Former MSP Jamie Stone has warned that the SNP's refusal to support an inquiry into the Peter Murrell scandal risks turning the Scottish Parliament into a 'laughing stock'. Stone, who served as an MSP for 12 years before becoming MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, told the Record he 'really resented' the damage to Holyrood's reputation.
Stone backs Westminster inquiry
Stone is now backing calls for the Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster to launch an inquiry, which he insisted would be 'scrupulously fair'. He warned that failing to get to the bottom of the scandal would leave a 'cloud' hanging over devolution and its reputation.
'If the boot was on the other foot, there would be howls of outrage from the SNP,' Stone said. 'I really do resent my former Parliament becoming a laughing stock. I believe in devolution and I want devolution done as well as possible.'
Murrell jailed for embezzlement
Murrell was last week jailed for five years and three months after admitting embezzling more than £400,000 from the SNP over a 12-year period. First Minister John Swinney has repeatedly said his party was a 'victim' of Murrell's offending and that it would be wrong for opposition parties to probe the internal affairs of another.
SNP and Green MSPs voted down a Labour call last month for a Scottish Parliament inquiry into the scandal, which would have examined whether public money was spent by Murrell.
Damage to democracy
Stone said the issue would continue to dent the Parliament's reputation if not examined. 'I represent a constituency far away from the central belt in the north of Scotland. But just about each and every one of my constituents has said to me, "what on earth is going on here?" There is a lot of shaking of heads.'
'What I do know is there should be an inquiry because, right now, the situation is damaging the notion of democracy in Scotland. And as long as there isn't an inquiry, we remain with this cloud hanging over, and people asking "is this how you do things in Scotland?"'
'Anything that reduces the faith of ordinary folk in how we do things is damaging to democracy. People want to get to the bottom of this.'
'Having the courage to take the lid off, shine a light in and ask the questions that need to be asked would be no bad thing, and in fact, is ultra important.'
Scottish Affairs Committee role
Stone is not a member of the Scottish Affairs Committee but has backed it to launch an inquiry. 'Having been an MSP for 12 years, having signed the Claim of Right all those years ago, I am greatly saddened that any Scottish Government didn't have the courage to actually look at themselves and do it openly.'
'At the end of the day, the Scottish Parliament is the child of Westminster legislation, and I do believe the Scottish Affairs Committee does have the right and responsibility to look at this issue - so let's encourage them to look at this one.'
'I don't think the committee, which would have SNP membership, would be anything else other than scrupulously fair. That's the way we do democracy in this country.'
'John Swinney is frantically trying to divert attention from the issue at hand. This was money given by the general public and it has been siphoned off and misused. Whether you believe in independence or not, that is an issue of major concern to the general public.'
