Vote For Sale?

Mr Smith thinks there is a fine line between an elected representative legitimately using their influence to benefit their constituents and hawking their vote to an administration for a few million pounds a pop.

"THE SNP were yesterday accused of trying to "buy" a vote in favour of their budget. Finance secretary John Swinney's spending plans include a £3.5million grant for Edinburgh after pressure from independent Lothians MSP Margo MacDonald."

Margo is an Independent so she has little influence in the Scottish Parliament other than by using her vote on an issue by issue basis, in exchange for whatever she can get, but does that make it right? But it is ironic for the Labour Party to be complaining about it given that PM Gordon Brown did exactly the same thing last year, only on a massively bigger scale when he had to "buy" the votes of Ulster Unionists to keep his government's plans to allow the detention of terror suspects for 42-days on track in the House of Commons. For the record the Government denied a deal had ever been done.

Give us a vote, Gordon.

"GORDON Brown is under renewed pressure on the EU reform treaty after a local referendum in East Renfrewshire found overwhelming support for the issue to be put to the people. 84.88% of the electorate who voted in the poll said there should be a plebiscite. A further 89.54% said no to the treaty being ratified on a turnout of 31%."

Go on Gordon, give us a vote. Although, it is pretty clear that you would lose it. The good burghers of Eastwood lead the way yet again.