Book description
Alex Salmond is well known in Scotland, the UK and beyond as the leader
of the Scottish National Party and Scotland's First Minister, but
relatively little is understood about Salmond as a human being, what
makes him a Nationalist, what shaped his political views, and what sort
of country he believes an independent Scotland can be. In this first
biography, with which close colleagues and friends have co-operated, the
acclaimed political biographer David Torrance turns his attention to
perhaps one of the most capable and interesting politicians Scotland has
produced in the last few decades. Utilising a raft of published and
unpublished material, Torrance charts the life and career of Alex
Salmond from his schooldays, his political activism at St Andrews
University, his early career at the Royal Bank of Scotland, his election
as the MP for Banff and Buchan and, in greater depth than ever before,
his two spells as leader of the SNP and, from 2007, as First Minister of
Scotland. David Torrance was born and brought up in Edinburgh and
educated at Leith Academy, Aberdeen University and Cardiff University's
School of Journalism. He was formerly political reporter for STV and is
now a freelance writer, journalist and broadcaster. He lives in
Edinburgh.
