When Nicola Sturgeon is finally held to account for the charred, twisted and shattered ruins that she’s made of Scottish political and civic society in her desperate attempts to save her own neck, the complete discrediting of ostensible support organisations for victims of rape will be near the very top of the charge sheet.
But before we talk about that you really need to read this.
Because if you live in Scotland you can only rationally be one of two things at this moment in history: (a) terrified, or (b) an idiot.
We’ve received information this afternoon with regard to Nicola Sturgeon’s statements at today’s FMQs, which appear to have been wholly and disturbingly dishonest.
The quote below is from an email sent today by SNP communications chief Murray Foote, briefing ministers and MSPs on the official Scottish Government line, which is what the First Minister told the chamber in response to a question from Ruth Davidson.
It brings us genuinely no pleasure at all to report that events in Scottish politics are panning out exactly the way we’ve been telling you they would for nearly two years.
Like an old man getting up for the fourth time in the middle of the night, the Scottish Government has squeezed out another little dribble of its legal advice in respect of the conduct of its shambolic investigation into false allegations against Alex Salmond.
And to push that gross analogy to its outermost limit, it must have found releasing one of the documents in particular as painful as passing a rather large kidney stone.
We just put up a post, readers, but we’ve pulled it again because this has happened:
Because of this:
More as we get it, but this would seem to be an extraordinary move from the Tories if they weren’t pretty confident they had the backing of the other opposition parties. At a minimum it’s quite the scene-setter for tomorrow’s appearance of the First Minister in front of the Fabiani committee. We presume we don’t need to tell you to stay tuned.
In the end the four-hour session ran for almost exactly six hours, and Alex Salmond looked like he could have done another six standing on his head. Now, it would be only fair to acknowledge that this site was on his side before the start, but by any rational objective assessment the former First Minister delivered the performance of his life.
(We use “performance” there in the Lionel Messi sense, not the Laurence Olivier one.)
The contrast with every other witness who’s appeared before the committee was night and day. With Salmond there was no evasion, no hesitation, no forgetting, no “I’ll get back to you on that in writing”. (We recommend the Twitter feed of Scotland Speaks for some choice clips.)
Every question was answered fully, directly, fluently and immediately, without recourse to notes, and the content was never less than devastating from his opening statement to the final surprise bombshell. We were exhausted just watching it.
His words, tone and body language all absolutely radiated candour, solemnity and honesty. When the SNP members tried to trip him up on some arcane point or other, he was on them like an extremely calm hawk, methodically tearing their assertions to ribbons with the correct fact or quote at his fingertips, and ice in his veins.
Salmond came across like a man who’d been planning this day for almost a year and wasn’t going to mess it up. And he didn’t. Heavens, how he didn’t.
Readers, we swear to you we are not making this up. What you’re about to read are genuine extracts from the SNP’s official new (probably illegal) Equalities Mechanism explanatory note, detailing what does and doesn’t count as a disability when it comes to jumping the queue for a regional list nomination.
And straight away it’s a real punch in the gut for firestarters, muggers, rapists, flashers and, in most cases, hay-fever sufferers. THIS BIGOTRY WILL NOT STAND.
We must admit, the terrible people that we are, we’ve been enjoying watching today’s extended meltdown by the SNP’s woke faction about last night’s NEC election results. Because it appears their egos are so huge that they’re not even smart enough to play dignified to spoil our schadenfreudish fun. It’s been full-on public tantrums.
We’ve just been out for our evening constitutional in the relatively cool night air (Bath sweltered at an oppressive 30C today and Bear Patrol was pretty gruelling), and we thought readers might be interested in what we saw.
The city has observed lockdown with great diligence, as we’ve previously documented, and to be honest we’re not sufficiently familiar with the latest rules to say it wasn’t still doing so tonight. But a nearby park, around 9.30pm, was a disconcerting scene.
On the 1st of January, Chinese authorities took the decision to close the Wuhan food market. The following day, 41 admitted hospital patients in Wuhan, were confirmed to have contracted 2019-nCoV (novel coronavirus) which we now know as COVID-19.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a New Year message, from the private island of Mustique in the Caribbean, that the “first item” on his agenda remained his commitment to take Britain out of the EU by the end of January.
Within weeks the virus had spread across the world to many countries including Italy, Germany, Australia, the USA and of course the UK.
Mark Beggan on Just Good Friends: “The Royal Navy saves the Scottish government. Bastard English! Coming up here and saving the shipyard. I hope we don’t…” Jul 11, 15:24
Alf Baird on Just Good Friends: “The reality of a colonial society such as in the Scottish context provides for a more complex picture in regard…” Jul 11, 14:46
Mark Beggan on Just Good Friends: “Once the Yoons and the rest of the world stop laughing at your well planned strategy…. Let’s just recap shall…” Jul 11, 13:41
Lorn on Just Good Friends: “Hatey: It is because they believe that independence will come only via the SNP. They are entirely wrong. Independence will…” Jul 11, 12:53
Lorn on Just Good Friends: “David: why would so-called ‘trans’ identified people of either sex feel unsafe? They have been offered gender neutral toilets and…” Jul 11, 12:37
Duncan Strachan on Just Good Friends: “I agree Sarah. I think that we could have a check on the politicians by using a citizens assembly as…” Jul 11, 11:06
100%Yes on Just Good Friends: “I been stating this for months now that next years election isn’t going to be about Independence and even if…” Jul 11, 09:39
Alf Baird on Too Tight To Mention: ““The old Scottish parliament members entered the Westminster parliament of England” Aye James, lest they had no shame, I suspect…” Jul 11, 09:26
Callum on Just Good Friends: “People tend to gravitate towards those who share similar values, interests, and prejudices.. They choose to surround themselves and give…” Jul 11, 09:12
Young Lochinvar on Too Tight To Mention: “I reply to P3nisbreath @5.05pm “We” the “Scots”.. Yer having a laugh.. There’s no-one on this site that has put…” Jul 11, 03:42
Young Lochinvar on Too Tight To Mention: “In reply to Penisbreath @ 4.48pm Hmmmm.. At what point then, if not already, do you want Brown people to…” Jul 11, 02:43
Young Lochinvar on Just Good Friends: “The company some people keep.. The MSM has a lot to answer for in covering this up over all the…” Jul 11, 02:26
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Just Good Friends: “DOOYEWEERD: NORMS AND NORMATIVITY « No doubt there occur female feelings in men, and male feelings in women. But this cannot…” Jul 10, 22:38
Lorn on Just Good Friends: “A vox populi was carried out in London some months ago, and it asked passing young men whether they believe…” Jul 10, 21:16
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Just Good Friends: “DfE SAFEGUARDING GUIDANCE PROTECTING GENDER-QUESTIONING PUPILS FINALLY PUBLISHED « Safeguarding guidance which recognises the risks of ‘social transitioning’ has finally been…” Jul 10, 21:01
agent x on Just Good Friends: “@ insider Many thanks – it worked for me.” Jul 10, 20:56
Hatey McHateface on Just Good Friends: “I’ve been swithering, x. Should I claim there’s a typo in your post? An extra pair of letters on the…” Jul 10, 20:00
Insider on Just Good Friends: ““I can’t read more because it is a paid for article” Go to your device’s “settings” and disable javascript for…” Jul 10, 20:00
James Galt on Just Good Friends: “Of course the exact opposite is the case – the women are firmly in charge – no middle-aged white male…” Jul 10, 19:49
Hatey McHateface on Just Good Friends: “They won’t bring it forwards because it was only ever intended as a Trojan Horse to protect men who masquerade…” Jul 10, 19:42
agent x on Just Good Friends: ““Crime writer Val McDermid has branded the current political landscape an “absolutely cesspit of misogyny.” The best-selling author suggested the…” Jul 10, 19:21
Mark Beggan on Just Good Friends: “The whole Scottish government is corrupt to it’s core. Our future must have a different political system. Party politics is…” Jul 10, 19:20
Anthem on Just Good Friends: “It would solve a lot of problems. Just saying.” Jul 10, 18:51
Hatey McHateface on Just Good Friends: “David Davis? The Westminster English Tory? That David Davis? Isn’t WM the pit of Hell, and aren’t Tories the devil’s…” Jul 10, 18:16
Hatey McHateface on Just Good Friends: “I’ve had more than enough of that lot. Strangely enough though, the people in the ME who really understand what…” Jul 10, 18:10
Hatey McHateface on Just Good Friends: “That’s just daft, sarah. If the people have direct and immediate power, then there is no need for politicians at…” Jul 10, 18:02
