A week of public disagreements: Salmond versus Sturgeon and the Sussexes versus Windsor

I’m not really sure what to make of the Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon drama this week. From what I understand Alex Salmond was accused of sexual misconduct which occured when he was leader of the SNP (the party Nicola Sturgeon now leads). The Scottish government under Nicola Sturgeon led an investigation into the complaints but botched the investigation because they chose someone who was not independent and so was “tainted by apparent bias“. The Scottish government lost the case and had to pay Alex Salmond’s legal fees.

There were ten complaints made against Mr Salmond; he was acquitted of all charges in 2020. It’s my impression that Alex Salmond is a relic of the Benny Hill era and simply hasn’t moved with the times. Several women accused him of smacking them on the bottom which may have been acceptable in 1970s Britain but is not acceptable in 2021 Britain. The SNP messing up their investigation is regrettable and costly for the taxpayer but I don’t think Nicola Sturgeon should have to resign for it. I’d rather see some resignations for the continued building of new roads by the Scottish government when the evidence says building new roads will create more traffic. They’re really behind the ball on active travel which has huge costs for the health of the population.

Also impossible to avoid in the news this week is war between the Sussexes and the Royal Family. What it tells us is the Royal Family is just like every other disfunctional family: bickering over trivial things and playing a game of tit for tat. Both sides are just as guilty. For Meghan and Harry: who in their right mind complains about their inlaws in public? On a talk show too! I mean, c’mon. Have some common sense. It’s also hard to swallow the whole “It’s so difficult for us” when they’re two people in very privileged positions. On the other hand the Royal Family are equally as bad. It’s obvious they’ve announced an investigation into complaints of bullying by Megan as retaliation for the Oprah interview. I fully support investigations into bulllying but why do it now? The alleged bullying happened in 2018 and should have been investigated immediately at that time and without informing The Times. By not investigating in 2018 they appear not to take bullying seriously. Announcing a public investigation now makes them look vengeful.