Portillo on Salmond
Last night's BBC programme 'Portillo on Salmond' was an exquisite piece of film making - on the rise and rise of the SNP leader.
The surprising thing is that Michael Portillo was so insightful, affectionate even at times - as he traced the life and political ups and downs of one Alex Salmond MSP - still the First Minister of Scotland.
But these days Portillo seems like a fully paid up member of the human race.
A different person from the former defence minister in Margaret Thatcher's government - who once shamelessly hijacked the SAS motto 'Who Dares Wins' at a Tory party conference in the 1980s.
In any event the programme made for inspired television - and portrayed Scotland in a very positive light - even the weather could do no wrong it seemed until the last five minutes.
I kept waiting for someone from the Labour party to make an appearance - a grudging Gordon Brown perhaps - when finally Alistair Darling appeared on screen and did his best to rain on the SNP parade.
To little avail - it has to be said - although at least the last Labour Chancellor had a go, as they say - when others much better placed than he passed up the opportunity no doubt.
In any event what the programme said to me was that people in all walks of life - prepared to take a few risks, to put themselves in the right place at the right time - are the ones who deserve to win the prize.
And that's not just true of Alex Salmond, but of Michael Portillo as well - because since losing high political office he has completely reinvented himself - instead of simply bemoaning his fate.
I imagine when Portillo first approached the BBC to make his film - there must have been more than a few eyebrows raised.
Yet the end result is that Michael Portillo was in exactly the right place at exactly the right time - when a piece of Scotland's history was being made.
The surprising thing is that Michael Portillo was so insightful, affectionate even at times - as he traced the life and political ups and downs of one Alex Salmond MSP - still the First Minister of Scotland.
But these days Portillo seems like a fully paid up member of the human race.
A different person from the former defence minister in Margaret Thatcher's government - who once shamelessly hijacked the SAS motto 'Who Dares Wins' at a Tory party conference in the 1980s.
In any event the programme made for inspired television - and portrayed Scotland in a very positive light - even the weather could do no wrong it seemed until the last five minutes.
I kept waiting for someone from the Labour party to make an appearance - a grudging Gordon Brown perhaps - when finally Alistair Darling appeared on screen and did his best to rain on the SNP parade.
To little avail - it has to be said - although at least the last Labour Chancellor had a go, as they say - when others much better placed than he passed up the opportunity no doubt.
In any event what the programme said to me was that people in all walks of life - prepared to take a few risks, to put themselves in the right place at the right time - are the ones who deserve to win the prize.
And that's not just true of Alex Salmond, but of Michael Portillo as well - because since losing high political office he has completely reinvented himself - instead of simply bemoaning his fate.
I imagine when Portillo first approached the BBC to make his film - there must have been more than a few eyebrows raised.
Yet the end result is that Michael Portillo was in exactly the right place at exactly the right time - when a piece of Scotland's history was being made.
