Millionaire businessman Paul McManus has taken up the late Alex Salmond's legal case against the Scottish Government, a move critics see as a crucial intervention at a time of declining standards in public life. McManus, the drummer for the band Gun, acquired the rights to the case from Salmond's widow after the former First Minister's death in 2024. Salmond had been suing over a flawed investigation into harassment complaints made against him during his tenure as First Minister, of which he was later cleared of criminal charges at the High Court in 2020.
McManus stated that while he disagreed with Salmond's politics, he believes "those at the top of the SNP plotted against him and used levers of state which could have resulted in him being wrongly imprisoned." He added, "If the government can do this to one of their own, what chance do we, Joe Public, have if they decide to target us?"
This intervention follows novelist and philanthropist J.K. Rowling's financial backing of legal cases aimed at defending women's rights. Rowling has been a vocal critic of the Scottish National Party's approach to gender recognition reforms, arguing they could undermine existing women's rights legislation.
Beyond the Salmond case, McManus has also provided financial support for Glasgow Labour Councillor Fiona Higgins. Higgins faced an investigation by the Ethical Standards Commissioner for allegedly breaching the councillors' code of conduct after publicly criticizing planned cuts to the education budget. A ruling from the Court of Session found that the commission had acted unlawfully by preventing Higgins from submitting evidence, a victory facilitated by McManus's funding.
The article suggests that the interventions of individuals like Rowling and McManus are increasingly necessary to safeguard democratic processes and individual rights in Scotland. The author posits that the SNP, which promised a more open and accountable form of politics, has instead eroded standards, with a perceived establishment clique acting with impunity.
Critics argue that without such external financial support, elected officials and ordinary citizens may find their ability to speak out or pursue legal challenges against the government severely limited. The narrative highlights a broader concern about the influence of money in politics, but frames these specific interventions as necessary checks on perceived governmental overreach and a defense of open democracy against an "authoritarian Nationalist government."