From BBC Scotland today:
Sarwar apologises to campaigner misquoted on Labour leaflet – Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has given an “unequivocal apology” after a party leaflet was delivered to homes with a made-up quote from a maternity campaigner. Claire Fleming spoke out after her picture and a quote criticising NHS provision was posted out in Glasgow.
Fleming is quoted on the leaflet saying: “Local NHS services have deteriorated under SNP. Waiting lists are too high but these aren’t just numbers on a bit of paper, these are people’s lives. Anas Sarwar and Scottish Labour will fix our NHS.”
She told BBC Radio Scotland’s Drivetime programme: “Not a single thing that is written there is anything I have ever said.”
‘Misquoted?’ Surely it’s worse than that? It’s not getting the language or top story position it would surely get if the SNP had lied in this way:
It’s being ignored by the Herald and Record, well down, has only ‘Anas Sarwar apologises over Scottish Labour health campaigner blunder.’ Again, imagine the Record if it was an SNP ‘blunder?’
By 11.30 pm
Down from 4th to 11th in only 12 hours.
Let’s see if the story lasts another 24 hours. He’s moving a lot faster than that Peggie woman.
In the Herald at 11.30pm, but already at 17th.
Why do I say ‘from Dumfries to Denbigh?’
From BBC Wales today:
A proposed law to make it illegal for politicians to lie during Welsh elections contains “extraordinary” powers that would limit free speech, Senedd members have warned. The bill passed its first hurdle in the Senedd on Tuesday but members, including those in Labour, have said it could fail to get enough support without significant changes like defining what a “false or misleading” statement would be.
The Welsh Labour government wants to make it a criminal offence to make false or misleading statements of fact to help an election candidate.
In a statement it said the legislation “sets out to build stronger foundations for Welsh democracy”. Ministers had vowed to take action against lying in politics after a similar proposal almost became law against the Welsh government’s wishes last year.
In a debate supporters of the law change urged the Senedd to press on – with Plaid Cymru’s Adam Price warning the public would be critical if the provisions were ditched by the Welsh government. But some MSs from the governing Labour party warned the Senedd was at risk of passing bad law – one said the Senedd was potentially rushing it “to make people feel good”. A Conservative MS said the aim was understandable but that it had been rushed and warned it could “inadvertently restrict legitimate debate”.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7v07je1119o
Only the SNP equivalent, Plaid Cymru, is all for honesty, it seems. Which Scottish party has been proven to be the most honest?
The Ferret’s 2017-2018 Analysis (a non-partisan Scottish fact-checking service): In a review of over 100 claims from major parties, the Scottish Conservatives had the highest rate of inaccurate statements—70% rated as “Mostly False,” “False,” or “FFS” (a rating for particularly egregious claims). The SNP had the best record, with 75% of claims rated “True” or “Mostly True.” Scottish Labour fell in between. The SNP was fact-checked the most (36 claims), likely due to being in government, but had the highest accuracy overall. https://www.theferret.scot/ferret-fact-service-fact-checking-numbers
Talking-up Scotland 
Indeed “Misquoted” ?
Surprised to see at the very end of the BBC Scotland ” Sarwar in ‘unequivocal’ apology over made-up quote ” article this particular segment – ” Speaking in the chamber, First Minister John Swinney referred to the leaflet in response to Mr Sarwar’s criticism over the recent Scottish Budget.
He said: “I do not think today is the day for Mr Sarwar to be in a strong position to accuse me of talking rubbish because this morning, a campaigner, a health campaigner, has raised the fact publicly that she has requested from Mr Sarwar a formal apology after a campaign leaflet, which I have in front of me, was posted to thousands and thousands of homes around the country with a false quotation in support of his party in the leaflet.
“And the campaigner who was falsely quoted asked a fair question: if they have written that out of nowhere, what else have they lied about?” “
Swinney’s comments suggest it was he who cornered Sarwar into making an apology, BBC Scotland simply “Misquoted” the sequencing of events… 😉
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Just saw at WPress Orkney news, something about a ‘Scottish Labour and Scottish
Co-operative party’ candidate, and buses. Intrigued to see there is a ‘Scottish Co-operative’ party. First I’ve heard, anyone else heard of them?
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Labour are experts at lying, at their London headquarters, and at their branch office in Scotland. English Labour with their ‘Scottish’ arm operating in Scotland are a disgrace to democracy. Despicable.
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Whenever I see reports like this I recall Mr Alistair Carmichael MP, who was a junior minister at the Scotland Office during the Con/LibDem coalition of 2010/5. He, anonymously, ‘leaked’ a story that the French Consul in Edinburgh had made very critical comments about Nicola Sturgeon. The Consul immediately refuted this and Carmichael had to admit that it was he who had released the story and that it was untrue.
There were calls for his resignation, but the unionist press and other unionists pooh-poohed this on the basis that it was part of the ‘rough and tumble of politics’.
However, three of his constituents in Orkney were outraged and sought, through the courts to have him removed as MP. There case had three key aspects and two of these were upheld by the jury, the third was not permitted by the judge, who, with frankness and in sympathy with the complainants, indicated that it was commonly accepted that politicians lied while campaigning and despite the complainants natural revulsion at this he could not permit the third aspect. So, the case against Carmichael fell.
However, Carmichael was faced with significant legal costs, which could have bankrupted him. But his cronies in the Liberal Club controlled an aspect of the Joseph Roundtree Foundation’s funds and they used this to pay Carmichael,’s costs, preventing his bankruptcy and consequent expulsion from Parliament. There is a sordid irony in a sincere humanitarian’s legacy being used for the benefit of a proven and admitted liar.
Sadly, a significant proportion of the electorate of Orkney and Zetland acquiesced with the view that lying is part of politics and have re-elected Carmichael on every subsequent general election.
So, not only is lying an acceptable part of politics, so is hypocrisy, because the same liars feign shock, hurt and outrage and demand resignations if another politician is untruthful or even makes a genuinely inadvertent error, which he or she immediately admits and corrects.
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SCOTTISH LABOUR SHOULD BE PUNISHED FOR THESE LIES
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