Bewilderment as Alex Salmond claims the endorsement of Robert the Bruce

Alba, Alex Salmond’s new pro-independence political party, has claimed an unusual – and unlikely – endorsement ahead of May’s Holyrood elections: Robert the Bruce.

In a video urging Scots to ‘Unite the Clans’, Braveheart star Angus Macfadyen – a vocal supporter of independence – tells the story of how “sma folk” turned the tide at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, propelling the Scots to victory over Edward II of England.

“I see the emergence of Alba as an underdog upsetting the established parties and making possible an overwhelming victory for independence at the polls,” Macfadyen said, in a statement accompanying the video’s release.

“This depiction is ever so slightly tongue in cheek but still makes a very serious point. It is the ‘sma folk’ or people power who hold the key to Scotland’s future. That was fact in 1314. It is true in 2021.”

Salmond – who is urging Scots to vote for an independence “supermajority” next month – said it was “great” to have Macfadyen on board. “Alba, at two weeks old, is Scotland’s fastest-growing political party and with Robert the Bruce on our side, the other parties should start to tremble,” he said.

Others, however, were less impressed with Alba’s requisitioning of Scottish history. Here are some reactions.

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