Throbbergate part 5, the throbbing just won't stop, shamed and disgraced SNP Minister Mark McDonald has been suspended by the SNP after second allegation against him emerges, Nicola Sturgeon publicly backed him as an MSP, her judgement has been found to be wanting, party before victim, what a horrible creature she is and a poor excuse for a human being

Dear All

It seems that throbbergate just won’t stop throbbing, when Nicola Sturgeon backed disgraced former SNP Minister McDonald and cited him as a ‘good MSP’, another critical error of judgement on Sturgeon’s part was on display, it was party before victim.

So, what was the George Laird view, I said on the blog that Mark McDonald should be suspended.

The SNP refused to do so!

You would think that having got McDonald in for a ‘chat’, that someone would have asked ‘the question’….. is there any more issues that we should know about, after all since Sturgeon backed McDonald, she placed her neck on the line. And if you are sticking your neck, you want to know all the facts, up to and including the painful truth.

Now, we see that disgraced SNP MSP Mark McDonald has been suspended from SNP as it emerges that he faces a second complaint of inappropriate behaviour. It was only nine days since Nicola Sturgeon defended him publicly.

As I previously blogged, McDonald dubbed by some as the ‘poundland Harvey Weinstein’ is too toxic, and cited the case of Bill Walker who the parliament turned on rather quickly when allegations against him came to the fore.

Can Holyrood do no less with Mark McDonald?

The decision to dumped from the party after further allegations were lodged at the SNP HQ, now yet again, its Operation Save Nicola Sturgeon.

The reason for ‘Save Sturgeon'; is McDonald’s resignation was played down publicly by the First Minister, who said on November:

“Some may well have thought it was not serious enough to resign for.”

Well clearly events have moved on but what is interesting is how the SNP reacted early on to the second allegation, a Nats spokesman denied the story, saying:

“No complaint has been received.”

Now that story is changed to:

“Following new information being received by the SNP over the course of the last 24 hours relating to the behaviour of Mark McDonald, he has been suspended from both the parliamentary group and the party while further investigation takes place.

“In the interests of due process and appropriate confidentiality no further comment will be made.”

In the wake of the new revelations, I have found the perfect song on youtube to sum up the situation of ‘poundland Harvey Weinstein’; it is the classic by Chuck Berry. In a situation like this, the song by Elton John, ‘don’t go breaking my heart’ with Kiki Dee just won’t cut it, plus, I needed something to set the mood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaEC-lWSlmI

The SNP under Nicola Sturgeon is very much a ‘my ding-a-ling’ outfit, hardly the ‘civic and joyous’ experience that Salmond espoused.

So, yet again, why did Nicola Sturgeon appoint Mark McDonald as a Children’s Minister because we have to ask this question again and again and again? Of course bad judgment isn’t new when it comes to Nicola Sturgeon; there is enough of that to fill a library.

Anyway, I think I have also found the perfect song and singer which could fit Nicola Sturgeon to a tee.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRH6FhkbQmY

Finally when pressed about whether female constituents of the ex-Children’s Minister should feel comfortable speaking to McDonald, Nicola Sturgeon boldly declared:

“I think people can and should”.

Given Mark McDonald has been suspended does that ‘advice’ still hold true?

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University