Tom Gordon
2 for 1 tickets to Casablanca, this coming Monday
WENDY ALEXANDER, the Scottish Labour leader, is facing an investigation by the Electoral Commission into a claim that she channelled £12,000 through a Labour front organisation to fund her constituency office. The police have also been asked to investigate.
The development put her under renewed pressure just days after the commission had ruled that it was not in the public interest to report her to police over a £950 illegal donation from Paul Green, a Jersey-based businessman, to her 2007 campaign for the party leadership.
Businessmen, including a Scottish Conservative party fundraiser, claim they were misled into contributing to her office in the run-up to the 2003 election to the Scottish parliament.
They attended two dinners organised by the nominally independent Scottish Industry Forum (SIF), held to promote the economic renewal of Renfrewshire, unaware that the money raised would effectively be used to help Alexander to be re-elected as MSP for Paisley North.
Yesterday Alex Neil, a Scottish National party MSP, said he would refer the matter to the commission. Strathclyde police have been asked by a different complainant to investigate whether deception took place.
Sir Alistair Graham, former chairman of the Commons committee on standards in public life, said that if the allegations were true she should consider resigning. “It is fairly fraudulent to invite people as a paying guest to discuss one subject, when the real purpose is to collect money for a political party,” he said.
Yesterday Labour gave conflicting accounts of the nature of the SIF. Lord Foulkes, a Labour peer, said that the forum was “never billed as politically neutral”. A Labour spokesman said the forum was separate from the party.
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Why no word of this in the Glasgow Herald, or BBC Scotland News Front Page.
Why is it all being kept quiet here in Scotland.
Paisley Buddie
Charlie, Paisley, Renfrewshire
Dear All
The People of Scotland don't want Wendy Alexander.
The Press core have turned their back on her.
The Scottish Parliament consider her a pariah after she accused other parties of wrong doing.
Her leadership's tactics are incompetant.
She has no ideas.
She is no Leader.
Every day she is covered in allegations of sleaze.
The only conviction she appears to have is to hang on for dear life to that MSP salary and perks.
She is a liability and a disgrace.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
George Laird, Glasgow, Scotland
Mr McAlister, you have it spot on!
Go England, demand that your MPs do something for you.
That is what they are there for, and remember YOU pay their wages!
Disgruntled Dorothy, Glasgow, Scotland
If Wendy is investigated by the Electoral Commission again over financial jiggery-pokery, will she be able to cling onto the SLab leadership any longer. Some-one/people within the Party would appear to be leaking damaging information all the time but who would they prefer to see in her place? I can see SLab going onto civil war and electoral meltdown if they don't get a grip on this soon. But have they the ability or the will? I doubt it.
Stuart Allan, Dundee,
The law doesn't sem to apply to Wendy Alexander. Perhaps we should be investigating her brother as well. Better still, let's just vote out a thoroughly corrupt Labour party.
judy, Liverpool, England
Bye Bye Windy.
Could the Labour party put them up a little faster,we are knocking them over at an ever increasing rate and its not difficult to find tomatoes that are sufficiently ripe.
robert everitt, wolverhampton,
Is there no end to this woman's corruption?
She admits a criminal act but gets off with it by claiming it was unintentional. Ignorance of the law is a defence for her but NOT for the rest of us. Is she being protected by the police from prosecution?
I no longer have any faith that the police will take action against politicians since the public at large make softer targets for them.
Robert Christie, Fife, Scotland
Lies and deception is what the labour party is all about.. Also how come Tony Blair is getting a
FREE Jaguar Automobile'
So much about a labour party working man,s government
Mr.H.Hodge, Kitchener, Ontario,CANADA
Why am I not surprised by this? Wendy Alexander and Scottish Labour are seedy to the core. The Electoral Comission ought to have sent the most recent case to the Fiscal for prosecution, but bottled out. One law for Labour politicians, a different law for the rest of us.
matthew reilly, Stirling, Scotland
I am of the opinion that decent folk can no longer afford the moral bankruptcy that is New Labour. But what is the alternative? The other two major political parties have also been involved in somewhat dubious fundraising. Not even in the darkest days of yesteryear sleaze has public opinion sunk so low on the expectations of contemporary politicians to be honourable, accountable, transparent or competent whilst in public employ. The perceptions are that ' they are all at it'. It is not a truism of all practicing politicians involved in governance. But it is a perception that is reinforced by ongoing revelations into the 'doings' of those that are supposed to be setting examples of good behavior in leading by exemplary example.
At least in the Scottish parliament they now have a political party in power leading by their example of credible and honest governance. Time folk elsewhere demanded the same standards be applied to their brand of political party in governance.
Tom McAlister, Coventry,