A Delicate Art
Redaction is a tricky business, and comes with numerous pitfalls even if you’re being careful, which not everyone is. If you’re involved in creating a document you know will have to be redacted, there are a variety of safeguarding approaches you can adopt.
When I worked on a videogames magazine called Amiga Power in the 1990s, we ran a fun comedy feature about censorship. But because the company that published the magazine had had some unfortunate mishaps in the field, we took extra care by typing all the “offensive” words as random-length strings of Xs when we wrote the article.
And it was lucky that we did, because as you can see in the feature’s strapline, the art department misaligned the red redaction bar on some of them, and if there’d been a sweary in there it would have been easily identified.
Another way to go is to simply slap down some black ink and hope for the best.
The Scottish Government has today, at the last possible moment, complied with the Scottish Information Commissioner’s order to release its legal advice relating to refusing alert Wings reader Benjamin Harrop’s FOI request for evidence submitted to the Hamilton inquiry into the government’s failed conspiracy against Alex Salmond.
(References to “FOISA” below mean the Freedom Of Information (Scotland) Act.)
Central to the advice is the role of the head of Hamilton’s “secretariat”, a group of civil servants seconded to him by the Scottish Government – in the specific form of the Deputy First Minister at the time, John Swinney – to work on the case, and in particular the question of their potential conflicts of interest as people who were reporting to government ministers in the course of their day jobs as well as supposedly being completely independent while working for Hamilton.
(That last redaction is intriguingly lengthy.)
The identity of those people might be thought a matter of significant public interest for all manner of reasons, so if those normal protocols were to be overridden and their names redacted, you’d think those preparing documents would be extra-cautious about making the redactions impenetrable.
So bearing that in mind, readers might be forgiven for wondering how many senior female civil servants or similar working within the Scottish Government have names that could fit into these little black boxes.
And they might also conceivably find themselves pondering whether it was the same rather short but well-connected name that goes in here.
And indeed the one mentioned on page 4 above.
We do however know that the Scottish Government was very keen to prevent this person’s name from being known. A question was asked in Parliament this February by Fergus Ewing MSP relating to the contentious redactions from the Hamilton report and who might have been involved in them.
It was answered by Shona Robison with an very ambiguously-worded response.
When Robison says “none of THOSE civil servants was a Special Adviser” (our emphasis), she could be validly semantically interpreted to mean the four “additional” lower-grade ones only, or she could be including them PLUS the “one individual” previously appointed. If it was the former, then it follows that the individual COULD be a Special Adviser.
The second part of the highlighted sentence, in which Robison ostensibly denies the involvement of Special Advisers in redacting the report is also carefully unclear if examined properly. The parameters of “involved in the process of deciding” are wide, subjective and ill-defined, as hinted at by the Scottish Government’s own lead counsel in the attempt to conceal the requested evidence, James Mure KC.
There are other things which can also be a tricky business, so Wings draws no conclusions and makes no implications from this information and is merely noting that which has been released in official public-domain documents. Interested readers must assess it for themselves and reach their own views as to who the likely lady might be.
The released document also reveals that there was considerable concern among the Scottish Government’s legal advisers that appealing the Information Commissioner’s original decision that the evidence should be published carried significant risks, both of setting a precedent for future cases and of the release of “highly sensitive information” regarding the Hamilton report.
This concern also extended to John Swinney, ultimate keeper of the black pen.
And – despite the fact that the Scottish Government’s lead counsel did NOT in actuality think “the prospects of appeal favourable in principle”:
– the Lord Advocate, Dorothy Bain, nevertheless chose to recommend proceeding (although she did not indicate any greater expectation of success than James Mure KC had).
In summary, then: the Scottish Government was advised that appealing had only a modest chance of succeeding and carried serious risks in the event of losing, but was so desperate to avoid publishing the evidence given to Hamilton that it went ahead anyway (and lost, in humiliatingly rapid fashion).
Meanwhile, it continues to seek to conceal the identity of a key figure in the Hamilton report, the head of his secretariat, whose impartiality and actions in the matter were both questioned by the Scottish Government’s own lead counsel, despite the fact that there is no ostensible reason why a civil servant seconded to a public Ministerial Code inquiry ought to be afforded anonymity.
This is a story which has only begun to unfold. Stay tuned, readers.
Does this fall under Jigsaw Identification Laws? – or can we name as many names as we like in the comment box – whilst being blissfully unaware if any of the names are the person
I have one very special name, that fits the length of the blacked out sections.
If you named someone in the context of a legal anonymity order, you and I could both go to jail.
Okay, no names then.
If that’s you beside the Hills have Censorship bit in Amiga Power! You deserve to go to jail lol!
Used to get Amiga Power , the Amiga 500 was a great system for its time and magazine wasn’t bad either!
Another A500 owner here. I bought Amiga Format (covered some games but was more focused on other software like art programs, DTP etc, alongside hardware reviews) and Amiga Shopper (the most “serious” title, covering productivity software, coding and so on, as well as hardware; games were beneath its notice). Happy days when you could achieve most of what you wanted to do with Workbench1.3 and 1 or 2MB of RAM!
I remember that issue, I spent hours with my mates in the barracks room trying to figure out what someone who vaguely looked like someone from Viz had said, If we knew he was Scottish it would have been a piece of pish
As for the Amiga, Had two or three of them, 1 500, and two 1200s, which at the time were being used fo CGI in the film industry
Do the redactions in the report(s) above align to a legal anonymity order in respect of these specific matters?
If the answer to that is no, I will leave it at that
But surely the legal anonymity order only applies to Salmond’s criminal trial? The Scottish Government has chosen (as oppose to having been ordered) to redact certain details from the information it has been forced to publish.
If the Government’s redactions somehow relate to the identity of the complainers in the criminal trial, it rather suggests to me yet another example of ‘apparent bias’ in the way all of this has been conducted by the Scottish Government and their civil servants.
I’m half wondering if you are this person called Liz Lloyd 🙂
Alas no.
But even if I was (allegedly) would I be able to tell you or would I be sent to jail if I did (allegedly).
Indeed, would you not be off to ra Bar’L first for daring to enquire?!
And in so doing are you not also treading into some form of hate crime rabbit hole zone as well as selling your soul by daring to ask?
These are weighty matters, However they are beyond me, a mere member of the despised voting Joe Public electorate or so it seems; apparently, or so it seems, allegedly.
For clarity, no rabbits were harmed during posting this reply.
Addendum-
Meant to say; nothing heretofore stated infers any identification which could be elucidated while playing jigsaw puzzles, snakes and ladders, particularly Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, Rubix cubes or even dallying with an SNP party Ouija board signed by She whose (really) name should no longer be uttered out loud..
It seems to me that those who made the redactions are the ones guilty of “jigsaw identification”.
Had there been no redactions in this report on the legal advice received by the Scottish Government on whether to comply with James Hamilton’s request for information. On the face of it, there would be no reason to believe that the personnel involved in this exercise would have had any involvement in the circumstances on which it was focused.
However, the redactions raise the obvious question of “Why have the redactions been necessary?”.
It seems to me that the obvious conclusion for many is that the same personnel that were involved in the focus of this enquiry also became involved in managing the inquiry into that which was being investigated.
So the suspicion around why _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ was allowed, or even installed, into handling James Hamilton’s inquiry is now, possibly, an even greater matter of public interest than the role “they” are understood to have played in the circumstances that Hamilton was investigating.
Ooooh! Hope the tooth work is not causing too much discomfort.
I’m pretty sure that Ruaraidh is the senior solicitor Ruaraidh Macniven, perhaps the only sane person there.
“I’m pretty sure that Ruaraidh is the senior solicitor Ruaraidh Macniven, perhaps the only sane person there.”
It is.
The (attempts to) cover up never end.
This is one helluva mess (and thanks Stu for efforts to unravel it all). This ” ‘Scottish’ Government” is seen once again to be both utterly dishonest and totally shambolic.
If you are going to be as dishonest as this, you really need to have a modicum of competence.
It all went tits-up as soon as the baton was passed from a great Scot to a pathetic pygmy.
There is much more to be learned. Without Wings we would have no hope of doing so.
‘Elizabeth’ was the most popular UK girl babies’ name in the 60s, due to the late Queen’s coronation, in that decade. ‘Elizabeth’ is often shortened to ‘Beth’ or ‘Eliza’ but the most common diminutive is ‘Liz’. It is rarely seen these days.
And should be seen much less from here onwards in the context of the (mis)governance of Scotland.
Ha, ha brilliant.
The Queens Coronation was 1953 but her Reign started in 1952. However I get your point.
Another interesting fact is that Andrew Lloyd Weber composed the Coronation music for Charles
And I should also mention that Lloyd George knew my father – or was it my grandfather?
Lowell George knew my father
I’m guessing you were a reader of the NME in it’s golden age , Mike – circa ’73 to mid-80s , ’cause I first heard /read that pun on the ” Georges ” in , I think , the Letters Page of that paper .If you were , you may also have been an admirer of Lowell George and his superb band – Little Feat . I was big fan ; still am
A timely reminder that Keir Starmer’s recently dispensed with Chief of Staff, Sue Gray took a sabbatical from the Civil Service in the 1980’s to manage a Republican pub (the Cove Bar) in Newry. Some have speculated that Gray was an employee of Thames House.
The role of Chief of Staff would be an ideal position for an MI5 officer to function from. Everything passes their desk and a particularly freewheeling individual could choose to interfere in all kinds of business.
Chief of Staff eh…all very interesting indeed.
Spooky season is in full flow.
They’re not very good at playing tricks are they?
Robin Ramsay / Lobster magazine have some good info on this kind of malarkey.
First jigsaws. Now crossword clues (3,5).
Yip.
We’ll find out eventually.
In the meantime, perhaps we should spare a thought for the poor sowels who stuck in at school and followed their elders’ advice to get a nice boring job with some government department or the National Savings Bank or suchlike – regular hours, decent holidays, nothing too dramatic or demanding from day to day, pension secure, retirement plans possible.
Aye, of course, you get ‘office politics’ everywhere, but this is way over and above what any employee should have to thole – they’re tainted by mere association and must be scunnered beyond belief.
Ahem…
Minor point… “We’ll find out eventually”???
The dogs in the street know!!!
The only thing we don’t know his her MI5 staff number and who her Thames House handler is. (Probably the same as Sturgeon’s).
That’s a good point. But personally, if I had been in their position, I’d have jumped ship ages ago. Life is too short.
I’m sure their family members would’ve told them what to expect being as it was probably a relation that got them the job in the first place..lol
lying is so much more effort than telling the truth and every civil service wanker thinks he is a poundshop macchiavelli
partial crossword and logic puzzle
R1
(8 or 9) letters
R2
(2/3 5/6) letters
and un-named A is NOT a SPAD, and … so on
obviously … it was the vicar, in the greenhouse, with a candlestick
I just wish we had a Sir Begbie KC to sort all the shit out
right – some cunt gave that cunt bad legal advice and nae cunt leaves here till we know what cunt did it … m,lud
You have no idea how many times lately Begbie has popped into my mind. Sometimes I’ve felt like Begbie, and other times I’ve wanted key players (for the truth to out) to BE Begbie.
Very good!
One has to wonder just how much of the Scottish taxpayers money has been wasted by Scotgov on procuring advice for something … then completely ignoring it?
the anonymised civil servant who wears innumerable hats is clearly in a conflict of interest ; every decision and each atom of advice is so tainted as to suggest it might be deadly to SG’s reputation and were they to be identified.
Secretariat is the key
I’ve been banking with LloydsTSB since the early seventies, and in all that time I’ve never had any problems with my banking.
He, he another belter.
You’re wasted, Rev. To analyse 101 pages, extract the nub, and then present to the public together with links to relevant material, within a couple of hours, is excellent. Go to the top of the class – boys side. Joanna Cherry did a rather different job but extracted 3 key points in 3 sentences!
Well said. (See my point above). Joanna Cherry KC is rather more familiar with this type of documentation, so her comments are complimentary to this analysis.
Wonder how much it’s cost the taxpayers so far? The SNP do like hiding and obfuscating information.
It is my understanding, that, certain individuals both within and outwith the Scottish Government have sighted unredacted versions of Hamilton’s report.
Fergus Ewing MSP said it contained evidence of the gravest misdeeds and criminality by the Sturgeon administration.
It is my belief, that, if the SG don’t release the unredacted version then someone else will, perhaps by using Parliamentary Privilege.
Where’s a David Davies when we need him … because I’m certainly not holding my breath waiting for any SNP MP to use Parliamentary Privilege to raise the matter at Westminster.
That would be most excellent. Fingers, toes and eyes crossed.
Fergus should tell all to David Davis and let him sing from Westminster’s rooftops.
Pity Joanna Cherry, Neale Hanvey, or Kenny MacAskill didn’t take the opportunity to progress resolving this ridiculous protracted situation when they had MP status and privilege.
Great tactical play for Scotland there leaving all the effort and onus on David Davis who belongs to a Party Scotland has rejected being oor government since around the middle of last century.
Carpe diem…
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Dan, if you look at Stu’s last paragraph, there’s a clue . . . my interpretation: the correct people have been keeping receipts and they talk to each other.
Absolutely bang on again Dan , I cannot understand how people can praise ANY snp spineless attendees infesting WM
They sat on their fat arses and let this whole despicable episode play out including the attempted DESTRUCTION of Alex Salmond , a man that I believe would have fought for their innocence if false allegations were made against them
They also ABANDONED the fight for independence preferring to supinely acquiesce to the poisoned deviant dwarf and her cabal of perverted nonces
Independence supporters heartily and rightly deride the labour party in WM and HR as spineless self serving tr@ itors to Scotland , the supine and despicable members of the snp in WM and HR are worse than the cretins in labour for they PROMISED much and DELIVERED NOTHING , COWARDS 1 and ALL
I can only come up with ONE name that fits the blank and role. Anyone got more than ONE name?
No. Just ONE, and only ONE.
‘potential wider consequences’ eh ? Stay tuned indeed
“Carefully unclear”. I just love that phrasing. I’ve met tricky fuckers JUST like that . . . to be avoided.
Scottish Information Commissioner, David Hamilton’s statement in response to the Scottish Government’s recent disclosure of legal advice, complying with Decision 193/2024
“I welcome Scottish Government complying with my direction, albeit at the 11th hour.
We have now learnt that Scottish Ministers were advised that prospects of winning this appeal were “not strong” and indeed diminished as advice developed. It is therefore frustrating to know that my scarce resources were absorbed in an appeal that advisers pointed out was not the one to test the particular legal argument being deployed.
Yup.
So obvious who it is.
Always had my doubts about Chris Boyd…
link to dailyrecord.co.uk
Archived link… Took ten seconds to find
link to archive.is
Cannae believe folk would still put direct links to the Daily Record what with all the antics of Murray Foote, David Clegg…
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Would it really make any difference if everyone knew the name?
I’ve long had the view that 9/11 was simply a crime and should have been investigated as such, rather than immediately misused as an excuse for a pre-planned series of wars.
It amuses me that there is an epithet, “truther”, thrown at those who question apparent obfuscations. Maybe you’d be called “Salmond Truthers”. Don’t laugh.
Back to the point – would it make any difference to anything if there were a million flyers dropped all over Scotland tomorrow spelling out the name and the story?
Even though I think the “official” 9/11 story is dodgy at the least, I don’t understand the view of “9/11 Truthers” that somehow anything at all would really change “if only people understood they were lied to”.
The people who run everything, or most of it anyway, have always lied and got away with it to gain power, money and control over the rest of us.
The problem is not one particular set of lies on one particular issue – such as whatsername’s name – it is that not enough people understand that lies and coverups pretty much run the way the world works.
If we can come to that broad understanding without retreating to preordained boxes whenever “they” blow the whistle, we might improve things.
No. People only, generally, understand what ‘specific to them’ lies they have been told, when the SPECIFIC to them truth comes out.
You heard of Watergate? If names are obscured then there is zero chance of prosecutions ever happening. The person involved in the set up of the Salmond disaster should clearly be no place near the ‘independent’ investigation into the shambles, and an anonymity order granted to you for claiming to be a victim in the trial that you set up in your official capacity clearly cannot be carried over into a separate investigation on whether you are a dodgy bastard for obscuring your role in the first place.
Very poignant to read again Gordon Dangerfield’s analysis of the actions taken against Alex Salmond.
link to gordondangerfield.com
“…despite the fact that there is no ostensible reason why a civil servant seconded to a public Ministerial Code inquiry ought to be afforded anonymity…”
I thought Hamilton’s note about the inevitable redactions was helpful:
“I am deeply frustrated that applicable court orders will have the effect of preventing the full publication of a report which fulfils my remit and which I believe it would be in the public interest to publish.”
Another layer of a very rotten onion is peeled.
Lets hope it happens.
“Calls are being made for Nicola Sturgeon to face a new inquiry into whether she broke the ministerial code.
The interventions have been made by Acting Alba Leader Kenny MacAskill as well as SNP MSP Fergus Ewing and former SNP MP Joanna Cherry.”
Calls for new probe into whether Nicola Sturgeon broke code | The Herald
We’ve had too many inquiries already have we not? They cost US money and they tie us (all interested parties) up in reading about legal loopholes within loopholes of redacted redaction: The truth we want to be seen loud and clear, becomes nothing but a flea on a live rat that’s feeding on a dead rat. They are trolling us and have been for years . . .there must be a way to circumnavigate all this pish . . what happened to Alex honestly makes me feel like I CAN NOT rest easy, Scotland can not rest easy, until this is all out in the open. A grave injustice has been done and we need our pound of flesh.
” Inquiries ” are almost never set-up to find truth or identify guilty parties . Their inordinate length is designed to drag things out long enough for whatever was being ” investigated ” to have passed from public awareness/interest .
nb what’s the status of the ” Covid Inquiry ” , y’know the one supposed to determine , among other things – why elderly , infirm people were sent to nursing homes and ultimately , to their deaths ?
It’s all went very quiet on that front
Yay! Great idea for another grift, let the taxpayer pay for another fucking inquiry.
Then we could maybe pay for a third inquiry into why the second inquiry into the initial inquiry failed to sort shit out.
I don’t know, what’s that person who’s allover Scottish stuff up to, you know the one, Sturgeon’s ex SPAD, maybe they could head up the inquiry… Or that dude Chilcot, he was a swift actor, well he was quicker than trying to build two fucking ferries for 300 million quid.
Jeezo, at this rate I’m thinking of setting up a crowdfunder for a modest amount to cover my permanent emigration costs to get me somewhere out of UK jurisdiction and this rotten honking cesspit of festering toxic self-serving arseholes, and then I’ll spill the beans, happy never to return to this shit stain of a country to see “Scottish Justice”.
” Then we could maybe pay for a third inquiry into why the second inquiry into the initial inquiry failed to sort shit out. ”
Ah ! that would necessitate a fourth inquiry into why the third was taking so long . 5 years later people ( well , coupla guys , somewhere ) might ask ” what’s the score with Inquiry 4 ? ” ; by this time naebdy remembers the original but nonetheless are pretty sure it was just another case of Conspiratorial Thyroid Syndrome .
rather than a crowdfunder-to-self-exile ( though I get where yr coming from n’all ) ….how about a crowdfunder to get you into the Trans-Mother of Kid-On Parliaments ? whereupon – if Holyweird is ever deemed adult enough to be * granted * it – you could use Parliamentary Privilege to torch the fuckers from their hidey-holes n closets ?
I’d happily contribute to such a spirit-raising crowdfunder 🙂
Attending the Poundshop Parliament of (Badly) Administrated Devolved Powers would be a tough gig for any half competent human to put up with.
Seriously, with all the brain melting idiocy going on in and emanating from there there’s enough content for Irvine Welsh to chuck together Acid House 2 – Chronicles of Holyrood.
Chapters on how men can be women, fitting solar pv on north facing roofs, 30/40 mill for two proven turn key ready to go catamaran ferries but instead opting to piss away near ten times that cost on two shite ferries, Sturgeon perma-roofied so she can’t recall anything. You’d have to be dosing on schrooms to think any of that is competent governance.
It’s nearly Guy Fawkes night so the only hope for improvement is if some oldskool analogue smoker defies the ULEZ rules and walks past Holyrood and discards a ciggy butt which ignites the huge clouds of xylene fumes that have accumulated in the area from Swinney’s manic redacting pen sessions.
Now that I’ve said that expect the idea to grow legs and we’ll see Muriel Gray hired as Holyrood fire safety officer, and several minutes later the place goes up and all the incriminating documents are turned to ash.
REALLY , MacAskill , Cherry and Ewing, 3 self serving people who sat back on their fat lardy arses whilst their FRIEND Alex Salmond was being demonised ,denigrated ,ridiculed and DESTROYED by LIES and CORRUPTION from a deviant poisoned dwarf and her cabal of monsters and perverts
MacAskill or Cherry could have done what David Davis did , stand up in the house of corruption and EXPOSE the truth, did they, did they fuck, they were more interested in their pensions and big bucks salary, NOW it’s all outrage and calls for another enquiry into the first enquiry WTAF ,David Davis wasn’t a COWARD he stood by his friend, where was MacAskill and Cherry ,hiding fae the wee monster , SILENCE is collusion no excuse, Fergus Ewing of the great Ewing clan , is that the same Fergus who OPENLY voted against Ash Regan’s proposal , NOT a BRAVEHEART among them
MacAskill ,lawyer,Cherry, KC ,Ewing, lawyer , and not one of them willing to EXPOSE the corrupt and fetid judicial system DESTROYING their friend and Scotland
Aye, gravy slurpers gonna slurp gravy…
This nefarious shit started in 2018!
That’s 6 fucking years this corruption has dragged on which undoubtedly played a part in loading a significant amount of stress on to sadly departed Alex Salmond. AQnd also massive cost to the taxpayer in both financial terms, as well as using up thousands of hours of elected official and civil servant personnel’s time dealing with this crap rather than that money and time being utlised for far more beneficial causes for Scotland.
I never could see the tactical long play game of why they did nothing when they had the opportunity, which has now passed after they lost their elected and privileged positions.
I’m sorry, but with friends like these that weren’t prepared to either step up and defend the reputation of the man that likely helped elevate them into the positions they held, and or address the ongoing tarnishing of the limited executive, legislature, and judicial powers Scotland has, it just stinks of their priorities and motivations lying elsewhere.
Trying to hold yet another inquiry at taxpayers’ expense to grease the wheels of the same fuckers that facilitated this entire sorry mess in the first place is a kick in the face to those that strived so hard to campaign for them on the grounds that Scotland could be a much better place with the likes of them elected into the positions activists help them gain.
This cover-up release reminds me of an episode in Yes Minister where, to cover up an official’s misconduct, they redacted EVERYTHING in his file.
Ex-SG civil servant here. I know her. The reason the name is redacted is that she was not a senior civil servant (nor a SPAD). It’s standard SG procedure to redact the names of staff below SCS.
link to x.com
Hopefully David Davis MP will shine a light into dark corners and expose the truth by using Parliamentary Privilege.
A brilliantly put together piece. I’ve been sitting here trying to think of names that match the length of those black boxes. But, will they remain redacted or is the perhaps the chance that in future these will need to be removed?
There us ine get out if jail free card available. Which of the alphabeties will claim it, dob in the rest and head off into the sunset.
Form an orderly queue now
Tick tock tick tock
That is a wig you’re wearing in the censorship article, isn’t it, Rev?
Yes, the D Wreck was known for getting “inside” stories from “someone”.
« Having thus inscribed the state of exception within the context of dictatorship, Schmitt then distinguishes between “commissarial dictatorship”, which has the aim of defending or restoring the existing constitution, and “sovereign dictatorship,” in which, as a figure of the exception, dictatorship reaches its, so to speak, critical mass or melting point […] “Because the state of exception is always something different from anarchy and chaos, in a juridical sense, an order still exists in it, even if it is not a juridical order” (Schmitt 1922, 13/12). » (Giorgio Agamben: STATE OF EXCEPTION)
“La dittatura, nel cui contesto lo stato di eccezione è stato così iscritto, è poi distinta in «dittatura commissaria», che ha lo scopo di difendere o restaurare la costituzione vigente, e «dittatura sovrana», nella quale, come figura dell’eccezione, essa raggiunge per così dire la sua massa critica o il suo punto di fusione. […] «Lo stato di eccezione è sempre qualcosa di diverso dall’anarchia e dal caos e, in senso giuridico, in esso esiste ancora un ordine, anche se non un ordine giuridico» (Schmitt, 1922, Pp. 18 sg.).” (Giorgio Agamben: STATO DI ECCEZIONE)
Colonialism is arguably not that complicated; here the dominant national party elite is co-opted by the colonial power and its confidential agents, and work to deny the people their liberation.
They and everyone connected with the racket are, as we see, condemned by their own hypocrisy, their every utterance, redacted or otherwise, becoming less and less believable.
link to salvo.scot
It is odd that the drafter of the first sentence of the Robison answer chose to say “seconded one individual” rather than “seconded one civil servant.”
I found myself reading old news stories to remind myself of the honourable men, checking dates, times, places, people.
The guest list for this event would be nice to know. It won’t be written down anywhere, but I am sure a “top journalist” with excellent sources might find out.
link to archive.ph
sounded like a good night.
That’s very interesting. I suppose it should be no surprise that fraud and misappropriation has been going on right from the start. When are Mrs Mugabe’s acolytes going to accept and admit they’ve been defending and excusing pure evil?
Sorry, off topic.
I see elsewhere that Penfold Pol Pot of the Khmer Vert and his Canadian sidekick are posturing about bringing down the government regarding the budget.
Strangely I also see in various Scotch MSM comments that Labour and Tory commenters seem awfy reticent for this to come to pass; probably because they are in as sH1te state as the SNP and the Khmer Vert.
Do!!
Bring it on I say; cry havoc and redd the lot out by letting the people of Scotland have its say both on all these chancers and Scotlands way forward. Do it now INSTEAD of 2026.
I’m sick of the whole lot of them and a serious reset is required.
Put it to the people and constrain parties in power for implementing policies not contained in their election manifestos; that will clear out the focus groups, SPADS, social engineer cuckoos and hangers on.
Somehow I just can’t imagine either of them doing anything which could lose them their salaries, expenses and pension contributions. Not to mention boasting of being MSPs.
Plenty of “Sound & Fury”, however as long as cash keeps coming I’d guess they’ll be available for soundbites and posturing.
I’ve just watched today’s PRISM. Canny mind who now (sorry folks), but someone made a pertinent point on this very topic: SNP appeasing the Greens with the 24 Genders bollox in order that the Greens might not oppose the budget.
The way things are going [Redacted] looks increasingly likely to be the one who’ll carry the can for the Salmond affair.
Maybe [Redacted] will get ahead of the story by giving a tell-all interview to a sympathetic journalist?
My money would be on Cathy Newman of Channel 4
Jordan Peterson says otherwise.
Off piste but relevant.
English colonists in the «Happy Glen»…..all thanks to the SNP apparently.
link to archive.ph
Mao Mao, Mao Mao
This backs up what you observe. Thirty years ago outside the holidays you rarely heard an English voice anywhere. Now they are everywhere. I have no problem with immigration from the UK other than most will vote NO.
As long as a future constitutional vote excludes anyone not born in Scotland or have Scottish parents that would be fine. None of this civic nonsense. The UN rules for constitutional votes is a must.
as someone with nationalist sympathies, not born in Scotland and with only distant Scottish family connexions i’d be on the no vote list….
rather draconian?
i do get the premiss though.
However i would not trust the «corporatiste» UN as far as i could spit…..
The UN will implode soon as the majority will abandon it for BRICS & a return to properly interpreting international law.
It was clear from the summit a few weeks ago that every country that took to the podium is pissed off with the USA completely dominating every single aspect of world affairs, economies, flagrant disregard for international laws & especially so over dragging their heels over geno-cide & still supplying weapons when a clear instruction had already been given not to.
No one was buying their “rules based order, we’ll make it up as we go along” nonsense & good news for Scotland, the majority of countries don’t support or see why two permanent yaps, with feck all worth to anyone in terms of GDP, PPP, military & population get to sit on the security council & use its veto to bark orders to everyone else. (UK & France) They should be removed.
To placate Africa they offered them a seat but only as a guest who wasn’t to speak LMAO! They told them to get tae f…! As one said, what’s the point of attending a banquet & then being told you can’t eat anything. You’re only here to watch us eating. You can hush & shut up & sit up the back..
The US & Isr have killed the UN beyond repair & their place in Persia & the Arab nations too. As evidenced by them refusing to allow attacks launched from their territory to attack Irn.
The world is shifting & it’ll happen faster than they’re expecting. The UN is beyond pissed & the majority walked out when Yahoo took to the podium. Same with the yap from Eastern Europe demanding everyone pay him homage & acting like thugs insulting as many countries as they can.
Yahoo, in his stupidity, even pronounced a map of all the countries he planned to overthrow – all of his neighbours who were sitting in the audience LMAO! Aye, righto, there goes yer permission launching attacks from our soil then..
Doesn’t take long these days to get back onto the wee, pretendy geno-cide.
There’s been a nasty war on for coming up 3 years now, Geri. Pres P thought it would be a good wheeze to get his misogynistic, medieval mates to open up a second front in the ME a little over a year ago. But that backfired badly and the great news is the terrorists and their enablers are getting their arses handed to them. Result!
Just why you choose to support the imperialists, colonialists and terrorists remains an enduring mystery, maybe it’s because you’re special, but the other great news is that the likes of you won’t be getting anywhere near to running Scotland.
Not ever.
How about a 10 year residency rule? In France/ the Netherlands etc. you would never get to vote on constitutional affairs if you weren’t born there, but some countries have a time limit. It should be discussed. Unfortunately if you dare to even mention the franchise you are immediately shouted down by the cap-in-hand tartan yoons as being a blood and soil moonhowler. C’est la vie.
There’s no precedent for a 10 year residency rule in self determination referendums though.
It’s still a crushingly stupid idea, which will harm the chances of achieving a pro independence majority at home and fatally damage the chances of international recognition, because there’s no precedent for it.
Why not make the measure something you’re really interested in, James? I’m certain you have your own obsessions about who you would like to see in Scotland. From the frequency of your posting about it, it’s a subject rarely absent from your overheated imagination.
What if we were to appoint you to conduct the assessments? We could issue you with an official ruler. Not metric though, the standard unit of measurement is still the inch for your niche enthusiasm.
There is no such beast as such UN rules for self determination referendums though Andy, sorry about that. You’re either ill informed or just another of the moonhowling blood and soil nativist claque that refuses to accept facts.
Self determination referendums overwhelmingly use open, residence based criteria. The “rules” for franchises in SD referendums and those for constitutional change in already independent countries with defined citizenships are decidedly not the same thing.
Proposing a restriction of the franchise to native born Scots, or those with Scottish born parents would be regarded as illegitimate by swathes of the independence movement and by most of the international community. It would also enfranchise several hundred thousand Scots in the diaspora (mostly living in the rest of the UK), the majority of whom are most unlikely to be independence supporters.
If native born Scots in Scotland don’t have the political cojones to deliver a decisive majority in favour of independence, they don’t deserve it in the first place.
You might find this of interest.
link to migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk
When i use the word identity, said Humpty Dumpty to Alice…
I can’t link to the archive, however, here’s an inconvenient truth…
Majority of Scottish born voters said ‘yes’
Findings from the Scottish Referendum Survey show Scotland stayed in Union because of views of those born in other parts of Britain and further afield
Lindsay McIntosh Friday March 27 2015, 1201am, The Times
Most Scottish-born voters backed leaving the UK in last year’s referendum. The findings from the Scottish Referendum Survey show that Scotland only remained in the Union because the views of those who were born in other parts of Britain and further afield.
They also reveal that Scotland did not decide to stay because of Unionist promises of extra powers, as claimed by Alex Salmond, the former first minister. The majority of voters who backed the No campaign did so because they felt British, because too many of their questions went unanswered and because they believed that independence would leave Scotland worse off economically. [cont.]
Presumably much the same could be said of Scots unionists who couldn’t be persuaded to vote “Yes”? After all, more than 80% of the population is Scots born.
If we can’t fashion a pro-independence majority from them, it suggests our case just isn’t that good, or isn’t being put by people or parties with the smarts to actually run an independent Scotland, which amounts to much the same thing in the end. I very much doubt the burach of the last 10 years will have persuaded a lot of “soft No” voters to change their minds.
Another inconvenient truth for all those nativists insisting they want the franchise restricted to those born in Scotland of course is that the Scots born people in the diaspora they’d logically have to enfranchise (which is after all wha the Catalans did for Catalans abroad) would doubtless vote heavily pro union.
I doubt any of them have the will of the money to poll them for their views? Of course the moonhowlers only crow about polls that agree with their idée fixe.
Be careful what you wish for folks! 🙂
You obviously skipped the relevant bit that applied to your previous assertion whereby “If native born Scots in Scotland don’t have the political cojones to deliver a decisive majority in favour of independence, they don’t deserve it in the first place”, so here it is again…
“Most Scottish-born voters backed leaving the UK in last year’s referendum.”
No I didn’t miss it, it just isn’t relevant.
52% of those who voted Yes being Scots born still doesn’t constitute a majority of the franchise accepted by the international community, which is all of those resident.
If you want to persuade >50% of the required franchise you can do a number of things:
The last one ought to be easier to do post brexit and the omnishambles of Trussonomics, and BoJo and now the Red Tories in power probably for 2 terms should be worth a few %.
Go do!
What does yer beloved international community say about colonisers deliberately moving around population/voters to skew results?
There is surely restrictions in the notes on decolonisation. Get back to us.
PS. Have you written yer very stern letter to the UK government yet crying about EU citizens being removed from voting on Brexit?
Is the UK not part of this international community you speak of? Why didn’t they refuse to recognise the Brexshit result as half the population was denied a vote?
And Kosovo, not Internationally recognised, has it crashed & burned to the ground yet?
Your international community speak is just pish innit? It doesn’t even know what a geno-cide is so I doubt they give a flying fuck about voting restrictions on constitutional matters. They certainly don’t in Isr.
Scotland is a sovereign nation. It can decide it’s own franchise. I dunno why you continually try flog a dead donkey. The international community is all about to change seats soon anyway.
Those nasty Orcs recognise the right to self determination, international treaties & world history at least. So we should be off to a good start. Unlike yer colonising chums.
Here’s the fact:
“Most Scottish-born voters voted NO in the Indy Referendum.”
You’re entitled to your own opinions. You’re not entitled to your own “facts.” That assertion you made has long since been debunked.
“That assertion you made has long since been debunked.”
By whom and published where?
It’s not MY “opinion” or “assertion” BTW…
It’s the findings of the Scottish Referendum Survey, as reported in The Times on 27/03/15.
So…
Sources? Names? Dates? Publications?
No they didn’t but the ones that did voted for…
1. Devo max.
2. Federalism.
3. Remaining in the EU.
4. More Powers at Holyrood.
5. More of a say in the UK parliament.
6. Lead not leave as a valuable member of the ‘Family of Nations’ pish.
& Countless other lies that were not delivered.
Remember that the next time you assume 55% voted for the union. They didn’t. They voted for change & received fuck all.
Entirely agree with your last paragraph.
Further down we see Alf Baird posting the bleeding obvious too – sizzlers come here to better themselves.
Meaning, obviously, that if Indy could put together a coherent, plausible, promise of a better life for ordinary people in Scotland, the sizzlers would be in favour too. A rising tide lifts all boats.
And meantime, we have the Plebiscitary Election route sitting there waiting to be picked up by 100 Scots who are prepared to get off their lardy arses.
Sounds good. Move aside, I’m on my way.
” we were able to build our dream home ” , quoth one of those lovely ” New Scots ” : ah , that’s nice for you .
What yr view on Scottish Independence , dear New Scot ?
………………………………………….., um ……………………..wots’ that me ol china plate ?
I recently had an exchange with one such ersatz Neo Caledonyin , who was expressing mock * despair * at having to find things to occupy her FIVE children during the school Half Term holiday ; when I remarked that it must cost her a fortune in childminding/nursery costs she replied , ” oh , it’s fine , most of the cost is subsidised by Scot Gov ” : to which I said ” ah well , I hope you’ll not be voting for any of the English Parties as they’ll almost certainly do away with such things if they become the Scottish Gov ” . It was as if I had slapped her in the coupon , like ” how dare you bring that subject up ” , after which she spluttered ” are all the Parties up here not Scottish ? ” .
That’s the level of understanding and interest in Scottish Affairs evinced by the majority of ” new arrivals ” I’ve encountered ( an ever-increasing amount ) over the last few years . As the article states …..the numbers of such have accelerated greatly since * Covid * . The latter being a gift for Scotland that just keeps giving , eh ?
This trend is set to continue and increase exponentially as the quality of life ” Down South ” deteriorates even further .
Swinney’s participation in that , essentially ….meeting of Regional Mayors the other week is merely another stride in cementing the perception of Scotland as a Northern Shire of Greater England .
The pattern is a familiar one. A «few» quickly turns into a «lot» which in turn develops it own exclusive cultural «milieu», think Mallorca, Malta, Cyprus, Dordogne, Chiantishire etc. or closer to home North Wales.
Cheap, relatively, living is the attraction not the history and indigenous cultures.
Turks, Kurds and Arabs «appropriated» during many centuries my ancestral homeland of «Assyria» so i do understand the nature of the beast.
Plus ça change….
The se***er only moves to a colony ‘for an easier life’, and ‘for a profit’, which is based on ‘privilege’ (Albert Memmi).
Scotland’s population has risen by some one million people over the past 20 years or so, an incomplete census yet to reveal this properly. Which helps explain the worsening crises in budgets, health, education, housing, etc, as well as the static pro-independence vote, and a sustained unionist vote.
Demographics as a determinant of independence:
link to yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com
White Flight
Dictionary.
Definitions from Oxford Languages · Learn more
noun –
The phenomenon of white people moving out of urban areas, particularly those with significant minority populations, and into suburban areas.
Bits of Blighty are getting too ethnically diverse for Les Anglais, so they’re running to those parts of the island of Great Britain where their white children might not form the racial minority in class.
The ability for some to work anywhere from home means those of working age are no longer restricted to urban settings/commuter belts, and now compete with retired emigres from England for properties in Scotland’s rural areas, thereby ensuring the next generation of young Scots will be forced to leave the rural areas of their birth just to find somewhere to live – being priced out by white settlers and those buying simply to let. Anyone been to Nethy Bridge recently? Jeez-oh!
And what is our Scottish Government doing to address this issue?
F*k all!
Too busy dreaming up 24 different genders!
Indy for Scotland!
SNP Out!
link to archive.ph
link to archive.ph
link to archive.is
The uk section in the north will be single track with passing places whilst the southern section will be six lanes with hardshoulder and service areas.
Slight problem – does England have any sea? Lol
The decision to post the response on the Scottish Government website at the last possible moment (Saturday) as opposed to say the last working day of the week may appear churlish, or to use the gid auld Scots term thrawn, but given that we are dealing with 101 pages of jumbled correspondence, it did avoid the Sunday papers with their editorial deadlines.
This playing for time (measured in days) smacks of desperation. Tick tock …
Redaction is so often used to undermine access to important, relevant information that it undermines the “right” to that information.
Perhaps it has become necessary to demand an official body to disclose why it has used a method of redaction for each and every use.
They should only be allowed to redact only if if the redaction can be justified from a clearly defined list of possible reasons. It will be necessary to make sure that the uses are not too general and vague.
Perhaps this may make them hesitant to use redaction too frequently by forcing them to explain the redactions. It would also create reasons to challenge the redactions themselves.
Of course, every measure will always encounter another obstructive technique or method of evasion.
But that’s life, isn’t it?
It is covered by the Freedom of Information Scotland Act as described here link to foi.scot
The UK; the biggest con trick in history. It’s a belter.
The yoons will be choking on their corenflakes.
link to youtube.com
Very informative. 10 years since the last referendum and only ten more until a generation has passed and then it will be time for another referendum, with no blocking from WM. That’s plenty of time for this sort of information to spread and for the Scots to rightly vote for their independence. Good luck.
A generation is 30 years.
Unless we’re discussing once in a generation extreme weather events. They occur every 5 years or less.
Nope. 20-30 years.
Nope. You need to look beyond the first result Google throws up.
You also need to get real. 20-30 is not something you can put on a calendar, so even from that answer it’s 25 years!
Okey doke
A political generation is 7 years according to the Good Friday Agreement.
Fuck knows the past decade has felt like a lot longer.
Then you can’t have been having much fun!
We can have a Plebiscitary Election every 5 years at both WM and HR, so that’s 4 in every decade.
A lot easier to sit around greetin and gurnin though.
Sounds like the Irish are smarter than the Scots if they had the foresight to get the definition of a generation written down.
Its this amount of years – it that amount of years..hmmm.. its got absolutely f*ck all to do with Westminster, when we in Scotland decide to vote on ditching this illegal union.
Correct answer!
FFS Ros
If you weren’t such an indolent lard arse you could be standing for office yourself on a Plebiscitary Election policy.
You and a few of the other keyboard warriors on here. As I pointed out, 4 times a decade if you cover both HR and WM.
And you only have to get lucky once.
You have two congenital handicaps, mind, but one of them is fixable. Simply learn how to spell “Scotland”.
My youngest grandkid has mastered it and she’s only 6 YO!
Brilliant!
Police Scotland officers want to cover their backs.
“Police officers who are “gender critical” want the force to recognise their views. Some have applied for permission to form a staff association for protection against disciplinary action.
The Police Sex Equality and Equity Network, recognised in England, has now applied for that status in Scotland. The network is opposed to trans-officers strip-searching the opposite biological sex and recording crime data on gender self-identification.”
‘Gender critical’ Scots cops want police force to recognise their views – Daily Record
Seriously, there’s an ex civil servant, who worked with Scot gov at the time all this was happening, so he claims, now retired, so he claims, muddying the waters on twitter claiming the redacted name, he knows apparently who it is, is not the person we all think it is.
Does that make sense, since he doesn’t know who we all think it is, because no one has named her.
He says her name’s redacted because she so low down the CS scale, that it’s normal practice.
Confused, you will be
“he”, “she”, “her”, as you are writing about Scotland and our wee, pretendy Scottish government, I assume many readers will fail to understand with any clarity what you mean by these terms.
So yes, confused.
Yes, I read ‘his’ comments and thought ‘what otter bullocks’.
Bet Clegg?
SH1te rolls downhill in the corridors of power; they’ll be claiming it was the cleaner wot dunnit guvnor..
Very informative comment from Mark Hirst.
“The UK National Archive holds records that show that even in the 1970s “every SNP branch in Scotland” had a special branch informant, reporting to MI5. It’s been 20 years since I first revealed this information and it was reported, briefly, in a couple of the MSM outlets.
@JohnSwinney even congratulated me personally on this work although neither he or anyone else took any action to address and counter such interference.”
Those who claim the SNP are not infiltrated now are naive or deliberately trying to prevent closer scrutiny. Why? That’s for them to answer”
Mark Hirst (@Documark) | nitter.poast.org
Many of Mark’s posts are fascinating to me as he has so much first hand evidence.
That defo sounds dodgy to me.
One informant couldn’t be trusted.
Two informants doesn’t cover against the possibility that one gets “turned”. MI5 would receive contradictory reports and be unable to determine which was true and which was false.
No, Ros, with a little thought you’ll see that every branch must have had at least three informants. And that will remain true today.
FFS, Ros, have you never read any Le Carre?
You haver some sh!te!
Yup.
The IDF Fanboy celebrates the murder of Palestinian children and babies in between snorting industrial amounts of charlie.
Every day.
And that folks, accurately explains every single one of his incoherent posts of concentrated drivel.
You sound jealous, ask the Rev to pass me your details and I’ll cut you a line or two.
MSM this morning reporting the latest Humous boy’s pronouncements on what they need to agree to a ceasefire. You should take a look.
It’s abundantly clear that from the Humous POV, a few tens of thousands more dead will be an acceptable price if they can retain their intact yellow hides, their stashes of loot, and the weapons they will need to keep their own people ground under foot for ever.
And so the war will continue.
Alert Scots just have to make very certain that folks who think like you never get anywhere near power. You sympathise with a regime that sees its people as utterly worthless, expendable collateral damage.
So far, the Scots the likes of you voted for have done no worse than rip us off financially, traduce our history and national honour, and turn our country into an international figure of derisive fun.
So we have got off lightly. Our leaders haven’t colluded in the deaths of tens of thousands of us, and the turning of our country into an end-to-end rubble heap.
Any old pish as long as it contradicts the majority view of commenters on WOS and diverts our attention from the issues at hand. I just scroll past.
You scroll past, yet know it’s pish.
Hmmm.
So you’re a metaphysical genius, a bigoted ignoramus, or a liar.
They’re all over U & Georgia too meddling in shit that doesn’t concern them so it’d be very difficult to believe they’d not pay particular attention to their main cash cow living right next door.
They’ve been all over the SNP like a rash since their inception as government documents from the Kew archives revealed & they only got worse after the oil started coming ashore.
Anyone who doesn’t believe the SNP are infiltrated just need to look at the absolute bin fire they’ve become since Sturgeon & Angus Robertson took over the party. He almost immediately started to change the party rules giving Sturgeon absolute control over everything. Bastards.
Anybody who doesn’t understand why the SNP on becoming a serious, grownup party of government and responsibility had to isolate the knuckle draggers, just needs to look at the comments on here from many who supported them over the years.
The SNP took your votes, sure, but no way could they have you anywhere near serious adults doing a serious job.
And that’s exactly what will happen next time round too. The new Indy phoenix, when it arises from the ashes of the old, will need your votes.
But that’s where it will stop. Multiple layers of isolation will be needed to keep your deranged contagion at bay.
Is the word “popcorn” permitted?
Cornpop?
What is this “redacting” hiding and why?
This Hamilton Report has nothing to do with Mr Salmond’s criminal case, so anonymity should not apply here. So, other than attempting to deliberately keep the public in the dark, why exactly is this anonymity still being abused and why are they being allowed to get away with it?
Is it the identity of a particular person/people that cannot be revealed? If so, why? What makes that individual so special that their identity cannot be known despite being right at the middle of all what appears to have gone wrong since some idiot came up with the idea of the complaints procedure?
Or is the actions of a particular person/people that are being covered up here? If so, why? Why are their actions being covered up instead of being disciplined for them? And where do those actions stem from? Was this individual acting rogue or were they follow instructions from somebody else? If the latter, from whom?
Or the anonymity is to attempt to hide the large number of different dodgy things a particular individual have had their fingers stuck on? If this is the case, what exactly makes this individual so special above everybody else that, besides having their finger in all the pies, continues to be granted the luxury of anonymity so the public cannot know the gruesome extent of this individual’s interference, meddling and incompetence?
Why some particular individuals within the civil service can completely escape scrutiny in this blatant and grotesque fashion? This is an insult to the people of Scotland who are being forced to pay the overinflated salaries of these unelected civil servants. Who exactly is protecting them and why?
I think it is about time the public got an answer. This is a matter of highest public interest. So why are these corrupt crooks being allowed to continue suppressing this information from the public?
I suspect that if this person’s identity is revealed, the dots will rapidly be joined and the whole utterly corrupt, criminal edifice will come crashing down. They are trying desperately to prevent that, but they can’t keep lying and obfuscating forever. The dam is cracked and leaking. Can’t be long now until it gives way.
” So why are these corrupt crooks being allowed to continue suppressing this information from the public? ”
Because the entire Political System is corrupt .
It’s implausible to imagine the characters involved in this malignant drama are enjoying the immunity from consequence they ( currently ) are purely under their own auspices . Only a * higher power * could provide such cover .
Why is the Brit State not using this scandal to totally , once and for all , destroy the SNP ? They have all the * material * they need to do so .
They could be biding their time , waiting for the point where/when maximum damage could be achieved by opening the sluice-gates n letting the shit flow out in a deluge .
Or , it suits their purpose to have the whole thing forever bubbling away , keeping the Movement divided/paralysed , everything unresolved n still festering .
Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Act 2021:
link to legislation.gov.uk
You’re right, Alf. Any government employee can commit any crime, even murder, if it protects the purposes of the State. UK can’t afford to lose Scotland’s wealth etc so civil servants can get away with anything that damages Scotland’s independence cause.
We really are in a Stalinist State now. How this legislation got passed I do not know. The MPs must be mad.
So we’re in a Stalinist state?
So every day, somebody is scanning lists of names, and marking a selection of them, maybe hundreds at a time.
And every night, those marked on the lists hear the knock on the door as the cars come to collect them and take them down to a basement.
Where somebody shoots them in the back of the head.
My, my, I had absolutely no idea. The MSM is colluding in covering this up.
It’s a while since I visited Ullapool. I must go for a recce. I reckon that’s where the gulags must be.
They did a lot of changes under the cover of COVID when parliament was at half capacity or working remotely. How convenient.
Still no excuse tho cause they should’ve been working from home.
The UK security services wouldn’t be discussed in parliament anyway. Another outfit conducted in secrecy with the ‘Matter of national security’ card to play.
Did you know too that Biden upgraded Trident to permanent just a month or so ago? The colonising trick of being a contract for just a wee while – suddenly switched to now being a permanent fixture. No need for consultation, especially not with the Scots, cause NATO territory belongs to the yanks & what happens at Faslane stays in Faslane. If it’s anything like the contract the Swedes received (& I expect it is) then it’s outside the jurisdiction of the law. An axe murderer or serial killer could be an employee & he’s exempt from the laws of this land.
Thanks for the link – I found one grammatical error. There may be more.
Anonymity was granted to the Salmond complainants. In this FOI statement anonymity is granted to one individual against whom we Scots are the complainants.
David Hinds was named. In order not to be named, the redacted individual must surely be a state operative as well as a civil servant. One can but guess the validity of the interview process and/or the competence of the interview panel. One can but guess how many other such individuals are in place.
This whole episode calls into question the performance of civil service Scotland.
There is no such thing as ‘civil service Scotland’.
Colonies are ‘managed’ by officials sent from the metropolitan capital (Memmi), plus the usual ‘confidential agents pensioned off at high reward’ (Cesaire), and of course ‘co-opted national party elites’ (Fanon), as well as institutions holding only to ‘the colonizers values’ (Memmi).
link to yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com
Thanks Alf. Very informative. Explains much of recent history, and the obvious immunities (presumably) granted to Brit state assets in the ‘Scottish’ ‘Government’ and the SNP – and a putative explanation should a certain party NOT be charged consequent to Branchform.
Many Rhodes, editor Holyrood Magazine, on Alex Salmond ..
link to holyrood.com
Tom , thanks for that I was beginning to hate seeing yet another spite and shite piece about Alex Salmond.
That was good to read and soothed some rage.
Yeah Tom – Rhodes article is okay.
Meanwhile a feast of crocodile tears will be on show this week coming.
“MSPs from across the parliament will gather to debate the motion of condolence following the death of former first minister Alex Salmond next week.
The Scottish Parliament will debate the motion, lodged by First Minister John Swinney last week, on Wednesday afternoon.
All opposition leaders will be invited to speak to the motion after the first minister.”
Alex Salmond to be remembered in Scottish Parliament next week
Debate the motion of condolence ? What the devil is there to debate? Does it mean they will reinstate his presence in the SNP archives? Are they trying to make themselves look good in a slimy sort of manner?
“Debate” condolence? Why not just “Offer”? One even wonders if a moment of silence in Holyrood would be more dignified and appropriate.
I agree.
Maybe they could declare a public holiday in Scotland to celebrate his dedication to independence or/and public service.
“Moira, often the power behind the machine” says Mandy Rhodes. That is an interesting snippet that no-one else has said, so far as I know. Mrs Salmond is usually never mentioned as being involved in politics. I’m pleased to hear that she is active and “more radical” than Alex.
These people are beneath contempt
When I look at what was done to Scotland, the SNP and Alex Salmond amongst others (Craig Murray for one) this last ten years… and what is being down in Ukr@ine and especially what is being done in the middleeast the conclusions are pretty inescapable.
Really insightful chat here with Matt Kennard and Lowkey.
link to youtube.com
‘There is no media in the UK, it is a propaganda system.’
‘Because there is no democracy in the UK, it is an oligarchy.’
People in the UK are some of the domesticated, tamed, indoctrinated and manipulated people on the face of the earth.
I have been saying that what is happening in P@lestine is a lens showing our true reality but looking back it is all of the above… and the picture that has come into sharp focus now is truly horrifying.
What are we living in. It is fucked up.
Something has taken control to a degree that is now a threat to us all. It has accelerated and concentrated in the last decade especially.
Sturgeon, MI5, Liz Lloyd etc ad nauseum, there are more spooks than normal folk by far… They have just suffocated democracy and freedoms and truth.
Every ‘journalist’ in Scotland knows these redactions are not to protect the innocent but to protect the guilty, yet they say nothing. Because they are not journalists.
We have no media, this site and a few others are pretty much it.
As to the question of “Why” we are not getting to the bottom of who or what is in hiding or being hidden, then maybe this from Mark Hirst can help to understand what the hell is going on.
The fact that we are moving very, very slowly forward is good, but, it does strain the nerves.
link to x.com
Key read.