WENDY Alexander has insisted she will not quit as Scottish Labour leader over the illegal donation to her campaign fund. She seems determined not to be forced out by media revelations and opposition attacks.
But the question is whether, in the circumstances that now exist, she can really do the job any more.
Not only are the unanswered questions over the donation going to dog her wherever she goes, her credibility in criticising the decisions or acti
ons of the government is fatally undermined by the scandal.
However the £950 donation from Jersey-based businessman Paul Green came about, whatever the misunderstandings and whoever knew what and when - the fact remains Ms Alexander was legally responsible for making sure contributions to her leadership campaign complied with the rules, and it turns out this one did not.
The Electoral Commission and the police are both to investigate the illegal donation and with the comments of Sir Alistair Graham yesterday, the controversy shows no signs of going away. With all this swirling round her, how can Ms Alexander take the moral high ground on any issue?
When she gets up in the Scottish Parliament on Thursday to take on Alex Salmond at First Minister's Questions, the cash row will inevitably haunt her, even though Alex Salmond will be in no hurry to see her go.
The situation has echoes of the "Taxigate" affair two years ago, which saw David McLetchie quit as Scottish Tory leader. Mr McLetchie went in the end because the wrangling over his taxi expenses destroyed his credibility and meant he could no longer operate effectively as leader.
Ms Alexander has not been a resounding success since she took over the leadership. She has failed to land any serious punches on Mr Salmond - and there are still enemies around from her past career as a minister in previous Scottish Executives.
Many believe the main reason Ms Alexander refuses to resign is that to do so would make life even worse for colleagues in London who are embroiled in a similar donations scandal involving much larger sums.
But the longer she stays on, the more she will be seen as a lame duck who is only there because London wants her to be there. If she were to go, then at least this time there might be a contest to succeed her - though the job is now hardly attractive. Iain Gray, Andy Kerr, Margaret Curran and Cathy Jamieson have all been mentioned as possible contenders. Labour faces a long climb back from the election defeat and now this messy donations scandal. But a change of leader might be the necessary first step.
The full article contains 452 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
