Everybody say Cheese

Looking like a Victorian baddy in two articles in today's Sunday Times, 'Cheese-gate' blogger Mark MacLachlan has come off the ropes to fire on all cylinders against the party, against the press and against opposition parties but all in a perfectly fair, cogent and above the belt manner.

For my money, the man behind Montague Burton has played a bit of a blinder today and the Universality of Cheese saga looks like being far from over with Mark a good few steps closer to clearing his name.

Some may roll their eyes and groan at the damage more focus on this story may do to the party's fortunes with an election coming up but I think Mark is well within his rights to tell his side of the story as publicly and as forcibly as he can. It's not like the News of the World or Scotland on Sunday gave him much of a chance to get his views across a fortnight ago and reading what he has to say you can't help but think that Mark has several significant, justifiable grievances.

The erraticism of the Scottish press is laid bare given they managed to get Mark's age, wage and stage of career casually incorrect:

I’ve been described as the evil genius behind the mysterious so-called Cybernats, a tartan Damian McBride, a one-man smear machine. Among the reported wrong facts were my age (I’m older), my salary (it’s less) and the length of my career in politics (I started as a novice in August 2008, a mere 15 months ago).

Perhaps the most shocking revelation in the Ecosse article (which is refreshingly penned by Mark himself in its entirety) is the fact that the blogger didn't resign after all but was effectively sacked after SNP special adviser Kevin Pringle drew up a resignation letter on Mark's behalf and without his knowledge:

The Scottish media has reported that I apologised to all and sundry and resigned my position. That was not the case. On the Thursday afternoon, when it became apparent that the Scottish press were intent on outing me, I told Michael Russell what was about to happen. I said: “If I have to go over this, so be it. I’m sorry for the mess it’s caused, especially with the White Paper [on independence] out on Monday.”

He told me that he thought there would be no need for that and he’d try to sort it all out. That evening, one of his advisers called me and suggested that what I had written was mostly satirical and the worse that should happen was a slap on the wrist. The following morning, as I hid out in downtown Carlisle, Michael called to tell me he’d have to let me go. The comments I’d made about some politicians, it was suggested, were too strong. He warned me he’d have to dissociate himself from me in the press.

I listened as he read an “apology” attributed to me, but composed by Kevin Pringle, the First Minister Alex Salmond’s most senior special adviser.

I'm sure such an approach is common-place in all political parties as the damage limitation takes top priority but it was perhaps optimistic of the party HQ to expect Mark to just fall on his sword, meekly take one for the team and fade off into the Dumfries sunset.

Not only the party, but it seems Mike Russell in particular is expecting a lot of Mark too:

“The big question I’ve been asked repeatedly is: ‘Did Michael Russell know about your blog?’ I haven’t answered the question; that’s for Michael Russell to do,” he said.

Given that Mike Russell has already answered the question by denying all knowledge of the blog and Mark is being so circumspect with the above quote, it is difficult not to arrive at the conclusion that Mike's answer was incorrect and that he did infact know about the blog. That would be a big accusation to make and potentially devastating for the new Education Secretary's career but if this lesson teaches us anything about Politics, that lesson is that it's every person for themselves out there.

Could this be part of the reason for the Minister to be removed from handling the precious White Paper on an independence referendum?

I'd say the next most fascinating aspect of the affair is the clear statement in the headline that Mark is suing the SNP for unfair dismissal.

Mark was clearly dropped like a hot rock with his calls going unreturned, locks changed and a resignation letter being drafted up unbeknownst to him. Not that I have any meaningful legal knowledge but if it was the case that all and sundry within the party knew about the Universality of Cheese blog, as Mark suggests, then I suspect he may have a pretty strong case:

Although I was blogging as an individual, there were plenty of people, both locally and nationally — gosh, even cross-party — who knew I was the author and who supplied material.

One thing worth noting is the fact that in Mark's article he does not mention suing the SNP, it is only in Jason Allardyce's article in the main paper that reference is made. I don't know how relevant that it is or even whether is casts aspersions on the suggestion a court case is perhaps looming but it is clear what the Sunday Times want the main headline to be.

Labour MSP John Park says the remarks in their entirety are "explosive".

Although I wouldn't quite go that far, (for the record, I don't think Mark is a martyr and I think he has been more daft than he has been wronged) I would say that after the attempted media strangulation and the ridiculous lack of perspective over the affair, to see a triumphant volley of shots across his numerous opposing bows replete with the delicious sense of humour that was the main motivation for the Universality of Cheese blog in the first place, well, it's nothing short of joyous.

Mark MacLachlan's blog is back up and running here.