Grady scandal exposes SNP’S arrogant side

The Patrick Grady scandal raises a raft of troubling questions that should give any SNP supporter cause for concern. The Glasgow North MP yesterday resigned his party membership after the police launched an investigation into sexual harassment allegations.

Why on earth he was still a member of the SNP up until that point is anybody’s guess.

Grady was suspended from Westminster for two days earlier this month after a parliamentary inquiry found he had acted inappropriately towards a male SNP staff member.

The party had known of the claims for years and done nothing.

That was bad enough, but the decision to stand by him even after the results of the Westminster probe were known was inexplicable.

Under the leadership of Nicola Sturgeon, the nationalists have been beset with controversy over their handling of sexual harassment and bullying allegations.

The criminal trial of former leader Alex Salmond – at which he was acquitted of all charges – revealed several allegations from civil servants were swept under the carpet during his time in government.

Ms Sturgeon has repeatedly expressed regret over that unsavoury episode and promised to make the SNP a zero-tolerance environment for harassment. Recent events have shown those to be hollow words.

Salmond aside, Grady is the third male SNP politician whose behaviour has been found to have fallen short in recent years.

Former Aberdeen Donside MSP Mark Mcdonald was sanctioned by the Scottish Parliament after sending an “inappropriate” text message to a woman, while exfinance secretary Derek Mackay disappeared from public life after a tabloid exposed a series of messages he sent to an underage boy.

In both of those cases the culprits were cut adrift from the SNP once the allegations emerged. Their careers were effectively ended by their misjudgments.

In contrast, the SNP did everything in its power to protect Grady.

There is a pervading sense that political calculations have shaped the response from a party whose prolonged period in power has made it arrogant and out of touch.