Is the Scottish government above the law? The SNP-run devolved administration is being taken to court after it refused to comply with freedom of information legislation. While that might sound dry and technical, it is anything but: the information it refuses to disclose is evidence from the notorious – and notoriously messy – Alex Salmond inquiries.

That the Scottish Information Commissioner is forced to turn to the courts to get the Scottish government to comply with his decisions is another indication of a Scottish state that has become a law unto itself under the SNP

The former Scottish first minister was out of office, succeeded by his ambitious deputy Nicola Sturgeon, when details of a Scottish government investigation into sexual harassment allegations were leaked to the media in 2018. Salmond sought a judicial review and the Court of Session ruled the investigation was ‘unlawful’, ‘procedurally unfair’, and ‘tainted with apparent bias’.

The following year Salmond was charged with 13 counts of........

© The Spectator