http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/row-over-blog-deepens-with-liar-liar-post-1.993317
Row over blog deepens with "liar" post
- Michael Russell
0 commentsPublished on 19 Dec 2009
The controversial blogger whose website has seriously embarrassed Education Secretary Mike Russell has posted a new entry – two clowns singing "Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire".
The entry on Mark MacLachlan’s Universality of Cheese site is not accompanied by any comment and does not specify any target.
The sketch, which is available on YouTube, was taken from an episode of a North American children’s TV series, the Big Comfy Couch. It features a main character called Loonette the Clown and her friends and regularly focuses on moral or educational themes.
During the "Liar, Liar" song, another clown scolds Loonette for telling lies and during a dance routine sings that the habit makes people "squirm".
It stands alone on Mr MacLachlan’s site without any accompanying remarks from the blogger, who is in dispute with Mr Russell over whether he was sacked or resigned and whether the Education Secretary was aware of the smears in the attack blog’s content.
They included suggestions about the sexuality of a married MSP, a claim that one of Scotland’s most successful QCs is a liar and accusations about the conduct of a top Labour Party official.
The addition to Mr MacLachlan’s site was posted as Mr Russell fought back after the issue provoked a heated exchange in the Scottish Parliament between First Minister Alex Salmond and Labour leader Iain Gray.
Mr Russell, who has been vigorously defended by Mr Salmond, strongly denies that he knew anything about what Mr MacLachlan was writing, while his former colleague has implied that he knew more than he has admitted.
The Education Secretary has taken the unusual step of reporting himself to the Scottish Parliament’s Standards Commissioner for investigation and has threatened to sue his former aide for "totally false" allegations.
Mr MacLachlan denies he resigned and claims an apology in his name was written by First Minister Alex Salmond’s senior special adviser, Kevin Pringle.
The blogger did not respond to attempts to contact him yesterday, but his website said he would be "making a statement though my legal representatives in the next 24 hours" regarding stories about him that had appeared in The Herald.
Late yesterday afternoon, the legal advice had still not appeared and Mr MacLachlan’s partner suggested it would not appear on the blog until later in the weekend.
A spokesman for Mr Russell, who had viewed the latest addition to Mr MacLachlan’s blog, said: "We have no further comment to make. Mr Russell has instructed solicitors to make it clear to his former employee that his allegations are totally false, and any repetition of them by him will result in legal action."
Mr Gray also urged Mr Salmond yesterday to sack the SNP group leader on Dumfries and Galloway Council, Rob Davidson, who claimed not to have known anything about the blog, but has since admitted he was a source of some of the material.
The Labour leader said: "Alex Salmond said in Parliament he deprecated such behaviour and political parties should not have anything to do with them. Will he now then ask Rob Davidson to resign or sack him for his part in the SNP smear campaign?
"The First Minister must not hide the role of any MSP or special adviser in this smear campaign or its cover-up. He must also come clean about his own role. Did he order Michael Russell to sack Mark MacLachlan, and did he order his adviser Kevin Pringle to draft a resignation statement?
"If Alex Salmond is sincere about rooting out smear campaigns by the SNP, he must be open about the conduct of his ministers and special advisers and publish all documents and emails relating to Mark MacLachlan."
The SNP, which earlier said Mr Davidson "repudiates the comments" posted by Mr MacLachlan, said yesterday: "Councillor Davidson is the subject of party disciplinary procedures. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage."
