Peter Murrell scandal is damning for ‘toxic’ SNP and an inquiry must be launched

Trust matters in politics.

People vote for politicians and donate to political movements in good faith – hoping that they will effect change in their country.

But the last two weeks have exposed the scale of the collapse in public trust in Scottish politics.

The Peter Murrell scandal has shocked the country.

The scale of Murrell’s criminality and the ridiculous purchases he made – motorhomes, salt shakers, egg poachers, computer games – has rightly appalled hardworking Scots.

But that is just the tip of the iceberg.

We now know that public money may well have been spent.

That £600,000 of money – supposedly ring-fenced for a referendum – has been blown on SNP campaigns and running costs.

And now that the SNP may have received tens of thousands of pounds through VAT fraud.

Murrell may have pled guilty but it is clear that this scandal has shone a light on institutional incompetence and cover-up within the SNP.

View 4 Images

The need for a proper inquiry into this matter could not be clearer – to restore public trust and to ensure this never happens again.

Because big questions remain over how this culture was allowed to fester in Scotland’s ruling party.

It’s added more questions on the dual role of the Lord Advocate and the potential political conflict.

This was also a police investigation that involved the ruling party of Scotland. That to has implications that must be explored.

And questions remain regarding how the command and control culture in the SNP has negatively affected our institutions and civic society.

This isn’t just about how the SNP was run – it’s about how Scotland is run today.

But what is the response from John Swinney?

He says we don’t need an inquiry.

There is nothing to see here.

Well, where have we heard that before?

That was precisely what Nicola Sturgeon said when SNP finance committee members raised the alarm.

Be quiet, don’t cause waves.

Well, it turned out they were right.

The SNP’s CEO was carrying out the largest financial fraud Scottish politics has ever seen.

Now, by telling you there is no need for an inquiry, John Swinney is trying to lie to the public to save the SNP’s blushes again.

The whole saga is littered with examples of SNP bosses threatening whistleblowers.

An SNP treasurer hounded out due to obstruction and lack of co-operation from the very top of the SNP.

And promise after promise from SNP leaders broken.

On Wednesday, John Swinney was forced to finally admit that the SNP had spent £600,000 of the ring-fenced fund for a referendum on SNP running costs.

This is money – often donated by people who do not support the SNP and through third party websites – that was guaranteed for a second referendum.

Instead it was used to pay the SNP’s bills while Murrell continued his spending spree in the background.

When challenged on this, all John Swinney can say is that every donation to the SNP is a donation for independence.

How arrogant can you get?

It is clear that the toxic and incompetent culture within the SNP that allowed the Murrell scandal to happen is alive and well.

But this is not just how the SNP runs the party.

It’s how they run the country.

Whistleblowers are shunned.

Victims of injustice are ignored.

And it takes a battle with the apparatus of the state to get answers.

Enough is enough.

We need a change of culture – and that begins with learning the lessons only an inquiry can provide.

View 4 Images

Recent events have made it clearer than ever that the Scottish Parliament needs to be equipped to scrutinise government and hold Ministers to account.

On too many occasions, the SNP government has ignored the will of Parliament, both on policy decisions and on matters on transparency.

Last term MSPs called for Ministers to publish their correspondence on the Queen Elizabeth University scandal – but they haven’t.

We called for Ministers to set out when the hospital will be fully validated as safe – but they haven’t.

It is not good enough.

We have seen successive UK governments forced to published key documents by the Parliament, shedding light on matters of significant public interest – but here in Scotland we don’t have those powers.

I want to see the Parliament’s powers strengthened so we can get answers on behalf of the public and drag the truth out of this secretive SNP government.

We need to have the ability to compel the publication of documents and pass binding motions.

It is simply not right that any government can override the democratic will of Parliament with impunity and I will work with MSPs across the chamber to empower our Parliament.

View 4 Images

I cannot wait to see Scotland kick off at the FIFA World Cup this weekend against Haiti.

Article continues below

This is a huge moment for Scotland. I send my best wishes to the Tartan Army travelling to the US for the tournament and look forward to watching the games with my sons at home.