LTE: Scotsman needs to report news not invent it

Letter to the Editor
The Scotsman

02/11/2009

Dear Sir,

Your correspondent David Maddox’s article on Friday claimed that the SNP have ditched their referendum proposal. Nationalists ‘give up’ on 2010 referendum (31/10/2009). He has not one attributable quote in support of this but says ‘senior figures’ have revealed this to him. On the eve of a Liberal Democrats conference specifically to discuss the SNP’s proposals is obviously the logical time for high up SNP members to express inner reservations about them! The Evening News recycled the same rubbish: SNP abandons hopes for independence poll (31/10/09).

Today Mr Maddox imagines that the SNP are considering a property based alternative to their local income tax ‘E-mail hint of SNP’s plans for property tax’ (02/11/09).

His ‘evidence’ for this is that civil servants are currently comparing different types of local taxes. Naturally a desperate Labour spokesman, Iain Gray, their party leader in Scotland, is quick to hoover up this crumb of comfort declaring: “This is not only a sign of the SNP’s hypocrisy and incompetence but a complete shambles.”

The SNP Government itself explained the obvious: “The request made was for the purpose of assessing other parties’ proposals, it is not a government proposal.” They add: “There is no question of this government considering any reform to local taxation other than the introduction of a fairer local tax, based on the ability to pay.”

In fact the SNP is still firmly in favour of both an independence referendum and a Local Income Tax. Even although the Scotsman has been campaigning for some time for the SNP to drop LIT, they have not actually done so.

Not one other paper is likely to pick up these ‘stories’ because they are not true news stories at all! The first ‘story’ on the referendum is pure invention, deliberately timed to undermine the SNP case and encourage the Liberal Democrats. The second is almost as silly and irrelevant as it contains not a shred of evidence that the SNP are actually planning any change whatsoever in their LIT policy.

There needs to be a clear distinction between reporting the news and inventing it. The Scotsman newspaper might have a legitimate difference of opinion with the SNP Government on many issues, obviously the paper has a right to indicate this and to campaign on these issues.

Nonetheless however the SNP are our elected Government and deserve some level of respect. The Scotsman newspaper has no right or remit to invent new Government policy and it should avoid pretending that an imminent political change by the SNP is in prospect without an attributable quote to that effect.

Labour have changed their policy position on an independence referendum on a number of occasions. The SNP however have been politically consistent in demanding a vote on independence. A change in that position would indeed be newsworthy but it hasn’t actually happened.

We can hardly complain about a lack of trust in our politicians if newspapers are allowed to invent a new policy position for them ever week!

Yours faithfully,

JOE MIDDLETON

To the Scotsman – Inventing the News is wrong!

Nationalists ‘give up’ on 2010 referendum
by David Maddox

http://www.scotsman.com/latestnews/Nationalists-39give-up39-on-2010.5783424.jp

SENIOR figures within the SNP have privately accepted that their hopes of securing a referendum on independence in 2010 are dead, The Scotsman can reveal. While SNP MSPs are still pushing publicly for a vote, there is a growing acceptance in the party hierarchy that none of the Labour, Conservative or Liberal Democrat opposition parties will support a poll before the next Scottish Parliament elections in 2011.

Since this ‘story’ is of no advantage whatsoever to the SNP and in effect seems to be an attempt to take the pressure of the Liberal Democrats, it seems highly unlikely that any genuine spokesman of the SNP would have authorised it.

I reckon its a work of fiction by the Scotsman and the SNP should make it clear that this speculation does not represent its actual view. Why let the Lib Dems and Labour off the hook now when both are clearly split on the referendum issue? What sense does it make to attempt to declare a coalition deal before any elections? It makes no sense whatsoever.

The Scotsman should be aware that its actual job is to REPORT the news, not to try and set the news agenda by fabricating statements from the SNP that fit its own agenda.

This is a new low even for this rag.