THE long-serving SNP MSP Fergus Ewing has branded his own party “authoritarian” after losing an appeal against his suspension.
Last year, Ewing was handed a one-week suspension from the SNP group at Holyrood after voting against the Scottish Government in a no confidence motion directed at Scottish Greens minister Lorna Slater.
However, after vowing to fight the suspension, Ewing lost his appeal following a private hearing with the SNP on Monday.
“The SNP has now become an authoritarian party requiring strict obedience to the leadership at the expense of personal freedom for any individual member,” he said.
“They do not want MSPs to be mere ciphers or rubber stamps of leadership dictation.
“If my constituents wanted a doormat, they would have gone to B&Q.”
Ewing will now have to serve his one-week suspension, which began on Tuesday.
Speaking to The Scottish Sun following the decision, Ewing criticised First Minister Humza Yousaf for not being “big enough” to allow disagreement within the party and compared him to Alex Salmond.
“[Salmond] was big enough to recognise that in a political party representing the broad spectrum of Scottish opinion, there are occasions where parliamentarians must vote against a party line.
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"That's an example for the present FM to follow.”
He also took a shot at Slater, claiming that “not one” person viewed her as competent.
“Since when do the Greens decide who should lead my party or from whom we are permitted to receive donations?
“Why do we show them such loyalty when it is so blatantly not reciprocated? Loyalty must be a two-way street. With the Greens, it’s one-way traffic.
“For my future, I vow to continue to defend the interests of my constituents; and as far as the SNP is concerned… let the cards fall as they may. If the SNP cannot cope with that, so be it.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Greens said: "Fergus Ewing's bizarre obsession with the Scottish Greens aside, any disciplinary matters relating to SNP members are clearly an issue for them alone".
The SNP have been contacted for comment.
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