Letters / Anti-SNP ranters
So, out of our 650 UK MPs, our 56 SNP MPs have donated their 10 per cent wage rise to charity (thank you Douglas Young for pointing this out). But, for some unknown reason (according to Mr Tulloch) pointing this out to those that didn’t know is a “bad” thing.
The mere fact that Mr Young has kindly pointed this out, (somehow) negates this gesture in the first place, in other words, give your wage rise to charity but don’t tell anyone about it, otherwise it may encourage other MPs to do the same, and IF you do, you’re only seeking publicity? Strange logic indeed!
We are also told by Mr Tinkler that giving £392,000 to charity is merely a publicity stunt. Surely, with that logic, every MP (or at least every Labour MP) should do the same?
Furthermore, Mr Tinkler goes on to say that “many other MPs of all parties are doing just the same”, yet, he makes no mention of who ALL these other MPs of all parties are?
In fairness, there was talk of Yvette Cooper donating her wage rise to charity, but other than that I struggled to find anyone else, unless you consider Alistair Carmichael’s comments “I shall therefore look to find a means of using the extra money to contribute towards my parliamentary running costs” as [somehow] benefitting charity?
Then we go on to Mr Harmer’s bizarre gripe. By standing by your principles and being seen to be protesting about accepting a 10 per cent wage rise, and in order to voice your protest, you decide to give that money to charity.
This is for some inexplicable reason, perceived to be a dubious attempt at one-upmanship? Really?
Then, of course, there’s the standard ‘deflection tactic’ by Mr Harmer. Let’s NOT look to how much the SNP are giving to charity, let’s instead look to see how much Alex Salmond is regularly paying into another charity,which he set up in his mother’s name and donates one of his pensions to.
But, this “also” is supposed to be a bad thing, because as we’re told: “The fact that this is in actual fact paid by the taxpayer seems to have completely escaped his [Douglas Young’s] moral compass”.
I hate to point out the obvious here, but does Mr Harmer not realize that all politicians are paid by the taxpayer? Perhaps he could, kindly, give me a list of how many other MPs pay their pension into a charity?
It would appear to me that our “Three Amigos” [above] have tried desperately to turn something positive into something negative.
Regardless of what the SNP do, or whoever in society it may benefit, our three anti-SNP ranters will still find the glass half empty when it comes to “anything” our Scottish Government does or even attempt to do.
Robin Stevenson
Glasgow
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