All the jolly boys and girls
As more and more information fights its way past the Scottish Government’s bouncers into the public domain, and the First Minister’s continued dogged insistence that she knew nothing about the false allegations against Alex Salmond until April 2018 looks more and more ridiculous, lots of things still aren’t clear.
One of them, of course, is who leaked the story to Davie Clegg of the Daily Record in August of that year, when the whole thing should have been confidential and passing it to the press was an unambiguously malicious and criminal act.
(The Information Commissioner’s Office investigated the leak but were sadly unable to locate any evidence. A second investigation is currently in progress.)
So let’s see what we know.
The timing of the leak is crucial. We know from material given to the current Holyrood inquiry that Alex Salmond’s lawyers had repeatedly told the Scottish Government that their investigation into the allegations was unlawful and that the matter should instead be dealt with privately by arbitration and/or mediation.
The Scottish Government had flatly refused these suggestions and insisted on going to court where the allegations would have become public – right up until the eve of the hearing, when it suddenly conceded, at a cost of hundreds of thousands of pounds to the taxpayer. It has steadfastly resisted disclosing its legal advice on the subject.
But one of the things we know is that Salmond was about to seek, on the morning of 24 August 2018, to have an interim interdict issued by the Court Of Session which would have prevented the Scottish Government from issuing any statement naming Salmond. The Scottish Government was informed of that fact at 5pm on the 23rd.
Within three hours of that notification, Davie Clegg had the whole story.
So where could it have come from? At this stage, very few people would have known in any major detail about the investigation. They included the two complainers, the First Minister herself, Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans, investigating officer Judith MacKinnon, civil servant Barbara Allison, and finally the First Minister’s chief of staff Liz Lloyd, who since March 2018 had been a central liaison between Nicola Sturgeon and Salmond’s representative and former chief of staff Geoff Aberdein.
If we rule out Salmond and Aberdein that’s just seven people (along with a very small handful of other civil-service mandarins who’ve got no axe to grind). Do any of them, we wonder, have any notable connection to or relationship with Davie Clegg?
Hmm, what’s this?
Let’s have a closer peek at those photos, shall we? (Click to enlarge.)
The front row of the first one, from left to right, is Kezia Dugdale, Liz Lloyd, SNP MSP Jenny Gilruth, then-Tory MSP Ross Thomson, and Davie Clegg. (The tiny wee fella at the back is Dugdale’s official spokesman at the time, David Ross, and the other one is someone called Lang Banks of conservation group WWF Scotland for some reason.)
All seven also appear in the second snap.
They were taken in, we believe, New York, but definitely during the International Visitor Leadership Program, an ongoing policy initiative of the US Department Of State in which “Scottish Opinion Leaders” – figures of influence (or potential influence, to very generously describe Dugdale’s case) are invited to spend some time over in the States “exchanging information” with the US government.
The two-week shindig has a notional price tag of $11,605 (about £8,700). We know this because Dugdale and Gilruth declared it in Holyrood’s register of interests, noting that the US Embassy picked up the tab for each of them.
(Oddly, Ross Thomson declared it on his Westminster register, even though he was an MSP at the time and didn’t become a UK MP until almost a year later.)
Given that you can get two weeks in New York in June – including flights, rather swish hotels and taxes – for as little as £900, it must be a pretty fancy affair.
Dugdale “became friends” with Gilruth on the visit – a phrase the Scottish media, including Davie Clegg himself, took great care to point out meant nothing more than innocent friendship – just a couple of weeks before becoming engaged to her long-term girlfriend Louise Riddell, and five months before dumping Riddell and buying her out of their shared Edinburgh flat with the money she made from “I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here”, then officially becoming a couple with Gilruth in early 2017.
Persistent chatter in Scottish political circles – which this site cannot confirm or refute – alleges that Clegg and Lloyd also became friends on the trip.
It was never clear what Clegg was doing on the IVLP at all, or who was paying for him. He tweeted only once about the “exchange trip” in the entire two weeks and the two weeks afterwards, and we’ve been unable to find any coverage of it or the “food for thought” it gave him in the Record around the time.
(He did write one piece, about the unpopularity of Hillary Clinton, based on his time in the US, but with no mention of either the IVLP or his gang of Scottish travel buddies.)
Dugdale didn’t make a single tweet about the IVLP either, nor write anything about it that we’ve been able to find, so we’re not sure why she needed to have a spokesman with her. She stayed on in the US for a few days afterwards to help Clinton to her famous victory in the Presidential election, though, and tweeted about that.
(She went back in October just to make sure, all while still claiming a salary as MSP for the people of the Lothian region, and at one point even got to meet a cardboard cutout of her heroine. Luckily she stayed away this year.)
Gilruth, however, tweeted twice about the trip, including a nice shot of the gang at the White House and revealing that they were in fact gallivanting across the whole country on Uncle Sam’s dime, not just New York.
One of the pics also features unexpected cameo appearances from two SNP MPs – its Westminster chief whip Patrick Grady and defence procurement spokesperson Angela Crawley (far right), alongside Gilruth and Lloyd.
(We have no idea who was paying for Grady and Crawley, because neither of them declare any US trip in the Westminster register of interests from July to October 2016.)
There was even time for a moment of apparent work, when Gilruth helpfully “stressed the value of education” to some US education officials who we can only assume might not have been aware of it. Nine grand well spent there.
Once again, we’re not quite clear on what Davie Clegg, a Scottish newspaper hack, is doing exchanging information with the Colorado Department Of Education, but we’re certain they were thrilled with his input. And the important thing is that everyone seems to have had an absolutely splendid time together.
That’s Lloyd next to Clegg on the upper left, btw. It’s nice to see him still wearing a suit and tie outdoors in 36C temperatures. He must have been sweating like a Scottish Government witness at the Salmond inquiry.
Now, we of course have to emphasise that none of the above demonstrates any sort of wrongdoing by anyone. It’s just a happy bunch of good pals enjoying a free glamorous summer holiday serious and important fact-finding trip, like anyone would.
It most certainly doesn’t prove that Liz Lloyd – one of the vanishingly small number of people who knew the details of the Salmond investigation at that point – leaked them to Davie Clegg hours before a court interdict, to make sure that they got into the public eye and enabled the press to luridly smear and monster Salmond on the basis of false allegations for months before he could prove his innocence, conveniently serving the interests of both the newspapers and the Scottish Government.
We’re equally sure that there’s nothing sinister in the US government being so nice to so many SNP figures, and that they want nothing in return.
And we’re certain that the absence of any official record of Grady and Crawley’s trips must mean that they paid for them themselves and just happened to bump into the others while out sightseeing, or something like that.
[EDIT 3.26pm: Aha.]
So to be honest, readers, we’re not sure why we even mentioned any of it, other than to perhaps show you a little about how cosily the world of politics you never hear about works. You may as well all just carry on with your day and forget we said anything.
NOTE TO ALL COMMENTERS: I will be adopting a “safety-first” attitude to deleting comments on this post, so please be very careful what you say.
Ever decreasing circles.
‘This was then sent to other newspapers as a spoiler’.
Oh dear, how sad, never mind.
Thank goodness none of these people turned out to be complainants in the case against Salmond, otherwise that would have looked really bad.
On an unrelated note, does anyone remember who the main protagonists were in hounding Wendy Alexander into resigning, back in 2008? It may be relevant to the misappropriation of ring fenced funds issue that is running concurrently.
As I said previously – the snp is about to explode for two reasons ;
1. Liz
2. Lloyd.
Stu
You are doing a great job ‘highlighting’with big flashing arrows. Perhaps Police Scotland will re-open their leak investigation?. I sent in my letter but it got lost and ended up being called a vote for Joe Biden.
Seriously considering never voting SNP again. How anyone of good conscience, once they have read and looked into the behaviour of these party members, even bring themselves to hold their noses and vote to allow them to continue to rip the utter pish like this is beyond me. Have we learned nothing from the labour party?
Food for thought indeed.
The only reason Clegg could have for being there is as a reporter in which case you’d think that he’d keep his distance and there would have been several stories indicating how the information exchange was going and what the delegates were discussing. But in the absence of such stories it appears he is having a lovely jaunt with someone close to him. Completely separately, You’d think our fine Police force who could delegate 100 officers to investigate a man for twirling a lassie’s curls could have made a bit more progress into finding where that leak came from!!
I think it becomes clear Rev. Any criminal act planned requires motive.
It’s clear one of the above knew the investigation was in trouble. They knew there would be repercussions from that failure.
They then had to conceive a way to return the pressure to Alex Salmond and divert from the failure of their shammbolic policy.
What did they need?
Knowledge,. Newspaper contacts who could be relied on.
Support for their actions from above.
One person,perhaps two had such access.
I think we have narrowed the culprit down to one of two , but in either case the support of the FM would have been essential.
Your investigative journalism is amazing Stu.
It is clear to anyone that they went for a Interview for a new Pantomine in New York !! The 7 of them would have been perfect but the Acting union of America took offence as it would have made Small people look stupid
The other 2 showed up as back up incase the role was too big for them but as we all know the money they used was ring-fence and will clearly show in their accounts in 2029 !
Oh dear and some think they are immune to the passing of time and investigative journalism.
Please keep looking, am sure more can be revealed.
First class sleuthing.
Had we a film industry instead of cottage activity we would see the story unfolded on television before too long, a political drama on the skulduggery, flaky connections and final outcome. Title: ‘The Union Connection’. Now, where’s Gene Hackman’s number?
Well, now we know EXACTLY when and why the story was leaked to the press.
I had wondered why AS had not attempted to get an interim interdict.
If NS was working in good faith, even if she could not confirm exactly who carried out the leak, she should have found good reasons to move her staff sideways to ensure they were no longer at the centre of her power base. At least until she confirmed who was trustworthy.
So, just to recap.
Complaints were made.
AS informed NS that the proposed method of dealing with the complaints was unlawful (correctly), advised her to seek legal advice on it, and offered up a proper, fair and legal alternative method for dealing with the complaints – by arbitration.
NS’s government went ahead with the unlawful methods, and when AS attempted to obtain legal protection with an Interdict, within 3 hours, someone from NS’s small circle – leaked it to the press.
And there has been no staff sackings, suspensions, or sideways promotions by NS since then.
The very nicest thing one can say about NS, with the most generous light, is that she has been deeply incompetent. And people trust her to ‘safeguard’ the process to Indy?
The whole rotten temple from the NEC up to, dare I say it, the Scottish Government needs bringing down. Sturgeon, Murrell and some shady Civil Servants have created a monster, no doubt with the tacit approval of the British State.
Can’t see any way out of this but to rip it up and start again.
Funny, Humza Yousaf was on that exact same American freebie-trinket-grabbing junket a decade before. Does make you idly speculate as to American influence on Scottish politics (they clearly don’t go for intellectual giants from our political ranks – Yousaf, Dugdale, Thomson – though maybe that’s the point), given how disgustingly America-obsessed and arselicky the SNP are. Then again, we do have oil, so if you can take over a country without taking them having chemical weapons…fire on.
I’d always presumed that the leak had not come from the inside
That the leak had forced unwanted public scrutiny on the machiavellian moves designed to prevent Salmond re-entering politics
Resulting in the arsecovering Salmondgate fiasco we all know and love today
But the thought that the leaker was an insider
Starting a runaway train
That’s schadenfreudian with cream on top
That’s
Brenda Isn’t A Sheep video taken down due to a ‘defamation complaint’.
Crowdfunder time again folks. Get the lawyers.
Whoever leaked to the Record only did it with a green light from Sturgeon. We can be sure of that.
On the wider matter of what might be described as the “generosity” of a foreign power one is reminded of the curious incident of the dog in the night.
Representatives across all opinion shaping sectors from elected politicians through to media hacks through to the Third, voluntary, sector, have been sucked into taking part in these kinds of “exchange programs” for decades. The purpose is one way and very obvious. Though never explicitly mentioned in “polite society” and never ever challenged.
Now, if such systematic interference at such levels and frequency were occurring in the form of similar programs taking place anyhere else but the other side of the Atlantic – Russia, China, Iran or other “official” enemy, as designated by this foreign power – you can bet your pension pot that the dogs would never stop howling in the night.
Years ago, I think it was when Labour/Lib Dems were in charge at Holyrood, some newspaper had an article about all the connections between folk in politics and folk in the MSM. There was a graphic with it that looked like a spiders web. Not much has changed.
A wolf whelped on a chicken farm may attempt to self identify as a chicken or a unionist mole may attempt to self identify as a nationalist hawk, however over time certain behavioural traits evidence the subterfuge.
The company we keep….
‘I’ve got a story to tell you. It’s all about spies. And if it’s true – which I think it is – you boys are gonna need a whole new organisation’
[…] Wings Over Scotland All the jolly boys and girls As more and more information fights its way past the Scottish Government’s bouncers […]
Everything just gets murkier and murkier, but this shows how badly a light needs shone on all this.
And, off topic, have you seen the astounding hypocracy of Alyn Daddy Smith in the National today?! Saying that SNP members who were only endorsing candidates who had signed the Women’s pledge and Common Weal groups were ‘crossing a line’. No mate. That would be you.
I wonder if the English FA Chairman had just said Liz Lloyd he
would have had to resign?
Wonder if the Italian Mafia would be willing to give our governments
Lessons on how to clean up their act?
Great journalism Stu, you should write a book about all this.
Every day the SNP looks more and more corrupt. If anyone votes for these cheats and liars in the future then it says a lot about their own integrity.
I wonder if Dugdale got any tips from Clinton in how to run a dodgy charity foundation?
I wonder how many other Scottish politicians have been paid by the Friends of Israel lobby?
If the SNP want any more advice on corruption look at Ryan Dawson on Youtube or his website ancreport.com lots of interesting films, documentaries and information. Also a lot on anti war and history
Alyn Smith accuses Womens’ Pledge and Common Weal groups of ‘crossing a line’
Smith has hit out at the SNP Women’s Pledge and Common Weal groups, accusing them of “crossing a line” in the party’s recent selection contest.
The MP says it was wrong for the groups to run a slate of candidates, asking voters to pick only those hopefuls who had signed up to their respective commitments.
The Common Weal Group’s pledge include land reform and public ownership and was backed by 11 candidates who won their races, including incumbent MSPs Ash Denham, Joan McAlpine, Christine Grahame and Stuart McMillan.
The Women’s Pledge, which is critical of the Scottish Government’s planned reforms to the Gender Recognition Act, also had a successful run.
Writing in today’s National, the Stirling MP says members should be careful of groups that divide the party. He says that while disagreement is inevitable in a party like SNP, members should “unite on the big stuff and put those differences to one side.”
READ MORE: We must call out tactics that are out to disrupt independence cause
Smith then urges activists to “be wary of organisations that seek to put other issues or causes above that aim, seeking to establish permanent alliances and factions within our party”.
He adds: ”The Women’s Pledge and Common Weal Groups have a place in a democracy, but proposing slates of candidates? That crosses a line for me.
“We are one Party and have one aim. And that aim has never been closer to fulfilment, let’s not blow it now on divisions that needn’t exist.
“It is healthy and correct that we have a robust debate, but remember the facts – we’re winning, the polls are with us and the people of Scotland have never been more open to independence.
“To listen to some one would think we are in the doldrums when we are assuredly not.”
A spokeswoman for the SNP’s Women’s Pledge said: “Members approached us asking for recommendations for candidates who were committed to protecting women’s rights.
“Women have concenrs about their sex based rights being under threat by the proposed changes inthe Gender Recognition Reform Bill.
“We were happy to answer those requests.
“It’s clearly important to many members that they nominate and vote for people who they believe will do a good job of steering the party towards independence.
“It’s disappointing yet unsurprising that others don’t.”
The Common Weal Group declined to comment.
Daisy Walker @9:30am
The video is still available outside of the UK.
One thing of note the wolf held up by the narrator is dressed as a male but the short note on the Scottish Book Trust YouTube site states that Brenda is a “she”.
The trust has been in operation since 1998 and the YouTube site started in 2008. I think being a Woo-man is a more recent phenomena – at least in fashionable circles so the Scottish Book Trust might want to check if they are being taken for a ride.
BTW, the list of the name of Officers on the Companies House register makes for a good laugh. You’ll know, when you see it.
Divisions that needn’t exist, Alyn Smith? Ok drop your queer theory politics and that’ll be the biggest division sorted! Twat.
Neily Boy says:
11 November, 2020 at 8:35 am
To be honest I might have played a minor role in that through my marathon FoI case to try to get the Electoral Commission to divulge why they decided that a criminal offence had been committed but weren’t going to do anything about it, and weren’t going to explain to the Scottish public anything about the case either.
Althoug WA wasn’t directly involved in the case she would certainly have been kept abreast of events, and she may eventually have become worn down by the idea that politicians spend their lives constantly lying to everybody about everything, and decided she wanted to do something else with her life.
I have toyed with the idea of asking Rev Stu if I can write a soapbox on the story, just so people can see how what you’re up against when you try to take on the establishment.
No, Thomson made two trips – the American one was paid for by US Embassy.
At last, I am glad the “American relationship” is eventually being highlighted. I have a lot more to say on the subject at a later date. I hope the Rev has his pencil sharpened.
As a matter of interest, Liz Llyod has a MA in American Studies and spent 1 year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. link to linkedin.com
I have been discredited in certain circles as a “conspiracy theorist” (and worse) and subjected to ad hominem attacks whenever I raise the subject of “what is going on within SG”.
Thanks Stu, by opening a can of worms you’re also opening a door for me.
Nice work Stu
Neily Boy says:
11 November, 2020 at 8:35 am
“Thank goodness none of these people turned out to be complainants in the case against Salmond, otherwise that would have looked really bad”.
I am with you Neily. It would be horrible to think that Liz Lloyd was one of the alphabetti Spaghetti women complainants in the case against Salmond. What a conflict of interest that would have been.
But that clearly cannot be the case, otherwise we would have been able to work that out from the sterling investigative work of my namesake Dani – and that would not lead anyone to think along those lines. Oh No.
So I think your fears are utterly without foundation and that we can rest assured that our first minister is being provided with the expert assistance that she deserves from one woman of impeccable character to another woman of even more impeccabler character.
We are in good, good hands.
Iain Lawson is on the mark with the “McStasi”
link to yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com
Who knows, maybe being anti-Union will soon be a Hate Crime too?
CIA interested in Scot politics for 1 reason only and that’s Faslane, an indy Scotland will threaten that and the need to buy Trident becomes redundant.
Rotten to the core, this SNP.
Those images just screamed ‘Hahaha!’ to the electorate. How can representatives of the Party of independence be seen cavorting so recklessly with.. Honest-to-fck? most of the people in these pictures hate us, and hate everything independence, yet they rub shoulders as if it’s the most unremarkable and normal thing?
The more I see and hear, the more I’m confirmed that Salmond, far from being as unwholesome and outlawed as they’d have schemed, is the only one in possession of a decent and moral compass. Fuck that group, totally fuck the lot of them, the lousy, scheming bastards.
I wonder how much the American Secret Service laid out on covert surveillance – bugs, taps, mics, cams – on these rank, and profoundly nasty, amateurs when they extended their warm welcome to their fine hotel apartments?
Aye, just scrub this crap, and very bent, Party and let’s start again, for this one’s going nowhere.
The MSM aren’t pouncing on this. Yet.
They are waiting for the sweet spot closer to the holyrood elections.
Regime Change is a thing even in so-called allied countries then. Also interesting tidbit anout conservative friends of the zionist aparteid state. Given what is known about the torpedoing of JC of Southern Albion, seems not a far stretch to see the long arm of Uncle Sam taking a swipe at the Salmond, god knows just have a program on RT is enough to get targeted by the US MIC. Thanks for this bit of digging. I am better informed.
Sylvia, at 10.42, please take your time, we’ll wait.
John Thomson has the right angle on that. But dont thing they dont like to meddle just for the hell of it. That is what they do.
Wonder what Garavelli has to say on the subject of criminal leaks? Her work is always so revealing.
The rate at which this stuff is all clicking neatly together is remarkable. I don’t even think the level of corruption in the COPFS is going to be enough to stop it.
Re Alyn Smith, ‘The Women’s Pledge and Common Weal Groups have a place in a democracy, but proposing slates of candidates? That crosses a line for me.’
Interesting to read Alyn’s words, because when it comes to the current SNP behaviour….
Complicity / complacency / conspiracy with regards Embezzlement of 1/2million£….
That crosses a line for me.
Failure to take responsibility for your own fuck ups – and getting others to pay your legal fees and fines – over £100,000 worth….
That crosses a line for me.
Bullying, threatening, discriminating behaviour towards woman’s rights and child safety…
That crosses a line for me.
Conspiring to take unlawful procedures against an innocent man, leaking that information to the press, wasting £millions of pounds of tax payers money in the process….
That crosses a line for me.
All these lines – fairly mounting up.
Of itself £8,700 jollies should raise alarm bells. That is huge amount for a two week trip. With a typical flight costing around £800 to £1,000 and allowing for typical hotels at around £200 to £250 per night, the cost of the £8,700 freebie suggests they must have been flying business class and staying in five star hotels.
The best part of £10,000 for a freebie (and yes they got £500 spending money too ) for a less than two week trip is absolutely breathtaking. Its absolutely breathtaking, and it stinks.
But coming back to the Salmon’s which up, the press leak, the inclusion of Liz Lloyd and paper man Davie Clegg in this jolly team raises some very serious questions.
Rev Stu, can I just say again, a grateful thanks, and a thanks echoed by many for your absolutely forensic exposure of the behaviours of those at the heart of this Scottish Government.
They are now more rotten than New Labour ever could have been and the leadership clique needs cleared out before any more damage is done.
Looking at the above pictures just reminded me of the words to the song “ The In Crowd “ by The Mamas and Papas ,
I’m in with the in crowd;
I go where the in crowd goes.
I’m in with the in crowd;
And I know what the in crowd knows.
Any time of the year, don’t you hear?
Dressin’ fine; makin’ time.
We breeze up and down the street;
We get respect from the people we meet.
They make way day or night;
They know the in crowd is out of sight.
I’m in with the in crowd;
I know every latest dance.
When you’re in with the in crowd,
It’s so easy to find romance!
Any time of the year, don’t you hear?
If it’s square, we ain’t there.
We make every minute count;
Our share is always the biggest amount.
Other guys imitate us, but the original is still the greatest.
In crowd!
Any time of the year, don’t you hear?
Spendin’ cash; talkin’ trash.
I’ll show you a real good time;
Come on with me and leave your troubles behind.
I don’t care where you’ve been,
You ain’t been no where ’til you been in –
With the in crowd.
With the in crowd.
In crowd!
In crowd!
link to g.co
Thanks a million for opening up this cul-de-sac Wings, for me it is a key component of the whole case. Whoever ‘leaked’ that information is clearly working for the driving force behind the attempted destruction of Mr Salmond. My money is still on the Murrells manipulating those around them, because even today, at the committee stage of this enquiry, the ‘witnesses’ appear to have an extraordinary sense of personal immunity which must come from some sort of ‘protection’. It is obvious that the couple stood to lose so much if Mr Salmond re-gained the initiative in the Independence fight and it’s also possible, that Mr Salmond had begun to realise that the SNP and the Scottish Government had become as much of a marriage as that of Murrell and Sturgeon.
I think that Mr Salmond ‘knew’ back in 2014/2015 that Sturgeon and Murrell would be unable to separate party from country. I suspect Murrell has always been a person of self-interest and that Sturgeon has become a person who believes her own press. From the details given to the paper it is obviously an internal set-up over a period of time
THIS IS FROM THE DAILY RECORD 24TH AUGUST 2018
‘Acting on a tip off, we submitted a series of questions to the
Scottish Government on October 31 in a bid to ascertain if any
complaints had been made about Alex Salmond during his tenure
as first minister.
The answer came back that no ministers had been the subject of
an official complaint since the SNP came to power in 2007 and
that there were no live investigations.’
So Clegg’s source was party to the women’s complaints and the ongoing creation of the complaints procedure in Oct/Nov 2017. Added to this, the leak almost certainly has to have been someone who had spoken to the initial two women. I believe the reported ‘airport’ incident was a spoiler to hide the more important details and also the fact that Clegg was already aware of the process in train against Salmond. I can’t think how we can logically narrow down the people who had the information to reveal such stuff that betrayal is made of but there were a few ‘mews(es)’ to consider down this lane.
Rev Stu “(Curiously, Ross Thomson’s was paid by Conservative Friends Of Israel.)”
To be accurate,the piece below this comment does state that Conservative Friends of Israel paid for Ross Thomson’s second overseas trip that year -to Israel. The US embassy paid for his trip to the US.
Sorry, but I just had to vomit there…
– wonderful investigative journalism.
Daisy Walker says:
11 November, 2020 at 11:11 am
Re Alyn Smith, ‘The Women’s Pledge and Common Weal Groups have a place in a democracy, but proposing slates of candidates? That crosses a line for me.’
Couldn’t agree more Daisy 🙂 btw I love reading your contributions
Somerled – ‘I wonder if Dugdale got any tips from Clinton in how to run a dodgy charity foundation?’
Only if pieces of cardboard can talk. She never got anywhere near Clinton, though Dugdale was just as loudly cheerleading for the rusty old battle axe as Sturgeon was. Political career jealousy is a terrible and hilarious thing.
“No, Thomson made two trips – the American one was paid for by US Embassy.”
Whoops, I really do need my reading glasses when dealing with UK government tiny print. Good catch, removed.
NOTE TO ALL COMMENTERS: I’ll be adopting a “safety-first” attitude to deleting comments on this post, so please be very careful what you say.
Could an `alphabet woman` reveal her own identity and story or would that be considered `contempt of court` as well.
@ holymacmoses
Thanks;)
Hi Kenny –
“Rotten to the core, this SNP.
Those images just screamed ‘Hahaha!’ to the electorate. How can representatives of the Party of independence be seen cavorting so recklessly with.. Honest-to-fck? most of the people in these pictures hate us, and hate everything independence, yet they rub shoulders as if it’s the most unremarkable and normal thing?”
I don’t think you really understand what politics is and how it works.
You don’t need to hate someone to hold an alternate political view. Politics – I think everyone agrees – works best when parties can actually reach sensible positions sometimes even together. Look whats happened to Labour in Scotland for opposing everything and anything for its own sake. Look how polarised politics is becoming the world over.
Politicians dont have to be friends either. I get that. But the idea we should be refusing our representatives get photos taken with unionists or attend cross party trips makes us look like, well… a bit small minded and parochial.
The value of this particular junket is clearly questionable, but foreign trips and fact finding is just something Governments, Parliaments, elected officials do. its probably the case that closer scrutiny of them is required to make sure some value is actually obtained. Thats something we should question.
Stuart MacKay says:
11 November, 2020 at 10:52 am
Iain Lawson is on the mark with the “McStasi”
link to yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com
Who knows, maybe being anti-Union will soon be a Hate Crime too?
… “She [Sturgeon] is our best player…”???
I beg to differ Mr Lawson. I have had zero confidence in Sturgeon’s strategic and constitutional acumen since 2016. If she is our “best” player then Scotland is up Shit Creek with the paddle stuck up it’s arse.
Instead, I would categorise Sturgeon as Scotland’s greatest liability, and lay the blame for Scotland’s unconstitutional subjugation over Brexit squarely at her feet. It is a scandal that with Scotland’s Constitutional Sovereignty and an emphatic democratic rejection of Brexit, that Scotland did not secure a Constitutional Backstop similar to the Irish Backstop, to defend Scotland’s European rights and Constitutional integrity. Such a backstop would have killed off Scotland’s unconstitutional subjugation and defeated Scotland’s Brexit, much as it has nullified Northern Ireland’s Brexit and defended the Good Friday Agreement.
Instead we had Sturgeon waffling on about “Waiting until she knew the final details of Brexit”, before doing anything, (ultimately doing nothing anyway), and thereby giving the inadvertent “nod” to Theresa May that she was free to negotiate her own Brexit Deal, safe in the knowledge that no matter how odious and prejudicial to Scotland’s interests, there would be no Constitutional interference or disruption coming from Scotland, and that there would be no imminent IndyRef2 until the negotiation process was finished. Sturgeon sold out Scotland on Day 1.
Said it before, and I’ll say it again. Sturgeon’s Brexit “strategy” must have been the toast of Theresa May’s Tory Cabinet. Our best player??? She categorically is not. I remain to be convinced she’s even playing for our side.
The cosy and endlessly corrupt wee world of Scottish politics and public-life laid bare for all those who wish to see. Another well aimed and richly deserved boot-in-the-bawz, administered by one of that minuscule group of people deserving of the title: investigative journalist.
nice, the seedcase is cracking
Stuart MacKay says:
11 November, 2020 at 10:35 am
Daisy Walker @9:30am
BTW, the list of the name of Officers on the Companies House register makes for a good laugh. You’ll know, when you see it.
Baaaaaaa …. (big smiley face)
Robin Ramsay, long-time Labour Party member, wrote a book titled Prawn Cocktail Party about New Labour’s wooing of the City. I seem to remember there was also stuff in there about young New Labour people going off to America on study trips, teaching at Harvard for the summer, all the while being love-bombed by our Yankee cousins. The next generation of Scottish politicians and influencers is clearly being groomed here but what is it exactly that these people have in common? Are they all Geminis, lovers of Cagney and Lacey re-runs, or if are they just sunshine junket-lovers with a boring social life back in wet n windy auld Scotland or were they nominated by so-far unknown nominees?
The playbook seems the same though…for those of a certain age, you may remember Tony Blair’s small coterie of players who ran his sofa govt as THE cabinet, freezing out a lot people who were just as capable. Suddenly New Labour’s best friends were bankers, private equity and hedge fund banditos, oil company executives etc. and these uncle-fuckers (strangely no auto-correct on that one) were allowed to run govt policy reviews. Now think back to George Kerevan’s article about how right-wing types are everywhere as Sturgeon-era govt and quango appointees, recall Robin McAlpine’s characterisation of the current SNP as “Charlotte Street nationalists”, and remember how socially liberal New Labour were (all-women shortlists, civil partnerships, equalization of the age of consent etc.): isn’t this just New Labour deja vu all over again?
I think it’s time for you to write a book in your own name Wings. Begin to get some of the credit you so richly deserve instead of spending all your energies keeping people like me hoping for something better. It’s not JUST that you’re a great researcher, you also have a directness and personal integrity which shines through and above all – you can think and express what you are thinking 🙂 I look forward to reading this space everyday but would fully understand, and be delighted in some ways, were you to get just a little bit selfish
Wee shout out to Graeme – hey G, our video is up, over on Munguins.
Recently watched,`The Spy Who Came in from the Cold`,
where a person being incriminated turned out to be part of the plot to incriminate someone else,
if you use this plot line then Nicola is really the one they are after,
anyhoo it is just a fictional book/film.
Article from Alyn Smith in the National ,
link to archive.vn
Here’s the link to the Women’s pledge to see if we can get some more signatures to it just to let Alyn Smith know that the Women’s group is not going away to Wheest for Indy ,
link to secure.avaaz.org
I see that Alyn didn’t say anything about the Snp “ Out For Indy “ as they were also promoting candidates for selection ,
From the Out for Indy’s twitter,
Word for the wise – it is last years pledge that’s currently circulating, not this years!
We will run another pledge in due course!
link to twitter.com
And their twitter account ,
link to mobile.twitter.com
For a group that only reformed last year they suddenly have a very strong voice within the Snp .
Scot Finlayson says:
11 November, 2020 at 11:44 am
Recently watched,`The Spy Who Came in from the Cold`,
where a person being incriminated turned out to be part of the plot to incriminate someone else,
if you use this plot line then Nicola is really the one they are after,
anyhoo it is just a fictional book/film.
Are you implying that it’s really just Murrell wanting a divorce from Nicola:-)
Quick note: Lang Banks first name is probably the Chinese surname that we ‘naturally’ read as a slightly unusual first name. So he kind of has two surnames, strangely not dissimilar to those posho Scots with first names like Crawford, Campbell and the truly abominable crime against nomenclature fucking Farquhar (embarrassed apologies to independence stalwart Campbell Martin).
Breeks at 1130am,
Totally agree, especially with your last sentence. All the evidence suggests she is not on Scotland’s side.
What the article above shows me, is just how cosy these so-called adverasaries are in reality. All chums making a good career and lots of money, pretending to the electorate they fundamentally despise each other.
The whole thing stinks, it is soooo corrupt, it beggars belief. It is all very well politicians saying they are civilised to each other, but holidaying like this together????
I have long been of the opinion, that NS actually quite likes Ruth Davidson, and all the hubris is seen as ‘just a job – ‘i’ll be the baddie, you be the goodie’ -what a hoot’.
What is clear from all of this, is that the current SNP leadership needs booted out of the party. They have stood by, watching as Scotland is completely and utterly f***ed by England. We are being forcibly and ilegally stripped of our EU citizenship in just a few weeks by England, and still they do and say NOTHING. Instead, with NS, we have a leader, who actively TELLS the opponenents of independence that she is going to do nothing until after May 2021. The Tories understand, and so are literally trashing Scotland while they can, with impunity.
Given Scotland’s current peril, and the urgency involved, we need either for NS to get the proverbial finger out, or move over, and let somebody else who WILL, fight for Scotland.
As it stands, we have the SNP, the do-nothing party.
Re European politicos, journalists and influencers. Go check out the late Udo Ulfkötte, a German journalist, and how it all works. He wrote a book on it but no one can get it published in English even though it was extremely popular. He died of a heart attack in his mid fifties, allegedly. Keep up the good work.
Is the US exerting undue influence (greenmail springs to mind) on the SNP and others to derail independence so it wont have to storm in and rescue our oil from Socialism?
Wherever small countries have oil the US is ready and waiting to launch a rescue mission. Perhaps this time they see a way to avoid losing it in the first place.
Breathtaking revelations of sleaze.
@MaggieC says:
11 November, 2020 at 11:12 am
“Looking at the above pictures just reminded me of the words to the song “ The In Crowd “ by The Mamas and Papas ,”
How about “The Sound of the Crowd” by the Human League?
‘And put your hand in a party wave
Pass around
Make a shroud pulling combs through a backwash frame
Find the copies in a carbon mount
Pass around
Stroke a pocket with a print of a laughing sound’
The police, the judiciary, and the Scottish Government, Scotland seems to be operating like any banana republic would, without even achieving independence.
Re Harassment and Complaints Committee ,
The Convener wrote to the Deputy First Minister on 10 November 2020 regarding the provision of the Scottish Government’s legal advice to the Committee: ,
link to parliament.scot
And part of the letter ,
“ Given the Committee is taking evidence from the Lord Advocate and the Permanent Secretary on Tuesday 17 November on the judicial review, the Committee requests that the Scottish Government provides the legal advice without further delay and by Friday 13 November at the latest to allow members sufficient opportunity to consider it prior to the Permanent Secretary and Lord Advocate appearing before us. “
James Kerins – nah, Trident, as somebody mentioned above, is the main reason the American brainless behemoth would care aboot us. The oil helps as well, mind you.
Good piece Stu, once the boil is lanced, all the poison pours out. Keep your eye on it.
Have people seen this yet? Seems the same set of fingers are over a lot of things that stink
link to thecourier.co.uk
Anyone else getting the impression that SNP have adopted the don’t question us attitude because we won’t answer any questions and by the way we have got next years Holyrood election in the bag so we are ok so UP YOURS get stuffed as for Independence what makes you plebs believe that’s what we a doing Ha Ha mugs , another round of drinks and the mugs are paying Ha Ha .
Who you going to vote for Mugs ?
Oops to late and eh tough shit eh ,
One of the worst things about being deceived is finally realising you have been had , first it’s sadness at being lied to by supposed friends , Then it’s anger because the ones who wronged you don’t have to good grace to apologise,
The Anger will last a lot longer than the sadness Revenge suddenly goes to the top of the to do list
Don’t push it Dear
A minor point – has anyone ever heard Angela Crawley speak in parliament? She’s one of my local MPs and I’ve never heard her voice. Until recently I used to always catch PMQs. Occasionally I’d see her but she was often absent; I never ever saw her ask a question. She is one of those anonymous SNP MPs, Chris Law is another. And of course she got back in, twice.
Oh, someone’s just pointed out Wings already did that Courier story months ago…should have known. Perhaps that’s why it didn’t seem as surprising as it might have done.
link to wingsoverscotland.com
Timing
Access
Motive
Safety first so I can say no more.
@MaggieC (12.41) –
Interesting, thanks.
I wonder if we should expect John Swinney to turn up in their place?
If the indyref2 money has gone, is it possibly that those responsible had their fingers in the till in other ways… and, if Salmond returned, this would be revealed and this is what they initially feared? I find it is usually a combination of things which make people commit crimes, especially one in which the culprits are clearly becoming entangled in a web of their own deceit.
John H. says:
11 November, 2020 at 12:41 pm
The police, the judiciary, and the Scottish Government, Scotland seems to be operating like any banana republic would, without even achieving independence.
Question is John, is it because what we have is a poisoned relic of a corrupt and dying “British” political establishment that’s on it’s way out if Independence is delivered, or, that “the new” and intrinsically Scottish political Establishment we are trying to usher in, is hopelessly nieve and lacking the maturity and gravitas to act like a diligent sovereign Government?
I’m open to persuasion either way, but the sad reality is the new and enlightened Independent Scottish Government we hoped to see in 2014 has failed to make it’s presence felt, and the whole Scottish Independence Movement, that is the grassroots and YES Movement in particular, needs to contemplate some major restructuring, almost certainly new leadership, and close examination of it’s own strategy, particularly if the SNP looks set to continue as such a complete dead loss.
We really do need to identify the source of all this rotten conspiracy against Alex Salmond, who instigated it, who are the nasty subversives, who are the duped idiots, who are the charlatan carpet baggers, and who are the good guys who are worthy of our trust…
So far I’m not seeing many good guys worthy of trust emerging… but there are some bright lights. Joanna Cherry probably being the brightest.
I think I see where we are going, why has this been left to WoS. Yes I know, we fund WoS, corruption within our own Parliment?
PhilM at 11.57 am:
I think it was Billy Connolly who started this nonsense of saying that using surnames for first names was a middle class affectation. In fact, its an old Scottish working class tradition – a way of perpetuating a mother or grandmother’s maiden name.
It’s how names like Lindsay, Leslie, Graham and Douglas became popular as first names. That said, I think you also owe an apology to that other independence stalwart, Stuart Campbell:-)
These junkets to the USA and schmoozing with State Department officials are just the exercising of soft power. It’s common sense and everybody does it. It’s the same thing as the EU’s Erasmus program – more or less. There’s not necessarily anything sinister about them though the Americans almost certainly do their homework first before deciding who to bring over.
(It’s also the reason there’s so much American programming on TV and why we had to endure Trump and the elections but that’s another matter).
The only real problem is there’s not enough transparency when it comes to people in positions of power or within influential organisations. Everything like this should be declared and who it was funded by, including if paid out of pocket, regardless of when. Then it’s clear who says what and why that might be the case.
MaggieC – pledge signed.
Craig Murray – nominated.
When you nominate Craig DON’T click the button multiple times. The server got your request but the clowns who wrote the web site didn’t think it was important to refresh the page so you could see your vote. Simply wait a few seconds (actually quite a few seconds) then reload the page. If for some bizarre reason the button does not change to “Remove Nomination” (it should have been a green button titled “Nominated” but I said they were clowns already) then try again. The reason for waiting is that the button for removing your nomination is also on the page but hidden and depending on how the page works you could be adding and removing your nomination multiple times without realising it.
manchurian holyrood – the sleeper awakes – they’ve all been mkultra-ed and it was all a
CIA lesbian conspiracy, all along
clegg standing there on his own, holding the bag (of dildos)
I had ongoing business dealings with Kez Dugdale’s Stepdad who was obscenely indiscreet with his smearing of Alec Salmond and his delight at the source being his daughter.
It was incredibly unprofessional and uncomfortable and also completely unnecessary given it was unrelated to anything we had to discuss. Given his advancing years and Yorkshire bombast I declined to intervene and moved on.
So what does a Chief Of Staff actually do?
Is that like a Mr/Ms Fixit?
Or like what in the business world would be called a Personal Assistant?
Presumably there’s not that many of them (haven’t been that many First Ministers), so presumably the job advert doesn’t specify “must have extensive experience of this work”.
Is it something that’s made up as it goes along?
Maybe what might have been termed in the past “any other duties as instructed by the boss”.
From Barrhead Boy ,
Smoke And Mirrors Make For ‘The Great SNP Enigma’
A guest post by Campbell Martin first published in the Scottish Left Review. Campbell Martin unravels the continuing battle for the soul of the SNP. A former SNP MSP (2003-2007), Campbell Martin is now broadcast journalist and factual programme director. He is not a member of any political party.
link to barrheadboy.com
Was going to say upon seeing SNP MPs on a US sponsored jolly is an argument that SNP should become abstentionist like Sinn Fein.
Then saw SNP MSP listed….Cannae escape the maw of the USA deep stste!
@soda 8.43 am
Seriously considering never voting SNP again. How anyone of good conscience, once they have read and looked into the behaviour of these party members, even bring themselves to hold their noses and vote to allow them to continue to rip the utter pish like this is beyond me. Have we learned nothing from the labour party?
I came to that conclusion 2 yrs ago, tore up the membership card, None of my family will ever vote SNP again under the present leadership. It would appear, the Nicola Happy Clappers have been brainwashed into thinking she is a saint of some sort. They blindly refuse to accept any facts you through at them and make up their own material to justify their adoration for her.
Only a few hours ago i received this message from one of them in FB……. He is totally delusional… I give up trying to get through to them…
I wonder the motive for these posts. It’s not about anti independence surely? So since most of these blogs are from male supporting Salmond type. Nothing to do with male cheovanists is it? Trying to shift support from NS
Let’s look a facts for a start.
Salmond is a failed politician virtual unelectable.
He is by his own admission a sex pest
He lost the 2014 referrendum by poor debating skills, and the woman’s vote.
Sturgeon has modernised the party and rightly so making it gender equality. (Did I mention male chuavanists)
She refused to intervene in the AS investigation.
She is being accused of trying to stich up AS where in fact he stitched himself up.
She has taken the movement further in 6 years to the verge of independence than the SNP has done in 40 years
These “wing” people noses have been put out of place and are trying to discredit the scotgov.
Why ask yourself would they support a failed discredited politician? WHY? to sell a book?
Now does that sound like independence supporting people to you?.
@MorvenV
Damn. Outed as the middle-class slummer that I am. Oh well looks like my Poverty Safari has come undun (not a spelling mistake but an allusion to top late 60s toon by Canadian beat combo The Guess Who).
Howeeeever…was the Big One not pointing out that it was a recent faddish affectation (which would mean citing an older working-class tradition is beside the point)? I mean he was doing a routine to make ordinary people laugh. I suppose it’s possible that he knew about these older namimg traditions but decided to keep this knowledge properly ring-fenced rather than weaving accurate social history through his comedy.
Wan haun covers anither……
Maggie, thanks for posting that. Seems pretty on the money to me. Depressing to think/realise that this exact same gradualists-vs-indy-right-now sides internecine combat has been going on for over a decade-and-a-half. Gradualists? How about neverists? Sadly shaking my head here.
“DeeAnn began working for Marine Scotland in 2006 and claimed problems arose when she blew the whistle on the misogynistic behavior of her colleagues towards a younger female colleague. She then became the target of abuse – and her case came to public attention last year when a photograph was revealed showing her gagged and taped to a chair.”
“The first minister’s investigation only looked at the incident with the photograph, and it was not an independent investigation. There needs to be a truly independent inquiry into DeeAnn’s treatment. And my evidence to the inquiry was fed back directly to Marine Scotland who twisted it to be used against DeeAnn. And DeeAnn has still not been informed of the findings of the investigation, and has remained away from work on full pay, but not suspended.”
link to caltonjock.com
Rev this is extremely interesting however the name Leslie Evans keeps flashing into my brain.
Daisy Walker @11:40am & Stu
When you’re doing your research, pay particular attention to dates of events/incidents such as 25th January, 4th July, 12th July, 5th Nov etc.
@ Phil M: English naming patterns are exactly the same. If you go through the alphabet, all forenames are also surnames. For example:
Andrew. Alexander. Bertram. Brian. Charles. Christopher. David. Douglas. Eric[son]. Francis. Frederick. Graham. etc etc etc.
There’s none like you Rev. Brilliant investigative journalism as always.
Rev To Put in Darts Language This Is A 170 Checkout ..BULLSEYE!!!
O/T – Whatever happens in the future with restructuring the SNP or Scottish Government, do not get anyone remotely associated with planning protests by Extinction Rebellion involved.
Silly bastards just decided to hijack the Cenotaph on Remembrance Day. You think they would have learned when they decided to target public transport…
Bad publicity is not better than no publicity if you want to attract people to your cause.
Rob 1.59pm. “None of my family will ever vote SNP again under present leadership”.
You are against independence?
Makes one wonder if Sturgeon’s “£3 million” to the “Scottish” media was hush money. Sometimes i just hate being a cynical bastard. Life would be so much less confusing.
Beaker (yesindyref2)
There you go again,,,all Anglo Saxon on us .
Who gives a flying fuck about England’s Cenotaph???
Couldn’t care less if somebody blew it off of the face of the earth.
Beaker,,, you didn’t mention which part of south of the border you were born in.
And have you moved to Moray (Little England) by any chance???
The IVLP is one manifestation of the State Departments manipulation of foreign governments, the British American Project is another. The BAP is substantially responsible for NuLabour (many of the movers and shakers of the Blair cabinet were BAP alumni). Before Blair, John “best Prime Minister we never had” Smith was a BAP graduate.
The IVLP is more palatable for the ambitious young things in the SNP ’cause the branding is absent “British”. The IVLP will destroy the SNP just as the BAP destroyed socialist Labour. Beware Humza Yousaf.
So Dugdale graduates the IVPL and winds up running the John Smith Centre for Public Service, such. small world.
When all this is done, perhaps WWF will be invited to explain the presence of their man on the jolly.
You know Stu, I get so despondent with how the SNP have morphed into the most unionist of unionist parties, and that’s no exaggeration. They just do it ever so covertly.
What makes me re energised and upbeat, is that you are calling the people out who stupidly thought they were above the law and immune from the truth!!
You are exposing a very secretive, corrupt, viscious web of decept within the Scottish establishment. It goes right to the core of the Scottish government, the media, the courts, and the police.
This is the Scottish version of the westminster establishment cesspit!
Thank you for exposing the truth!
They are sweating alright!!!
What a top man you are, Rev Stu. You’ve been on form lately, really great work.
How long before one of them panics and turns whistleblower? And there’s a huge incentive to do so. It’s one of those ‘prisoner’s dilemma’ situations.
Here’s the potential problems those even minimally involved in this plot face if they don’t come clean;
1) you go down for it anyway along with the others when the truth comes out.
2) someone above decides you’d be a useful scapegoat.
3) someone alongside comes clean first and points the finger at you.
4) all of the above.
On the other hand, coming clean means you’ll be heralded as a hero and decent person rather than a scumbag…
You will most likely be able to avoid punishment and since conspiring to imprison someone is a serious crime that could mean you will avoid a prison sentence.
You might even get to keep your job and/or win promotion.
Stu , just to echo the above, Brilliant investigative journalism!
Hold them to account!
An article in The National on 7 July 2020 about Craig Murray’s court case quotes the Contempt of Court Act 1981 as stating that contempt applies to: –
‘a publication which creates a substantial risk that the course of justice in the proceedings in question will be seriously impeded or prejudiced’.
Clearly, Clegg’s article created more than a ‘substantial risk’ that the following day’s court proceedings would be ‘impeded or prejudiced’.
In fact, it created the absolute certainty that they would be completely stuffed.
Perhaps fairness dictates that the circumstances of Clegg’s article should be examined again – especially in the light of Stu’s new evidence.
WWF…. president is HRh prince philip, to give him his official brit nat title.
Hes killed over 100 elephants, shot a white rhino, killed uncountable numbers of foxes, grouse etc, and also killed several Bengal tigers. To name but a few.
WWF???? GTF!!!!!!
Doesn’t giving your child a surname as a first name mean that there is no need to ask ‘what school he went to?’
Just wondering why the USA are so keen to give freebies to the likes of those in the pics and Humza Youseless.
Are they monitored by the CIA for “indiscretions” to be used as leverage for future persuasion or simply bought off for services to the USA?
rob says on 11 November, 2020 at 1:59 pm:
“Seriously considering never voting SNP again. How anyone of good conscience, once they have read and looked into the behaviour of these party members, even bring themselves to hold their noses and vote to allow them to continue to rip the utter pish like this is beyond me. Have we learned nothing from the labour party?”
I, like many others, feel your pain. I’ve voted for nothing other than the SNP because I want Scotland to take back our right of self-determination. Pre Sturgeon we (Yes movement) held the moral upperhand but recent years have seen our only Indy Party being destroyed under Sturgeon’s watch and brought down to a level no better than *any* of the BritNat Unionist Parties.
I made the decision some weeks ago not to give them another vote until there is a clear-out of Sturgeon & her Wokeratie. But there’s not a day goes by where I’m utterly conflicted with thoughts of ‘just give them this last chance to see if they produce the goods (IndyRef or whatever) next year’. Then i ask myself how many “last chances” am i going to give these self-serving abusers?
That is why i *hate* those b@st@rds with a passion, they’ve conned us and they’ve played on our desire for Indy knowing they’re the only ones who can deliver it. For that i can *never* forgive. Ever! But who to vote for? I’d be a liar if i said i wasn’t still conflicted every day, all day long.
BTW, here’s the very first article Scott Minto ever wrote for WOS. Replace the word Labour with the letters SNP. A very familiar read:link to wingsoverscotland.com
The big Scottish media and political circles have always been an incestuous affair. Never more so than nowadays. It appears that civil servants, acting on behalf of the British State through Whitehall, are also part of the bigger equation.
From a legal viewpoint, whether Mr Salmond was a self-confessed sex pest or not, he was not dealt with fairly and impartially within the parameters of the procedure nor of the law. That is what is crucial here. At least two women with tainted evidence and prior knowledge were witnesses for the prosecution at the criminal trial. Nowhere in the constitution does it allow for civil servants to virtually run the government in the interests of keeping the FM clean either.
It doesn’t matter if you are a woman and have sympathy for, and empathy with, women who are harassed at work, the point is that you do not twist matters or the law to afford you a certain outcome. Women have been too long denied proper work procedures and the benefit of law (and that is about to happen all over again, courtesy of the SNP government) but that is no excuse for bringing in retrospective legislation which was aimed at catching one person.
Mr Salmond was out of politics, so what did he do or say that prompted these actions, because something did. It was not just a case of: let’s bring in this procedure and see what happens. Yes, many women do try to bring charges after a period of time if they feel that they have not received justice, but you do not go on working for the very person you claim assaulted you when other options were available, at no loss of status or salary, and you do not accept an apology as being the end of the matter, then, later, at the instigation of others, revive your complaint to the point of a criminal trial if you want to be believed. You are doing other women no favours.
The Kirsty Wark piece was also so blatantly biased that the criminal charges were allowed to be aired all over again. This has been a shocking indictment of all three strands of Scottish society and certainly does not bode well for a future independent Scotland as neither the ‘hate crime’ legislation and the GRA reform legislation, bode well for it either, so authoritarian and blatantly lacking in legal soundness are these policies. That there was a cosy relationship, apparently, between Mr Clegg and Liz Lloyd is not, per se, indicative of any collusion, but it does raise questions about the point of Mr Clegg’s and Ms Lloyd’s trip, and they subsequent dealings, if any. Appearances can sometimes be just as informative as facts, albeit always open to interpretation.
Wish I could go on a beano, sorry ‘cultural exchange’ to the USA, gratis. What a motley looking lot they are. And Clegg was there, why?
Hmm.
Stoker says: 3.16pm.
I agree with every word.
Is this the noise of sharks swimming even closer in circles, or the gurgle of a massive jobbie going down the drain?
Either, that’s such an indictment for the ineptitude of so many in the high echelons of Scottish politics and power that I fear an Independent Scotland in the hands of such losers will be eaten alive.
We need smarter people up there.
If my memory isn’t playing tricks on me, I seem to remember that someone with a conviction for child sex offences (that was kept hushed up), went on that trip with Kezia, was this the guy?
I also remember Clegg doing a full interview in the Daily Record with Nicola and a few of us raised an eyebrow wondering why she would give Clegg/DR such an interview when he and the DR had clearly done so much harm to the Yes vote during the independence referendum. What was the timing of that interview?
Something realy, realy stinks!
Just found a photo of the same seven meeting the then mayor of St. Paul, Chris Coleman. So they were in Minnesota too. Looks like their ‘fact-finding’ trip had more stops than a Rolling Stones US tour.
@ Patrick
No that was another guy called Sean Morton, but your memory is correct as he was in the USA with Kezia.
A simple search throws up plenty results should you wish to check.
Bloggers in the US are warning Trump supporters of the soon-to-be-ex-President’s latest “scam”. He’s sending out appeals for funds to fight the election results in court. In the teeny small print it says that half of this money will go to pay Trump’s campaign debts. But at least it’s in the small print.
If I remember rightly, not only did the SNP fail to include a disclaimer in the indyref2 fund appeal, they specifically promised the money would not be used for party political purposes. It’s quite something when even Trump’s campaign is now more honest than the SNP leadership.
Obviously no soul music types on here
The original “In-Crowd”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOWO–z1S8A
Firstly well done Stuart for flushing all this and the preceding material in your other articles out into view.
Secondly it’s good to do this as, in the event that independence does come along, we now know that we will have to have a robust set of operating and constitutional procedures put in place to handle future events such as revealed here and elsewhere. I worry at the bam-pottery currently going on that snares people and allows them to be destroyed on a) an apparent individual whim and b) incredulous legal arguments. We need proper controls over all aspects of the establishment – job number 1 in the New Scotland.
Thirdly, I’m glad you’re checking in to ensure legal equanimity as it’ll allow me to draw attention to your dreadfully heightist and cutting remark. I’d look you in the eye to say it but I’d need a step stool. So failing that, that’s you back to 50p a week donations – harrumph.
Joanna Cherry makes a point re. NEC voting.
It would appear last year “slates” were acceptable, but this year not so much…
link to twitter.com
Spike says: 12:20 pm
“Re European politicos, journalists and influencers. Go check out the late Udo Ulfkötte, a German journalist, and how it all works. He wrote a book on it but no one can get it published in English even though it was extremely popular. He died of a heart attack in his mid fifties, allegedly. Keep up the good work.”
______________________
Udo was a bit of a fire-brand and made sure folk listened but soon got under the skin of too many folks. spent many years working for the FAZ, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and knew the press inside out.
The only english versions of the books are:
link to amazon.de
link to amazon.com
I’ve read the originals in german and know they’re hard hitting.
@ dramfineday: Please note that ‘incredulous’ means ‘disbelieving’. The word you’re looking for is ‘incredible’, which means ‘unbelievable’. Apologies for picking on you here, but I’ve seen this error in the comments on here frequently.
I want to go to America for nothing.
You think one of them woke up with a clegg , sorry love bite? I love playing dot to dot and making a picture. Another superb article Stu.
Thank you Michael at 4.33. Every day a learning day (smiley faced thingbob)
The interference in Scottish politic by uk and America has a long standing, if the newspaper boy can be believed, after all he was one of the promised VOW members in 2014, and his buddies are DC and BJ. Make one wonder at the recent strange holiday one of them had in Scotland.
It would have very surprising if the snp had not been infiltrated at an very early junction and did not have connections to other political parties, including with the Democratic Party in America, as they have invested interest in Scotland through nato, including practicing war manoeuvres in the Scottish coastlines, oil, land use in a strategy war, and of corse most of the companies that wanted to do fracking, along with other natural resources that British and American companies financially benefit from, right down to gold being mined in Scotland by a London based company,
As I mentioned before on this site a little while ago, when the AS case was being discussed it had so many of the same fingerprints as the Kavinagh case in America it just had to have been read from the same manual,
No doubt Hilary Clinton’s party/Democratic Party have had close connections to Scottish politics, but I suppose just like in America we will be told it was Russian interference that was to blame. Well look how that nonsense turned out for the democrats, their being investigated for corruption right the way to the top at this moment.
Don’t get me wrong I am not enthralled with DT trying to bully his way around Scotland either. Manipulators or bully’s. What a choice, and interwoven with uk and Scottish politicians, Wow who would have guessed how important little ole Scotland was.
You have done exceedingly well stu, in making investigative journalism count, and no wonder KD tried shutting you down before you could dig any further into her connections to tories and Hilary. And of corse we have still not discovered the true reason why so many civil servants are needed in
Scotland.
If we vote for independence it won’t be the John majors version of a two part referendum, nor do we need to vote on negotiations first, we will be in a stronger position as an independent country to negotiate afterwards, and anyone else’s version that try’s to weaken our position first as a country, for that matter, is not to be trusted, it will not be a question of a party vote either, it should be a vote on wether the people of Scotland want independence, YES or NO answer
Not based on how well a political party does in elections, we can decide that after we have become independent.
We are wiser now as a nation, to know that even treaties don’t mean a thing to the politics of Westminster and vows and promises are often broken,
Independence first and foremost, then we can vote for the people of Scotland to govern us as a whole, that will create less chance of corrupt politicians in any individual party.
We could be the first country to say sovereignty lies with the people.
‘Stop the damaging divisions’ say the Sturgeonites. Where have we heard that before?….Oh aye…from the yoon camp during indyref1. And also since…’No to another divisive indyref’.
Listening to Scotland’s Civid numbers today.
I thought I mistakenly heard the total number of
Deaths including those who were not tested but
have Covid mentioned on the Death Certificate.
It takes the number just short of 5,000.
I calculate roughly that the death tally for those who were
Tested positive increases by 52% to include those who were
Not tested.
I’m certain England’s stats will be worse but if we apply that increase
To the UK figure, now in excess of 50,000, were are looking at a UK
total of around 75,500.
A Tory MP’s wife, with no experience must immediately be given 10’s
of millions of tax payers money to cover this up.
Anyone remember Steven Purcell, (former Head of GCC who fell from grace in 2010) going to Florida to campaign for Obama?
Looking at these photos closely I think it lucky that some of them were not charged with doing a ‘Salmond’ that is a sexual assault as there appears to be much ‘touching of arms’ and ‘brushing of shoulders’ and highly suggestive ‘overlapping hairdos’.
Less said about what Mr Thomson was up to the better…
Effigy: “I’m certain England’s stats will be worse”
Really? Is that a feeling or do you have some sort of explanation and/or evidence?
Stan, give it a rest or I’ll start cockney rhyming slang 🙂
John Major’s got a bit of a nerve on the two votes for independence. Maybe he should try applying his plan to Brexit and then let us know how that works out.
When does Mr Alex Salmond take the stand in Holyrood?
Sturgeon, Murrell, Evans, Lloyd ad nauseum must be looking forward to that day, eh?
Time for our own ‘Outlaw King’ to raise the Dragon Banner.
Take no prisoners, Mr Salmond; show thae sleekit basterts nae mercy.
@ Michael Laing
Note sense 3 (which I did not capitalise).
Definition of incredulous
1 : unwilling to admit or accept what is offered as true : not credulous : SKEPTICAL
2 : expressing incredulity
an incredulous stare
3 : INCREDIBLE
link to merriam-webster.com
143 comments on the best post Stu has ever written. A blockbuster of a post. Safety first or the recently appointed SG lawyers having an influence. Any coverage in the MSM?
“Only a few hours ago i received this message from one of them in FB……. He is totally delusional… I give up trying to get through to them…”
Holy cow. That is one astonishing stream of bullshit.
Another great and revealing article Stu , can anyone tell me if Mike Russell has been on one of these fact finding tours to the USA his comments regarding the privatisation of the SCOTTISH National Health Service would make it appear so , either that or he is just another neocon in sheep’s or is it wolf’s clothing . Maybe a wee article could be examined about the Americanisation of our politicians group think and the ties that BIND
“Thirdly, I’m glad you’re checking in to ensure legal equanimity as it’ll allow me to draw attention to your dreadfully heightist and cutting remark. I’d look you in the eye to say it but I’d need a step stool.”
Hey, I’m a shortarse myself, but he really does look awfy wee.
“They included
the two complainers,
the First Minister herself,
Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans,
investigating officer Judith MacKinnon,
civil servant Barbara Allison,
and finally the First Minister’s chief of staff Liz Lloyd.”
So using the strict application of the Means, Motive (or Cui Bono) and Opportunity criteria I was able to come up with a short (cough) list of… 7 people.
But I’ll rule out Sturgeon and Evans as too high up to risk getting their hands dirty personally in such a grubby sleazy underhand wanker move such as this.. so down to five.
Dont’ really know this Babs Allison one but assuming she is a career civil servant I am going to assume it is not worth her gold plated pension or pay level.
The two complainers is a real possibility but too risky I think if exposed somehow, might jeopardize their credibility as accusers, obvious axe to grind etc..
Judith McKinnon will have been like ‘c’mon tae fuck not me again… one of yous other cunts take a turn’.
As for Liz well… oh sorry that’s the doorbell. I’ll have to go.
Cath @12:45 “Seems the same set of fingers are over a lot of things that stink”
The whole “thing” has the hallmark of a Black PSYO (black psychological operation).
Just remembered who Babs is. She was the one who deleted the “battle may be lost but not the war” text from the lovely Leslie…
Ahhh… not at all like a knot of vipers is it.
Many countries run courses or visits for “up and coming” politicians or public servants ,often from third world countries. Universities in Scotland,for example,often have African and Asian temporary students.
The British Council also funds such visits. I have been in classes with West African generals,Southern African magistrates and Hong Kong senior police officers. These will all be well recorded for future reference and favours. Any minor indiscretions or sexual peculiarities are gold dust!
Brilliant work again Stuart. I have no idea what this bunch are playing at but there is a rotten core in SNP. You have this lot going to the Record and Tommy Shepherd and Danny Aston leaking like seives to the Times and the Sun. Why do these guys leak about SNPs own to the press? It does not take a genius to work out that.
I’m not sure that we should forget that Peter Murrell is almost certainly in the list of those who knew
I can’t stand Clegg, looks like the SNP is akin to a sieve full of holes that leaks can easily escape from.
The Gorgon witches, are spilling the beans so much so that even Perseus would be proud of them.
[…] All the jolly boys and girls […]
If my memory serves me correctly.the Record would only have been in contempt of court if proceeding had commenced and therefore a court existed with which one could be contemptuous of. So to speak!
As a smaller version of the SNP generally, Is Midlothian SNP Ca and some elected politicians.
Midlothian SNP has our very own National treasurer and MSP. ( a bit boring, not much to hide there eh?)
Our MP who lost a 10000 majority in 2017 for sitting on his arse and squandering the trust placed in him. ( Alot Boring, and a sense of entitlement that would shame a british royal).
Some councillors, who have aspirations to be elected as MSP-MP and live the free loading lifestyle on the gravy train, whilst massaging their egos.
The lackys who ensure that new talent doesnt get a sniff at taking the party forward to campaign for independence,
Then there is the honest hard working activists who campaign tirelessly for an Independent Scotland innocently believing that the above shower will help deliver that dream.
Sad really. But when stopping brexit and abandoning the push for Scotlands freedom is the goal, alot of people are going to get pretty pissed off.
The careerist alphabet crowd are about to reap the whirlwind.
Is Clegg looking for appeasement, or is he and the Courier so f*ckig out of touch that they’ve just noticed, what Wings has known for ages?
link to twitter.com
Hatuy. No it’s not a feeling.
It’s based on Scotland’s NHS performing better than England’s.
It’s based on pro rata Scotland have fewer cases and fewer deaths
and it’s based on England’s media showing Scotland, N Ireland and Welsh
stats on a daily basis and then it’s the UK figures so that you have work to
Do to compare how badly they have performed compared to all the rest.
Did you see the London Streets packed shoulder to shoulder after lockdown,
Did you see it in Newcastle, Liverpool and in Birmingham?
I haven’t see mass gatherings of that magnitude in Scotland.
That’s the mainstay of my claim but you can always rely on the Tories to by lying
sneaky manipulating bastards.
Remember a pair of gloves being to PPE issues, remember 40,000 test kits going
Into the post to try and say they reached their 100,000 target, remember no tests
available for Doctors and Nurses but there is a test available for Gove’s daughter.
I’ll close with the name Cummings and eye tests.
I rest my case and you can have access to all my documentation at any time.
rob says:
I wonder the motive for these posts. It’s not about anti independence surely? So since most of these blogs are from male supporting Salmond type. Nothing to do with male cheovanists is it? Trying to shift support from NS
Let’s look a facts for a start.
Salmond is a failed politician virtual unelectable.
He is by his own admission a sex pest
He lost the 2014 referrendum by poor debating skills, and the woman’s vote.
Sturgeon has modernised the party and rightly so making it gender equality. (Did I mention male chuavanists)
She refused to intervene in the AS investigation.
She is being accused of trying to stich up AS where in fact he stitched himself up.
She has taken the movement further in 6 years to the verge of independence than the SNP has done in 40 years
This is written by someone with an IQ of less than 100 and an ego of 200% I can make a stab at who wrote it from the spelling and grammar mistakes and I’ll be damned if I’ll hand this hard for fight for Independence over to a bunch of self-serving, ignorant, careless, self-indulgent, ill-educated bunch of wasters. And btw Mr Salmond is NOT a ‘self-confessed sex-pest’ and it’s that ‘quotation’ that helps to give the writer away if one checks carefully on twitter:-)
Just noticed some General Election figures:
2017: Gordon (loss, behind Tory); Alex Salmond, 35.9%
2015: Gordon; Alex Salmond, 47.7%
2005: Banff & Buchan; Alex Salmond, 51.2%
2001: Banff & Buchan; Alex Salmond, 54.2%
1997: Banff & Buchan; Alex Salmond, 55.8%
1992: Banff & Buchan; Alex Salmond, 47.5%
1987: Banff & Buchan; Alex Salmond, 44.3%
The Scotland of 2017 was already well a-buzz and charged-up for independence, and – if this could be possible – even more heartily sickened by cruel Tory actions and their anti-Scots narrative – we could seemingly do no wrong. A pity, then, that some great SNP candidates lost seats after having done so well in 2015.
A sore one, when Mr Salmond lost his seat to Colin Clark – Colin Clark. That magnificent and influential Tory nonentity, incapable of a Holyrood win in 2016, he simply turned-up to contest the Gordon seat of the greatest living politician of our time, and won it, then held the Gordon seat for about 2 years before he was gone again.
I’ve often wondered why the eternally popular and very safe seat of Alex Salmond seemed to go awry in 2017, just two years after securing Gordon and having won every single campaign entered in 20 years of electioneering?
When we’re constantly being reminded that Electoral fraud, by Westminster, is simply ridiculous I’m now beginning to believe that that’s very much true.
Given all that we now know of how far certain of the SNP would go – and we know just how far they’ll stretch to – I wouldn’t put it past them to try something – anything – past or present, to incapacitate the person responsible for Scotland’s best ever chance of independence in over 300 years.
I see Angus Robertson has won selection for Ed Central?
Anyone here know of an Australian ‘pop’ group called ‘The Go Betweens? They were trendy in the early 80s when they made a point of making sure their album titles included a word containing two letter Ls.
I wonder if there are any fans close to the Scottish Government?
link to en.wikipedia.org
I wonder if there’s a single party involved in this mess who doesn’t regret it?
@Kenny
You have no seen the last of my blue bonnet and me.
David Lyon @7:17
“wonder if there’s a single party involved in this mess who doesn’t regret it?”
Without a doubt, they will have been promised protection. The word OMERTA comes to mind BUT as we have seen plenty of plumbers (leaks) exist within HR…Tick Tock…
Question! When did Alex Salmond “admit to being a sex pest”?
Have you seen this Stu?
Forwomen scotland just tweeted it in relation to Alyn Smiths article about groups coming together for Indy but Forwomen Scot areshown as the KKK, next to Wings
link to twitter.com
@Somerled
I defer response to Susanxx. A real woman. You can tell that by her posts. BTW I am glad I am on not on Twitter.
Kenny @ 7:02
Be interesting to see…
* what the voter turnout was in each instance,
* how many individuals, as a % of voter turnout, were associated with some large MoD establishments in that neck of the woods.
The 2014 IndyRef1 result was also tight up there. Ain’t rocket science as to why.
somerled says:
11 November, 2020 at 7:39 pm
Have you seen this Stu?
Forwomen scotland just tweeted it in relation to Alyn Smiths article about groups coming together for Indy but Forwomen Scot areshown as the KKK, next to Wings
Quite an ironic view really:-)
The ‘Strange Fruit’ in Scotland certainly isn’t found on female trees nor on the bough of Wings or his supporters – quite the reverse in fact.
@holymacmoses – people didn’t complain about him because if you complained about a Minister (even the FM) the complaint went straight to HIS desk. Given his reputation for spite, it was believed that a complaint would see the end of your career in the civil service – he’d already done that to several officers he didn’t like. But the stories about his inappropriate behaviour kept coming. It was inevitable that someone would make an official complaint, eventually.
Kenny says:
11 November, 2020 at 7:02 pm
Just noticed some General Election figures:
I’ve looked at that result time and time again Kenny and I can’t make sense of it. I do know that May’s only visit to Scotland was in a Crathie church centre in the area. But until recently it hadn’t crossed my mind that the SNP might also be involved in what happened during that election. BUT it would have been easier for SNP to make arrangements. It certainly was the strangest result.
@Kate
So a jury selected at random acquitted Alex Salmond of all charges. He is a free man and so he should be. The jury look into the eyes of the complainants and found them to be lying. We will afford the FM and cohort the same right. Why are you stopping the information getting into the public domain? Something to hide?
@Holymacmoses
I’ve no idea what you are on about and don’t care either.
I am only interested in the abuse coming from the SNP to people like Wings and Forwomen Scot by Alyn Smith, John Nicolson and all the other ? Woke imbeciles. Why do Indy people want to stay associated with these misogynists and others like Mhairi Black calling women ‘Cunts’ ? Even if Sturgeon and Murrell leave eventually, there are still these clowns and dozens more in the Party including many who know Salmond was innocent but stayed silent. The SNP is completely rotten and the stench gets worse every day with the revelations about Sturgeon and her lies. The stink will linger on long after she is gone but the rest will still be in the party. If you hold your nose to vote for this Indy party then you dont care about all human rights including womens.
Kate says:
11 November, 2020 at 8:11 pm
@holymacmoses – people didn’t complain about him because if you complained about a Minister (even the FM) the complaint went straight to HIS desk. Given his reputation for spite, it was believed that a complaint would see the end of your career in the civil service – he’d already done that to several officers he didn’t like. But the stories about his inappropriate behaviour kept coming. It was inevitable that someone would make an official complaint, eventually.
That’s in interesting remark. How well do you know Alex? How long have you known him for? How did your career flourish under his tutelage if/when you worked for him ?
OR are you commenting using the word ‘reputation’ and whose words are you quoting if that is the case?
It’s also odd to wait until he’s out of the equation – waiting until this juncture seems more like spiteful fear – if we’re mentioning the word spite.
Have you noticed how when you’re travelling north on a journey you notice certain features , which when you’re travelling southwards become totally different and almost unrecognisable
I do hope you respond to this enquiry, I’m genuinely interested
@somerled
Here’s a link to a more complete tweet thread on that image.
The partner in question in this particular tweet is a certain Ms Spear, who is the current NEC Women’s Convenor, and putting themselves forward in the delayed Argyll & Bute nominations process for the same post.
link to twitter.com
Oh.
I always thought those trips to the US were to get them brainwashed into becoming lackeys to the neoliberal elite. I suppose they could be doing both though, busy little workers that they are.
Thanks Dan, Rhiannon is another one i wouldnt trust to run a bath, never mind a country
I am hoping that Kate is not thee Kate in charge of the Nations finances?. SNP push back is far too late. You are done up thanks to Stu. Release the legal advice!
somerled says:
11 November, 2020 at 8:30 pm
@Holymacmoses
I’ve no idea what you are on about and don’t care either.
That’s OK
It was an ironic reference to the KKK and the amazing Bessie Smith song ‘Strange Fruit’
I think we agree with each other on many things even though we might express ourselves differently:-)
I’ll just read your posts and refrain from commenting in the future; makes things easier for both of us.
`David Clegg won `Scoop of the Year` and ` Political Journalist of the Year` at the Scottish Press Awards for his revelations about sexual assault allegations against former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond`,
considering the whole thing was proved by court to be bogus should Clegg not be in the dock for defamation,
or is he free to write or say as he likes as did Dugdale and claim `fair comment or report privilege` .
Keep on digging that man.
Grand job howkin out the rubbish of the snp.
Just a reminder about Calton Jock’s post about who to nominate so they can go forward to the selection stage as candidates for the Nec and other committees ,
link to caltonjock.com
And also this from Denise Findlay who has all the “ good “ recommendations on it as well ,
link to twitter.com
@MaggieC says:
11 November, 2020 at 11:12 am
“Looking at the above pictures just reminded me of the words to the song “ The In Crowd “ by The Mamas and Papas ,”
Was it not Dobie Gray? Never heard of a Mamas & Papas version, but there’s a good Ramsay Lewis one.
Regarding timing; there’s a lot of information that hasn’t yet been… deployed, weaponised, call it what you will. I think that much of it is being held back to be disruptive closer to the upcoming elections. If this story can be dragged into the light sooner rather than later, that might disrupt the planned disruption and clear the air in good time.
Taggart voice on / : There’s been a misunderstoodin’…
link to craigmurray.org.uk
Rev if and when we get indy and honours and awards are created for those who have served Scotland , you should get a medal the size of a penny farthing wheel( the big one of course).
Sincere thanks for the work you and Wings do.
Agreed at least a mention in dispatches. Something I never got. A gold star day goes to Stu.
@ kate:
The majority of the jury in the Salmond case were women, and after being presented with all the information (which we haven’t been able to see yet) they all got to deliberate and all decided that they didn’t believe the women and they didn’t believe AS was a sex pest.
Since that time, we have seen that every single one of Scottish governments witnesses who has given evidence to the enquiry looking into the case, has been evasive and have had to retract statements after being told that documented evidence proves they were making false claims.
They have all claimed to have ‘forgotten’ vital information, or ‘forgotten’ vital dates, or ‘forgotten’ who was at meetings they attended.
The Scottish government has also tried their to not release important documents until they have had to be forced to ‘have another look’ for documents which then magically appear.
Any reasonably honest person who knows anything about this case and has also been watching this enquiry can see exactly who it is who has been lying and deceiving, and it isn’t anyone from Alex Salmond’s side.
I can only assume you are either a liar who has been sent on to lie for your bosses or just a ‘low information’ kinda person who lacks the cognitive ability to work out things for themselves and has believed those with a vested interest in continuing to lie.
Whatever one it is, this isn’t the best place for you to be spouting off.
After reading this post from Rev Stuart today and then Alyn Smith hitting out at the Common weal and Women’s pledge groups today , it reminded me of reading about this at the time of these two Snp Mps that had a trip to America this year , and this from The Record at the time ,
SNP MP accused of going on ‘transatlantic junket’ after US trip for trade talks ,
link to archive.vn
And from the REGISTER OF MEMBERS’ FINANCIAL INTERESTS updates 11 February – 2 March 2020
Smith, Alyn (Stirling)
4. Visits outside the UK
Name of donor: Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars
Address of donor: 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004, United States
Estimate of the probable value (or amount of any donation): Return economy flight £826; hotel accommodation for six nights (£171 per night) £1,026; total value £1,852
Destination of visit: Washington DC, USA
Dates of visit: 3-9 February 2020
Purpose of visit: To participate in the donor’s Defeating Disinformation workshop. (Registered 21 February 2020)
REGISTER OF MEMBERS’ FINANCIAL INTERESTS updates 13 January – 10 February 2020
McDonald, Stewart Malcolm (Glasgow South)
4. Visits outside the UK
Name of donor: Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars
Address of donor: 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004, United States
Estimate of the probable value (or amount of any donation): Return economy flight £826; hotel accommodation for six nights (£171 per night) £1,026; total value £1,852
Destination of visit: Washington DC, USA
Dates of visit: 3-9 February 2020
Purpose of visit: To participate in the donor’s Defeating Disinformation workshop. (Registered 10 February 2020)
And this was the event that they attended , not bad going to America for a week for an event that lasted 1 hr 30 mins ,
“ Defeating Disinformation Series: Social Media Regulation Around the World . “
As Congress and regulatory bodies consider the way forward, how can the United States balance preserving democratic discourse, the electoral process, and free speech for years to come?
DATE & TIME Wednesday Feb. 5, 2020 ,5:00pm – 6:30pm ET .
link to wilsoncenter.org
It has always struck me how many men who wear and have worn kilts could accuse women of sexual assault and or abuse
Stuart MacKay says:
11 November, 2020 at 10:35 am
Daisy Walker @9:30am
The video is still available outside of the UK.
One thing of note the wolf held up by the narrator is dressed as a male but the short note on the Scottish Book Trust YouTube site states that Brenda is a “she”.
The trust has been in operation since 1998 and the YouTube site started in 2008. I think being a Woo-man is a more recent phenomena – at least in fashionable circles so the Scottish Book Trust might want to check if they are being taken for a ride.
BTW, the list of the name of Officers on the Companies House register makes for a good laugh…
~~~~
Yep the old CH check always gets them in the £££’s
Also found this about Alyn Smith , what’s the point of the FM’s Standing Council on Europe when they’ve done absolutely nothing about keeping us in Europe
REGISTER OF MEMBERS’ FINANCIAL INTERESTS updates 21 July – 10 August 2020
Smith, Alyn (Stirling)
8. Miscellaneous
From 14 July 2016, a Member (unpaid) of the First Minister’s Standing Council on Europe, an advisory body to the Scottish Government. (Registered 23 July 2020)
From 20 July 2020, Political Adviser (unpaid) to the Political Advisory Board of the European Movement UK, a pressure group. (Registered 23 July 2020)
From Scot Gov website ,
The First Minister’s Standing Council on Europe was established in July 2016. Members will consider the impact of proposed changes to the UK’s relationship with the EU on Scottish interests, and advise Ministers throughout our Brexit negotiations on the best way to secure Scottish interests and objectives.
link to gov.scot
Wee williie has a survey, you know what to do ?
link to digitallibdems.typeform.com
MaggieC @ 11:16
Thanks, I’m rapidly coming to the conclusion that the SNP is simply a plaything for spooks and professional manipulators of facts to toy with in order to hone their skills.
A Thatcherite soon to be elevated to President of the party is the icing on the cake.
Truly depressing.
Effijy, thanks for the response.
Let’s try and work through the more substantive parts of what you say;
1) “It’s based on Scotland’s NHS performing better than England’s.”
2) “It’s based on pro rata Scotland have fewer cases and fewer deaths”
3) “and it’s based on England’s media showing Scotland, N Ireland and Welsh stats on a daily basis and then it’s the UK figures so that you have work to Do to compare how badly they have performed compared to all the rest.”
The rest of what you said seemed to be about PPE availability which was a supply problem earlier in the year that has since been resolved.
So, in your original post you said, ““I’m certain England’s stats will be worse” in a comment about covid-19 figures. We can dispense with point 1 above right away because we were not discussing NHS performance.
On to point 2 and 3 which are related in a way.
I’ll round things up here to keep it simple. The death toll in Scotland according to NRS is approximately 5000 since the pandemic started. link to nrscotland.gov.uk
In England and Wales which are inseparable as far as much of the data are concerned, there have been 57,000 deaths since the pandemic started. (ONS)
These figures tell you nothing without reference to two important factors; 1) population size, and 2) population density.
Scotland has a population of around 5.5 millions.
England and Wales have a combined population of around 59 millions.
So far so simple. All that’s left is to divide one respective number by the other and we should have a good raw measure of the frequency. Thus;
5.5 million divided by 5000 = 1,100.
Crudely put, this mean one in 1100 people in Scotland have officially died as a result of covid-19.
Let’s look at England and Wales.
59 million divided by 57000 = 1035
Crudely put, this mean that one in 1035 people in England and Wales have officially died as a result of covid-19.
On the basis of the above, you have a very slight advantage if you live in Scotland.
Let’s now factor in population density since, as is obvious, incidence levels of any respiratory disease are likely to be higher where concentrations of people are higher.
Accordingly, in Scotland we have a population density of 65 persons per square kilometer.
In England, population density stands at 275 people per square kilometer.
In other words, England is over 4 times more densely populated than Scotland.
Note: I haven’t attempted to factor in Wales but I can if you like. Population density for Wales is around 160 per square kilometer, that’s higher than Scotland but with a population of around 3 million it would unlikely to dramatically impact the general picture.
And with all that the very slight advantage Scottish people have in terms of the chances of catching covid-19 and dying is more than explained.
Actually, looking at the population density figures alone, you’d expect Scotland to be doing much better. In England 83% live in urban areas, in Scotland it’s significantly less – hardly surprising that the worst hit areas of Scotland are major towns and cities like Glasgow (and it corroborates the argument on population density, not that it needed corroboration since it’s so obvious).
You finished with the following: “I rest my case and you can have access to all my documentation at any time.”
Your case isn’t resting, it’s departed. All of the data I have used above is freely available and I have provided some links.
It’s good to know our leaders are approved by the US Government,lol.
What do they think they will be getting from these selected visitors?
Who picks the visitors?
Hatuey
Spot on. The delusion that Scotland has coped well with Covid under the leadership of the sainted one is very perplexing. Scotland has the tenth highest death rate in the world, 4th highest in the Northern hemisphere (England being 9th and 3rd respectively). Scotland’s population density is lower than the three northern hemisphere countries as well.
An argument could be made that Spain has has a higher death rate than Scotland and a similar population density but Spanish people live long and the virus is more lethal according to age.
Ms. Sturgeon’s “finest hour” is ranking 186th out of 206. Covid has been a disaster for Scotland and a tragedy for the care home residents sacrificed on the alter of stupidity.
The New Labour comparison is apt when it comes to style over substance
186th out of 196
What did Sidwell get from Sturgeon or what did Sturgeon get from Sidwell for allowing an extension of two years to Leslie Evans contract.
Maybe the ability to come up with £600k at the drop of a hat. For an Indy ref. #BoughtAndSold for Tory Gold. #FollowTheMoney . Strange bedfellows
Jim Bowen would love you. Fucking bullseye. You must have enjoyed writing that one up. Sweating like a SG witness… Genius.
Bang on 100%, Davie Oga.
The elementary truth is that Scotland was and is hamstrung and has been forced to dance to Westminster’s tune on coronavirus from the start – we really haven’t had a strategy of our own, not really.
Instead of coming out and saying that, and possibly suggesting how we might have done things differently, Sturgeon has been pretending all along that the decision-making was hers, “guided by the science”.
There is a conditional, though.
Notice how she refers to the truth every now and then when she is under pressure, when the numbers are bad, and when it suits her; one minute Mother McTeresa, next minute emphasising she hasn’t the funds to do the things she wants.
The truth of our predicament could have been a huge boon to the argument for independence, bigger than Brexit.
I find myself trying to imagine how Salmond would have reacted to the “herd immunity” strategy, for example. I think he’d have told them to fuck right off where Sturgeon and Leitch basically tried to talk us into going along with it (all on the record).
Singapore with almost the exact same sized population as Scotland has had 28 deaths in total. We had over twice that amount of deaths today alone.
And people come on here telling us how well we’ve done.
Madness.
There are those who want to bury their head in the sand over what SNP has become.
There are others who feel the party can be rescued.
I’m not in the first category, and as much as I’d like to belong to the second, I fear this is wishful thinking.
I think the rot is too deep, the party is corroded from the top (as we now know) to the branch level and all that lies between.
I campaigned full time for Yes in 2014 (which I don’t regret a second of) and for SNP in 2015. I saw similar chicanery at branch level to what we’re now seeing at NEC, in fact a few from my ex branch are now on NEC. TBF, I think my branch was particularly toxic, but I know of at least one other branch that was equally as bad.
If the party is as fubar as I believe the consequences for Scotland are dire, I do nor do I feel inclined to dig a head sized hole in the sand.
The Scottish Government is selling Prestwick Airport. Anybody know why?
Isn’t it a public asset? Don’t they have to ask us first? I kinda like Scotland having a ‘National’ airport, just like I liked having European Citizenship.
link to transportbriefing.co.uk
SNP = SLab 2.0
KK
I feel the same. I cancelled my membership six months ago and will no longer vote SNP, a party that now disgusts me. I will however vote for any other party who supports independence.
I still can’t understand what has happened to my country.
Scotland may be selling Prestwick Airport but that should come as no surprise.
The SNP is now a party of the economic right every bit as much as the Tories in England. For her chief economic guru Sturgeon has appointed no lesser a man than ex banker Benny Higgins who now acts as the chief executive ( or should we say factor ) for the Duke of Bucleugh Estates ( with the Duke being the biggest of the land owning gentry in Scotland)
Or what of the other economist on the books Andrew Wilson who is another absolute right winger.
Or what of the current minister Michael Russell who in his 2008 book “ Grasping the Thistle “ he argues for the complete privatisation of the National Health Service with the population being given vouchers to spend with the privatised providers.
Or of a government who only recently attempted to sell off a swathe of national park land at the southern end of Loch Lomond to a property developer for a secret undisclosed sum reported to be chicken feed.
Or a Scotland that has the highest level of land ownership by the rich anywhere in Northern Europe.
Yes, bought and sold for gold, the SNP are every bit as right wing as Boris Johnson and his backers. As a near forty year member of the SNP I can see the day not too far away where if the SNP do not change I most certainly will – as will many many others I know who feel exactly like me.
And while we are talking about more Tory than the Tories, it is undeniable that the SNP did not stop our exit from the EU despite there being committed to do so as was the expressed wish of the Scottish people.
And it is crystal clear that over the last six years absolutely nothing has been done to pursue the case of independence. Thes3 things, aside of economic policy, are all things that the Tories in Westminster support.
Or what of even the coronovirus. Sturgeons Government actually follows the exact same policies as England and has done from the start. Cummings wanted herd immunity and went for it, Surgeon did the same, with catastrophic results.
Yeh, more Tory than the Tories. That’s for sure.. ……..bought and sold……..you know the rest!
Re Hatuey’s suggestion that someone hoping to save themselves might turn ‘King’s evidence’ and whistleblow, I see several counter arguments:
1. Several will be in too deep. The same fickle public who don’t bother supervising their saintly politicians/officials, typically demonise them for any sign of human fallibility.
2. In my experience, a surprising proportion of those who make an isolated immoral decision/mistake in life, seem to lack either the perspective, the self-awareness that they were wrong, or the delayed gratification instinct/courage, to come clean and cut their losses. They go down with the ship needlessly. Could be herd instinct not to step out alone? Rabbit in headlights? (Incidentally Mr Salmond’s detailed accounts, of both the consensual Ms H snog and the Ms F sleepy cuddle, mark him out as unusual in this regard. In a good way.)
3. Even if the public are inclined to forgive, the MSM do not hesitate to blow up a non-event, just as they remain silent or spin away a massive scandal.
4. All remaining guilty parties may jump on the first deserter, as a handy scapegoat and example. As may their backers.
5. Just as the trial by media didn’t end in March, neither will the ‘relationships’, career ambitions, financial interests or hushed up past indiscretions. Blackmail may be ongoing. (Shifting power balance in the USA may alter things slightly.)
Saying that, there is a part of me that hopes some day Ms F will identify herself and publish her story. She may well have been persuaded that her, fairly minor, testimony would bring a serial offender to justice. I think she owes herself the opportunity to distance herself from whole stinking mess.
In the Irish Parliament, Heather Humphries, 1 minute in
has a rip roaring speech tearing apart corruption within
the opposition party.
Why don’t we have anyone like this lady in Parliament here?
link to mobile.twitter.com
Hatuey
That was very convenient for you to say the PPE situation is now fixed.
The incompetence in providing emergency stock, procurement of and
Distribution of killed thousands needlessly and over a period of many months.
You also failed to mention the procession of blatant lies from England’s government
to mask the true level of failure in managing the crisis.
You may note that I didn’t mention Wales.
They are detached from England with their own parliament and own lockdown guidelines.
England has 10 times the Scottish population.
Scotland has had just over 3,000 deaths and England just under 48,000 Covid deaths.
Scotland has had just over 75,000 Covid Cases with England well over 1,000,000.
Density of population seems a muted point.
Do you think we should huddle together a bit more to put England in a better light?
Look here and stop distorting figures like a London Tory!
link to google.co.uk
The fish rots from the head down.
Correction from the above link
Deaths
50,365
+595
Location Cases Recovered Deaths
Scotland. 76,448. 3,143
England. 1.07M. 44,304
Just multiply Scotland’s numbers by 10 and see who is performing better.
Remember too that when Scotland wanted finance for lockdown, the English
Government rejected it. This power would have greatly reduced our stats above.
Lockdown finance phase 2 only kicks in when London needs it.
Chip in Scotland!
Was listening to Radio Scotland at the back of 7 and there was about a 5 min piece about a guy called Lee Kain (I hadn’t heard of him either) who is resigning from his post as Boris’s Director of Communications amid rumours of tension and disagreement in Downing Street. Really? That’s news. I’m not surprised but I despair about the level of journalism in Scotland. They have a shitstorm brewing in the SNP and Holyrood but that’s not newsworthy?
Sturgeon, Blackford and Alyn Smith are standing aside as mere onlookers as Scotland is dragged out of the the EU. No action plan to prevent it was ever devised. And the Scottish people have been taught by the SNP to meekly accept dictation from London, despite the magnitude of the injustice.
Sturgeon and Smith are far more interested in letting dubious men enter women’s toilets whilst waving a certificate.
No nationalist with any sense and foresight believes Sturgeon will do anything with a renewed mandate for independence. No one with any intelligence thinks she has not been involved in criminality over the Salmond stitch-up. We’ve got her and her pretend husband completely sized up now.
Breeks @ 4.31 am
Willie @ 5.42 am
Re Prestwick airport up for sale again , We should be keeping Prestwick airport for the whole of Scotland if for no other reason than it’s the only airport than can remain open all year round in the whole of Europe , Prestwick airport should be part of the assets that we should have control over as an independent country .
This is an excellent post from Facebook and how Scotland was conned back in the 1930’s – 1940’s over the airport ,
link to m.facebook.com
And the Hansard debate from 29th March 1945 ,
link to api.parliament.uk
We were robbed again by the English Government in Westminster .
Grey Gull says:
12 November, 2020 at 7:35 am
Was listening to Radio Scotland …. They have a shitstorm brewing in the SNP and Holyrood but that’s not newsworthy?
The silence of the “media” is probably the last thread which keeps Sturgeon hanging on, and allowing the fantasists around her to believe everything is fine, and that we’ve Sturgeon to thank for building support for Independence.
It’s hard to avoid the comparison with the late war attitudes towards Hitler… leave him be, because he was doing more harm than good for the Germans.
It’s those same bloody Wishart type fantasists who have allowed this unholy shambles to thrive and squander Scotland’s open door to Independence.
I hope Alex Salmond’s testimony might yet provide the means to collapse this whole charade, and Scotland can improvise some kind of State of Emergency and fight a rearguard action against our subjugation and BritNat deregulation, and protect Scotland’s services from asset stripping.
You would think these Conspirators would already be facing legal prosecutions for their crimes, because they are crimes, and there must surely be questions why there are not.
Otherwise we must accept that Scotland really is through the looking glass, and every component of Scottish society right across the spectrum of government, law and media is holed below the waterline and has abandoned Scotland to Westminster’s colonialism. These “institutions” are bought and paid for by our enemies, and are of no further use to us.
Grey Gull 7.35am – Don’t worry, all these “SNP bad” items are being saved for next May’s election when each snippit will make banner headlines day after day.
Online clyping is offline hyping.
New SNP theme song.
Fuck it.
link to m.youtube.com
Me yesterday @ 11.47 am
Apologies , I’ve just realised that I posted the wrong archive link to Alyn Smith’s article in the National yesterday , I see that he’s claiming that the snp has 150,000 members so surely that means there should be more money in the accounts from membership fees .
“ The SNP is an utterly democratic party and the members are in charge. We also don’t put all decisions to all 150,000 members, we delegate and elect members to positions to make those calls on behalf of the wider movement, and those of us privileged to have that trust exercise those functions in good faith and to the best of our ability. “
Correct archive link ,
link to archive.vn
It’s time to get Alyn Smith out of the Policy development convener post because his policies so far are doing nothing towards regaining our Independence .
Look at the photo of Sturgeon accompanying thus article. I mean, it’s taken at a sober, sombre affair, but really- this is a woman with a LOT on her mind. Wonder how it feels starting out in politrix cos you hate Thatcher, then ultimately becoming what you hate. That has to cause some sleepless nights sometimes. You could almost feel sorry for her.
Almost.
link to thenational.scot
OT
Apart from the fact Trump got 9 million more votes than last time, won more house of Reps seats and Joe ‘poor kids are just as smart as white kids’ Biden is supposed to have outdone Obama in Dem states and all this while Florida was a romp for Trump – something seems rotten in the state on Denmark.
So interesting the leagues of non Americans so willing to lick Uncle Sam’s shitty boots.
When will La Sturgeon do a Biden?
MaggieC says:
12 November, 2020 at 8:21 am
Breeks @ 4.31 am
Willie @ 5.42 am
Re Prestwick airport up for sale again , We should be keeping Prestwick airport for the whole of Scotland if for no other reason than it’s the only airport than can remain open all year round in the whole of Europe…
No argument from me. Agree 100%.
Ottomanboi,Sturgeon does not have the guts to be a vicious cynical hawk like Biden. War is not her thing – except against former mentors, and men in general.
Prestwick is there because the US military says so.
Other than that, it is a totally pointless airport.
Best sold off to plant food/graze cattle – our people will need that in the Great 21st Century Sustainable Development Project that is coming down the tracks.
Besides…..Ayrshire folks are all fucking weirdos
5th November 2020
Scotland’s top prosecutor has been asked to release any “relevant” material the Crown Office has to MSPs investigating the Scottish Government’s handling of harassment complaints against Alex Salmond.
Linda Fabiani, the convener of the committee conducting the inquiry at Holyrood, has written to Lord Advocate James Wolffe QC.
I suspect the committee may not get the entire cooperation it expects after reading this extraordinary story in The Herald today, which in summary, demonstrates that the Lord Advocate himself behaved in a willfully unlawful manner to a group of people embroiled in the purchase of Rangers football club.
Lord Advocate admits damages liability in Rangers chief Charles Green’s £20m malicious prosecution claim
Source: link to archive.is
As a consequence, a team of judges sat & decided that James Wolff is not above the law and could be pursued by the complainants in court. And they did.
Wolff was forced to admit his culpability such that the multi million pound damages that they seek is likely to be met by The Crown itself.
Why is this relevant?
It is the very same James Wolff QC who is refusing to release evidence from Alex Salmond’s criminal trial to the Holyrood committee.
And since it has been proven beyond all reasonable doubt that the Lord Advocate is capable of unlawful behaviour while in office, readers might wish to draw their own conclusions about his reluctance to get involved in the review of the Scottish Government’s treatment of Alex Salmond.
There are probably multiple reasons why the SNP is the skipfire it currently is.
One being that a lot of its members are pig ignorant or too lazy to add their input, thus effectively giving tacit consent for the nutters to run amok.
I’ve been chasing up YES acquaintances that are SNP members over last month, and the low level of political nouse would make you weep.
All want Indy, some even regularly attended the AUOB marches, all know about and aren’t happy about the numerous issues eg. Losing EU Citizenship, Indy Fund location, Salmond situation, Self ID etc, but they can’t be arsed to login to SNP site and nominate good folk for NEC positions that could begin to address the very issues they complain about.
Beginning to think Johann Lamont was richt all along!
Why is it that the Idiot and Otto post such stuff that makes y’all feel unworthy? surely they are not gaslighting us. On an on an on an on!
I felt liberated giving up my membership months ago but my only hope of Indy is the Yes movement and glad to see they are beginning to assert themselves
Politically I am slightly left of centre. Yes I did like Big Jim Callaghan and make no apologies for his “realism”.
Those who defiantly assert tiny minority views are a waste of space.
Independence first and a nice civilised debate for the rest of our lives.Onward and upward.
ahundredthidiot says:
12 November, 2020 at 9:18 am
Prestwick is there because the US military says so.
Other than that, it is a totally pointless airport.
You’ve set off an alarm bell in my head now… lol.
I’ve heard or read something about Prestwick, but the memory is a bit foggy…
But I’m sure one of the benefits of Prestwick is that it’s NOT foggy. I think it’s geography or topography make it very unusual for Preswick to be fogbound, and there are many pilots, especially back in WW2 who could still land at Prestwick when all other airstrips were closed. I think too, it’s easy to land there, easy approaches etc.
I seem to remember too that back in the day, Prestwick was a more viable airport than the English airports, much better infrastructure, space,etc… but being in Scotland, they got all the investment while Prestwick didn’t. Same story as Scotland’s Ports. But post Indy, with Scottish Investment, Preswick has tremendous potential. Same story as Scotland’s Ports.
But apart from all that, we DO own it, and it seems very Thatcherite to be selling assets which are dripping with potential.
@ Louise Hogg 5.55
On the whistleblower possibilities, I was thinking more of a civil servant. I could be more specific, I think the patsy is in position, but we’ll wait and see soon enough.
Someone’s going under the bus, that’s for sure. Would you rather jump under it on your own terms or be pushed on the terms of those who put the wheels in motion? That’s the question they face.
I agree with everything you say wrt politicians though.
A friend of mine, whose judgement may I accept be coloured by working there for so long, spent his entire working life at Prestwick.
He has always said, the airport is still too strategically important to both the UK and the USA’s military, it will never be allowed to be so commercially-succesful that the military aspect can be ignored.
Every time somebody, from Freddie Laker to Ryanair, has started to make Prestwick busy from purely commercial flights, something has happened to derail the project, so it falls back on the “off the books” flights.
A year or two back, I was walking along the dunes at the end of the runway, when a massive USAF Starlifter landed. Well, I saw it come in, but, apparently, that flight never landed. That’s what commercial interests are up against – Prestwick has to be kept available for non flights like that.
breeks
I can say this with reasonable authority. Scottish Airports – in it’s day under British Airports and subsequently BAA – was three men and a dug. Everything was to be routed through London.
Prestwick could easily have been the Rejkavich or the Dublin of today. Scottish Airports was nothing more than a shop front – a joke. Typical of subservient Scots. Today we have the loser Michelle Moan as an example. these people actually enjoy dragging Scotland down – like Rangers fans supporting England football team or Celtic fans supporting Ireland over Scotland.
Now, planes don’t need to stop off so much to refuel and have the tech to land zero visibility – so, just like Independence under the SNP – that boat, Sir, has sailed.
The airport is useless – fog or nae.
I feel like Mel Gibson in Braveheart when he is looking at the fort he’s just taken.
Famous15
what, no ‘Independence is normal’ immediately prior to your pish talk?
good to see you change the record though……….not before you join the other loony on the scroll by list.
Want to sort the NEC out? You’ll need powerful weapons then, as this lot are simply not listening. So here’s how to use International Relations theory informed through critical realism and behavioural international law. If they are not persuaded to change their ways “ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LAW OF SELF=DETERMINATION FROM EXTERNAL TO INTERNAL ASPECTS”, then they’ve been playing at British constitutionalism a bit too much. Or they are simply parochially minded authoritarians, who are unable to support Scotland’s democracy and public health.
Remember, Britain was formed through the union of equal nation states, with Scotland’s culture protected from English majoritarianism by Treaty law. Brexit simply re-writes this history, as if the Treaty was Scotland’s bill of sale to Westminster. Which seeks to place itself above international law, in order to remove our legal rights. Which are themselves protected under international law. Subsequently, Brexit simply isn’t compatible with supporting the rule-of-law.
link to digitalcommons.law.ggu.edu
“In the theory of international law the external aspect of the right to selfdetermination guarantees a right of the peoples and nations “to be free from foreign interference which affects the international status of that state6″. At the same time the right to internal self-determination entitles peoples and nations to participate in the political decision-making process which affects their economic, political, cultural conditions of their lives.”
and if anyone ever wonders how airport directors manage get gongs from the queen – all you have to do is think rendition flights.
horror lives happiest right under peoples noses.
as George Carlin said, it’s a big fucking Club and we ain’t in it.
@ahundredthidiot
Everything was to be routed through London.
Back in the day, before USPS airmail became extortionate, I used to buy vinyl records from the USA – all of these arrived with a Mount Pleasant, London import clearance stamp.
So in 2014 when we were invited to ask questions of the Yes campaign, I asked (by email) how these ‘imports’ would be dealt with in an independent Scotland. I suppose I was thinking that Prestwick might get a mention – given its association with cargo carriers like Flying Tigers and Aviaco.
After more than six weeks, I got a reply to the effect that this would all be ‘sorted out after independence’. In the interim, I’m sure lots of thought has been given to the process (not).
Scotland certainly needs to join the international club, or there is no sustainable future for Scotland’s culture, or economic viability, under the tender care of English Torydum. So here’s a look at “Sovereignty and Normative Conflict: International Legal Realism as a Theory of Uncertainty”.
link to harvardilj.org
“This Article proposes an agenda for further International Legal Realist theory premised on pragmatic analysis of the concept of state sovereignty. To this end, it develops the thought of the legal and political philosopher Carl Schmitt, arguably the most thorough and influential Realist critic of modern international law.
For Schmitt, drawing on Thomas Hobbes, the sovereign power of the state is justified by the essential epistemic uncertainty of all disputes over norms and values. Only conscious institution of the sovereign authority could solve the conflict resulting when there is no agreement as to “who decides” how to define and apply contested norms – as is still the case today in many disputes among states.
Reemphasizing this centrality of epistemic uncertainty to the institution of sovereignty helps to set a new agenda for Realist international law theory. Neither states nor international norms and their interpreters should be taken as unproblematic elements of a unified order: rather both are heuristic tools that can be evaluated on the basis of their utility in procuring certain judgments on normative conflicts.
From nuclear proliferation to Brexit, many of today’s international disputes are best seen precisely in terms of the problem of procuring clear decisions by an effective local sovereign authority and locally-settled definitions of international norms.”
Does anyone have full text of Linda Fabiani’s latest letter to John Swinney?
« On 5 October 1999, when pressed for her current views on the prospect of a European union, Margaret Thatcher remarked, ‘All the problems in my lifetime have come from Continental Europe, all the solutions have come from the English-speaking world’. Despite its evident falsehood, this statement expresses a deep truth: namely, that for many inhabitants of the English-speaking world, and indeed for some living outside it, there is a real divide between their world and the societies, languages, political systems, traditions, and geography of Continental Europe. British politics, especially but by no means exclusively on the right, is defined in terms of the distinction between ‘Europhobes’ and ‘Europhiles’, known to their opponents as ‘Eurosceptics’ and ‘Eurofanatics’ respectively. That is, there is a cultural distinction, some would say a divide – perhaps even an abyss – between the ‘Continental’ and whatever opposes it, what Baroness Thatcher, in tones deliberately reminiscent of Winston Churchill, calls ‘the English-speaking world. »
From Continental Philosophy by Simon Critchley.
Is Scotland part of the English speaking world or is Scotland a part of a more complex something else?
@ Dan
“Beginning to think Johann Lamont was richt all along!”
My post was removed from Craig Murrays site yesterday for saying exactly that.
So here’s a look at “THE RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION IN
INTERNATIONAL LAW”, which I think rather relevant to defending Scotland’s democracy and public health from expansionist and right-wing English nationalism. And Westminster’s practice of populist constitutionalism, which is simply incompatible with liberal democracy.
link to gupea.ub.gu.se
“To summarize, self-determination evolved from a mere slogan to a principle and later into an actual right in international law even though its scope is far from undisputed. Not only is it ambiguous but it also includes many elements. The only element of the right that is certain and indisputable is the element regarding independence from colonial or foreign domination. Beyond that there are different views on what this right includes.
The stages of development of this right can roughly be described as follows: 1) the post-World War I 2) decolonization 3) post-1966 and the two International Conventions where human rights gained in importance and 4) post-Cold War where the so called humanitarian intervention entered the realm of international law. Most authors also speak of self-determination in the context of post-colonialism.”
Financial Land sales like prestwick should go into a common good fund, and all,[ ALL] land should be taxed by measurement equally, that way when fracking companies, new airport owners, landed gentry estates, or local councils etc, sell Scottish land they do not benefit from the land that belongs to the Scottish people, and therefore land tax goes directly to Scotland, and other public land sales goes to the common good fund for the Scottish people,
Our local council pretends not to have a thorough list of common good land, but sells of common land to people/ companies like Tesco, often not living in Scotland, willie nilly, at the same time the common good buildings it uses for administration purposes, there is no record of the council paying council tax on these buildings,, the old saying Scot free has a double meaning for our local council,
Prestwick is also used a contingency airfield in case of an emergency, partly because the main runway is about 1,000 feet longer than Glasgow’s. That extra distance can be critical.
Its a bloddy soap opera, what a shower of shit they are, not getting my vote until the shit is removed, the smell is now overpowering even my constitution can’t take any more of their crap
Nicola Sturgeon getting a teensy bit flustered there at FMQs, in a response to Patrick Harvie which required condemning ‘conspiracy theories’.
Ian Brotherhood & 12.18 pm
Re Harassment and Complaints Committee , the latest from the Correspondence page ,
The Convener wrote again to former First Minister Alex Salmond on 12 November regarding his written submission to the Committee:
link to parliament.scot
The Convener wrote again to the Deputy First Minister on 12 November 2020 regarding the provision of documentation for the complaints handling phase of the Committee’s inquiry:
link to parliament.scot
Everything is a conspiracy theory until thoroughly investigated.
Now what stu has investigated seems To have taken these things over from conspiracy theory, and more over to factual.
I Never knock a conspiracy theorist, a good investigation can do that.
@MaggieC –
Thanks.
FMQ’s, again, utterly dominated by bug-related stuff.
Dunno if there’s some ‘gentleman’s agreement’ amongst opposition leaders to avoid anything referring to the harassment inquiry but Ruth Davidson, just a few weeks ago, scored a clear ‘win’ at FMQs.
Why aren’t they pushing her, esp with Fabiani’s latest complaints?
Thanks @Maggie for all the info. Much appreciated.
Know what you mean, @Ian. Think they’re biding their time till they can use it to their best advantage , closer to the election as possible.
why aren’t they pushing NS at FMQs?? – my bet is orders from above, i.e. London.
or would that be a conspiracy theory? maybe we can put that label under the public health act review and lock up anyone who dares suggest such a thing in future.
Think I’m kidding? (shit, there’s another CT!)
I literally lose respect for anyone who tries to win an argument by labelling their opponent in a debate a CT. If you think someone is a loony with loony views – just politely ignore them, it’s no big deal.
Unless of course they are dangerous and we need to lock ’em up for our and their safety! – and in that lies the actual conspiracy (shit, there I go again…..)
Anyway, here’s a fact – London rules Holyrood.
@ahundredthidiot –
Patrick Harvie may think he’s being smart, conflating the genuine bug-related concerns of citizens with the more extreme elements among Trump’s support, but he succeeds only in reinforcing his reputation as an opportunistic grandstanding wee pillock.
@Footsoldier
Have you drunk the SNP kool ade that the SNP are the only party of indpendence? I have my doubts about the uber woke Greens but there is also the ISP. We are standing on the List as a Non Woke, For Women, ultra Independence party (Independence for Scotland Party is the full name). I know the SNP don’t like us but neither do the unionists since they’ve done the same modelling we have and they know we will be coming for the seats they occupy because the SNP have been and will be so dominant in the constituencies.
The SNP got NO List seats here in the NE last time and they’re set for more seats this time so bigger divisors. Would you rather have unionists get in and your SNP list vote utterly wasted or instead elect some more Yes people into the parliament?
The SNP have convinced themselves that as the numbers for independence go up that they are less accountable for their actions. The “if you want indy then you must vote SNP” will wear thin and if this is what we have to expect from our political class in an indy Scotland may not be the promised land some are expecting.
Although it is nice to see how gentler politics in Scotland is becoming with more women involved at the heart of government /s
Ian Brotherhood @ 1.12 pm
Grey Gull @ 1.16 pm
From Bbc Scotland website re hold up being faced by the Harassment and Complaints Committee ,
“ The Holyrood inquiry into the botched handling of complaints against Alex Salmond by the Scottish government is receiving “very few clear answers”. Convener Linda Fabiani hit out at “delay, prevarication and obfuscation” by key players involved in the inquiry.
Mr Salmond is yet to make a written submission, and Ms Fabiani said what had been put forward by the government “lacks detail and indeed usefulness”. She said this was “both deeply problematic and deeply disrespectful”.
Ministers have insisted they are cooperating fully with the inquiry, while Mr Salmond’s lawyers have said he needs permission from the courts to submit certain information. “
link to archive.vn
Grey Gull says:
12 November, 2020 at 1:16 pm
Thanks @Maggie for all the info. Much appreciated.
Know what you mean, @Ian. Think they’re biding their time till they can use it to their best advantage , closer to the election as possible.
If I had to guess, it might not be an official truce, but there might be a protocol where it’s considered unhelpful to comment on an ongoing inquiry. That’s a maybe, I don’t actually know. It might be they don’t want to go off half-cocked when events are building to a crescendo next month with Alex Salmond’s appearance.
If I’m right from reading Maggie’s pdf about Alex Salmond, I’m confused why the Committee is challenging Alex Salmond to produce his written evidence when it seems common knowledge that Mr Salmond has been threatened with prosecution if he does. Surely it’s the COPFS which needs to be consulted to remove this obstacle to progress, and allow Mr Salmond to use all available evidence, evidence which is gradually becoming public anyway.
Mr Salmond is an aggrieved party in this. It was his reputation smeared. It was himself who faced imprisonment and being humiliated as a sex offender, and it was not him who was responsible for the orchestrated conspiracy to destroy his reputation. By all things honourable, why in God’s name is it Alex Salmond who has one arm tied behind his back when a Parliamentary Inquiry is trying to establish the truth? It’s beyond ridiculous.
I think I’m correct in saying that even though we know what Peter Murrell said in his leaked WhatsApp text, we have confirmation the text is authentic, and we know it was Murrell who said it while conspiring with others, unbelievably, Mr Salmond is still denied formal consent to cite this as evidence in his defence. (I say ‘defence’ but not in the sense of criminal defence, because Mr Salmond is not on trial).
This ongoing denial seems vexatious and obstructive, and surely the COPFS should be taken to task for the absurdity of it.
re Prestwick, link to iscot.scot
By the way, and excuse me if this is stupid, but does Parliamentary privilege apply to Scottish parliament? If so, any way that explosive information can be got out in that forum, or is there no one in parliament who would be willing to play ball?
So former Rangers FC chairman Charles Green will receive millions of pounds of Scottish taxpayers money because the Lord Advocate has admitted that he had been the subject of a malicious prosecution. This is the same Lord Advocate, who gives legal advice to the Scottish government advice, that led to the Scottish taxpayer paying out over half a million in compensation to Alex Salmond.
This Lord Advocate appears to be completely incompetent, Or?
As Gordon Dangerfields puts it.
“The fact is that the constitutional position of the Lord Advocate in Scotland is utterly untenable. He is a Minister in the Scottish Government who attends and participates in Cabinet meetings and gives the Government secret and confidential legal advice and he is the head prosecutor of crimes, including, whenever necessary, the crimes of Scottish Government officials and politicians.”
“As such he is, so we are told, entirely independent and free of any Scottish Government influence when he acts as the head of the prosecution service .”
Republicofscotland at 2:11pm
The decision to prosecute was taken by the then-Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland.
New Yougov independence poll sees Yes 51% and No 49% and a 2% swing to No since the last poll, Yougov’s final 2014 poll was No 52% and Yes 48% so on the same error No would win 52% to 48% for Yes
link to heraldscotland.com
link to yougov.co.uk
“Millions of pounds of Scottish taxpayers money” LOST/WASTED because of the actions of the Lord Advocate and Chief Constable (at the time)!
Money that could have been spent on SNHS Health & Social Care, Education, etc. etc.
Is there the recourse of a Crowd Funded Class Action to make James Wolfe QC and Phil Gormley (who also acted illegally) repay said taxpayers money from their own pockets, especially as their actions “have given rise to liability in common law”?
Also believe this sets a precedent that a certain former First Minister might find of interest!!
link to web.archive.org
“It is admitted that the prosecution of Mr Green had no proper basis. It is admitted there has never been OBJECTIVE PROBABLE CAUSE. And it is admitted that in these circumstances malice, in the sense required to give rise to liability in common law, can be inferred.”
“Mr Green is suing the Lord Advocate…….in other words it was unjustifiable and should never have been pursued”.
“He also says that the prosecution was “malicious and therefore wrongful and unlawful”.
“He is also suing the chief constable for what he says was unlawful detention in connection with the attempted prosecution.”
Also HOW THE FUCK can The Lord Advocate STILL BE IN POST AFTER HE has already admitted malicious prosecution?
Surely that admission makes his position untenable and every day he remains in post since that admission undermines the entire Scottish Legal System?
Crisiscult.
Thanks for that link.Good read.
Aye ,the land or Bruce and Wallace and the resident “idiot” ahundrenth at that ,cries it down from the bowels of Govan.
Sylvia @2.34pm.
Thank you Sylvia for that, I must have interpreted the wording in the article wrongly. I stand corrected.
“FORMER Rangers chief executive Charles Green is in line to receive millions of pounds in damages from the taxpayer after Scotland’s Lord Advocate, James Wolffe QC, admitted in the Court of Session that he had been subjected to malicious prosecution.”
link to thenational.scot
What rat bastard paranoid warmongering madness is this?
link to heraldscotland.com
ayrshire rob
honestly, Wallace fae Ayrshire?! – haha, that is funny.
btw, you do know, that literally at the top of the hill of his actual birthplace, is one Ellerslie Street.
Now, I’m no so sure its been there for 700 odd years right enough, but certainly long enough to confuse an ayrshireman!
ye’s are awe weirdos ken!
HYFUD!!!
GTF!!
.
Stu.,
Your SAFETY FIRST policy is VERY GOOD.
In line with that I will endeavour to be circumspect.
For what it is worth, we just dropped two and a half grand in P.I., fees at “mates rates” from retired CID only to have a chapter in the report that basically has VERBATIM the content of your article.
FFS., I wish we had known you were onto the same rodent aroma trail, as that would have saved us £500 out of our “Due Diligence” budget at the motley PI., crew. But we have a decent financial position and my boss is so INFLAMED at the injustice to Alex Salmond that we will spend many more thousands as and when necessary to remedy this crass and disgraceful injustice. I voted for Alex Salmond in 2007 because, as a professional economist he ran the country well. He helped our firms create MANY jobs. Not many politicians actually make a real difference to real peoples’ lives. Alex Salmond did.
This current dangerous mess trying to sate the greedy needs of selfish testosterone/hormone and royd-rage addicted McWoke entryists requires the antiseptic of daylight.
As for free holidays, even at Uncle Sam’s expense between overly “friendly” political dissonants just seems utterly off (alllegedly). There goes another two grand in P.I. fees. But retired cops need to earn a living too, Amazingly, during conversation, those retired plods are none too happy about what John Swinney did in killing off police morale when he closed down the regional police forces of Scotland in order to create the ONE State Police Force we now have. Y’know, the one that has the appearance of being beyond accountability. The Police Scotland outfit and can ignore the impotent police regulator.
The State police force we now have seems to accept pressure from Peter Murrell and his (alleged) efforts to force the police to investigate Alex Salmond as evidenced by the vast resources, time and officers deployed by McWoke Police Scotland instruction to “get Salmond”. That undue influence came (allegedly) guy close to perverting the course of justice, as per the emails (allegedly) authored by Peter Murrell.
Subsequently what the backstabbing Amadan of an over-promoted public relations actress from Dreghorn has (allegedly) been up to in relation to extinguishing her mentor and old boss from the SNP website is unforgiveable. Whether her fingerprints are (allegedly) on anything more actionable is up to further inquiries.
There WILL BE a reckoning. The ones in amongst the McWoke entiryists who require to be questioned will be questioned. If they evade/avoid THAT committee at Holyrood, then Old Bill may end up fielding formal complaints framed by legal minds. Or Police Scotland can answer for their neglect of duty in these matters.
On topic and in reference to your article above: Stuart, if you are getting some ADDITIONAL information relating to the dolts, SPADS and their cranially challenged politicians that has the same sources/credentials as is appearing in our weekly inbound reports from the P.I. firm, you WILL see that the whole McWoke thing is about to implode. Just a matter of when. Cue the “useful idiots” such as Clegg and Co.
We had been wondering whether the MSM were giving Nicola Sturgeon an exceptionally easy ride (certainly compared to Alex Salmond and his time as FM). However the slithery creatures such as employed by Daily Record et al, would not surprise me if they spill their rancid beans in April 2021 and make sure the WOKE SNP get hammered down to a WEAK MINORITY government at Holyrood from May 2021.
As a direct consequence, Stuart Atari Campbell, I REALLY hope the possibility of a INDYREF2 GUARANTEED “LIST ONLY” political party is still on the cards?
Stu., your article above is more reliant on “circumstantial” than is usually your style.
From my professional background, “circumstantial” evidence has a habit of being fleshed out into real actionable plan evidence. Then the pillars required to mount a civil or criminal case against the (alleged) malfeasant infractors leads to very interesting cases before HM Courts.
So my friend, all the very best in your lines of inquiry. For what it is worth, I have little doubt left now, that the compelling points you raise in your analysis are VERY close to what actually happened.
Tick Tock.
crisiscult says:
12 November, 2020 at 2:05 pm
re Prestwick, link to iscot.scot
Thanks for that crisiscult. I don’t think that’s the article I read a while back, but that’s even better I think.
I have another wee bell ringing that there was a Ravenscraig connection. Ravenscraig wasn’t just a steelworks, but there was meant to a whole rail terminus / transport hub which would see Scottish Steel transported to Europe on Eurostar trains, but as ever, once the South had it’s access to Europe, with Scotland paying its share for the infrastructure, the link to Scotland mysteriously fell off the agenda.
So that’s a thriving Prestwick Airport, and a Transport hub and village at Ravenscraig which never got further than the drawing board, or rather, got passed the drawing board stage with flourishing colours, then ran into Westminster’s lack of enthusiasm for investing in Scotland.
“honestly, Wallace fae Ayrshire?! – haha, that is funny.”
Afraid so ahundredithidiot, its a common misconception that Wallace was from Renfrewshire.
Ellerslie in Ayrshire, not Elderslie in Renfrewshire.
It looks like they have ‘woven’ the face mask money too.
link to heraldscotland.com
@G H Graham, 9.28
that is the second case where the Lord Advocate has admitted to malicious prosecution by COPFS.
What action is going to be taken against the Law Officers who indulged in this malicious prosecution, which has cost the taxpayer so much and brought COPFS into disrepute?
A worthwhile read all the comments and links about Prestwick Airport ,
I bet the same practices could be found in every single industry throughout Scotland , all hamstring by Westmonster who must at all costs make sure we don’t progress , and it doesn’t matter what colour of the government in Westminster is it’s always English , doesn’t matter what we do it’s always a English government , what’s the ducking point of voting in the English Elections because that’s what it is English elections and yet millions go through the pretence that it actually matters.
What’s the saying about being a friend or a enemy of a English man ? .if I get it wrong please correct it , better to be a enemy of a Englishman because he will try to bribe you or buy you , on the other hand being a friend he will steal from you or attempt to sell you ,This Leopard doesn’t change its spots they still believe they have a Empire that’s why they need to keep reminding themselves how great they once were , 1966 anyone ? . FFS and the shrinking map that makes them feel big , Petty little put downs that usually end in What can’t you take a Joke Jock fk off
The unionist supporting Scots want to be friends with these Duckers , All bloody brainless and totally clueless a glance at a history book as long as it’s not produced by anyone from south of the border would give everyone a warning of what to expect and that’s a mugging with violence .
@Strathy says:
12 November, 2020 at 3:43 pm
“It looks like they have ‘woven’ the face mask money too.”
The prices they were charging were a bloody rip off anyway.
Saw nicola at FMQs today blaming the Scottish people for not answering their phones. That must be why her unscientific restrictions aren’t having the desired effect!
I have also seen the very concerning news about this so called “freedom pass” (great oxymoron) that the UK government is pursuing, where you will need to get a regular test before you are allowed to live a normal life, how long before such a concept is extended to vaccinations? We are at the tail end of this panicdemic now, but the new restrictions and rules keep on coming. Does anyone actually believe that when covid is gone that nicola will just let everyone go back to living a normal life like before.
Martin Keatings has organised a ‘twitterstorm’ kind of thing for tonight, 8pm.
Please use #ScotlandsAspirations and #ForwardasOne, attaching your own take on why Scotland should be independent. Quite a few have already appeared.
Or, if you prefer, just retweet others’ efforts. In any case, try to make it around 8pm for maximum impact.
HYUFD. 14:49
Scotland is probably well on the way to being the Ireland of the 21st century. This culturally claustrophobic, oppressive status quo cannot in all reason hold and the British state does not have means, legal or otherwise, to hold it. Post Brexit it may not even have the will.
I’m guessing the grassroots online “conference rebellion” will be expressed by folk being Hopin Mad…
link to twitter.com
OttomanBoi I presume you either mean the Ireland as a geographic entity split down the middle with Unionists creating their own state in the North after a civil war, or the Republic of Ireland which has now cut tax and spending as a percentage of gdp to a level lower than the UK and is one of the most rightwing nations economically in Europe?
@ Breeks , Willie , Maggie C , There is NO EXCUSE to sell off Prestwick Airport if we were to become independent so again that raises the QUESTION of the SNP’S direction and focus, the ability for expansion in cargo handling is unlimited
I worked at Glasgow Airport for 20 years and although it’s passenger numbers were high that was because most in the central belt didn’t want the bother of travelling to Prestwick, but that has benefitted GA because now they more or less have a monopoly, even now they charge for pick up or drop off which is added to any taxi charges so win win for them
Even when the SG Labour and SNP were punting the GA rail link which would benefit the airport, the airport would not pay a penny toward it , it proposed LENDING NOT SELLING the land needed for a station so would ALWAYS retain ownership ,and the pushing for the rail link from SLAB was never ending I went to a few meetings and caused a bit of a stushie confronting SLAB MP’S within Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive , (the brown envelopes were being threatened)
The SNP is advertising a new post based at Westminster. A full time Press Officer to report to the SNP Westminster Director of Communications Tom French and the Senior Press Officer (Broadcast). Salary between £26k and £35k depending on experience.
How much of a press team do they need for just a team of 48 MPs? Why are they expanding operations at Westminster just when they should be doing a Sinn Fein and not taking their seats? Exactly how many of these well-salaried party posts do they have at both Edinburgh and London? And there must be a hell of a lot of overlapped responsibilities.
Between all these gravy train superfluous posts, Murrell’s legal bills and the loss of revenue from the exodus of disaffected members it’s little wonder the indyref money can’t be located in the accounts.
bipod @ 4.31
Re. Not answering phones …
Saw Nicola say that too bipod and in my experience it does have some merit.
I’ve worked very hard over the past few years to convince my elderly mother not to pick up unless she sees our names and don’t return messages either.
To convince her that just because the phone is ringing it doesn’t mean you have to answer it, it’s not a law 🙂
I personally never have answered an unrecognised / withheld number since caller display was a thing and will very rarely pick up if I’m in the middle of something….. family will send a message if it’s urgent.
Call screening is more common than you seem to think and given the sheer volume of fake calls I’m not surprised.
We’re also advised not to open strange emails too.
Since most Governments have done nothing to stop all this intrusive contact they cannot then be surprised that there’s a percentage of people who blank as a rule uninvited contact.
Mibbi now they will address the problem, but in the meantime they at the very least need the Test and Protect number to be familiar ,well advertised and a method of verifying who is calling that won’t involve ear splitting music and pressing endless numbers at the behest of a computer.
Bipod @ 16:31
In Italy Riot Police have reportedly taken off their helmets in solidarity with the protestors. If true, I have no doubt big tech will try to get the story shut-down.
All rather sinister isn’t it.
Mist001 says: at 12:27 pm
“My post was removed from Craig Murrays site yesterday for saying exactly that.”
Well I am only stating my experience.
I struggle to understand why folk would even bother taking an interest in politics, joining a party, attending marches, noting various issues that concerned them, yet cannot be arsed to influence their party to steer its policies and operating principles in ways that rectify the failings they see, and better align its trajectory with their ultimate objectives.
Basically they’re displaying the typical Scottish trait of being Grade A whingers but too fuckin lazy to put in the effort to sort out the issues they so eagerly whinge aboot.
It makes me sick when you know firsthand the massive effort so many committed YES folk have put in to setting up groups, organising marches, other events, managing blogs & other social media feeds to educate and motivate, of which these people will attend and read, yet they will not expend the smallest amount of energy when appropriate to help propel the overall movement forward and support those who really put in the graft.
WhoRattledYourCage
Hybrid threats???? Is he referring to the Woo-men who want to take over the country and put us all in re-education camps?
Seriously, does David Leask always write as cryptically as this. I even read the article twice to see if I could make sense of it.
Conservatives have rejected claims that donations received from Kremlin-connected individuals present a security threat. They have also said that they are vigilant to disinformation, propaganda and dirty money in the economy.
Vigilant that there’s too much, or too little. I couldn’t decide.
twathater / Breeks
Many nations, and mostly ex colonies, have developed international transport hubs as key economic drivers. Part of the attraction is that a hub provides global connectivity at lowest cost and therefore enhances the competitiveness of the host nation. Hubs also intercept traffic flows for many other countries and this adds considerably to national trade flows and to value added activities locally.
The problem for Scotland under the ‘internal colonialism’ model (Hechter 1998) is that England as core nation determines international transport strategies and hub locations in its own interest. England is currently doing this with new Freeport designations.
As a Professor of Maritime Transport I studied global hub and spoke networks in container shipping and worked on numerous port development projects. These major transhipment port developments followed very similar patterns and trends to aviation hubs. Transhipment hubs emphasise their intermediacy rather than centrality; their advantage is holding a strategic geographic location as waypoint rather than close proximity to densely populated areas. Other geographic/natural advantages include e.g. natural deep water for big ships, very long runways for big aircraft, fog free for aircraft, plentiful land area for expansion at lower cost relative to congested urban centres, and lower overall operating costs (and hence lower charges) than city hubs.
Examples of container transhipment ports (and some hub airports) internationally include Singapore, Dubai, Colombo, Malta, Suez, Panama, Salalah. Iceland is another example. The container transhipment ports that I worked on feasibility studies in Scotland were at Hunterston and Scapa Flow, both with very deep-water and with close proximity to ocean trade lanes.
The UK Government and its Scottish ‘department’ did not support either of these developments, despite both being potentially highly competitive as transhipment hubs and with international operator interest; this reflected the desire of the ‘core’ nation administration to create hubs primarily in the south-east of England.
Scotland therefore offers the essential geographic features and advantages to create major international passenger and cargo transhipment hubs, but like other nations it will need to decolonise first and develop its own international transport and trade policies.
See: link to reidfoundation.org
So there I am on the internet, trying to get a grip on why Biden isn’t getting top security briefs. Well, what do you know, it’s because he isn’t president elect. A basic fact being ignored by all and sundry.
And then I’m trying to find the NYT debunking the Trump claim millions of votes of his were switched to Biden (due to Dominion technology/machines) – so, off I went to NYT to read that debunking report and in amongst all the noise of the ‘piece’, was this;
‘In Antrim County, Mich., unofficial results initially showed President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. beating Mr. Trump by roughly 3,000 votes. But that didn’t seem right in the Republican stronghold, so election workers checked again.
It turned out that they had configured the Dominion ballot scanners and reporting software with slightly different versions of the ballot, which meant that the votes were counted correctly but that they were reported incorrectly, state officials said. The correct tallies showed Mr. Trump beat Mr. Biden by roughly 2,500 votes in the county.’
Note how, even in past tense, they call Biden ‘president-elect’ and call the actual US President, Mr……(Jesus, they’re like fucking kids).
This is all so much fun! That’s a 5500 swing in a County with a vote cast of just over 16,000. Yes, 16000, (16.044 to be exact) – I had to go to Antrim County official page to bloody find it.
It was only discovered because it was challenged and investigated by Staff.
I wonder what else will be found…..soooo exciting!
Oh deep joy!
I see there is international football on live on The
Scottish Television Channel.
It must be the most important game Scotland has played
In for many years as a win over Serbia gives us qualification
To the major Euro Championship Finals.
It’s the England Game?
Every single English Men’s, Women’s and Youth game on Scotland’s Channels
Scotland Games on Scottish Channels 0.
@Effijy
If you have Virgin Media the Scotland game is on Pick channel 165. If you are on freeview it’s on channel 35 Pick again. Good luck Scotland.
What channel is Scotland`s biggest game in 22 years on.
@ahundredthidiot,
Skip_NC can correct me on this but as I understand it, since Trump won’t concede then Biden won’t officially become president-elect until after the electoral college do their vote. Which is still three weeks away.
I referred to “behavioural international law” earlier, so here’s a look at “COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS”. Which is a perspective that is not within our legal Establishment’s scope of competence, as they are bound under Westminster’s unsubstantial claim to authority over Scots (see Brexit). They have also pledged allegiance to the Crown in Parliament, rather than the Scottish nation.
link to projects.iq.harvard.edu
” Behavioral economic insights have furthermore been used in international relations scholarship under the heading of “political psychology,” but international norms are neglected. Building on all those insights, this Article explores the potential and challenges of extending the behavioral law and economics approach to public international law and thus to further refine our understanding of international law.”
Tannadice Boy
You don’t need Virgin Media to watch Pick TV,,,Pick TV is on Council TV.
Scotland score in the 93rd minute of dull boring football,1-0 will do for me.
BBC Scotland,,,showing ENGLISH soap opera.
STV,,, showing ENGLISH International game.
Doing as their ENGLISH Masters tell them.
Alf, if I know that decolonisation and joining the EEC resulted in a massive shift in economic emphasis from west coast to east coast as far as trade was concerned, an expert like you must know it too. But you don’t seem to mention it.
You’ll also know that just about all the docks, ship building, and associated industries on the west coast owed their existence to the movement of goods throughout the British Empire (I’m deliberately avoiding referring to that as “trade” as it isn’t trade as you’d normally define it. I think “plunder” is a better way of describing it).
The Clyde is dead because the Empire died. Let’s not romanticise it.
Ports on the east coast generally and south east in particular are vibrant because of the trading relationship we have developed with continental Europe.
Oddly enough, as a consequence of Brexit and an increase in trade with the US, it’s possible we will see some sort of revival for west coast ports. It makes sense. I won’t be romanticising that either, if it happens.
I think the Scotland Camp should have two tests before any internationals.
One for Covid19.
And one for being a Yes Voter in indyRef2.
If either comes back negative, then you are out, you get sent home.
And that goes for any Scotland manager.
Good luck with the Martin Keating’s Twitter Storm in 5 mins or so…
I’m not on Twitter, but with you in spirit…
… And thanks Alf Baird. I very nearly went on to mention Scapa Flow when talking about Prestwick. The geography that makes these places special hasn’t changed, but an Independent Scotland which no longer funnelled itself through England would have very different dynamics, and in time we would change our whole perspective about Scotland’s place in Europe and Scandinavia.
Maybe with technology the way it is, trains, boats and planes are old world phenomena, at least in their current form anyway, but with the investment of a Sovereign wealth fund like Norway, Scotland could be buzzing with development on one hand, and refurbishing its ancient habitats and the Great Caledonian Pine Forest with the other… Kinda makes me wish I was 10 yrs old again.
But then you look at Sturgeon’s SNP, our uncontested Brexit subjugation, and Prestwick up for sale. I honestly don’t know whether to be sad, angry, exasperated, enthusiastic or utterly defeated. What a thorough mess Sturgeon has made of everything. Unforgivable.
Things must be getting bad down south the BBC are fudging the death number again today
I’m watching Serbia/Scotland here:
link to wiz1.net
Has the AUOB Saturday meeting registration page been compromised?
link to auob.org
Scotland should huv this .It’s pishin doon .
@Alf Baird,
interesting stuff,
is there anything to stop Scot Gov financing a passenger and freight ferry service to Europe,
being out of EU means State aid to business is not illegal i think.
Hamerdoon says:
12 November, 2020 at 8:08 pm
Has the AUOB Saturday meeting registration page been compromised?
link to auob.org
I think it may be oversubscribed, ” Incredibly, more than 1200 people have registered and we have had to close registrations because the numbers became so large.”
Asklair says:
12 November, 2020 at 8:21 pm
Thanks Asklair, disappointed to be missing it! But good luck to all involved.
Balaaargh
Yes indeed. Or is it No – every single media outlet calls Joe Biden ‘president elect’. Even Leaders of Countries are falling for this nonsense – are they stupid?? – I would suggest no.
This is why my niece thinks Trump is the Devil for ‘putting kids in cages’ – two minutes of Q&A later and I was ready to inform her of the actual truth – that the photos she was referring to were from 2014 – under Obama/Biden.
She still didn’t believe me…..and she isn’t even stupid – got a degree and everything.
The big question, the really big question, is; why does all main stream media, all the big tech companies and the vast majority of World Leaders doing this?
@WRYC, 3.09
Remember Mr Leask? The journalist who, when outed as an agent of influence for Integrity Initiative, claimed he only had a cheese sandwich but no payment from II.
Brilliant bit of writing as always.
You are awful rev Stu but I like it
Tannadice Boy @ 7.26 pm
Thanks for that about the game being on the Pick Tv channel as i was listening to it on radio so now i can watch the game but I’ll continue with the radio commentary . Also there’s a special episode of Off the Ball tonight on Radio Scotland after the game for anyone who enjoys listening to Tam Cowan and Stuart Cosgrove .
Good luck to the Scotland team for the rest of the game .
twathater @ 5.44pm
You didn’t mention, the only Scottish airport with its own on-site station on a main line is – Prestwick.
Aye but I bet you didn’t tell her only time separation of families ever occurred under Obama was in exceptional circumstances that were recorded and proper procedures were in place to reunite them,not the zero tolerance policy introduced by Trump that ripped babies from mothers arms,not recorded and now there’s 600 of them that can’t be reunited.
That’s cause Trump is a cunt and doesn’t care less.
Weehalftruthidiot you should have called yirsel
CAHM ON ING GER LUND
now is a good time to log onto english forums and remind them
– the english have no national identity as they confused it with britishness, which was little more than a business enterprise
– britishness is also associated with multiculturalismic notions of black afro caribeeans of colour and the fetish community (they don’t like this!)
– authentic englishness does not exist, and you have a poverty of culture compared with celtic, nordic or teutonic mythology; this recreation of an anglo saxon mythology is what tolkien dismally failed at, despite ripping off every story he had ever read; tolkien has huge “celt envy” which is why the “elves” (the celts) are so much cooler than “men” (anglo saxons)
– they have been invaded over and over and are little more than muttified “r4pe babies”; they are the bikes of europe which everyone has had a go at
– scots aren’t english and don’t want to be
– phylogenetic clustering (DNA analysis) shows we are a distinct race from the “anglo saxons”
– northumbria and cumbria are rightful scottish clay
– the english never conquered us, even tho they had the numbers
– their precious empire only starts in earnest when we get pressganged into it, being tougher, smarter and more violent than they; as chomsky said “when the celtic periphery was subdued” also their loss in the wars of independence, hold them back for 400 years
– scots had to do much of the inventing of things for them; successful scots become “british”
– they are all prods because henry 8 had a dodgy todger
– the ruling class are inbred paedos who learn their trade at the public schools, which are sodomite training camps
– the english ran at dunkirk, leaving the scots to fight
– the highest scoring fighter aces in the battle of britain were the polish pilots, who took it a bit personal
– the english have no painters, other than Turner (who is sublime) – compared to italy or france
– the english have no classical music of worth, no one to rival wagner or beethoven
– the english are really, just r4tarded welsh-germans, the national character being sexual perversion and autism
– shakespeares jokes aren’t funny
– oxford is full of drugged up toffs; cambridge predatory homosexuals (keynes, wittgenstien, the apostles, turing … etc – you need bumming at A level to go there)
– they rent trident off the americans and don’t even have the launch codes, being in the US ambassadors safe
– gin is made in scotland
– the empire was a lot of – shooting people with guns, who were armed with spears (- when the bullets ran out, the scots came in with the bayonet)
– bobby moore did steal that bracelet
(your own favourite here)
once softened up, you can tell them they are obnoxious cunts who everyone in the world, hates
happy “trolling” (truth telling)
Yass get in !
Confused
Don’t be so diffident and nice – say it as you see it my boy.
Hatuey
Large container ships also use the Pentland Firth to access North Sea ports for Transatlantic and Asia/Australasia via Panama. A feeder network already passes through there too connecting Iceland, Greenland, Faeroe, Norway, Russia and Baltic. Scapa Flow probably has as much strategic relevance to Russia and Baltic than UK. Almost all container hubs are ex naval bases – strategic locations. Scapa Flow also has relevance on the edge of the SECA-sulphur emission control area.
Breeks
SNP are clueless on international transport and take their steer from civil servants who toe the UK line, i.e. no public intervention in major international ports in Scotland. SNP have been offered a national ports policy (by myself and Roy Pedersen) and all we got back was inertia and the UK port policy line.
Scot Finlayson
I worked/advised on and helped develop the Scottish Enterprise international tender to select Superfast Ferries for the Forth-Continent run starting May 2002, a private investment of €200m in two state of the art 30kn ferries. I also did the related EU funding application for the Rosyth facility which also then brought in a little UK grant. Superfast left the route because Forth Ports (owned by offshore private equity) kept on raising the port fees and would not give them enough storage land for trailers and trade vehicles. Also, the ScotGov could have used EU ‘Motorways of the Sea’ (MoS) policy and funding to help the service continue (based on modal shift of freight) but the UK Government and hence civil servants are opposed to any intervention for maritime transport (yet rail and roads are funded). Superfast proved the market existed for a Scotland-Continent ferry but the port monopoly and lack of gov support were not helpful.
I’m currently working on Cockenzie with folks there which was always been the best option for cruise&ferry once the power station closed – closer to open sea, shortens the route by 1hr, plenty storage, and trimodal options. ScotGov officials again are the barrier, as well as SNP inertia, and a council that is sound asleep to the opportunity to be THE European gateway port for Scotland.
What is wrong with Grangemouth ?
Big enough and it exports more than it imports currently.Another like that and we’ll be fine.
Dunno if I can handle this tension.
Swore I wouldn’t put myself through this again, but, hey, what can ye do…
Scotland, FFS, please…
*25 mins to go*
AYRSHIRE ROB
G’mouth is a pre-Victorian canal port 40 miles from the sea. Narrow lock entrance, long shallow channel, low bridges etc means its no use for modern ferries or cruise ships. It has a nice little estuary monopoly for modest container ships which have nowhere else to go in the river, but does little to grow Scottish trade overall.
Over on Raptor Persecution Scotland, there is comment on Grouse Shooting and an alternative to the Party’s watered-down proposed discussion…
link to raptorpersecutionscotland.wordpress.com
@Hatuey, 7.56
The Clyde is dead because the Empire died.
The Clyde is dead because minimal efforts were made to update its function to take account of technological change. There was an idea in early 1920s to make use of the deep water at Hunterston and create a new port for Glasgow with all the economic activity and employment that would entail. However, there was no ambition, serious planning or funding to bring this about as head-office functions were being drained away south. If Hunterston had been transformed into a deep water port, it might have provided space for a modernised Scottish shipbuilding industry in the 1980s.
Hunterston could still become a deep water port if nuclear submarines are removed from the Clyde. It could also be developed into the Grangemouth of the west coast if the oil find came good. Landfall for a pipeline could be at Hunterston.
Scottish Navy/Coastguard at Faslane, deep water port/chemical engineering at Hunterston, international air transport hub at Prestwick. A lovely prospect but just words as long as the current colonial apparatchiks remain in government at Holyrood.
5 minutes to go, we’re still one up…
Please, ticker, hold out son…hold out…
@SOG,
I’m sick of Grouse shooting. I continually have to euthanise injured birds which have made it cross the river to my patch.
In addition I have found several Red Kites ,dead with no external injury. Probably poisoned.
It’s a horrendous pursuit.
“Balaaargh says:
12 November, 2020 at 7:43 pm
@ahundredthidiot,
Skip_NC can correct me on this but as I understand it, since Trump won’t concede then Biden won’t officially become president-elect until after the electoral college do their vote. Which is still three weeks away.”
Technically, he doesn’t become President-Elect until the joint session of Congress on January 6th. However, by convention, the likely winner is given access to civil servants, office space and intelligence briefings once it is clear who the winner is.
The truth is that the result is clear. Biden has 279 electoral votes (270 needed) before accounting for Arizona (very likely a Biden win) and Georgia (likely win). In Arizona, Trump is not winning a high enough percentage of the mail-in ballots to make inroads. In Georgia, it has see-sawed but, in the last day or so, Biden has been pulling away slowly. We know that Georgia will go to a hand-recount. GA does regular hand recounts. the largest switch in the last thirty years in statewide races has been about 1,200 votes. Because of the electoral college system, it would require big errors in numerous states to change the electoral college maths.
Put simply, Biden has won. It seems to me that he should be afforded the usual courtesies by the outgoing administration. I have yet to read of any coherent argument in any of the lawsuits that would justify a continued refusal to concede.
All states must certify their results by December 8th, in advance of the Electoral College meeting on the 14th. At that point, unless there is a clearly defined lawsuit with something arguable in states with enough electoral votes at stake, it is all over bar the formalities.
Fecking typical
Confused
There’s no need to be antagonstic. Keep it simple – the English can’t make it without us.
Seriously, if the English want to leave their mark on the world with their new found freedom then it’s time for them to stand on their own two feet and show everybody how it’s done. With Scotland as a partner, the rest of the world will look and nod, knowing that it’s us that’s propping them up.
So, let’s see some of that English Exceptionalism. Are you up to it or is it all just pub talk.
Wit the hell did he change 3 players for then,mad. Christie and McGinn should stayed on. Wan o these donkeys that came on better score. Ffs man
Feck!
Feck, feck feck!
Also, I read an article that pointed out that Kamala Harris is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and, therefore has sufficient security clearance to receive intelligence briefings.
Ayrshire bob
I am not condoning Trumps policy, although his is working and Obamas was failing.
It is a complicated issue – border control, child smuggling, criminal gangs, bribes, heart strings etc, and cannot be dealt with without a tough approach. In a lot of cases the kids are sent back over the border, legally and officially, to reunite with parents (not very good ones in some cases – unless you think the world is all fluffy).
Try not to let your TDS get in the way of clear thinking bobcat, your ‘trumps a cunt’ might be true, it might not, either way, its hardly an argument.
remember…the angry boxer always loses.
OK, if this game goes to penalties, I am hoping someone here will keep me up to date, because the BBC did a bloody awful job against Israel.
So why is China keen to use the Northern Sea Route?
It is commonly known that the Northern Sea Route could shorten the distance of transportation between China and European ports.
China also sees the opportunity of resources development in the Russian Arctic. But perhaps more importantly, China believes that the Northern Sea Route is strategically important for its energy security.
China is facing the dilemma that energy from Africa and the Persian Gulf passes through waters dominated by strategic competitors (the United States and India), threatened by piracy, or bottle-necked at the Strait of Malacca. It would therefore be helpful to have an alternative shipping route along a politically stable area.
Comprehensive coverage of subjet here:
link to caltonjock.com
Skip_NC
Would you put 500 dollars on Biden winning Georgia?
I know I wouldn’t.
Confused;
‘ – shakespeares jokes aren’t funny’
that really made me giggle
Cirsium @ 9.27
The central part of that whole coast as far as Westminster can manage it will never be developed or invested in while Trident is there.
There will be no inward investment and the population will be kept relatively poor.
In a clearance of sorts while that base is there and part of Westminster’s Defence plans it will remain an area being quietly emptied.
As I understand it, every bit of land that comes up for sale (much like the Balmoral Estate before it) is bought by the MOD.
Land ownership in that part of Scotland should tell quite a tale…. just how much of Scotland are we talking of when we discuss renting that base?
Is ownership of land out with the base the real reason Military Police augment Police Scotland ?
The reek of partition is strong here….and I’d say we “the people” need decent representation in the room when this stuff is being decided, before we find a decent chunk of our West Coast has been bargained away!!!
Do we really think London wants the Borders,Shetland or Our West Coast???
ahundredthidiot $500 is a month’s mortgage payment for me, more or less, so no. (Advice in a book about greyhound racing many years ago: “Never bet more than you can cheerfully afford to lose.”)
Do you think Trump is going to find another 11,500+ votes to win Georgia? In any case, it is academic. Consider the maths. Biden would have to lose Georgia (16 electoral votes) and Arizona (11 electoral votes) and then a recount or lawsuit would have to overturn the projected result in one other state. If he wins Arizona, he is on 290 votes. Pennsylvania is the biggest state where Trump thinks the result is in doubt. That is worth 20 votes. Biden would still win. Where are the other votes going to come from? Wisconsin (Biden 20,000 ahead)? Michigan (Biden 150,000 ahead)? I’ve heard Nevada mentioned, but that is about 47,000 votes.
There is a mathematical difference between a recount and a lawsuit victory. A recount moves votes from one candidate to another and the numbers just aren’t there at this stage. A lawsuit is basically arguing that the ballot is spoiled. So, even in Wisconsin, he would have to get 20,000 votes thrown out over and above those already discarded as part of the normal counting process.
Oh well at least the media down south are keeping themselves amused with lots of coverage of the proposed vital bit of transport infrastructure and it is Drum Roll ,wait for it , wait for it . Yes not content with the costliest train set in the world after Cross Rail , HS2 Christ they have more money sloshing about down there than they know what to do with , if they aren’t wasting cash on money eating projects with little on no benefit to anyone apart from the designers or builders , Garden Bridge possibly joined by the fairy bridge to Ireland,
Oh nearly forgot yes the star and tonight’s headline ————–
THE STONEHENGE TUNNEL
Clearly seen on clips of the site A ROAD with actual Traffic so why does some mob want to dig a bleedn Tunnel under it I always thought roads used to avoid obstacles not go through them
I Realise this is really picky asking what the folks over the border are doing with OUR money ! .
Skip NC @ 9.31
Am I right in thinking that Obama would get those security briefings?
If so could Biden not at least have unofficial access to them so he is not flying blind?
Also is this not very dangerous……to have Biden and his team walk in the door in January not knowing what’s what , could leave the US so unorganised that this would be the ideal time for another 9/11 event ??
This games not good for the blood pressure ,
Don’t even like football and I’m stressed out watching this…
Lizg, some say that this was a problem in 2000. Bush v Gore went to the US Supreme Court and was not settled until the second week in December. The argument goes that this five weeks caused the Bush administration to play catch-up, which did not help them in counteracting any threats. I know nothing about intelligence matters so I do not know if this is a reasonable argument.
As an ex-president and private citizen, I do not think Obama would be entitled to intelligence briefings. Again, I cannot be sure, though. Security clearance does have to be renewed – I do not think he gets to keep his security clearance for life. On that basis, Bush, Clinton and Carter would all be entitled to briefings.
Well done Scotland. Brave hearts everyone of them. 5 four on penalties. Great stuff boys.
Scotland 5-4 on penalties!
Never in doubt lol loads of smiley thing ya beauty
Is it still 4-4 on penalties? BBC page seems to be hanging.
Fantastic – well done boys!
Skip N C
5 4 for Scotland on penalties
Yessssss! My youngest lad is delighted. He’s 23 and this is the first time he’s seen Scotland qualify. Hope he doesn’t have to wait that long for Scotland’s independence.
Why oh why do any scotland team always put us through the ringer?????!!!!!
YEASSSSSSSSS!!!
Yasssssss!!!!!
Scotland through to the Euro Finals next year.
Coronary Care Units across the country will be going like a fayre after that game!!!
Almost snatched defeat from the jaws of victory again but David Marshall is a hero.
🙂
This a metaphor for reality Scotland.
Why the flying fuck do we doubt that we can be successful.
Get off your knees and “be a nation again” and really mean it.
MaggieC, cheers. The BBC caught up just after I posted. I work in a Regus office suite and the lawyer down the hall came to make sure I was OK when he heard me cheer.
You do realise that will have to play good teams now?
Well done to Scotland’s football team.
A win is a win and you overcame all before you.
Congratulations and enjoy the Euros.
Robert Graham
Remember, we Scots will be helping to pay for the Stonehenge Tunnel.
The Morocco game feels like it was in another millennium now.
The boys being interviewed are full of heart and emotion – great to see, well done, ya beauty!
Ryan Christie’s interview was ultra-emotional.
I like that guy. He played great. Don’t know why he was taken off but that’s water under the bridge.
We have some shit to sort out then a referendum.
Hopefully this result will contribute towards generating the feel good factor.
Things I’ve learned: To control a camel such that it cannot stray, the front legs are tied .
And so Prestwick airport needed to be constrained. And Scottish seaports?
That’s twice now the boys have said ‘we hope you are having a party back home tonight’
Nicola Sturgeon will be pure fekn ragin man! – haha – wee dick that she is…….partaaayyyyy
Well done to everybody on the field. I may get my pulse rate down by tomorrow.
Were not too little.
That’s how you win a penalty shootout 🙂
We’re better than England at this penalty kicks thing.
Anyway, the whole team showed character. A cliche I know, but true.
We’ve got a Twitter storm alright. 150,000 and rising rapidly.
Wonder if we can do to Twitter what we did to the Wembley goalposts…
Skip NC @ 10.18
To the best of my knowledge Skip that’s exactly what happens.
All former US presidents have the entitlement to the Security Brefings for life .
And Yes I have seen the speculation that the uncertainty over the Bush (2) win was a contributory factor to 9/11 but I don’t think that makes any sense ( whole other conversation man )
What I’m getting at is , if I we’re planning something nasty and could, I most certainly would move it up to the first few weeks before or after the change over, this time as America is very much in flux and it’s doubtful that Trump would close ranks with Biden …. where as Bush Clinton and Gore would have at the very least been Americans! The US is particularly vulnerable and the weird changes Trump is making in defence ( Christ knows why ) won’t help..
Answer for another time Skip…. enjoy the football chat 🙂
I see somebody’s been having a bit of fun on the Euro 2020 Wikipedia page. link to en.wikipedia.org
Ach, it’s been changed back. It said “The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as the Marshall Cup or simply Euro 2020…”
Kudos to Sky Sports / Pick for full coverage and extended highlights.
The game against England is at 8pm on 18 June – A Friday night.
Should be interesting… 🙂
McHaggis69 says:
11 November, 2020 at 11:29 am
Hi Kenny –
I don’t think you really understand what politics is and how it works
Gee, and here’s you, the keenest political mind on the planet, answering a blog comment instead of winning independence for the country.
Politics – I think everyone agrees – works best when parties can actually reach sensible positions sometimes even together
Pete Wishart would love this.
Look whats happened to Labour in Scotland for opposing everything and anything for its own sake
Look what’s happened to the SNP, fraternising with jolly boys and girls instead of campaigning for indy? And where did I state ‘opposing everything’ etc? Did you just throw that out there cuz it sounded smart?
Look how polarised politics is becoming the world over
Yep – scary, isn’t it?
Politicians dont have to be friends either. I get that. But the idea we should be refusing our representatives get photos taken with unionists or attend cross party trips makes us look like, well… a bit small minded and parochial
Then, when this country is being brutally rolled by Westminster at every turn, and when our champions are too busy gassing and jollying with those who will ensure our citizens are impoverished, not to mention potentially scheming to frame a former FM, perhaps your sense of urgency is lacking somewhat? I find that particular point of yours quite concerning, pal.
The value of this particular junket is clearly questionable
You got that part then?
..but foreign trips and fact finding is just something Governments, Parliaments, elected officials do. its probably the case that closer scrutiny of them is required to make sure some value is actually obtained. Thats something we should question
Honestly – and I’m not being flippant – were you pished when you hacked this together?
So, according to you ‘hating us’ is a bit OTT – slander us, call us homophobic, steal our resources, keep us under the yolk etc, etc – but understand, they’re really all gentlemen and refined ladies and should all meet-up at the Bridge club and have reasoned and adult debate? That’s really funny, really neat, Pete.
More skulduggery going on at the Snp Hq about the nominations for candidates to go forward for selection by the delegates at their conference.
——————————————————————————————
FROM THE SNP WEBSITE,
As part of our process for the selection of candidates, individuals may require nomination by members. When this is the case, the names of any candidates that you are eligible to nominate will appear below. You’ll see below the names of any individual who is seeking nomination by this route. If you wish to nominate any of those individuals, then just click on ‘Nominate’ beside that name. You can nominate as many of the individuals as you wish. If there is a contest to choose the candidate for your constituency, then at that stage you can vote for your preferred candidate.
———————————————————————————————
AND THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART,
**There are no nominees requiring your nomination at the moment**
———————————————————————————————
Only the nominations section SHOULD still have been open until 9.00am this morning and it’s ALREADY BEEN CLOSED DOWN. What about the members who have not finished their nominations and thought they still had time to finish their selection of nominations.
Now THIS is interesting…
link to pressandjournal.co.uk
@LeggyPeggy
Aye, that seems to be the same for me. Just logged in for a final check over my nominations, but the list is no longer there and instead get the message:
“There are no nominees requiring your nomination at the moment”
It definitely said the process would be open till 9am.
Dan at 8.29am
Seems we’re not the only ones, as Joanna Cherry tweeted this at 7.24am, and she’s received replies from other people about the nominations being closed already.
Two great letters on the importance of internal party democracy & debate in @ScotNationaltoday frm Graeme McCormick @t1feu & Chris Hanlon @SovereignWill. Both standing for @theSNP NEC & you have until 9am this morning to nominate them link to my.snp.org
link to twitter.com
If all the candidates have already received enough nominations, they could state that on the website and then people wouldn’t be left wondering to what’s going on .
If it stated the process would be open till 9am then it should stay open till 9am.
I was speaking to someone yesterday evening who planned to complete the process overnight. Have sent them a message asking if they were able to but no response as yet.
Aye, it could be all nominees got over the required threshold but the optics of just closing the process before it was meant to finish with no explanation is shockingly bad.
There is also the matter of internal democracy within the party of whether the final tally of nominations expressed by the members for each individual is at all reflected in who ultimately gets the positions once “filtered” through the full delegate voting process during conference.
What is the issue with implementing one member, one vote, well other than who counts the votes.
LeggyPeggy @ 8.50 am
Dan @ 9.08 am
This is an excellent article from Joanna Cherry in the National today about how all groups within the Snp should be working together .
“ Joanna Cherry: Intolerance bleeding into independence debate will only do damage “
As John Major’s intervention this week showed, the momentum towards a second independence referendum feels unstoppable. Senior party members have told us that there is no reason why the second indyref should not be held next year. Accordingly, this conference and the new NEC which it will elect should have a strong focus on our party’s goal of independence. Not just how we win it but what we do with it when we get it.
Central to that vision is a desire to create a fairer and more equal society. So, it was disappointing to see one of my colleagues be so critical of two organised democratic groups of SNP activists that exist to promote and further that vision.
link to archive.vn
It’s a most dignified and respectful article from her compared to what Alyn Smith was saying earlier this week .
@ Leggy Peggy, Dan and others
It appears that all candidates did get enough nominations:
link to twitter.com
But it would have been civil for the website to state that. (Dan’s point about final tallies is a good one, though we can all remember those who nominated Jeremy Corbyn “to make it a contest”.)
The spectre of someone in the SNP party hierarchy sitting with access to the nomination votes as they come in is a concerning one.
What it tells you is that the voting system of the SNP is compromised to the extent that someone can count and analyse what is coming in and then decide to stop the count.
But that is what has happened. I tried to vote at 5.00am in the morning of the day that the nomination vote was due to close, only to be informed that no nominations were required.
Kind of tells you how the voting for the election to party office will go. Rigged, rigged, rigged. This is a party that is now rotten to the @bsolute core.
Had a lot on my plate with work and other responsibilities recently, so just catching up now, so sorry for delay in posting here. Great article as usual, but I can do no better than repost Holymacmoses post above since I agree with every word.
‘I think it’s time for you to write a book in your own name Wings. Begin to get some of the credit you so richly deserve instead of spending all your energies keeping people like me hoping for something better. It’s not JUST that you’re a great researcher, you also have a directness and personal integrity which shines through and above all – you can think and express what you are thinking ? I look forward to reading this space everyday but would fully understand, and be delighted in some ways, were you to get just a little bit selfish’
You research and write well and Scottish politics and politicians, and cultural/social milieux need a good hard kick which you could well provide. Lots of bloggers, far inferior to you in writing and quality of research, have made money for themselves with columns in newspapers. Take that anger and outrage you feel and which many of us share and craft it into something more sustained.
Curiouser and curiouser. Not just the investigation but the fact of SNP top cabals hobnobbing in the US. Which is probably where they had the radical gender ideology and other illiberal rot imprinted on them. Circles around the Democrats and their Silicon Valley donors would welcome this plucky group of upstart politicians clearly willing to run the kind of Orwellian social experiments which donor-class US technocrats see as the wave of the future. At this point the SNP were irrevocable sell outs far more interested in networking and connections than in Scotland.
Is it OK to say Liz Lloyd and David Clegg look very comfortable in each others company?
PS I live in Catalonia!