HOLYROOD PARIAH
Shamed former minister Mark McDonald shunned by fellow MSPs on return to parliament but insists he is right to cling on to his job
FORMER minister Mark McDonald was shunned by Msps on his return to the scottish parliament after insisting he was right to cling to his job because he has not been convicted of anything.
The former Childcare Minister returned for the first time in four months yesterday after admitting his previous actions towards women have been inappropriate and caused upset and discomfort.
But he was ignored by the majority of Msps in the main chamber and was consigned to an office in the building’s basement, known by staff as ‘the dungeon’.
He insisted he deserved a second chance and said he does not want to ‘antagonise or upset’ any of his victims, although it is understood one of the women avoided parliament yesterday to stay away from him.
During a media event which was heavily stage-managed by parliament officials, Mr McDonald rejected calls for him to stand down or to take part in a by-election to let voters have their say.
When the scottish Daily Mail pointed out that he had previously signed a motion in 2013 urging former nationalist Msp Bill Walker to quit after he clung on as an independent despite losing the snp whip following domestic abuse allegations, Mr McDonald insisted his case was different because he had not been prosecuted.
He said: ‘Bill Walker was convicted of a criminal offence and that led to him leaving parliament at that time.’
Mr McDonald was escorted by a female staff member and Holyrood official to a brief press conference in a small room in the parliament’s Queensberry House.
He made his return to parliament a day after a formal complaint was submitted to the standards Committee by his former Msp colleague James Dornan, who claimed his staff member had suffered a sinister campaign of ‘harassment and sexual innuendo’.
When he took his seat in the chamber, he sat on his own on the back row of the labour benches, with only Green Msp andy Wightman briefly speaking to him.
Mr McDonald asked for a ‘second chance’ to demonstrate ‘improved behaviour and improved conduct’.
When pressed on how he feels about one of his alleged victims feeling unable to come into work yesterday due to his return to the building, he said: ‘I am not coming back to parliament to antagonise anybody or to upset anybody.
‘I am coming back to do the job that I was elected to do on behalf of my constituents. I’m here to keep my head down and do the job I was elected to do.’
Mr McDonald said he wanted to demonstrate that he has reflected on his actions and improved his conduct.
He added: ‘I don’t think a by-election campaign affords that opportunity to demonstrate that to people.’
He denied he was ‘hiding behind’ the independent report produced following an internal snp investigation to avoid discussing the details of what he had done. Mr McDonald said: ‘I don’t think it would be appropriate for me here and now to say to you this was what was said.’
Human rights lawyer aamer anwar, who represents several women who have suffered sexual harassment at Holyrood, including complaints relating to Mr McDonald, said: ‘What a disgrace that this man compounds the agony of his victims by scuttling back to a stage-managed press conference, showing total disregard for their feelings.
‘a deeply shameful day in the history of the scottish parliament.’
scottish liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie, who lodged the 2013 motion, signed by Mr McDonald, calling for Mr Walker to ‘vacate his seat in the parliament immediately’, said: ‘The Mark McDonald of 2018 should listen to the Mark McDonald of 2013 and step down.’
a spokesman for the scottish Conservatives said: ‘The public will still have many more questions over this process and what actually happened here.
‘Today’s emotionless appearance did nothing to address that issue, and neither has the snp’s silence on the matter.’
‘Shameful day for parliament’