IF the Tories tell you something will be the case, always check the small print. That’s the lesson we should all take away from one Conservative MSP’s campaign leaflet, according to the SNP.
Alexander James Amherst Burnett of Leys, more commonly known as Alexander Burnett for whatever reason, is proud of his Aberdeenshire West constituency, and thinks we should be too.
One photograph on his campaign shows him outside Braemar Pharmacy in Ballater with the caption: “Alexander Burnett - supporting local businesses and encouraging others to do the same.”
Another part of the leaflet tells us: “Local businesses are a huge part of the community, as they not only support economic growth and create jobs, but are the lifeblood of communities - especially in rural areas."
"Now more than ever," it tells us, "it is important we are supporting our local businesses as much as we can."
Unfortunately for Burnett, it seems they don’t teach practising what you preach down at Eton, where this fourth-great-grandson of Tsar Nicholas I was educated.
A closer look at the fine print at the end of the leaflet reveals it was printed, not in Aberdeenshire West, but in Dundee by a company called Tradeprint.
What’s more, Tradeprint isn’t a “local business” at all. It is registered in London, as is its parent company, Cimpress.
Reacting to the news, an SNP source commented: “Like everything with the Scottish Tories you need to check the small print - or you’ll find out you’ve been duped.”
We had a little look for Burnett, and found an independent local printer, run and registered in his constituency in the Deeside village of Banchory, called Reprografix.
Burnett should know all about Banchory. He is a trustee and sole beneficiary of the Banchory Trust, which owns property in Aberdeenshire with a market value of around £14.6 million, according to the Herald.
He also owns around £10m of shares in the North Banchory Company, a property letting and development firm, and almost £1m of shares in energy firm Hill of Banchory ESCo Ltd.
Ok, sometimes local businesses might be a little more expensive, but given that the aristocratic Burnett is Holyrood's richest MSP and worth around £40m, that shouldn't be a huge issue for him.
Maybe Burnett will have a think about what “supporting local businesses and encouraging others to do the same” actually means next time. But then, probably not.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel