Vote rigging plan failure

Sep 25 2009 by Alison Lowson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

THE website operated by the PA’s sister paper the Stirling Observer has certainly been setting tongues wagging at Holyrood this week.

If you believe the scuttlebutt, Observer columnist and senior SNP politician Keith Brown MSP stands accused of rigging the website poll on the release of the Lockerbie Bomber.

It has been suggested by opposition politicians that a senior staffer for the Schools and Skills minister sent an email to SNP researchers and members of parliament, urging them to vote in favour of the decision to release the Libyan in the online survey.

According to sources, the email from Ellen Forson, constituency manager for Ochil, said: “Keith’s column for the Stirling Observer next week is going to cover the Megrahi decision and we want to quote the poll on their website so would appreciate your vote!”

Opposition parties at Holyrood have called on Mr Brown to apologise for the alleged bid to sway the poll in the Government’s favour.

Liberal Democrat MSP Hugh O’Donnell even went as far as saying: “If the SNP are prepared to rig a local poll, what on earth would they do to win a poll on independence?”

However, a spokesman for Mr Brown called the debacle ‘trivia’ and blasted the opposition parties’ criticism over the affair as ‘desperate tactics’.

What comes out of this whole debacle most clearly is the high value our politicians place on their local newspapers, and in turn the opinions of their readers.

Something for the Nats to consider as they jeopardise the future of the local press in Scotland by considering plans to put public notices on their own on-line portal?