La verité
We’re going to let this speak for itself.
As we write, the story is almost 14 hours old. As far as we’ve seen, there hasn’t been a single representative of the SNP or Scottish Government interviewed on air, nor has any broadcaster said that they’ve asked for an interview and been refused.
The Telegraph story has not been edited to note the categorical denials of every single person who was present in the room when the alleged remarks were made. Its Scottish political editor Simon Johnson has declined to offer any explanation for why the First Minister was not asked to comment.
The paper has instead piled on more vitriolic attacks, backed up by other right-wing media insisting that it’s true. Numerous other journalists have circled the wagons to defend Johnson and the Telegraph. Chris Deerin of the Daily Mail, characteristically, has taken leave of his senses.
Labour are still doggedly treating the story as true, with the sole honourable exception of Malcolm Chisholm MSP. They’ve made new tweets about it this morning, and Ed Miliband has appeared on TV calling the claims “damning revelations”.
Meanwhile, this has happened:
It’s hard to keep up with the pace of events. We’re doing our best, folks.
Lies, damned lies and Scottish Labour…taking things to a whole new level. And this is only the first attempt at trying to influence the upcoming election – I wonder what will be next…
SLAB crash and burn approach at its best……
He was there. He says it didn’t happen.
FM says it didn’t happen.
Ambassador says it didn’t happen.
Civil Service screws up (poss. fabricates) and leaks.
There’s your story MSM.
Further nails in the reputational coffin of the traditional media, the BBC and the Labour Party – all deserving of increasing contempt
Project Fear 2 is here, but many of the people of Scotland have learned from the the last time. We won’t be fooled again.
I cannot canvass today due to other commitments, but I wish everyone well in dispelling this scurrilous attack on our First Minister.
I also have a lower opinion of BBC’s James Cook. Will he still be in the chair for next weeks televised debate?
Eight minutes to tell us this non story and most of it a straight denial from the horses mouth. Good grief!
Thank you for bringing the truth to us. The MSM and labour are obviously desperate and have been caught out lying their heads off.
Embassies from around the world will now be looking at perfidious Albion with raised eyebrows.
Its a Vote SLab or else shock and awe blitz now. Rancid Guardian go massive with front page full on Sturgeon attack headline
Ed Miliband refers to Nicola Sturgeon allegations as ‘damning revelations’
Ed Miliband has described an allegation that Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish National party leader, told a senior French diplomat she would rather see David Cameron win the general election as “damning”.
Lying, two faced, devious, manipulative, arseholes one and all.
The “Scottish” Daily Mail has led with the same story.
Can anyone tell be what is Scottish about that piece of arsepaper ????
The real story here is that the Civil Service is possibly lying. Based on the fact that everyone who was there is saying it is a lie the reporters should be asking the question: “Is it possible the British Establishment and the civil service are lying?” and “Why would this lie be told by Wesminster government officials?” This does not undermine the SNP is further strengthens them and underlines the need for an independent Scottish Media.
So then, can we safely assume that NS will now sue the Telegraph, yes?
Unbelievable. Truly unbelievable.
A non-story. The guy at the meeting denies is several times , Nicola has denied it but still that Sky reported droned on. STV should get Nicola on TV to deny it and accuse Labour and The Wastemongers for lying. We all know its project fear 2 , but we are ready for you this time
I wonder if slandering a lawyer is the best way to go about your (failing) business?
The original zinoviev letter (made up by MI6) worked, but nowadays we have the internet and social media. Such tactics are not as effective as they once were.
Waiting on the announcement of the official investigation and disciplinary proceedings against the civil service who has breached the electoral purdah rules, and the civil service code by firstly leaking this memo, and secondly fabricating a lie. This is a very serious matter, if we still value democracy.
Nicola ‘n’ Dave, lost in translation…
link to scottcreighton.co.uk
A deliberate British Civil Service political leak to protect the Westminster Establishment.
That should be the story.
FO ‘no record’ doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
Has someone been ‘mocking up’ memos? 😀
This is really quite serious.
Is this the final straw for the Union?
#liars
Maybe it is time the civil servant was named and grilled on this matter.
Should be simple enough for him to produce this memo you would think ?
Mind you, it would need to exist first…!
Extraordinary. You couldn’t make this stuff up.
This lie and it’s hardly worth the effort to write about it is a direct attack after the walkover in the debate last week by establishment civil service. A discredited lot in anyone eyes.
Nicola got the rave reviews and this is their reply.
No one will believe this drivel but Labour branch members will have something to talk about rather than which jobcenter they will sign on.
The torygraph is as rancid as the record.
We need to leave this union of lies and smears. Nawbags your country is being used and abused on a daily basis and you still support WM.
Twats.
Just had a leaflet through the letter-box from the Lib Dem Sir Robert Smith, encouraging me to vote for him, I may consider it if he manipulates the local press the Courier and/or the Press and Journal to give front page coverage to the stealing of the 6000 square miles of the North Sea by Mr Donald Dewar LABOUR and why he Sir Robert approved of it, “simples”.
We are getting to the bit in ‘Men In Plaid’ where somebody needs to wipe memories with a laser pen.
Sinky
Quite. However you cannot leak things that don’t exist. We need an enquiry as to whom set this sorry saga in motion.
Malcolm Chisholm,
you simply can’t go on like this.
This is somehow probably worse than the last month or so if the independence referendum. We are now in Scotland and the UK seeing a direct equivalent of Pravda coverage in Eastern Europe. It has been said before by some of us, myself included, but does anyone really doubt it anymore? The MSM in the UK have largely given up any pretence of journalism. This is not even about bias anymore, it is pure propaganda and deliberate disinformation.
The Sky reporter even said it will damage Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP, even though he had just carried out an interview with the French consul in Scotland, in which he denied NS had said what the Telegraph and others are reporting! 😀 😀 This is beyond surreal now, these people are propagandists.
The Establishment do not care which party is in power,they control both the Red and Blue Torys.
They will do anything to stop SNP taking away there absolute control over UK Government.
This is not a Democracy,never has been,FFS UK waken up.
Nicola being interviewed on BBC News channel right now with a very forceful denial.
So now we see in full daylight the utter filth called the ‘British establishment’, telling lies to undermine democratic choice in Scotland, helped by the English controlled ‘media’. The fight is on.
slightly O/T
If you want to get involved in helping to secure victory for Nicola and the SNP, you can do so here;
link to snp.org
You do not need to be an SNP member to help out. 🙂
This is one of those stories where the people with the agenda, the Tory hit squad and the gullible Labour Party in Scotland all want to set the hares running to knock Nicola down. But do you know what, it is tittle tattle.
I can even imagine a scenario where a couple of the French/Scottish/UK team of civil servants joked amongst themselves about this being in the mind of Nicola but so what!
The First Minister is totally professional in her diplomacy and on top of her game. She is not Ronald Reagan in his degenerency or Gordon Brown with the microphone still on.
I am just aghast at how amateurish it all is and how it will rebound on the perpetrators.
I was singularly impressed by the Consul General’s lack of pointy-finger when discussing it in, I have to note, very calm and measured tones (that’s why I’ve never been offered a similar post by any government – massive potential for many, many, international incidents ;-)).
His lack of finger pointing actually does point the finger squarely at the “civil servant” who allegedly briefed the Torygraph journo. He/she must be named, since they had no compunction about naming and shaming the FM, French Consul General and French Ambassador.
All of this is so appalling. The Guardian are now just furthering the lies as well.
I am so grateful that there are sites such as Wings that does the job that the MSM are supposed to do, but so shamefully fail to do. Pardon the French but this leaked story is utter bollocks and absolutely stinks. Is this really the best the establishment and their sycophantic lackeys can come up with? The speed with which Scottish Labour have pounced on this hearsay is worth noting as has already been pointed out. It is truly frightening to think that anyone could genuinely believe this story. It fails just about every standard you would expect.
On a similar dismal note, there is a great picture in The Daily Regret (page 9) of Jim Murphy standing in front of a Sports Direct sign in which the word Dire is displayed. It is straight out of The Thick Of It! Brilliant. I thought The Daily Regret was supposed to be supporting Scottish Labour? It seems they can’t even get that right.
What a disgrace, it was almost an interrogation! I half expected them to threaten thumbscrews next ffs! Why should the French have to justify themselves, its the msm who should be sitting with a lamp shining in their faces, or the civil servant who told these lies, waste of everyones time, it’s clearly a distraction from what is really going on but even the people in England are waking up to it all.
Meant to add to my post on the previous article that it would appear that our troughing Lying Labour Party Members of Parliament have been told to get out and fraternise with the hoi polloi. I doubt that Thomas Docherty could have found Dunfermline High Street without a sat nav.
Scottish Labour – The gift that just keeps on giving.
Given the way that they all lined up en mass to tweet about it be before hastily deleting the same tweets, they must have been in on it. The question is, who set them up this time ?
O/T – I wonder just how many MI5 / MI5 spotters will be dancing around t the Glasgow rooftops today taking photos of all and sundry present at the demo.
Tory house journal prints dodgy/untrue story to damage the SNP. Story is six weeks old, but they hold on to it to use 24 hours after Sturgeon scores a triumph in a TV debate.
Exactly what about this does anyone find surprising?
@Morag The brasseckery.
Now a name in the frame that seems to be a bit quiet is Alistair Carmichael (I wonder if he is the originator of the memo), who was also present at the French Ambassadors meeting with Nicola Sturgeon
Foreign office stating they do not know of any memo
So looks like IF there is a memo , it originated on Scottish Office headed paper – Alistair Carmichael again………….
According to Cook (News24 12.10pm) the memo was from the Scottish Office.
Nicola dealt with the lies and Cooks innuendo (‘I know there are people in the SNP …’) superbly.
She’s also written to top civil servant Haywood demanding an investigation into who wrote the memo, why it contains ‘inaccuracies’, and how did it get into the hands of ‘a Tory-supporting newspaper’ ?
We all need to back her up with those demands !
We did say they attempt to smear her..
link to atrueindependentscotland.com
That Daily Mail piece should drum up hundreds more recruits for the SNP. Apart from the “glamorous, power-dressing imperatrix” (Oooh Paula Rose competition!) there is also a Judy Murray tweet:
“Judy Murray said: ‘GSM Sturgeon’ (Game, Set and Match)”
GMS indeed.
What does the ("Quizmaster" - Ed) Carmichael say? It’s his chance to damn himself too, but strangely quiet on that front. Either he has said someit, or i’ve missed it, between this and doing the windows.
This leaked memo has Gordon Brown and Damien McBride’s grubby paws all over it.
The fact that Mr Milliband, hours after the story has been comprehensively demolished, is still basing his comments on the original story demonstrates his unfitness to be PM.
We have already had a PM who acted on dodgy/nonexistent avidence and took us into a war. We do not need another one who is prepared to act/speak in the absence of any supporting evidence as Mr Milliband has done here.
As well to find this out now before he is in a position where this sort of behaviour results in a body count.
In another Sky News piece, Ed was interviewed and mentioned it was a damming revelation, at which the news anchor man asked a reasonable question:
Why then don’t you rule out any kind of deal with the SNP?
Ed said he had in fact ruled out a ‘Coalition with the SNP’
To which the response was, yes but surely you must now rule out ‘Any kind of deal with the SNP’
look, look, erm, I’m ruling out a coalition with the SNP, but not getting into any other scenario, as I am trying to win a majority.
So Ed Milliband did not rule out an ‘Informal agreement’ with the SNP OR a ‘vote by vote agreement’
It’s official, Labour want to be in some kind of packt with the SNP after the General Election.
The strength of the SNP’s hand and therefore the amount of benefit Scotland derives from the packt, will depend on how many people vote SNP.
First Minister of Scotland demands civil service inquiry.
‘ Sat, 04/04/2015 – 12:17
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has today (Sat) said she will be writing to the head of the UK Civil Service, Sir Jeremy Heywood, following the publication of details of a UK Government memo on her recent meeting with the French Ambassador
The First Minister said:
“This story has already been shown to be 100 per cent untrue – having been comprehensively rejected by both the French Ambassador and Consul General.
“The real issue is how a second hand and inaccurate account of this meeting – which was not even attended by the UK government – came to be written by a UK Government civil servant and then leaked to Tory-supporting newspapers at the start of a General Election campaign.
“It suggests a Whitehall system out of control – a place where political dirty tricks are manufactured and leaked. And the Foreign Office now appears to be denying the very existence of such a document.
“I am therefore writing to the head of the UK civil service, Sir Jeremy Heywood, requesting an urgent inquiry into the circumstances of such a false account being leaked for transparently political motives.”
Note: France’s Consul General in Scotland, Pierre-Alain Coffinier, who was at the meeting with the First Minister, was interviewed today on Sky News – link below – and has made it clear the claims are untrue:
Source link to snp.org
I think the interesting part here is who gave the “memo” to the Telegraph and why
To me the Liberals are the people who made it happen in conjunction with Scottish Labour but the role of the Scottish Labour party is the interesting part.
They could have put out a memo just saying that Nicola wanted David Cameron as PM but they had to add a bit by saying Ed Milliband wasn’t PM material.
To me that reads as Scottish Labour trying to knife Ed Milliband for his poor performance at the leaders debate and sacrificing of Scottish Labour to become PM.
Sky sources saying Nicola Sturgeon calling for civil service’s head,Sir Jeremy Heywood, to investigate this French Memo.
Milliband shrieks its “damning revelations!” Future SLabour Scots FM Murphy shrieks even louder
“Jim Murphy, the Scottish Labour leader, said the memo’s allegations were “astonishing”. He added: “For months Nicola Sturgeon has been telling Scots she wants rid of David Cameron yet behind closed doors with foreign governments she admits she wants a Tory government. It’s deja vu all over again – the SNP say one thing in public but another in private.”
And astonished Jim Murphy, eek. Just when you thought vote SLab or else Graun couldn’t get any worse with their SNP voters are incestuous sadomasochists, in kilts slander.
Ok, the bottom line just who in the civil service or MI5 “leaked” this rubbish. Just who was it, we need to know.
Then grill him as to who above him instigated it.
The BBC were a disgrace here.Nothing new in that, but it was a well planned incident across the media and the Labour party in collusion. It emphasizes the reasons we need out of this Occupation of Scotland.
Beware of gallic shrugs!
Absolutely incredible story this. Malcolm Chisholm and Duncan Hothersall (of all people) have accepted the story is false, while Kezia Dugdale, Jenny Mara, Blair McDougall and co are continuing to support this smear from the Daily Telegraph. The Daily Telegraph FFS…
As we approach THE big day next month and the poll lead stretches.. that phrase keeps popping into my head.
Mind the gap ????
As briefly alluded to on the interview, someone in the civil service must deliberately have recorded a lying account of this meeting. Or the memo has been doctored to show this fabrication.
Either way, the Civil Service is guilty and has colluded with the yellow press and SLAB. During the First World War the Irish Republican Roger Casement was condemned to death mainly on the contents of a fabricated ‘diary’.
There are many other examples of British State dirty tricks. Expect more soon.
Truth in this country is dead.
The only way out is through independence for Scotland.
Sky News running with this story, now Ed Balls on SNP bad,bad,knew they were bad!
It’s absolutely shocking! Blatant lying by Labour and Tories. Now Telegragh guy says more or less Nicola is lying!
This is going to run and run and run! My stomach won’t let me watch BBC news! How’s the lying going there folks?
Many will see the British State working and blatantly lying!
Our eyes are open now! Trash, trash SNP on All State Broadcasters today!
If cardboard cut out Carmichael was there at this meeting why hasn’t he confirmed this? His silence suggests it didn’t happen.
Sacrebleu! You it’s bullshit when Duncan Hothersall can even admit it.
[…] As we write, the story is almost 14 hours old. As far as we’ve seen, there hasn’t been a single representative of the SNP or Scottish Government interviewed on air, nor has any broadcaster said that they’ve asked for an interview and been refused. […]
This is a very serious matter, if we still value democracy.
British democracy? I should coco. We get to make our mark every five years, to choose between two virtually identical flavours of the same….. Anyway, it’s not our government or civil service, it’s her Majesty’s (Betty to her pals).
Tough titty, get over it. Her Bettyness and corporate UK plc, simply couldn’t countenance the public’s meaningful involvement in government. That’s why we have an ‘impartial’ HM civil service, to make the swindle appear proper and above board. With lashings of rigor, just for good measure.
Hasn’t Her Bettyness spoken on Scotland’s will to self-determination? Doesn’t Her civil service have form, such as Sir Nicholas Macpherson?
CHIQUITA BANANA SONG
link to youtube.com
Apparently Scotland is now officially the most politically manipulated country in the world.
Superb interviews by Nicola on Sky and Pravda; clear denial, and calling for an inquiry. This won’t happen, of course, as either the Torygraph would have to be dealt with in the same manner as the News of the World, or some scapegoat from the civil service sacrificed. Also, any slab politician making “disgraceful” and “astonishing” comments should be decent enough to condemn the falsehood.
Respect to single lab mp with the integrity to put political ambition to one side and speak up against this nonsense.
Now would be a good time for Mr Chisholm to make the leap!
This unfortunately is just the start; hopefully the whole of the UK public will begin to see why we want out.
We are now into the realms of Tony Blair’s and Labour’s infamous 45-minutes-from-attack dossier/speech/lie concocted by the British intelligence services.
The objectives may be different, but the intentions are similar – subversion of UK democracy.
Scotland will never be ‘allowed’ to take its independence, not while the democratic process is corrupted by the UK (and US) state apparatus and corporate interests.
Dangerous ground indeed.
I said it on the other thread. Who is this civil servant. He or she needs to be named, fired and prosecuted for interfering with democracy in the general election. It now looks as though it was leaked through the Scottish Office. Hells bloody bells.
I won’t hold my breath on anything happening at all about it. It has been acknowledged as untrue but they are still running with it.
Come on Nicola, stick it to them big style. Sue the Telegraph and the Daily Heil for starters. Show them that you mean business. If Sir Jeremy Heywood does anything it will just be a large bucket of whitewash.
They really are lower than a snakes belly. Not in the least surprised though. Been there, done it and got the tee shirt.
It seems to be a common meme that the SNP would prefer to see the Conservatives win the election. The reason being that this would allow nationalists to play off against the unpopularity of the Tories in Scotland in order to push for independence.
I’ve never been completely persuaded by this. Every party ultimately wants to get into power and I would have thought that the SNP would see the prospect of being able to influence a Labour government as being far more enticing than that of opposing a Tory one.
This ‘meme’ I thought was something that unionists believed of nationalists rather than something nationalists believed themselves. This is one of the reasons that I doubted the Telegraph story.
But I’d like to canvas the thoughts of WoS readers: Would you prefer a Tory government for tactical purposes?
Sorry, meant to add, well done Malcolm Chisholm. At least somebody has some integrity. Well done sir.
“I think the interesting part here is who gave the “memo” to the Telegraph and why”
It’s where the story has to go next which is why so many of those ‘reporting’ on it from the biased westminster establishment media seem keen to have the lying headlines for a day or two then completely forget about it.
There are way too many loose ends in these comically inept and transparent lies that are fairly easily followed up. So they will not get their wish.
The Foreign Office has flat out denied the bullshit memo even exists and seems very keen to shove the blame elsewhere.
Meanwhile the scotland office (run by the lib dems) is now in the frame as the source of the bullshit memo.
That means Lib dems like Carmichael and Rennie are going to need a 100% cast-iron and believable account of what went on there and why their fingerprints appear to be all over this bullshit.
This would be the ‘scottish’ lib dems who all the polls are pointing to getting almost completely wiped out by the SNP in May always remember.
If they don’t have something utterly convincing as an explanation then they are looking very firmly into the abyss and the possible end of their political careers in scandal and ignominy. The tabloids love scandal and resignations and usually aren’t all that bothered about where they come from keep in mind. 😉
If the likes of Carmichael and Rennie were involved in any way – yet are naive enough to think think the Torygraph will put it’s journos on the line to try and save them – then they will be in for the shock of their lives. Nor will the civil service get away with it or provide some kind of human shield if they were up to no good.
This is looking like it’s going to backfire massively as the cover up is always, but always, more newsworthy than the original ‘story’ when that ‘story’ has been proved to be such a laughably feeble pack of lies and blatantly obvious attempt at dirty tricks by someone.
Some are pointing the finger at certain well known liars/spinners in SLAB. However, there is no link to them yet but if it turns out that there is…
Resignation(s) would be inevitable.
Yes, I saw James Cook interview Nicola, as part of the anti-Trident demonstration. More here:
link to bbc.co.uk
It’s surely time for the Scottish government to demand an(other) enquiry into the functioning of the UK civil service, as Alex Salmond did after the Treasury leak during the referendum?
link to gov.uk Which one of their seemingly endless number of staff is taking Scottish taxpayers’ money to lie about the FM of the parliament elected by the Scottish people, and the Ambassador of France to the UK?
This is what journalists and broadcasters should be chasing, but well done Wings for doing their job for them.
Brush aside the fact that this is obvious crap for a minute.
Why would it be the job, of Sky News, to imply that this is some kind of disaster?
Why are they pressuring that man relentlessly, as if to make out they’ve caught HIM red-handed about something?
Is there some kind of pro-Labour agenda parasite involved in every media outlet on this island?
Anything to say Mr Carmichael?
UK MSM in danger of causing international incidents.What Embassy/Ambassador will be next Jeez as if the UK isn’t despised as it is.
#FerreroRocherGate
The black arts of the civil service.
2:48
“because it’s surprising, people would say..very hard to believe that a UK civil servant would produce a report with Miss Sturgeon’s sentiments..”
Why is it surprising at all now?
———-
“Nicholas Macpherson, the Treasury permanent secretary and its most senior civil servant, said earlier this year that he believed impartiality guidelines “do not apply” in “extreme” cases like the Scottish Independence referendum.
“Her Majesty’s Treasury is by its nature a unionist institution. The clue is in the name,” he told a meeting of the Strand Group at King’s College London.
link to independent.co.uk
————-
Why wouldn’t they consider this one of their ‘extreme cases’ if the SNP holds the balance of power, and can negotiate maximum devolution.
What is more damaging to Westminster – 50 SNP MP’s or 50 tame Labour MP’s toeing the line?
@Cyberniall; indeed, bullshit so smelly not even Hothersall will accept it.
The only surprise in this is his flat admission that he was duped. I thought he was one of those ‘but even though I look wrong I’m still right really’ characters.
Hunter S Thomson would have been proud of this one!
It is straight from the same handbook as his denunciation of Edmund Muskie (presidential candidate) for totally mythical drug addiction during the 1972 campaign. Hunters fibs worked! This one will almost certainly backfire spectacularly. Someone has overdosed on Ibogaine!
James Matthews: “there was a piece of writing from a civil servant” Is there James Matthews? Have you personally seen it?
James Matthews: Surprising that this not to be true
So James Matthews; Is Nicola Sturgeon and the French Ambassador and French Consul therefore the only ones here capable of lying then?
Just another good reason for independence.
Honestly am not surprised at this story but I am shocked that after an immediate denial by both SNP and the French its still being allowed to run.
This could have untold damage – not to the SNP but to the UK. No way are the French gonna stand for this.
Michael Gove criticised Andy Burnham on question time last Thursday for failing to “deal with it” (the snp surge) as promised, so it seems blatantly obvious that this is the Tories attempt to deal with the matter. Then again, maybe I’m just a paranoid cybernat…
“It suggests a Whitehall system out of control – a place where political dirty tricks are manufactured and leaked.”
Absolutely correct, Nicola Sturgeon.
They achieved their aim in subverting Scottish democracy and denied Scotland and its people the independence they crave when the ‘required’ No vote was ‘said to be’ the result of the referendum.
No conspiracy theorist am I, but that 18.09.14 result… after *yet another* example of the corruption and illegality of the British state in its dealings with all things Scottish, it just gets harder and harder to believe it was ‘clean’…
If Nicola Sturgeon did sue the Telegraph no doubt she would be accused of trying to suppress press freedom.
link to bbc.co.uk
One minute in and BBC Cooke’s certainly well planned and briefed attack on Sturgeon but what a bloody nerve they have with, “French Ambassador says they spoke to Scottish Office not Foreign Office, what exactly are you accusing people of here?”
This one BBC character alone has been briefed and rehearsed for quite a while. How many SLab votes can they managed to claw back though BBC Scotland, as you complete destroy any vestige of professional integrity UK journalism has have ever had. What an appalling job it must be now.
There is form among labour on leaking private documents
Remember the Balmoral paths that very few people were aware of until the leak At that time it was Roseanna Cunninghams head that was being hunted for their platter
It was later proved the leak came from the office of a certain Mr J Murphy
Well folk voted for this manipulation on September 18th. The good news is, life is full of second chances and we all deserve one at least once in our lives.
We CAN set this straight.
This is a prime example of what we want to change in our lives. This overt, naked manipulation of our perceptions which has only one aim, retention of power and naked greed. Even if you allow that Labour are completely innocent of the deed itself, they are not stupid politically. They must have known how false the accusation was yet chose to run with it.
They could have distanced themselves from this establishment act and earned themselves at least some credit in the eyes of the electorate, but no they want to play that game again… politics.
Do they honestly think this will earn them voters? I mean, just what does it take to make these people see that its acts like this, politics practised in this fashion that has turned people away from them and their system en masse?
You should have thought that one through Labour, you really, really should.
May 7th, our turn.
This is probably the doing of the “Scottish” Office and that gump Carmichael.
This disgusting fabrication has led me to make my first ever donation to the SNP.
It all goes back to the comments made by Sir (sic) Nicholas Macpherson that the ‘territorial integrity’ of the State (their State) must not be ‘impugned’. This mentality is endemic in the UK Civil Service (including in the colonial ‘Scotland Office’), to the extent that holding award ceremonies at which supposedly impartial civil servants publicly tell of their breaking down in tears of joy when the No vote was returned is seen as perfectly normal – nay, commendable.
The UK civil service is about as corrupt a body as you will find anywhere in the world.
The only thing ‘leaked’ is cack in the British Establishment’s pants fearful of an SNP landslide.
You cannot hope
to bribe or twist,
thank God! the
British journalist.
But, seeing what
the man will do
unbribed, there’s
no occasion to.
Humbert Wolfe
My money is on the LibDems. Who in their right mind asks for a quote from Wee Willie?
Torygraph, BBC and Labour hacks furiously back pedalling, changing reports, deleting tweets.
The people with most egg on their faces are Ed Miliband, Jim Murphy and James Cook.
This is my second attempt at a first post, last week’s got lost somewhere
Anyway, the BBC news website has the NS interview with James Cook followed by this statement from Labour and I had to get it out of my system somewhere :
“But Labour called the report “damning” and said that even if it was not true the “SNP are happy to see another Tory government”
So there you go, there are lies, there are damned lies and there are Labour who just make up the truth as they go to suit themselves, whatever the evidence may prove otherwise.
As Churchill said ” Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened”
(that’s Winston by the way, not the Insurance dog, oooh yesssss)
Hundreds more join SNP in response to British dirty tricks.
This story is a reaction to Nicola Sturgeon`s excellent performance during the debate and the resultant surge in her popularity and that of the SNP. Something had to be done, so this smear story was conveniently orchestrated and given max publicity even though it was as subtle as a runaway train.
The entire Unionist political machine with all its sinister tentacles will now be working overtime to demonise Sturgeon and the SNP.
But will it work this time around.
I hope James Cook had a very sleepless night after his shenanigans last night for the BBC .
Surely, surely the first person you should ask are the people involved?
I don’t think I’ve been more angry and disgusted by the way the media and establishment behave, than I am now .
I’m also sick to the back teeth of the people of Scotlands right to vote for whoever being manipulated.
Memo to James Cook , James Mathews et al you have a choice to do your job properly or sell out for a BBC/SKY/ Newspaper contract – you sold out . Ashamed of you hashtag
Well, Nicola is big enough now to have the big guns go after her. Did anyone think for one moment that there wouldnae be any dirty tricks in this campaign?
Don’t just be blaming journos & Labour. Cameron would have authorised the ‘leak’-he is desperate to discredit SNP as well as Labour.
Nicola threatens their comfy lifestyles, their power, their hegemony. They’ve watched as people took to her on Thursday.
This is Cameron hitting back in Better Together mode & SLAB just jumped on it as an opportunity.
The Establishment is s**t scared & Cam has been told to get rid of her & SNP. Only one way to fight back-vote them out
Carmichael has gone to ground – flush him out Grousebeater
I wouldn’t think that was even considered as an option. There’s no point in directly attacking the arse-burps which comprise the UK media.
They only have to say that they received the information from the FCO, or the Scotland Office, without doing their jobs and actually checking anything, as per.
I expect the Scotland Office has already identified the fall-guy who will fall on his/her sword and admit he “acted outwith his accountability” are are ready to shuffle them off elsewhere, without affecting his/her pension.
I hope the French kick the shit out of the UK govt. For the fact they have no control over their civil servants, and implicate the French in their dirty tricks.
Hands up, I was one of those trying to cut James Cook some slack, based on a couple of jibes he had at SLab, and Salmond mentioned him as ok. It was just an innocent hope there was a tiny remnant of integrity that resided in a journo employed at PQ, rest assured, I now no longer harbour such fantasies.
I’m pretty sure this farce originated in the SLab lie department, following panic from the leaders debates, they had to get the SNP bad message, back on the rails, north and south of the party. It all plays to their rhetoric very nicely.
Well done to Malcolm Chisholm – cross the floor, sir!
The Telegraph has unwittingly introduced “a GAME-CHANGER”!.
When Trevor McDonald is finished exposing all those villainous Cosa Nostra types in the US, maybe he can come up here and shine a light on the Scottish version?
Or would that be just a tad too dangerous?
It’s the referendum all over again. SNP start to look good and the establishment turn out the lies and misinformation….we know what’s coming, we went through it during the referendum, Scottish voters stay strong and vote for SNP, vote for change, vote for proper democracy
The question is whether this memo is genuine, or whether, like the Vow, it was mocked up on a piece of faux parchment, which Telegraph subs decided was a bit too naff to print…
You should pop over to read Craig Murray’s objective view of this.
It’s also nice to note he is very much supporting SNP, and refers to a talk he gave to a group, warning of the shape of dirty tricks to expect.
Craig is much more useful outside the party, it allows him to speak freely, and it is very influential.
Imagine that, the British government and right wing papers spreading lies and keeping it going in an attempt to undermine an opponent.
Referendum tactics taken up a notch and being used in the GE, right after a successful national debate on national tv. She has shown them up for what they are and by God they don’t like it.
Nicola is defiantly doing something right. Expect more of this and other types of discredit tactics against the SNP in the next 5 weeks.
This could turn out to be the dirtiest election campaign in modern times. At the end of the day, WM would have gotten over losing its northern territory but their old boys club is now directly under threat and the barricades are getting built. Now that the ruk have heard for themselves, with some wishing to join the SNP, the WM establishment and media cant portray the Scots as a bunch of bampots who don’t know what they are talking about.
Brace yourself Wingers this is just the start and don’t retaliate in the same vain, no matter how irate you may become.
Methinks he kind of gives the game away from around 0:38, very diplomatically of course, by mentioning (note the order of precedence) that the Ambassador met with the Secretary of State for Scotland, Mr Carmichael… and with Ms Sturgeon… Now, let’s cast our minds back to Carmichael’s performance at the Holyrood Committee where he almost kicked his “assistant” for revealing too much about UK briefing of foreign governments on the referendum issue. And let’s bear in mind his speech at the recent LibDem conference trying to put plenty of distance between the LibDems and the Tories… oh… and there’s Willie Rennie telling the Telegraph that this “proves” that the SNP is in cahoots with the Tories. Surely we don’t need to look too far for the possible source of this “information”.
Sturgeon is too savvy and intelligent to have made this mistake.
The French have no reason to tell anything other than the truth.
I am therefore certain it’s fabricated propaganda.
The BIG question is who prepetrated this affront and slur on the elected First Minister of Scotland? If it was media generated, the best we can expect is a weak retraction. If the source was civil servants, then careers should end.
This is too big to just let it go unresolved and unpunished.
I was curious when someone mentioned even the Labour party page was full of condemnation of this farce so I decided to take a look. I came across a comment that made my day.
“Well done Scottish Labour. Well done. Nothing like kicking yourself when you are down.”
The Unionist parties are totally Incompetent,
sorry I meant Incontinent, i.e. the amount of P*SH they drivel.
Gary
Manx radio news were running it top of there “other” news since at least 6am until 10am. I fired off an email asking them to stop repeating lies at about 10:45 and the non story was not mentioned in the 11am news.
We better get used to this sort of crap.
Thursday night the minute the debate finished, the memo went out -“Let’s get her!” Boy, the UK establishment move fast, don’t they? Shame they are a bunch of incompetent arseholes.
BREAKING: Alistair Carmichael has legged it to Syria.
The two French officials should demand that the government release the source of this story.
Surely they are not comfortable that details of a meeting were leaked by a UK official and that those details were untrue .
A clumsy attempt to discredit the FM.
Let’s ask the following for clarity:
1) Mr Carmichael – you were there, what was said?
2) Mr Murphy and Blair Macdoughnuts- are you calling both the French Ambassador and the Consul liars?? (I suggest a good hard think before answering this).
Keep at this, Rev. It may be a game changer but not in the way Mr McTeirnan intended.
2pm news on Radio Scotland told us that Sturgeon denied the story…..BUT no mention of the French denial……. Labour and their helpers are going to run with this
I am not a member of the SNP. I valued my neutrality in online discussions where I could always counter with “I’m not a member of any political party”.
Well, MI5/MI6 – I hope you are listening. Because of these blatant black arts, this false flag event, as of today I will be joining the SNP.
Still think your little ruse worked, do you? Well do you, punks?
Wonder how this will affect French/Anglo relations?
Not a major incident but if I were the French I would be a bit miffed about my ambassador being implicated in an attempt to discredit a democratically elected figure.
Definitely worth a wee phone call to number 10 asking what the hell you playing at pal?!
Now that both the Consul and the ambassador are saying this is nonsense and the FCO is saying they have no such memo what is Ed going to do?
He has gone off at half cock and that isn’t very Prime Ministerial. 😉
Is this a bear trap for Ed rather than Nicola? Has Ed decided the best way to deal with a bear trap is to stamp on it really hard with both feet?
BBC News channel at 12.30: James Cook interviewed Nicola Sturgeon. She categorically said that she did not say anything of this sort to the French ambassador. James Cook asserted that a senior figure in the SNP party had said they would be happy with another Tory government. Nicola said she would not comment unless she was given a name. I thought it was a bit below the belt by James Cook.
The dirty tricks campaign has certainly begun, but this attack has been launched far too early and most certainly too soon after the Leaders’ debate.
If we can throw this one back in their face, we will considerably weaken the effects of any future slanderous or libelous attacks.
I think I’ll see what the odds are for Carmichael. It’s about his standard and reeks of his utter incompetence.
link to twitter.com
The reporter got it spot on.
“At best, Chinese whispers, at worst, the intentional undermining of the FM of Scotland by the British civil service.”
I’m inclined to think the worst.
I’ve just read Alan Cochrane’s article:
link to archive.today
I think he might just have stepped over the line into exposing himself and the Telegraph to a libel case.
The original Telegraph article was written in a way that made it clear that it was reporting the contents of the memo, not stating the views of the Telegraph or the reporter himself. However, Alan Cochrane’s article is much more direct in accusing Nicola Sturgeon of hypocrisy. It makes specific statements about her on his own account without any sort of disclaimer that he’s merely relaying information from elsewhere.
I see Nicola has already called for an inquiry as to where the memo came from and who leaked it. I’ll be very interested to see what happens when she really gets going on this one.
Malcolm says:
“Mr Carmichael – you were there, what was said?”
Good point! The TV report above implied he was there too.
Mr Carmichael, we need answers!
First off we had the Treasury department *ahem* leaking a memo about the Royal Bank of Scotland moving a bit of Brass Plate from Edinburgh to London about 45 minutes, if I remember correctly, BEFORE the R.B.S. board, who were meeting at the time, had actually decided on the move.
Now we have the F.C.O. or is it Scotland Office leaking a memo about what preferences Nicola Sturgeon has about who she wants to be P.M. Unfortunately for the F.C.O., or is it the Scotland Office, neither Nicola or the French Ambassador or even the French Concul General said ANYTHING about politcal preferences of the First Minister. At least we now know that Nicola has written to Jeremy Hayward demanding a full investigation into this matter.
For me this is Strike TWO.
Alex Salmond has, I believe, demanded the removal of the top Civil Servant at the Treasury after their leaked memo. We are now in the position where the reputation of the WHOLE Civil Service has been brought into disrepute. With the constant denials from the people who were actually at the meeting and constant “oh this is soooo TRUE!” from the MSM and Labour then it is not going to end without someone, MSM and Labour 😉 , being left with a huge amount of egg on their face. 🙂
As others have said, it is interesting that the former Secretary of State for Portsmouth, one Alistair Carmichael, has been so quiet on this matter. He is usually one of the first to jump in with both feet in matters like this.
As soon as this fairy tale broke there were more questions than answers in my view like:
1) Why did the Telegraph interview Willie Rennie
2) Why is there no interview with anyone from F.C.O.
3) Why is there no interview with anyone from the Scotland Office
4) Why was Alistair Carmichael not interviewed
5) Why was Nicola Sturgeon not asked for any comment
6) Why were the S.N.P. not asked for any comment
7) Why was the French Ambassador not asked for a comment
8) Why was the French Consul General not asked for a comment
Of course WE all know why none of these questions have been asked by the Telegraph … the answers they received would bolw their *cough* scoop right out of the water!
Finally I applaud Malcolm Chisholm for his comment about this fiasco this morning on Twitter. I remember saying during the referendum that I thought that he would be the Labour M.S.P. most likely to jump ship over to the S.N.P. Of course he didn’t. Perhaps the S.N.P. was a leap too far. Now however, I would urge Malcolm Chisholm to seriously consider jumping ship, not necessarily to the S.N.P. as I can understand that it might be a leap too far but to becoming an Independent M.S.P. I think he is one of the VERY few Labour M.S.P.’s who still hold true to the old original Labour ideals. Ideals that fit in so very well with so much of what the S.N.P. stand for.
I said on the previous thread that if the media manage to keep this (non) story alive until Wednesday then I believe it will be a central issue of the Scottish Leaders debate on Wednesday. Should this happen then I really do hope that Nicola can tear one gawd almighty huge one off of Willie Rennie possibly Ruth Davidson, because remember folks she too has been jumping onto this bandwagon, and especially wee Murph the Smurph. Should Coburn a) turn up and b) open his trap about this then the best thing there would be for Nicola to turn to him and tell him to shut his racist gob and run back home to mamma Nigel!
rant over, for now. 😉
Several political pundits stating the story will “damage” Nicola even if it is proved to be wrong/false/inaccurate.
a) Why should a false story cause damage?
b) Why are journalists not investing the source.
c) Why are the Civil Service ignoring the reputational damage in diplomatic circles by the implication that a French Ambassador and her officials are lying.
‘The final line of the memo, however, read: “I have to admit that I’m not sure that the FM’s tongue would be quite so loose on that kind of thing in a meeting like that, so it might well be a case of something being lost in translation.”
It strikes me that this is the sort of language used by an illiterate 20-something-year-old-privately-educated-daddys-quite-rich-actually-and got-me-this-job would use in a ruse to attempt to give it some ‘plausibility’, (four thats! ffs!).
a professional diplomat type could not write guff like that, surely.
Ed Milliband is a dickhead.
Carmichael deleting all references to said memo on computers burning all notes taken at meeting………. in Scottish Office that’s where he is.
This is absolutely atrocious. I wonder if Johnson knew fine it was complete nonsense and that’s why he didn’t ask Nicola for her views, or if he just got such a boner over it that he put professionalism to one side and ran with it without doing basic checks.
One thing is for sure, the UK civil service cannot be trusted.
A clumsy attempt to discredit the FM.
But away from the internet and the absurd retracting and attack shaping from usual BetterTogether crew, Slabour will be absolutely delighted. They only have to carry that Torygraph front page as they go around door knocking.
This is their NO Sterling for Scotland moment. If it works and a fraud like creepy Morphy doesn’t deliver those thousands of new nurses, at the expense of people in London who own £2 million houses and as £30bn austerity teamGB cuts kick in, sure they’ll merely pile in and blame Sturgeon and Holyrood but its five more years of fun times at Pacific Quay.
200 hundred grand a year each for the BetterTogether buffoons that think they own BBC for Scotland or life, in an age of austerity?
Once they defeated the vile separatists, we’ll be deluged with ever poverty porn from the bloated liggers
link to en.wikipedia.org
But we won a bafta for you Scotland.
[…] La verité […]
Just tweeted this to Kezia Dugdale. A bit of fun…
@kdugdalemsp I was so closed to voting Scottish Labour, but after this I am DEFINITELY VOTING SNP!!!
To my mind the most telling thing about this matter is the total lack of surprised of anyone that the Westminster Civil Service, Scottish Civil Service, Labour Party, Tory Party, LibDem Party, Public funded Broadcasters, Private funded Broadcasters, Dead tree and on-line press nor the entire Scottish and United Kingdom Populations were quite obviously not only capable off, but undoubtedly involved in, this totally fabricated non-story.
If anyone is in any way surprised let them now speak up or forever hod yer wheesht.
I’d even go as far as to say most of us have actually expected some such thing to happen. If anything the only real surprise is the utterly childlike ineptitude, and the cack handed manner, in which the thing was engineered.
This has the fingerprints and DNA traces of utter morons all over it. You would expect the UK Security and Civil Service and even the Unionist Political parties to have had a bit more professionalism and the Unionist media more basic common sense than run with such idiotic non-stories.
Then I remembered a couple of Wee Willie politicos, a couple of female political office holders and a couple of Scottish Office ministry lackeys and remembered the Record, (pardon the Pun), of the Scottish Media. (Well a guy can change his mind too sometimes).
Seriously, though, is anyone really surprised?
Like a couple other people, I’ve decided to join the SNP today. It chills my bones to see the UK propaganda machine back in full swing. It is a stark, depressing reminder of the conduct of the establishment during the referendum. My spirit grows weary of it.
I fear their dirty tricks will work better this time around. Whilst the SNP is fighting fit and took the lions share of the Yes network on board, the simple fact is that there’s no longer the energy of Yes nor the diversity of Yes, nor indeed the same levels of engagement as Yes, although engagement is still high.
Is anyone really surprised? Surprised, certainly, that they’ve been stupid enough to involve a foreign diplomat.
Good natured and well attended CND march this morning. I was happy to help stewarding armed with no more than a rolled up copy of i-Scot given to me by Ken Mc Donald. Great seeing you again Ken, and great magazine too. Managed a quick hello to Patrician and Jan but then had to head back down to Argyll St. Protest at Faslane on Monday 13th.
I have been to a few BBC protests at Pacific Quay and I agree that standing outside an empty building on a Sunday afternoon may not ideally have the desired effect we would like.
As with the blockade due at Faslane on 13th April could we not take the same direct action at PQ with a blockade and cause as much disruption as possible? Surely if we block the comings and goings of staff/ presenters/ reporters etc then we would have some kind of effect on the service they provide?
I don’t normally condone this sort of measure but drastic times call for drastic measures! We can’t constantly see them get away with this.
This could backfire on the Tories.
It shows they are far more scared of the SNP than the Labour party.
The ‘perfect storm’ as highlighted by previous comments,to all involved in this sad affair,we are not living in 1960’s.
We can see you,you do not wear a cloak of invisibilty……..wake up and smell the coffee.
In the future we will show this to our children/grandchildren,we will explain,this is how bad/sad things used to be.
Westminster,MSM and BBC are enemies of the people,time for a spring clean,a good clear out.
tick tick
Ps. I am a law obiding individual and have never been in trouble with the law, ever, but there is only so much I can take!
The future of my long suffering country comes before myself.
Some might well find this VERY interesting indeed. 😉
Pilar Fernandez ?@pilaraymara 2 hours ago
From files: Alistair Carmichael silences his own official: link to youtu.be
Hmmmm… Carmichael bullies, cuts across and silences his own pet civil servant in the scotland office when he said something he didn’t like.
Where oh where could that bullshit memo have come from then, eh?
Having a good day Mr Carmichael? Very quiet where you are? Yeah, I don’t think it’s going to stay that way forever chum. 😀
I watched the Sky interview and was left thinking was that an interview or harassment ? And is that how a mere journalist is supposed to treat the Consul General?
I am utterly disgusted with the journalists of both broadcast and print media – a bunch of lying ,manipulative bastards.
As for the bearded wonder from the Telegraph , could someone please sue ?
Haven’t read all the comments, it may have been mentioned, but the nikileaks memo from Friday night may have been timed to knock some gloss off the performance in the debate, but the attempt to portray her as duplicitous and untrustworthy also comes smack in primetime before the anti Trident rally in Glasgow.
If civil service has been used in an attempt to manipulate votes, then it’s likely to be about Trident. Those contracts are extremely valuable and those who stand to benefit the most won’t be pleased about the possibility they can be jettisoned. They don’t give a toss what colour is in Gov, only that the contracts go ahead.
gillie says:
4 April, 2015 at 2:05 pm
BREAKING: Alistair Carmichael has legged it to Syria.
bfh-walofs
@Robert Peffers 2.40. Oh well said Robert, agree with every word.
Surprised? Not in the least, scunnered, oh aye, very much so,but there’s plenty mair whaur that lot cam frae. Better get used tae it. Sheesh.
If, big if, as the memo says the remarks attributed to Ms Sturgeon lost ‘something in translation’ then that implies that there were translators present. Ms Sturgeon would have her translator and the French their own.
BUT both the Consul and the Ambassador speak English and it was a private meeting so all parties would be happy to speak English. No need for translators.
But if they were present what did they hear?
Looks like the details were reported to the Scottish Office. The Scottish Parliament is still in session so hopefully Carmichael can be summonsed in front of committee next week to explain.
The sub plots thicken.
I know not every one is happy to read Craig Murray blogs but for those who are he has one now about the involvement of the U.K. Intelligence (???) services in this matter.
Psst. The (???) was my little addition. 🙂
link to craigmurray.org.uk
Just made a donation to the SNP Westminster fund.
Legerwood, French Consule General has already stated that the meetings were conducted in English. So no need for translators.
Sally Carbuncle and his friends in the media are behind this.
The rest, Dim Jim etc, are merely jumping on the bandwagon, just as those behind the creation of this fabrication knew they would.
The timing is to deliberately take the shine off Nicola’s big performance during the leaders debate the previous evening.
There is also a very large anti-Trident demo going on in Glasgow, how much exposure will that be given now that the media have this utter fabrication to play with.
I would be extremely surprised if Military Intelligence has anything to do with this shoddy effort.
The matter should be pursued relentlessly by the SNP’ briefs.
And absolutely no settling out of court or accepting apologies.
A warning must be sent and heads must roll.
Take note all you who create excuses for paying a tv licence, for subscribing to SKY packages or post direct links to Unionist rags – YOU are helping to finance these acts against us.
btw, There is no such thing as Project Fear 2.
Project Fear, Smear, Lie and Manipulate has been running continuously since before the creation of “newspapers” and is merely ramped up or toned down to suit the current political status.
Nicola, you’ve got the Westminster cesspit maggots squirming.
There are calls on Twitter for a ‘Begbie Inquiry’ to be launched in the Scottish Office.
link to twitter.com
It’s all pointing to Carmichael. He has refused to appear before Holyrood committees in the past.
@paul gerard mccormack says:
4 April, 2015 at 2:36 pm
‘The final line of the memo, however, read: “I have to admit that I’m not sure that the FM’s tongue would be quite so loose on that kind of thing in a meeting like that, so it might well be a case of something being lost in translation.”
It strikes me that this is the sort of language used by an illiterate 20-something-year-old-privately-educated-daddys-quite-rich-actually-and got-me-this-job would use in a ruse to attempt to give it some ‘plausibility’..
———–
That line is a Get Out Of Jail Free card – so they can say it was all an honest mistake.. just a slight misunderstanding folks
Great rally today .Lovely to see Ronnie and company – cracking badges!
Sorry I had to dash off without a goodbye Ronnie.
All the speakers were excellent Ms Sturgeon and Mr Harvey particularly.
I think Ms Sturgeon was truly pi$$ed off with the reports and I am glad she is following the trail.
The way that interviewer kept flogging a dead horse made me think at the end he’d say “Look, I gave you £50, why aren’t you telling me what I want to hear?”
Stoker
btw, There is no such thing as Project Fear 2.
Project Fear, Smear, Lie and Manipulate has been running continuously since before the creation of “newspapers” and is merely ramped up or toned down to suit the current political status.
I responded to Alex Massie’s pish about a “neverendum”, in the Spectator (Nov 2014) –
A Neverendum sounds almost aspirational. A bit like democracy, perhaps, and a lot more attractive than “endless constitutional warfare”.
Project Fear is undead. 🙁
….and then you win!
A great rally today, the speakers were first class. Thought Katy Clark had a brass neck turning up & muttering something about not being present for the Trident vote at Westminster. This is a red-line issue, you flee wi the craws ye get shot wi the craws. Looking forward to her losing her seat to a more progressive/honest candidate.
Ah! I see the Torygraph is now backpeddaling though, of course, any enquiring could be made to drag on and on… A somewhat amateurish attempt at smearing.
Total bollocks.
Plus note that Burnahm on QT straight after the debate was banging on about the SNP and the Tories in cahoots. I scratched my head – it was just bizarre – but in hindsight he knew that the Telegraph was away to smear Nicola. Hell mend Labour for getting into bed with this vile rag. Next they will be building an altar to Thatcher.
And Dim Jim is peddling the lie the most. Well we all know he’s toast. I’ve a new nickname for him and it’s in the mode of Star Trek – “He’s Dead, Jim”.
The Union is over, Westminster. Suck it up!
So the ‘lost in translation’ line from a meeting that was held entirely in English, proves beyond doubt that the civil servant was not at the meeting.
Whoever wrote it, thought they were clever inserting this line, to create ‘plausible deniability’ as they would know this could back-fire, but they must now be shitting themselves, as they realise the fact that all parties at the meeting have stated that it was English that was used, as well as categorically denying that the matter of who Nicola would prefer as prime minister was even discussed, means that if the source of the leak is identified, they will be forced to resign.
Come out, come out, wherever you are, Fatty Carmichael!!!
O/T
Poor delusional Labour candidate for Labour in Argyll says that all the Lib Dems are flocking to support her?
Poor Mr O’Hara SNP, sitting at a 92% chance of taking the seat and Mary on 1%.
Really close isn’t it
This lie comes out the day after Sturgeon storms the debates. Coincidence?
It’s got McTernan spin all over it. Ultimately it will be revealed and Slab and the civil service will be in deep doo doo. The problem is. Whoever made up the story knew it would be revealed as a lie. The point was to get the lie into the minds of the electorate and cause damage. There is not a lot we can do if the pond life in the Labour party want to reduce their campaign to telling a pack of lies.
It’s a line that the SNP will not cross. Ultimately it’s the action of a desperate broken party in Scotland.
What needs to be done is to make sure that the Telegraph, BBC etc know that once again they are the story, not Nicola Sturgeon or the SNP.
I suspect that SNP will win rather than lose from this.
@ Fred at 4.45
Katy Clark was indeed very poor at the rally, and sounded defeated (why on earth did they invite her?), but to be fair to her, she did attend the Trident debate in the Commons; she spoke against renewal and she voted against it.
Her hypocrisy or perhaps delusion lies in apparently believing that the Labour Party can be changed/retrieved from within.
McTernan from start to finish he is associated and writes a blog for the telegraph i wish some any reporter would ask dear Jimbob as to the roll McTernan plays in Jimbobs team does he lead it does he provided Jimbob with his daily TV slots when he is never questioned too much to ask i guess and was he the one who lined up all the labor muppets on cue to comment on this non story as for a future prime minister to fall for this fake slur well thats milibrand for you manufactured like a boy band whose sole purpose is to take orders
Duncan Hotherstall leaped on the bandwagon at the start — but he jumped back off again with a kinda quasi-apology as soon as the rebuttals were in.
There is a memo on the back of a fish supper paper apparently from the Telegraph which states that they are all pedophiles and have off shore account so that they pay no Tax.
They have friends in the Labour party, Lib Dems and Tories who think it must have happened as they weren’t there while it was all going on.
Absolutely devoid of reality and a very great and present danger to democracy. A total disgrace to common sense and the truth.
We must ensure that this scum cannot exist in a Scottish society voted for, and fought for by Scots.
Where is the difference to
On Sky news tonight the Telegraph editor says Nicola Sturgeon swings both ways!!!
Remember “Yes Minister” – “The ship of state always leaks from the bridge”.
The memo would have been drafted and passed around the FCO; drawn to the Foreign Secretary’s attention; and then leaked from there. But who wrote the memo in the first place?
The memo text, if you haven’t seen it already:
link to telegraph.co.uk
I have to admit that I’m not sure that the FM’s tongue would be quite so loose on that kind of thing in a meeting like that, so it might well be a case of something being lost in translation.
The context of the ‘lost in translation’ remark. This is civilservantese for, “did she say that?”. And by extension, “did the French actually understand her?”
I was expecting something like this. It’s only the beginning of Project Smear.
Of course, whoever did it will have to face the wrath of the most powerful person in the UK government – Sir Jeremy Heywood.
Wonder what the punishment is for ruining his long weekend?
BBC News must be using Pravda to train their reporters on how to promote fairy tales as a genuine replacement for reality. The UK media, politicians and civil servants are all rotten to the core.
I almost fell of my chair on hearing these words from the BBC:
“But Labour called the report “damning” and said that even if it was not true the “SNP are happy to see another Tory government”
This announcement came after Nicola, the French Minister and the French Ambassador had all categorically stated there was absolutely no truth in this story! Unbelievable !!!
Are we able to demand that the BBC have to qualify their own comment that the “SNP are happy to see another Tory government”?
Surely they can be sued unless they can provide written, or video evidence that the SNP themselves actually said that they would be happy with another Tory Government?
I have certainly never heard anyone in the SNP say this, their actions all suggest that this is the last thing that they would ever want, and yet these vile manipulators are allowed to promulgate these blatant lies?
Does anyone out there think that Carmichael would have heard this fabricated story and kept it to himself? Thought not!
Even more scary for me is that our civil servant seniors seem
to have a free hand in manipulation the truth and influencing the electorate. We have the cover up of the Dunblane Massacre via the official secrets act, they seem to have lost, misplaced, and shredded evidence about politician pedophiles, they illegally leaked the RBS Brass plaque story, and now they seek to make both Scottish and French Ministers out to be liars to suit their political paymasters.
Do you want to be tied to a nation as corrupt and devoid of integrity as the UK, or would you seek a fair and just society
within an Independent Scotland?
I have to say that to the depths of false hoods written and said about Nicola Sturgeon in the telegraph and the daily mail for and on behalf of the Westminster elite with intention of sullying Nicola Surgeons good name, needs to be addressed in the high court without favour or prejudice to the point where dishonour is at the forefront of how we conduct ourselves in public. It would appear that the proprietors of the so called press can influence the government of the day with any rhetoric that they see fit….
@Richardinho
As a fairly comfortably off middle class person I’m not too worried about another Tory government and see the prospects for Independence. However I campaigned with RIC in the general election both with people in hard circumstances but of course chapped many a mean door and met lots of decent folk living hard lives. So for all them and more I shudder at the thought of another Tory government. Independence is not worth the pain.
Also it would change England too much for comfort as a neighbour and partner of iScotland. So carefully, gradually does it in my book.