An absence of honour

Wendy Alexander's donorgate scandal has moved on this week to focusing on Alex Salmond's meetings with representatives of Donald Trump.

Liberal Democrat leader Nicol Stephen has said it "smells of sleaze". Mr Stephen has not been able to demonstrate how Mr Salmond in any way benefits from the Trump golf course. I would have thought this would be a prerequisite of any sleaze allegation. Alex Salmond is partial to a game of golf, but having seen him play, he's not that good. Maybe the LibDems think that Donald Trump is going make the course easier just to suit the First Minister (more with Calum and Richard).

For sleaze to be alleged, is Nicol Stephen suggesting a cash for golf courses scenario? If so, that would be very serious indeed, not least with Donald Trump not being a UK registered voter. That would be illegal. Imagine any of our senior politicians ever did that! Oh wait...

Figures were being put around a couple of weeks ago arguing that on the basis of voting records in Parliament, the Lib-Lab coalition had not ended with May's elections. After donorgate this has gained further credibility. Nicol Stephen uttered not a word of criticism regarding Wendy Alexander's indiscretions. The Lib Dems have put out two recent press releases on Salmond and Trump, but did not issue a single one about Alexander at the time.

The Trump affair has managed to get Wendy off the front pages. It was bound to lose steam eventually. I hope that we are not looking back at the closure of this affair. If so, she has played a blinder given the wicket she created for herself. I have often wondered why politicians sometimes resign very quickly when a story breaks. While the media may be trained on them for couple of days, does that not eventually all blow over?

Wendy has not just disgraced her own office, but has potentially jeopardized the probity of politics for a long time by not resigning. It has been said that she and Charlie Gordon were going to resign, but were told by HQ in London not to because of the reverberations. If this wasn't actually what happened, Charlie Gordon made his own very clever moves too. He deflected calls for a by-election by saying he'd make a statement on his future later in the week. End of the week came, and he had nothing to say. Media had lost interest by then. The world moved on.

I may be very pessimistic about the outcome of this affair. The Electoral Commission is investigating. But that's been a typical New Labour tactic for years now. Any time Tony Blair was accused of anything, there would be this that or the other inquiry to hide behind.

Comments

[Ted]

If Salmond has nothing to gain, why did he get involved (remember, he is not allowed to take part in the planning process)? Why was a councillor sacked for voting against the development? Why, when the developer refused to appeal, did Salmond's Government seek to contest the decision on their behalf? Why was John Swinney at Donald Trump's golf resort in New York? I'm afraid the SNP won't wash this one away with a laugh and a cheery smile.

Still, as you say, Osama, Wendy Alexander accepted £49.26p (or whatever it was) from a Labour supporter and that's the real scandal.

[Gordon]

Nothing like a bit of mud slinging to hide Wendy behind eh "Ted".

Just to clarify - Alex Salmond is the local MSP/MP and therefore is entitled on that basis to get involved. John Swinney was on a trip funded by Visit Scotland.

Wendy alexander however was surrounded by Labour officials who had received £180,000 of tax payers money to educate them about the donation laws Labour introduced.

On her own admission Wendy Alexander broke the law! Alex Salmond carried out his duties as a local politician.