 | 'The fact that Mary Scanlon omits in her literature to tell people she is a Tory while she tries to deceive the electorate that she was a close associate of Margaret Ewing is a tactic of the political gutter.' John Swinney MSP, 7 th April 2006. |  |
| 'The fact that Mary Scanlon omits in her literature to tell people she is a Tory while she tries to deceive the electorate that she was a close associate of Margaret Ewing is a tactic of the political gutter.' John Swinney MSP, 7 th April 2006. | |
The Conservative candidate for Moray was accused of running a "tawdry and deceitful" campaign yesterday after it emerged her letters to voters make no mention of her political allegiance.
As the by-election for the seat grew acrimonious, the Tory contender, Mary Scanlon, was also said to have emphasised her friendship with the late Moray SNP MSP, Margaret Ewing, in her campaign literature.
The SNP's contender, Richard Lochhead, has also been on the receiving end of an opponent's jibes - he was sent a letter from his Labour opponent, Sandy Keith, "welcoming" him to the constituency.
The Tories said other leaflets had been sent out which identified Ms Scanlon's party and that more would follow. And the SNP observed that none of Labour's previous three parliamentary candidates for Moray had been from the region.
The poll, due to be held on April 27, was prompted by the death of Mrs Ewing last month, at the age of 60.
A handwritten letter from Ms Scanlon has been sent to constituents, stating that she has had to resign as an MSP to stand in Moray and that she would be "a strong local voice" to replace Mrs Ewing, whom she describes as "a genuine and deeply-caring woman". Ms Scanlon adds: "I have admired Margaret's ability in dealing with people over the 20 or so years she represented Moray. I was proud to call her a friend."
Ms Scanlon has also sent out postal-vote application forms, with a letter reminding constituents that this system of voting could be an option for them.
Both mailshots include Ms Scanlon's campaign office number and her e-mail and website addresses - but the words Conservative and Tory do not appear in either.
SNP MSP John Swinney alleged that the lack of party identification amounted to a cynical exercise designed to "delude and deceive" the voters of Moray.
Mr Swinney said: "While I'm more than sure she and Margaret were friendly parliamentary acquaintances, the impression she gives of being a close associate of Margaret, who is capable of taking forward Margaret's political legacy, is tawdry and deceitful.
"The fact that Mary Scanlon omits in her literature to tell people she is a Tory while she tries to deceive the electorate that she was a close associate of Margaret Ewing is a tactic of the political gutter."
A Conservative spokesman said the letters were designed to be personal communications from Ms Scanlon and insisted her political affiliation was well known.
"Mary is a Conservative and that is why her campaign was launched with Annabel Goldie, her party leader, in Elgin this week," he said.
"Mary is also a well-known campaigner in Moray whose enthusiasm and approachability is recognised by those in all parties and none."
Meanwhile, Mr Lochhead's local credentials were called into question by Mr Keith, who has enclosed a map of the constituency in his letter to the SNP candidate.
Mr Keith, who has made his life and work in Elgin a key component of his campaign, said: "The nationalist candidate sees this by-election as a career move. He is wrong - this by-election is about Moray. Don't get me wrong - my opponent is very welcome in Moray.
"I have been campaigning for years to boost tourist numbers to our community, but he should pack up his parachute and listen to local people."
An SNP spokesman said: "This is just playground politics on a day when there are far more serious issues to address. That is why Richard Lochhead is visiting farms today to discuss issues that matter to Moray."
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