EX-SNP MP Angus MacNeil has said too many members of his old party “take a line without thinking it through”.
MacNeil quit the SNP earlier this year following a suspension from the Westminster group, with reports suggesting it was caused by a heated argument with its then-chief whip Brendan O'Hara.
In a letter posted on social media in July following his suspension, MacNeil said he would not rejoin the SNP group unless it was clear they were “pursuing independence”.
The letter resulted in his expulsion from the party and the Na h-Eileanan an Iar MP now sits as an independent.
Even before leaving the SNP, MacNeil had been a frequent critic of both the leadership of Humza Yousaf and of his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon.
READ MORE: New Scot councillors: We feel welcome but council pay is 'ridiculous'
In an interview with Holyrood Magazine, the MP said: “Too many people in the SNP now take a line without thinking it through.
“The SNP has become very unthinking.
“Sometimes the sheep I shepherd here at home [on Barra] show more of an independence of thought than the SNP.
“If more of my sheep were as compliant as some SNP politicians, being a shepherd would be a lot easier.”
Since his expulsion from the SNP, MacNeil has pledged to work with the Alex Salmond-led Alba Party at Westminster, which has two MPs in Neale Hanvey and Kenny MacAskill – both of whom defected from the SNP when Alba was created.
MacNeil has agreed to work alongside the pair as part of a Scotland United for Independence Group, but has not officially joined the party.
Since his departure from the SNP, Lisa Cameron has moved to the Tories at Westminster having citied a “toxic” culture within the SNP’s MP group.
Ash Regan also departed for Alba in a surprise appearance at the party’s conference just over two weeks ago.
MacNeil additionally took aim at the state of internal debate within the party under Sturgeon, claiming: “I saw her becoming more and more intolerant of anyone else’s view or not being inclusive, then I saw this had a detrimental effect on our movement.
“There was no testing out of arguments with Nicola, which is why I think she was caught short on a number of things latterly.”
The MP went on to tell the magazine he now feels in a “much better position, politically, not being in the SNP”.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel