SNP tactics in election were 'a bit naughty', admits MSP

A GAFFE by a Nationalist MSP has reopened old wounds over the conduct of the 2007 Holyrood election which led to 140,000 voters losing their vote.

John Mason, the SNP's Glasgow East by-election hero last year, has admitted his party's tactics were "a bit naughty" in 2007.

He was being challenged by Dundee West Labour MP Jim McGovern over the SNP's decision to put list candidates under "Alex Salmond for First Minister", instead of the party's name.

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The tactic was one of many highlighted in the report by the former Canadian chief electoral officer, Ron Gould, into why about 140,000 ballot papers were spoiled during the Scottish election.

During a meeting of an ad hoc Westminster committee considering proposed technical changes to Scottish elections, Mr McGovern asked Mr Mason whether he believed the tactic "was deliberately deceitful or just a bit naughty".

Mr Mason replied: "I accept it was a bit naughty."

Mr McGovern welcomed Mr Mason's honesty, but claimed that the SNP was still in denial about the tactic

, which was believed to have been used as a means of pushing SNP candidates to the top of the ballot paper, because "Alex" begins with A.

Many experts suggest that parties or candidates at the top and the bottom of ballot papers are more likely to garner extra votes.

It also helped the Nationalists to turn the election into a contest between the popular Mr Salmond and the struggling former first minister, Jack McConnell.

"The SNP decided to use this deceitful tactic because they thought they would get extra votes," claimed Mr McGovern. "It was a very deliberate decision to try and trick people who would otherwise vote for someone else to vote for them."

Mr Gould was critical of all the major parties and the UK government for the way it conducted the 2007 election.

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He complained that "Scotland's voters were treated as an afterthought".

His comments led to a limited apology by the then-Scottish Secretary, Des Browne, even though it was his predecessor, Douglas Alexander, who was responsible during the election.

Mr Gould's report is already leading to changes in elections in Scotland, with ballot papers being redesigned and local and Holyrood elections being held in different years.

Mr Mason has been a regular target for Labour since he dramatically broke the party's historic grip on Glasgow East in July last year. Labour have been campaigning hard to win the seat back.

Labour MSP Margaret Curran, who was defeated by Mr Mason in Glasgow East and has been selected to fight him again, joined in the debate.

"This split between the SNP and John Mason is an embarrassment for both of them," she said. "If Mr Mason thought the idea was naughty, why didn't he actually say something at the time?"

But the Nationalists argued that the row had been manufactured because Labour was still bitter over losing the election in 2007s as well as the by-election in 2008.

They suggested that it showed the party was more interested in winning elections than in solving the current economic problems.

An SNP spokesman said last night: "Labour really must come to terms with the fact that they were rejected by voters in 2007."