The SNP have suffered another bruising day in a leadership contest that is fast becoming a farce.
They refused to publish the party’s membership figures until forced to do so yesterday by all three candidates. In belatedly putting out the figures, they revealed almost a third of members have been lost in two years.
Did SNP bigwigs refuse to put out the figures because they suggest a slump in support for the SNP? Only those in charge know the answer to that question.
But what is beyond doubt is that the party should have made these figures available to the public and candidates right at the start of the process. How can you have a leadership election where the three candidates don’t know who the electorate is?
It makes the party – once known for their slick operation – look secretive and amateurish. But the problems in this leadership battle go right back to the start.
Party bosses initially tried to ban the media from leadership hustings. They claimed having no journalists in the room would create a safe space for party members to ask tough questions.
After a backlash, they grudgingly agreed events would be live-streamed online. Now they have been forced into an embarrassing U-turn on publishing the full membership figures after trying to cover them up.
It’s worth pointing out the SNP are still by far the largest party in Scotland – with more members than Scottish Labour, Conservatives and the Lib Dems combined. They also remain well ahead of other parties in the polls.
But if the SNP want to remain the dominant party in Scotland, they must get a grip of this contest and end the cover-ups and bitter infighting. If they don’t, the verdict of the voters could be even more brutal than this leadership contest.
Help the support
It is hard to imagine what it must be like to lose a loved one to murder or suicide. Some family members who have experienced such a devastating loss today tell of their darkest moments.
They have come together to tell their stories in a bid to save a charity that made a difference when they needed it most. FAMS (Families Affected by Murder and Suicide) helped people like Pat Spence who lost her daughter Lynda.
She credits the charity with saving her life. FAMS urgently needs funding to survive and carry on its vital work in supporting families across the country.
It’s a testament to the charity that so many of the people it has supported want to give something back. It would be tragedy if such an important service was allowed to fold.
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