A FORMER politician has hit out at BBC Scotland over a programme about the monarchy which he claims was a "blatant piece of royalist propaganda".
Dennis Canavan, 69, a former independent and Labour politician, was interviewed as part of Elizabeth Queen of Scots but claimed his interview was cut because he criticised the monarchy.
He said: "I was astonished. After being interviewed for hours, my net contribution was about 90 seconds of comments.
"There was one story about my mum and sister squeezing into the only house nearby with a television to watch the coronation and they used that anodyne story, as well as some comment about the future of the monarchy when the Queen abdicates or passes away.
"I spoke about the complete anachronism of the monarchy in the 21st century, the fact that we have a head of state who gets the job through inheritance rather than a democratic process, but none of this was included.
"The programme gave the impression that everybody in Scotland is some kind of royal sycophant. If I had known it was going to be a puff piece for the royal family I would never have taken part."
A spokeswoman for BBC Scotland said: "The programme is clearly an affectionate look at the Queen's relationship with Scotland."
l The Queen will visit Northern Ireland as part of her Diamond Jubilee tour, visiting Enniskillen and Belfast on June 26 and 27. She may come face to face with former IRA commander, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuiness.
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