An Open Letter To Nicola Sturgeon
Dear Nicola,
I write to express to you the views of many people in Scotland. Our movement is very upset by the actions they currently see unfolding before them.
These actions are the direct responsibility of your staff, your officials and your advisers. And therefore, ultimately, you.
In fact, from my count there have been 26 definitive actions from the above that have caused unprecedented splits in our country and party.
Good leadership is not about getting up in the morning and asking yourself what you will say today, but rather what you will do. Therefore, I ask you, what will you do to help bring our movement back together?
The actions of your staff, civil servants and advisers with regard to the committee investigating the unlawful and biased behaviour of your government against the former First Minister have been unprecedented in their shocking overreach and in perverting the very reputation of our Scottish Parliament, an institution that many campaigned for decades to re-establish only to watch these past months bring it into grave disrepute.
You, and you alone, have the ability to bring all of this madness to an end – short of Parliament taking matters into its own hands. However, yesterday was a moment that must be addressed.
Many raised their concern that you had left the “four nations” call on COVID-19 early to attend your daily briefing. Surely you could have just rearranged the daily briefing until after the “four nations” call had ended, some suggested.
However, it later transpired that the reason you left that vital call early, as you couldn’t rearrange the briefing, was in fact because you had already arranged TV interviews to make “pre-emptive strikes” (in the words of respected STV broadcaster Colin Mackay) against your predecessor, Alex Salmond.
Or in other words, yesterday you literally put a political spin operation ahead of the health and wellbeing of the nation. I would ask you to reflect on that. Many people have great faith in you. Is that the sort of judgment call you would’ve envisaged making over four years ago when you were sworn in as First Minister, to stay true to that faith?
But in truth, whether it be the dreadful mismanagement of gender reform, or the Hate Crime Bill, or the OECD’s report into education in Scotland, these are all part of the wider problem of your expensive army of special advisers not actually doing their job of supporting the formation of good legislation, good governance, and good government.
Instead they expend their every effort to brief against the former First Minister, and exert all energies to the suppressing of evidence being published by a parliamentary inquiry to get to the bottom of why the Scottish Government acted unlawfully against him, who was responsible for it, and what their motives were.
Your government has in fact hindered this inquiry on 58 occasions. This is simply not behaviour that people of integrity and belief in due process can simply sit and watch and say nothing about, out of fear of the difficulty highlighting it will have for our cause.
Our independence, which has for so long been only within our sight, is now within our grasp. So I urge to you reflect on the damage those that you allow to act in the above manner cause to the harmony of the independence movement, and I urge you to do the right thing now.
Scotland cannot win her independence on such unstable foundations. We must ensure that this parliamentary inquiry is allowed to come to its conclusions.
Whether that reflects poorly on you personally or not must be secondary to how it reflects on our nation’s institutions and our nation’s Parliament, because alongside the people of Scotland it will be those which are the bedrock a better nation is built upon.
Yours for Scotland,
Cllr Christopher McEleny
(SNP, Inverclyde West)
Excellent
Couldn’t put it better …
He’ll not been invited to the SNP Xmas party LOL
Lucky that the ludicrous rule about throwing folk out of the party if they read and pass on links from this site isn’t it force yet, eh?
Thank you, Chris.
Duties of Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister and Leader of the SNP;
As First Minister and head of the Scottish Government, she ‘… is responsible for the overall development, implementation and presentation of the administration’s policies and for promoting and representing Scotland at home and overseas.’
As Leader of the SNP – ‘(a) sets the political direction of the Party; (b) leads election and other campaigns; (c) approves manifestos for parliamentary elections; (d) articulates the argument for an independent Scotland; and (e) is Leader of the Scottish Parliamentary Group if a member of the Scottish Parliament.’
As Leader and a National Office Bearer, she is a member of the National Executive Committee which, among other things, is responsible for the ’strategic management and political direction of the Party’ and ‘ownership of the Party’s assets and management of the Party’s financial affairs’.
The SNP conduct Standards;
s4: Every member owes a duty to the Party to refrain from conduct likely to cause damage to or hinder the Party’s proper pursuit of its aims in accordance with its constitutionally laid down policy and direction.
The buck stops with Nicola Sturgeon.
‘Corrupt politicians give the other ten percent a bad name’ Henry Kissinger
Sadly, Scotland’s image has been dragged down to the point where people are wondering when Edinburgh will announce that it has twinned with Pyongyang.
Nicely put Chris, however I’m pretty sure your plea will fall on deaf ears. Sturgeon will need to be dragged kicking and screaming from Holyrood/Bute House, for she has no honour. The damage limitation exercise will continue until parliament goes into recess for the elections.
Good call Chris. I hope she responds.
Chris McEleny. I don’t think I could be any more impressed by you than I am right now. You’re a credit to Scotland!
He’s done Scotland proud with this brave interjection. Take a bow councillor.
That’s Chris & Wings off the Christmas card list now. The shame, such ignominy- how will we ever live it down.
Wow! She left a Covid briefing to set up an interview with STV and BBC to protect herself.
This is is truly scandalous. It shows you exactly what is going on. The whole Mother Theresa Covid 19 act , is simply a PR platform. This woman is truly mad on power.
Excellent Chris, I am sure we all look forwards to her response.
Stunning, accurate and well argued. Now is the time for SNP MPs and MSPs who put their country first to step up, follow this lead and tell Nicola to go.
You spoke for Scotland Chris.
If anyone on here is an SNP member (or a member of any party), you need to know that there is software that allows organisations to link party members to their social media accounts, using your email address.
Therefore, do not use the same email address that you use to communicate with the party as you do for twitter, etc.
Excellent letter Chris.
this edition’s subtitle: “Pissing in the Wind”.
THANK YOU.
Well written letter, thanks Chris. Unfortunately I don’t think Nicola will pay it the slightest attention. Surely she’s expended so much time and effort now that the only way that’d shed back down is if she’s forced to by others.
Ok, that’s 1 head above the parapet.
Any more?
Or are the remaining elected SNP representatives ok with all of this?
Speak now, or prepare to justify all of this shambles in its entirety on the doorstep, and guess what… You can’t!
Well said.
You could happily vote for this man/person.
Except he will be disbarred because he raised reasonable questions about the Leader.
A fine statement from a fine man. Nicola take note please!
‘Scots were brought up to believe their legal system was among the best in the world. Not after the latest shenanigans of the Crown Office.’ – ANDREW NEIL (and it’s thanks to him we have all got this far)
Well said Chris. Don’t hold your breath waiting for a response though!
“You, and you alone, have the ability to bring all of this madness to an end – short of Parliament taking matters into its own hands. ”
Or ultimately the electorate will bring the madness to an end in May.
I’m in touch with Stephen Flynn. No reply.
Sturgeon left a 4 nation COVID meeting to do her preemptive strike against Alex Salmond. This is a new low point.
Sturgeon scandal leaves an open goal for the Tory’s
Michael Forsyth “Alex Salmond has accused officials in the Scottish government and the SNP of a “malicious and concerted effort” to damage his reputation – “even to the extent of having me imprisoned”.
Is it conceivable he would just make this up.”
“managing the Pandemic” has just been Sturgeon’s way of saying:
“la, la, la, la, la, la, everything will be just fine. Just leave it to me. No, I haven’t been bad and evil, trying to jail my predecessor (like a tin-pot dictator). I’ve been saving you.”
“I’m good person, really”
Today proves she’s lost it.
For Christ’s sake – just go with some scrap of dignity!
She actually leaves you feeling nauseous.
This whole sorry episode is like a military coup in some far away land.
I know your busy Stu, but will we be getting a post on yesterday’s extraordinary Justice Committee meeting?
Cllr. Christopher McEleny – Thank you, Sir.
Chris,
You are a man of principal. I think she will ignore your plea for sanity and to do ‘the right thing’. I fear that she will come after you. Your conscience will be clear, which is more than I can say for many others in the SNP.
That still from the STV interview. If that’s not the look of someone suffering from a psychosis then what is?
Coronavirus is Sturgeon’s magic Squirrel.
She can produce it at will.
And the so thinkers amongst us don’t even notice.
The outcome of the Sturgeon/SNP debacle will help us decide if we’re ready for independence. A much needed leadership and establishment clear out and we could be on our way. Corrupt supporters remaining in post will demonstrate that Turnbull’s lion (‘I’m feart’) got it right and the supporters of UK (Continuing) have beaten us again.
Don’t listen to the silence of the collaborators.
With someone like Chris McEleny in charge it shouldn’t take long to get the party back on track.
Apart from you Chris, and Angus B. MacNeil and Kenny MacAskill, other SNP MSP/MP’s twitter feeds I’ve looked at today are silent on this nothing, nil, nada, just tumbleweed.
How can anything change when most SNP MSP’s/MP’s are too shit scared to speak up.
Well put Chris.
I saw your twitter thread the other day and the contents of that alone are damning for any SNP member, a regular party member who had done but one of those acts would be permanently expelled from the party.
Nicola Sturgeon, Peter Murrell, Sue Ruddick and Ian McCann have all brought the party into disrepute, all should face disciplinary action against them to the extent of permanent expulsion from the party.
Well said, Chris – watch your back though.
I’m so angry. Like the majority here, I desperately want Alex to have his day. He has been treated in an abhorrent manner – as have Craig and Mark. Their strength and belief in the truth has been humbling to watch and read.
Sadly,I don’t think Chris will be graced with a response.
@Cudneycareless @ 4.22pm says
“Except he will be disbarred because he raised reasonable questions about the Leader.”
That’s exactly why we should vote for Chris, Wings, Kenny MacAskill & all the others who like him are Willing to speak truth to power & without fear or favour. These are the parliamentarians we need not the shower we have now-yes looking at you #SNP.
We need the bloggers who when needs must, come together to support each other to get the truth into the public domain.
Notice I didn’t mention msm -those we can live without. They work for the billionaires who buy/sell their own truths & are never to be believed
Very well said. Of course you should have just saved yourself the bother given that she’ll put it in the bin then try to get you expelled from the SNP.
Unfortunately I think enough people have been fooled often enough to let her get away with all that has happened.
Independence was never about one person, and it should never have been about one party because one bad apple can ruin it as we are now discovering to our cost.
..anyone that thinks one drop of that will penetrate should take another look at the eyes in the screen capture from STV. If you honestly think she really cares for anything beyond her own career – you’re dreaming. All she will be doing is wargaming possible outcomes and how that play for her – how does she get herself out of this mess. (I’m reminded of Jerry Lundegaard in Fargo.) She’s a ruthless survivor – and already the AS evidence has been rendered almost useless.
I’m surprised that The Supreme Nanny, Sturgeon hasn’t already demanded that The Crown issue a General Letter or a more draconian, Cease & Desist Order to this website.
It does present a journalist with integrity with a question to ask Sturgeon at her next Covid meeting, namely something along the lines of:
‘If discrediting the previous FM is more important to you than the health and safely of the people of Scotland during a pandemic, isn’t it time, for the wellbeing of the people of Scotland, that you stood down?
I’ll be surprised if this doesn’t get him fired.
Holyrood Mandy has a tweet that is worth a read
link to twitter.com
O/T.
I sense a whitewash coming on.
“Scottish Parliament: “The SPCB agreed to republish the submission in redacted form in line with representations from the Crown Office. We cannot comment any further on the redactions as Crown Office has advised that its correspondence on this matter must be kept confidential.”
link to twitter.com
spot on
A couple of steps for a hint would have helped, Mr. McEleny.
Call off the Woke dogs.
Call off the Crown Office.
Get all of Mr. Salmond’s submissions re-instated for tomorrow.
Publish the legal advice which caused today’s redactions, as Mr. Salmond’s lawyers have requested.
Publish the legal advice you ignored about the Judicial Review.
You can do all of this today. It is now 16.38 as I type. Go on your Twitter account and do it. 18.45 should be enough time to hit CH4 news at 19.00. You stage managed the news yesterday, do it again today.
AnneDon says:
23 February, 2021 at 4:18 pm
“If anyone on here is an SNP member (or a member of any party), you need to know that there is software that allows organisations to link party members to their social media accounts, using your email address.
Therefore, do not use the same email address that you use to communicate with the party as you do for twitter, etc.”
Personally, I no longer care. I almost want them to kick me out – save me the bother of resigning. I’ve done my vote for my list MSPs and only remain a member to be part of the Women’s Pledge group.
Hmmm. Can anyone tell me if that “preemptive strike”, which says AS has no evidence, came before or after the COPF letter which looks like stopping AS from sharing the evidence he doesn’t have…..
Time for many many more to put their head above the parapet. Well done.
Beautifully put kind sir ?
Very well said. Chris.
Glad I put you top of my list vote.
Will any MSP now ,at last , have the courage to put their head above the parapet ?
If you wait until she is totally finished we will only see you as a coward.
Thank you, Mr McEleny.
“We cannot comment any further on the redactions as Crown Office has advised that its correspondence on this matter must be kept confidential.”
But they publically published the original document and exactly what was subsequently redacted has beem determined by comparing the two versions of the documents and is now all over the Internet, so the redactions could hardly be described as ‘Confidential’.
“This is simply not behaviour that people of integrity and belief in due process can simply sit and watch and say nothing about, out of fear of the difficulty highlighting it will have for our cause.”
Well there’s one guy with some guts. Where are the rest of them?
Re SNP MSPs/MPs being scared of losing their “jobs” :
Yes they are but Chris has already gone through that and did lose his real job for political views (ie indy).
Angus is elected by people where I come from and its always about the person rather than the party up there. The SNP could deselect him and he’d still win the next election.
Kenny is on his way out on his own terms so nobody is putting him under pressure.
So don’t put everyone into the barrel of rotten apples quite so fast.
Not everyone is as hardened/bombproof/immune as some of the above mentioned.
Yes, she could address all of that, but she is far too deep into it, to now turn back. She would be best to simply leave the stage and let us get on with the job in hand
The only thing I would add to that letter is:
“After having inflicting so much damage by putting your ego and own hidden agenda before the Scotland’s needs which you were elected to serve but failed miserably to meet, please resign”.
Yes, okay, but again it falls short of accusing her directly of being centrally involved in a plot to imprison Alex Salmond and seeking to cover up her role in that plot.
That’s the big issue here. It’s what just about everybody thinks (apart from those on the payroll, of course).
The gender stuff and everything else is just policy – you either agree with it or you don’t. This is different.
Why skirt the issue?
Another eloquent contribution from the most impressive politician in the SNP.
Thank you for speaking out Chris. I’m disappointed not to see more elected members raising their voice. Silence and obfuscation is only making an already horrifying situation much, much worse.
I doubt that a well written and honest letter will make the slightest difference ..
A breath of fresh air in the ever growing stench hanging over HR.
Murdo Fraser Retweeted
Glenn Campbell
@GlennBBC
·
2h
At Holyrood
@NeilFindlay_MSP
has demanded a ministerial statement on controversy over Alex Salmond evidence publication
He says “this is a crisis for the credibility of this Parliament”
Good for you, Chris. A principled and brave stance. Will any of your SNP colleagues join you?
“This is simply not behaviour that people of integrity and belief in due process can simply sit and watch and say nothing about.”
my only criticism of Chris’s letter is near the end when he says
“ Scotland cannot win her independence on such unstable foundations. We must ensure that this parliamentary inquiry is allowed to come to its conclusions.”
Holyrood needs to change or be shut down. It cannot continue in the present state with this FM Dictator, corrupt Government, corrupt Judicial system and a Police force that ignores it all or is complicit. We need accountanbility, proper Inquiries with investigative powers, a total clear out of Civil Servants, SPADS, better rules on lobby groups, examination of spending etc. We need a review of whether Holyrood is worth keeping from its construction to the present day annual costs.
Independence should be the last thing people are thinking about just now. First should be health andsorting out the Holyrood mess, then economy and jobs. Whatever dislike of Westminster and Tories that people have is their own problem. Lets fix Scotland first without insanity of another referendum and more division
Nicola will destroy it all just to keep power. Well done Chris it needed saying I wouldn’t have been so nice, Fuck off comes to mind.
Listen, I have plenty to say about COVID, (and please don’t take offence, Chris) but if it is true that she left the 4 Nations briefing early for this reason – then it’s just beyond belief.
Why isn’t the Unionist Press all over that as a story?
She can’t possibly be psychologically stable.
Waste of time.
We are so far down this road and so deep in this rut there is no return.
The only way for Sturgeon to go is to lose the May election and for her to resign. Even then I doubt she would.
If you want to do something positive for a change, you have to push/support the ISP.
It is, thanks to Sturgeon, the only sane course of action left.
I think you might just be getting your jotters very soon, Mr McEleny, but it needed saying. Well done you for having more guts than most of our MSPs and MPs.
The fact that it has taken one brave, principled SNP local councillor to call this out as all the MPs, MSPs and councillors sit on their hands speaks volumes.
If the MSPs in the Scottish parliament don’t bit back against the COPFS’ actions, and the way the SNP leadership is behaving like a Latin American banana republic junta, then they aren’t fit to call themselves a parliament.
Something is very rotten in the Scottish system of governance and it needs to be fixed. There is no point in independence if we are governed by a deeply dysfunctional system which makes it look little better than Tammany Hall.
The opposition parties and those (presumably all too few) SNP MSPs with any principles left, should put a stop to this now. Demand the COPFS is investigated and if necessary ensure the Lord Advocate is hauled before parliament.
It may be well written and honest, but it misses the central point.
I’m perplexed by his letter.
If anyone thinks this is the time to be diplomatic, I’d love to hear their reasons.
Apologies, Chris, just noticed the link.
wow.
Hi Chris,
Will the ISP have a new Councillor shortly! I think you may need a new home. The knifes will be getting sharpened as I write.
Well done for speaking out.
Pulling us all back together?
To start with the FM needs to (if not resign herself which she could do citing pressures of CV19) –
Sack Evans
Publicly hold GRA and HCB unequivocally until after independence is gained
Publicly make amends with Joanne Cherry
Announce the actual date of the next indyref (even if that is 2022)
Announce she will seek a s30, but a refusal will be taken as illegal and proceed anyway
Allow a few ‘advisers’ to resign quietly
Then, maybe – just maybe – we can all work together for indy.
Andy Ellis, what has he called out? Please explain.
@McHaggis69
More chance of Chris getting an invite to Bute House for dinner than your list being addressed.
Thank you Chris, as a SNP Member , may I suggest we get the remaining SNP members who care about Independence and proper governance to put their names to it as well!
@Hatuey 5.08pm
The fact that the leadership is dysfunctional, that Sturgeon and her acolytes are a clear and present danger to our chances of achieving independence, and that if they are left in charge independence led by such a deeply corrupted movement wouldn’t be worth having anyway.
My pride returns. Felt myself welling up reading that Chris.
This is our Scotland. The people.
@Joe of the Coutts
I’m in touch with Stephen Flynn. No reply.
He reached out to me on Twitter after I left a reply on one of his tweets and mentioned my membership was hanging by a thread . He offered to chat including via video. I ended up sending him an email laying out my concerns. His reply was better than I expected, I believe he’s a good guy until proven otherwise.
Thank you Chris for this appeal to a person who has disgraced her party and her country in the eyes of anyone who has integrity , honesty and empathy in their heart
A country that should be CELEBRATING the coming election as an opportunity to free ourselves from the proven corrupt cesspit of WM now finds itself having to decide whether to vote for a party and leader that is not only embroiled in demonising and destroying an innocent man and his family but has PROVEN unequivocally that her deviant tendencies (fair comment) take precedence over the needs of Scotland and it’s citizens
INDEPENDENCE for Scotland is a dream to live in a socially responsible fair country whose governance is entrusted to persons who desire the best for its people, where all citizens can be assured that the people they elect will work tirelessly and endlessly for the common good , unfortunately the SNP SG and it’s leader we have at present is so far from these admirable requirements that they are the antithesis of our needs , therefore unless Sturgeon and her cabal of corrupt,lying perverts are removed I , my family and friends have no option but to withold our votes
Any SNP ministers feel that they cannot continue to serve in the administration of this disreputable FM? Not even one or two of you? Salary and status more important to you are they? Or you’re jist a feartie perhaps.
Wasn’t there a warning from Sturgeon or HQ for SNP members and MP MSP and councilors not to publish anything on WOS, or do I have that wrong.
I agree 100% with Chris’s letter.
I have e-mailed my MP and MSP, both SNP and asked them to respond to Chris’s letter and if they will align with its message. I await a reply and did point out to them both that if they wish to remain elected they and others in the SNP need to do the same as Chris.
This embarrassment cannot continue and our reputation as a fair and welcoming nation is be trashed by a small minority of self serving lying b******s.
Time for a clear out and the buck stops with Miss Sturgeon so she should be the first to fall on her sword.
Not holding my breathe though but the whole thing is utterly nauseating!
@kapelmeister says:
23 February, 2021 at 5:16 pm
Any SNP ministers feel that they cannot continue to serve in the administration of this disreputable FM? Not even one or two of you? Salary and status more important to you are they? Or you’re jist a feartie perhaps.
No doubt there will be on or two waiting to see what way the wind blows. Personally I think we’re well past the point where silence can be excused.
So we have a State Prosecutors (Crown Office) accused of malfeasance by a former first minister.
We have a parliament investigating matters, including possible malfeasance by the State Prosecutor
We have the State Prosecutor threatening to jail the former first minster if he gives his evidence
And the same State Prosecutor telling said Parliament that it cannot hear the evidence (and concealing evidence that it may have committed said Malfeasance)
and we have
That same Parliament, elected by the sovereign people of Scotland, saying ‘OK sir we won’t investigate you for malfeasance and we won’t hear any evidence that suggests that you committed said malfeasance – even though by your own admission, State Prosecutor, you have carried out malicious prosecutions in our name.
And this is democracy?
Geoff Anderson says:
“ More chance of Chris getting an invite to Bute House for dinner than your list being addressed.”
Agreed.
100%.
Thats the point I guess.
Kudos for that Chris, and wonderfully illustrated.
McHaggis 69
So there shoild be no real consequences for the actions of the SNP who were part of this outrage and all should be allowed to slip away quietly the full truth never to be disclosed to the majority of Scottish people who are not avid followers of the political scene
That sends out a great message to those who follow i,m afraid i believe that a sticking plaster will not do the cancer needs cutting out checks and balances imposed and a distance put between political party and the state ,A yes movement that is not affiliated to any one party and a opposition fit to challange prob after this the snp role
THE DESIRE FOR INDERPENDENCE CANNOT BE AT ANY COST you risk a failure if you go down that route what would a NS SNP Scotland look like based on the track record
K
If you take the full figure of deaths, revealed every Wednesday, I believe Scotland may have more deaths per head of population than any other country, not including tiny states like San Marino. And she leaves a vital meeting to do that!
Well said Chris. I voted for you twice for deputy. That’s before I left when I saw Joanna getting bullied.
Nicola is revealed as a horrible liar. Imagine st Nicola “Covid is my only focus” sturgeon ditching cobra to go knife Alex on tv. She makes a lying fool of herself. Not fit to run a sweetie shop never mind a govt. Others in the party must know this. It’s time for them to speak up too.
If you think things are bad now wait until the new “hate” crime law comes into force. Expect both state police & state prosecutor operations to be vastly expanded for the purpose of increasing and extending public surveillance and handling the prosecution of thousands of individuals for thinking and/or expressing the wrong thoughts. A special unit will be required just to deal with illegal opinions and allegations directed towards the first minister.
Nicola strumpet never met an honest solicitor yet they should be banned from public office
Spot on, Chris and thanks for having the guts to speak out. Most elected members are too feart of repercussions to say anything out loud, they all know what she’s capable of.
@ Captain Yossarian
Forgive me if I missed your earlier posts, but I take it you’re not a supporter of independence?
@Captain Yossarion, 4.23
Scots were brought up to believe their legal system was among the best in the world. Not after the latest shenanigans of the Crown Office.’ – ANDREW NEIL
Yet again, you impugn the Scots legal system. The Crown Office is not the Scots legal system. The Crown Agent, the current CEO of the Crown Office, is on secondment from the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office,
@ De Valera – At the moment I am not. With Alex Salmond at the helm, then I would be certainly. Mine is a position shared, I suspect, by many at the moment.
If Nicola Sturgeon refuses to resign, and pronto, perhaps the sovereign people of Scotland should resign her instead? A crowdfunder, a great sum of money, raised by the People, to bring an action, a suit against her and persecuted by the finest legal minds, would certainly bring global headlines and damnation upon her – would you prefer that, Mrs Murrell?
Fancy the gig, Duncan Hamilton QC? Or how about Joanna Cherry QC – seeing as she’ll soon be kicked out of the party? I’m sure Kenny MacAskill would eagerly give of his time to make that case?
@Cirsium – They only get paid by Whitehall. They are the Scottish Crown Office. They, like James Wolffe, are part of the SG apperatus. Alex Salmond removed the Lord Advocate from Holyrood control, but Sturgeon brought him back again with consequences which have been disasterous for us all.
Powerful and very heartfelt sentiments, Chris. So painful to see what’s become of a Party that was once so inspirational and full of hope.
Well said, sir!
Say what you like about Sturgeon – and if I were to try it would be actionable – but disgraceful as her conduct has been, it could not have been managed without the silence and complicity of the nodding dogs who sit behind her.
Furious as I am at her totally ruthless behaviour, I am appalled at the truly disreputable behaviour of those SNPs and MPs who have proved their total lack of integrity and sense of honour and justice by allowing this charade. I can’t excuse her supporters in Holyrood & Westminster for their complicity.
It was hinted before on this site that there were those waiting in the shadows to stop this shambles before it completely engulfed the party and destroyed the cause of independence. Apart from the honourable few already mentioned, including Chris McEleny, where are they? Are there only a handful then with the nerve to stand up and be counted?
To correct an earlier post-
England has recorded 107,000 Covid deaths
Scotland less than 7,000.
If we had a tenth of their population you could call equal terms around 70,000
Deaths in England.
It’s 50% greater higher in England and growing every day.
No one manipulates figures better than Tory Westminster so expect the Excess Death
Figures in England to take the true figure up to 125,000.
And Scotland is supposed to be grateful and applause the incompetence of team Boris???
I think if we had an ‘uptick’ facility, this letter would go to the top of the ” highest number of ‘likes’ ” list and stay there for a very long time.
Well said Chris – you’ve got thousands of genuine SNP members standing with you !
Oh well said, so very well said.
That’s him fucked then. Murrell wouldn’t be going through with all of this if she didn’t *know* she could get away with it and that’s why I keep saying that she’s bulletproof and she’s going nowhere. She has information that we don’t, a secret escape clause buried somewhere.
So, that’s him fucked then for writing this open letter.
Andy Ellis, that’s what I thought he called out. In other words, he called out the sort of stuff that gets called out in politics all the time.
I thought there was one issue that stood out above all others as being uniquely disgraceful, and silly me thought that that, above all others, was worth calling out.
There’s a time and a place for diplomatic. This isn’t it.
The woods are burning.
@Cirsium – ‘The Sturgeon Clown Office is insisting that crucial evidence supporting the Salmond case be redacted, which means it can’t be considered by the official Inquiry into his claims.
This in a democracy. Or former one.’ ANDREW NEIL
Does this answer your question? They are paid and employed by Whitehall, but they are instructed by Sturgeon and Wolffe.
It’s clear by extending locking us up for another few months that Evil Edna wants to kill as many Scottish pensioners as possible while driving the bairns round the bend with her mask madness, forced isolation and inhumane social distancing.
Brilliant, Chris. He’s already proven his ability to speak truth to power. Now he has upped the stakes. Will any other S.N.P., officials find a backbone and encourage her to resign, before their party collapses in upon itself? It currently looks like the party is full of “Placemen& Women.” Absolutely disgusted with the people who keep silent on this abuse of power, and abuse of an innocent man.
Don’t get me wrong I have been an SNP supporter my whole life.but I wouldn’t vote for this administration, it is rotten to the core,Nicola strumpet is more concerned with tottern in front of the camera in heels she can’t walk in,than addressing the glaring problems her administration is facing I personally think and hope the party can get back to govern Scotland rather than soundbites,half truths and down right lies she has to go.
Nicely done, Chris
I can hardly bare to look at Nicola Sturgeon now.
She jeers maliciously at Mr Salmond that, ‘the onus is on him to produce evidence of a conspiracy’.
She believes she’s immune from any consequence having staged a silent coup against Scottish democracy and the interest of the Scottish public with the aid of: a corrupt, totally out of control judicial wing of power, (The Crown Office), a corrupt executive office (her office), a corrupt Scottish Civil Service, a bias media and a corrupted SNP CEO, her husband, Peter Murrell, a cowed, silent cohort of elected MPs & MSPs who know what befalls any who transgress against the Murrells’ Party.
Mr Salmond’s testimony, if not heard in full, creates a parliamentary farce & gives Westminster the excuse to close it down, as not fit for democratic purpose.
@Hatuey 6.07pm
Well….no…that doesn’t really make any kind of sense. There isn’t just *one* issue: the current bùrach encapsulates quite a few issues, some of long standing, and some fairly novel.
Of course large sections of the broader movement refuse to believe there is any issue, or even if they do see it insist we have to “wheesht for indy”.
The question is how many people in the broader Yes movement will be motivated by the current SNP leadership’s direction of travel to take action, and whether any MPs, MSPs, councillors and activists will follow suit.
The period between now and the Holyrood elections will set the scene for the next five years I think. I’m pretty sure that even if the immediate future results in Sturgeon’s fall, it’s too late to do much of consequence before the elections, or make them plebiscitary.
We have to face the fact that we’ve got 5 more years of gradualism and no #indyref2 to look forward to. If we can’t effect change in that timescale, the games a bogie and the older generation like me might as well resign themselves to probably never seeing an independent republic. I can only hope the younger generation that may usher in independence isn’t dominated by the loathsome woke Wahhabi zealots currently infesting the movement.
Apologies for posting this, but I can’t use Archive from my work computer: link to bbc.com
Thanks Chris, you are one of the honest ones
So she also lied about being 100% concentrating on Covid.
Can she see herself at all?
Does she know how this looks?
She is destroying Scotland’s reputation
Why can’t we have someone like Chris for FM instead of Nicola strumpet blackford and the rest of the bag of weasels we have at holyrood.
Nice one Chris kudos. Now is the time for others to speak up.
@ Captain Yossarian
Fair enough. I hope my question didn’t sound like an attack. I had simply noticed you quoting a few strident opponents of indy.
However these are strange times and it appears that the First Minister is the biggest opponent of them all.
O/T
I see an article in fascist England’s Scottish Mail carries a story
from Scotland’s second highest ranking police officer Deputy Chief
Constable Fiona Taylor.
She would see any attempt to close the border with England doomed
as it’s a Union that we are in?
So if we wish to stop the more deadly Covid variants already established in England
from entering Scotland this rich bitch would refuse it?
It seems she is employed by the Scottish tax payer within Police Scotland but she put some misplaced unionist loyalty in place so that English carriers have the right to contaminate and
Kill in their Northern Colony?
She shouldn’t be in a job tomorrow morning!
Beat it!
She’s hoping her title,,,”Nicola, Queen of Covid” will see her through this particular little crisis.
It’s as if she knows already she can cancel out every move Salmond makes.
I put my name to this letter also,
At this point Scotland is a failed state
Wee Child @ 4.44.
That’s more than two of us – because every other SNP member I know well enough to call ‘friend’ is in the same situation, and some of those members, like me, are ”Women’s Pledge” members.
There are male WP members too, and three of us were at the very first meeting in Aberdeen.
If it wasn’t for our Holyrood20 candidate – and the ‘Pledge’ – our entire branch committee would have quit before now.
That said, we’ve already lost a significant number of members – mostly ‘gender critical’ women, but all could be called ‘activists’.
None are remotely ‘woke’ or ‘trans allies’.
In addition, all now accept (some were unsure at first) that there was/is a high level conspiracy, and that the target, and the real victim, is Alex Salmond.
All of us are also sickemed by what our party has become, and a few are dreading what the future holds for Scotland if the current leadership (government and party) is still in place and the SNP wins an overall majority in May.
5 years to introduce any bill, any policy, and head in any direction with nothing to stop them doing so, or at least put the brakes on !
I’ve spoken to activist/office bearer members in dozens of branches all over the country (there are private networks that allow us to do this), and every branch I’ve spoken to is much the same.
Sadly, although she/they will never admit it, SARS-Covid-19 has done the leadership a huge favour.
All campaigning is being done online, so there’s no need for activists to chap doors, deliver leaflets, run street stalls ….. basically all the things we’d usually do during a campaign – so all those activists quitting won’t be noticed, and it probably won’t make much difference to the results.
Can’t disagree with a single word, Chris.
@Tommy 6:33. It WOULD be a failed state if all of her machinations went unnoticed and unchallenged. What you’re seeing here is a state in crisis, but not failed.
Scotland’s coup!
Scotland was once a highly respected semi-modern, relatively liberal democratic kingdom much admired worldwide for its scenery, its whisky, its cultural traditions and paradoxically its people. For some time now Scotland’s reputation has been under significant scrutiny again bc worldwide.
Scotland was also at one time the source of incredible intellectual development and provided through the ‘Enlightenment’ what has provided much of the foundation of modern liberal democracies across Western bc democracies.
It is somewhat overwhelming therefore for a Scot to find himself in the midst of a ‘failed state’ without having travelled anywhere whilst sitting in his own front room.
For the avoidance of doubt a failed state is the description used, and which we see regularly in the media to describe places like Syria, North Korea, Russia and China. Places where the rule of law is carelessly abused by those in positions of authority and power to imprison personal, political and financial opponents, for no reason other than that they can. These states have ‘failed’ because there exists no separation between the offices of government, the police and armed services and the judiciary. All branches of state authority lead back to one place to the detriment of every citizen except those occupying that one place. Scotland today has joined that list of failed states. Scotland today has suffered a coup to all intents and purposes.
That word coup is interesting it means the overthrow of established authority. In Scots it also means a place that you dump rubbish. I’ll bet it’s the first time that those two meanings have come together quite so succinctly. Unfortunately for Scotland the ‘rubbish’ has been emptied into powerful/influential roles within our country.
For those directly involved in suffering the machinations of those individuals, Scotland’s rubbish, great pressure, pain and suffering has been their lot over two years. All Scots have a vested interest in relieving that suffering and forcing an end to Scotland’s coup. We may never as a nation reach the heights our fellow Scots achieved in the enlightenment but we should be able to climb out of the cesspit that our government
Scotland’s coup!
Scotland was once a highly respected semi-modern, relatively liberal democratic kingdom much admired worldwide for its scenery, its whisky, its cultural traditions and paradoxically its people. For some time now Scotland’s reputation has been under significant scrutiny again bc worldwide.
Scotland was also at one time the source of incredible intellectual development and provided through the ‘Enlightenment’ what has provided much of the foundation of modern liberal democracies across Western bc democracies.
It is somewhat overwhelming therefore for a Scot to find himself in the midst of a ‘failed state’ without having travelled anywhere whilst sitting in his own front room.
For the avoidance of doubt a failed state is the description used, and which we see regularly in the media to describe places like Syria, North Korea, Russia and China. Places where the rule of law is carelessly abused by those in positions of authority and power to imprison personal, political and financial opponents, for no reason other than that they can. These states have ‘failed’ because there exists no separation between the offices of government, the police and armed services and the judiciary. All branches of state authority lead back to one place to the detriment of every citizen except those occupying that one place. Scotland today has joined that list of failed states. Scotland today has suffered a coup to all intents and purposes.
That word coup is interesting it means the overthrow of established authority. In Scots it also means a place that you dump rubbish. I’ll bet it’s the first time that those two meanings have come together quite so succinctly. Unfortunately for Scotland the ‘rubbish’ has been emptied into powerful/influential roles within our country.
For those directly involved in suffering the machinations of those individuals, Scotland’s rubbish, great pressure, pain and suffering has been their lot over two years. All Scots have a vested interest in relieving that suffering and forcing an end to Scotland’s coup. We may never as a nation reach the heights our fellow Scots achieved in the enlightenment but we should be able to climb out of the cesspit that our government have made of our country.
O/T sort of:
link to mobile.twitter.com
Alex asks to be given till Friday to appear so he can consider effect of today’s carry on.
Could somebody who saved it kindly email me a copy of the unredacted Alex’s submission on the ministerial code?
craigmurray1710 AT btinternet.com
Thank you.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Chris, for having the personal integrity and, it must said, courage, in stating your arguments.
This nonsense, cannot go on, with people close to the FM spending their enenrgies insulting indy supporters and SNP folk who do not agree with GRA, or just picking fights with those they simply, personally do not like.
Perhaps Nicola needs to listen to genuine folk, who really care about Scotland, instead of her army of gender ideology-obsessed SPADS (careerist leeches).
Sick of it all, really truly sick of it all, and it is Scotland and its people who will suffer.
Get a grip, or move over and let somebody who will, take over.
This has to stop.
Craig it’s on the New Statements website.
BBC also reporting tomorrow is off, AS proposing Friday.
Also folks the @bbc Scotland news with Glen Campbells report was the most truthful and questioning of this whole debacle yet.
I take my hat of to Glen for asking the questions we all have.
BBC just announced committee tomorrow now off.
Skip_NC says:
23 February, 2021 at 6:29 pm
Apologies for posting this, but I can’t use Archive from my work computer: link to bbc.com
Says on the link despite invading his personal space and repeatedly putting his arm round him that did not constitute being sexually inappropriate
Is that not one of the things they tried to get Alex Salmond on.
Chris is being very diplomatic which is understandable. The rest of us, the plebs and poor bloody infantry, the people who have given up years of dedication and contributions to the SNP and independence deserve far, far more than polite requests, and the ignoring of them.
Sturgeon, with her aides, a little gang who arrogantly behave as if they alone get to decide anything, have wrecked not just the case for independence, but the foundations of what passes for government in this country. It is a very serious charge but completely justifiable when you look at what they are doing and have done.
More importantly than the plot to defame and damage one man, which is bad enough, is their deliberate compromising and subverting of the basic requirements of a free democracy – known since the Enlightenment as the separation of powers – between the executive, the law, the police and the media. They have collapsed all distinctions in their crazed power grab, undermining any trust whatsoever that we live in a country which can hold the executive to account through the institutions of state, whether parliament or the judiciary. They have sought to misinform, deceive, manipulate and block any attempts to do so, quite deliberately and shockingly blatantly. They have sought to make an inquiry into their own conduct, which has cost the taxpayer millions, completely worthless, unable to carry out any of its remit. Worthy of a despotic regime renowned for its lack of rule of law, they have subverted, blocked and kneecapped an investigation into their deplorable conduct.
This isn’t democracy, it is an abuse of power, it is complete contempt for the rule of law, and most of all for the citizens of Scotland who have placed their trust in them, and assumed we had functioning governance, of the kind we would automatically expect. There is no question that there should be a proper empowered inquiry, with powers of prosecution into their treason, one held by a wholly independent committe of high calibre people – though whether you would find that in Scotland now is open to question.
It is despicable what they are doing to preserve their own skins, and they deserve the heaviest of penalties for it. That they might escape by gerrymandering the committee for the 60th time makes it worse. They have wrecked Scottish justice and democracy in their lunatic drive for absolute power without sanction or accountability. Begone.
I guess Chris will be getting his P45 then , cold shouldered and cast out into the wilderness by the Tribe aye it’s too bad others are shit scared to back you up Chris , fkn Cowards with principles that change with the wind , no problem chaps the fly in yer ointment will be our collective memory’s.
Yer cards marked.
I Have a comment directed to Alex ,
Don’t go.
Don’t give these bandits the pleasure simply don’t appear let’s watch them all looking at the clock and their expensive watches mostly Curtesy of the public purse now that should make interesting viewing , the committee twiddling their thumbs while Alex holds a press conference outside Holyrood ” socially distanced ” so as not to invite Arrest on Trumped up charges,
Give them your version and invite the press to ask questions , how are you going to stop that show Nicola ? , you can’t have him arrested ” would look bad ” you can’t shut him up ” again bad press ”
I was tempted to add the Nuclear option but that would be a step to far even for this administration
@Garrion – I have lived and worked in two semi-authoritaran countries and what we have here in Scotland is considerably worse.
At least Glenn Campbell at BBC Scotland is at last aware of the seriousness of it.
In all seriousness, we need to forget all about the May elections. These parliamentarians are unelectable.
Re Harassment and Complaints Committee ,
James Matthews
@jamesmatthewsky
·
BREAK: Alex Salmond not appearing at harassment committee tomorrow. He’s offered to appear on Friday, pending legal discussions @SkyNews
link to twitter.com
Craig @ 6.44
Copy sent.
Alex should tell the inquiry to fucken ram it.
Surely there is a “spycatcher” scenario that could out all the evidence?
Does Parliamentary privilege still exist? Surely someone with an axe to grind would love to make a name for themselves.
Effijy says:
23 February, 2021 at 6:31 pm
Fiona Taylor started her career with Lincolnshire Police – say no more. That was the last place I visited in England after being told I only supported Scottish Independence because I was anti English – by an English cafe owner from whose establishment I was buying lunch .!
“They are the Scottish Crown Office”
That is a way of putting it. From where I am standing it very much looks like they are the England’s Crown office in Scotland. It is a very different concept as the popular sovereignty in Scotland means the people owns the Scottish crown.
What is an “ex”-MI5, doing with their fingers on this scandal if it was really a Scottish Crown office?
What part of the England Crown office in Scotland is suppressing the evidence from the public? Would it be the part that sits within the Scottish government and that therefore is abusing power to avoid its own scrutiny, or would it the part that does not sit in Scotland’s government and that directly represents the interests of the English crown?
In whose interests is that evidence being suppressed from the Scottish public, would it be those of the Sgov or those of the English crown?
Andy Ellis, all of that other stuff is just regular politics and policy. None of it is criminal or hidden. As voters you can choose to vote for it or not. None of it is unique to Scotland. It’s just stuff. Ordinary political stuff.
The Salmond thing is an entirely different category of stuff.
Ian Mac
I agree with all your comments
I had to check your post and it could have been directed at the Tory government it fits them exactly but I don’t think they have went that far Yet .
How the fk have we ended up here if someone had said that this was on the cards a year or even two years ago you would have been laughed at and branded a unionist plant .
Again I say Alex don’t turn up , explain why you have and show all the obstructions placed in your way it’s all at your fingertips use it , bury the fkrs every single one .
The longer this goes on, the greater the chance that someone is going to drop a massive clanger.
A real fucking soup dragon.
@Mia – It’s the Scottish Crown Office, Mia. They are paid by Whitehall but carry-out work as instructed by James Wolffe and Nicola Sturgeon.
This has been explained many, many times.
They are on Channel 4 news in 5-minutes and so we’ll listen-out for what they think. I don’t think Channel 4 will be blaming the English somehow.
This is a disgracefull fully home-grown balls-up.
@Mia
For goodness’ sake – the Scottish Crown Office is headed by the Lord Advocate, a minister of the Scottish Government. Who do you think appointed him? Hint: she’s not bloody English
This is a problem made in Scotland, like it or not.
.
Chris McEleny,
You sir, are a legend and a very brave person.
As an academic exercise PLEASE COULD I ask for Wingers who would like to participate, to name their…
TOP 3 ON CHRIS MCELENY’S STURGEON LIST OF SHAME?
link to mobile.twitter.com
Mine are numbers 9, 11 and 26.
Hint. If enough interest is shown in one of these<SINS OF STURGEON", then the police will be receiving a formal request to commence the appropriate inquiry.
That’s a great letter Mr McEleny. We must all endeavour to have it read by as many people as possible
Alex Salmond has pulled out of the inquiry tomorrow, link to follow.
Just wondering if Nicola Sturgeon would survive a vote of no confidence?
I’m seeing a lot of people who know people in the SNP saying that a lot of MSP’s aren’t happy about the way things have been going, so as long as the vote was a secret ballot, surely she’d be gone?
Something which has always puzzled me throughout all this is why Salmond allegedly tried it on with all these different women and yet, he never tried on with the one he was closest to, Mrs. Murrell.
So, is THAT going to be her escape card?
“I was his first victim, but I kept quiet, yada yada yada…”
“Power and greed and corruptible seed seem to be all that there is”
These eyes are haunted.
Thank you Chris for this long overdue and prescient letter.
Wouldn’t you think that if you are an independence supporter, then you are an independence supporter regardless of who is in Bute House? Its too important to hang on one individual.
link to Alex Salmond not appearing tomorrow.
link to archive.is
‘Please Alex. Call this out in the strongest terms? This country is out of control.’
The excellent Kenny MacAskill on BBC said of Sturgeon’s malfeasance: ‘If it looks like an elephant, sounds like an elephant…..’ he forgot one thing: ‘If it smells like an elephant.’
How could you, Kenny?
The wee hairy fae Dreghorn smells at the moment. She smells just like elephant dung.
I live in England and if Independence is what the Scottish people want via a referendum ,then so be it. I believe in self determination, and I wish you all the best. However, I’m not sure threat Ms Sturgeon will deliver independence. It seems to me that Alex Salmond would do a much better job.
This scandal has me reconsidering the reason for 3,000 staff in the new Scotland Office. Am I wrong?
Google search engine has a lot of stuff about Nicola Sturgeon missing at the moment
Some results may have been removed under data protection law in Europe. Learn more
It takes a brave person to speak TRUTH TO POWER like that!
Mist001, this was loosely within the Dana Garaveli “court-report” controversy, which cannot be discussed
In fact I can’t find anything about Sturgeon and Mr Salmond at all on my Google search engine. Is it ONLY my machine?
@Hatuey 7.07pm
I’m coming at it from the perspective of that section of the broader Yes movement who find themselves in agreement with Chris, who support Wings Over Scotland and who feel they’ve been let down and/or who have changed from being broadly supportive of the SNP, to being against them.
“The Salmond thing” is of course a huge part of it, as is the way it has been and is being handled. The other main issues are general lack of progress on indy / gradualism / neo-liberal Growth Commission timidity, and the whole TRA/self-ID cancel culture capture of the party and attempted othering of anyone resisting it like Cherry, McAlpine et al.
All of these need to be taken account of. It’s not just regular politics and *stuff*, it’s a fundamental breakdown of the pro-indy “big tent” approach. Worse than that however is the realisation that unless we defeat the current SNP leadership and its direction of travel we’ll wake up living in the early days of a banana republic, not the better nation we (perhaps naively?) thought we were trying to bring in to existence.
Republicofscotland says:
23 February, 2021 at 4:32 pm
‘How can anything change when most SNP MSP’s/MP’s are too shit scared to speak up.’
Those last 4 words are superfluous.
@ Mia at 7:05 pm
Interesting reading the comments stating that this is all home grown and there couldn’t possibly be any influence from other external parties that may have a vested interest in stopping Scotland returning to self governing status.
You’ll remember there was previous mention of David Harvie in this article and btl comment thread.
Press CtrlF and search Harvie and you can toggle through the search results.
link to wingsoverscotland.com
O/T
Well I guess no one is surprised that nicola has taken a more “cautious” approach to releasing lockdown and restrictions than BJs plan. Her plan really was shockingly light on details. Atleast boris has set out a timescale for when lockdown and more importantly restrictions will be removed, nicola didn’t set out anything like that today, just that we will be going back into her silly tier system in april with no plan on when all restrictions will be lifted that would actually return us to normality. Boris also acknowledged that achieving so called zero covid in a country where it is already endemic everywhere was impossible and they would not be pursuing it. Nicola is still clinging onto the idea of “eliminating covid in the community” in other words zero covid which will keep Scotland locked down and restricted for the rest of the year. I can only speculate why nicola would want this self inflicted disaster to continue for longer.
She was also boasting about the decreasing case numbers but its not true.
link to informscotland.uk
For the past week Scotlands case numbers have plateaued that doesn’t really say much about the 4th strictest lockdown in the world does it.
A massive demonstration is the only way to show our anger. Like the Skye bridge toll campaigners we would have to be prepared to be arrested.
Or a court case against the government as the Good Law Project often does against UK government. Surely there must be a case to bring?
.
Andy Ellis,
You are being very patient with Hatuey. I’d be inclined to ignore he/she/it for being deliberately obtuse and quasi-trolling.
Hatuey is posting utterly pointless and poorly written crap.
One of two other posters understandably say to Chris McEleny that Nicola won’t take notice. Of course she won’t bother with Chris, apart from getting her 5 3″ poison dwarf Dreghorn Dirk out to cut some testicles off in her fantasy TV Borgen fan-girl world. Then leave the aforementioned dirk between the metaphorical shoulder blades of Mr McEleny.
The list of 26 infractions that Chris wrote is a very smart way of spreading the news of the fake-rape squad led by Nicola Perverter of Justice, and alerting significant numbers of the poor, ignorant members of the SNP who have been worshiping fake saint Nicola and give them a wake up call.
As for Sturgeon, yes she will be clinging ont her trappings of office, right up to the point when she is led away, ideally by the front door in handcuffs to face interview by a deputy chief constable from a police force outwith the compromised Police Scotland area.
What an utter Bourach.
@Dan
Even if true, I fail to see the relevance. Are you suggesting that one man, who hasn’t worked for MI5 for years, is capable of systematically causing all these people to behave in this way? Is this how corruptible the SNP are? Occam’s razor suggests the SNP is just run by a load of career-hungry lowlifes and others who just won’t rock the boat.
Like every other political party in fact. Apoligies for favouring corruptible over conspiracy on this one.
Corruptible should read “cock-up” above
Chris Maximum Respect.
Thank you for your courage.
I regret that others in the party, who must be aware of the crisis are silent.
Not only are the SNP losing members they are losing voters.
When are you joining the ISP
Very well said Chris, but unfortunately you can’t talk sense to a nutter.
If you visited someone in a lunatic asylum, would you expect to be able to communicate with them rationally?
Nicola Sturgeon, in her madness, is playing political games with the lives of a nation.
@Jason Smoothpiece 8pm
Given the deafening silence from MSPs, MPs and most councillors it strikes me they’re keeping their heads down to see what happens when (if?) Salmond gives his evidence and Sturgeon says her piece.
That level of political cowardice tells us everything we need to know about the current state of the party and demonstrates beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are not fit for purpose.
Garavelli Princip @ 5:20
“So we have a State Prosecutors (Crown Office)”
Evidently the Crown is the most powerful entity in Scotland, more powerful even than the devolved wee pretendy Holyrood assembly.
That will be Chris run out of the SNP if they arent moving to stitch him up for kiddy fiddling and as a long lost friend of Jimmy Saville. No doubt to be closely followed by Kenny MacAskill and Angus McNeil. Maybe they will all be collectively blamed for Covid 19.
John Digsby @ 7:12 pm
“the Scottish Crown Office”
Not quite. The Crown is the ‘legal embodiment of the British state’ in Scotland.
Just as the ‘Scottish Government’ is little more than a spending department of the British Government and staffed by the latter.
And the devolved limited power ‘Scottish Parliament’ is subject to the superior sovereign British Parliament.
Without sovereignty nothing in Scotland is Scottish, not even the people, we are also British – whether we like it or not.
Only independence can return Scottish sovereignty.
chris is standing against Stuart McMillan the local SNP MSP here.
He will get my vote after seeing his letter to Dilly Dolly
As for McMillan no chance, guys a nipple
Caledonia @ 6:52pm, you know, I believe you may be correct about that.
Al-Stuart, you say;
“You are being very patient with Hatuey. I’d be inclined to ignore he/she/it for being deliberately obtuse and quasi-trolling… Hatuey is posting utterly pointless and poorly written crap.”
Al, you got me. Your comments are generally so embarrassing that it’d be considered cruel to recite them. And I wouldn’t want to be cruel.
Back to your “good guys v bad guys” paradigm.
You have my blessing.
A well constructed letter delivered with characteristic passion and integrity Chris. I cling to the hope that many ordinary SNP members and scores of elected SNP politicians share your concerns and desire for radical change in direction and identification of priorities comrade. Time will tell but the time for the SNP to self-identify as the principle independence party in Scotland is way overdue. Labour in Scotland once occupied the position of strength and dominance now enjoyed by SNP. Their support is now fringe like. The collapse in membership base and enthusiastic campaigning zeal soon led to the collapse in influence and elected politicians. If the SNP think it will never happen to them they are not paying attention to history. Keep fighting Chris. Remind your leader that your party was founded to fight for Scottish independence not to try and administer devolution better than anyone else. Idealists and idealism is the lifeblood of any progressive movement. Administrators rarely inspire.
Captain Yossarian says:
23 February, 2021 at 7:11 pm
“They are paid by Whitehall but carry-out work as instructed by James Wolffe and Nicola Sturgeon”
ha, ha, ha!!!
You seriously expect me to believe that Whitehall pays for the crown office and has not input at all on it but that “ex”-MI5 as crown agent just landed by chance there?
You cannot be serious.
“This has been explained many, many times”
And your explanation has been rejected as many times.
“They are on Channel 4 news in 5-minutes and so we’ll listen-out for what they think”
It has been well over 3 years since our household has classified state propaganda as a health hazard and therefore disposable. We do no longer watch live broadcasting and therefore we do no longer need a TV licence.
“I don’t think Channel 4 will be blaming the English somehow”
Who is blaming the English? This is the British state (the crown?) sticking its fingers all over Scotland the colony, not the English people.
“This is a disgracefull fully home-grown balls-up”
Err nope. This is a full blown and disgraceful collusion of interests between elements in the SNP and Scottish government with the main elements of the British state (police, COPFS, Civil Service, MI5?) to put in place a political conspiracy aiming to stop Scotland’s independence.
“For goodness’ sake – the Scottish Crown Office is headed by the Lord Advocate”
Yes, but who is his handler?
Who is he really working for?
Who is the crown office working for?
Who is the crown agent working for?
Who tells who what to do? Is the Lord Advocate telling the crown agent or viceversa?
What part of the COPFS is supressing the evidence? Would that be the part of the crown that sits in the Sgovernment, the part that doesn’t or both?
“a minister of the Scottish Government”
You mean an unelected minister of the Scottish government
“Who do you think appointed him?”
Under whose recommendation?
I understand that the FM is given a choice between three candidates for permanent secretary. How many options is a FM given to select the Lord Advocate from? Who makes the initial selection of which candidates among which the FM can choose from?
“Hint: she’s not bloody English”
What does the nationality of the individual got to do with it? It is not the nationality but where the loyalties lie that matter. Brown is not English either and still sold Scotland with a fucking vow and a pack of promises he never intended to deliver.
“This is a problem made in Scotland, like it or not”
I don’t think so. This is a problem executed and delivered in Scotland for the sake of the British state. This “problem” was thought somewhere else and the ultimate goal was multi-prone:
1. to stop May’s election becoming a plebiscite
2. to stall if not derail independence for the foreseeable future
3. to present Holyrood as a micky mouse parliament that should be closed down
4. To present Scotland’s justice system as inefficient and corrupt so it can be terminated
5. to create division in the yes movement and destroy the SNP as a vehicle for independence
6. To ensure the next leader of the SNP is a compromised stooge of the British state so they do not advance independence
7. to eliminate the possibility of any real pro independence leader bypassing the compromised stooge and leading us to independence.
Amazing courage from (no disrespect to you Chris) you a ‘lowly’ councilor versus the amazing, jaw-dropping cowardice and silence from nearly all our SNP MP’s and MSP’s.
Is that it then from the ‘Honourable’ (paaaah ha haaah ha ha) Ladies and Gents of the SNP.
Leaving it to Councilor Chris here to do what everyone of you should have done a long time ago you spineless, gutless, pillows.
I suspect when Councilor Chris here is an M/SP and you are not you will be able to reflect upon all of this.
Some of these silent arseholes will crawl out the woodwork when it obvious to every man and his dog that Sturgeon is finished and try to join in the condemnation. We are way past the point now where they should have spoken up already.
Dont agree with very much of what Chris does. However I really admire his guts here. Head and shoulders above the rest of the SNP mps / msp cowards.
Well done Chris.
Well said Chris but I think it will fall on deaf ears. She is in a full blown fantasy of her own making where everything in the garden is lovely – just bow down before her and accept. I just feel powerless and very very confused over her reasons for going radio rental. It’s got to be a monumental power trip? And are you the only one who is this brave?
Massive respect to Chris McEleny, when a battle stalls it only needs one stong person to move foward and others will be motivated by their example and overcome the objective.
Well done Chris it’s a shame that from a party that leads a movement founded on standing up to the corrupt British state and building a better nation that the majority of it’s MPs, MSPs and councillors have no problem with what is happening.
Seeing their party leadership, after attempting to have a man imprisoned, now using it’s influence to cover up their corruption keep quiet, dreaming of a nice wee post in government.
Shites every last one of them.
Here is an archived copy of Alex’s statement before it was redacted. Taken from the Telegraph newspaper.
The clauses that were redacted were 12,13,16,17 & 30
link to web.archive.org
Looks to me like they just wanted to redact the fact the Sturgeon broke the ministerial code and is hiding behind the legal coattails of someone else.
12. I was contacted by phone on or around 9 March 2018 and further the following week by Geoff Aberdein, my former Chief of Staff. The purpose of the contact was to tell me about meetings he had held with the First Minister’s Chief of Staff, Liz Lloyd, at her request.
13. In the second of these meetings she had informed him that she was aware of two complaints concerning me under a new complaints process introduced to include former Ministers. She named one of the complainers to him. At that stage I did not know the identity of the other complainer.
16. Mr Aberdein had been asked by Ms Lloyd to be her contact with me and they jointly arranged a meeting with the First Minister in the Scottish Parliament on 29th March 2018. This meeting was for the purpose of discussing the complaints and thereafter arranging a direct meeting between myself and the First Minister. There was never the slightest doubt what the meeting was about. Any suggestion by the First Minister to the Scottish Parliament (Official Report, 8th October 2020) that the meeting was ‘fleeting or opportunistic’ is simply untrue. It was
agreed on the 29th March 2018 at the meeting in the Scottish Parliament attended by Mr Aberdein and the First Minister and another individual that the meeting between myself and the First Minister would take place on 2nd April at her home near Glasgow. Self-evidently only the First Minister could issue that invitation to her private home.
17. In attendance at the meeting on 2nd April 2018 were Mr Aberdein, Mr Hamilton, Ms Lloyd and myself. The First Minister and I met privately and then there was a general discussion with all five of us. My purpose was to alert the First Minister to the illegality of the process (not being aware at that time of her involvement in it) and to seek an intervention from the First Minister to secure a mediation process to resolve the complaints.
30. The First Minister told Parliament (see Official Report of 8th,10th & 17th January 2019) that she first learned of the complaints against me when I visited her home on 2nd April 2018. That is untrue and is a breach of the Ministerial Code.
The evidence from Mr Aberdein that he personally discussed the existence of the complaints, and summarised the substance of the complaints, with the First Minister in a pre arranged meeting in Parliament on 29th March 2018 arranged for that specific purpose cannot be reconciled with the position of the First Minister to Parliament. The fact that Mr Aberdein learned of these complaints in early March 2018 from the Chief of Staff to the First Minister who thereafter arranged for the meeting between Mr Aberdein and the First Minister on 29th March to discuss them, is supported by his sharing that information contemporaneously with myself, Kevin Pringle and Duncan Hamilton, Advocate.
Mac
With the redaction of these clauses re Nicola knowing before the 2nd, means those on the committee won’t be able to ask Nicola pertinent questions about these meetings.
She has made sure here that Alex won’t have his evidence RE; meetings in front of the committee.
She knew this was coming down the line when she went on camera the other night, Saying. It’s up to Alex to show the proof.
This should really go before a judge held committee. The Holyrood one is a complete farce.
As a member of the “auld enemy” (and current sadly it appears?), I am not sure the residual 3 of the “our union” would wish to have the north of the border currently performing pseudo “banana republic” as part of the team.
Boris, turn them “free” and see how their new found democratic freedom works out with Teflon Nicola at the helm.
“Scottish Nicola Party”?