Alex Salmond faces questions about his leadership as he and senior SNP ignore internal smearing and discrimination in the party

Dear All

The SNP lost Glasgow, the reason was simple; the Scottish National Party has allowed a middle class clique of the not few bright to have undue influence.

This clique has developed and has festered in Glasgow causing serious problems.

Funny enough when interviewed an SNP activist says when he pounded the streets over the last few weeks to get the Nationalist vote out, he came up against something of a problem.

He said:

“I’ve never known so much negativity towards Alex.”

The First Minister has a major problem, unless he can persuade his best activists to return to SNP activism, he is on course to lose the independence referendum in a spectacular fashion.

The election strategy of Glasgow SNP was a complete disaster, ill judged, badly thought-out and plain wrong at so many levels.

Solutions to fix Glasgow SNP problems ignored.

This was seen by some in Glasgow SNP as a 'cronies election' as Team Sturgeon et al saw their ‘pals’ get candidacies.

For example, the SNP GRA never published dates for selection to allow an open process across Glasgow; it was all done in secret.

In Maryhill & Springburn branch, there was no notice of a nomination meeting published to SNP branch members so they could stand, it was sent out as a normal branch meeting.

But outsiders knew from Team Sturgeon, not rank and file branch members.

In Pollok SNP, the branch officials sat back and allowed smearing to take place and gave the impression that the nomination meeting was in fact a vote.

In an email, SNP Branch Secretary and former Holyrood and Westminster Candidate Chris Stephens who controls Pollok SNP wrote:

“George

Your assertion that you failed to secure a single nomination is incorrect, and I don’t know who advised you of this, as this is wrong. You did not secure over half of the voting members in the room, and therefore not enough support to gain a nomination.

I will need to take guidance on what information I can release to you, under Data Protection, and I will let you know later today.

Please accept my apologies for not furnishing you with feedback yet, as I have been very busy, but hope to contact you tonight.

Regards

Chris”

To be selected as a SNP candidate, you need two people from the branch, according to the rules, Chris Stephens email effectively says, everyone else needs two, but George Laird needed 4 or 5 or was it 6?

People who were standing as council candidates; were sent out of the room, which led to an Asian Candidate being smeared by Shona McAlpine, the employee of Humza Yousaf, the Muslim list MSP.

McAlpine started smearing the Asian Candidate by calling him an ‘incompetent’, I put a stop to that; the other candidates who have since became councillors all sat in silence while McAlpine poisoned the room against the Asian person.

When you complain to the SNP Headquarters, there is an attitude that you aren’t important enough so we aren’t going to investigate your complaints.

However, that changes when people like Bill Walker, the ex SNP MSP get exposed then the SNP get really ‘concerned’ about being seen to address problems, especially when the media is looking over their shoulders.

My Data Subject Access Request sent by recorded delivery in Jan 2012, not acknowledged, follow up to Peter Murrell, the husband of Nicola Sturgeon, not acknowledged either, five times sent by email.

“I’ve never known so much negativity towards Alex” is easily explained.

When the SNP got their landslide in 2011, they forgot very quickly the people who put them in public office.

There was an arrogance that developed that the SNP were the ‘new establishment’ and that they were taking over from the Labour Party and would stroll into the councils of Scotland by a similar landslide this year.

The public thought very differently.

So what happened when I complained to Alex Salmond, the leader of the Scottish National Party?

Nothing!

Remember Blair not doing God in office?

Well it appears that Alex Salmond doesn’t do working class.

But to be fair, I don't have the money, power and status of Murdoch.

Alex is also too important fighting for Scotland!

Exactly who’s Scotland is Alex Salmond fighting for?

Nicola Sturgeon, what did she do?

Deputy First Minster, Deputy Party leader and MSP, well Nicola just couldn’t be bothered to stand up for the rights of a working class member such as myself either.

Fairness, equality and social justice, you’re not getting that Laird.

Her Husband, the Chief Executive, Peter Murrell, he displayed a similar contempt to complaints sent to him by me.

The SNP is like a party within a party, working class people can join, but they are very much second class citizens in the Scottish National Party.

Membership apartheid effectively operates in the SNP, I have experienced it, ironically, I got a letter from Alex Salmond, telling how the SNP were fighting for a 'better' Scotland and he was grateful for my previous help.

Not grateful enough it seems!

In the Scottish National Party, the attitude of the leadership is that you can be discriminated and treated in the vilest and most disgusting manner and they will let the people get away with it, by refusing to act.

Because let's get it straight.... 'they're one of us'.

The story of Glasgow SNP at the ballot box is a wake up call for Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell.

As a Labour supporter friend of mine said:

"how can Alex Salmond make Scotland a democratic country when he can’t even defend the democracy in his own party".

Team Sturgeon who ran the campaign for Glasgow failed miserably, 27 seats isn’t a victory, it was a total disaster, arrogance, poor leadership, a terrible manifesto and a general lack of vision, talent and ideas, killed that campaign stone dead.

Retread slogans of ‘Let Glasgow flourish’; ‘Glasgow is miles better’ showed a lack of genuine talent, the blowback from voters wasn’t unexpected, it was a racing certainty.

Privately other SNP members agreed with me that the win wasn’t possible under any circumstances during this election in Glasgow.

So, what would I want to say to Alex Salmond’s face?

My first question to Alex Salmond, to get the tone of the meeting off to a flying start would be “why was I treated like a cunt”.

Second, why was I smeared and why was there no investigation?

Third, what happened to my recorded delivery letter containing my Data Subject Access Request sent to SNP HQ?

Rich middle class people need two nominations to stand as an SNP candidate but George Laird because he is working class needs "over half of the voting members in the room".

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University