th, 2024.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
