Chris Mason: Alex Salmond, ex Scotland leader, was man of consequence

Alex Salmond was a figure of significant importance.

As you ascend the staircase at Bute House, the official home of Scotland's First Minister in Edinburgh, you can't help but notice the portraits of each person who has held that position over the past 25 years or so gazing back at you.

Every time I ascend those stairs and look at those portraits, it's clear who had the greatest impact.

Mr. Salmond's impact on politics reached far beyond Scotland. Over the past fifty years, no one has been as close as he was to altering, redefining, and reshaping the borders and boundaries of the UK, essentially changing the map of the islands.

Among all the debates in our political landscape, perhaps the most essential is the question of the state's boundaries. Mr. Salmond represented a movement that got closer than any other in recent history to changing those boundaries.

His strong passion for Scottish independence motivated him to bring his cause into the spotlight and almost make it a reality.

He never succeeded in achieving it — "the dream will live on," he remarked after losing the referendum in 2014.

His highly publicized conflict with his successor, Nicola Sturgeon, is well-known. Additionally, he was found not guilty of sexually assaulting several women following a widely reported trial.

Although his aspiration for Scotland to be independent has not yet come to fruition, the effort to achieve it continues to influence Scottish politics even now.

It is a country, a political entity reshaped during his era, and divided almost equally regarding its constitutional direction.

The impact of Mr. Salmond in influencing that future is significant and should not be overlooked.

He was a straightforward politician who was sharp-tongued, combative, determined, and charismatic. At the same time, he was both complex and undeniably contentious, both in his political views and his behavior in his personal life.

However, he was primarily a person of significance.

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