The story is complex, but there’s something disturbing about a powerful man raging against his female former protege
It is political theatre of the highest order: the falling-out between Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, and her former mentor, Alex Salmond, over the handling of allegations of sexual harassment against him. The drama is so spectacular that it positively invites onlookers to take sides. And while it may not be fair to expect a female leader to deal with such claims more adeptly than a man in the same position, the expectation undeniably exists – and Sturgeon herself has admitted that the Scottish government’s response was muddled and let down the complainants.
At the same time, it is hard to avoid seeing ancient archetypes at work. The SNP’s inner circle resembles a dysfunctional family where the father figure, Salmond, rages against the ungrateful daughter, Sturgeon, who has refused to afford him the protection he believes to be his due. She responded with a bravura performance before the Holyrood inquiry this week, challenging any such expectation on his part: “As first minister, I refused to follow the age-old pattern of allowing a powerful man to use his status and his connections to get what he wants.”
