Fergus Ewing: SNP no longer puts 'Scotland first' but 'I choose to defend my constituents'
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Inverness and Nairn MSP Fergus Ewing has launched one of most biting attacks on the SNP and the government by one of its own perhaps in history.
The spectacular breach between the parliamentary group and the longest serving MSP in Holyrood widened after it handed down a one week suspension.
It was in response to a series of rebellions over Green policies like deposit return scheme but most of all the outspoken criticism of the Scottish Government's failure to dual the A9.
What appears to lay at the very heart of that breach is the A9 with Mr Ewing feeling like he had two main options as a constituency MSP.
He could either try to "pretend that these promises were never made or to gull my constituents into thinking they have been treated fairly when they clearly have not?
“Or am I rather to speak out fearlessly." He certainly chose the latter and did so tonight when he took the party to task for losing its old "respect."
That respect Mr Ewing said stemmed from the party always "fundamentally attempting to do the right thing by my constituents and for Scotland."
But "in good conscience this is no longer the case." He contrasted the current and previous SNP leaders with the Salmond administration which "would indeed have kept faith with the Highlands."
The implication is clear – the son of an independence movement and SNP legend Winnie Ewing – believes the party has failed the Highlands.
Fergus Ewing's statement in full
“I was literally born into the SNP. For me, and indeed many others, support of the party and advocacy of an independent Scotland has been a life’s work.
“My loyalty to the party has been great. Many is the time as a minister and as an MSP I have bitten my tongue for the greater good.
“I did this because I knew that whatever disagreements or policy shortcomings I thought the party had, it was fundamentally attempting to do the right thing by my constituents and for Scotland.
“It was never an ordinary political party because it was one which put Scotland first.
“In good conscience this is no longer the case and it has nothing to do with personalities or my antipathy towards the Green Party.
“It has to do with policies on the deposit return scheme, on fishing, on transport, tourism and small businesses, and on boiler replacement, which are deeply hostile to the interests of my constituency.
“The SNP I joined would never have asked me, or indeed any other elected politician, to choose between loyalty to the party and loyalty to constituents.
“Indeed in the old SNP it was always expected that country and constituency would come first.
“That is why the SNP, while often attacked, was always respected.
“As a minister in Alex Salmond’s government I voted for railways to the borders, the new crossing over the Forth, the completion of the motorway network of central Scotland in the M74, M80 and M8 projects and the magnificent Aberdeen bypass.
“I was proud to do so because I had absolute confidence that the commitments made to the A9 and the A96 would also be met and that the Highlands would have our day in the infrastructure sun. That administration would indeed have kept faith with the Highlands.
“So what am I to do now? Am I to pretend that these promises were never made or to gull my constituents into thinking they have been treated fairly when they clearly have not?
“Or am I rather to speak out fearlessly and apply the same pressure which has already junked the bottle return scheme and the damaging fishing proposals to the madcap boiler ban and honouring pledges on our vital roads.
“I choose to defend my constituents and let the cards fall as they will.”
