Salmond: On the attack

Alex Salmond has escalated his attack on the government, saying people think Geoff Hoon is an "idiot".

The newly re-elected leader of the SNP is among those supporting a bid to impeach the prime minister over the Iraq war.

He launched a scathing attack on Tony Blair, telling ePolitix.com: "I shall be happy to dance on his political grave."

In an interview with this website he said the Scottish people are incensed by a combination of the war, the redeployment of the Black Watch to central Iraq and the possible merger of Scottish regiments.

"For me this goes way beyond normal politics. I didn't agree with John Major or Margaret Thatcher but I would never have agreed with signing an impeachment against them, for what cause?" Salmond said.

"There's nothing they did or didn't do that merited impeachment. But I do want to impeach Tony Blair because he lied to parliament and the people about the reason for going to war.

"He exaggerated, he misled. The intelligence he said he basing this on bore no relation to what he was saying.

"At the same time he was saying 'if you could see what was going across my desk you'd think differently' and it was a lie. If we could have seen what was going across his desk we'd have said: 'not on your Nelly'.

"For a prime minister to do that is beyond politics and I shall be happy to dance on his political grave."

Convention

The Banff and Buchan MP dismissed claims that he was breaking a convention that opposition politicians did not heavily criticise the government when troops were in action.

"What convention is that? I've been accused by Geoff Hoon over that, do you think I give a stuff what Geoff Hoon or Tony Blair say? There's no such convention.

"It is a convention created by a government that knows it is morally wrong to do what it has done and it is indefensible.

"They would like nothing better to shut me and others up who continue to criticise them until they are held to account.

"I don't shut up and I don't pay attention to mythical conventions got up for the convenience of the executive.

"If such a convention had existed in the Second World War, Chamberlain would have remained prime minister."

Scottish regiments

Salmond also attacked the government over plans to merge the Scottish army regiments.

He told ePolitix.com that ministers had "managed to unite everyone from the peace movement to old soldiers who are furious at the war, furious at the government, furious at the deployment and furious at the merger of the Scottish regiments".

The SNP chief said the defence secretary was facing "a wall of fire" on the issue and had responded with personal attacks.

"Well, people think Salmond is right and Hoon is an idiot," he said.