in London between the Lib Dems and the Tories." He said: "Since that fateful day, I have watched helplessly from the sidelines as this Government at Westminster has attacked every vulnerable group in Scotland, from carers to disabled students to migrants, with some of the most draconian policies I have ever seen in the name of cuts. O'Donnell said he and his erstwhile MSP colleagues had been told not to air grievances about the Westminster coalition. He said: "Not a word of criticism from the party leadership in Scotland has been uttered - even though the contempt shown for Scotland and, indeed, the federal structure of the party knows no bounds." O'Donnell expressed his unhappiness with the decision to hold a referendum on whether the Alternative Vote should replace traditional first-past-the-post for Westminster elections on the same day as the Scottish parliamentary election. He also complained that the Scottish Lib Dem group had voted tactically against the SNP's proposed policy on minimum pricing on alcohol, rather than on principle. In 2010, the policy failed to win enough support in parliament to progress, despite support from medical, health, police and victim support groups. He wrote: "I have fought the leadership as hard as I could, but I am just too tired to do it any more... This is not the same party I joined, full of enthusiasm, all those years ago... I can no longer be party to the control freakery, the 'image is everything' attitude, and the dictatorial style of doing things... It is a party I no longer want to be part of and neither should other principled Liberals." The Scotland on Sunday reported senior party figures were furious that O'Donnell did not speak to leader Tavish Scott before deciding to quit. A senior Liberal Democrat source said: "He didn't even pick up the phone to the party leader. Apparently he's been unhappy for some time. He is not going to be missed and we will be a far more united team without him." References External links Hugh O'Donnell official website 1952 births Living people People from Cumbernauld Liberal Democrat MSPs Members of the Scottish Parliament 2007–2011 Alumni of Queen Margaret University 21st-century Scottish politicians