4 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Sturgeon memoir: tribute to Charles Kennedy 'not genuine'
A former key ally of the late Charles Kennedy has criticised Nicola Sturgeon for failing to offer an apology for the 'indefensible bullying and hounding' of the late Liberal Democrat leader.
The former First Minister's memoir Frankly, included a tribute to the Liberal Dems' former leader who died in 2015, less than a month after losing his Westminster seat in a bitterly contested election battle.
Kennedy died of an alcohol-related hemorrhage less than one after losing Ross, Skye and Lochaber to the SNP's Ian Blackford.
The convenor of the SNP's Ross, Skye, and Lochaber branch, Brian Smith, later resigned from his post, after he described Kennedy as a 'quisling' and 'drunken slob' during the 2015 election campaign.
Craig Harrow, who served as Convenor of the Scottish Liberal Democrats until 2015 told The Herald he was 'disappointed' that Ms Sturgeon 'did not take the opportunity of her apparently candid memoir to make a genuine heartfelt apology for this disgraceful behaviour' towards his friend Charles Kennedy.
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In the memoir Sturgeon talks about becoming personally close to Kennedy during a 1996 Commonwealth Parliamentary Association trip to Australia.
While in Melbourne, writes Sturgeon, the pair went to see Trainspotting in cinema as 'the only two Scots in the entire cinema, laughing uproariously at jokes that no one else understood.'
The book goes on to discuss Kennedy's election defeat by Ian Blackford: "In the SNP's landslide of 2015, Charlie lost his Westminster seat to lan Blackford, who, a couple of years later, would become our Westminster leader. Obviously I was thrilled by my party's success and by my friend lan's election. But I wish we could have achieved it without the loss of Charlie's presence in Parliament.
"His death, less than a month later, was a tragedy. It genuinely pains me to think that our election triumph, however unintentionally and inadvertently, might have hastened his demise. He was, without doubt, one of the most charismatic and naturally talented individuals ever to grace Scottish politics. Those few days I got to spend with him in Australia were a privilege."
Copies of Nicola Sturgeon's memoir on sale in Glasgow three days before release (Image: Newsquest)
In response to Sturgeon's comments, Craig Harrow told The Herald: 'There is no doubt of Charles Kennedy's charisma, talent and kindliness which contrasts with the current crop of politicians who could never fill his shoes.
'A thoroughly decent man who was popular and loved in equal measure.
'I recall the former First Minister's gracious eulogy at Glasgow University which rightly highlighted Charles' place in our nation's politics.
'But the indefensible bullying and hounding of Charles Kennedy in the 2015 campaign by Sturgeon's party was truly appalling and unacceptable in our public life and not a part of highland politics.
'It is disappointing that Ms Sturgeon did not take the opportunity of her apparently candid memoir to make a genuine heartfelt apology for this disgraceful behaviour which hurt Charles deeply in his last months.
'Recapturing Charles' former seat by the Liberal Democrat's at last year's election from Ms Sturgeon's party was a fitting tribute to him and his amazing legacy.'
Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Alex Cole-Hamilton said: 'Charles was indeed an extremely gifted individual, and he is hugely missed by everyone in my party.
'He met the world and its challenges with an incomparable grace, charm and intellect; it was an approach that many of those in our politics today would do well to learn from.
'That's why it was nothing short of poetry when we returned Charles' old seat back to the Liberal Democrats when Angus MacDonald was elected last year.
'As we look ahead to the next election, we want to keep building on Charles' legacy, showing people all across the Highlands that we can deliver for them on the issues that matter to them."
