AN anti-independence lobby group hit by the resignation of one of its most high profile figures has been left looking like “an increasingly desperate Tory-funded front”, according to the SNP.
SNP MSP George Adam made the comment as it emerged the ex Labour MSP Graeme Pearson had quit Scotland in Union, saying he was “bored”.
Pearson stepped down as chief executive of the organisation in August 2017, but continued as a director. It has now emerged he has also stood down from that role.
READ MORE: Scotland In Union poll on independence 'spectacularly backfires'
“This is a major blow, Graeme Pearson was the only weel-kent face within Scotland in Union. Without him, it looks like an increasingly desperate Tory-funded front,” Adam said. “The fact that he admits he was ‘bored’ in this role says all you need to know about this this ultra-Unionist organisation.”
He added: “Truth is the anti-independence arguments are based on a catalogue of busted myths. More and more people in Scotland recognise this and want to live a in a fairer, greener and better country – which is only possible with independence and Scotland’s future being firmly in Scotland’s hands.”
Pearson worked as a senior Strathclyde Police officer and led the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency before entering political life in 2011.
He was chief executive of Scotland in Union between January and August 2017, before ex-Labour MP Pamela Nash took over.
Speaking to the Herald on Sunday, Pearson said he was no longer involved in the running of the organisation, which opposes a second referendum and is committed to making the “positive case for Scotland staying in the UK”.
He said: “I am 69 years of age, and I’ve got other things to do. I have things I need to get on with in my own personal life. The boredom of all that stuff in terms of the way Scottish public life has gone on this last decade, the whole political scene that is ongoing across Scotland for the last few years ... I’m glad it’s [others] facing it and not me. I’m glad that Scotland in Union have got the people in place now to take it forward, and I can only wish them well with it over the next few years. I’m no longer involved in terms of having any responsibility for the organisation.”
Pearson said there was “nothing sinister” in his resignation, lodged last week with Companies House, and said he would be more than happy to help the lobby group again.
He said: “If I could help them at all, I would be quite happy to do so but I just don’t want to be involved in the day-to-day stuff. The truth of my involvement is that I left the [Scottish] Parliament and wanted a bit of time for myself and get on with things ... Scotland In Union needed somebody to run the organisation, and they asked me if I would do it.I said I didn’t have the time but if they were stuck I would run it until they had a long-term chief executive.”
A spokesperson for Scotland in Union said: “This is an embarrassing statement from the SNP which smacks of utter desperation. Scotland in Union attracts supporters from a range of political views and backgrounds, and this is reflected in our management and team. We are united by one belief shared by the majority of people in Scotland that we are stronger within the UK.”
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