Candidates vying to win the SNP nomination have all resorted to crowdfunding to help them try to convince members of the party to vote for them. There can only be one SNP nominee for Edinburgh Central which is turning out to be a key seat for the SNP.
Angus Robertson the former MP and SNP leader at Westminster, has raised £2,980 on a crowdfunder site here. And Marco Biagi, who formerly held this seat until he stepped away from politics at the last Scottish Parliamentary Election, has begun his own fundraiser here . But in Biagi’s view there should be a level playing field with equal spending for all candidates for the nomination. He has therefore proposed that his fundraiser will not exceed the highest total raised by other candidates.
There is also a third SNP candidate for the nomination – Lee-Anne Menzies who has her own fundraiser too. Six SNP candidates asked for a limit to be set on spending, particularly on social media advertising, when they wrote to Peter Murrell the Chief Executive of the SNP. They say they have not yet had a response.
The campaign is online as the party has banned any attempts to communicate with party members by phone or on the doorstep owing to Covid-19.
Biagi said:“Money raised for SNP campaigns should be spent winning independence, not fighting each other.
“I’ve petitioned the national executive committee internally for a cap on selection contest spending. No response.
“Members should not be being asked to contribute money to crowdfunders for internal campaigns. But now I must ask members to help even this contest in the only way possible. I hope all who believe in a fair process in Edinburgh Central, where all candidates have the same opportunity to make their case to members, will donate to my campaign.
“There are almost a thousand Edinburgh Central SNP members who do not go to meetings or out canvassing. They do not know the candidates personally. But, as members, they rightly also have a vote in this contest. So far they have been bombarded by almost two thousand pounds-worth of social media advertising.
“If I’m selected as candidate and elected as MSP next May I will donate back – from my salary – an amount equal to anything this selection crowdfunder raises. I’ll put it into Edinburgh Central SNP’s independence fighting fund. Any money raised but unspent will also go to the branch.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
