ALBA are not fielding a candidate in Rutherglen and Hamilton West but it appears they are going to play a part in the campaign, already playing the sympathy card for the former MP in order to belittle the SNP .
It is a pity if the former MP is going to be used as a weapon in the campaign as she has paid a heavy price for her actions.
Anyone who has not read Sheriff Principal Craig Turnbull’s sentencing statement should do so before accepting Alba’s opinion that the SNP and Labour have treated “Margaret Ferrier with such disproportionate disdain”.
The sheriff’s statement, which is online, contains the reasoning behind the Community Payback Order he imposed instead of a custodial sentence, and a detailed timeline of all the events and associated risks to the public that occurred during the three days from the time she felt unwell until she returned home from London.
The sheriff’s clinically factual statement has little in common with the coverage given by the media. It is better to agree to let this return to history and fight the election on what each party can offer the people in this community in the future.
John Jamieson
South Queensferry
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