Salmond like Hitler, says Starkey

The ever controversial TV Historian Dr David Starkey has compared Alex Salmond to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.

Speaking at a packed debate hosted by the centre-of-right Bow Group think tank on the teaching of history in UK schools, he said: "If you think about it, Alex Salmond is a democratic Caledonian Hitler. Although some would say Hitler was more democratically elected"

On teaching history he said schools needed to "start thinking seriously about teaching English history" and not British history.

Teaching should, "unashamedly focus on political history. Social history is mere soft indulgence – It’s mere sentiment," he added.

"English identity is too important to be left to the loons of the BNP and EDL," he said.

Bow Group council member Nic Conner, who attended the event, confirmed the comments, although he maintained that they had been taken out of context.

He said: "Dr Starkey began by questioning some of the myths surrounding Alex Salmond: the political myth that he is one of the greatest political leaders of our time when what he has done is all a trick, tapping into nationalism and the idea of a common enemy, in this case the English.

"He then compared this, somewhat unfortunately, to Hitler."

A spokesman for the First Minister said: “This offensive nonsense is actually an insult to Scotland and to the people of Scotland.

"David Starkey is getting dafter and crankier with every passing day.

"His litany of offensive comments are designed only to provoke outrage, and thankfully England is blessed with a great number of far better historians than him.

"We can count ourselves lucky that David Starkey is nowhere near the teaching of history in Scottish schools."