Alexander should resign over this election fiasco, says angry Sir Sean

Speaking exclusively to The Scottish Mail on Sunday, Sir Sean launched an attack on outgoing Prime Minister Tony Blair and called for Jack McConnell to give up hope of forming an Executive and stand down as First Minister.

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In his first interview since his life-long dream of having the SNP in power in his native country became reality, the Edinburgh-born actor also predicted Alex Salmond would form a minority administration that would win over the rest of Scotland to the cause of independence.

But Sir Sean, 76, who lives in the Bahamas, appeared to rule out returning to live in Scotland.

He said he has no current plans and "could be dead" before the country achieved independence.

The actor knight is currently considering an offer to reprise his role as Indiana Jones's father in the fourth film of the series, but took time out from negotiations to express his joy at the SNP victory - and his disgust at the way the elections had been handled.

He blamed Labour for laying the ground for its own defeat and for the chaos on election night which saw more than 140,000 ballot papers rejected from the count.

Sir Sean said: "They initiated this mess with the vote. They can't blame anybody but themselves. It was an embarrassment.

"It reflects badly, I think, on Scotland, and it's very unfortunate. I think Douglas Alexander should resign, because he was warned.

"No other country would attempt to do the two votes on the same day. Alexander is not resigning. He's not even apologising. And that's what's missing."

The Hollywood star compared Mr Alexander's refusal to go with the principled stand taken by Lord Carrington, Margaret Thatcher's Foreign Secretary, who "did the honourable thing" and resigned over the security service's failure to spot Argentina's impending invasion of the Falklands.

He said: "That sort of behaviour doesn't exist today. That ,s what people are alarmed about.

"There's going to be an inquiry into the rejected papers and we don't want it done by the Labour government, we want it done independently."

Sir Sean has been in contact with Mr Salmond to congratulate the SNP leader on his party's narrow victory, and to discuss a possible "roving cultural ambassador" role.

And he believes Jack McConnell should step down as First Minister immediately and leave the way clear for Mr Salmond to take his place and form an Executive.

Sir Sean accused Mr McConnell of causing a "sabotage situation" and betraying democratic principles by not stepping aside.

He said: "For 50 years, until the opening of this parliament, we had nothing but a Labour majority in Scotland, regardless of what happened in the rest of the UK.

"Everybody got blinded by the Union issue. It wasn't the Union issue.

"It was a change of government the Scottish people wanted, after not being listened to. And, for the first time in 50 years, it happened."

Sir Sean claimed that if there was an impasse and a second election had to be held later this year, the electorate would be so angry that many who did not vote SNP this time would back them next time: "It would be a landslide."

Turning his sights on the Prime Minister's attempts to influence the outcome of the election, Sir Sean said that Tony Blair had been wrong to try to talk down to Scottish voters.

Referring to Mr Blair's criticism of former Royal Bank of Scotland chairman George Mathewson, who supported the SNP in the run-up to the election, he said:

"How can somebody like Blair come up and knock somebody like George Mathewson, with his success, for being deluded?

"How dare he say that of somebody, from his position, who's digging graves to make a legacy."

But the actor said he was dismayed the traditional antipathy between Labour and the SNP was preventing them working together to find a way to govern Scotland.

He said: "You know the most diabolical thing about Scotland is the hatred they have for each other - the hatred that has been stirred in its own pot by the SNP and Labour, but basically by Labour.

"It is very difficult to understand the depth of animosity when they are so similar in so many ways."

But he added that Labour had shown Scotland had the talent to run its own affairs by packing the Westminster Cabinet with Scots: +There ,s no question that the Scots can govern. There is no excuse now. And I would like to think that this is a turning point. If we get a fair innings and everybody does work, there ,s a real, genuine opportunity. ,

Sir Sean, now working with author and film-maker Murray Grigor on a book of autobiographical anecdotes called Connery ,s Scotland, said he had no plans at present to return to live in the country of his birth: +I was supposed to have looked at houses, but it ,s not true. I ,m not actively looking for somewhere in Scotland. I don ,t feel the need, and travelling in the world today is a pain.

+As for the future, it depends on how well Scotland supports what the majority want. It should be a refreshing change. And, as for me, I could be dead by then. ,