SNP MSP Alasdair Allan attacks blogger's boyfriend claims

Aug 17 2008 Charles Lavery

AN ISLAND MSP has rubbished internet claims that he walked hand-in-hand along a beach with another man.

Nationalist politician Alasdair Allan yesterday hit back at a website posting by an ex-SNP councillor.

Blogger Angus Nicolson wrote that he saw an unnamed politician with his boyfriend on the Isle of Lewis.

The politician was later identified as Allan, who has been the island's MSP since last May.

Nicolson wrote: "Spotted walking along his recently-acquired croft last Sunday. A local politician and his boyfriend, walking hand-in-hand and enjoying the beautiful weather.

"I think that it is very brave of him to challenge the sabbatarian and social prejudices of some of his neighbours, and to raise the profile of homo-sexuality in Lewis, even if he didn't know he was being observed."

But yesterday Allan said: "Let me just say this. I am not gay.

"The idea that anyone with a secret gay lover would take them walking hand-in-hand through a village on Lewis on a Sunday is quite a leap of imagination.

"It is ridiculous and he should be ashamed of himself. To put it mildly there is a history here and other people have been victims of this man.

"The man I was with is going out with a woman.

"His girlfriend's parents live at the other end of the village.

"I went there for lunch last Sunday and we went for a walk on the beach."

But Nicolson refused to apologise yesterday.

He said: "If he says he was walking along the beach with the guy but not holding hands I will give him a right of reply, as long as it is not libellous. He is the man who got me expelled from the SNP but this has not been posted out of sour grapes and it's not payback time."

The MSP has just bought his croft in Vatisker, Back, on the island. He has a PhD in Scots Language from Aberdeen University and was a Church of Scotland press officer.

Allan complained about the website author to party bosses and forced his expulsion from the party. Nicolson had been writing anti-SNP statements on his blog and was dismissed for it.

'It's ridiculous..Nicolson should be ashamed'

Alasdair Allan MSP

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