Iain Lawson’s fine blog today reveals that Nicola Sturgeon has already taken it upon herself to answer Jim Sillars’ complaint from Thursday – which was sent to Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans, not to the First Minister – about her breaking the Ministerial Code by casting doubt on the jury’s verdicts in the Alex Salmond trial.
It’s certainly an innovative approach to justice – we presume that if we were to murder someone tomorrow the police would now simply forward the allegations to us and allow us to find ourselves not guilty without any external input.
But it was the precise nature of Nicola Sturgeon’s self-acquittal that really left us with an uneasy feeling about the current state of Scotland.
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.
From 12.30 this afternoon, Alex Salmond will attempt to tell the people of Scotland the truth about what happened to him in the last two years – a grave injustice which saw an innocent man have his reputation dragged through the gutter, be placed under incredible personal stress, be left greatly impoverished by proving his innocence, and then have the jury’s verdict endlessly traduced by the media and a gang of criminal conspirators protected from the consequences of their lies by lifelong anonymity.
His job will be a difficult one. Every single person in the room will be bitterly hostile to him – the four Unionist committee members because he’s Alex Salmond, and the others because he represents a deadly threat to the First Minister.
The inquiry’s convener – a woman sacked by Salmond years ago – will attempt to prevent him from presenting large swathes of evidence, despite having made him swear to tell “the whole truth”. The SNP members will try to run down the four-hour session with questions designed to only deflect from the real issue – the actions and behaviour of the Scottish Government. Andy Wightman will probably just cry.
We’ll be extremely surprised if there aren’t some attempts to slyly re-try Mr Salmond and paint him as a guilty man who cheated justice, and to drag up salacious details of the allegations in an effort to smear him in front of the cameras.
We believe Alex Salmond will be more than equal to the task.
When the Faculty Of Advocates – the most senior body of lawyers/QCs in the country – is handing out barely-veiled smackdowns like this to the First Minister, then you know you’re in some pretty uncharted jungle.
Is the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service of Scotland institutionally corrupt? I don’t believe so, but it’s certainly a troubled organisation.
The cost and reputational damage to it from the Rangers FC case are of a magnitude never seen before, and the actions in the Alex Salmond case and related actions by the Lord Advocate and Crown Agent have called its independence into question.
There must be structural change and individuals must be held to account.
I had hoped that Stewart Stevenson, the new National Secretary and convener of the Conferences Committee, would be similarly inclined.
In summary, my endeavours have been ignored.
In the three months since our election (supposedly more than halfway towards a spring conference), and despite repeated emails, documents and requests for meetings, the Conferences Committee has never been convened.
As a result I have resigned from both the committee and the SNP, and the reasons for my doing so are outlined below.
For the record, we thought you should see what the Scottish Parliament considers to be the appropriate treatment of an “Urgent Question”.
For a little over eight minutes, the Lord Advocate was allowed to ignore and avoid a series of questions put to him regarding the abjectly corrupt Crown Office’s recent interference with the work of the Fabiani inquiry by redacting evidence which in no way identified anyone as a complainer in the trial of Alex Salmond.
By the committee’s rules, if it’s not on the committee website then it doesn’t exist, and the redacted parts are – belatedly – no longer on the website. (As far as we can make out the unredacted version was finally removed around midnight last night.)
Farcically, she also denied even knowing that this question from James Matthews of Sky News was about Geoff Aberdein, who is the subject of all the redacted sections, which are all about the meeting Matthews was asking her about.
The First Minister is a liar and has all but given up on even the most token pretence otherwise. She is a disgrace to Scotland.
If we can somehow find the time amid the relentless blizzard of current Scottish political activity, we’re going to put together a list of all the legitimate and important questions that Alex Salmond’s lawyers have asked the Fabiani inquiry which haven’t even had the courtesy of a reply, let alone a satisfactory one.
We fully anticipate that the contents of the letter below, sent today, will be on that list.
FOREWORD: SNP MPs writing for this website about anything, especially a Plan B for independence, shouldn’t be controversial. We as a party should welcome diversity and inclusion – as indeed we do by giving quotes to every daily UK newspaper and broadcaster, as well as occasionally providing articles and financial help for them.
I for one would prefer it if people would get over posturing about the messenger and deal with the more important message. So let’s get to it.
GM on The cost of failure: “The first game is v Haiti as well.” Dec 6, 14:05
SilentMajority on Ginger beer and fruit and nuts: “…interesting…that the BBC, recently, when reporting these types of stories, I’ve seen them use the describing prefix of ‘a biological…” Dec 6, 13:23
Cynicus on The cost of failure: “Hatey McHateface says: 6 December, 2025 at 9:58 am “I see you’re not averse to a spot of goalpost shifting…” Dec 6, 11:51
Mark Beggan on The cost of failure: “The Canadian Socialist experiment has failed. Treaty!Treaty! we don’t need no stinking Treaty! We’ve got the receipt for the beads…” Dec 6, 11:32
James Cheyne on The cost of failure: “This small nation is not alone and many Countries now want the same wants as Scotland, many nations will beat…” Dec 6, 10:49
James Cheyne on The cost of failure: “A Labour plan to devolve and create one supreme court is still on going, as is witnessed this week by…” Dec 6, 10:38
James Cheyne on The cost of failure: “The NuSNP are part of that system as are the devolved governments. Minor control given but altimate control reserved.” Dec 6, 10:15
Hatey McHateface on The cost of failure: “Some people like to point out that the Earth has a billion or two more people on it than it…” Dec 6, 10:11
James Cheyne on The cost of failure: “Repeating the same political policies in every governance over all the nations, most of them have roots (as a tool)…” Dec 6, 10:06
Hatey McHateface on The cost of failure: ““Next time brown skinned people make you feel uncomfortable have a look in the mirror” Not if they’re coming at…” Dec 6, 09:58
James Cheyne on The cost of failure: “Treaties being altered, repealed, textual changes, breached, not adhered too, used for annexation purposes, and control taken over by one…” Dec 6, 09:57
James Cheyne on The cost of failure: “What is interesting is how Canadians are saying prices are rising in every quarter over there causing the economical downfall…” Dec 6, 09:43
Hatey McHateface on The cost of failure: “So the “gas the Jews” remarks aren’t going to be forgotten, Confused? Wow. Where does that leave you?” Dec 6, 09:32
James Cheyne on The cost of failure: “Nigel Farage is also someone whom annouced that he would say no to Scotland if he came to power. With…” Dec 6, 09:20
Confused on The cost of failure: “Farage was a good laff the other day, pointing out what the BBC was up to in the 1970s -…” Dec 5, 23:04
James Cheyne on The cost of failure: “Stu, good journalism, Catch up in morning, am tired and away to bed.” Dec 5, 22:29
Colin Alexander on The cost of failure: “There is no pro-indy vs Pro-union division at Holyrood. That’s just a theatrical show for the gullible. The parasite political…” Dec 5, 22:28
James Cheyne on The cost of failure: “AI primeminster? I think one is being trial right now, he’s like a robert.” Dec 5, 22:24
Iain More on The cost of failure: “SNP – Bought and Sold for Sassanach Gold sic a parcel o traitors in a Nation.” Dec 5, 22:23
Mark Beggan on The cost of failure: “France 98′ The penalty against Brazil and that Uri Bellend and his voodoo. Bring it on!” Dec 5, 21:59
James Cheyne on The cost of failure: “Stu, the network and funding for the likes of Ending Scottish independence and slowly demolishing the Snp funding to negative…” Dec 5, 21:45
Maxxmacc on The cost of failure: “Apart from Brazil its a good draw. And Brazil arent what they used to be. One victory might be enough…” Dec 5, 21:45
sarah on The cost of failure: “Groupo del muerte: Brazil, Morocco and Haiti. Sigh.” Dec 5, 19:04
agentx on The cost of failure: “Hope you have your football wall charts at the ready guys 🙂” Dec 5, 17:14
Cynicus on The cost of failure: “Hatey McHateface says: 5 December, 2025 at 1:25 pm ‘“Mr el Nakla hails from Dundee, correct?” Sorry, Cynicus, perhaps it’s…” Dec 5, 16:02
Mark Beggan on The cost of failure: “This is out and it won’t go away. Too many in Scotland think that bad things get stopped at the…” Dec 5, 15:54
factchecker on The cost of failure: “Every poll suggests that the SNP is unbeatable because pro-union votes are split 3 or 4 ways. Either not voting…” Dec 5, 15:06
Sven on The cost of failure: “Mark Beggan @ 10.51. No chance in the world, Mark. These grifters only ever stop the gravy train long enough…” Dec 5, 14:55
Jon Drummond on Ain’t Got Time To Bleed: “Brilliant Stu, You ripped that dude another dozen arseholes with that reply. I’m sure he’ll know what to do with…” Dec 5, 13:26
Hatey McHateface on The cost of failure: ““Mr el Nakla hails from Dundee, correct?” Sorry, Cynicus, perhaps it’s just me. Mr El Nakla was born in Dundee.…” Dec 5, 13:25
