Scottish referendum: Alex Salmond has resigned at the right time

Alex Salmond didn’t have to resign, but it was surely the right thing to do.

By securing 1.6m votes and 45 per cent support in favour of independence in the referendum, he could credibly have claimed a victory of sorts, if not the one he so dearly desired.

But today was the optimum moment for him to announce his departure.

It allows him to go with dignity, and, moreover, it offers the best outlook for the Scottish National Party.

By stepping down formally at the SNP conference in November, it means he stays around long enough to act as a lightning conductor for any internal criticism in the wake of the result.

That allows his successor—almost certainly his deputy Nicola Sturgeon—a clean start.

At 59, Salmond can still have many more years in politics, and says that he will remain as the MSP for Aberdeenshire East (although Sturgeon may not appreciate a backseat driver).

After 20 years as SNP leader and seven years as First Minister, Salmond can look back with satisfaction at his career and the remarkable progress his party has made.

Under him, it has evolved dramatically from a peripheral party of protest to Scotland’s dominant political force, and one which almost achieved the end of the British state.

How the SNP copes without him in charge is another question.