SNP must live up to its own standards

THE SNP contains in its ranks some of the most gifted practitioners of the deeply unappealing art of shameless hypocrisy.

Rather than leading by example, these Nationalist politicians subscribe to the ‘Do as I say, not as I do’ school of thought.

While the SNP lashes out at the sale of council houses, members are exposed as landlords and property speculators. As they criticise the privileged ‘elite’, some SNP politicians are paying for expensive private education for their own children.

The SNP has made much of the ‘fact’ its elected members do not take up second jobs; such a practice is for those grasping Tories or unscrupulous Labourites.

But the truth is that a great many Nationalist politicians do have second jobs, some of which are very highly paid indeed.

We do not subscribe to the narrow-minded belief that it is intrinsically wrong for elected members to hold second jobs. Such arrangements may prove beneficial in understanding the world outside the political bubble.

As long as a politician is able fully to serve his or her constituents, then jobs outside of politics present no issues so far as we can see.

But the SNP, having denounced politicians who dare to take on extra work, should demand its own members do not do so.

The SNP is never more comfortable than when it is occupying the moral high ground. The party prefers to attack the honesty and integrity of opponents rather than their policies.

If the Nationalists expect others to live up to the standards they set, they should, at the very least, be able to meet them too.