A year has passed since I witnessed Alex Salmond’s final journey into Aberdeen airport. Scotland’s greatest First Minister had died a few days earlier while visiting the town of Ohrid in North Macedonia for a business conference.

A saltire fluttering in the stiff North Sea breeze clung to his coffin as it emerged from a private jet, chartered by his friend and admirer, Sir Tom Hunter. Then, a lone piper played a lament and you couldn’t begin to imagine the grief of his wife, Moira, and other family members standing a few feet away. They’d invited me to witness these moments with them.

The last time I’d been here was a week before the referendum on Scottish independence in September, 2014. This was at the request of Mr Salmond himself, who’d wanted me to accompany him on a helicopter hop around the north-east of Scotland and to write about it for The Observer’s predominantly English audience. I’d thought we’d both still be around for a second referendum.

Three hours before Mr Salmond’s body had arrived back to his beloved north east of Scotland, an Honour Guard of the North Macedonian army had escorted his coffin onto the aircraft. The dignity and respect this newly-independent nation displayed towards Alex Salmond was noble. It also spoke of North Macedonia’s kinship with Scotland and her people.

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Those who were closest to Mr Salmond have since told me that North Macedonia will always occupy a special place in their hearts for their compassion and kindness. North Macedonia had known only that this man had been a giant in his land and that many in Scotland would be mourning his death. To accord him an honour guard at a couple of days’ notice went above and beyond what could reasonably have been expected of them. In Scotland, meanwhile it quickly became obvious that no protocols existed for the repatriation of a much-loved leader taken suddenly. The question of who might be responsibility for conducting such an operation – and its cost - simply should not have arisen.

This oversight, clumsy and inelegant as........

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