For old times’ sake
We enjoyed doing this site a lot more when it was the dishonesty of Unionists and the Unionist media, not the SNP, that represented the main threat to independence. So let’s make like it’s the old days, just this once.
Because today has seen the Scottish press falling over itself once again to trumpet the latest joke poll from notorious idiots Scotland In Union as if it was at all meaningful:
And of course it’s purest garbage.
The group has asked a deliberately misleading question aimed at muddying the waters between support for independence and Brexit five times since 2018, and today’s result – far from being “record support” – is in fact the second-lowest figure it’s produced:
In November 2018 it was 60-40 for “Remain” (in the UK).
In April 2019 it was 61-39.
In September 2019 it was 59-41.
In September 2020 it was 56-44.
And today it’s 57-43.
Factoring in the standard 3% margin of error, those polls are essentially all the same, despite the fact that the numbers in “proper” polls have fluctuated significantly over the same period. In December 2019 there was a No lead of 12 points, whereas just nine months later in October 2020, Yes led by 18 points.
That’s an incredible 30-point shift in opinion, yet over more or less the same period (Sep 2019-Sep 2020 rather than Dec 2019-Oct 2020) SIU detected a move of just three points. At least it was in the right direction.
What does that tell us? It tells us that the crooked question is not reflecting true public opinion or even anything remotely close to it. It tells us that people are so hard-wired to associate “Remain” and “Leave” with Brexit that they’re not actually bothering to read the question at all.
So at a time when independence polls actually shifted by 30 points, the SIU question consistently – and the consistency is the giveaway – returned numbers very close to the 62-38 by which Scotland voted against Brexit. What a remarkable coincidence!
We don’t expect SIU to do anything but treat the people of Scotland as fools. And nor, to be honest, do we expect any more from the media than to unquestioningly parrot SIU’s drivel for them just like they always have. But it still doesn’t make it any less depressing and insulting to be constantly subjected to it.
We do thank them for at least briefly distracting us from the corrupt binfire that is the SNP, though. Yes supporters have to be grateful for small mercies these days.
Richard Percival appears to be all of 20 years old and based in Southhampton. That’s what gets you a job covering Scottish affairs in the Daily Express these days.
Yip as said.. In late September 2014 David Cameron meet Lord Peter Mandelson for lunch. Both were on a high. And Cameron’s wager to Mandelson of ‘fifty guineas’ was that the following 10 things (listed below) would happen.
Happen – and that support for Scotish independence would not budge above the current 2014 level of 48%
Of course, Mandelson accepted the bet. And lost.
Cameron’s boast of what was to come…
2014 – Pass English Votes for English Laws (EVEL)
2016 – Hold the EU/ Brexit referendum
2017 – Confirm Brexit to EU
2018 – Brexit Negotiations fail
2019 – Brexit Negotiations fail
2020 – Brexit Negotiations fail
2020 – Pass the United Kingdom Internal Market Act
2020 – Pass Northern Ireland into full EU Customs Union.
2020 – Enable Gibraltar to join the EU’s borderless Schengen area
2021 – And watch Nicola Sturgeon choke back tears as she rejects claims she set out to destroy Scotland remaining in the EU, destroy the SNP and Alex Salmond – and also block another iScotland referendum.
Current 2021 support for iScotland 48%
If she clings on until the end of March we will lose in May.
Murrell, Riddick and McCann should be expelled pending an investigation.
If the wokeratti are ALL disciplined/expelled ; the idiotic HCB abandoned and May declared a plebiscite then I think we will win.
I still desperately want independence but we wont get it with these charlatans at the helm.
Can always rely on the boys and girls at SiU (Scotland is Useless) to brighten up your day.
SiU… Comedy gold!
The “Scottish” Daily Express is little more now than a Scotland in Union mouthpiece. SiU appear to be on their uppers these days – most of the Green Ink Gang have mysteriously vanished during lockdown.
Could it have something to do with no longer having all that money to “incentivise” members to daily flood the press with letters as part of their copycat operation of Alistair Harper’s letter mill for the British National Party of yesteryear?
Funny how unionist zealotry appears to last only as long as the money does these days.
In what way was the question asked in the poll referred to “crooked” and what was the question?
“In what way was the question asked in the poll referred to “crooked” and what was the question?”
Try actually reading the article, thicky.
I amat a loss to know how best to vote to encourage independence. There are stumbling blocks in every direction.
Rev, you did an sterling job at surgically dissecting the data, but you missed the elephant in the room: the title of the article:
“Sturgeon’s independence dream crumbles”
I mean, we have seen enough evidence to fill enough lorries from Edinburgh to London that independence is the last thing Sturgeon dreams about. What she dreams about is with shredders working 24/7 in destroying all that pesky evidence of her sins and with a police state to silence all the dissenters that have the audacity to challenge her and wanting that evidence in the public domain.
It is almost as if the press and the England parties are more concerned than Sturgeon herself in maintaining her pro independence credentials, heaven forbid the nationalist ones.
The truth is that her interest in independence is so low, that without the MSM and the England parties constantly force feeding us with the propaganda that she wants independence, we would not know.
It is the corrupt press and the staunchly unionist opposition who is giving Sturgeon her “pro indy” credentials, just like it is the press and the tories who are giving the current labour its “left” credentials. It is an illusion.
I feel quite annoyed about all the recent events over the past year (cancelled my membership after the 2019 GE over the lack of anything Indy on the manifesto) and I feel that the Yes movement is both bound too and beholden to the SNP. I wish we had a credible alternative, as this situation is dangerously undemocratic.
I don’t like the thought of holding my nose and being a part of handing power to those I believe will and have been misusing it.
I long for the old days of counting idiot unionist politicians and pointing out how shit a job almost all journalists are in Scotland. It pains me, however, that we’re no closer to Independence then than we are now ….
I really want a credible alternative to the SNP, especially one that takes the Wings moto to heart – “There’s no limit to what a man can do, or where he can go, if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.”
Voted for indepenedene in 2014…Wouldn’t go near this lot with a scabby dug. even a ginger one!!
@Ayemachrihanish says: “In late September 2014 David Cameron meet Lord Peter Mandelson for lunch. Both were on a high. And Cameron’s wager to Mandelson of ‘fifty guineas’ was that the following 10 things (listed below) would happen.”
Okay, how many times exactly are you going to keep reposting this bullshit story – which you’ve got wrong anyway because the so-called lunch was meant to be between George Osbourne and Mandelson on Corfu whilst guests of Lord Rothschild as part of the world conspiracy yadda yadda yadda from The Independent.
Cameron wouldn’t piss on Mandelson if he were on fire – he regards him as a serial liar with all the loyalty and trustworthiness of Italian troops in world wars.
Sometimes, Americanisms are better – dumpster fire is one of those times!
So much better than binfire!
Sorry!
Mark.. Irony is lost on you…
@ Steven: have you looked at Action for Independence? Craig Murray is putting himself forward as a candidate.
I have joined as a supporter [not member as I belong to another party] as AFI have a credible plan for increasing indy-supporting numbers of MSPs and the people involved seem to be of the same mind as me i.e. see the urgent need for independence, putting that priority above all other policies, being willing to have electoral pacts and be an umbrella for several small parties. I attended a branch meeting and their conference and liked what I saw and heard.
They need funds for the campaign and have a crowdfunder on their website now so I urge all Wingers to donate something to their fund.
She will not resign even if it means Scotland and Holyrood is desolved. She only cares about one person, after all Independence isn’t about one person selfish cow.
Yeah @Sarah, I’ve heard of ISP and AFI (I do like AFI, as Martin Keatings is involved). I’m just worried that ego’s and personalities end up messing things up and the votes end up spread out making no real difference on the list vote.
Ideally, an SNP alternative with a strong figurehead/media presence?
@ Steven at 1.59: I haven’t seen any sign of egos at work, just honest folk desperately trying to make a difference and put pressure on SNP to do something urgently about… what was it? oh, yes, independence!
As an umbrella party AFI can bring all the list voting Yessers onto one spot instead of their votes being spread around several parties.
That Craig Murray satire piece is brilliant reading it again (for about the third time now). Did not realize just how prefect it was at the time.
I can see now how knowing all of this must really have been a tremendous burden on him and SC. I am not sure I would have been able to keep a lid on it. Both of the guys deserve serious recognition as journalists.
Expect the wording of the referendum question to become a battleground
The past months have seen Scots shooting themselves in various important parts of the anatomy I do wish the aim were more productively directed towards the enemies of Scotland
I took Scotland in Union to be an old style rightest, stiff-upper-lip British set up.
link to scotlandinunion.co.uk
Judging by its CEOs it has morphed into a « leftist » one.
The bling of cheap junk, gets them every time.
Scotland Held In Thraldom….
I’ve been frustrated beyond belief at not being able to post on here these last few months, due I think to only having mobile data?
Anyways I’d just like to congratulate & commend the Rev for his indefatigability & no I’m not George Galloway.
There are some brilliant posts from many on here that contribute to our understanding of all the machinations. I don’t agree with all that MIA elucidates but I think she’s gie close, where I differ is on who is Sturgeon aligned with?
I wonder if she was told by Obama/Clinton/Biden to drop the indy, for the time being,as the above globalists wanted the UK to Remain in the EU & that they needed Scotlands vote to help the cause. I suspect we may be part of a three cornered contest as against a two cornered one re Britain. Just a thought….
@Steven says: 17 March, 2021 at 1:59 pm
Yeah @Sarah, I’ve heard of ISP and AFI (I do like AFI, as Martin Keatings is involved). I’m just worried that ego’s and personalities end up messing things up and the votes end up spread out making no real difference on the list vote.”
AFI/ISP haven’t a snowball’s chance in hell at this election, but they’re going to contest it anyway, “free plug” themselves to death here 24/7 anyway, keep telling fairy tales of floods of new members and money flowing in like wine anyway (sounds familiar, SNP members?), have wee sly digs at each other anyway, and the reality will remain it’s two slapheads fighting over a comb anyway.
Eight weeks to polling day, every survey of voting intentions shows the most “optimistic” ones for AFI/ISP – Savanta for the Scotsman, Survation for the Record and IPSO for STV – have them fighting over TWO PERCENT of the vote in the “Others” columns.
link to en.wikipedia.org
TWO PERCENT between AFI/ISP, four other “pro independence” parties, plus all the other minor parties like the Brexit/Reform Party, the remains of UKIP, George Galloway’s Enormous Ego Party, etc, etc, etc.
In some ways there’s an enormous irony in those claiming to be offering an alternative to Sturgeonism are making all her same mistakes. They can’t be told, but like Oor Nic, they “know better” … fools and their money indeed.
I think you are being disparaging of voters by claiming they don’t know the difference between leave and remain and yes and no.
The question was asked in relation to independence, not Brexit.
The courage of folk like Craig Murray, Stuart Campbell and Alex Salmond to do what they do is, in my humble opinion, immense.
Look at the varying degrees of persecution that each has faced and is facing.
But I am smiling here because out of the three Craig Murray was / is to me the ‘softest looking’, like some softly spoken, wooly jumper wearing, academic oxbridge professor.
But by fuck he really has massive steel balls to go with his massive brain. lol.
He also published all his evidence in his own trial as well in a very ballsy move.
CM is not in anyway reckless but when a rare opportunity presents itself he is the one to go king-kong-balls on it. Really brave.
See, it is always the quiet ones you have to watch!
What I like about this site is the positive, can do, attitude of so many of the btl commenters. People who really do get off their backsides to help Scotland regain independence and hence be able to help all those who are having their lives made a misery under the current ownership.
For example, arithmetically, democratically, and morally, it makes sense to aggregate the votes from all the smaller indy parties under an umbrella or electoral pact. The “normal” level of people voting for those parties will without doubt be boosted in May by votes from all the people disgusted with the current SNP.
If we all spread the word about AFI then of course it will help this plan to work. Holyrood ends up with more indy MSPs and an SNP that is more prepared to work towards regaining independence as a priority.
Mr Blue Sky – when the question is around sovereignty and self determination a large proportion of the electorate are emotional first and rational second. That’s why the electoral commission is there to make the wording of the question put to the electorate as neutral as possible. Questions beginning ‘Do you agree..’ are very leading and not allowed. I think you will see a push towards a referendum question where the answer for independence is not Yes.
That makes for an amusing diversion from wading through the Sturgeonstream today. Countless usually intelligent folk have been charmed, beguiled and deceived into listless, witless stupefaction. They are honestly convinced to a point transcendent of reason that St Nicola will lead them to the promised land. The cliff and, momentarily, the ground will come as a great shock to the gullible lemmings
OT But hopefully of interest to the wider audience.
Parliamentary Papers Act 1840 (and I believe still extant/in statue)
“Publications under the House’s authority enjoy absolute privilege against civil or criminal proceedings (s.1);
Correct copies of such publications also enjoy absolute privilege (s.2);”
link to en.wikipedia.org
In short, I believe David Davis could choose to publish everything under “absolute privelege”.
@Mark Boyle “he regards him as a serial liar with all the loyalty and trustworthiness of Italian troops in world wars.”
That’s grossly unfair based on entrenched British racism IMO.
You’ll find the Austrians had an entirely different opinion when they had to face Italian Alpine troops in WW1.
As for WW2, they were badly lead, and not at all keen to be fighting what had been allies previously.
The can of worms begins to open up from the inside.
link to heraldscotland.com
You claim that “It tells us that people are so hard-wired to associate “Remain” and “Leave” with Brexit that they’re not actually bothering to read the question at all.”
Then claim that SIU “treat the people of Scotland as fools”.
Opinion polls are famous for giving the customer the result they want. They are also famous for not reflecting reality…
Has anyone really got the appetite to go out and fight for Independence at this present moment in time?
Get rid of Sturgeon first, then Indy.
We need to cleanse Scotland of everything relating to her.
And Holyrood needs a top to bottom revamp of who does what.
No more dual roles and no more NON accountability.
What we shouldn’t lose sight of is that an Independent Scotland physically economically and geographically is viable but morally?
Here’s a link to the FM’s briefing earlier.
The questions she didn’t want to answer can be found at:
24.45
36.00
37.43
1hr12
link to youtube.com
Anyone who advocates what Sturgeon has done, Or anyone who recommends voting for Sturgeon or her Party, in my eyes, is a loser.
With a big giant L.
CRAIG MURRAY, TOMMY SHERIDAN are you listening?
The ‘Salmond affair’ has complete relevance to the Covid briefings. The failure of the Sturgeon government to be accountable and responsible, and to be seen to be accountable and responsible, in relation to their dealings with Alex Salmond and with the harassment inquiry has undermined public belief in Sturgeon and in the government.
Covid has been cited by the government, and by practically every public and private body in Scotland, in relation to disruption, backlogs, performance, etc, and has indeed affected the harassment Inquiry itself.
Yet somehow the converse issue of public trust in governmental performance itself, specifically in relation to the presentation of Covid information and policy at the daily Covid briefings, remains unchallenged and, apparently, unchallengeable at the Covid briefings themselves.
Surely it is not beyond the ability, courage or professional rectitude of a reporter to formulate a question which the FM cannot simply bat away as irrelevant.
Vote the bastard Sturgeon out of power on 6th May.
In the Glasgow Southside Constituency Vote you have to vote Scottish Labour, who have the only credible chance of unseating her.
And if any other Party had a credible chance I would be promoting them too.
If you see a problem with that strategy, then you’ll have a good chance that Sturgeon will win through and put us through the meat grinder for the following five years.
O/T
Stu,
More evidence corroborating that Geoff Aberdein was told the name of one of the complainers in early March has been published on the committee website
link to parliament.scot
—-
Submission from Lorraine Kay
Redactions in purple have been made by the Scottish Parliament in accordance with the Committee’s written statement on the handling of evidence.
Having followed your questioning of Alex Salmond at the committee session on Friday 26th February, I understand that you may plan to write to me in order to confirm a point of information.
By way of background, I am an ex-civil servant with 21 years of service, including 5 years in Mr Salmond’s private office when he was First Minister.The contact details which the government will have for me are now out of date, hence my contacting you directly.
Geoff Aberdein and I worked closely together during our time in government, and have also since worked at the same company.I can confirm that Geoff confided in me, back in early March 2018, at the time when [Redacted] requested a meeting with him.I met with Geoff after his meeting with [Redacted], and was shocked to hear that the Scottish Government had received two complaints about Mr Salmond.Geoff also shared with me that [Redacted]had named one of the complainants -I recall this clearly as I knew the individual concerned.I believe I was the first person Geoff spoke to about this issue.
I am happy for you to share this information with the other committee members and, in the interests of completeness, I am also sharing this with Mr James Hamilton, Independent Adviser on the Ministerial Code, who corresponded with me on this issue last December.
Yours sincerely
Lorraine Kay
2 March 2021
The [Redacted] parts are easy for anyone to fill in, knowing what anyone who is following this knows already, and for anyone not (and you should have been), all of the [Redacted] parts are the same name.
Ross Kilbride 4:01 pm
Vote the bastard Sturgeon out of power on 6th May.
That was a party political broadcast on behalf of the Labour Party.
Thanks for the link, Ian Brotherhood. I have two thoughts:
What part of David Davis’ speech last night was “Insinuation?” It seemed pretty clear and direct to me.
Secondly, the briefing is 1 hour 16 minutes long. I assume she has to prepare for it. Is that a good use of any Head of Government’s time? I have never paid much attention to the COVID briefings in Scotland. I am much more concerned about what the Governor of North Carolina has to say about it, for obvious reasons. However, that does seem an awfully long time to be in front of the cameras every day.
I should add that NC briefings are not every day, last half an hour at most and are shared between the Governor and the Secretary of Health & Human Services, who does most of the talking
Just for a minute consider what it could have been if Nicola Sturgeon had just said
NO , no I am not going to do something so bloody stupid how different things might have been
I for instance would have watched Tommy Sheppard making a speech about the up coming election
Instead I just looked at it and thought ah fk it who cares I have better things to do if I think of something I might just do whatever comes to mind I don’t have time to waste listening to repeat repeat repeat repeat it’s a pity you can’t fast forward politicians it would save a lot of time
Aye changed days this one time member and supporter of the SNP has said fk it for the last time I just can’t be fkn bothered anymore if the majority of Scots don’t want a independent country why the fk should I argue with them it’s their decision.
Skip_NC @ 4:12 pm
Secondly, the briefing is 1 hour 16 minutes long. I assume she has to prepare for it. Is that a good use of any Head of Government’s time? I have never paid much attention to the COVID briefings in Scotland. I am much more concerned about what the Governor of North Carolina has to say about it, for obvious reasons. However, that does seem an awfully long time to be in front of the cameras every day.
Not for her it’s not. Needs her fix.
I really wish Wikileaks could have been on the go to release all data that they could have been handed like they did regarding US policies that made Assange a target
link to caltonjock.com
03 Nov 2017: The rules of conduct pertaining to Special Advisers created a conflict of interest when Liz Lloyd, Special Advisor and Chief of Staff to the First Minister convened a second meeting with Mark at which she briefed him about a sexual harassment complaint that had been lodged against him by a Party member. She went on to advise him that his position as a minister of the government was no longer tolerable and he would need to resign. The conduct of Liz Lloyd breeched the ministerial code applicable to Special Advisors and should have resulted in her immediate dismissal.
@Cenchos 3:56
Jim Sillars reported her for breaking the ministerial code by going off a anti Salmond smear rant at a covid briefing and publically questioning the outcome of the trial before her appearance at the enquiry.
Her excuse was “If I had refused to answer these questions I doubtless would have been criticised for avoiding scrutiny”.
So to refuse to answer awkward questions on the enquiry today is yet another to add onto the ever growing list of double standards like what complaints of sexual harrassment get a whole special new fast tracked procedure whilst others get swept under the carpet.
Brotherhood, cheers for that link with the timestamps… best fag break I’ve had in weeks.
@Skip_NC (4.12) –
Yeah, trying to swat it all away as ‘insinuation’ just makes things worse.
What I found most interesting about it was the body language, all that barely-suppressed huffing and puffing, eye-rolling and heel-grinding…’how very fuckin dare you ask me about that’ would probably cover it. Big bad mood.
Can’t wait for FMQs.
@BLMac says: 17 March, 2021 at 3:39 pm
@Mark Boyle “he regards him as a serial liar with all the loyalty and trustworthiness of Italian troops in world wars.”
That’s grossly unfair based on entrenched British racism IMO.
You’ll find the Austrians had an entirely different opinion when they had to face Italian Alpine troops in WW1.
As for WW2, they were badly lead, and not at all keen to be fighting what had been allies previously.”
Ah, the old easy kneejerk of “that’s racist”.
Luigi Albertini, editor of the daily newspaper Corriere della Sera, wrote on 30 October 1917 upon visiting the frontline ‘For the most part, the troops did not fight. When sent forward they discarded their weapons and returned unarmed’. At the battle of Caporetto, 280,000 were taken prisoner – many openly deserted – and another 300 000 ‘vanished’ during the retreat back to their homes. The Arditi shock troops were just about all that separated Italy’s record in WW1 from complete infamy.
In the Spanish Civil War, 1937’s Battle of Guadalajara saw “The Italian Skedaddle” (as Lloyd George put it), which came close to Franco expelling Italy’s ground forces as more trouble than they were worth (their air and naval contribution were another matter)
In World War 2, again although the poorly equipped air force and navy did themselves credit, their land force was worse than useless, not least of all because they saw no point in dying to give Hitler an empire. When it became an Italian civil war, both halves fought with far more zeal for unfortunately much the same reason the Spanish did in their own – it was a fight to the death.
The nearest comparison to Italian behaviour in two world wars and Spain was November 18th 1916 when in freezing conditions, British and German troops at the Battle of The Ancre squabbled with one another in No Man’s Land who was getting to surrender to who!
Was the polling carried out on “the people of Scotland”(whatever nationality) or “the Scots” and hence included Scottish people who are currently residing elsewhere in the UK?
sarah says: at 3:19 pm
“What I like about this site is the positive, can do, attitude of so many of the btl commenters. People who really do get off their backsides to help Scotland regain independence and hence be able to help all those who are having their lives made a misery under the current ownership.
For example, arithmetically, democratically, and morally, it makes sense to aggregate the votes from all the smaller indy parties under an umbrella or electoral pact. The “normal” level of people voting for those parties will without doubt be boosted in May by votes from all the people disgusted with the current SNP.
If we all spread the word about AFI then of course it will help this plan to work. Holyrood ends up with more indy MSPs and an SNP that is more prepared to work towards regaining independence as a priority.”
Well I am a bit aye and no that score. All this new Pro-Indy Party standing on the Regional List strategy really should have been thrashed out and resolved long before now so it was viable, and allowed time for the practical aspects of getting the campaign message delivered across Scottish society to raise awareness and build momentum so it had a better chance of making a positive difference.
Around the middle of last year there was a decent bout of btl discussions on the subject with input from a range of folk. The theory and logistical aspects were covered, but… unfortunately we are now just a couple of weeks away from postal ballots papers being delivered and there is still an issue on who we cast our 2nd votes for which will give maximum overall benefit.
For some reason I am minded of this 1 min clip of cat herding…
link to youtube.com
Did Salmond not apologies for his behaviour to the ‘named’ woman before the Abredien meeting ?
Re submission from Lorraine Kay.
Anybody who is completely oblivious to the names of the criminal case complainers and does not have a clue who they are, would look at that submission and ask themselves: why the hell has a name/names been redacted from that submission?
It is precisely the unnecessary over-redacting in itself what makes anybody wonder what the redacted have been up to.
Could it be because they are MI5 agents whose identity cannot be revealed to avoid compromising their safety?
Are they in the witness protection system?
Are they some royal so their name cannot be revealed?
Are they some kind of foreign politician, diplomat or aristocrat whose name if revealed would tarnish international relations with another country?
Because other than that, what valid reason can it possibly be there to keep that/those name/s secret when that person/s may have been who actually called the meeting and when the name of the rest of the people at the meeting was revealed with no problem?
The submission has nothing to do with the criminal case. This submission relates to the complaints procedure, which is a totally separated case and that predates by several months the criminal case. So, in line with the ruling of Lady Dorrian, why should anonymity gained for the criminal case still be used here?
What is the actual excuse that Fabiani used to delete that name/names from it? Because for sure I must be thick as two planks of wood, but for the life of me I cannot see what valid or legitimate excuse they can have other than deliberately suppressing information from the public and the committee to derail the inquiry and for not investigating what they need to investigate.
What is bizarre in the extreme is that it appears to be perfectly okay to mention the date of the meeting, the contents of the meeting, Aberdein’s name and the name of every other person and their dog linked to that meeting, even when these people are private citizens that no longer have anything to do with politics, government, the complaints procedure or the civil service or were not present at the meeting. Yet, there is someone/somepeople whose name/s cannot possible be mentioned. Well, I ask why. What is so special about them?
Now, it is beginning to look like the anonymity linked to a criminal case might have been abused to be applicable now retrospectively to any event or document where any of the complainers has intervened or is mentioned. Handy this may be, but how can this ever be ethically and lawfully justified?
Let’s just see an imaginary case scenario:
Let’s just imagine a serial rapist who belonged in prison since many moons ago, but that got for himself free anonymity because when he realised he was about to get caught, he decided to falsely accuse a random innocent middle age lady of touching him inappropriately 5 years ago in the bum while she was trying to exit the public bus. Never mind the lady declared she did not touch him with her hand but was by accident with her shopping bags, there were witnesses to corroborate this and she was declared non-guilty. The outcome of guilty was not really the objective. The objective was to get the anonymity, because now with it the rapist can look forward to a life of many unpunished crimes because all evidence with his name on it has now to be redacted beyond its usability and recognition, so he can no longer be prosecuted: he becomes invisible to the law and to justice.
His victims of course would be threatened by the Prosecution Service of the day to kept schtum about the evidence they may have or know about because if they have the audacity to make that evidence public or even use it to defend themselves, it would be them who would end up in prison.
Doesn’t sound right, does it? it sounds like gross abuse of the judicial system. Does it not?
Well, a blanket anonymity with retrospective effect aiming to totally suppress the evidence of wrongdoing by someone in government and then the threats by the COPFS to the victim on all this to not dare to release evidence incriminating the culprit doesn’t sound much better.
So what happens if [redacted] is proven to have unlawfully disclosed the name of one of the complainers to a third party that was not even part of the government at the time? In any normal circumstances, if somebody leaks confidential information and is caught out, they are sacked with immediate effect. Does the same apply here or [redacted] cannot be sacked because their name in the letter of dismissal has to be redacted and therefore they can claim it was not addressed to themselves?
This situation is crossing the line of the ridiculous.
Mark Boyle says:
17 March, 2021 at 3:07 pm
“AFI/ISP haven’t a snowball’s chance in hell at this election, but they’re going to contest it anyway”
What has even less of a snowball’s chance in hell is reforming the SNP with sour blog posts or janking the disconnected chains of its defunct internal democracy. So long as the SNP need to seek deals with the SGP they will go in for Yellow-Green politics. But second votes for the SNP are indy votes wasted. Sturgeon is crap, but she’s also a product of her circumstances, and the only way to change the SNP and get rid of Nicla is to build a third indy party that represents the real grassroots SNP better than the SNP and can put on some pressure inside Holyrood.
Mia says:
17 March, 2021 at 5:19 pm
—-
I 100% agree with you.
COFPS and the SNPG Legal Counsel (inc Lord Advocate) are acting towards and being used to maliciously redact evidence without cause to do so before the inquiry even get their hands on it.
In my book that is tampering with evidence in an active investigation.
It doesn’t matter if those whom the evidence was requested from believe it should be redacted because of court orders, it is the job of the inquiry committee’s clerks and the SPCB to apply redactions to any evidence submitted to parliament and the inquiry including the evidence gained under served notices of the Scotland Act.
If this was a judge led inquiry, I have no doubt that there would be a good few people charged with contempt by now and languishing in prison for manipulating evidence.
I wonder how many of the actors in this whole sordid affair will be found in contempt by the committee and subsequently charged with perjury and obstruction towards the Scottish Parliament.
I see Rape Crisis have caped up again to save the Scottish Government.
Seems a shame that their statement implies Liz Lloyd in fact found out about the investigation in the January, rather than the February which hardly improves matters for her.
Also interesting to learn that even at that early stage the investigation was actively approaching people, rather than complainants coming forward.
link to holyrood.com
In fact it proves the opposite. Proves HR were actively fishing for complaintants re Salmond (which is new?) and Liz Lloyd knew about it in Jan 2018. Explains why HR were cross because Lloyd told them that the potential complainant wanted out.
Classic own goal statement.
@ Dan at 4.53: I agree with you, of course, about it being far better if a new party had been organised earlier so everyone got used to the idea. But you know what it’s like, no-one listens to the Rev until it’s too late!
However we are where we are and given that Wings has over 600,000 unique viewers a month then the word about AFI should get out to a significant number of voters in time to have an effect. That is what I am hoping for, anyway.
By the way, I was being a bit sarky when I said “the positive can do attitude of btl commenters on this site”. There’s been a rather negative couple of btl-ers on this and the previous post – I don’t engage directly with them because it is a waste of everyone’s time but felt an oblique reference might improve the atmosphere, or my mood anyway!
How is the veg garden doing? My better half has been covering ours with seaweed to inhibit the weeds and hold off the leaching effect of the rain – better late than never!
So when NS talks about a “Salmond conspiracy theory” is it a theory like the theory of evolution is a theory?
AFI Fundraiser.
Do it!
link to afi.scot
Big hugs to you Rev Stu, for all you do for Scotland.
I may not live there anymore but I still want for Scotland & her people, the life I’ve been fortunate to have in this independent country, New Zealand.
You & Alex Salmond are the true fighters of today, for Scotland being independent in years to come.
You are a true warrior & you have my fullest respect in the way you have given us factual information that everyone need.
When this is all over Both you & Alex will be remembered well in the annals of Scottish history. Thank you for all you do for my ain folk. xxxxx
Why didn’t Ms Lloyd not discuss the allegations against AS with the Queen of Scots for a whole month? Maybe someone is telling porkies.
Aye you can’t beat old John Swindler
Regarding last nights David Davis comments in the House of Commons , he said the first minister gave 8 hours of comprehensive answers to every question she was asked
Eh John saying I don’t know ,I don’t remember ,I wasn’t aware of that, That is not my recollection ,does not count as complete comprehensive answers , it might in your world but it’s not most people’s idea of the way of answering the fkn question , Almost every question was met with this act of going off on some tangent and answering a question that wasn’t asked to cover the one that was asked .
She is a Master of avoidance as for 8 hrs of gruelling under pressure interrogation give it a fkn rest a competent Lawyer could have nailed her in half a hour , there should have never been any SNP MSPs on this committee that was investigating their boss , as if they are going to go rogue and ask searching questions , as people have said before we are being treated like fkn mugs and idiots
Mark Boyle says:
17 March, 2021 at 3:07 pm
Maybe it’s nothing to do with knowing better and more to do with being unwilling to vote for corruption. I can’t vote for SNP with Sturgeon in charge and it least having another indy party means that I’m not disenfranchised.
“I was extremely conscious of the sensitivity of the investigation and I, therefore, did not tell Liz who the complaint was from, who it was about or the nature of the complaint.”
So, logically if LL doesn’t know who the complaint is from or anything about it how can she tell HR which complaint to drop? Which it seems she did manage to do.
No-one is donating to AFI’s fundraiser.
Gives me the impression some of you are not very serious about this.
Ian Brotherhood says:
17 March, 2021 at 3:54 pm
Here’s a link to the FM’s briefing earlier.
It has to be said, Mr Brotherhood, that Sturgeon has the brass balls of a few dozen monkeys, she seems totally capable of lying that she was ever born, if that was required of her.
Is she controlling the media, are the media frightened of her? Nobody mentioned that she’d managed to savage Mr Salmond at one of her Covid outbreaks when it suited her purpose to speak about it.
Why can so few people see through the self-indulgent, cruel mediocrity and stubbornness of this woman?
Not a squeak on the front page of any paper in Scotland this morning – she must be in the pocket of the Yoons, surely?
@ Stephen P
I agree that this is all very dodgy, but I think the bit you’ve quoted means that the woman who was approached to make her own complaint didn’t tell LL who the complainer who had “recommended” her was.
That person’s complaint may not have been dropped, but the woman being quoted managed to get her own interaction with the process terminated (presumably with assistance from LL).
@Dan says: 17 March, 2021 at 4:54 pm
The problem any “alternative to the SNP” has is that the SNP was founded as a broad church between Scottish Tories who could see the current “North Britain” system didn’t work and socialist or old liberal “artisans”.
Every single “alternative” or “splinter” in any party has always been due to some particular irreconcilable doctrinal issue. Or due to personality clashes.
The Scottish Republican Socialists didn’t think the SNP socialist enough. Siol nan Gaidheal didn’t think the SNP ethno-nationalist enough (or rather anti-English “settlers” enough!). Yet both of them were more ginger groups than ever a threat: even when ‘proscribed’ it was piss-poorly enforced for unlike Labour, the SNP kept its potential splitters onside in practice (bar the ’79 Group fiasco) so long as they behaved.
But that was when the SNP was a much smaller party, which concentrated minds. Success and far too many bandwagon troughers later, it has lost its soul – and it’s ability to agree to disagree internally.
But not one of those proffering themselves as “same but different” are – they’re either fixated on one or two people’s pet hobby horse, or are being proffered by people with far too much history of proffering “broad churches” which quickly become apparant are fronts run by an inpenetrable cadre.
For example, Action For Independence may have Dave Thompson as its founder and leader, but that Tommy Sheridan’s arrival was quickly followed by Hugh Kerr (ex-MEP who has been to Sheridan what Raven-Thomson was to Mosley) and Lynne Sheridan (“Tommy’s ma bre’er, so yoz better watch OOT!”) and Jock Penman (Scottish Solidarity candidate in 2016) it’s hard for people not to see the old Trotskyite Entrist circus rolling back into town under their latest least believable disguise since LeClerc’s in “Allo Allo”!
Only today, “Gorgeous George’s” old Hanoi Jane, Yvonne Ridley has joined. In 2011, Tommy’s then outfit “Scottish Solidarity” came close to an electoral alliance with Galloway’s then outfit the “Respect Party”. Alarm bells started ringing yet?
This is not a “Broad Front” – this is fast looking like a “Popular Front” in the Spanish sense.
Ah. Now we are being told – from an unnamed Scottish Government source – that Liz Lloyd did not ‘intefere’, she ‘intervened’. The semantics defence.
How about a Caledonian Antisyzygy Party?
I’m in two minds about it.
O/T but it is being discussed so here’s a bit more about AFI.
AFI is an umbrella so that means all kinds of parties – left, centre, right – can come under it. The only thing that matters is that they all agree that getting independence is the first and foremost policy.
Currently the activists range from ex-SNP MSP/MEPs, through Craig Murray who most here will know a fair amount about his views, Martin Keatings, Tommy Sheridan’s Solidarity and now Yvonne Ridley [of whom I know no more than she was once in George Galloway’s Respect]. So a mixed bag – but that is the point of an umbrella party.
Sturgeon – the Antichrist
ISP – Judean Peoples Front
AFI – Trots
David Davis – good guy
I think I can see where this is going…
Well done Stu. You have not just demolished the credibility of the SIU ‘poll’ you have managed to do so with élan and gusto akin to ripping the pish out of them and for that you deserve applause indeed.
In relation to various comments regarding AFI and our chances in 6 weeks time of securing a cluster of MSPs committed to prioritising independence above all else time will tell whether the momentum that has begun to develop will be enough to make the breakthrough. What is absolutely clear is it is worth trying as otherwise literally up to one million 2nd votes for SNP will go down the drain and facilitate the election of scores of useless unionists determined to stomp on our aspirations for an independent nation.
The Both Votes SNP mantra is a selfish, narrow strategy which has nothing to do with independence but everything to do with the SNP. Both Votes Independence and Scotland Before Party have to be the banners we march behind in May as we Max The YES vote and evict scores of unionists from our Parliament. AFI faces an uphill task but things worth achieving are often difficult. Quality activists and capable independence advocates are joining AFI each day and many are standing for selection on regional lists across Scotland. A very capable woman in the shape of Dr Yvonne Ridley has joined link to thenational.scot and she and several hundreds like her will do their utmost to deliver a group of independence MSPs under the AFI rosette with the promotion of a socially and environmentally just independent Scotland their focus and priority. Hopefully many Wings readers will consider joining also.
Hopefully many Wings readers will contribute to AFI’s fundraiser.
Getting elected costs money.
Journalists need to push back much harder against Sturgeon’s ‘I spent eight hours giving evidence’ shtick.
The most embarrassing lawyer’s letters were further delayed until after her appearance and the whatsapp messages were verboten. So she has not answered about them at all.
She should be told if she cannot come clean, she cannot be trusted on the covid questions either and have them cut off.
The daily briefing is a waste of a first minister’s time at the point little is happening with the virus in any case.
Anyway we have the ridiculous, ‘strongly refute’ bollocks again. Can somebody please tell her what the word means. It’s embarrassing. And what the fuck has strength got to do with disproving something anyway? It’s either true or false. – Arse.
If AFI had a PayPal option on their fundraiser page, it would, probably, be the most successful fundraiser in the world, since the last AS and WOS fundraisers…
8=)
@ me at 6.37
These tweets make an interesting point:
link to twitter.com
link to twitter.com
link to twitter.com
@crazycat
Of course, the woman might know what incident DD was talking about if there was a conspiracy…
But the RCS statement in general seems to just contradict other evidence that has been offered by LL, or at least adds further reason to doubt it.
That’s the trouble with lies, sooner or later the cover ups start tripping each other up.
There seems to be an uncanny ability in some circles to say with certainty what cannot possibly be known to them through lawful channels (eg “the committee have seen ALL the messages”, which would require total knowledge of what both the committee has seen and what the Crown Office holds, neither of which anybody in Government has any business knowing anything about)
Scots Renewables are you “Schrodingers Cat” by any chance?.
Scotland in Union have a great website. For 1998.
Goodness knows what blogging platform they use. Or maybe they got the tea boy to knock it out?
Their content is pretty thin too….not enough updates, or any sort of ‘buzz’.
Larry Norman once asked ‘Why should the devil have all the good music?’
I’m asking, why should Nationalists have all the best websites?
People know of course who Liz Lloyd is ? I don’t know if she still is, but she was married to Ed Miliband & has a couple of kids by him. Do you think she’s being protected because of her connections?
Different LL.
@ScotsRenewables says:
17 March, 2021 at 6:49 pm
Sturgeon – the Antichrist
ISP – Judean Peoples Front
AFI – Trots
David Davis – good guy
I think I can see where this is going…
Who’re the People’s Front of Judea, then?
@ ScotsRenewables who said:
“No-one is donating to AFI’s fundraiser.
Gives me the impression some of you are not very serious about this”
Life is hard in Virus-time
Bosses and workers are losing money and jobs
Businesses, shops, pubs and restaurants are closed and staff furloughed
Relatives and friends are sick, may die or have already died, Homes may be re-possessed
Uncertainty abounds
Worry is all around
People have things other than fundraisers to think about
Derek says:
“She’s not the messia, he’s a very naughty boy” self ID’ing as a she.
Kiwilassie says:
17 March, 2021 at 7:42 pm
People know of course who Liz Lloyd is ? I don’t know if she still is, but she was married to Ed Miliband & has a couple of kids by him. Do you think she’s being protected because of her connections?
———–
Ha ha how many times have you posted this pish now?
@KiwiLassie,
It’s two different Liz Lloyds.
Derek says:
17 March, 2021 at 7:55 pm
@ScotsRenewables says:
17 March, 2021 at 6:49 pm
Sturgeon – the Antichrist
ISP – Judean Peoples Front
AFI – Trots
David Davis – good guy
I think I can see where this is going…
Who’re the People’s Front of Judea, then?
The Greens, obviously.
Duh!
‘strongly refute’ bollocks again. Can somebody please tell her what the word means. It’s embarrassing. ‘
I think they mean deny as they are refuting nothing at the moment.
Bob Mack says:
17 March, 2021 at 7:29 pm
Scots Renewables are you “Schrodingers Cat” by any chance?.
I’m Schroedinger’s Voter.
@ Kiwilassie
The mother of Ed Miliband’s children is his wife, Justine Thornton.
Before they got together, he had a relationship with a totally different Elizabeth Lloyd, who has since married someone else, with whom she has at least one child.
You’ve been told this already; please check your facts.
Seems all Teflon Don Sturgeon has to do is keep saying:” I refute these allegations”. Then walks off.
How long are the authorities and media going to let her away with this approach.
She never provides the evidence of why she refutes them. It’s like Groundhog Day.
What gets me is that when the Judicial Revue was conceded in January 2019, there was a fair bit of national press coverage. Like,
link to archive.is
link to archive.is
Then there was the infamous Garavelli “feature” from 3.09pm, Monday, March 23, 2020.
link to archive.is
What do we all get from the links above?
Can we not understand which complainer was at the meeting on 29th March??? Geoff Aberdein, Nicola Sturgeon and ???
Betsy & crazycat.
Thanks for correcting me in having the wrong Liz Lloyd.
The correct information given here is important.
Watching Sturgeon at the moment is like watching Line of Duty but wondering if she might actually cover her tracks well enough to pin the blame on someone else and get away with it in the final episode. How can so many people be falling for this? Her daily briefings will continue during the election campaign. WTAF? But then again, her woke agenda is very well matched to the BBCs. Scotland deserves better.
@Brian Doonthetoon
A Lying Limpet
Skip_NC
Don’t be silly, the theory of evolution is just a theory…..just like creationism, just like simulation theory, etc (it’s daft to try to pass it off as established fact – everything else is simply ‘belief’)
I prefer the facts on that one – we simply don’t know.
I do, however, ‘believe’ that NS is pulling the strings behind a real life conspiracy. We just need the facts now to prove it.
David Davis is helping with that.
An unnamed civil servant rejected claims made by Tory MP, David Davis, that the First Minister’s chief of staff “interfered” in the Scottish Government’s investigation of harassment complaints against Alex Salmond. In a statement released by Rape Crisis Scotland, the complainer said the allegations were fundamentally untrue, adding:
“I am aware of comments from David Davis MP, in which he suggests the Liz Lloyd, was aware of and ‘interfered’ with complaints against Alex Salmond in February 2018. These allegations are fundamentally untrue and are being deliberately misrepresented. In January 2018 I was approached by Scottish Government HR regarding an investigation they were undertaking into a complaint about Alex Salmond’s behaviour during his time as First Minister. I had been named as someone who experienced such behaviour in statements obtained during the course of HR’s investigation. After discussion with HR, I decided I did not in any way wish to share with them my own personal experiences, however I also did not want to obstruct an investigation. I did not know if I was obliged to cooperate after being asked to. I decided to raise the matter with a trusted senior person in government, Liz Lloyd, to gain advice and an understanding of my obligations. I was extremely conscious of the sensitivity of the investigation and I, therefore, did not tell Liz who the complaint was from, who it was about or the nature of the complaint. I informed her I had been approached by HR in relation to a current investigation. I said I had been asked if I wanted to make a complaint and made it clear to her I did not want to, but I was concerned that if I didn’t I may be impeding an investigation. She offered to convey my concerns and what I wanted to happen to an appropriate senior civil servant, who was the most appropriate person to discuss the issue with. I agreed to this course of action. This was not ‘interfering’ but acting in line with my wishes.” She continued: I then met with investigators and relayed my extreme apprehension about being involved in the investigation, declined to co-operate and took no further part in the process.”
Comment. But she was not, as Rape Crisis Scotland states, a complainer as she made that very clear in her alleged defence of Liz Lloyd. For the record Liz Lloyd is a political appointee, not a civil servant and should not have been approached by a civil servant to discuss any matter pertaining to discipline and in doing so she breeched the Ministerial Code and her contract of employment. She should have been sacked by Nicola Sturgeon!!!
To refute one must produce evidence that counters the claim(s) being made. I’m sure the evidence will be produced in due (honest guv’nor, it’s comin’ soon), but, until then, her “refutation” is merely a repudiation or rejection.
Here endeth the career*
Ed: Surely lesson?
Bob Mack says:
17 March, 2021 at 7:29 pm
Scots Renewables are you “Schrodingers Cat” by any chance?.
I thought Schrodinger’s Cat had self ID’d as a dug.
Nicola has not only refuted David Davis’ seemingly cast iron evidence, she “strongly” refutes it.
And when more damning evidence emerges, she may even “categorically” refute it.
Poundshop Hillary Clinton, so she is.
Why, though? Why are people so shallow. So the SNP are a complete useless bunch of self serving twats. As a free Country, we could have got rid of them, forced them out. As it is, the majority of Scotland would rather be under the incompetent corrupt power of a completely detached Westminster.
Where’s your guts. Where the Spirit that fought and died for this Nation. Are we to remain slaves or free folks?
‘A spokesman for Ms Sturgeon said: “As with Mr Salmond’s previous claims and cherry-picking of messages, the reality is very different to the picture being presented.
“Every message involving SNP staff has been seen by the committee previously. Their views have been widely reported as dismissive of them.”’
Which leaves open the possibility that there are messages by people who are not technically ‘SNP staff’ that have not been seen by the committee.
“Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right…”
Given all the free legal aid being provided by Scot Gov for those on the side of St Nicla, it would be really, really good if the Charity – Rape Crisis Scotland – stopped bringing itself into disrepute acting as official spokesperson for the complainers.
Likewise, since there were 2 complainers for the Judicial Review and 9 complainers for the criminal allegations – and the complainers are not supposed to know one another, never mind know intimate details of their allegations – I really don’t see how one complainer can come to the defence of Liz Lloyd – as they cannot – or should not – be able to describe her actions in relation to the other complainers.
Something Rape Crisis Scotland – REALLY – should have pointed out to her.
I wonder if RCS is breaching its code of conduct under its charity status.
As I understand it they are there to provide counselling, advice regarding Police and legal procedures, support during legal procedures, advice of a generic nature to legal organisations for policy developement purposes… but to become the defacto advocate for complainers at the heart of major allegations of Government corruption…. Hmmm, I think not.
Edward MacD says:
Problem is these days, most people do not have an interest in Politics or the running of a country. Take the EU as an example, do they know how fucked up the people running it are( Ursula von der Leyen is like Sturgeon on steroids, google her fuck ups, chronyism, nepotisem, etc), do they understand Target2 and the imminent collapse of the Euro?
Englandshire voted to leave the EU, not based on the TARGET2 data and the delusional dreams of one Europe with no Sovereignty but through English Nationalism.
Scotland voted to stay, not through an understanding of TARGET2 and the workings of the EU Cabal but through being forward thinking and embracing other nationalities.
Neither descision was based on hard cold facts as the people selling Brexit and Remain never mentioned TARGET2 imbalance, the move to no sovereignty as they probably never realised how fucked up a social experiment the EU is. TARGET2 was the same mechanism that brought down the USSR.
People are more concerned about the latest Iphone, car or unadulterated shite they read on Twatter or Fuckbook,
Finally to the point- people will keep on taking the shite from the Scottish Government, until the point comes when they wake up and find themselves slaves.
A 4 Page proper newspaper in the door tonight from George
I want to be the cat in the hat Galloway.
He is asking people to sign a petition to get Margaret Ferrier
to resign so that he can become MP for Rutherglen and he will
fix Scotland by himself and keep it in England’s clutches.
Geo has had more Parties than Hugh Hefner.
I’d vote for the other Raving Loony Party first!
Must have cost a fortune to print and distribute the Gorgeous George Gazette
Could some unionist billionaire backer be filling his saucer of milk?
Tommy Sheridan
Maybe if you stopped promoting the SNP you might start getting a couple of bob in.
But you are asking us to support a Party who is supporting the root of all evil itself, Nicola Sturgeon.
Tommy, Independence is off the table for the time being. There needs to be a complete gut out at Holyrood. The whole stinkin place needs cleansed.
And first out the door should be the most corrupt politician in Europe, Nicola Sturgeon.
So you need to distance yourself from Sturgeon for starters, then people might start taking you a bit more seriously.
How about running as a List in Glasgow Southside.
Sarwar to take Sturgeon’s seat and you as a list.
The next five years are going to be a rebuilding excerice.
Sarwar has a seat gauranteed at Hollyrood no matter what, so why not use him as the means to oust the Devil herself, Nicola Sturgeon.
Skip_NC
Don’t be silly, the theory of evolution is just a theory…..just like creationism, just like simulation theory, etc (it’s daft to try to pass it off as established fact – everything else is simply ‘belief’)
———————————————
A theory has a significant body of evidence underpinning its basic principles. It is not a theory just because someone came up with an idea.
Creationism is not a theory.
Mia says,
“The truth is that her interest in independence is so low”
But that can be blamed on the British state, right?
Hatuey says,
“In short, I believe David Davis could choose to publish everything under “absolute privelege”.”
I dearly hope that he will publish all those messages between Murrell and the other conspirators.
With another five years of Devolution, it will mean we’ll catch one more General Election.
Where we can vote out all those useless SNP troughers at Westminster.
Daisy Walker,
Agreed, how on earth does a person who thought about being a complainer know the ins and outs of other people’s business that she wasn’t party to.
Her argument seems to be that if things don’t happen when she is there, then it’s impossible that these things have happened at all.
A bit like a toddler who thinks nobody can see them when they cover their own eyes.
FAO Ian Blackford
You won’t be fuckin missed, you useless lump of lard
“But that can be blamed on the British state, right?”
Well, isn’t she a stooge of the British state tasked with ejecting Mr Salmond out of politics, destroying the SNP as a political vehicle for independence and derailing independence for Scotland?
She may be attempting to kill fleas by throwing cannon balls at them; she may have depleted the taxpayers’ purse making us to cough up for her spectacular failure in the choice of court battles to fight and for the malicious prosecutions; and she may have completely destroying the reputation and integrity of the SGov and COPFS, but hey you have to give it to her: she is delivering on her 3 duties above, don’t you agree?
Ross Kilbride says,
“Get rid of Sturgeon first, then Indy.”
There will be no Indy as long as she or any of her co-criminal conspirators are in positions of power.
Get rid of the whole lot of them – send them to jail where they belong.
So is David Davis a liar. Has he lied on the floor of the House of Commons.
Well Nicola Sturgeon has called David Davis a liar when she says that he is peddling a conspiracy theory.
Mr Davis, and it is recorded in Hansard, made some very clear statements to the House of Commons. And if he has lied to the Commons then the Commons must act.
It is no longer the reputation of the Hollyrood Parliament but that too of the Westminster Parliament!
boris says,
“https://caltonjock.com/2021/03/17/the-dismissal-of-snp-government-minister-mark-macdonald-and-the-shady-participation-of-liz-lloyd-in-it/”
Who is this shady Liz Lloyd and what is her background in the SNP / the Scottish government?
Ross Kilbride says:
17 March, 2021 at 10:15 pm
Sarwar has a seat gauranteed at Hollyrood no matter what, so why not use him as the means to oust the Devil herself, Nicola Sturgeon
Because just like Sarwar she will get in on the list if she loses the constituency vote, you tube.
“Well Nicola Sturgeon has called David Davis a liar when she says that he is peddling a conspiracy theory”
I think at this point Nicola Sturgeon does no longer speak to Scotland. She is now speaking to her echo chamber. That echo chamber is getting progressively smaller with every piece of new evidence that emerges. Soon, the only people attending the echo chamber will be Sturgeon, Evans, [redacted], Murrell, Ruddick, the Lord Advocate, a handful of tainted civil servants and the perjurers. Then I suspect there will be a sudden rush to the exit door to avoid being the last idiot who goes down with the sinking ship.
TOMMY SHERIDAN says,
“The Both Votes SNP mantra is a selfish, narrow strategy which has nothing to do with independence but everything to do with the SNP.”
The constituncy vote SNP mantra of yours is a vote for corrupt criminals who have nothing to do with independence but everything to do with their own comfy and lucrative jobs and pensions.
Your mantra is AFI MSPs putting pressure on the SNP to hold a referendum. As if the corrupt criminal SNP would give a damn about your handful of AFI MSPs.
Put your money where your mouth is and promise that you will donate all your earnings as an MSP to charity if no independence referendum is held within the next five years.
Mia says,
“The truth is that her interest in independence is so low”
“Well, isn’t she a stooge of the British state tasked with ejecting Mr Salmond out of politics, destroying the SNP as a political vehicle for independence and derailing independence for Scotland?”
She was mentored by Alex Salmond for 30 years and during the 2014 independence referendum there was absolutely no sign that she was against independence.
Any idea when her interest in independence became so low?
Any idea when she became a stooge of the British state and why?
What will come about from all of this, won’t be anything Nicola Sturgeon can be proud about. She must be disgusted with herself. This is her MeToo legacy.
But there is light in all of this. Because the tories want to extend Parliamently Privelege to the Scottish Parliament, to empower it to speek freely, the evidence, revealed by David Davis, without the Crown Office – lead by Nicola Sturgeon’s cabinet minister, threatening to arrest them and gagging the evidence.
It seems that even as a private citizen, badly wounded, Alex Salmond will have done more in advance the sovereignty and Independence of the Scottish Parliament than Nicola sturgeon has done in 7 years. Fact!
Salmond is a genius
Kcor @11:00
“Any idea when her interest in independence became so low?”
I would guess her interest in independence was always subordinate to her fervent desire in personally getting ahead.
Scots Renewables
Don’t fuckin annoy me.
You are a fuckin brainless pest.
Annoy some other poor Bastard.
Kcor, re LL, I seem to recall she was a spad/ staffer for Alyn Smith. Don’t remember any dates though obv it was prior to AS and NS time.
So the site pest tells us that the First Minister of Scotland had to steal the List seat off of some poor SNP punter.
That really will fill the electorate with confidence.
The First Minister of our Nation couldn’t even win her Constituency seat.
Oh how we laughed,,, with embarrassment.
Rape Crisis Scotland appear to be under a collective delusion that they are, as an organisation, a major player in the Scottish political arena. Sturgeon and her crew have doubtless been active in encouraging this absurd notion.
Ross Kilbride, I will continue to ‘annoy’ you for as long as I choose to. If you don’t like it then fuck off to some other blog where people are more easily bullied.
Ross Kilbride, I am just pointing out that your cunning plan to get rid of Sturgeon by getting people to vote for Anas ‘the liar’ Sarwar has a fatal flaw.
Well, actually, two fatal flaws.
Not only will a lying Unionist get elected, but Sturgeon will get in anyway.
Nice try, but no cigar.
I think Sturgeon is parochial and a party animal. Being parochial and small minded she enjoys the Scottish village life as a satellite of the the big smoke. WM gives her the umbrella of blame and Sturgeon likes to be in a family where she has someone else to blame for anything that might go wrong. She’s the Mayoress of MacMuggstoon
“Any idea when her interest in independence became so low?”
No. But my guess is that by the time she embarked in the stitching up operation against Mr Salmond her interest in independence was nonexistent. It had to be rather low in 2015 when he wasted the biggest majority of SNP MPs Scotland delivered in its entire history.
“Any idea when she became a stooge of the British state and why?”
Why? I have no idea. The possibilities are endless. The classic is that either the British state has some information she does not want to emerge or rather they have offered something she wants more than independence.
When? Your guess is as good as mine. But by the GE2017 it was clear she was no longer working towards independence. Having said that, she had had control over 95% Scotland’s seats in Westminster since 2015 and did absolutely nothing to progress independence nor to take advantage of the brexit result. So my guess is that she was already a stooge in 2015. Prior to that, I have no idea.
It was the best of times , it was the worst of times!
The Alphabet ladies are no longer jig saw material, they are now in plain sight and half of them are wicked liars and the other half have been bullied or dare I say seduced into making CRIMINAL complaints against Alex Salmond.
“I strongly refute”…
This reminds me that there used to be a commenter on here who frequently accused unionist politicians of having “voted strongly for the Bedroom Tax” and other unwanted policies. How to you ‘vote strongly’ for or against something?
David says “But there is light in all of this. Because the tories want to extend Parliamently Privelege to the Scottish Parliament, to empower it to speek freely, the evidence,”
Should’ve been baked in from the start, but Blair (or maybe Gordon Brown, or Donald Dewar) didn’t want the parish council getting ideas above its station. Hence the strange, belittling terminology used in the Scotland Act (“Executive” rather than a Government, “First Minister”, rather than a Prime Minister).
The SNP had a good idea back in the 90’s, which was to recycle some of the styles and titles of the old Scottish Parliament, but like the Royal High School building, Labour decided that was a “nationalist shibboleth”.
Kcor asks Any idea when her interest in independence became so low?
Hard to say. She was always a prickly character – not obviously naturally suited to the job of glad-handing and baby-kissing. But I give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she entered politics with good intentions.
The corruption was probably gradual then. Bear in mind, there’s an implicit contradiction between independence as traditionally understood and being in the EU. The SNP was very effective at straddling both in the 90’s and early 2000’s, when the EU was a lot smaller and more limited in its powers. And it was a brilliant tactic for overcoming the fear factor associated with leaving the British Union, as well as countering the idea that nationalism is parochial and isolationist.
But the times have changed, and somewhere along the line some folks in the SNP seem to have stopped seeing the EU as a vehicle to deliver independence, instead seeing independence as a vehicle to deliver the EU. (See also: Ireland) And not just the EU in its institutional sense, but all the attitudes that are fashionable in Brussels (and London, and New York, and of course Dublin) – Woke really is the religion of those who see themselves as the new transnational elite, with the right to rule us lesser, parochial plebs with our outdated, bigoted ideas about governing ourselves democratically and women not having penises, and the like.
There have been long and tedious arguments over the EU, and people of goodwill can be for or agin it, and I can’t really be arsed arguing about it at midnight. My point isn’t so much about the EU, but about how goals, values and interests in a fairly small, inevitably incestous, and somewhat cliquish group of people (professional politicians) can gradually erode over time in the face of personal incentives and (perhaps even more dangerous) the desire to be praised by the enlightened goodthinkers of The Guardian or the BBC or the Commission, or whoever it is MSP’s and MP’s respect instead of their constituents.
Humza gave a characteristically unintentionally revealing interview a wee while back where he expressed his discomfort with the term “nationalist”. Colour me shocked – I’d be surprised if there are more than a handful of nationalists left in the Scottish Parliament. Nationalism is the antithesis of Wokeness, and Public Enemy Number One to the global ambitions of the new, unhappy lords of commerce and politics. I unironically expect the SNP to officially denounce nationalism before the cock crows thrice over the Salmond affair.
Alan Mackintosh says,
“Kcor, re LL, I seem to recall she was a spad/ staffer for Alyn Smith. Don’t remember any dates though obv it was prior to AS and NS time.”
The guy for whom the SNP paid legal fees taken out of the embezzled £600,000 independence supporters’ donations?
Liz Lloyd was a spad/ staffer for her?
A very small world isn’t it?
They are all corrupt lying criminals.
Alan Mackintosh says,
“Kcor, re LL, I seem to recall she was a spad/ staffer for Alyn Smith. Don’t remember any dates though obv it was prior to AS and NS time.”
The guy for whom the SNP paid legal fees taken out of the embezzled £600,000 independence supporters’ donations?
Liz Lloyd was a spad/ staffer for her?
A very small world isn’t it?
They are all corrupt lying criminals who should be in jail.
For independence supporters, the rational way ahead now is to assist in punishing and causing maximum damage to the SNP. That means either not voting for them or voting against them, depending on how rational you want to get.
There’s lot of reasons for doing this but let’s stick to the two obvious rational ones which relate to possibilities in the future, rather than the past, for both the SNP and the independence movement.
In scenario one, we punish the SNP in a constructive sense; give them a real jolt that forces them to replace the whole leadership team or face certain extinction. Such a jolt is achievable with a loss of about 20% to 30% of the votes they would normally count on. This is the most likely future we face (right now) but not my preferred one.
In scenario two, we cause maximum damage to the SNP on the basis that a new party is likely going to appear, and we would be preemptively engaging to weaken and destroy that new party’s biggest enemy (the SNP).
Be in no doubt, a new pro-independence party with a few big hitters involved would, at the moment of its birth, be at war with the SNP. And if we were 100% certain that such a baby was on the way, it would be incumbent on its to do everything we could to prepare the way for it and protect it from those who would naturally want to do it harm.
I suppose if you prefer scenario one right now, it might make sense to abstain in the election. I just don’t see a way to rehabilitate the SNP right now, the situation is truly chronic, and on that basis there’s a good argument for voting against them.
Just watched the re=run of Scotland Tonight, the interview with the political editor of the Daily Record whom I suggest must by this point have a very sore rear end sitting on the fence. The whole thing has turned into a repeat of the Borgias
We know the Fabidozi enquiry is going to be a whitewash, the Hamilton enquiry will rattle a few cages but will make no accusations against NS or is it NM I always get confused, so it’s down to the Scottish people to decide, I have come to the conclusion that if they vote in this bunch of crooks for another 5 years they’ll get what they deserve and it won’t be independence!
Mia says,
“Why? I have no idea. The possibilities are endless. The classic is that either the British state has some information she does not want to emerge or rather they have offered something she wants more than independence.”
You have posted many times that the British state, rather than Sturgeon, is responsible for the stitch up of Alex Salmond:
“Mia says,
“So this is not just “a Scottish lash up”. The British state’s dirty fingers are all over this.”
I strongly disagree with you – IMHO, Sturgeon is the conspirator in chief for the failed criminal conspiracy to jail Alex Salmond.
If I am not mistaken, the Rev. Stuart Campbell has suggested the same.
Gordon Dangerfield has been writing in great detail about “A Very Scottish Coup”.
Everything that has come out points the finger at her.
IMHO, any poster who gives the slightest benefit of doubt to her is a Sturgeon apologist.
Scots Renewable
Please please please stop fuckin annoying me with your pish.
Take it up with one of your fellow Sturgeon fanatics,,, I don’t want to know.
So stop fuckin harassing me you fuckin pain in the Arse.
Hope that’s clear enough even for you.
Vote Sarwar in Glasgow Southside,,, you know it makes sense.
Mia says,
“The truth is that her interest in independence is so low”
Kcor says,
“Any idea when her interest in independence became so low?”
Mia says,
“No. But my guess is that by the time she embarked in the stitching up operation against Mr Salmond her interest in independence was nonexistent. It had to be rather low in 2015 when he wasted the biggest majority of SNP MPs Scotland delivered in its entire history”
kapelmeister says,
“I would guess her interest in independence was always subordinate to her fervent desire in personally getting ahead.”
Red says,
“Hard to say. She was always a prickly character – not obviously naturally suited to the job of glad-handing and baby-kissing. But I give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she entered politics with good intentions.”
There are terrorist sleeper cells which lie low and their true intentions are hidden from the people around them. They wait patiently for the moment to strike.
With hindsight, I have come to the conclusion that she has always been a fake (like Richard Branson IMHO).
For a long time, she waited to get her hold on power. She was the temporary SNP leader and expected to become permanent leader, but Alex Salmond returned from Westminster and was the natural leader. She must have hated him ever since then but kept it hidden.
From the moment she got power, she has done nothing else than to get a very firm grip on it. The rest is history.
IMHO, she is the most evil woman ever to have lived in Scotland.
I say,
I remember as a youth a jolly prank when One would catch a wasp and put it in the refridgederium machine until it was sedate.
Then, with haste, One would fasten fishing twine around it’s thorax and revive the little blighter in Apollo’s rays.
Wasp on a string! By Jove, what a rage when the damned thing thawed out!
Seems Ms Sturgeon neglected even the fishing twine.
Now good day to you.
“You have posted many times that the British state, rather than Sturgeon, is responsible for the stitch up of Alex Salmond”
No. That is incorrect. You are misinterpreting what I wrote. In my opinion it was and is a collusion of interests. The main interest: to stop independence. The way to do so: to remove Salmond from the SnP and front line politics, to destroy the SnP as an independence party and to throw indyref from the negotiating table by pushing away any potential pro indy leader from the party. So far this fraud has succeeded in the 4 tasks.
Without Sturgeon, it would have been impossible for the British state to achieve all that without being too obvious and triggering an increase in support for indy. With her inaction, she has managed to contain it.
Without the help from the British state, Sturgeon on her own would have never come up with neither the plan nor would have got away with supressing the evidence for so many years. We are talking about evidence suppressed during the judicial review, the criminal case and the inquiry. We are talking of potential perjury and judging for what Mr Davis said, potentially members of the SNP tampering with a police investigation. That is over a period of 2 years. There is a crown agent involved, the UK civil service in Scotland is involved in this up to their ears and if it was not because a judge gave anonymity to the liars, that evidence would have never been suppressed and we would be home and dry by now. There is no way the British state did not know what was going on here, particularly with a crown agent in the CoPFS and when Mr Salmond must have been the most investigated man in the history of the UK.
This was a cooperation job.
At a time when Evans should have been dismissed for gross misconduct her contract was extended by Sturgeon and Sedwill. If the British state did not know what was going on they had no reason to parachute Sedwill to the house of lords and out of the way just a month after Ross wrote to him demanding Evans to be sacked.
For the record, I believe Sturgeon can talk the talk, but I do not believe she has the ability to plan strategically to the level required to design a plan to stitch up somebody as resourceful and well connected like Salmond. She could implement or follow a plan given to her to the letter, but designing it? No. Look at the enormous mess she made since the judicial review started. Her tactic at all times has been firefighting with lies and damage limitation by applying blunt force on a colossal scale.
Now compare the less than subtle performance of Sturgeon’s gov attempting to stitch up Salmond with the silence coming from Whitehall and Westminster after the stitch up of so many tory and labour politicians in England also around Nov 2017. The implementers in Wales made also a pig’s ear of the job, by the way.
lol @ “the most evil woman ever to have lived in Scotland”
kcor, my friend, you’re letting this crap get to you.
I sense that a few people are stressed by all this. My advice is to go and watch something like The Wonders of the Universe… put things in perspective.
You flatter Sturgeon by suggesting she stands out in any way. She doesn’t. The middle tier of society is full of mediocre morons of that sort of standard…
We are just stupid little creatures.
Just thought I’d post.
Mia, your theory sits somewhere between totally irrelevant and meaningless. Those poles reflect a lack of coherence and clarity on your part.
Are you saying the British State sat back passively and watched this scheme unfold, or are you saying they played an active part? The former equates to doing nothing and is hardly a sound basis upon which to make accusations.
You base a lot on the role of Civil Servants but they were all acting under the instruction of the FM. Actually nobody else had the authority to do most of the important things — like re-writing the Procedure so that they could go after former ministers, or removing the FM from the Procedure in terms of decision-making.
The inescapable fact is that none of this would have been possible without the FM sanctioning it. That’s irrefutable.
On the other hand, all of it absolutely would be (and was) possible without UK Government involvement.
Arguing that the UK Government said nothing when they could have said something to stop it is to simply point out that they did nothing and were not involved.
You can’t say the absence of involvement proves they were involved, just as you can’t say the lack of proof proves guilt.
If you’re going to come up with theories like this, about anything, you need to satisfy the basic requirement of falsifiability.
If we can’t disprove a theory it’s not a theory; it’s just a bunch of feelings or something. Explain how we could disprove yours and I promise a more serious response.
Mia, you are 100% correct. The british state was and is heavily involved and is influencing there events in the SNP SG.
The brit secret service , their modus operandi is defence of the realm.
They managed to infiltrate and influence the highest levels of the IRA and Republican movement in Ireland and many believe still are active there.
They caused a bloodu civil war between the INLA and the IRA.
Causing division among their opponents and threats to power, along with the Psychological warfare spread by their compliant media is their weapon of choice.
Some still think that their are not active in the SNP SG. They very much are.
It’s not all poisoned pens and exploding briefcases like in james bond films.
They do far dirtier work, hiding in plain sight.
Aside mentioned several times before, and you are correct, the enemies of Scottish independence are hard at work in the SNP SG.
Independence is the biggest threat to the union.
“I long for the old days of counting idiot unionist politicians”
Yet here we are, encompassed, directed and controlled by a cabal of corrupt nationalists.
Can you perhaps comprehend where you took your eye off the ball?
Perhaps it was the precursor of “wheecht for indy” that led you all astray….
Oh btw, just for context, how much Scottish Water money did Salmond “divert” away to pay for the bag of lies white paper?
You all kept VERY quiet about that.
I am a little pissed due to whisky. Paddy’s day ran a bit long. To the Yoons – FUCK OFF!! Just wanted to say that today. Cant you pollute another site? You bore me witless and Sturgeon just loves you all. Bardell one of the SNPs new breed of man hating feminazis wants to curfew you. Well us us men actually. The trannies must be really worried now as they have dicks. What does this have to do with achieving Indy? = absolutely nothing.
@hautey
I wouldn’t bother trying to communicate with Mia, she’s beyond help and doesn’t realise that her continual making excuses for Sturgeon doesn’t help her or anyone. I’ve given up reading anything she posts.
Someone else’s comment on Tommy Sheridan, I agree, unless AFI stand in constituencies the best they can hope for is a couple of MSPs who will be ignored by sturgeon the way she ignores the greens, anyone in her party and the entire parliament, though there will be some nice salaries for someone. Advocating your supporters vote for another party with their main vote is ludicrous in my view and hard to justify to voters who don’t spend their life on Twitter or sites like here.
Regarding what someone said about sturgeon effectively accusing David Davis of lying in parliament, I also agree that’s what she has done. There has been relative silence on this point but I wonder if she is going to be skewered at FMQs over this and forced into lying again in a precursor to a no confidence vote. She’s got nothing left except more lies. She’ll likely survive a no confidence vote but it means if the truth outs before the election that everyone who defended her will be tainted beyond redemption. The party should have told her to resign as soon as this scandal outed. The damage she has done is immeasurable.
Well, I’ve been looking at the List candidates on Wikipedia (where we all go first), and what I’m not seeing is any mention of ISP or AFI. So a couple of questions:
1) have ISP and AFI got their candidates sorted out yet?
2) if so, have they coordinated so they are not standing against each other?
3)if so, when are they going to start publicising their candidates/campaigning? Because if they don’t raise their (off twitter) profiles PDQ, they won’t appear on opinion poll questions, they won’t get asked to take part in debates or go on radio/TV- they will be invisible. And that’s how you lose elections. It’s no use having lovely policies if nobody has ever heard of them.
The election’s 2 months away. New parties always have to struggle to get media attention, so 2 months is very, very little time. I’ll be blunt about this, these new parties need to get focused and get working quickly. If it all turns into a farce, just another RISE, it will be humiliating listening to the New SNP and Greens snigger about it.
Let’s see action!
Sturgeons undoubted legacy will be to have taken a relatively fledgling parliament and within the space of a few years make it the most British of institutions.No one and I mean no one could have done that without the help of the British themselves.
Shocked & Hatuey
Lots of comments and criticism of others on your part but I notice you don’t propose any solutions.
You also appear to play down the pivotal role in this case of the British state apparatus in Scotland – crown, civil service, the latter supported by the ‘secret service’ – and all known to be anti-independence.
@Mia: ‘Somewhere Westminster can act is in regard to the Civil Service. Scottish Government Civil Servants are nominally part of the UK Civil Service, but there have been fears for some time about the blurring of lines between government and party political business. Revelations from the Salmond inquiry – of deleted texts and emails, of testimony given under oath and then ‘revised’, of taxpayers’ money spent ‘preparing’ witnesses – hint at more prevalent and perhaps systemic problems.
Downing Street should commission an independent review into the role of the Civil Service in this matter and whether the institution’s standards have been compromised. It is essential that any such review not be conducted in-house at Whitehall, since it would be Whitehall’s conduct under review too. It is Whitehall which allowed these trends to fester and the impact of its disinterest, if not indulgence, must be scrutinised.
David Davis suggests amending the Scotland Act to draw a clearer separation between executive and prosecutorial powers, as well as granting MSPs the same extent of parliamentary privilege as MPs. These are not bad ideas, as such, but they are a water pistol brought to a dumpster fire. Devolution is, per the Prime Minister, a ‘disaster’ but the solution always seems to be more disaster. It is a constitutional sunk cost fallacy in which the political integrity of the UK pays the price. If the Scotland Act is to be revisited and the changes favoured by Davis made, it should be as part of a comprehensive reform of devolution that recalibrates the balance of powers between Holyrood and Westminster, reasserts the Union, and overhauls the flawed and flaccid Scottish Parliament. To tinker with devolution would be derelict. This disaster needs a large-scale clean-up operation — and fast.’
From the excellent Stephen Daisley. A chap who was mercilessly hounded out of his job at the BBC by John Swinney, Pete Wishart and miscellaneous other SNP arseholes.
The more Nicola Sturgeon and her unionist newspaper buddies run their mouths off, the more I’m certain not to vote in May.
If enough people do the same, oor Nicola will be left with a minority government having to depend on the Tories and Labour. That will be so fun to seeing her squirm and shown her out of her depth that she is.
A thought though to those who intend to vote. If a number of AFI/ISP candidates get elected, could they use the mechanisms of the parliament to show up Nicola Sturgeon as the false independence supporter by say for example introducing a Private bill to hold a referendum only for it to be voted down by the SNP?
The AFI/ISP needs to give details of the strategies of what they intend to do if elected and how it will further the independence cause.
@PacMan 07:57 “If enough people do the same, oor Nicola will be left with a minority government having to depend on the Tories and Labour. That will be so fun to seeing her squirm and shown her out of her depth that she is”.
We’ll be squirming too with independence off the table, right up the Union Street.
Despite what she thinks, or the perception.
Nicola will not be there forever. Her time is running out.
Independence is more important than the SNP, Sturgeon ,Murrell the lot of them. Do whatever you feel is right to advance the cause of independence, when you make your decision.
We will all have our own thoughts on that come election day. Watch how things pan out , and do what’s right for Scotland.
Whatever we all decide to do, we must protect our nation, for us, for our children and for our very souls.
link to archive.vn
The Times discussing the Scottish government’s new assault on jury trials for rape cases.
As somebody who works in the legal sector, there are a few massive alarm bells ringing about the contents of this article. I know it’s never going to be popular as a public position, but the accused (for any crime) must be able to access a robust defence for the justice system to work correctly. We really do not want to be in the position where the balance is tipped towards the state.
The fact that Sandy Brindley and David Harvie are fully in support is also deeply worrying.
Scotland is becoming an uncomfortably authoritarian place to live under the current administration. I’ve never thought about leaving until the last couple of years, but I find it creeping into my thoughts more and more these days.
boris says:
But she was not, as Rape Crisis Scotland states, a complainer
Reply
Would this mean her identity isn’t protect by the court order?
El Mariachi,
I listened to Lady Dorrian on the radio earlier on describing her new pilot scheme, and thought ‘that’s not controversial at all’. Her timing smacks of political machinations – she can hardly be unaware of the wider implications of her proposed changes in relation to the fairly recent high profile case involving sexual harassment allegations, and on-going fracas.
She’s effectively saying ‘juries aren’t capable of ruling on sexual crimes’ – which then puts into question the validity of previous verdicts,,, to announce this at this time is a nasty political move.
The same Lady Dorrian that’s sitting on ruling on Craig Murray’s contempt of court case – I can only assume she’s stifling a ruling for so long to stop people reporting on his already-published affidavit.
I note in that Times article that the police are somewhat more non-committal:
“Samantha McCluskey, a detective chief superintendent at Police Scotland, said rape and other serious sexual offences presented “considerable evidential challenges”. She added: “Investigations must be rigorous and thorough to ensure the best evidence available is secured.”
McCluskey stressed the work specialist officers already achieved in recording statements, adding: “We are fully supportive of wider measures that will improve the experience of victims and survivors of sexual crime throughout the criminal justice process.””
Police Scotland certainly seem to be trying to distance themselves from the controversy surrounding the persecution of Alex Salmond – they may not have been a driving force, but they aren’t squeaky clean, but just what level of unclean they are I’m not very sure.
@Capitan Yorsarian:
We have diametrically opposing views and I suspect they will continue to remain that way.
I understand NI’s Civil Service is completely independent from Whitehall. So why has Scotland’s been left under the control of Whitehall? We voted in 2014 for Devo Max, therefore there is absolutely no excuse whatsoever to have left the civil service in Scotland in this limbo, dependent on Whitehall and without the ability to set up the required mechanisms to control and regulate itself and to avoid the damage from external interests and to avoid particular individuals going rogue as it has been the case. We have had instances of gross breaches of the code of conduct and potential criminal offences, like what Mr Davis mentioned about somebody removing a document from a bundle that external counsel had already approved to be handed to the court, and still no one, no one has been sacked. Everybody remained in post, with the permanent secretary having her contract extended and other individuals have experienced salary increases instead of being instantly dismissed for gross misconduct and breaches of the civil service code of practice.
The only explanation as to why the civil service in Scotland has been left under the control of Whitehall is that until the Brexit farago it was much more likely for Scotland to become independent than NI to join the Republic of Ireland and Westminster was determined to keep as much control of Scotland as it possibly could against the will of the people of Scotland.
The UK civil service, just like the COPFS and the MI5 plants are the arms of the British state in Scotland and by jove they are using them to keep us tied down and to make the mess we now see.
Devolution is and always has been a complete farce. It is nothing but a very thin veneer of autonomy to disguise the colonial government that is ruling Scotland and to fool the natives into believing Scotland can be fairly and democratically governed as part of the UK.
We now know this is not true because Westminster never gave Holyrood the necessary mechanisms to ensure the implementation of real democracy in Scotland, which is by giving MSPs the exact same rights than those of MPs and by separating the powers. I was appalled to hear from Mr Davis that those two fundamental pieces of democracy had been denied to Scotland’s parliament by England MPs. Our autonomy is just an illusion because Whitehall and the British state continues to pull all the strings from behind the shadows as we are seeing. This is deliberate because devolution is a product of colonialism and the concept that England MPs own Scotland. Colonialists are not known for their generosity.
The only way devolution could have ever worked is if the exact number of powers that were devolved to Scotland had been devolved to England too and upon devolving those powers, Westminster would have completely lost those powers. In other words, there should have been a complete transfer of powers, rather than a “lending” only for England MPs to grab back those powers whenever they felt like it. But then if that had happened, we would not be talking about devolution, would we?
The UK is a bipartite union. Devolution has been, in my view, the official name given to the theft of power from Scotland by the back door by England MPs. Why? Because devolution, in the view of the British state, has established that England MPs hold, in practice, absolute control over England’s powers (with 85% of the total MPs you can say they hold absolute control) and now with the claim that devolution can be “reverted” at any time, they have appropriated of Scotland’s powers too. Well, I do not accept that proposal.
Since September 2014, Westminster has proven to us that independence is the only possible way Scotland can get the autonomy it needs and Holyrood can get all the tools it needs to ensure democracy and to shut down external interference whose aim is the continuous exploitation of Scotland’s assets for the sake of England needs.
“David Davis suggests amending the Scotland Act to draw a clearer separation between executive and prosecutorial powers, as well as granting MSPs the same extent of parliamentary privilege as MPs”
Frankly, that after voting for Devo max in 2014 this is not already in place tells you Holyrood was never intended to behave as a proper democratic parliament, but rather as a pretend parliament to fool the natives. The lack of separation of powers and the denial of equality of rights between MPs and MSPs tells you the British state wanted to leave as many back doors open into Holyrood to stick its fingers on demand and change what it wanted whenever it wanted. David Davis said quite categorically that westminter knew the only way to ensure democracy was by separation of powers and they had known this for centuries. Yet, they denied this to Scotland. Why? Because their intention was never to operate Scotland as a democracy, but rather as a compliant colony.
That after over 3 years of farcical interference of the COPFS in parliament matters to force on it and us the suppression of criminal evidence by the current corrupt to the core government, at a time when the fingers of the British state in all this and in their leaving all those back doors wide open for themselves and to the detriment of Scotland are becoming uncomfortable obvious, England Mps are starting to take the pragmatic approach that perhaps for the sake of damage limitation, it may be best to finally cut the strings to Holyrood that should have been cut in 1998 and let Scotland go.
“It is a constitutional sunk cost fallacy in which the political integrity of the UK pays the price”
This is in my view a pathetic colonial view that assumes that only England Mps are capable of governing and that the rights and wants of England voters and England Mps are far more important than those of Scottish voters. The integrity of the Uk ended on 8th May 2015, that day should have marked the beginning of the negotiations for the dissolution of the UK, rather than the commencement of a relentless enterprise to deny Scotland its right to self determination, to deny Scotland democracy, to impose on us England’s rule and to abuse our yes votes to preserve the union.
Political integrity of the UK never existed. What we have seen is the illusion of one that has been created as the result of forcefully suppressing the political views of the majority of the people in Scotland and Wales. That is not political integrity at all. That is dictatorship.
Well, this isn’t in any way alarming:
link to bbc.co.uk
PacMan @ 7:57 am
“The AFI/ISP needs to give details of the strategies of what they intend to do if elected and how it will further the independence cause.”
AFI has already given details of its strategy, which includes:
“AFI shall also campaign for a simple majority of the popular vote for pro-indy parties across both the constituencies and the regional lists, at the “Independence” election, and for such a majority to be understood to be a mandate for independence itself. AFI calls on all pro-indy parties and the YES movement to also adopt this position.”
link to afi.scot
A national majority vote in favour of independence in a democratic national plebiscite election means just that, independence.
@El Mariachi. 08:17
Keep a sense of proportion. The last twelve months have displayed the authoritarian/totalitarian in all so called democratic systems. None is to be commended. Effectively, frying pan into the fire situation.
No matter where you go you will still be in the territory of Globalism, WEF, Facebook, Google, Big Pharma, Amazon, Twitter, Gates, WHO, Soros and the like unelected « influencers ».
Governments come and go « they » seem permanent. Until the people wake up do something about it, that is.
Another positive story for AFI and the wider independence movement. Craig Murray is a serious independence advocate without fear. Him leading the AFI challenge in Lothians gives independence supporters a credible option. #BothVotesIndependence
SNP 1 / AFI 2
Craig Murray bids to lead Action For Independence’s list in the Lothians
link to thenational.scot
PacMan @ 7:57
I will make the point again. AFI is not Party. The do not have a manifesto or even a collective approach to wider policies.
What you are asking for cannot be delivered.
The AFI is a group of names who do it want tied by the “restraints” of collective discipline. The key players obviously have followers but that doesn’t tell me who or what views I will get if I vote for that label.
I may get a “name” who’s politics I don’t align with.
I may get someone who couldn’t get elected via Rise or Respect who I don’t want.
If you want to vote for a name, your choice.
I prefer policies.
In my view this image being painted of the AFI as a Party is misleading the voting public.
I consider it critical to be able to hold an elected official to the promises made in a manifesto. They may break that promise but they cannot deny they made it.
Independence is important but I want to know the commitment of candidates to a wide range of topics.
“Crown Agent David Harvie said: “The introduction of a specialist sexual offences court would be an important step towards meaningful improvement in the delivery of justice in Scotland, for complainers, for accused, for society as a whole and is one that I fully support.”
Before all this I think it would be helpful if the SG informed the public what exactly constitutes a sexual offence.
@Alf Baird
I have suggested a solution multiple times.
Don’t vote SNP in any circumstances, Sturgeons New SNP is corrupted beyond repair. They are a bunch of totalitarian anti freedom of speech fruitcakes led by a dangerous psychopath who has ruined the country and its reputation und committed multiple crimes up to and including trying to jail Alex Salmond.
Vote tactically if you can bring yourself to do so in order to decapitate the New SNP, sturgeon and everyone in her leadership circle need to go. All of them will have known what was going on and none of them have spoken out or tried to stop it, I believe now sturgeon will eventually go to prison for what she has done and so will many of her co-conspirators.
If you can’t then don’t vote, spoilt our ballot, don’t bother, whatever you want but under no circumstances do you vote for the New SNP.
I’ve also said that AFI need to put their money where there mouth is and stand in constituencies, if they can’t stand in all they need to target specific seats such as Sturgeons to take the SNP leadership out. Its time for Tommy Sheridan and the rest to stand up and be counted, this is their big chance to make a breakthrough as the New SNP is headed to disaster. They will have no influence as long as the house of Murrell stays in control of the New SNP.
Stop deluding yourself into believing anyone such as the British state is behind this. No one is behind this other than Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell. They call the shots. They are the bosses. That pair of psychopaths would not take instructions from anyone. It is an insult to Alex Salmond to even suggest that Sturgeon and Murrell are not responsible for the heinous crime they committed against him.
So there you go Alf, a few suggestions. No doubt you’ll retort that we all must vote SNP because it’s all the fault of the British and you can’t think of anything else. Your viewpoint is what happens when people are conditioned by manipulators like the bastards who have been running the New SNP.
Alf: “You also appear to play down the pivotal role in this case of the British state apparatus in Scotland – crown, civil service, the latter supported by the ‘secret service’ – and all known to be anti-independence.”
All of those conditions have prevailed in Scotland for hundreds of years, but I can’t remember anyone else trying to imprison longstanding friends from the same party on a pack of lies.
Talking about the apparatus of the British State is quite ridiculous when they more or less claim ownership over everything, including the Parliament. Again, I can’t remember anyone else being dragged through the criminal courts and fighting for their lives like this.
If the British State was motivated to do this sort of thing and had the means, why hasn’t anything like this happened before?
I could go on and on. None of these things you mention could be considered evidence. You couldn’t even class them as circumstantial evidence. There is no evidence.
Independence is the start point. Without it all is old men’s dreaming. However and by whatever means independence is obtained it cannot be left to individuals, parties, chance. It must be THE purpose, the sole purpose and must be fought for.
I do not believe it will be be delivered simply by shoving bits of paper in boxes. There is something disturbingly naïve about that.
Is Scotland an exception? No it is not.
Stop playing the cat’s paw.
If I chat up a man in a bar and suggest he might be onto a sure thing would I be committing a sexual offence?
@Mia – You have complete devolved powers over law and policing, education and health. Each one is worse off for devolution.
The picture of hundreds of folk queuing in the snow at a George Square food bank is symtomatic of a mallaise within SNP Scotland. We are in the grubber and it was always going to happen.
‘To tinker with devolution would be derelict. This disaster needs a large-scale clean-up operation — and fast.’
In the Murrells we are seeing a re-run of the Marcos dynasty in the Phillipines.
The EU would take the UK back in a second, but wouldn’t touch Scotland with a bargepole.
Captain Yoonarian – “…..the excellent Stephen Daisley…..”
L O L!!!!
AFI problems. Scenario.
So, I want to vote for Craig Murray under the AFI banner, because I have grave reservations over the SNP about gender self-ID.
But CM ‘broadly support[s]’ gender self ID.
The solution that I should just vote for Craig anyway would here be just another form of wheesht for indy.
What to do?
@Cenchos
Sinister as fuck. Under no circumstances must this happen. How long til the house of Murrell dig up some new accusations against Alex Salmond and drag him before the courts to finish the matter? How long till they go after others in trumped up charges a d witnesses and victims who will perjure themselves in order to do away with enemies of the party?
Just another reason to never vote New SNP.
And as for you Tommy Sheridan, aye Craig and you are leading the way by campaigning for the people who tried to jail Alex Salmond and still might jail Craig himself. Man up and be counted. Stand against Sturgeon, tell the people of Glasgow south side who she has forced to live in near slums what a nasty twisted evil piece of work she is and drive her out of politics for good. If would be quite ironic if the Tory party through David Davis does more to remove Nicola Sturgeon from power and free the Scottish people from corruption of the New SNP than you. As for Craig, he needs to take on Angus Robertson because as we all know he is the anointed successor and his hands are all over this corrupt shitshow as well.
James – the excellent Garavelli…the excellent Riddoch…is that what you mean sir? Is Stephen Dasley somehow inferior to these two? I can’t say I’ve noticed that.
This is what Humza Yousaf has brought to Scotland,
Canada, March 2021,
`The warrant was issued by a judge for the arrest of a father after calling his biological female child his “daughter,” and referring to her with the pronouns “she” and “her.” Hoogland was found to be in contempt of court.
Hoogland opposes his child’s undergoing “gender affirmative” medical procedures, and has stated this opposition again and again, in the hope of saving his child from irreversible harm. The Canadian medical system, the legal system, and the child’s mother press ahead with social and medical transition of the child.`
link to thepostmillennial.com
Cenchos and Shocked – just don’t vote, simples. The process is obviously too difficult for you.
I think Murray and Sheridan have been bought and sold by Sturgeon Gold. (Well oor gold).
Vote Sarwar on 6th May if you are serious about wanting to see an end to the Sturgeon Tyranny.
Ruby says:
18 March, 2021 at 9:22 am
If I chat up a man in a bar and suggest he might be onto a sure thing would I be committing a sexual offence?
_________________
That depends on whether the man at the bar is definitely a man
Vote AGAINST the SNP on May 6th.
Otherwise, as the saying goes,,, YOU AIN’T SEEN NOTHIN YET.
Ross Kilbride, what a stupid, tedious Labour troll you are.
Anas Sarwar is implacably opposed to independence. A vote for him is a total betrayal of everything readers of this site believe in.
Go find another site where people will listen to your pish. Scotland in Union perhaps.
Postal vote worries.
link to thenational.scot
“You have complete devolved powers over law and policing, education and health. Each one is worse off for devolution”
Devolved and “complete” do not belong in the same sentence. When we have an unelected crown agent attempting to foist on the police an unlawful and biased government report about an investigation they were never fit to conduct in the first place and happily tarnishing the police’s impartiality in the case, you do not have complete “devolved” policing. When you have an unelected crown agent sticking its fingers in Scotland’s laws, as it seems he is doing now with regards attempting to remove juries from rape cases, you know Scotland does not have complete control over its own laws.
Devolution has not done the job, as nobody expected it would because the only aim of devolution was to contain the increase in support for independence in Scotland. There is only one way to do the job and that is with independence.
“The picture of hundreds of folk queuing in the snow at a George Square food bank is symtomatic of a mallaise within SNP Scotland”
No, it is symptomatic that Scotland is not being governed fully by who we thought we have elected to represent us and is symptomatic that England MPs are siphoning to England over 90% of the revenues from Scotland’s natural assets while Scotland only gets less than 10% from the revenues of England’s assets.
‘To tinker with devolution would be derelict. This disaster needs a large-scale clean-up operation — and fast.’
Devolution was always an imperfect concoction designed by Westminster to avoid handing over Scotland’s powers to Scotland. There is only way to sort out this mess and that is by cutting the strings that Westminster demands to continue pulling and to wall in every back door that Westminster has left open for itself in Scotland to interfere. In other words, the only clean up operation that will work is that of dissolving the British state and let Scotland, for once and for all, to follow its very own path and England hers.
“In the Murrells we are seeing a re-run of the Marcos dynasty in the Phillipines”
Sure, and that has only been possible because Westminster chose to deny Scotland real democracy by refusing to deliver the separation of powers and the same rights for MSPs than to MPs, concepts they knew for centuries were required to ensure a functioning democracy. Mr Davis said loud and clear in the HoC chamber a couple of nights ago. What appalled me the most is that those powers and rights had not been already delivered to Holryood.
“The EU would take the UK back in a second, but wouldn’t touch Scotland with a bargepole”
Considering that most of “UK” natural assets are located in Scotland, and considering the way England politicians conducted themselves during the negotiations with the EU, frankly I think you are deluded. An independent Scotland with some of the biggest reserves of oil in Europe and energy self-sufficient, well ahead of the average in renewables, with a critical strategic position and with some of the most interesting fishing areas in Europe, will be most attractive to the EU.
I can see that you have finally let your faux Scotland’s concern mask to slip away and to openly reveal yourself now not only as a unionist, but actually as a colonialist that is desperate to abolish Holyrood and force England rule, laws and policies over Scotland. Well, good for you. At least you are honest and showing yourself for who you are.
Ross Kilbride says:
Vote Sarwar on 6th May if you are serious about wanting to see an end to the Sturgeon Tyranny.
Reply
Can I suggest you ask Stu to allow you to post your own article called ‘For voters in Glasgow Southside’
You might be wasting your time posting here 24/7 only to find there is nobody here in a position to vote Labour in Glasgow Southside on 6th May.
PS What have you done with Glasgow Racer?
I’m getting a little bored with the self-righteous and condescending tone of Scotsrenewables.
Mia should also ask Stu if she can have her own article.
It seems unfair that she is confined to posting her articles in the comments especially when a lot of people only read the main article and then scroll past articles posted in the comments.
Cudneycareless says:
18 March, 2021 at 9:37 am
Ruby says:
18 March, 2021 at 9:22 am
If I chat up a man in a bar and suggest he might be onto a sure thing would I be committing a sexual offence?
_________________
That depends on whether the man at the bar is definitely a man
Reply
If I were to check would that be a sexual offence or a hate crime?
Don’t you think it’s time for Nicola Sturgeon to tell us what is and isn’t a sex crime.
Cenchos @ 8:54 am
“Well, this isn’t in any way alarming:”
link to bbc.co.uk
It is indeed very alarming.
Is this not also a conflict of interest – judges (and prosecutors) recommending doing away with juries, so that the very same judges are left to make all the decisions themselves?
Consider here what might have happened to Alex Salmond if the same judge had not been guided by the decision of a jury. Also of note is the fact that, even with a jury, multiple witnesses and a multitude of complainers, that trial took a mere fraction of the time it has taken for Ambassador Murray to receive a judicial decision on his ‘paper-based’ trial, with the latter not subject to a jury’s decision, but to a decision by judges alone.
Before all this I think it would be helpful if the SG informed the public what exactly constitutes a sexual offence.
I assume it’ll work much like the Thought Crimes Bill in practice – it’s a sexual offence if a member of a legally privileged class decides it’s a sexual offence (as long as the accused sits lower on the intersectional totem pole).
American universities have developed a bizarre system of dealing with sexual misconduct accusations where the accused is habitually denied the ability to defend themselves, or even know the details of the accusations against them, or anything that we might recognise as due process. Stuff like “evidence”, “corroboration” and “presumption of innocence” have been eagerly chucked out in favour of automatically believing “lived experiences” of self-ID’ed “victims”.
Naturally, this has led to a number of scandals and perverse decisions, which is the entire point. It’s motivated by malice, not justice.
@Ruby
I suspect a sex crime is whatever Ms. Sturgeon decides is a sex crime, unfortunately. Ditto hate crime.
we live in interesting* times.
* In the sense of the old Chinese curse, of course.
Cenchos says:
18 March, 2021 at 9:47 am
I’m getting a little bored with the self-righteous and condescending tone of Scotsrenewables.
Hot Tip
SQP anyone you find boring.
An Apple Magic Mouse does it in one quick flick of the pinkie.
PS I’m not saying I find ‘Scotsrenewables’ “self-righteous and condescending” just sayin’ if I did I would SQP.
@scotrenewables
I’m getting sick of your pro sturgeon trolling.
On another thread I posed the question of what Nicola sturgeon would have to do in order for people like you to not vote for her. I suggested that if she raped and murdered a child live on TV that you would still vote for her.
Well it seems that in my partial jest I wasn’t far away from the truth. You people are beyond redemption. You are the problem. Your cult like adoration created the monster sturgeon. We need to take our country back.
link to twitter.com
@Ruby says: 18 March, 2021 at 9:53 am
“Don’t you think it’s time for Nicola Sturgeon to tell us what is and isn’t a sex crime.”
If you are wondering whether something is or isn’t a sex crime, you have just committed a sex crime. And a trans hate crime. And you’re being racist.
If you are going to wonder whether something is or isn’t a sex crime, you must remember to wear an Old Firm top or an Orange sash at the time, whereupon under Scottish Health and Safety rules you are absolved from any liability for your actions.
Stay safe now!
“Mia should also ask Stu if she can have her own article2
Point taken. I will make my comments much shorter from now on.
Apologies.
Ruby says:
18 March, 2021 at 9:47 am
Mia should also ask Stu if she can have her own article.
I always scroll down to read Mia’s well thought out and balance posts.
Tommy Sheridan @ 9:01 am
“Craig Murray is a serious independence advocate without fear. Him leading the AFI challenge in Lothians gives independence supporters a credible option. #BothVotesIndependence
SNP 1 / AFI 2 ”
Excellent news for the independence movement Tommy. Well done AFI, well done Ambassador Murray.
Sinister as fuck
Isn’t it just? The very people at the heart of trying to stitch up Salmond then cover it up, who are clearly pissed off the one fair part of the process – the jury – thwarted them, now want to remove juries from the process, allowing them to simply stitch someone up and send them straight to jail? That cannot be allowed to happen. Especially not right now. We need the full truth about this to come to light ASAP. I no longer care if that’s before May now.
@Mia – I can assure you, I am non-political and if Scotland could prove it could run the country as well or better than Westminster then I would be unconcerned about an independent government here in Scotland. I really wouldn’t care.
When I say ‘devolved’ I mean accountability rests with Holyrood entirely. That’s the way it works. If these devolved powers are not being administered honestly then it is Holyrood’s fault. Nothing to do with Westminster.
What we have is corruption and it has crept into the civil-service which is answerable to Holyrood first and foremost, but they are paid by Wesminster and so have to apply the same standards of probity here in Scotland as civil-servants do elsewhere in the UK.
As Stephen Daisley says, it is a mess; it has been turned into a mess by folk who cannot do their jobs properly. Our SG Ministers are never Ministers in a million years. Too many are barrow-boys on the make.
Mia says:
“Scotland with some of the biggest reserves of oil in Europe and energy self-sufficient, well ahead of the average in renewables, with a critical strategic position and with some of the most interesting fishing areas in Europe, will be most attractive to the EU.”
Oil is on it’s way out, Brent crude is the highest quality but the most expensive to extract and refine, not much margin in oil these days. With the loss of fishing waters around Englandshire we would get really shafted, look at what the EU has done to Ireland’s quotas in the past week.
The EU masters are more screwed up than SG and Westminster combined.
I bet that either Sweden or Denmark leave the EU next followed by Netherlands.
Mia – you said. Scotlands “our autonomy is just an illusion because Whitehall and the British state continues to pull all the strings from behind the shadows as we are seeing”.
Agree – yes – as in just these three examples (there are 100’s)
1. GERS – Whitehall create GERS – instruct SG to publish.
2. All Key Civil Servents/ Institutional Appointments – Whitehall decide – SG appoints.
3. Scotland Spend on UK Projects – Whitehall decide calculates the amount – SG pays the bill as instructed.
This last point is not complicated. Scotland has a credit card. Whitehall – your neighbour – decides what they want to buy. You then get the bill. That is all you get – the bill.
So imagine, any normal person with a job, family and the usual life expectations. You give your credit card to a neighbour. They spend and buy whatever they want – when they want. And every month, year in year out, you are presented with the credit card bill. You never benifit from what your neighbour buys (as in 44% increase in NUKES)…
You just pay the bill.
And you just get the bill – while your neighbour tells you – you’re too wee, too poor and too stupid to make your own decisions… so wheesht!
And that is how Whitehall and the British state continuing to pull all the strings from behind the shadows
I’m concerned that the Holyrood voting debate is narrowing down to “give the SNP a kicking” and put some strong Indy voices into the MSP role.
I want to know about the hundreds if not thousands of Holyrood votes that will take place over the next 5 years at Holyrood.
If I vote Green, Labour, Tory, LibDem, SNP, ISP etc I know what I will get. The Parties have whips, collective responsibilities. They have a structure to ask their members.
Will Craig Murray, Tommy Sheridan, Martin Keating, Mark Hirst vote as a unit?
Will Andy Wightman align with any grouping at Holyrood.
I am being asked to put a lot of faith in a very vague outline of Politics by AFI and Individuals.
You can get the exceptions like Margo but in general I think the Party discipline is more effective.
What new hell have the SNP and Shirley-Ann Somerville unleashed behind parents backs?
link to twitter.com
link to spectator.co.uk
This is deeply concerning as well; the Crown Office is trying to silence the Spectator further.
This is genuinely full blown authoritarianism.
Bartleby64 says:
18 March, 2021 at 10:00 am
@Ruby
I suspect a sex crime is whatever Ms. Sturgeon decides is a sex crime, unfortunately. Ditto hate crime.
we live in interesting* times.
* In the sense of the old Chinese curse, of course.
Reply
I get the impression Ms Sturgeon believes sex is a crime.
I think we could see a massive drop in population & a lot of people in need of specs that is if the Old Chinese curse is true.
@Shicked
I am not voting for Sturgeon. I am voting for Jenni Minto. What happens to my list vote is still up for grabs, depending on whether the AFI or ISP get their act together.
Craig and Tommy standing for AFI is great news, but there are no strong candidates in Highland so far, and of course Highland is one of the two regions where the SNP are likely to get list seats.
I am very disappointed that all the noise makers on here demanding alternative pro-indy candidates are so reluctant to put their money where their mouth is. AFI have received just 9 donations in total, 4 in the last 24 hours.
Cenchos says:
18 March, 2021 at 9:47 am
I’m getting a little bored with the self-righteous and condescending tone of Scotsrenewables.
Then just scroll on by, pal. It is what I do with you now I have realised you have nothing constructive to contribute.
The AFI Fundraiser has had just 4 donations in 12 hours.
A bit disappointing after all the bleating on here about the need for a new pro-indy party.
Political parties and movements can’ t print money. Time for some on here to put their money where their mouth is, or there will be no point in voting for AFI
link to afi.scot
El Mariachi says:
Scotland is going down a very very dark road.
Ah, it’s almost half ten, and the AFI and ISP plugging machines are already firing on all cylinders!
This could be a long day.
Republicofscotland @ 9:42 am
“Postal vote worries.”
The ‘Scottish’ franchise in general is also a worry. The UK-Scottish Government uses an ordinary local government franchise for Scottish national elections and referendums meaning its a resident-based vote, which is not the norm anywhere.
A vote of such importance as self-determination of ‘a people’ required voters having to meet the following additional ‘secondary criteria’ as part of the UN ratified franchise in New Caledonia:
“Franchise in New Caledonia
The referendum was held using a special electoral roll. Potential voters had to be registered on the general electoral roll, AND also meet one of the secondary criteria:[10]
– Was on the electoral roll for the 1998 referendum on the Nouma Accord;
– Qualified to be on the electoral roll for the 1998 referendum, but were not enrolled;
– Failed to meet the requirements to be on the 1998 electoral roll solely due to absence related to family, medical or professional reasons;
– Having civil customary status, or born in New Caledonia and have their material interests in the territory;
– At least one parent born in New Caledonia and have their material interests in the territory;
– At least 20 years of continuous residence in New Caledonia by 31 December 2014;
– Born before 1 January 1989 and have had their residence in New Caledonia between 1988 and 1998
– Born after 31 December 1988 and reached voting age before the referendum, with at least one parent who was on the electoral roll (or qualified to do so) for the 1998 referendum.
As a consequence of these restrictions, in the 2018 referendum 35,948 registered voters on the general list were thus excluded from the vote, equating to 17.11% out of a total of 210,105 registered voters on the general electoral roll.[11] [12] [13] Vote restriction restricts the voting power of recent inhabitants-derogatively known as Zoreilles-and enlarges the voting power of native Kanaks, and was long sought after by FLNKS.[11] ”
Had similar secondary criteria been in place here in Scotland, thereby enlarging the voting power of native Scots, we would have been independent in 2014. SG has an opportunity to similarly improve the franchise here but is unlikely to do so.
@El Mariachi
You and I (and indeed any decent minded person) will of course find this deeply concerning, I would hope the Spectator have something up their sleeves and I’m sure that now David Davis has thrown his hat in the ring that Sturgeon and the rest of the corrupt bastards are going to seriously regret this totalitarian over reach.
Meanwhile the wheestforindy crowd like Tommy Sheridan will just applaud from the sidelines cheering Nicola Sturgeon as she tries to utterly trash our country and freedoms to save her own stinking hide. The sooner that bastard Sturgeon and the rest of them are rotting in jail the better. If this is what these idiots think independence should be they can keep it. Freedom?! Aye right!
Mark Boyle says:
18 March, 2021 at 10:26 am
Ah, it’s almost half ten, and the AFI and ISP plugging machines are already firing on all cylinders!
This could be a long day.
OK, so am I a rabid Sturgeonista or part of the AFI plugging machine?
Perhaps I am just someone who supports independence and is capable of independent thought.
Terrible outbreak of kneejerking from the attack dogs on here.
@Shocked
I think you should get checked over for rabies, you seem to be increasingly frothing at the mouth.
Mia writes:
“Westminster chose to deny Scotland real democracy by refusing to deliver the separation of powers and the same rights for MSPs than to MPs, concepts they knew for centuries were required to ensure a functioning democracy. Mr Davis said loud and clear in the HoC chamber a couple of nights ago. What appalled me the most is that those powers and rights had not been already delivered to Holryood.”
Well Mia, what appals me most is that, to the best of my knowledge, until quite recently, this subject has hardly ever come up. In fact, the only reason it has achieved any focus now is that the hounding of AS has been expedited by the lack of this separation of powers. If any grown-up Scottish politicians had really cared about this before now, they had years in which to bang on about it to the point where the least politically interested Scot would be aware that we need proper separation of powers and the right for parliamentarians to speak freely under parliamentary privilege. Hell, they could even have made it a manifesto pledge.
BTW, the picture of hundreds of folk queuing in the snow at a George Square food bank IS symptomatic of a malaise within SNP Scotland. No ifs or buts.
What should be happening, after so many years of devolved government and indeed, no tangible opposition to the Scottish Government within Scotland, is that every Scot should be clearly seeing that things are not only better than they are in England, but also are continuing to get better with the gap ever widening. And if that means using the tax varying powers in order to raise the dosh to pay for this, then so f*****g be it.
If Scotland had a half-competent government this would have been done by now. Independence would then sell itself. All the Scottish Government would have to say is, look what we have achieved with the halfway house of devolution. Imagine what we can do with the full house of independence.
Instead we have a clusterf**k of one eye-wateringly expensive shambles after another. The adulation of Nicola is no substitute for grown-up competent government, neither are the baby boxes.
At some point, Scots have got to stop blaming the past and the English for today’s problems. It surely is no accident that we have a leader who excels only in deploying “It’s nae fair, It wisnae me” tactics when so much of the dialogue BTL here is of the “It’s nae fair, It’s all the fault of the English, There’s nothing we can do” variety.
That people get the politicians they deserve is generally true, and absolutely true in a democracy.
If the guy in the bar knocks me back I will be able to accuse him of a sexual assault. 🙂 🙂 🙂
b&$!#%rd! I’ll show him!
The new Pro Indy parties will never gather enough support to get even one list member elected.
They will take a small amount of votes against the serious Independent parties which of course may let in a Unionist MSP.
That one unionist MSP might just be enough to gain a Unionist majority at Holyrood.
That spells disaster for the Independence movement.
One that I do not consider they will ever recover from.
If you do not like Sturgeon vote Green to avoid this disaster.
@scotrenewables
Back to the pro sturgeon trolling. No point reading your contributions from now on. We all know which side of history you want to be on.
Neither Tommy Sheriden or Craig Murray have said a word in opposition to the virus scam and criminal lockdown.
I’m old enough to remember the two of them both defending the 9/11 lie for many years too. I could never understand why these two popular figures on the left were lying about such an obvious false flag.
And now they are urging us to vote for SturgeonsNatsyParty…
Scotsrenewables. 10.21.
‘Then just scroll on by, pal. It is what I do with you now I have realised you have nothing constructive to contribute.’
So you managed to scroll on by AND respond to my post. There really IS something of the Schrodinger’s Cat about you .
I take from your prior dismissive response that you realise that AFI does not offer a constructive alternative to a scenario such as the one I suggested.
Covidhoax, your tinfoil hat has fallen off. Get back in your box and leave this to the adults please.
@ gullaneno4: Which “serious” independence parties would those be? The whole problem is that there aren’t any serious independence parties. That’s the issue that needs to be addressed, and it’s why there are now list-only independence parties placing independence as their first priority.
I think it’s more likely to be the Greens that don’t win any seats. People are sick-to-death of wokism and being told that men can magically become women.