Members of parliament having extra-marital affairs is not a new, or particularly noteworthy phenomenon. Historically, UK public opinion on such matters has sat somewhere between that of France and the US, which means although we don’t usually condone such behaviour, neither are we quite as puritanical as our American cousins.
Ultimately, the breakdown of the marriages of two SNP MPs, allegedly following affairs with the same woman, is a matter for those involved and their families. With this in mind, there are no doubt some who would question whether the private lives of Stewart Hosie and Angus MacNeil is an appropriate subject for discussion in this column.
However, we believe the nature of the relationships at the top of the SNP mean the fallout raises a number of questions of wider public interest, most of which revolve around Mr Hosie, the SNP’s deputy leader, and thus a powerful figure within the party. The wife he has just split from, Shona Robison, is a member of the Scottish Cabinet, as well as a close and long-standing friend of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. To say all this leaves her in an awkward position is an understatement.
Details of the alleged affairs were revealed in the media on the day she was re-elected as First Minister, and one can only imagine her frustration at having a rather tawdry sex scandal overshadow one of the biggest days in the Scottish political calendar. Tellingly, she chose to sit next to Ms Robison in the Holyrood chamber, openly showing support for her friend, while choosing not to express confidence in Mr Hosie, despite being asked repeatedly to do so by journalists.
Read more: Nicola Sturgeon drawn into SNP love triangle
It’s hard to believe Ms Sturgeon’s relationship with her party's deputy leader won’t be damaged by all this. But the party’s political strategy, too, could be impacted. Mr Hosie was, after all, mooted to be leading a summer initiative targeting No voters in a drive to push the case for independence. Such a move is seen as vital to retaining the support of the many Yes voters who joined the SNP after the referendum. Whether the initiative – or Mr Hosie's leadership of it – survives remains to be seen.
Then there is the issue of public perception. The SNP has long frustrated its enemies by being the most disciplined party in Britain, presenting itself as having higher standards of conduct than Labour or the Tories. The bloc of MPs elected at last year’s General Election, however, are in danger of undoing that reputation. Before this latest scandal two other MPs – Michelle Thomson and Natalie McGarry – resigned or lost the party whip after police launched investigations into their financial affairs.
Read more: Stewart Hosie's independence role questioned following love triangle revelation
Ms Sturgeon is no doubt well aware of the fatal impact sleaze had on the Conservative party of the 1990s. The electorate, as we know, can quickly take against politicians it deems to be foolish, embarrassing and hypocritical. The SNP leader will not enjoy seeing her MPs splashed across the newspapers in this way; how she deals with the fallout will determine how damaging it will be in the long run.
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