Letters / Below the belt 

Yesterday I got an email from Alistair Carmichael MP. I felt very angered by the email.

Alistair Carmichael talks about Emma being the right candidate because she has had children and knows how to balance a family. That’s good for Emma but the implication that having children makes a person more qualified to be MSP is very disrespectful to people who don’t have children regardless of the reason why.

Everyone has struggles in one form or another but to invalidate someone else’s experience due to not having children is below the belt.

Sarah Stove
Lerwick

Alistair Carmichael MP responded as follows:

“Sarah Stove is entirely incorrect in her interpretation of my words. I said, as I believe, that Emma Macdonald showed her resilience and work ethic by balancing raising a family while studying and working. To take a positive case for Emma and twist it into a negative argument about anyone else only speaks to the negativity that some people seem determined to bring to the debate.”