ANGUS MacNeil has called on the SNP president to resign after the MP was expelled from the party.
The suspension came after the MP was given a one-week suspension from the party’s Westminster group last month after clashing with chief whip Brendan O’Hara.
He took to Twitter late on Thursday evening to announce he had been expelled from the party and imply he had been subject to a “kangaroo court”.
Writing exclusively for The National, MacNeil (below) said it was strange to be expelled from the party “for being too pushy on independence, especially as I was the first SNP MP in 35 years to take a seat from Labour in a General Election”.
He also said that the SNP are “clueless and have been for a period of years on how to pursue independence”.
MacNeil continued: “After the Scottish Government decided to ask the UK Supreme Court on a matter for which they should have legislated, namely a referendum, using elections was described by the former first minister as ‘incredibly daft’!
“The ‘critically-unthinking’ agreed with her, until she announced exactly this route within months, then the ‘critically-unthinking’ agreed with this view too.
“More seriously, however, post the Supreme Court, members were seriously misled by luminaries in the party, the leader and also the party president Michael Russell, all maintaining the only way to an early Holyrood election was the resignation of the first minister.
“That was wrong and is wrong. Sec3(1) (a) of the Scotland Act enables an election on a simple majority of MSPs.
“That former leader has of course gone. However, the president, Mr Russell, who aided false information to members has not, to my knowledge, corrected the record or apologised to members either, for being misleading.
“For that he should surely be considering his position and taking the path of an honourable resignation given the gravity of his actions in aiding the blocking of an avenue to independence.”
MacNeil called for the Scottish Government to call a Holyrood election on independence.
The MP for Na h-Eileanan an Iar has already confirmed he will stand as an independent at the next General Election.
