By a Newsnet reporter
An online independence poll has mysteriously vanished after the site was taken down by the Scottish Labour MSP who runs the website.
The Scottish Sun has today revealed that Labour MSP Neil Bibby shut his website down after a poll he created delivered a result of 95 per cent support for an independent Scotland.
Mr Bibby, a West of Scotland list MSP, took his homepage offline on Monday afternoon after a poll with over 500 votes showed a crushing defeat for the anti-independence camp. The Scottish Labour party has since claimed the site was closed down due to maintenance work.
Christina McKelvie, SNP MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, described the removal of the site as a “double embarrassment for the Labour leadership in Scotland”.
Referring to Labour’s decision to campaign alongside the Tories this weekend, she added: “Firstly Labour’s anti-independence pact with the Tories took an absolute thrashing with roughly 95% of people opting to vote Yes to an independent Scotland.
“Secondly, Labour’s attempt to claim the site is having a revamp is just embarrassing. Everyone knows they didn’t like the result so pulled the website down.
“The real referendum question will be put to the people of Scotland in the autumn of 2014 and – as the debate is played out in full with the facts laid out on the benefits of independence more widely understood – I am confident the people of Scotland will opt to vote Yes.”
The decision to close the site down follows a controversial move by the local Labour group in Aberdeen who caused outrage when they threw out plans for a redevelopment project despite a local referendum resulting in a majority in favour.
A report conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers estimated that over 6,500 jobs could be created by the plans to redevelop Union City Gardens in Aberdeen city centre.
However, last week seventeen Labour councillors, an ex-Liberal Democrat turned independent councillor, an anti-development independent councillor, Marie Boulton and two Liberal Democrat councillors ignored the wishes of the public and businesses – large and small – and voted to reject Sir Ian Woods’ £50m donation to the city.
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