Letter from Steve Mcgrail to 'The Scotsman', not printed

Dear Editor

It's hard to know where to start with Dan McDougal's article on me (12th June), so riddled with errors is it; these shouldn't surprise, perhaps, emanating as they do from a journalist whose very business card has the telephone number wrong. The mistakes are legion: my father was never a millionaire to my knowledge; my Victorian semi is probably worth only half what's stated; I've donated nothing like £30,000 to the SSP - and I understand that the Electoral Commission's Compliance Manager is disturbed at the inaccuracy of the article's claims here; my family has 'no vast personal fortune'; my father was from Birmingham, not Yorkshire; I'm 57 not 46; I've never contested any seat on Stirling Council; I haven't had a car for years; there was no 'squabble' with neighbours over solar panels, just the normal planning process; my late aunt was never a 'millionaire' nor a shareholder of the family company; I don't write for a folk magazine in Belfast - there isn't one.
I could continue, and tackle the generally sneering tone of the piece. For instance, I'm not 'wealthy'. Most of the legacy has gone - to relatives, and projects I support, like Scotland's hospices: I presume Mr McDougal would find that acceptable? I was simply lucky to be able to back those various causes, the SSP amongst them. If you want a real angle, you might compare my alleged 'huge donations' with what some other parties receive - mine would look like mere loose change; such a story would at least represent proper journalism, though... or would that be too much trouble?

Steve McGrail