Row over Tory’s split vote tactics
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THE Tory party has come under heavy fire over the candidate they have fielded in the North West and Sutherland ward for the forthcoming local authority elections.
Local businessman Alex Dickson, who runs Achin’s Bookshop at Inverkirkaig, is scathing in his summing up of candidate Les Mason.
He says Mr Mason is nearing 90, does not even live in the ward, has no intention of campaigning and doesn’t stand a chance of winning the election.
But what has annoyed Mr Dickson so much is that he believes Mr Mason does stand a very good chance of splitting the vote.
He said: "I think it’s ridiculous and pretty appalling that one of the major political parties should be putting up a candidate like Mr Mason.
"They are just putting up anyone they can because they are an established party and cannot be seen to not be represented. All it is, is a name and that’s nonsense."
Meanwhile an unperturbed Mr Mason has agreed with everything Mr Dickson says – apart from the fact he is 87 rather than 90 – and candidly revealed that he is playing his part in a country-wide Tory strategy to split votes and keep the SNP out following their landslide Holyrood victory in 2011.
And he also calmly responded that if his candidature has annoyed Mr Dickson so much, then it must be because he is an SNP voter!
Nine candidates in total are contesting the three seats in the North, West and Central Sutherland ward.
Two of the three sitting councillors, Linda Munro (Lib Dem) and George Farlow (SNP), are standing again. Their fellow ward councillor, Robbie Rowantree, is standing for the East Sutherland and Edderton Ward.
Three Independents have put their names forward for the north ward – Neil MacInnes, Ardgay; Hugh Morrison, Durness and Jess Thomas, Lochinver.
Also in the running are Scottish Green Party member Mandy Haggith, Achmelvich; Hector MacLennan, Lairg, who is standing under the banner of the Scottish Christian Party; Russell Taylor, Ardgay, of the All Scotland Pensioners Party; and, of course, Mr Mason.
Businessman Mr Dickson, who is arranging a hustings at the end of the month, says the Tories have past form in fielding very elderly candidates.
"It’s happened before with Margaret Payne of Drumbeg. There was never any prospect that she would become a Highland Councillor and it’s the same with Les Mason," he said.
"I recall that Mrs Payne polled somewhere between 200 and 300 votes when she stood. People put a cross against her name not knowing anything about the woman, but simply because she was on a Conservative and Unionist ticket and it’s going to be the same with this guy.
"The one thing you can say about the Tories is that they do vote. People will put a cross in the box simply for that reason. I will be surprised if Mr Mason polls less than 200 votes and, in a ward like ours, that will have an effect.
"Ten chances to one these 200 votes will come from people who would otherwise have voted for an Independent candidate."
Mr Dickson added: I acknowledge there’s nothing to stop people standing for different parties including the Monster Raving Loony Party – that’s democracy.
"But the Tories are putting up a candidate just to take away 200 to 300 votes that might actually go somewhere else and that’s terrible."
Mr Dickson predicts that the two sitting candidates, Linda Munro and George Farlow, will probably be re-elected and he believes the third seat will go to one of the three Independents.
"I’d be extremely surprised if Linda and George were unseated," he said. "I don’t think Russell Taylor and Hector MacLennan are really going to do much in the way of votes. It is between the Independents."
The Northern Times caught up with Mr Mason earlier this week at his home in Drumnadrochit.
A lifelong Tory supporter, the former industrial chemist moved North on retirement in 1986.
And he was quite frank about his candidature. He said: "Someone in Edinburgh at the top of the party phoned me up and asked if I would like to help them out. I emphasised I would – but only if they could guarantee that I would not win!"
Mr Mason said: "Alex Dickson must be an SNP supporter. That’s why people like me have been asked to stand, not because we have any hope of winning but to split the vote and reduce the chance of the SNP getting in. That’s the Tory strategy."
Mr Mason continued: "I did offer to go up to North, West and Central Sutherland but the party bosses said there was no need to. They told me to do nothing and that was it. All they wanted was my name on the ballot paper to reduce the chances of the SNP getting in."
A spokesman for the Scottish Conservative party said: "This is a democratic election and Mr Mason is as entitled to stand as anyone else."
? Should all parties resist "split the vote" candidates? Have your say on www.northern-times.co.uk
