MSPs WERE today urged to dismiss a recommendation that former Labour leader Wendy Alexander should be suspended from Holyrood for a day.
The Scottish Parliament was debating the proposed ban after its Standards Committee ruled Ms Alexander had broken the law by failing to register donations to her leadership campaign within the required 30 days.
But today Labour MSP Jackie Baillie
urged MSPs: "Let the wiser heads in this Parliament today dismiss this report which is unfair, unjust and frankly plain wrong."
However, SNP MSP Christina McKelvie argued Ms Alexander should be barred, saying the former Labour leader had "still not accepted responsibility for her actions".
In June the Standards Committee had agreed the ban by a one-vote majority, with SNP and Lib Dem members voting in favour while Labour and the Tories abstained.
However Holyrood went into its summer recess before the Parliament could vote on the committee's recommendation.
Just two days after that Ms Alexander – who maintained throughout that she had been told by Standards Committee clerks that she did not need to declare the donations – quit as Labour's Holyrood leader.
Today Ms Baillie, a close ally of Ms Alexander, told MSPs: "I believe that Wendy Alexander has paid a very high price for a report which some commentators have described as partisan."
She went on: "Some in this chamber may regard what they have done as a political victory, but wiser heads will reflect on the consequences for this parliament and democracy and let the wiser heads in this parliament today dismiss this report which is unfair, unjust and frankly plain wrong."
Ms Baillie defended the former Labour leader, saying: "The member understood that this was not a registerable interest.
"The clerks advised that this was not a registerable interest. The Parliament's lawyers also advised that this was not a registerable interest, and the committee accepted that the position was ambiguous and did not find against the member on that point."
She added: "If asked today, the Parliament's lawyers would tell you exactly the same thing – this is not a registerable interest."
And she told MSPs: "The committee is not a court, it should not be determining points of law. The interpretation of law is properly a matter for the courts."
Ms Baillie also claimed the Standards Committee report on the matter had "profound and far reaching consequences for all MSPs".
She argued that there was "clearly a need for clarification" on a number of matters, including guidance for MSPs involved in party elections.
She added there was a need for clarification on whether the procedures complied with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
On this matter Ms Baillie stated: "There is a considered view from leading civil firms in Scotland that the process followed may indeed be in breach of article six of ECHR, as the committee may not be considered to be a fair and impartial tribunal."
And she added: "This has profound implications which need to be carefully considered by this Parliament."
The full article contains 505 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
