Dear Reader, Perth and Kinross | Conservatives

Dear Reader,

Welcome to my latest update on what is happening at Holyrood. Not surprisingly, the last two
weeks have been dominated by the fallout from the Parliamentary inquiry into the Scottish
Government’s Handling of Harassment Complaints against the former First Minister Alex
Salmond. You can read below my detailed thoughts on what is a growing scandal, now
impacting on public life in a most serious way.

There are other important issues we have also had to grapple with, including debating the
Scottish Government’s budget. We also heard from the First Minister last week her
announcement of the next steps in terms of relaxing the existing lockdown restrictions. I know
for many people that these have not gone far enough or provided sufficient clarity.

I hope you enjoy reading the newsletter. As ever, please let me know if there are any points
you wish to follow up on, or any issues you need assistance with.

With kind regards,

Murdo

        This cesspit of vipers is not fit for government

My Scotsman article published 24th of February.

Today, barring any last-minute hiccups (and, frankly, given the twisted history of this whole
sordid affair, who would bet against that?) the former First Minister Alex Salmond will give
evidence to the Parliamentary inquiry investigating the Scottish Government’s handling of
harassment complaints against him. It promises to be an explosive session.

Salmond’s written evidence, published on Monday evening, is extraordinary. In it, he alleges
a conspiracy against him amongst individuals within the Scottish Government and the SNP to
damage his reputation, even to the extent of having him sent to prison. He names Nicola
Sturgeon’s husband, Peter Murrell, Chief Executive of the SNP, two other senior SNP
officials, and Liz Lloyd, the First Minister’s Chief of Staff. He also states that there is
compelling evidence of this conspiracy that is held by Scotland’s Crown Office, and which it
refuses to release.

The submission is damning in his criticism of the behaviour of the Scottish Government,
senior civil servants, and the Lord Advocate, not least in relation to the lack of cooperation
with the inquiry Committee. Salmond claims that the deliberate obstruction of the Committee
inquiry by those in power has been nothing to do with protecting the anonymity of the
complainants, but about shielding some of the most powerful people in the country.

As a member of the Parliamentary Committee investigating the matter, I am heartily sick of
the whole affair. I am sick of the lies, the evasion, the deceit, the obstruction, and the
obfuscation. I am sick of senior civil servants, on enormous salaries and gold-plated
pensions, unable to give straight answers to questions, and having to write to the Committee
subsequently to correct evidence given. I am sick of the falsehoods and contradictions we
heard from Peter Murrell when he gave evidence three weeks ago.

I am sick of the way in which the female complainants at the heart of this process have been
let down by the Scottish Government and its procedures – procedures declared unlawful in a
Scottish court. I am sick of the way in which these female complainants have been used as

human shields by the First Minister and others within her Government, in a manner which is
as callously cynical as it is morally repugnant.

Perhaps most concerning of all is the role of the Crown Office. In any liberal democracy
where the rule of law is respected, the prosecution service should be regarded as beyond
reproach. Yet, only yesterday, we saw the Crown Office threatening the Scottish Parliament
with criminal proceedings if elements of Mr Salmond’s evidence was not withdrawn, despite
this having been already put in the public domain.

In his written submission, Salmond claims that the Crown Office acted under political
influence, and that the Lord Advocate is deeply compromised between his twin roles as head
of prosecutions and chief Government legal advisor. He claims that it is actively “shielding
some of the most powerful people in the country”. The action taken yesterday would suggest
that the Crown Office is out to prove his case for him.

We should not forget that this is the same Crown Office which, in an unprecedented failure in
Scottish legal history, has admitted the malicious prosecution of the former Rangers
administrators, a scandal likely to cost the Scottish tax payer in excess of £100 million. No-
one has yet been held responsible for that scandal. There is something very, very wrong
here.

Nicola Sturgeon’s defence to all these claims was set out in media interviews on Monday
afternoon, in which she claimed that her predecessor had no evidence to support his claims.
According to Salmond, that evidence exists, and is being withheld – by the same Crown
Office. In the meantime, we are now left with the current SNP leader, and First Minister,
claiming that the former SNP leader and First Minister, for whom she worked loyally over
many years, is effectively a liar and a fantasist.

And yet this was the individual, Alex Salmond, who Nicola Sturgeon and all her colleagues
within the SNP – John Swinney, Angus Robertson, Humza Yousaf, and the rest – asked us
all to trust to lead the country to the creation of a new independent state back in 2014. How
can we ever believe a single word these people say again?

What this whole sorry story tells us is that we now have a Scottish Government simply not fit
for purpose. It is a cesspit of vipers obsessed with personal vendettas, tearing at each other
and destroying public trust not just in government but also in the institutions of our justice
system.

Whether it is Alex Salmond who is the liar, or Nicola Sturgeon, is something that we may
never find out for sure, but the simple fact that it has to be one or other (or perhaps both)
should tell us all we need to know about the poisonous cult that has taken over Scottish

public life, determined to pervert all arms of the State to prevent the truth being told.

Whilst this bloody internal civil war goes on within Scotland’s governing Party, Scotland faces
real challenges; ones that matter to real people – tackling the Covid pandemic, extending the
vaccination programme and rebuilding our economy and society after a year of
unprecedented difficulty. How can we possibly trust the current Government of corrupt liars
with these most serious of tasks, when they have proven themselves so unfit to hold public
office?

In a few short weeks Scotland will go to the polls to elect a new Government. It is an
opportunity for a fresh start, to wipe the slate clean and start again. It is a time to reclaim
government from those who would abuse it for their own personal ends. I dearly hope that the
Scottish people will grasp that opportunity for change.

                        Short term let regulations

I raised concerns over the impact of planned short-term let regulations on B & Bs and guest
houses in Highland Perthshire.

The Scottish Guest House and B & B Alliance (SGHBBA), who I support, are calling on the
SNP Government to rethink their proposal, which if eventually passed at Holyrood, would see
short-term lets being subject to annual licensing and monitoring fees, guest arrival and
departure curfews, occupancy limits and regular property inspections.

The SNP Government recently announced they would be ditching the plan following an
outcry over it, but they have stressed they intend bringing it back if re-elected.

I welcome the SNP announcing they would not be proceeding with this move just now, but it
must be underlined that this is only a temporary reprieve. If this eventually gets approval at

Holyrood it will have a massive impact on B & Bs and guest houses in the likes of Highland
Perthshire, where the issue is a big concern.

A recent survey conducted by the Association of Scottish Self-Caterers (ASSC) found that
nearly half (49%) of self-employed operators said they would leave the sector if the new
licensing scheme of short-term lets is introduced.

And at the meeting of Scottish Parliament’s Local Government and Communities Committee,
members heard how a high percentage of correspondence had been sent from individual
self-caterers and B & B owners - businesses who were severely affected by the economic
impact of Covid and who will now be impacted by these regulations.

I recently wrote to the Finance Minister, Kate Forbes MSP, following many B & B and guest
house owners contacting me to highlight how they are struggling financially through lack of
funding during the pandemic, and also how they are very concerned over the possible knock-
on effect on tourism of the new quarantine rules, which could continue for months.

                           Guest House Support

Last week I raised the deeply concerning financial plight of guest houses and B & Bs in Perth
and Kinross with the SNP Government.

Several constituents have recently contacted me to highlight the fact that many businesses in
the sector are struggling due to not being eligible for the SNP Government’s Top Up loan,
provided to help due to the economic impact of the pandemic.

I’ve written to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance as I had received several phone calls and
emails from irate owners of guest houses and B & Bs in Perth and Kinross.

They told me that Scotland has the highest proportion of guest houses and B & Bs out of all
the devolved countries, yet they are receiving the least amount of financial help, working out
at around £2,000 per business.

These businesses are currently not eligible for the Scottish Government’s top-up grants and
they have raised the valid point that with much tighter quarantine rules now in force, this will
result in an estimated 75% decrease in the number of tourists who normally travel to the
country and then stay in either guest houses or B & Bs.

There are many guest houses and B & Bs in my constituency and I know many of them are
struggling financially just now due to the lockdown, with great uncertainty over their future
due to quarantine rules and the possibility of these continuing into the summer months. They
desperately need some much-needed funding with their financial plight deeply concerning.

I have asked the SNP Government to look at this as a matter of urgency.

                            Fly-tipping Problems

Last week I renewed a call for local authorities to have more powers to curb the scourge of
fly-tipping.

There have been incidents of fly-tipping recently in some parts of Scotland, and I’m very
concerned that there could be another spike in fly-tipping cases in Mid Scotland and Fife over
the coming weeks and months.

There needs to be more powers given to councils to enable them to be able to increase fines,

which should act as a deterrent to those thinking about this abhorrent crime.

I recently asked the Scottish Government to look at changing the legislation which empowers
local authorities to act on fly-tipping and was told they would consider doing this. However,
we need to keep pressing the Scottish Government on this as it is problem that won’t go
away – it will only increase if nothing is done to increase deterrents.

The present legislation covering fly-tipping is insufficient and should be updated so those who
carry out what is essentially a blight on our landscape receive the correct punishment in the
form of substantial fines.

                  Find Out More About Me Here

                               Murdo's Website

           Perth & Kinross Conservative Website

The Scottish Parliament Corporate Body is not responsible for the content of this publication
or other internet sites.
I process personal data in line with my obligations under the general Data Protection
Regulation. For more information, see my privacy notice here -
http://www.perthandkinrossconservatives.org.uk/privacy