Run that by me again, will you?

Let's see - reported to the beak but "Scottish politics would be ill-served" if Wendy Alexander resigned? Unbelievable!

I see that Ms Alexander's latest defence is that she asked for some advice from the clerks (who she described as 'the Parliamentary authorities') but that the Standards Commissioner has now pointed out that she broke the law so it's not her fault. There are known knowns ...

Allow me to assist - leaving aside the fact that she had already missed the 30 day limit for declaring, here's what it says in the code of conduct:

If a Member is uncertain about any aspect of the operation of the Act or the Code, the Standards clerks may be asked for advice. However, each Member must ensure that the provisions of the Act are complied with and may additionally wish to seek independent legal and other professional advice prior to registration.

So it's quite clear that it is the duty of the individual MSP to ensure that they comply with the rules. The advice of the clerks does not relieve the MSP of their duty to make sure that they don't break the law.