No less than the Weinstein case in America, or the rugby rape trial in Northern Ireland, Salmond's case was seen as a litmus test for the MeToo movement, out of which it grew. After the trial, Salmond's former speechwriter, Alex Bell, said the case boiled down to "sleazy but not criminal". One of the problems with the MeToo movement was that it lumped all inappropriate behaviour - from off-colour comments and awkward passes to rape - into the same area of opprobrium. Salmond's case underlined that, as far as the law is concerned, they are still very different. But as that abates and ordinary politics restart, Salmond's defence may prove curiously fateful.

Source: Irish Independent March 29, 2020 01:30 UTC