By Bill Heaney
The Scottish Conservatives have today written to the chief executive of the SNP demanding he takes action after the party’s communications team rubbished and ridiculed a newspaper story on plummeting membership figures which was yesterday confirmed to be true.
MSP Russell Findlay (pictured right), who was a journalist before entering parliament, has contacted Peter Murrell demanding he apologises on behalf of the SNP to the reporter, whose story revealing a 30,000 drop in membership had been dismissed as “drivel” last month.
Yesterday, the SNP released their official tally of members, which vindicated the Sunday Mail story.
Russell Findlay said the attack by an SNP spin doctor on the integrity of the journalist concerned was just the latest example of “the willful and arrogant peddling of misinformation to the public”, which he insisted emanates from the top of the party.
Russell Findlay said: “Journalists across Scotland ask tough questions and provide a vital public service, but they have long been treated as the enemy by the SNP.
“Alex Salmond declared war on the BBC yet took cash from Putin’s propaganda channel, Nicola Sturgeon routinely belittled journalists with personal attacks, and the SNP PR machine now resorts to barefaced lies.
“Political spin is one thing, but the SNP’s wilful and arrogant peddling of misinformation to the public is in a different league altogether.
“The SNP fish is rotting from the head and at the top of the party are Peter Murrell and Nicola Sturgeon who clearly think it’s acceptable to treat Scots with such contempt.
“If I was an SNP MSP or party member, I would be furious at this lack of integrity. They too have been deliberately deceived and must know this is completely unacceptable.”
Tweet exposing the SNP lying can be seen here
And here …
saying SNP membership had dropped by up to 30,000 but we were accused by the party’s press office of making it up. Turns out it was 100% accurate after all.
