0:00:18 > 0:00:20This is an amazing moment.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23When I started to make this documentary about Alex Salmond,
0:00:23 > 0:00:25I thought it might be his political obituary
0:00:25 > 0:00:29because Labour were ahead in the polls, favourites to win this election.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33Now he returns to Edinburgh in triumph, the only First Minister
0:00:33 > 0:00:36to be re-elected for a second term and the first to have an overall
0:00:36 > 0:00:42majority, with a mandate to put to the Scottish people a referendum on independence.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44How did he do it?
0:00:58 > 0:01:02'It's six o'clock on Tuesday the 5th of April. Good morning.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04'This is Today with Justin Webb and Evan Davis.
0:01:04 > 0:01:09'The headlines this morning - there is heavy fighting in and around Ivory Coast's biggest city.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12'UN helicopters have attacked the presidential compound.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16'Government plans to give poorer children a better hope...'
0:01:16 > 0:01:19My political career was spent at Westminster.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23But because my mother is Scottish, I've often travelled north of the border.
0:01:23 > 0:01:29It's evident to me that in Scotland, politics is dominated by one man.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36Alex Salmond, to my mind, is the only Scottish politician to have made most of his career
0:01:36 > 0:01:40in Scottish politics who is well known in England.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45And, I dare say, internationally. I mean, I regard him as the outstanding Scottish politician,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48not to have come out of Scotland, but to have remained in Scotland.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54Since we sat together in the Westminster Parliament, he's quit
0:01:54 > 0:01:59as leader of his party, bounced back and led it to power in Scotland. Remarkable.
0:01:59 > 0:02:06As he set off on the election trail this year, I wanted to understand this comeback kid.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08There was one place I had to go.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14'It's eight o'clock. You're listening to Newsweek Scotland with Derek Bateman. Good morning.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17'Coming up in the next hour, we hear how the humble chocolate bar
0:02:17 > 0:02:20'plays a role in the civil unrest in Ivory Coast.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24'And we say hello to our Scottish election panel.'
0:02:24 > 0:02:27My Scottish family is from the east side, from Edinburgh.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30So I know Edinburgh much better than Glasgow.
0:02:30 > 0:02:31I have been to Glasgow quite a lot.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39Now we're in the Glasgow Southside constituency.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41I don't know my way around here at all.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45Not really the kind of place that looks like a safe Tory seat!
0:02:47 > 0:02:51But in this kind of constituency, I can see at first hand how
0:02:51 > 0:02:56Alex Salmond has reached out beyond his traditional party heartland.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58Hello, how are you?
0:02:58 > 0:03:00- Not bad, yourself?- Very, very well.
0:03:00 > 0:03:06As ever, he greets me with a mix of charm and jibe.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08- Not bad, not bad.- Very good.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11We'll need to get you incognito here.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13You were no pin-up here, were you?
0:03:13 > 0:03:16No, not exactly. It's not good Tory territory. So, you're going out campaigning?
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Yeah, yeah.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22- Lovely day for it. - A month to go, but the campaign's hotting up quite nicely.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26- Good, good. So, what are you doing? Knocking on doors, or...- Everything.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28- You know that well enough. - And you feel confident?
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Yes, I am. I mean, there's...
0:03:31 > 0:03:36Yeah... Yes, I'm very confident, but nothing for granted.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38The usual things you say. Neck and neck and the rest of it.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40- Very good. We're going to... - You know Nicola?
0:03:40 > 0:03:43I do, I know Nicola. And I'm very pleased to know Nicola indeed.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46- Good to see you. So, this is your patch?- It is indeed, yes.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49So we're going to trail around with you, if that's all right?
0:03:49 > 0:03:51Watch your style.
0:03:51 > 0:03:58Converting a small faction of protest into a party of government has depended at critical moments on
0:03:58 > 0:04:02Alex Salmond's self-belief as a formidable campaigner.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05I'm here to see him in action.
0:04:05 > 0:04:10They'll probably be quite pleased to see us with our television camera and our boom microphone
0:04:10 > 0:04:13because I know from canvassing and campaigning, nothing attracts
0:04:13 > 0:04:18attention more than being followed around by a television camera.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23- You're familiar with Irn Bru? - Of course.- You cannae see, you know?
0:04:25 > 0:04:29Right, right.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32This is the new me. The healthy option.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34- Thank you so much.- How you doing? - I'm good, how are you?
0:04:34 > 0:04:38Seriously, you've got a chance of winning this time, have you?
0:04:38 > 0:04:42We will win. But, you know, we've still got four weeks of the campaign.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45It's going to be a close-run thing, but we'll win.
0:04:45 > 0:04:50The Alex Salmond I know from the Commons does not lack self-confidence.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54But there's more to shaking hands and posing with babies than meets the eye.
0:04:54 > 0:04:59People need to like you - maybe even think you genuine.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Politicians who are no good at it make you cringe.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06But do it well and it's votes in the ballot box.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09Takes after her dad!
0:05:09 > 0:05:15Of course, in today's environment of political correctness, it simply isn't done to kiss a baby.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18But Alex Salmond's technique,
0:05:18 > 0:05:22everything short of kissing the baby, was absolutely superb.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34You know, the trouble I'm having is I want to join in.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37- You're having such fun. - Well, that's right.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40I feel the hand going out to shake the voters.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43It must be so difficult for you. Old habits and all that.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48Absolutely. But, I mean, you're a natural at it, aren't you? You love campaigning, don't you?
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Ah, great, aye. I've always loved campaigning.
0:05:50 > 0:05:55You've always had a reputation for being quite a private man, but you're very outgoing with people.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59- Mm-hm. - That's a slight dichotomy, there?
0:05:59 > 0:06:02It's just... I mean, I think in terms of the
0:06:02 > 0:06:06private stuff and family, that's really a Scottish tradition, Michael.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08We tend not to... That's been the Scottish habit
0:06:08 > 0:06:13and I think that's the right thing to do, incidentally, in terms of your family life. You keep that...
0:06:13 > 0:06:17But in terms of being out, you know, that's just the way I am.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19You can't actually put this on, incidentally.
0:06:19 > 0:06:20You either do it or you don't.
0:06:20 > 0:06:26A shiver of discomfort at any mention of Alex Salmond's private life.
0:06:29 > 0:06:34Even those who are very close to him know not to ask after his brothers,
0:06:34 > 0:06:36sisters, his parents and so on.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40Because it will simply be closed down as a topic of conversation.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43And the remarkable thing about Alex Salmond's sense of privacy
0:06:43 > 0:06:50is he operates in a political age in which entirely the opposite is expected of politicians.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54Where they're supposed to bare their souls and talk at length about their
0:06:54 > 0:06:58wives, children and their innermost thoughts and demons.
0:06:58 > 0:07:04Yet Alex Salmond has succeeded, despite not succumbing to that expectation.
0:07:06 > 0:07:12But does his private life offer any clues to the man who would become the politician?
0:07:12 > 0:07:15He grew up here, in Linlithgow.
0:07:17 > 0:07:23# The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want
0:07:23 > 0:07:29He maketh me to lie down in green pastures... #
0:07:29 > 0:07:35Alex Salmond's voice was first heard as a talented choirboy soprano.
0:07:35 > 0:07:42And he's said that growing up amongst medieval walls inspired a lifelong love of Scottish history.
0:07:42 > 0:07:46He said himself, and I think there's some truth in this, that his parents were
0:07:46 > 0:07:50typically Scottish, in that they were nationalists with a small n.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53And this is despite the fact his mother was, as he described,
0:07:53 > 0:07:58a Churchill Conservative, and his father was quite a hard-left Labour supporter.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01But they were both fiercely proud of being Scottish and, given
0:08:01 > 0:08:04the surrounding Scottish traditions of the Kirk
0:08:04 > 0:08:11and the distinct education system, Alex Salmond would inevitably have imbibed that feeling.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14I can't resist speculating on how the locality's
0:08:14 > 0:08:19forlorn and romantic history might have kindled Scottish patriotism
0:08:19 > 0:08:22in Alex Salmond's receptive heart.
0:08:22 > 0:08:27As a boy, Alex Salmond would have known the palace at Linlithgow where Mary, Queen of Scots was born,
0:08:27 > 0:08:34who many people thought had a better claim to the throne of England than her cousin, Elizabeth.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39Nonetheless, Mary was beheaded in an English castle at her cousin's orders.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43And that must have been enough to make the young boy seethe.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47And maybe this was what set Alex Salmond on his path to Nationalism.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Why don't you say yes to the SNP next time?
0:08:55 > 0:08:58It's your future and it's your country, you know. Good night.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Alex Salmond said yes to the SNP
0:09:05 > 0:09:11just weeks after arriving at St Andrews University in 1973.
0:09:11 > 0:09:17The history and economics undergraduate joined just as the party took off.
0:09:17 > 0:09:23In 1974, 11 Nationalist MPs were returned to Westminster.
0:09:23 > 0:09:28Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, and to be young was very heaven.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32# It's plain to see you were meant for me
0:09:32 > 0:09:35# I'm your boy your 20th century toy... #
0:09:35 > 0:09:40And one future star of political journalism was watching throughout this period.
0:09:42 > 0:09:47I recall Alex Salmond as a thin, rake-like figure.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50Mind you, I was a thin, rake-like figure in those days as well!
0:09:50 > 0:09:55Going around in a long coat and what was later described as a Maoist cap.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58But it was a little cap, perched upon his hair.
0:09:58 > 0:10:05His abiding characteristic then, and now, was a combination of very serious politics and mischief-making.
0:10:05 > 0:10:10He cannot resist the temptation to make mischief with a political rival.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13While having that sense of mischief about politics and about
0:10:13 > 0:10:16life, he also took himself exceptionally seriously.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Everything was planned and calculated.
0:10:19 > 0:10:25In those days to do with student politics, now of course to do with the governance of Scotland.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27We don't stand out at all, do we?!
0:10:30 > 0:10:35I think student politicians are pretty weird.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37I mean, seriously, get a life.
0:10:37 > 0:10:43But I hoped they could give me some insight into what the young Alex Salmond was like.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Nah, not at all.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03I'm a Labour man. Been that all my days.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06Oh, that one wasn't so good.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08- No.- How's it been today, generally?
0:11:08 > 0:11:10It's been quite a good day.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14- Just the occasional one you get that's not... - This is such a traditional Labour...
0:11:14 > 0:11:18He was just saying, his father voted Labour, his father's father voted Labour.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20It's going to be very hard to change your opinion.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Four this way, four down here.
0:11:23 > 0:11:28- Four this way, guys.- How strong does Nationalism run amongst students?
0:11:28 > 0:11:3350-50, I'd say. You're either a very strong Unionist or a very strong Nationalist at the moment, I'd say.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36You actually want Scotland to become independent?
0:11:36 > 0:11:37Yes, definitely. Fully independent.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41I believe by the time I'm 30 years old, I want full Scottish independence.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45- We can leave you a leaflet. You can consider it.- OK.- Take it easy.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48How does the name of Alex Salmond go down on the doorstep?
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Some people really like him, some people don't like him.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52The old Marmite thing.
0:11:52 > 0:11:57Yeah. Yeah. Whenever people like him, I go, "Well, yeah, he's fantastic, he's a good leader."
0:11:57 > 0:12:03When people don't like him, I always try to say, "Well, it's not just about the individual character."
0:12:03 > 0:12:06So it doesn't have to be about him.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09If you don't like him, fair enough, you can still like the SNP.
0:12:11 > 0:12:16The ability to ride two horses at once is a useful talent for a politician.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18Does Alex Salmond have it?
0:12:19 > 0:12:22His past suggests that he does.
0:12:22 > 0:12:29Alex Salmond had a reputation as a young radical, yet his employment was anything but.
0:12:37 > 0:12:43The young firebrand Nationalist moonlighted at the heart of the Edinburgh establishment.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48For seven years, he worked for the bank as an economist and oil expert.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53He must have inhaled the fumes of free-market capitalism.
0:12:53 > 0:13:00Yet when the Government saved the bank from two takeover bids, he applauded state intervention.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03Such paradoxes
0:13:03 > 0:13:06have haunted Salmond's career.
0:13:09 > 0:13:16Can a tormented left-wing activist and a sated capitalist apparatchik
0:13:16 > 0:13:19simultaneously inhabit one mind and body?
0:13:25 > 0:13:31There has been that curious paradox, I think, since Salmond's period at the Royal Bank of Scotland between
0:13:31 > 0:13:37a socially democratic Salmond, a centre-left instinct and the neo-liberal side.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45It's fair to say that throughout his career Alex Salmond has been
0:13:45 > 0:13:52consistently oleaginous, that is, convinced that oil is the key to Scotland's economy and politics.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56The riches of the North Sea, lying in abundance off the Scottish
0:13:56 > 0:14:03coast, have kept a flare burning for four decades in Alex Salmond's mind.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06To an English politician such as I used to be,
0:14:06 > 0:14:12few phrases are as wearisome as "the claim to Scotland's oil".
0:14:12 > 0:14:17The Scottish National Party won its seat at Westminster in 1967,
0:14:17 > 0:14:21about the time that North Sea oil was first discovered.
0:14:21 > 0:14:28And maybe that's not a coincidence, because the existence of those vast natural resources off-shore Scotland
0:14:28 > 0:14:32helped many Scots to believe that Scotland could go it alone.
0:14:32 > 0:14:37And perhaps it also led to an increase in Scottish resentment,
0:14:37 > 0:14:44a feeling that the country would be able to live a life of luxury if it weren't for the beastly English.
0:14:50 > 0:14:55The question of whether it's Scotland's oil has long fuelled the SNP's support.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59Even now, in 2011, it's a key part of their argument
0:14:59 > 0:15:04that Scotland has the ability to stand on its own two feet.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08Looking out at the scale of the industry and the wealth that it has
0:15:08 > 0:15:13brought, I can see that it's had a huge effect on Alex Salmond's vision for Scotland.
0:15:17 > 0:15:23I wanted to know more about the SNP leader's early years in the party,
0:15:23 > 0:15:27so I went to meet one of the independence movement's best-known figures.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31Margo MacDonald was a member of the 1979 Group.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35That was a left-wing faction within the SNP.
0:15:35 > 0:15:43Membership of it got Alex Salmond suspended from the party for a period during the 1980s.
0:15:43 > 0:15:49Margo and her husband, Jim Sillars, were close to the SNP leader once upon a time.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53The pair of you will have known Alex Salmond since the early 1970s.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57From what you knew then, have you been surprised what a dominant figure he became in the party?
0:15:57 > 0:16:01Oh, well, I thought he would be a future leader,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04because it's not so well known now,
0:16:04 > 0:16:08but Alex was one of the ones who were expelled in the early '80s.
0:16:08 > 0:16:13And one of the reasons I fought like mad - I didn't get expelled, for some reason - one of the reasons I
0:16:13 > 0:16:16fought like mad to get him and Kenny MacAskill back in
0:16:16 > 0:16:20was that I saw Alex as a potential leader, even then.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22Why did you see him as a potential leader?
0:16:22 > 0:16:24He was very bright...
0:16:24 > 0:16:26He had a toughness about him.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30Well, it wasn't so much that, but he was different
0:16:30 > 0:16:34from the people who had led the Scottish National Party before.
0:16:34 > 0:16:39He was modern, and I thought that he could relate to modern Scotland far
0:16:39 > 0:16:43better than the others did, without being injurious to their reputations.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45There had been a group of people
0:16:45 > 0:16:50in the SNP who had been working to establish that
0:16:50 > 0:16:55the natural position for the SNP in Scotland was left of centre.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59Jim's absolutely right, he was left of centre, and he was more clearly
0:16:59 > 0:17:05willing to identify himself, as previous leaders of the SNP had been,
0:17:05 > 0:17:11who probably were left of centre themselves but not as willing to announce it.
0:17:11 > 0:17:16Alex Salmond's suspension would not be a life sentence.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20James Mitchell knew him throughout that period.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23In truth, the leadership were very worried about this.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27They didn't want to cause the trouble that was bound to arise
0:17:27 > 0:17:29from the suspension, and they
0:17:29 > 0:17:33certainly didn't want to lose people like Alex Salmond, with his talent.
0:17:33 > 0:17:39And so an agreement was reached, an accommodation, and so he was able to come back into the party.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48And so the prodigal son was transformed into a favoured son.
0:17:50 > 0:17:54Well, we're joined now by Alex Salmond in Aberdeen, the new SNP MP for Banff and Buchan.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56- Congratulations.- Thank you.
0:17:56 > 0:18:01Now, there's Alex Salmond, Margaret Ewing, Andrew Welsh.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03Would you like to be leader of the SNP?
0:18:03 > 0:18:06Oh, I think that's a question for the future.
0:18:13 > 0:18:20Once in Westminster, the new MP wasn't going to slouch complacently on the green leather benches.
0:18:20 > 0:18:26He was keen to make his mark in Westminster and with the voters back home.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34Perhaps he was looking to join the ranks of Scotland's great heroes.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39I'm rather fond of some of them myself.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45And as for Alex Salmond, a graduate in medieval history,
0:18:45 > 0:18:51what better inspiration could there be than Scotland's bravest heart?
0:18:56 > 0:19:00At the end of the 13th century, William Wallace fought for Scottish freedom,
0:19:00 > 0:19:05won a famous victory here at Stirling and marched into England.
0:19:05 > 0:19:11During his time as an MP at Westminster, Alex Salmond took the fight to London, where Wallace
0:19:11 > 0:19:16had been hung, drawn and quartered, and again fought for independence.
0:19:18 > 0:19:25I saw for myself a key Alex Salmond moment on Budget Day, 1988.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29It was the period of high Thatcherism, and her chancellor, Nigel Lawson,
0:19:29 > 0:19:36announced a breathtaking cut in income tax, eliminating the rates for the highest earners.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Alex Salmond seized the moment, moved for the moral high ground
0:19:39 > 0:19:43and launched his attack while the Chancellor spoke.
0:19:46 > 0:19:53I propose to abolish all the higher rates of income tax above 40 per cent.
0:19:53 > 0:19:54SHOUTING
0:19:54 > 0:19:56This...
0:19:58 > 0:20:00Alex Salmond stood up,
0:20:00 > 0:20:03heckled Nigel Lawson
0:20:03 > 0:20:05and brought the Budget to a halt.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08Order!
0:20:08 > 0:20:09Order!
0:20:09 > 0:20:15Deputy Speaker Harold Walker, Chairman of Ways and Means, has had to call for a vote
0:20:15 > 0:20:19on whether Mr Alex Salmond should be expelled from the House of Commons.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23This is a big moment in the Alex Salmond story.
0:20:23 > 0:20:28I was there, and it was a masterly piece of political theatre.
0:20:28 > 0:20:33Alex Salmond got named, that is to say he got suspended. It's like a
0:20:33 > 0:20:35red card in soccer.
0:20:35 > 0:20:36He had to leave the field.
0:20:36 > 0:20:42But more than that, we, all of us, had to vote to suspend Alex Salmond.
0:20:42 > 0:20:48So the Budget is disrupted for the 15 minutes that it takes to hold a vote, and, I suppose,
0:20:48 > 0:20:55by the end of the afternoon, from no-one knowing who Alex Salmond was, everybody knew who he was.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57I beg to move that Mr Salmond...
0:20:57 > 0:21:01I beg to move that Mr Salmond be suspended from proceedings...
0:21:05 > 0:21:11Does this episode explain the knack he has for achieving useful notoriety?
0:21:11 > 0:21:18Around that time, Alex Salmond and Michael Russell were becoming close allies.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20You go back with Alex Salmond to the mid-1980s.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Did you approve of those sorts of tactics?
0:21:22 > 0:21:25I approved enormously of that tactic. I knew he was thinking about it,
0:21:25 > 0:21:28and I remember I sent him a message immediately afterwards,
0:21:28 > 0:21:31expressing my excitement that he'd done it.
0:21:31 > 0:21:36We needed to express the anger that was felt in Scotland, particularly about the poll tax.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38We needed to protest, we needed to be heard.
0:21:38 > 0:21:43One of the great issues, at that time, was there were a large number of Labour MPs from Scotland -
0:21:43 > 0:21:46we used to call them the Feeble 50 at that stage -
0:21:46 > 0:21:49who never said or did anything, were never heard protesting about anything.
0:21:49 > 0:21:54It was important that the Scottish voice was heard, and Alex was the person to articulate it.
0:21:54 > 0:22:00And Alex Salmond's ability to grab the limelight would pay off in 1990.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03Margaret Ewing MP, 186.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Alex Salmond MP, 486.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08CHEERING
0:22:11 > 0:22:14# I'm on my way, I'm making it... #
0:22:17 > 0:22:21In the 1990s, Alex Salmond dominated his party.
0:22:21 > 0:22:29From the start, he set the SNP in opposition to both the Conservatives and the burgeoning New Labour party.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31# So much larger than life... #
0:22:31 > 0:22:35The Labour leadership may win the battle for the yuppie votes
0:22:35 > 0:22:42in the south, we're going to win the battle for the hearts and minds of the Scottish people.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44With so many early years spent in opposition,
0:22:44 > 0:22:50perhaps he's been allowed to enjoy his fame more than most.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54And with Paul Merton tonight is a media pundit, TV celebrity and quiz
0:22:54 > 0:23:01panellist, except for viewers in Scotland, where apparently he's some sort of politician - Alex Salmond!
0:23:01 > 0:23:04But on the whole, his political opponents have learnt to take
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Alex Salmond seriously as a television performer.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09Alex Salmond.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13Donald, Labour have won elections in Scotland over the last 13 years.
0:23:13 > 0:23:18At the last election, you had an unprecedented victory, winning 50 seats.
0:23:18 > 0:23:23With all that voting power over that period of time, can you
0:23:23 > 0:23:27name tonight one single industry that you have saved from closure?
0:23:27 > 0:23:29CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:23:32 > 0:23:35- Pass!- No, not pass at all.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42- Donald, you answer the question... - There was a debate at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh in 1992,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45at which he did very well, then a head-to-head with George Robertson,
0:23:45 > 0:23:50who was then Shadow Scottish Secretary, a few years later, at which he did very well again.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52Otherwise, Alex Salmond is not a good debater.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55He's a good shouter, and he's very sharp.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58That doesn't make him a talented debater.
0:23:58 > 0:24:03During this year's campaign, I snuck behind the scenes into
0:24:03 > 0:24:06the back of the television studio to watch his style.
0:24:15 > 0:24:22So, here we are early in the election campaign, and the four leaders are gathering
0:24:22 > 0:24:24in a studio in Glasgow.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26..talking about the issues that matter to you.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28We're going to see Alex Salmond..
0:24:28 > 0:24:33..Annabel Goldie of the Scottish Conservatives, the SNP's Alex Salmond, Iain Gray from
0:24:33 > 0:24:37Scottish Labour and the Scottish Liberal Democrats' Tavish Scott.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41Thank you all very much indeed for coming in for this special programme.
0:24:41 > 0:24:46Let's start with what we all know and we can all presumably agree on, which is that the public are
0:24:46 > 0:24:53extremely wary of cuts and what the cuts are going to mean for them. So this is a chance...
0:24:53 > 0:24:55And that's...
0:24:55 > 0:24:59We're making progress. This is progress.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02ALL TALK OVER EACH OTHER
0:25:02 > 0:25:05If you undertake to talk to the Government, which
0:25:05 > 0:25:10we will bring forward, and I'm glad we're operating on the assumption...
0:25:10 > 0:25:13..then we'll talk to you, as we talk to the other parties...
0:25:13 > 0:25:16On that positive note...
0:25:16 > 0:25:18We can surely come to an agreement on this.
0:25:18 > 0:25:23Alex Salmond has a reputation for being very quick.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26A moment there where Iain Gray, the Labour leader in Scotland,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29appeared to imply that after the election, there's going to
0:25:29 > 0:25:34be an SNP government talking about whether they could do a deal on a particular piece of legislation.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Alex Salmond says straightaway,
0:25:36 > 0:25:40"You're working on the assumption that I'm going to get back into power."
0:25:40 > 0:25:43You all talk to different voters, don't you?
0:25:43 > 0:25:45ALL TALK OVER EACH OTHER
0:25:45 > 0:25:49The voters I'm speaking to, Iain, are desperately disappointed with Labour.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53Quite clearly, for neither Tavish nor Annabel, what the coalition is doing...
0:25:53 > 0:26:00As we come to the end of this debate, Alex Salmond has only really been gored once.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03A little blood was drawn on the issue of his promise to
0:26:03 > 0:26:08replace the council tax with local income tax and then the accusation
0:26:08 > 0:26:13that he went to court in order to stop the true cost of his proposals being revealed to the public.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16He looked a bit uncomfortable at that point.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20Otherwise, he's been landing blows with his usual gay abandon.
0:26:24 > 0:26:30Before she left the building, I sought my former party colleague's view of her opponent.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34I think he's been a big beast in Scottish politics,
0:26:34 > 0:26:37and it would be, I think, churlish to deny that.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40He has a political competence, he has a charisma,
0:26:40 > 0:26:44and he certainly has established himself over the years as
0:26:44 > 0:26:47a significant figure in the political environment.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51I think one of his personal traits can be
0:26:51 > 0:26:52a rather,
0:26:52 > 0:26:56at times, overbearing personal demeanour.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00He likes to get things his own way, he likes to
0:27:00 > 0:27:05be the big beast in the jungle, he likes to try and dominate debate and discussion.
0:27:05 > 0:27:11And, I mean, I certainly think it's my duty to stand up to that and to challenge that.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19The ability to craft a soundbite
0:27:19 > 0:27:24or to beat an opponent at a hustings are important.
0:27:24 > 0:27:29But there's more than that to political effectiveness.
0:27:32 > 0:27:38The qualities of great leaders like Churchill and Margaret Thatcher, for whom I worked, are of course
0:27:38 > 0:27:44that they lead from the front, they have an extraordinary sense of purpose and great courage.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48And I wouldn't exactly compare Alex Salmond to Churchill or Thatcher,
0:27:48 > 0:27:52but he does have some characteristics which are important in a leader.
0:27:52 > 0:27:58He has a sense of destiny and he has flexibility, he changes his mind, because very often a great leader
0:27:58 > 0:28:04knows the destination but doesn't go straight to it, but rather tacks along the way.
0:28:09 > 0:28:16And that quality of political rubberiness would be needed by Alex Salmond throughout the 1990s.
0:28:16 > 0:28:23In 1992, the SNP hoped to gain from the unpopularity in Scotland of the Conservatives.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27But Scotland voted Labour,
0:28:27 > 0:28:31even as the rest of the UK rejected Neil Kinnock.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38Very difficult to cope with the Labour Party argument that
0:28:38 > 0:28:42Neil Kinnock had the keys of Number 10 Downing Street in his hands.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46If that turns out to be a false prospectus and if Labour lose this election, then I think the Labour
0:28:46 > 0:28:50leadership in Scotland are going to have some immediate explaining to do
0:28:50 > 0:28:53to the Scottish people, and I think the Scottish people will take their
0:28:53 > 0:28:59revenge on the Labour party in the May local election, on 7th May, when Scotland goes to the polls again.
0:28:59 > 0:29:04There would be no great breakthrough for the SNP at Westminster elections.
0:29:04 > 0:29:11But Salmond's flexibility and leadership skills would come to the fore in 1997.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14He was about to help make history.
0:29:19 > 0:29:25Scotland's history matters to Alex Salmond and features in his argument for independence.
0:29:25 > 0:29:30Here in Edinburgh in the late 1990s, a creaking sound
0:29:30 > 0:29:37echoed through the streets - heralding that Scotland's Parliament was rising from its grave.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39- Good evening!- Good evening.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42Welcome to the Witchery Murder and Mystery Tour.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44My name is Adam Lyle, deceased.
0:29:44 > 0:29:50'Walking these streets, you get a feel for the Scottish capital's long and colourful past.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53'Was it a sense of history which prompted Alex Salmond
0:29:53 > 0:30:00'to join Labour and the Liberal Democrats to campaign for a Yes vote in the devolution referendum?
0:30:00 > 0:30:04'They walked together towards the historic election of 1999,
0:30:04 > 0:30:06'which would bring the parliament back to life.
0:30:06 > 0:30:11'But the goodwill forged during the long referendum campaign would not last.'
0:30:11 > 0:30:14Thank you all very much and good night. Thank you.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16APPLAUSE
0:30:21 > 0:30:23'In an often bad-tempered campaign,
0:30:23 > 0:30:25'Alex Salmond, as a potential First Minister,
0:30:25 > 0:30:28'was put under more intense scrutiny than ever before.
0:30:28 > 0:30:33'His poll ratings slid, and his Penny for Scotland policy,
0:30:33 > 0:30:37'a promise to use the income tax raising power of the new parliament,
0:30:37 > 0:30:41'didn't go down well with voters or some in his own party.'
0:30:41 > 0:30:43What went wrong?
0:30:43 > 0:30:49I don't know that anything went wrong. I think they got what they deserved.
0:30:49 > 0:30:52Well, you were pretty critical at the time.
0:30:52 > 0:30:57No, no. I offered helpful comments,
0:30:57 > 0:31:02which were always interpreted as just being straight criticism.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05Can you remind us of the helpful comments?
0:31:05 > 0:31:06Och, I can't remember what I said now.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10- But it would all be true, I'm sure. - What about A Penny for Scotland?
0:31:10 > 0:31:13Och, that was nonsense. That was absolute...
0:31:13 > 0:31:17- That was absolute nonsense, and I said so.- That's a helpful comment?
0:31:17 > 0:31:19Ah, well, they dropped it.
0:31:19 > 0:31:23They dropped the Penny for Scotland thing, because I was right.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26I don't want to dwell on anything like that.
0:31:26 > 0:31:30Some of the SNP may want to, but I think most of them don't.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33I think most of them want to forget that embarrassment.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36It would be a hard lesson.
0:31:36 > 0:31:42You don't see today's Alex Salmond giving such hostages to fortune.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44I think the problem with Penny for Scotland
0:31:44 > 0:31:48was the party talked a great deal about how it raised the money, not how it spent it.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51I think that's something that sometimes happens when you talk about taxation.
0:31:51 > 0:31:55I think we needed a much greater focus in 1999 about what that money would buy.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57So I think that's a collective issue.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00And indeed I was deeply involved in the Penny for Scotland issue.
0:32:00 > 0:32:05I think, recognising now what happened, I think that's probably a critique I would make.
0:32:05 > 0:32:10And then there were Alex Salmond's comments on the NATO bombing of Serbia.
0:32:11 > 0:32:16It is an action of dubious legality, but above all one of unpardonable folly.
0:32:16 > 0:32:21'One of the SNP candidates for that parliament was Duncan Hamilton,
0:32:21 > 0:32:24'a rising star who was close to the leader.'
0:32:24 > 0:32:28I suspect for Alex the criticism that he got over Kosovo
0:32:28 > 0:32:30might be a low point.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33And I say that not because he thinks for a minute
0:32:33 > 0:32:37that he was wrong about that, but because it unleashed,
0:32:37 > 0:32:39in the middle of an election campaign,
0:32:39 > 0:32:43something that was able to be twisted and turned against the SNP.
0:32:43 > 0:32:48And turned it, in the middle of the campaign, into a real problem.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52And I think it may be well be that he looks back on that and thinks
0:32:52 > 0:32:55that whilst he may have been right in saying it at that time,
0:32:55 > 0:33:00it may or may not have been the wisest move. But that's my guess.
0:33:00 > 0:33:04'Alex Salmond's outburst may have been politically costly.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08'Had this man, often criticised for over-calculating his positions,
0:33:08 > 0:33:16'simply exposed a powerful inner conviction whose authenticity has since proved attractive?'
0:33:16 > 0:33:20Kosovo, you've got to remember Alex believes and feels things very passionately.
0:33:20 > 0:33:24He believed utterly that this was wrong, it was adventurism.
0:33:24 > 0:33:27He spoke, I would think, for the whole SNP in that.
0:33:27 > 0:33:31And I would much, much, much rather be in a party
0:33:31 > 0:33:36with a leader that does that than a leader who is mealy-mouthed when it comes to issues of real principle.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41'But in that first election to the Scottish Parliament
0:33:41 > 0:33:47'the SNP came a poor second with 35 MSPs, 21 fewer than Labour.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51'Alex Salmond, as leader, carried the responsibility.'
0:33:51 > 0:33:56The election of 1999 was a disappointing result.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59- Would you accept that?- I think it was less than we had hoped for,
0:33:59 > 0:34:03but more than we might have anticipated even two or three years earlier.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06I think expectations were perhaps very unrealistic.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10We had a lot still to do in 1999, although we had done a lot.
0:34:12 > 0:34:17After nearly 300 years, Scotland once more had a parliament.
0:34:17 > 0:34:24Yet, even as one of its champions, Alex Salmond was evidently burdened with disappointment.
0:34:24 > 0:34:26Even self-doubt.
0:34:32 > 0:34:37Having played a key role in the successful campaign for a Yes vote on devolution,
0:34:37 > 0:34:41Alex Salmond was elected to the first Scottish Parliament of modern times
0:34:41 > 0:34:45that sat here in the Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland.
0:34:45 > 0:34:49But, surprisingly, he didn't shine in the new role.
0:34:49 > 0:34:54And within a year he was under fierce attack from hostile media.
0:34:54 > 0:35:00He probably struggled to adapt from Westminster to the Scottish Parliament, initially.
0:35:00 > 0:35:06Much was written at the time about him failing to score points at First Minister's Questions in opposition.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08I don't think that's particularly fair
0:35:08 > 0:35:12because I think the Scottish Parliament is not really set up for opposition parties.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15But Alex is a Westminster politician.
0:35:15 > 0:35:22He loves the clash and clamour, he loves the cut and thrust across the debating chamber.
0:35:22 > 0:35:27And to be brought into an environment which is all about consensus, cuddly politics,
0:35:27 > 0:35:31I think, for him, was not necessarily a natural transition.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35Just one year into the new parliament,
0:35:35 > 0:35:41Alex Salmond brought his decade-long leadership of the party to an abrupt end.
0:35:41 > 0:35:48I have invested a great deal of time, particularly over the last year, in developing the position the SNP
0:35:48 > 0:35:52as a strong team of people who are capable of taking Scotland forward.
0:35:52 > 0:35:56And I think, after ten years, it's time to allow someone in that team of people,
0:35:56 > 0:36:02that strong team that we've seen developing in the Scots Parliament, the chance to show what they can do.
0:36:04 > 0:36:0811 years later, and here's the same man
0:36:08 > 0:36:13attempting to win an unprecedented second term as First Minister.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15How can such success and self-confidence
0:36:15 > 0:36:20have returned to a man who a decade ago was dubbed by some a quitter?
0:36:20 > 0:36:27While he was on the campaign trail I asked him why he threw in the towel back in 2000.
0:36:29 > 0:36:31I'd done ten years.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33It's quite interesting.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36I came to believe that...
0:36:36 > 0:36:39Because I couldn't understand why we were getting such bad press.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42We were ahead in the polls, we were doing all right,
0:36:42 > 0:36:45and yet were getting absolute lumps knocked out of us.
0:36:45 > 0:36:50And I couldn't recognise what was actually happening in the parliament with the description of it.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53I got it into my head that the problem had become me.
0:36:53 > 0:36:58The press, because I'd had ten years, basically a charmed existence, nobody had laid a finger on me.
0:36:58 > 0:37:03And I began to believe that basically they'd got fed up of having me there.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05Probably the press, as opposed to the people.
0:37:05 > 0:37:10And basically, the party would do better if someone had a fresh start and a decent run at it.
0:37:12 > 0:37:18Over the next few years, he steered his career in a different direction and regained his fighting spirit.
0:37:18 > 0:37:22He left the Scottish Parliament and led his party at Westminster.
0:37:22 > 0:37:27The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq aroused his passionate opposition.
0:37:27 > 0:37:34He was prominent on the UK national stage, making an increasingly popular case.
0:37:34 > 0:37:40A month ago he said the only circumstances he would go to war without a second resolution
0:37:40 > 0:37:44were if the inspectors concluded there was no more progress, which they haven't.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47If there was a majority in the Security Council, which there's not.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50And there was an unreasonable veto from one country.
0:37:50 > 0:37:55There are three countries, permanent members, opposed to the Prime Minister's policy.
0:37:55 > 0:37:59When did he change his position and why?
0:38:01 > 0:38:04'Apparently, the aggression of Westminster suited Alex Salmond
0:38:04 > 0:38:08'better than the rainbow politics of Edinburgh.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11'Or perhaps it had simply revived him.
0:38:11 > 0:38:17'When John Swinney stepped down as leader, the heavens seemed to send Alex Salmond a sign.
0:38:22 > 0:38:27'The SNP leader likes Indian food - a lot.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30'This restaurant is said to be his favourite haunt.
0:38:30 > 0:38:34'And one of those who whetted his appetite for a return to Edinburgh
0:38:34 > 0:38:38'says that curry was part of the mix.'
0:38:38 > 0:38:43In 2004, when Alex Salmond has been out of the leadership for four years,
0:38:43 > 0:38:47you, amongst others, encourage him to come back, I think with a series of curry dinners.
0:38:47 > 0:38:48Why did you think he should return?
0:38:48 > 0:38:51The choice of what was next was quite a difficult one.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53They had three very, very strong candidates.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57But there was no really emerging new leadership figure
0:38:57 > 0:38:59or agenda at the time.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02And so it just struck a few of us
0:39:02 > 0:39:05that there was an opportunity here not to be missed.
0:39:05 > 0:39:08That, you know, Alex would be able to galvanise
0:39:08 > 0:39:13what was clearly emerging as a big opportunity to replace Labour in government.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16I was spending a lot of time in London myself.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19Angus Robertson, who's now the SNP's Westminster leader,
0:39:19 > 0:39:25spent a lot of time in one of Alex's favourite Pimlico curry houses,
0:39:25 > 0:39:29basically ruminating on the problem and what could be done about it.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32And I can't quite remember the full detail,
0:39:32 > 0:39:34but I do recall that by the end of it he had determined
0:39:34 > 0:39:39this could be put together and a case for returning could be made. So he was up for it.
0:39:39 > 0:39:46'Was it vanity that prompted his comeback, a belief that he was indispensable?
0:39:46 > 0:39:49'Or did he feel the call of duty, believing that if he did not step up,
0:39:49 > 0:39:52'the party would take a wrong turn?'
0:39:52 > 0:39:56In a sense, he had to be persuaded to come back, but it was more a sense
0:39:56 > 0:40:01of obligation and duty, if truth be told, than it was anything to do with ego.
0:40:01 > 0:40:02I often laugh when people say
0:40:02 > 0:40:07he couldn't bear to be out the limelight and desperately pushed people aside to come back.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09It's not how it was. It simply wasn't how it was.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12And that's to misunderstand both the moment and the man.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16So your voice was one of those that was whispering, "Return!"
0:40:16 > 0:40:23Well, I mean, I'm a fan of his in the sense of I think he adds something to the party
0:40:23 > 0:40:27that the party doesn't otherwise have, and I think at that time,
0:40:27 > 0:40:29given where the party could have gone,
0:40:29 > 0:40:33it was important that he did come back. So I think there was a danger.
0:40:33 > 0:40:39I mean, I don't remember being somebody who was so utterly convinced that he must come back at all costs.
0:40:39 > 0:40:44'In order to come back, Alex Salmond had to muster all the flexibility -
0:40:44 > 0:40:49'or perhaps rubberiness - that good political leaders possess.'
0:40:49 > 0:40:52If nominated. I'll decline. If drafted, I'll defer.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54And if elected, I'll resign.
0:40:55 > 0:41:01So it is then with a degree of surprise and humility but with a renewed determination
0:41:01 > 0:41:07that I must tell you that I am a candidate for the leadership of the Scottish National Party.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10APPLAUSE
0:41:11 > 0:41:16And the man who had once ascended from party exile to party leader
0:41:16 > 0:41:18pulled off another remarkable resurrection.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23'Alex Salmond MP,'
0:41:23 > 0:41:274,952 votes,
0:41:27 > 0:41:32or 75.76% of the vote.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:41:40 > 0:41:45Nicola and I intend to win the 2007 elections in Scotland,
0:41:45 > 0:41:51and we'll do that by offering a vision to the people where currently there's just a vacuum,
0:41:51 > 0:41:57and we intend to lead a government of purpose and direction, so that we can offer the people of this nation
0:41:57 > 0:42:03the opportunity to move forward to independence, democracy and equality.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05APPLAUSE
0:42:09 > 0:42:12Whether Salmond possesses courage or merely chutzpah,
0:42:12 > 0:42:15I believe the key is the thrill that he derives from risk.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18- How are you?- How are you doing, Michael? Good to see you.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20- Nice to see you. - Good to see a proper Tory.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23There's a horse running on Thursday I'm quite interested in.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26- What's that? - Alex Salmond. What odds?
0:42:26 > 0:42:28He's a certainty. He's 4/6.
0:42:28 > 0:42:32He'll win the election. I'll be voting for him.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35Alex Salmond is famously something of a betting man,
0:42:35 > 0:42:40a punter who knows the form and generally keeps his nose ahead.
0:42:42 > 0:42:48So, the horse that attracts me in the 3:15, for obvious reasons, is Blue Bunting.
0:42:48 > 0:42:54However, it says here, "Bare form, nothing to write home about, and she looks vulnerable to speedier sorts."
0:42:54 > 0:43:00Sounds like she's got about the same chance as the blues in this election.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02Have a Mario Lanza on it.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06Go on, two quid at 150/1, Wing And A Prayer.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09Wing And A Prayer for the Tories! Cos that's what they're on.
0:43:09 > 0:43:13- Right, Michael.- Great. I'll be back to collect later.
0:43:13 > 0:43:17Right. See, if that wins, I'll polish your shoes.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23Come on, Wing And A Prayer.
0:43:23 > 0:43:24Ohhh...
0:43:24 > 0:43:27Come on, Wing And A Prayer!
0:43:27 > 0:43:30Come on, Wing And A Prayer!
0:43:41 > 0:43:42It came last.
0:43:48 > 0:43:52Alex Salmond promised his party that he would win
0:43:52 > 0:43:5620 first-past-the-post seats, way more than they'd ever managed before.
0:43:56 > 0:44:00He said he would defeat Labour and become First Minister.
0:44:00 > 0:44:05And to make things a little more interesting, he upped the stakes.
0:44:05 > 0:44:13For the 2007 Scottish Parliamentary elections, that seasoned tipster Alex Salmond decided to have a punt.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16He put his name forward for the constituency of Gordon.
0:44:16 > 0:44:22It was long odds, because the Liberal Democrats had a majority there of more than 4,000 votes.
0:44:22 > 0:44:26But Salmond decided that that was where he would place his bet.
0:44:28 > 0:44:32Well, he's a natural gambler, he assesses these things well.
0:44:32 > 0:44:37But yes, of course it was a gamble. But given his ability, given his ability to campaign,
0:44:37 > 0:44:40given his reputation, I think it was one that was going to pay off.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43I thought that from the very beginning. And it did pay off.
0:44:43 > 0:44:47He's got a favourite saying, which is from the Marquis of Montrose.
0:44:47 > 0:44:49"He either fears his fate too much
0:44:49 > 0:44:51"or his desserts are small,
0:44:51 > 0:44:53"who will not put it to the touch to win or lose it all."
0:44:53 > 0:44:55He quotes that from time to time.
0:44:55 > 0:45:00He also lives his political life like that, and it tends to work out well for him.
0:45:00 > 0:45:06Is this love of the high-wire act critical to his enjoyment of politics?
0:45:08 > 0:45:12So he's a bit like, Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15I recognise this in myself to some extent, one of these people
0:45:15 > 0:45:18who is exhilarated by the thought that they'd go to the chamber
0:45:18 > 0:45:22and they don't know that day whether they're going to survive or perish.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25The difference between triumph and disaster thrills them.
0:45:25 > 0:45:32Absolutely, but you know, if you show me any serious politician who is not fuelled by adrenaline,
0:45:32 > 0:45:36and that means thirsting after success, desperately wanting it
0:45:36 > 0:45:42and desperately trying to avoid disaster but really enjoying walking along the precipice,
0:45:42 > 0:45:44and it makes victory all the sweeter.
0:45:45 > 0:45:50'Securing the winning ticket is a very sweet moment,
0:45:50 > 0:45:54'as Alex Salmond found in 2007.
0:45:54 > 0:46:00'As the final results trickled in, the First Minister in waiting seized the moment.'
0:46:02 > 0:46:07In the day, the hours following the Scottish Parliament election,
0:46:07 > 0:46:13it's not yet clear who's come first, but it is appearing to be going in the SNP's direction.
0:46:13 > 0:46:17Now, the SNP had pre-booked Prestonfield House Hotel in Edinburgh.
0:46:17 > 0:46:22It's set amidst beautiful, beautiful grounds, it was a very sunny day in May 2007,
0:46:22 > 0:46:24and they've hired a helicopter
0:46:24 > 0:46:30to get Alex Salmond from his constituency down to Edinburgh on the Friday afternoon.
0:46:30 > 0:46:33So that touches down, you know, with the press gathered.
0:46:33 > 0:46:35It all looks extremely presidential.
0:46:40 > 0:46:47He loves the big event and he loves being the centre of attention, as most politicians do.
0:46:47 > 0:46:52It was very, very touch and go as to which party would actually be the largest party.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55The speech that I drafted as he was coming down
0:46:55 > 0:47:01specifically left an area to say that we don't quite know how this is going to pan out, but by the time you land,
0:47:01 > 0:47:05hopefully we'll be in a position to say that we are the largest party.
0:47:05 > 0:47:10Salmond then emerges, and after a break he walks up to this podium
0:47:10 > 0:47:12emblazoned with the SNP logo,
0:47:12 > 0:47:15with, again, journalists and cameramen gathered round
0:47:15 > 0:47:18and delivers a very nice, very moving speech.
0:47:18 > 0:47:20Alasdair Gray once wrote,
0:47:20 > 0:47:25"Work as though you lived in the early days of a better nation".
0:47:25 > 0:47:29Our commitment to Scotland is this - we will work,
0:47:29 > 0:47:34and these ARE the days of a better nation.
0:47:34 > 0:47:35Thank you very much.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41And he gives the appearance of a winner.
0:47:41 > 0:47:45In terms of establishing that momentum, it was very effective.
0:47:47 > 0:47:50Jack McConnell, the leader of the Labour party, meanwhile,
0:47:50 > 0:47:53is on a back street in Glasgow looking very much like a loser.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56He is an adrenaline junkie in that way,
0:47:56 > 0:48:01and that's why he loves campaigns - he loves the attention.
0:48:01 > 0:48:04You know, not in a particularly egotistical way,
0:48:04 > 0:48:08just because if you're someone who thinks you've got a message,
0:48:08 > 0:48:11the idea of having the eyes of the world upon you to deliver that message
0:48:11 > 0:48:13is as good as it gets in politics.
0:48:13 > 0:48:20So of course he's a showman, but rather that than dreary, dull and utterly uninspiring.
0:48:20 > 0:48:24Now, if the SNP had emerged as not winning the election and Labour had,
0:48:24 > 0:48:28it all of course would have looked tremendously silly and presumptuous,
0:48:28 > 0:48:30but it didn't. That was the crucial thing.
0:48:30 > 0:48:34It looked presidential, it looked as if Salmond was going to win the election, and he did.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38The gamble had paid off.
0:48:38 > 0:48:45Alex Salmond was elected for the first time to the parliament sitting at Holyrood as the MSP for Gordon.
0:48:45 > 0:48:49Within a few days he was elected First Minister of Scotland,
0:48:49 > 0:48:54the one and only position in government that he's ever held.
0:48:55 > 0:48:58'Having made the long journey to First Minister,
0:48:58 > 0:49:02'what style and qualities did he bring to government?'
0:49:02 > 0:49:05I think he's restored people's faith in the Scottish Parliament.
0:49:05 > 0:49:09Things were getting to a bit of a low ebb after two coalition administrations.
0:49:09 > 0:49:13I think that what we've done is shown that competent government in Scotland
0:49:13 > 0:49:18can take place and can be good for Scotland, and I think Alex has been very much a figurehead of that.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21I think he's also made Scottish politics more interesting.
0:49:21 > 0:49:24'A view not shared by his political rivals.'
0:49:24 > 0:49:27If you look at the catastrophe of the Scottish banks,
0:49:27 > 0:49:30that wasn't made in London, that was made in Edinburgh.
0:49:30 > 0:49:32And, you know, this is the man who actually said
0:49:32 > 0:49:36that he personally approved the RBS takeover of the Dutch bank ABN.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39Well, if he did, then that says something about his judgment.
0:49:39 > 0:49:43His energy policy, you know, it is just pie in the sky.
0:49:43 > 0:49:48And, you know, he is very rarely questioned about these things,
0:49:48 > 0:49:53and the result is that he's got away with bringing about a situation
0:49:53 > 0:49:57where even to question him is to be accused of negativity.
0:49:57 > 0:50:03I would classify the SNP government and the members of the leadership
0:50:03 > 0:50:07after the 2007 election as falling into the trap of managerialism.
0:50:07 > 0:50:12Now, I understood that they had to prove themselves credible, and they certainly did.
0:50:12 > 0:50:14They were far better than the previous Labour people.
0:50:14 > 0:50:17But then the managerialism became all.
0:50:17 > 0:50:22- They never campaigned outside that chamber at all.- For independence?
0:50:22 > 0:50:24For anything, as a matter of fact.
0:50:24 > 0:50:27'There's an interesting question there.'
0:50:27 > 0:50:34'Have the ease and status of high office subdued Alex Salmond's passion to set Scotland free?'
0:50:34 > 0:50:38You look very comfortable as First Minister.
0:50:38 > 0:50:40Well, I should hope so. Do you want me to be uncomfortable?
0:50:40 > 0:50:43- No, but I think you just look a bit too comfortable.- Oh, I see, I see.
0:50:43 > 0:50:49The last thing they like in London is a Scot who looks comfortable.
0:50:49 > 0:50:54You should look at... Actually, it's not Scots who look comfortable you want to watch out for.
0:50:54 > 0:50:56What is it PG Wodehouse said?
0:50:56 > 0:51:01"It's not difficult to tell the difference between a ray of sunshine and a Scot with a grievance."
0:51:01 > 0:51:05I've talked to you while campaigning. Have you been campaigning for independence?
0:51:05 > 0:51:07All my life I've campaigned for independence.
0:51:07 > 0:51:09It's not featured much in this campaign.
0:51:09 > 0:51:15Well, because we took the decision in 2004, when I came back as leader,
0:51:15 > 0:51:18that we'd pursue independence in terms of a referendum policy.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21- That's the right way to do it. - Did you hold a referendum?
0:51:21 > 0:51:25Well, Michael, I got beaten three times in votes in the Scottish Parliament,
0:51:25 > 0:51:29and it would have been very foolish for me to give my political opponents
0:51:29 > 0:51:33the satisfaction of stomping all over my referendum bill when I knew what they were going to do.
0:51:33 > 0:51:37There will be a time when they won't be stomping over too much.
0:51:39 > 0:51:44I've witnessed a small sample of Alex Salmond's campaigning energy.
0:51:44 > 0:51:48He's been on the stump since he was a teenager,
0:51:48 > 0:51:52and despite some spectacular setbacks and years of frustration,
0:51:52 > 0:51:56he's sat right back and started all over again.
0:51:56 > 0:51:58As one who's had his ups and downs in politics,
0:51:58 > 0:52:04I wondered whether it was the bear pit of Scottish politics that had given him that resilience.
0:52:04 > 0:52:10I think there's a tendency in the Scottish National Party to recognise how great the odds are against you
0:52:10 > 0:52:13and therefore always to be prepared to come back no matter what happens.
0:52:13 > 0:52:17You've got to remember, Alex is of a generation in the SNP, as I am,
0:52:17 > 0:52:21where, with the exception of the 1970s,
0:52:21 > 0:52:26it was a pretty miserable time in the early '60s, '70s, early '80s, certainly through the '80s.
0:52:26 > 0:52:30So in those circumstances you've got to, if you're going to stay in politics, be resilient.
0:52:30 > 0:52:33But he's resilient as a human being, without a doubt.
0:52:33 > 0:52:38'During the course of making this film, I watched an amazing shift in public support.
0:52:38 > 0:52:42'Going into the election, Labour led in the polls.
0:52:42 > 0:52:48'But the campaign produced perhaps the biggest turnaround in any modern British election.'
0:52:49 > 0:52:53Politicians pretend to ignore opinion polls.
0:52:53 > 0:53:00Yeah, right(!) Good polls fire your adrenaline, and bad polls make you want to hide away.
0:53:02 > 0:53:07The prediction was that Alex Salmond could achieve something close to an overall majority.
0:53:07 > 0:53:12I'm told that those close to him were sceptical that things could be that good.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15In fact, they turned out better.
0:53:25 > 0:53:32- TV:- '..the Scottish National Party, SNP, 140,749 votes.'
0:53:33 > 0:53:39Torrance, David. Scottish National Party, 12,579 votes.
0:53:39 > 0:53:42CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:53:42 > 0:53:45'I declare David Torrance elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament'
0:53:45 > 0:53:48as a member for the Kirkcaldy constituency.
0:53:53 > 0:53:58'After the SNP landslide, this is a changed Scotland.
0:53:58 > 0:54:02'The party asked, keep Alex Salmond as First Minister.
0:54:02 > 0:54:04'And the voters duly did.
0:54:04 > 0:54:09'Scotland said yes not to independence but to Alex Salmond,
0:54:09 > 0:54:14'for his competence, charisma, gambles and showmanship.
0:54:14 > 0:54:17'They've handed him an overall majority.
0:54:17 > 0:54:22'Now nothing can stop him bringing forward a referendum on Scotland's future.
0:54:22 > 0:54:27'How close is he now to delivering independence?'
0:54:27 > 0:54:35If the SNP were to change its tactic and its narrative, I think it would find itself so close to independence
0:54:35 > 0:54:40it would probably frighten it, because although people are not interested per se
0:54:40 > 0:54:45in independence or devolution or any other constitutional question,
0:54:45 > 0:54:49they are interested in how they live their life
0:54:49 > 0:54:52and what future their children are likely to have
0:54:52 > 0:54:56and in how services are delivered in present-day Scotland.
0:54:56 > 0:55:00And if it is proved to them,
0:55:00 > 0:55:06if they come to believe that these would be better delivered by a sovereign Scottish parliament,
0:55:06 > 0:55:08then people would vote for that.
0:55:08 > 0:55:12Can we unionists be confident that he won't win a referendum on independence?
0:55:12 > 0:55:16Nobody going into a referendum can be confident that they're going to win on either side.
0:55:16 > 0:55:18This has to be fought for.
0:55:18 > 0:55:22I think a lot of the people who voted for the nationalists
0:55:22 > 0:55:26at the Scottish election weren't voting for independence.
0:55:26 > 0:55:30The big question as to whether or not we remain part of the United Kingdom
0:55:30 > 0:55:35and how that affects each and every one of us and our children and generations to come,
0:55:35 > 0:55:39that's one that has got to be fought in detail, which is why there has to be the political space,
0:55:39 > 0:55:42whether Alex Salmond likes it nor not,
0:55:42 > 0:55:46to be critical of what he is saying, because some of it, frankly, doesn't stand up.
0:55:46 > 0:55:50Let me summarise now the strength of Alex Salmond's position to you.
0:55:50 > 0:55:54When there comes to be a referendum on independence, the Yes campaign will be led by Alex Salmond.
0:55:54 > 0:55:57The No campaign will be led by who?
0:55:57 > 0:56:00Well, that depends when the referendum is.
0:56:00 > 0:56:03But my guess is it will be led by people from right across the spectrum.
0:56:03 > 0:56:08But, you know, the people in Scotland are, you know, very aware of what's at stake here.
0:56:08 > 0:56:10This isn't going to be a beauty contest.
0:56:10 > 0:56:15You know, this is something that would happen, and if it happened, it would happen forever.
0:56:15 > 0:56:20Perhaps so, but what sort of autonomy might be offered to the Scots in a referendum?
0:56:20 > 0:56:23I think the SNP'S been on a journey these last few years.
0:56:23 > 0:56:29In the past, when power was a distant prospect, independence was simply a slogan.
0:56:29 > 0:56:33As they've gained power, they're having to think about it, they're having to mature.
0:56:33 > 0:56:37And the notion of independence, I think, is in transition.
0:56:37 > 0:56:40I think we're going to move to an ever-looser union.
0:56:40 > 0:56:45That's what the SNP will understand. There will always be a United Kingdom in some shape or form.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48The SNP isn't yet ready to say that, but that's where they're heading,
0:56:48 > 0:56:52I suspect, a more confederal-type relationship.
0:56:52 > 0:56:55Maybe, maybe this election result will give the SNP leadership
0:56:55 > 0:56:59the courage to say what I believe they actually think.
0:57:02 > 0:57:05This is Kirkcaldy, where my mother grew up.
0:57:05 > 0:57:09They've elected Labour politicians here since the 1930s.
0:57:09 > 0:57:14Last week, the Holyrood seat was won by the SNP.
0:57:14 > 0:57:18It was the 65th seat to return a Scottish Nationalist,
0:57:18 > 0:57:23the constituency that guaranteed Alex Salmond's absolute majority.
0:57:23 > 0:57:26Understandably, it made him happy.
0:57:26 > 0:57:29Well, ladies and gentlemen,
0:57:29 > 0:57:33Kirkcaldy's my kind of town. LAUGHTER
0:57:33 > 0:57:35It's my kind, too.
0:57:35 > 0:57:41Believe it or not, I used to sunbathe on the beach here during childhood holidays.
0:57:41 > 0:57:44'After weeks of following this historic campaign,
0:57:44 > 0:57:47'I think I understand the Alex Salmond phenomenon.
0:57:47 > 0:57:55'But the election result has thrown up a bigger question concerning the future of the United Kingdom.'
0:57:56 > 0:58:00People in Scotland tell me there's little support for independence.
0:58:00 > 0:58:06But as the recent referendum in the UK on the alternative vote shows, opinion shifts fast.
0:58:06 > 0:58:12And the First Minister's recent landslide re-election shows that he's persuasive.
0:58:12 > 0:58:19Soon, there will be a referendum on a whole new relationship between England and Scotland.
0:58:19 > 0:58:21Have a flutter on it if you like.
0:58:21 > 0:58:25But you don't often make money betting against Alex Salmond.
0:58:46 > 0:58:49Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:49 > 0:58:52E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk