An independent Cupar councillor has criticised Fife Liberal Democrats for “politicking” on the closure of Cupar Sheriff Court.
Bryan Poole made the comment after Fife Liberal Democrat group leader Tim Brett, Cupar Lib Dem councillor Margaret Kennedy and Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Willie Rennie were quoted in The Courier highlighting their concerns about the potential economic impact of the closure.
It was the end of 800 years of judiciary in Cupar last Friday, following the closure decision made by the Scottish Court Service and backed by the Scottish Government last year.
Mr Poole said: “On observing the recent public comments and campaign by leading Liberal Democrats with regard to the closure of Cupar court, I couldn’t help thinking that this kind of activity is the very thing that turns most people off politics and politicians.
“There’s a pretence that there is a concern for Cupar court and indeed Cupar where in actual fact the frenzied activity is primarily about getting Councillor Brett elected to Westminster and Willie Rennie elected to Holyrood as MP and MSP respectively, nothing more and nothing less.
“The background to the Cupar court closure is the need for the Scottish Government to save money.
“It has been dishonest of the Scottish Government/SNP to claim that the closure is about improving the service a preposterous claim if ever there was one.
“The Scottish Government are having to look at ways of making savings because the block grant they receive from the UK Government has, in real terms, been severely cut by the coalition Government of which the Liberal Democrats are an equal partner.
“In this respect, only local Liberal Democrat councillor Margaret Kennedy and local solicitor Douglas Williams come out of this with their credibility intact in that they have consistently and over a period of time argued the negative impact on justice the closure would result in.
“So, in a financial sense, the real culprits for the closure of Cupar court are the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. My own view is that the Conservatives have never tried to fool us on this issue.
“They have never involved themselves in a hypocritical campaign where on the one hand they, the coalition, reduce the money available to the Scottish Government and on the other hand they then blame the Scottish Government for having to cut services because they’ve less money.
“The Liberal Democrats appear to have no such scruples.
“Of course the Liberal Democrats have form in this area. No one will ever forget that at the last general election they made promises about tuition fees and then broke that promise at the earliest possible date.
“More locally, with the RAF at Leuchars, Danny Alexander (Liberal Democrat), in an unholy alliance with Angus Robertson and Alex Salmond (both SNP), ensured the one RAF base to be retained in Scotland was not in north-east Fife but Lossiemouth, north-east Scotland, which just happened to be next door to the constituencies of Alexander, Robertson and Salmond.
“North-East Fife’s ‘dynamic duo’ the two Campbells (Rod and Ming) were impotent.
“It looks like the North East Fife Lib Dems are kick-starting their election campaign on the back of a court closure they are at the very least partly responsible for.
“The truth is that neither the Liberal Democrats or the SNP have served the electorate of North-East Fife well in either Westminster or Holyrood.
“Maybe it’s time for an MP or MSP with no party affiliation and who would genuinely put the interests of North East Fife before party interests.”‘Strange and contorted argument’Commenting on the claims by Councillor Poole, Mid Scotland and Fife MSP and Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said: “I am surprised by Bryan’s rather strange and contorted argument.
“Since the closure of the court in Cupar was first proposed, Liberal Democrats took a principled stand that it would be bad for justice in the area, bad for business and bad for victims and witnesses.
“We raised our opposition on the council, led debates in parliament and made representations directly with the courts service and the Government.
“Bryan’s unusual position excuses the Scottish Government for closing the court but attacks Liberal Democrats for campaigning to save it.
“I suspect most people in Cupar will be surprised that Bryan is standing up for the Scottish Government rather than the town he represents.”