48 MSPs Snub The Queen

[Tsukasa Buddha]

MSPs have been branded "dishonourable" after almost 50 of them snubbed the Queen and stayed away from the parliament's tenth birthday celebrations.
While Her Majesty shrugged off a slight cold to deliver an uplifting speech in the Holyrood chamber, many MSPs went on holiday and others found better things to do.

But Mr Adam continued: "This is a parliamentary recess and politicians are entitled to take holidays."

Excuses ranged from being on holiday to constituency business, from moving office to family commitments. Some offered sick notes, while many others gave no reason at all.

Conservative Gavin Brown's wife gave birth the night before, while SNP MSP Stuart McMillan's wife was expected to give birth on the day.

One of the weakest reasons given was by Green MSP Patrick Harvie, who said he was moving his office in Glasgow instead. He was the only party leader to snub the Queen.

Another Tory, Liz Smith, is in charge of a school cricket tour, while Labour Lothians MSP Lord George Foulkes preferred to be in the House of Lords.

There was suspicion that many absentee MSPs, particularly some Nationalists, deliberately boycotted the event because of their anti-monarchy views.

Environment minister Roseanna Cunningham, who has previously made it clear that she takes the oath of loyalty to the Queen under protest, was on ministerial business for the Forestry Commission instead of attending.

She was one of six ministers who snubbed the event, five on official business and one, Jim Mather, on holiday.

But the republican suspicions appeared to be confirmed by SNP member Christine Grahame. The south of Scotland MSP said: "I'm a republican, plain and simple as that. I had no intention of being there and I made my position clear before the event. I don't want to be seen as a hypocrite because I don't believe in the aristocracy running our country."

Linky.

Awesome . Very passive aggressive, but hilarious.

 

[mummymonkey]

Well done to Christine Grahame for having the "metaphorical" bollocks to tell the truth. The sleekit bunch who made pathetic excuses should be ashamed.

 

[Rolfe]

Christine is my local MSP. Go, Christine! Tell it like it is!

Rolfe.

 

[Architect]

Well done for running a story a little over a week old!

 

[Rolfe]

News travels slowly, I reckon.

Rolfe.

 

[Architect]

Dunno, we're getting the Beeb here in sunny Punta Prima. And, heaven help us, the Daily Express!!!

 

[Beerina]

But Mr Adam continued: "This is a parliamentary recess and politicians are entitled to take holidays."

Ahhh, I long for the good old days where she'd have just had him killed for making such an obviously and deliberately poor assessment of the situation.