Nicola Sturgeon has distanced herself from Alex Salmond’s all-out assault on the BBC by hosting a private dinner for its political editor, Nick Robinson (Magnus Linklater writes).
Mr Salmond has branded the BBC’s coverage of the referendum a disgrace, and said that Robinson, above, should be “embarrassed and ashamed” of comments he made about anti-BBC demonstrations.
The first minister, however, took the opportunity of Robinson’s appearance at the Edinburgh book festival last week to invite him and his wife, Pippa, to dinner at her official residence, Bute House, in the capital.
Mr and Mrs Robinson, along with their two children, were the only guests at the dinner, which was hosted by Ms Sturgeon, above right, and her husband, Peter Murrell. Described as a “white glove” dinner, served by footmen, it was also “a friendly and informal affair”, at which the main topic of conversation was Scottish politics.
The dinner will have done little to bridge the growing gap between the first minister and her predecessor in office. Sources say that Ms Sturgeon is seeking to “escape the embrace” of Mr Salmond, who takes a robust and confrontational attitude towards the BBC, accusing it of bias towards the No camp during the referendum.
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The former first minister’s irritation at the BBC’s coverage came to a head at a press conference last September when Robinson asked whether reports of RBS’s decision to relocate its registered office to London in the event of independence would have any effect on Scottish taxpayers.
Mr Salmond retorted that he was ill-informed, and added that the people of Scotland had “moved beyond warnings and scaremongering”. Robinson was branded “nasty Nick”, and became the focus for anti-BBC protests, culminating in a demonstration of 4,000 people outside the corporation’s studios in Glasgow, where posters branded him a “liar”, and a “totally corrupt journalist”.
The war of words escalated last week at the book festival when Robinson described the protesters as creating an atmosphere of intimidation for young reporters trying to get to work, “like they do in Putin’s Russia”.
He added: “That, you may agree with me or disagree with me, is not how politics should operate either in the UK or in a future independent Scotland if there is to be such a thing. We should not live with journalists who are intimidated, or bullied, or fearful in any way.”
Mr Salmond, who had, by contrast, described the demonstration as “peaceful and joyous”, said that Robinson should be “embarrassed and ashamed” of his comments. The comparison with Russia was “as ludicrous as it was insulting”, he added.
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It is clear that Ms Sturgeon takes a different view. She appears anxious to cement relations with the BBC, after a period of open hostility between the SNP and the corporation.
Her views are in sharp contrast to those of her predecessor, who issued a demand last March for control over the BBC in Scotland to be transferred to Edinburgh so that its political coverage could be made more favourable to the SNP.
Speaking at the book festival yesterday, James Naughtie, the BBC broadcaster, described the former first minister’s attack on Robinson as “bizarre”.
He said: “I do think that the personalisation of it, a year on, is bizarre. I think that the idea that the former first minister, a distinguished parliamentarian both in Edinburgh and London, should still be getting at Nick for one alleged offence in the heat of an election campaign is bizarre, and it is interesting that the first minister herself shows no interest in getting involved at all.”
When asked if he felt Robinson had been right to draw the Russian comparison, Naughtie refused to criticise him.
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“Nick’s words are a matter for him,” he said.