Riaan 
Umkhankaso wokukhipha uNicola Sturgeon esikhundleni somholi we-Scottish National Party — futhi njengongqongqoshe wokuqala waseScotland — ukhungethwe yisiphithiphithi esiholele ekusuleni kwezikhulu ezimbili ze-SNP emahoreni angu-24 nje kuphela.
NgoMgqibelo isikhulu esiphezulu se-SNP esinamandla Peter Murrell wesula ngemuva kokuvela ukuthi unikeze umphathi weqembu izinombolo zobulungu ezingelona iqiniso ephendula isicelo sentatheli, nakuba isitatimende wathi “kwakungekho inhloso yokudukisa”.
U-Murrell, osephethe imisebenzi ye-backroom yeqembu iminyaka engaphezu kwengu-20, ushade noNgqongqoshe Wokuqala. UNicola Sturgeon, nendlela isigungu esiphezulu seqembu esiwuphethe ngayo umbango wobuholi obuqhubekayo igxekwe emasontweni edlule. Kuphinde kwaba nezinsolo zokuchema ngomunye wabangenele ukhetho ikakhulukazi — okubikwa ukuthi uncamela ukuthatha uSturgeon esikhundleni.
Ngaphezu kwalokho, kunophenyo lwamaphoyisa olusebenzayo mayelana nezinsolo zokuthi u-£600,000 (€680,000) wemali yephathi yasetshenziswa kabi ewashini lika-Murrell.
NgoLwesihlanu, umphathi wezindaba we-SNP UMurray Footeowake waba ngumhleli wephephandaba, naye wesula ngemuva kokudlulisela izibalo zobulungu obungamanga abenikwa zona, entathelini ebuze ngazo.
Pho kungani izinombolo zobulungu zibalulekile?
Njengoba kuvotwa ngasekuqaleni kwaleli sonto emjahweni wokuvala isikhala sika-Sturgeon, isikhulu se-SNP sithe ngeke sidalule ukuthi mangaki amalungu eqembu afanele ukuvota. Bobathathu abangenele ukhetho — Kate Forbes, Ash Regan futhi Humza Yousaf — wakhalaza ngalokhu, ethi kuyinto evamile futhi kunengqondo ukutshelwa kusenesikhathi ukuthi bangaki abavoti abafanelekile abangaba khona.
Emuva ngoFebhuwari intatheli yephephandaba iSunday Mail yathi amalungu eqembu angu-30,000 asanda kushiya, ikakhulukazi njengombhikisho mayelana neScotland. umthethosivivinywa wokuqashelwa kobulilieyaphasiswa ngokwesekwa okukhulu kwamaqembu ePhalamende laseScotland ekupheleni kuka-2022, kodwa okusabhekwa njengempikiswano ngamanye amalungu omphakathi.
Ngaleso sikhathi, uMurray Foote wayenakho ibhalwe ku-Twitter ukuthi ukubika kwentatheli “kwakungalungile”, “drivel”, kanye “ne-tartan bollocks”; ngenkathi kucashunwa okhulumela i-SNP elinye iphephandaba bethi indaba yeSunday Mail “yayinonya futhi ayinembile neze.”
Manje, njengoba i-SNP iphoqwe ingcindezi yabaqhudelana naye emncintiswaneni wayo wobuholi ukuze iveze izinombolo zangempela zobulungu, indaba yeSunday Mail yafakazelwa ukuthi inembile: okwenza bobabili umphathi wezindaba uFoote, nomyeni kaSturgeon uPeter Murrell bawela ngezinkemba zabo.
UFoote uthe “usebenze ngobuqotho” ngokukhipha “izimpendulo zeqembu okwakuvunyelwene ngalo” kwabezindaba lapho bebuza ngezinombolo zobulungu be-SNP, kodwa kube “nezinkinga ezinkulu” ngalokho akutshela intatheli.
Kube yini ukusabela?
Amaqembu aphikisayo eScotland kulindeleke ukuthi abe nosuku lwezinxushunxushu eqenjini elibusayo, ikakhulukazi ngesikhathi somkhankaso wokhetho lobuholi osekubeke kwacaca ngokuhlukana kwenqubomgomo ngaphakathi kwe-SNP, nalapho abaqhudelana behweba ngezinsimbi ezibukhali ngesikhathi kunezinkulumo mpikiswano kumabonakude.
Umholi weScottish Labour, Anas Sarwarikhiphe isitatimende ngoMgqibelo ithi “ngenkathi i-SNP isenkingeni, sigxile ngokungaphezi ekuletheni ushintsho oludingwa yiScotland.”
“I-SNP inesiphithiphithi futhi iphazanyiswa yizinto eziza kuqala kubo. Eqinisweni, iScotland ifanelwe okungcono kunalokhu,” kubhala uSarwar, oyi-MSP yaseGlasgow.
Ngaleso sikhathi umholi weScottish Conservatives, Douglas Rossuthe ukwesula kuka-Murrell “kuyintuthuko yakamuva kule mpi yombango ye-SNP.”
“Kodwa ngenkathi abashisekeli bezwe bezihlukanisa, izinto ezibalulekile eScotland ziyaqhubeka nokulibaleka,” kusho iLungu lePhalamende laseHighlands.
Khonamanjalo abaqokelwe ukuba ngumholi olandelayo weScotland bebelokhu bezwakalisa uvo lwabo. UKate Forbes ubhale kuTwitter ukuthi nguyena kuphela ongabuyisa ithemba ekubuseni kweqembu; U-Ash Regan uthe “eminyakeni eyisishiyagalombili edlule kwakuyiphuzu lapho kwakungamukeleki khona ukuba nomyeni womholi weqembu njengoMphathi Omkhulu”; kanti ngenkathi u-Humza Yousaf wayengakaphenduli ekusuleni kuka-Murrell, ngoLwesihlanu ebusuku wabhala “ukulungiswa kwemisebenzi yethu ye-HQ kube yingxenye ebalulekile yomkhankaso wami.”
