Alex Salmond may feel he got a lot from cosying up to both Rupert Murdoch and Donald Trump but, wow, is he paying the price.
The front page of today’s Herald captures the First Minister’s problems perfectly. The entire first half of the front, above the fold, is covered with two pictures, one of Mr Trump and one of Mr Murdoch and the headline: ‘With Friends Like These.’ The strapline underneath states: ‘Salmond feels backlash from relationships with wealthy tycoons.’ The piece itself starts with the following: ‘One hit him with a verbal broadside, the other lavished him with praise. But, for different reasons, Alex Salmond was feeling the heat yesterday over his relationships with two powerful businessmen.’
The Herald is referring in part to Mr Trump’s evidence to the Scottish Parliament yesterday when the American entrepreneur claimed he had been ‘lured’ to invest in Scotland with assurances that his golf course would not be affected by wind farms, only to be ‘betrayed’ by Mr Salmond later.
The paper is also referring to the disclosure yesterday that Mr Salmond appeared prepared to lobby the UK Government on behalf of Mr Murdoch.
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