Not Listening
The primary character trait of Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP is not listening.
They didn’t listen to one of the UK’s most senior civil servants when she told them it was perhaps a bad idea to hastily rush together a catastrophically flawed harassment procedure aimed at investigating former ministers (in reality, only ONE former minister) in just six weeks without any Parliamentary scrutiny whatsoever.
They didn’t listen to their most successful leader of all time when he told his successor that it was untenable for the leader and the CEO to be a married couple. They also didn’t listen when they reversed his policy of separating the roles of the Lord Advocate as both chief prosecutor and government minister, with disastrous consequences.
They don’t listen to their own members, or the general public, when they tell opinion poll after opinion poll they don’t support the party’s “woke” policies on gender reform.
They didn’t listen to those members when they pointedly elected a new NEC to solve that problem. They just used the unelected positions on the committee to restore all the people the members had voted out and frustrated every attempt to fix anything.
They didn’t listen when just about everyone opposed their awful hate crime bill.
They didn’t listen to their own legal advice when it told them unequivocally that their list-candidate selection process was clearly unlawful and would be overturned at vast expense in court.
They didn’t listen to Alex Salmond’s lawyers when they told them repeatedly that their harassment procedure was illegal and would be overturned at judicial review, and that they should use a different method to resolve the complaints.
They didn’t listen to the country’s most senior lawyer when he repeatedly told them in increasingly anguished terms that they were indeed going to lose the judicial review against Alex Salmond and should concede it before it wasted any more public money.
They didn’t listen to the women who made the initial complaints against Alex Salmond when they told them categorically that they didn’t want to go to the police.
They then didn’t listen to the police when they advised them not to go public with the investigation, and they also didn’t listen when the police told them that the investigation should be handled by proper trained police professionals, not the ham-fisted collection of bungling ideologically-driven chimps the Permanent Secretary had put together.
Because Nicola doesn’t do listening. Nicola always knows best. Once she embarks on a course of action she never changes her mind, no matter what happens or how deep into quicksand she gets, because she’s a weak leader paralysed by the thought of ever admitting an error in case it makes people see through her.
And now we are where we are, and we too are done listening. We’re done listening to the increasingly ridiculous, desperate excuses still being made by the dwindling gang of deaf and blind idiot Sturgeon loyalists on social media. And we’re done listening to the party, which has now told so many lies about everything that it can no longer be believed on anything while the current corrupt leadership cabal remains in place. At this point we wouldn’t trust the SNP to tell us what day it was.
Time is almost up. The Fabiani committee’s deadline to produce their report is just five days away, and hopefully James Hamilton QC’s will be hot on its heels. We’ve waited this long. We can wait that much longer.
Well, great minds think alike. I was just composing the following synopsis of what Sturgeon’s administration has done:
CHOSE to create an entirely new procedure, focussing exclusively on previous Ministers, rather than extending the existing Fairness at Work procedures which had been in place for years and had been implemented with exemplary stakeholder engagement.
IGNORED Whitehall’s Head of Propriety and Ethics’ concerns about developing a procedure to specifically apply to PREVIOUS MINISTERS ONLY.
IGNORED Police Scotland advice that the civil service were not qualified to investigate matters of potential criminality.
IGNORED Police Scotland advice that complainants of possible criminal activity should be signposted to trained and specialist advocacy and support services rather than handled internally.
IGNORED Police Scotland concerns about making the criminal investigation into Salmond’s behaviour public.
APPOINTED an Investigating Officer and Deciding Officer who had met with complainants to discuss their concerns BEFORE complaints had even been made.
IGNORED the wishes of the complainants who did not want matters to be escalated to the Police.
WITHHELD relevant documentation to the Court of Session during the Judicial Review.
WITHHELD relevant documentation from Counsel thereby disguising the defence against the Judicial Review was unstateable until it was uncovered by the Commission and Diligence hearing caused by the withholding of documentation.
IGNORED Counsel’s advice, formed even without the withheld documentation, that the ‘least worst’ option was to concede the Judicial Review.
WITHHELD documentation from a Parliamentary Committee relevant to its remit.
COACHED (at huge expense to the public purse) highly paid, senior Civil Servants how to handle questions from the Committee.
INTERFERED with the ability of the Committee to call witnesses and publish evidence freely obtained by it in pursuit of its remit.
THREATENED the Committee and witnesses with prosecution for disclosing or considering certain evidence which was already in the public domain elsewhere.
REFUSED to comply with Committee’s request to see legal advice despite being instructed to do so TWICE by Parliament itself.
And these are only the UNDISPUTED FACTS concerning the Government’s (and its agencies’) behaviour. Anybody who is at the head of an organisation that can behave in this manner is either grossly corrupt or grossly incompetent. In either case, there is no question that they can possibly be fit for office.
But, as per David Davis’ contribution last night, there is much more evidence (the nature of which is being disputed) that suggests there was improper and potentially criminal interference in both the internal and criminal investigations and the defence of the Judicial Review, spearheaded by those close to the First Minister.
Further, several people very close to the First Minister have admitted they knew about the nature of the complaints against Salmond and the identity of the complainants long before the complaints were formalised. Despite there being no procedures or policies in place that would prevent them from informing the First Minister of these concerns, nobody, we are to believe, saw fit to tell her that her immediate predecessor, mentor and friend was likely to become the subject of an investigation that would have potentially unimaginable consequences for her Government. Aye, right!
There is no question in my mind that the First Minister cannot continue in post given the above. Further, it is my belief that a proper judicial inquiry, staffed by professional inquisitors and prosecutors would easily unpick the misdirection, forgetfulness and obfuscation that has been apparent throughout the Committee’s evidence sessions and uncover deeply unpleasant, if not outright criminal, behaviour amongst a wide range of people connected directly or indirectly with the First Minister’s office.
It’s every bit as worrying who she DOES listen to.
Am I alone by not putting much faith in the Fabiani committees report actually fulfilling its brief ???????
Am I alone in being more gratefull to Jackie fuckin Bailie to get some truth ???????
Am I alone in being more gratefull to David fuckin Davis for putting info in the public domain that the committee should have ????????
This is badly fucked up folks……
Independence is being kicked into the long grass by the very people we elected to achieve it.
Bastards.
Absolutely true Mr Wings. Nicola Sturgeon doesn’t mentally and intellectually disappear from a conversation where she is required to listen – she simply never attends the meeting.
The thought that she could be wrong is never allowed into her mind.It’s the equivalent of blocking tweets.
BTW Panorama might be interesting now.
You’re doing a great job. Spring is a’coming:-)
Excellent summary of where we are and how we got there. There are many ways to skin a cat and the current SNP led cabal isn’t one of them.
Surely the only recourse open to HMG, to whom Holyrood is subordinate, is to suspend it, postpone the coming election, and urgently examine the provisions of the Scotland Act as suggested by David Davis prior to its reconstitution. From Davis’ account last night, there appears more than reasonable cause to suspect that there has been criminality committed during this whole distasteful farce.
Better yet disband the whole devolution experiment and treat it all as a bad dream…
Spot on as usual…
I expect there will be others along shortly to say that we should just vote for again and she will change and start listening… just give her 5 more years.. she’ll change her ways.. it’ll be fine..
@Dissident – excellent post. As David Davis said last night: It “failed to guarantee separation of powers” in Scotland, Davis continued, meaning the Lord Advocate, the Scottish government’s most senior law officer, “both leads the prosecution service and serves in the Scottish cabinet” – leaving them “compromised” and their independence “undermined”.
Lord Falconer said much the same yesterday, didn’t he. He’s a QC and has no particular axe to grind but will call-out malfeasance in public office when it needs to be done.
What this has led to in Scotland is the Lord Advocate, Scotland’s Chief law officer, being at the forefront of a criminal conspiracy to jail a former FM. Astonishing really. It’s something that might take the rest of the week to sink in properly.
Do you really have any confidence in Fabiani’s Committee given its lapdog/hampered performance so far. Even a token Civil Service reshuffle seems beyond their suggestion box let alone a damning report burning down the house.
As for Hamilton, I cant see him producing anything other than Dunlop style “Best to change process” recommendations and a vague reference here and there to how things could have been handled differently but “lessons learnt and move on” style comments
So, given the blinkered public and likelihood of an SNP Govt post May Election, where does that leave Wings?
Drumming fingers awaiting The “post Covid economy recovery is complete before any push for Independence” or just saying “F**k it all…I cant do any more!”
Not listening
SNP defied police chief’s advice not to go public with Alex Salmond claims
https://archive.is/mxsN0
Swinney was on Radio Shortbread this morning.
To my ears, he was lying his head off.
Fabiani’s farce will be a whitewash.
I wasn’t sure about the Hamilton investigation but after the release of the Dunlop criticism and yesterday’s revelations, he will be truthful or his reputation will never recover
And, yet, people will still vote for this corrupt cabal because independence is the only thing that matters.
I used to believe that independence was a way of breaking free from the corruption and impropriety that permeated trough Westminster.
Under Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP Government, Holyrood has followed Westminster down the path of sordidness and deceitfulness.
I, for one, wont be voting SNP on May 6th. Sick of it to be honest.
Leadership isn’t about making your own decisions. Its about making informed choices that benefit everyone. Something that is not happening in Scotland at the moment.
“Do you really have any confidence in Fabiani’s Committee given its lapdog/hampered performance so far.”
No, never have. I’ve made clear for a long time that it’s just a media circus and the Hamilton inquiry is the real deal. But the way events have progressed in the last couple of weeks have made it hard even for the Holyrood committee to produce a total whitewash.
My guess – and it IS just a guess, not informed by any sources – is that their report will be brutal to Evans and the other civil servants, will have little or no criticism of the Scottish Government over the Salmond affair itself, but will angrily point out how badly it obstructed the inquiry and will recommend a full judge-led one instead.
Doing so would let them look tough while still letting Sturgeon totally off the hook before the election. And I think Unionists would be pretty happy with an outcome that would still damage the SNP significantly before May, probably leaving them with a minority government, and which they could look forward to decapitating 12 or 18 months later via the judge-led inquiry, if James Hamilton didn’t do it first.
Either way, Sturgeon will have sacrificed the hope of independence in a doomed attempt to cling to personal power.
@john mcnab…no. we arent closing holyrood and going back under Westminster wing, regardless. We will get the powers to sort it out and we will make sure sturrell and her nicophnats are ran the fk out the snp. Canceling an election and closing holyrood is never going to be acceptable to any Scot..we want out the union.
In late September 2014 David Cameron meet Lord Peter Mandelson for boozy lunch. Both were on a high. And Cameron wager Mandelson ‘fifty guineas’ the following 10 things (listed below) would happen – and that support for Scotish independence would not budge above the current 2014 48%
Mandelson gleefully accepted the bet from his dear friend. 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…
And yet she listens to her woke groupies who throw a tantrum and she feels compelled to put out a video virtually begging their return to Mama-Woke. As for the rest of the good people of Scotland – (and especially women), just collateral damage in her power freakery.
Given all the points listed in this article, we have to ask ourselves how on earth can she look herself in the mirror or sleep at night. She is one callous, power hungry (and yet incompetent) human being that’s not fit to lead a conga line let alone a country!!!!!
To think the country was on the brink of achieving independence, golden opportunities chucked in the bin. But hey let’s all rejoice – we got the hate crime bill, men’s rights to women’s spaces and the end to scientific fact, just feelz and cancel culture matter now!!!!!! Fucking despicable.
After 50 years of supporting the SNP I am heartly sick of where we find ourselves. After recovering from 2014 the party was in good spirits – not now!
I wonder if the people who will be challenging the list candidates system will be the 2nd placed candidates who have lost their contests in the constituency votes. That could well be Sturgeon, Robertson, Swinney and Forbes.
That packed-out Hydro hanging on her every word and cheering her to the rafters must seem so long ago now.
Soon she’ll be lucky to fill a phone box.
John McNab says:
17 March, 2021 at 10:29 am
Better yet disband the whole devolution experiment and treat it all as a bad dream…
Interesting choice of pseudonym. In the novel of the same name by John Buchan, John Macnab was an imaginary character created by three pillars of the Conservative establishment to allow them to perpetrate a bit of mischief in Scotland.
We see you.
What The Dissident says: Spot on & well laid out.. She has to go, surely. The vacuum will have to be filled, but the rot seems very deep and makes me wonder if this can be saved at all. Will be interesting to see the fabi-whitewash and hopefully something more real from Hamilton, but will it make much difference. We need something new to focus our efforts around.
Dave Beveridge says:
17 March, 2021 at 10:47 am
Soon she’ll be lucky to fill a phone box.
She could do a two-for with Ruth the Mooth..
@ 10:31…
Lord Falconer – and the accusations of cronyism after his former flatmate Tony Blair summoned him from the Bar into the House of Lords and then into the Government. That guy?
Seriously? That guy… No!
There are people on SM, defending her/them…even still. I’d be terrified to be in an independent country with these people. They have completely abdicated all critical reasoning.
They’ve out Scottish Laboured Scottish Labour with their hubris, the SNP.
“Seriously? That guy… No!”
Sigh. You sound just like the SNP types raging last night because David Davis had done some iffy stuff in the past, as a way of refusing to face up to the fact that he was telling the truth this time. Believing that good people can never do bad things, or vice versa, is why politics is such a shithole.
As I understand it, the problem with the James Hamilton Inquiry is the remit set by Swinney is so narrow it is hardly likely to topple Sturgeon. I hope I’m wrong.
ScotsRenewables says:
17 March, 2021 at 10:48 am
John McNab says:
17 March, 2021 at 10:29 am
Better yet disband the whole devolution experiment and treat it all as a bad dream…
Interesting choice of pseudonym. In the novel of the same name by John Buchan, John Macnab was an imaginary character created by three pillars of the Conservative establishment to allow them to perpetrate a bit of mischief in Scotland.
We see you.
Well said!
My international sources have given me to understand that the official International Cabal Licensing Board are furious at what is going on in Scotland. They point out the many surveys of opinion that indicate the general public love a good cabal as long as the proper underhand procedures are followed. The sheer incompetence of the SNP cabal is now giving cabals a bad name and the ICLB would ask the public to consider using other nomenclature to allow their good name to be distinguished from this Scottish clusterf###.
Strong words I know.
There is an interesting legal angle here as ‘forming cabals’ was not devolved under any of the versions of the Scotland Act and therefore it’s not clear whether the ICLB would ever have had jurisdiction or standing to regulate in Scotland.
Bad faith actors will always find loopholes however but the ICLB carry out important work of oversight and accountability and I think we can all agree that words matter. That being said the ICLB’s communications dept has a tin ear for alternatives…’sorority mafia’! I ask you…
End of message
All the “I’ll take no lessons from…” might have been a clue.
@Ayemachrahanish – Aye, that’s the man – Lord Falconer QC. He thinks Scotland is now a corrupt shit-hoose. He is laughing at James Wolffe. It’s all happened in the last 6-years. It wasn’t perfect under Salmond, but nothing like this. If you go-on defending the indefensible like this, folk will begin to think you are just daft.
She’ll have to listen when she’s handed her sentence.
I hope this whole sorry and unnecessary episode has the delightful side-effect of freeing the SNP from the wokeratti for ever.
P.S. Where is the £600,000 ?
P.P.S. Any of the cowardly MSPs and MPs broke ranks yet ? ( I am willing to forgive the first three).
P.P.P.S If the fabiani report is a whitewash I think the SNP members standing for re-election may well lose their seats.
Is anyone in the SNP listening? Do they not understand the ramifications of all these dirty dealings? Why are they all silent on the issue or responsibility, of resignations? What a useless bunch of headless chickens.
Another five days of Sturgeon is too much for me never mind another five years.
What are we seeing that the Sturgeon Ultras don’t?
Have we been given extraordinary powers that gives us the ability to see bullshit that they Sturgeon faithful
just don’t have?
Or maybe these Sturgeon fanatics have the same listening disability that their leader has.
@ Rev Stu
The scenario you outline at 10.43 is entirely feasible and goes to show why the SNP should have chucked Sturgeon over the side long ago.
.
Oh Stuart,
Der zumkropf. Is verbotted. Your name vill be in ze little black book of… names.
https://wingsoverscotland.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/twitleryouth3g.jpg
Spankity spankity for you, eine kliene cybersplatter.
Bathman & Robin Grimefighters and arch nemesis of the Twitler Youth
If only…if only…if only Alex Salmond had hung on in there for another five years Scotland would have already voted for Independence.
Meanwhile in a parallel universe
Westminster
Opposition Day Debate
17 March 2021
Scottish Parliamentary General Election and Scotland’s constitutional future – tabled in the name of the Scottish National Party
Yossarian the only one defending Lord Falconer is you.
And my position is quite clear. We do not need the Lord Falconer’s of the world to grandstand on what ‘ Alex Salmond’ has already said – and has the evidence to back up.
We need Alex Salmond in the middle of what happens next – NOT – Lord Falconer!
wulls @10.25
Totally agree with everything you’ve said. Unless we can get it into the media, there’s no chance of the person in the street understanding or believing any of this
I woke this morning excited to see how many resignations there were … zilch. Hardly any reporting, bar a small item half way down the BBC website. My Scottish father is spinning in his grave.
“Surely the only recourse open to HMG, to whom Holyrood is subordinate, is to suspend it”
Don’t be ridiculous. The parliament has done nothing wrong. The COPFS and the UK civil service in Scotland have done a lot wrong. I am not sure about Fabiani’s Farce. They could have gone much further than they did if the committee did not have 4 SNP members and an overly compliant with the ruling party green.
If something has to be suspended here is the corrupt COPFS and the corrupt UK civil service in Scotland. All those back doors in them that are allowing crown agents and other state elements to get external interests’ corrupt fingers through and tamper with our democracy constraining our parliament to stop doing its job, as we have seen, should be closed off and a reinforced concrete wall should be built instead.
Needless to say that the corrupt to the core Sturgeon, Swinney and the Lord Advocate must be ejected from their seat and subjected to prosecution for their deliberate waste of so much taxpayers’ money and other potential acts of criminality. Those elements in the SNP that were attempting to tamper with a criminal police investigation must also be prosecuted and sent to jail, just like the perjurers and those government, COPFS and UK civil service elements who have been tampering with the evidence, like for example suppressing it defying court rulings, by over-redacting it, by lying under oath or by bullying the Scottish parliament into submission.
Now THAT is what is needed. It is precisely the inability of London to let go of Scotland and their perceived need to keep back doors open to stick their hands through and remove things they don’t like on demand what has caused this mess in the first place.
By international, even by Westminster standards all this is small beer involving a regional party, government, parliament and civil service.
Unfortunately for all concerned this a regionalist party and regional government with national and international aspirations.
In one respect it is behaving as badly as many national governments with seats in the UN, on the other it may give some pause to ponder whether adding to the long list of corrupt systems occupying that place is morally justifiable.
We could do much better than be just like the rest.
I know what the problem is with the SNP leadership
They all need hearing aids, but knowing them, they would probably never put the batteries in
Never seen so many nipples in the one body
S H O C K I N G
I have never forgotten you
Jennifer Menzies Graham
4th January 1950
!7th March 2006
wulls says:
17 March, 2021 at 10:25 am
You aren’t alone Wulls but it really feels like we are in a minority. Still getting the “both votes SNP shoved in my face. Not voting for corruption. If this lot aren’t gone I’ll be spoiling my ballot.
They’re saying Lloyd didn’t know it was about Salmond
or that even if she did she may not have told the FM.
It is possible these are true but surely we are able to use judgement? Is Hamilton able to use judgement or will he have to use the circumstantial evidence? If the burden of proof is so high as to need an email to Nicola herself it seems deliberately doomed to fail.
Never put your faith and trust in a politician. Some are better than others but all are human and susceptible to corruption and skulduggery like kids in a playground.
Sturgeon has done unimaginable damage to Scotland on all levels and there must be concern that Westminster will step in and suspend the parliament based on potential criminal activity.
Still, who cares so long as men can wear panties and call themselves women! Progressive? More like regressive and lunacy.
I want Sturgeon gone as much as I want this god awful pandemic gone.
It’s fair to say as Independence supporters we are all idealists.
However it’s a huge ask to not only accept that a (large) degree of corruption has crept in to the SG,then have the fkn cheek to ask us to vote for it.
Not happening.
The bit that sums it up is that everything the FM does is driven by ideology not facts. She, as with most of the politicians in ‘progressive’ parties are driven by identity politics.
It’s a great scam that allows people from the upper middle class to class themselves as oppressed by someone without a pot to piss in. An ideology that when a group of women conspire to get a man thrown into jail still sees them as a victim bringing down a powerful ‘evil’ man.
An excellent list Stu but you didnt include two other events that Nicola didn’t listen to.
1. Referendum in 2014 the majority voted to remain in the UK and if we believe in democracy that vote should be respected for the time being. Sturgeon and most in the SNP have ignored this and continue to cause division. Another Referendum should happen but not just now. Lets fix Scotlands problems first, as the SNP have ignored most of them for 13 years, even Nicola’s own Constituency has some of the worst poverty in Europe. Education, Health, Economy & jobs are more important to the average person in Scotland. A Scottish Parliament of Coalition MSPs should take over and get Scotland back on track with Westminster help. We are in a Union for the forseeable future whether people like it ir not. We dont need more disruption and division, too many people are suffering. I am not suggesting a once in a generation referendum but lets have honest debate and a fixed procedure. I suggest every 10 years and a question could be added in the Census which would give 100% result as its compulsory.
2. Brexit. Nicola & most of the SNP ignored the results of the UK (which we voted to remain in) to leave the EU, even though many Scots voted for Brexit including some SNP members. If Independence ever happens Scotland would need to work with England, Wales & NI where most of our trade is. Brexit hasnt been the instant disaster every Remainer said it would, there are some issues but they can be resolved with negotiation. Economy & Jobs is what every person & the country relies on and so far there are thousands of new jobs being created, especially in NE England. Scotland needs to be part of this rather than hope it fails. There is no guarantee of entry into the EU and even the single market will take time to help Scotlands trade.
People keep writing that they wont live to see Independence but its not about them, you or me. Its about future generations and Scotlands success in the world, either on its own or as part of a union with the rest of GB or with the EU. We have done okay in the previous 300 years in both unions. We might not agree with all decisions and outcomes but our ancestors survived and we are here now.
Scotland has a history of fighting with ourselves and others. From the various kingdoms that used to exist before Kenneth became King of Scots, then Clan battles from the Borders to the Highlands. While we may have integrated with Celts, Saxons, Vikings, Normans and Flemish, as part of the UK this island nation hasnt been invaded. We helped fight off the Spanish, French and Germans together. A divided island creates uncertainty, division and troubles and can damage the economy as the history of Ireland shows. Do we really want that?
Even if people disagree with my opinion, we should have open debate and a clear plan for independence, not wishful thinking. Everything should be discussed in advance so the people know what to expect. My opinion is as valid as anybody’s. People should stop saying other Scots are ("Tractor" - Ed)s for having a different opinion or voting for a different political party, for supporting the Union or supporting Independence. None of us know if Scotland would be better or worse off as an Independent country. Its too important to rush into or to Wheesht for Indy. Lets debate everything honestly with facts not opinions.
A judge-led inquiry seems inevitable – though perhaps not imminent. So too, reform of the Scottish parliament.
Everyone involved in this affair will have their actions subject to detailed scrutiny, especially the MSPs on the Fabiani Committee.
Each should be reflecting on their actions and omissions, and should be asking themselves whether they have served the interests of the truth, of the people of Scotland, or of their political masters and personal careers. Each should be aware that this is not going to go away.
Weak leadership everywhere.
Just everywhere. This is the real reason woke politics is so dangerous. The road to hell is paved with acts of kindness and weak leaders are incapable of seeing or even staring down the hidden agenda.
Sturgeon is a weak leader. A real Leader can confidently admit a mistake and turn it into a learned strength – and people can easily associate with that approach, so it’s not even hard to do.
Weak leaders listen and succumb to feedback only on the negative side of social media, like fudbook and twatter, because they are so terrified of upsetting a tiny, noisy minority at the detriment to the quiet, massive majority – the very definition of weak leadership.
Strong Leaders face down mobs – weak leaders do as they say.
A judge led inquiry would be ideal for the tories. It could be carefully timed and calibrated to drip poison on the SNP at the appropriate point of any hint of an independence bill or referendum.
The ladies not for turning
Sturgeon = Thatcher
The actions taken against Alex Salmond are indefensible and for me never rang true. That was my belief when I wrongly assumed it was a Brit Nat plot. Once I learned through following the trial that it was a made in the SNP job I was horified, but it never swayed my belief that it was a plot. It has taken a lot for me to remove the rose coloured spectacles, but when they smashed in March 2020, there is no going back. You can’t unsee what you have seen, the persecution of an innoncent man.
Whilst the actions of my party and Government are abhorent in this case, they are as nothing compared to the damage done to our confidence in them in being able to deliver our country’s independence. Incompetence exposed on this hrand scale us a gift yo defenders of the Union, and that is unforgivable.
She will ‘take no lessons’. More fool her.
Her hubris will be her downfall.
Quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat
“Nicola always knows best. Once she embarks on a course of action she never changes her mind, no matter what happens or how deep into quicksand she gets, because she’s a weak leader paralysed by the thought of ever admitting an error in case it makes people see through her.”
She’s Theresa May 2.0
The most oft repeated last words I see by Sturgeon supporters when faced with piles of evidence are that no matter what AS is still an immoral man.
They base this on his admissions of what happened during the trial and the words used by his QC, a Labour man with no love for AS whose defence was barbed and who was supposedly overheard using ill-judged words on a train. Despite all that AS walked from court a free man. Now, I have said here often that the hypocrisy in the current SNP is one of the most stinky things about them.
Alex Massie has again reiterated these slurs as he seems to have moved away from his begrudging temporary NS worship as even he cannot ignore what she is being revealed to be.
It is always worthwhile having a look at who is on the side of NS. I think in the coming days morality in its truest form will be examined. Not just the grubby who’s shagging who that goes on all the time in the SNP apparently.
The hope that lying to achieve your hypocritical objective is actually frowned upon and the real motives of those involved are exposed is maybe too much to ask. Everyone lies we are told and Tories lie the most so by that token it is all relative. But perhaps those who used institutional power and appeared to have broken the law are now a bit less comfortable about what they did to an innocent man.
Somerled, does a census form get sent to every adult in the country or is it one per household? Here in the USA it is one per household. If it is one per household in the UK, what does that do to your idea of running a referendum via the census? After a vote in favor of independence, would you support the question being asked every ten years thereafter?
A clear plan was delivered for consideration in 2014. Enough voters were scared by the prospect of Westminster intransigence.
Well, I hope someone listens to Lorraine Kay.
A letter from her has just been published – confirming Geoff Aberdein revealed the identity of one of the complainers after meeting with Miss who I can’t say her name, but everybody knows who she is.
https://twitter.com/PeterAdamSmith/status/1372130828533198848
Southsider 11.49
You’ll be voting for Scottish Labour on May 6th then?
We need to vote Sturgeon out of Scottish Politics for good.
Get Independence back to the top of the agenda once again.
@ somerled: “My opinion is as valid as anybody’s.”
“Lets debate everything honestly with facts not opinions.”
By the time I have said “opinion” several times I no longer know the word, never mind what I think. 🙂
However, what I think I think, and also know, is that Scotland has suffered dreadfully since 1707. Our culture and history nearly erased, our people dispersed around the globe, our economy dismantled, our infrastructure disintegrated – no ferries to the continent, little seaborne trade, Prestwick airport out of our hands, our land itself in foreign ownership.
Now is not soon enough to regain our independence.
In summary, I think I disagree with you, somerled. And with a name like that, I am surprised by your opinions!
@Ayemachrahanish – agreed sir.
Normally I tend to keep my language reasonably diplomatic and yes she is this and that and her little clique are so and so. I tend to concentrate on what the Scottish public need to to hear learn and build on for our future. we need someone to articulate in simple terms what the long term benefit of being independent is for each and everyone of us. lets spend a bit more time as a think tank and figure out the repairs that can be done to get us back on track.
The first thing that comes to my attention is the general caliber of Scottish politicians. their eloquence in manners, language and
political rhetoric is left to be desired. there doesn’t seem to be any minds collectively thinking of Scotland as a whole, ( I meant whole and not hole).
Parliament comes over as 4 occupants of tattie buses arguing over whos dreel is whos for picking. with constant derogatory slagging match on who fucked up previous. they seem to have way more to say on things in the past than collectively thinking how to improve our future.
I cringe when I watch Scottish executive question time and it certainly isn’t anywhere near Mastermind. they all seem to be Neanderthal in their thinking ( with no disrespect for the Neanderthal that roamed the planet for 700k years.)
My instant thought when I watch is ” they couldn’t organize an orgy in a brothel” let alone run a country of 5.5m people. In my humble opinion, WERE FUCKED!”.
I know it’s far too late but does anyone know why Alex Salmond resigned after the referendum? These was no need, surely, he did a great job, was only stymied by the MSM constantly bleating that Scotland was too wee etc etc. Did he honestly think wee creepy would carry on the indy torch? He must have been aware of her limitations by then.
Anyway just wondering.
There*
I want arrests made, many of them followed by charges that should result in prison time. I also want the SNP disbanded and a new party formed of Scottish Men and Women who will set out a fair and honest manifesto that caters to the general population. No Moslems need apply, no men who think they are women whether castrated or not. Enough bullshit. Oh and one final thing, no leader who doesn’t have children!, There only interest in life after their death is what’s written in history books, parents’ want to do a great job to protect their children and grandchildrens future. I and my family and friends may well be converted to independence once the new broom(s) sweep clean. Well done for your work Stu, excellent reporting daily, Thank You.
Stu, post Somehow by Snuff next time. Their best song. Make it fit the context. 🙂
Quick look on Twitter and have to say I admire how quickly the acolytes of our glorious leader have got on message to snub this out. Currently going with: He’s Salmond’s mate, Tory liar, Brexit campaign and follow up, they’ve even found pics of him with couple of women with vote DD T-shirts suggesting he’s a threat to women and a bit gropy.
As raised before this will be batted off as another Tory SNPBAD attack, and even if not getting a male sexual predator off the streets is worth it. Now both votes SNP and would you like a St Nicla icon?
Where the fuck has this half English half Scottish accent come from that has entered into the Scottish media and Scottish Politics?
What a horrible horrible accent.
I was listening to Alex Neil being interviewed by Bernard Ponsonby last night regarding his time as an MSP.
He said that the biggest change in the parliament was the Stalinist approach to party politics. It is now an offence to take on board other views outwith the rigid confines of your own party.
You can see this clearly with Sturgeon’s SNP. Do not debate. Denigrate the opponent. They are not of us therefore their arguments can never be correct. Never engage with the substance. Block. Read my books. Watch my films. Venerate me.
So depressing, the number of ScotGov supporters still in complete denial over this. People I used to admire so much, like Lindsay Bruce, defending the indefensible. They don’t seem to care how morally bankrupt the government is, as long as it’s ours.
David Davis wants to shut down the Scottish Parliament, apparently. Did they even listen to what he said?
Some roaster on Twitter has put me on a list of “British Nationalists”. Just bullying of the worst kind. I probably supported independence before he was born. Sigh.
I just hope the two inquiries, when they finally report, will give us some vindication and some hope.
David Caledonia says:
17 March, 2021 at 11:23 am
I know what the problem is with the SNP leadership
They all need hearing aids, but knowing them, they would probably never put the batteries in
Never seen so many nipples in the one body
S H O C K I N G
It is your disparaging misuse of ‘nipples’ that I find
S H O C K I N G.
It struck me as being misogynistic – but then I reflected that men, like other mammals, have nipples too –
(sudden tangential thought: Q. do all male mammals have nipples, e.g. male marine mammals?)
(sudden other tangential thought: Q. which mammals have the most nipples/teats each? Humans 2, cows 4, cats/dogs – what – 8?, any advance on 8?)
Why do I have no confidence in either inquiry resulting in the rogues being removed from office? maybe one or two might be thrown under the bus but at the end of the day if Sturgeon manages to hold her position we’ll be no better off than we are now.
Listening to Alyn Smith on politics today you would think the SNP had no problems whatsoever.
FMQs should be interesting tomorrow if nothing else.
Somerled
All very nice, but it wasn’t the Irish who divided Ireland.
@Rev Stu
Snuff were a great band, there’s hopefully something coming up where you can use their version of the Shake And Vac advert song.
Ross says:
17 March, 2021 at 11:34 am
They’re saying Lloyd didn’t know it was about Salmond
or that even if she did she may not have told the FM.
——————————————-
Were there any other investigations being undertaken by MacKinnon at that time, and why would Lloyd get involved in a normal HR process if she didn’t understand what it was about or who it involved?
Once you have ruled out the sensible possibilities the only conclusion is the one you might have least wished.
It occurs to me that it would be interesting to issue a companion version (or ersatz unauthorized version) of the First Minister’s Book of Speeches, with fact-check notes in the margin –
with her falsehoods/unfulfilled promises redacted, or better still, highlighted in RED – promised referendum timings, year-upon-year, etc.
How much would remain of plain, honest speaking?
Blackford speaking just now
Oh fk
Nothing to add , Bawjaws has so many open goals he is spoiled for choices
Only one question from Blackford ? Is this something new or was it Blackfords choice so he didn’t get a right good going over
Ross Kilbride 11:49
You’ll be voting for Scottish Labour
Dude there you go again. How long have you been a Labour Party member?
By coming on here gives you an opportunity to apologise for the terrible harm done to Scotland over many years by Labour.
Folk on here remember what a Labour administration looks and smells like.
Remember English Labour in Scotland get it right.
“The Fabiani committee’s deadline to produce their report is just five days away, and hopefully James Hamilton QC’s will be hot on its heels.”
Do you have any reason to think they will not be white washes?
It seems to me that the real opposition to the SNP is the Conservatives in Westminster and I wonder if this move, the second I think, by David Davies is not a front for action by the UK’s government.
https://gordondangerfield.com/2021/03/17/did-john-somers-lie-to-the-fabiani-inquiry/
takes things further
She also didn’t listen to the electorate when they handed her mandate after mandate…
My god , she’s got a brass neck doing the daily covid briefing , wonder if any of the press will ask about last night ?
Do you know what, I’m in a good mood today so I’m going to give you all a treat… as of today you can meet 4 people from 8 households outdoors… fuck it, make it 10 people from 8 households. Make it so. Consider it granted.
And don’t forget you can still smile under your face masks…. smile and the world smiles with you.
Oh, and another bunch of people died today, btw.
Just as well you’ve got someone who loves you managing this shit or more of you would be toast.
Ungrateful fuckers. Whatever.
Watching the Covid update just now and it doesn’t look to me as if Sturgeon lost any sleep last night, she’s as confident today as ever.
That doesn’t fill me with much hope.
OT. JUST IN TODAY.
Gordon Dangerfield, Scottish Solicitor Advocate has uploaded a fresh item on his Blog:
‘DID JOHN SOMERS LIE TO THE FABIANI INQUIRY?’
https://gordondangerfield.com/
As Mia suggests, the airms o the British state in Scotland did its job. In reality the so-called ‘Scottish Government’ is nothing of the sort; it is still merely a modest UK Government spending department run by Whitehall’s finest, in similar manner to any other British colony, with strings ultimately pulled in the mother country metropolitan center.
And as we see in this case, the colonizer tends to enjoy immunity from prosecution, thus far anyway, while the more ‘radical’ native independence leaders (Salmond, Murray, Hirst, Singh etc) are persecuted with no mercy, and oppressive laws brought in to ‘deal with’ the wider independence movement (HCB).
In this the daeless mankit SNP leadership cabal seems compromised or, as Frantz Fanon put it: the dominant national party’s pampered bourgeoisie elite makes its own “accommodation with colonialism”. It is this ‘accommodation’ which explains why we are where we are and no further forward on independence since 2014.
This whole episode therefore reflects colonialism at work and the collaboration between the colonizer and the native bourgeoisie, the latter ‘mimicking the colonizer’ in terms of language, culture and values and protecting their privileges and status under colonialism (Albert Memmi). The same process has been played out in more or less every colony. Scotland is no different. The remedies to overcome the ‘disease of colonialism’ (Aime Cesaire) are no different either.
But at least I can now go into ladies changing rooms.
Would a Judge led inquiry keep Alex Salmond out of politics , till it concluded I wonder ?
Not just legally , but by convention or protocol ?
David R says:
17 March, 2021 at 12:07 pm
….: He’s Salmond’s mate, Tory liar, Brexit campaign and follow up, they’ve even found pics of him with couple of women with vote DD T-shirts suggesting he’s a threat to women and a bit gropy….
Aye, and just remind me (oh yeah, you can’t, or they’ll cart you off to jail), who’s “pals” were the Alphabet women?
The good thing however, is that David Davis was just the conduit. They can smear David Davis all day long, but it won’t change what he said, nor where he said it, nor the ramifications of him saying it, just as they can smear Alex Salmond all day long, but it won’t change his acquittal as an innocent man.
Seems the rot and nastiness in the SNP runs deep. Hope springs eternal that it’s just a vocal minority of mouthy idiots rallying to the embattled Sturgeon, (and it could be, given that a vocal minority describes the Wokeratti pretty accurately), because anybody rational with half a brain can surely see she is up to neck in this, and criminal charges are likely to follow.
Friends desert me through choice and pressure
I know the faces, but I’m not safe
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NXb-sFstkmI
Jason Smoothpiece 12.25
You are another one of these hard of thinking Sturgeon Ultras.
I have never voted for Labour in my life.
The ONLY reason I am pushing for Scottish Labour in Glasgow Southside is because they are the only credible Party in that Constituency of unseating Sturgeon.
If it was the Monster Raving Loony Party, then I would be campaigning for the Monster Raving Loony Party.
I hope that wasn’t too much for that tiny brain of yours to take in.
DON’T VOTE SNP.
Sturgeon on her Covid show batting away Davis’ “allegations” just now.
“I’m not going to comment..” blah blah. Aye, when it suits her. Happy to put the boot into Alex when it suits her tho.
Hopefully not long now before she’s gone.
Sigh Rev… me sigh too. Cos this is what I said.
And my position is quite clear. We do not need the Lord Falconer’s of the world to grandstand on what ‘ Alex Salmond’ has already said – and has the evidence to back up.
We need Alex Salmond in the middle of what happens next – NOT – Lord Falconer!
And for the record…
If Alex Salmond is behind Lord Falconer and David Davis setting up a Judge led’Truth & Reconciliation Commission’ into all this – then count me in.
We need Alex Salmond in the middle of what happens next. That is all. End.
I see a couple of bad mental Ultras have entered the room.
The SNP were supposed to be the good guys…WTF happened? #novotessnp
@Stephen P
Yep, paranoid and defensive politics. It reached its nadir with the Bain Principle and look what happened to Slab. The same energy has infiltrated the SNP with the never give way, never debate ideology.
Recent events have given some hope though. Johann Lamont and Joan McAlpine supporting each other and the cross-party support for Joanna Cherry’s expertise and acumen.
Only in Nicola Sturgeons’ SNP is the way forward her way or the highway. The cult of personality flourishes when there is no substance to to the arguments.
Helen, it’s not WWF. Salmond is a chess player. I wish you’d all be more patient and not let this process affect your mood swings… it was like a bloody morgue in here last week.
Here’s my general advice on how to handle politics; expect despair, disappointment, destruction, and misery from it at all times. That’s what it delivers 99% of the time for 99% of the world.
Sorted.
@Breeks 12.40.
If there was a like button I’d have clicked it.
The rot does run deep, don’t think just SNP however they’re the power here and doesn’t look as though there’s anyone going to shift them. It’s worrying how much people with turn a blind eye to. Unquestioning loyalty is not a good look.
Nicola Sturgeon has just taken the opportunity to ‘refute’ David Davis’s allegations. Except, of course, that she refuted nothing. She denied his allegations, which is not the same as refuting them, i.e. disproving them. Sloppy language, intended to mislead.
It will be hard for the committee to be critical of the Civil Service only! Even if they tried that line, then the failure of the FM to manage them, or by keeping them in post, given the information in the public domain is an obvious leadership failing.
More good work by Gordon Dangerfield.
He previously noted another untrue statement by Somers, under oath:
https://gordondangerfield.com/2020/12/02/when-black-means-white-the-zany-world-of-the-scottish-government/
“Yesterday, John Somers told the inquiry that he had no involvement in the development of the procedure which was used against Alex Salmond.
This is not true.”
It will be interesting to see how the Patrick Grady case progresses…
Hello
Stumbled across this site following the David Davis speech. I’ve lived abroad for over a decade. This may be (probably is) a stupid question, but I’d be grateful if someone could answer it, because I can’t get my head around it…
Hypothetically, how does NS benefit from AS being smeared and prosecuted? Can’t work out the upside of it.
Thanks in advance. Really interesting website.
Some people think that admitting and owning up to a mistake is a sign of weakness. It is actually a sign of strength BUT only when you seek to rectify your original error.
Liz g says:
17 March, 2021 at 12:39 pm
Would a Judge led inquiry keep Alex Salmond out of politics , till it concluded I wonder ?
Not just legally , but by convention or protocol ?
I don’t think so Liz g. You would assume he would merely be a witness in any such Inquiry. He would not be under a cloud, and would not need to be ‘isolated’ or removed from a position of authority as a potential wrongdoer compromised by their actions.
I think Alex Salmond only stood down as a matter of principle because his status in office would be compromised until he was either cleared or found guilty. That’s a mark of integrity in my book, especially when compared to Sturgeon and her chums, turning up to work every day with a shovel to abuse their positions of trust and bury even more evidence.
It is beyond farcical, truly farcical, that Leslie Evans was left in her post from where she was able to redact the evidence given to the inquiry. That’s straight out Kafkaesque, and I don’t believe a Judge led inquiry would be so ‘accommodating’.
Having said that however, all the staff involved should have been suspended, cautioned, prevented from communicating with each other, had their offices searched and treated as a potential scene of crime, and their files, diaries, and electronic devices seized as potential evidence. It’s perhaps a bit late to do it now.
Alf, I have to wonder what tier of society you hail from if you are referring to the trailer trash I see as “native bourgeoisie”.
So much for the champion of Scottish manufacturing. This whole thing was made in Scotland and here you are insisting it’s an import.
I’ve been immersed in matters political for about 30 miserable years. What we are watching here can’t be explained in political terms. I know when I’m licked. It’s one for the psychologists.
It is interesting how Sturgeon has kept this mask on for the last six years. Rigid, bossy, emotionless – the perfect little middle manager in a provincial bank, a display of rectitude that wouldn’t disgrace her English doppelganger Teresa May. The vicar’s daughter, prim and desperately unimaginative.
The point is that it is only now we are getting a glimpse behind the mask, and it doesn’t look good. Far from the competent administrator of office stationery that she cultivates, it turns out she is a combination of ruthless ambition with insecure paranoia that leads her to dispatch all her enemies and even imaginary ones with spectacular vindictiveness.
Worst of all, amidst her control freakery, is a colossal political failure which she has been adept at hiding and denying. Gifted a SNP in rude health, and with all the conditions to increase support and make a rock solid platform on which to build independence, culminating in the upcoming elections, she has failed. By now a strategic leader would have built an unimpeachable case for an independent Scotland, demonstrating along with competent successful devolved governance, an inspiring vision which put to rest all of the previous doubts and hesitancies of wavering voters.
In that basic, core task of her leadership, she has failed abysmally, the result being many people just do not believe the sudden reappearance of independence as an issue after it being declared verboten for the last five years. She has made such a mess, particularly with a deeply vindictive and illegal perversion of justice, that she has almost certainly ensured a SNP minority in May, with little time to replace her and remake the SNP. That failure will be her epitaph. Away back to the counter clerk at the bank or supermarket, you fraud.
Zebedee, you were right about that point on the other thread, and I was wrong. The line about the procedure itself being a vulnerability rather than how it was implemented was discussed and referenced during Sturgeon’s session at the Inquiry. I missed it on the day.
“because anybody rational with half a brain can surely see she is up to neck in this, and criminal charges are likely to follow”
She is up to her neck in this alright, but how deep in it is the next puppet aligned as her successor, and will we ever know?
How do we know that simply ejecting Sturgeon from the seat will do the job if the genderwoowoos are still in control of the party and next wannabe leader could be already seriously compromised by incriminating evidence and therefore will simply act as another British state puppet fearing at all times that incriminating evidence could be resurfacing at any second?
I think I would only be moderately confident the SNP is on track to be itself if I see two among Ms Cherry, Mr Macaskill, Chris McEleny, Alex Neill, Joan Macalpine or Mr Angus McLeod as leader and deputy. Frankly, I am not sure at this point I could trust anybody else after the way they all voted for the hate bill, the way they have allowed this rogue to completely eviscerate the party and corrupt the government and the way they have let Mr Salmond down.
How can Nicola and her inner circle keep ignoring the drip, drip, drip of revelations emerging daily?
It is so damaging that it will continue to impact on the Independence Campaign and her own Party as long as she continues to hang on.
An unselfish person would put her Party and Country first. I suppose that proves the point in a way regarding her principles!
Say she holds on until May and SNP is returned as a minority government with numbers so low she’s going to need either the Tories or Labour to get stuff through. If she acts this way with not listening and tribalism politics Holyrood is going to come to a shuddering halt.
I truly believe, based on her actions so far, she doesn’t care for our hard-won Parliament and she’ll destroy it because she can’t do what she wants. Not in a vindictive way, just because she won’t change her mind on ANYTHING. Her stubbornness will be her downfall.
To Liz 12:30 Answer – No
Talking about a Judge led ‘truth and reconciliation commission’ or truth and justice commission – being the official body tasked with discovering and revealing all these past wrongdoing by government and non-state actors.
People come forward and evidence what they know and say. The only criteria is they state the truth and ‘the whole truth’. And there are many Civil Servants staff / Police and Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service employees that could and would offer to attend.
And for those guilty or passive aggressive actors who do not volunteer to come forward then… it’s a judge led commission. The rules apply.
But the aim is not revenge – the aim is justly resolve the conflict caused and left over from these past wrongdoing. And in doing so – restore peoples faith – Scotland’s faith – in its institutions.
And for sure the SNP need a truth and reconciliation commission too. We can perhaps avoid the need of a judge. Perhaps?
@De Valera says: 17 March, 2021 at 12:20 pm
Somerled
All very nice, but it wasn’t the Irish who divided Ireland.”
Ireland like Wales was never a united country – contrary to the High Kings of All Ireland bullshit once spoonfed to all Irish schoolkids in order to create a national mythology – until the Normans first, and then the English, were daft enough to think eight feudal kingdoms run by the illegitimate offspring of the Dingles from Emmerdale and five proto city slave states could be made into one unified kingdom, when they were never happiest than when stabbing each other in the back thrice before breakfast.
As daft ideas went, it proved the daftest.
Weak leaders are often, by a country mile, disastrous for the well-being of a country. What they actually do is enable those whose agenda is far more malign to take advantage. That is why I am scanning all those maybe, would-be SNP leaders who are bringing up the rear, well out of the way of the brickbats. This is what happens: someone, no one suspected creeps up and introduces a regime far more dangerous than anything the present one could devise, and God knows it’s bad.
There are so many examples in history of weak leaders thinking they are being smart, of forgetting to check their political rear. It is rarely the person they suspect of trying to take away their glory whom they need to fear, but the one they suspected least. This happened in Russia before the Revolution, then, again, with Stalin; it happened in Germany, with smug people in charge of the Weimar Republic laughing like drains at Hitler’s pretensions, overlooking the fact that he was quietly consolidating his power base to put into action at the opportune moment; and it happened in France, after the Revolution there, when the moral cause descended into the madness and bloodshed. of the Terror.
A particularly malign set of biology deniers, themselves being used, have turned the party inside out, and ripe for takeover by someone or a faction that is keeping out of sight for now and which might be our worst nightmare. The FM has consistently encouraged this initial wave of pseudo ‘wokerati’, which, although it appears to be little more than yet another attempt by the patriarchy, in its many guises, to sideline females (which, of course, it is, at its most basic) it also could be hiding from sight the real threat to democracy, ready to take advantage of the opportunities exposed by this division in the ranks.
This, I think, is the real threat, and like all weak leaders, the FM is too intransigent, and too indulgent to those she sees as the future of the party. It is not hard to see how and why she was captured by this agenda – because it dovetails with her own mindset – and is entrenched in SNPG thinking at all levels. Stonewall is now in danger of destroying the SNP and its central aim of independence, because, as it does with society in general, it is weakening the support struts, but it may not be the biggest danger. I think that, after May, the fight for the very soul of the party will begin in earnest, and we should all be extremely vigilant.
Unless someone who has the best interests of the party and its members, of independence and the soul of the party and of a democratic, decent, constitutional Scotland based on the rule of law, comes thereafter to the fore, Scotland is going to descend into a period of internecine struggle far deeper than that we are witnessing at the moment, and the result could be catastrophic, if we are not careful. We need to fight tooth and nail now to not just deliver independence and root out the pseudo ‘wokerati’, but also to ensure that we don’t leave the door ajar to something even more malign to creep through the crack, whether that be ‘Nationalist’ or ‘Unionist’.
Sturgeonism is beyond New Labour, it’s like Hyper New Labour. With the exception of Iraq (OK, kind of a biggie), NuLab also had this salient characteristic of not giving a shit what anyone thought but generally about rather boring bureaucratic things.
Sturgeonism on the other hand is just one big “up yours” after another to anyone who isn’t squarely in the centre of her Yellow-Green loyalist base. But the reason Blair could run NuLab as he did was because he was sitting on a near-certain majority for a decade after 1997. Sturgeon is operating within a system completely designed to deny a single party majority. But with the Yellow-Green indy coalition dangling the carrot of independence, which has replaced “Vote Labour” as the dominant expression of class politics in most of Scotland, she can come out as FM by the skin of her teeth. The only way to correct the SNP’s course is to break the Yellow-Green coalition by getting list MSPs for a pro-independence party that will give a voice to nationalists who reject Sturgeonism. And I don’t think that’s going to look like a warmed over SSP.
Nicola Sturgeon, her husband and the rest of the rotten coterie of control are dead folk walking.
Accused of lying to Parliament, lying under oath and with incriminating text documents now exposed on the floor of the House of Commons and as a matter of record in Hansard, the criminal behaviours so gratuitously engaged by the Team Nicola are now open for all to see.
There is no hiding place any more, the censorship, the redacting, all gone the only place left now is criminal prosecution. And prosecution I believe will come.
The House of Commons now has evidence of liar and corruption of process recorded in it’s annals. The allegations against the Lord Advocate too are clear. There can be no more running.
Maybe with Sturgeon the stall was set early on when in December 1998 a law society investigation into malpractice identified three serious complaints against her where after she left the profession becoming an MSP a few month later. That is was covered up, to the extent of many years later when a story in a major newspaper was pulled just as it was about to publish, Sturgeon’s character becomes clear.
Lying to the public may be one thing. But lying to Parliament and giving false testimony under oath is criminal.
The SNP under Nicola Sturgeon is sunk. No one save for the corrupt could ever want to elect a corrupt leader.
This article lays out all of the charges against Nicola Sturgeon and her leadership. David Davis has just put the final exposure on it.
Fabiani committee report will be interesting – mutiny or down with the ship?
Lurkers from WGD
Careful when you start throwing accusations around ,and making unsubstantiated comments some of you are getting into territory and areas that you might wish to reconsider before you type and maybe concentrate on the evidence that’s actually been uncovered , I should have said evidence dragged kicking and screaming from this SNP Government and not your own personal dislike of the former First Minister ,
There could be wide ranging repercussions for the website you post on , two can play that game courtesy of Humzas hate crime bill that most of you support that’s until it’s used on your favourite site
De Valera – I believe that Ireland should be united as its one island, if a clear majority in NI wish it to be so. A large number of those in Northern Ireland have Scottish & British heritage but I dont tell people in Ireland how to vote or support any party. What is your connection to Scotland? Incidentally I believe a clear majority should be over 75%.
Sarah – I would suggest you study modern Scottish history as I have at Dundee and St Andrews and you might learn that the Clearances (both Highland & Lowland) were not as disastrous as you have been led to belief. There were some terrible incidents but also many people preferred to leave for some a better future abroad. In addition Scottish people benefitted hugely from being involved in the British empire and from support in Westminster.
You fail to say that the problem of ferries, Prestwick airport and infrastructure is the responsibility of the Scottish Government and for the last 13 years the fault lies with the SNP. Maybe if Derek Mackay hadnt been chatting up schoolboys he would have done a better job of finance 🙂
To: Scots Renewables (and the other Doubting Thomas),
John McNab isn’t a pseudonym.
Any chance of anyone in Holyrood having the stones to read out more of the Whatsapp Vietnam group messages in Parliament?
Does the speaker shut them down? Does he have a link to cut off the feed to the media? Would the Crown Office give them the full AS, CM, MF treatment?
@ Somerled who said in reference to irish reunification “Incidentally I believe a clear majority should be over 75%”
It doesn’t matter what you “believe”.
The Belfast/Good Friday Agreement states that in a Border Poll on Reunification vs Remaining in the UK a majority of 50% + 1 is sufficient either way
Littleladylotte:
Postponing the coming election, suspending Holyrood, closing it down, even, are all entirely acceptable to me. I’m a Scot and I want to remain British.
How does that square with your tired claim to speak for all Scots?
Silly sausage.
Hatuey @ 1:02 pm
“It’s one for the psychologists.”
I agree with you there. Frantz Fanon happened to be a great psychologist, and a specialist on the psychology of colonialism, and its impacts on both colonizer and colonized. Fanon started out treating the colonized of Algeria, and ended up treating their colonizers, the French.
Postcolonial literature explains much of Scotland’s ongoing colonial predicament. That would not be such a surprise if Scots better understood why Scotland remains a colony and the UK union is a political fraud. Independence is decolonisation.
Somerled,
50% +1 is a clear majority.
It is clear that 50 + 1 is greater than 50 – 1.
Ask any toddler.
somerled @ 1:56 pm
They only teach you the British colonial side of the story at St. Andrews, do they?
The so-called ‘Scottish Government’ remains a colonial set-up.
That’s why any people seek independence, which is decolonisation.
Sturgeon dismissing the David Davis speech as more of Salmond’s conspiracy theory. Does she not know the difference between theory and evidence?
@John McNab 2.21pm
Nobody speaks for “all Scots” but in a democracy you’re constrained to abide with what the majority decides. So, just as the 45% accepted their defeat in 2014, British nationalists in Scotland will be obliged to accept a future Yes victory.
You are a democrat aren’t you John?
somerled @1:56
You don’t write very well for someone who studied at St. Andrew’s.
kapelmeister @ 2:41 pm
“somerled @1:56
You don’t write very well for someone who studied at St. Andrew’s.”
That’s maybe because, last time I looked, only around 10% of the academics there are Scottish, and in some departments there are no Scottish academics, ditto Edinburgh, Aberdeen….
Possibly explains why Scotland’s universities know so little about Scottish history, or much else about Scotland for that matter.
Somerled:
The word ” Clearances ” speaks for itself.
It was ethnic cleansing that lasted 80 years.
Just because “some” preferred to leave for some kind of future after their homes had been de-roofed, and the family dumped into the elements didn’t mean it was better or not disastrous.
The only other places you’ll see similar patterns of ruined houses are in Cyprus & Palestine where the occupants have been driven from their homes. If you read history at University you certainly haven’t understood it.
@ Mia at 1.13
I do hope you mean Angus MacNeill, not Angus MacLeod!!
“I do hope you mean Angus MacNeill, not Angus MacLeod!!”
Oops!!! Yes, I did of course mean Angus MacNeill
Kapelmeister -which Uni did you go to ? Btw i am disabled after a stroke and suffer from fatigue so i might not always choose the best words or my spelling isnt accurate, and i also can only type with one hand. Whats your reason for being a crap writer?
Breastplate -50% + 1 is not a CLEAR majority and not just because of the margin of error. In Company Law over 75% is considered a majority which is the bssis i use.
Alf Baird -I doubt you have ever set foot inside St Andrews Uni but if you have can you point out where they only teach the colonial side of British history? If Scotland really was a colony then we wouldnt have devolution, a referendum & 13 years of SNP failure.
Ben Madigan – I have little interest in NI. We have enough problems of our own with the Trans Drag Queen perverted corrupt SNP ruining our country. My view on majority is my opinion that is all. Hopefully Ireland works things out but i doubt any narrow win for either side of tbe divide would help, with their recent history. I am more concerned that Scotland doesnt up the same way. Can anyone here guarantee there wouldnt be a hard border between Scotland & England if there is independence, in or out of EU ?
Donibristle,
Nicely inflamatory and emotive + 10 points for conflating 19th C Scotland with Palestine, however I would query if the clearances count as ‘ethnic cleansing’ since the appauling treatment doled out to the tied peasant population was by land owners mainly on the authority of their [Scottish] feudal land rights supported by the then existing legal system of scots law. How many of the land owners were Scots? People suffered neither because of their ethnicity nor their nationality but because sheep were [considered] more valuable.
somerled,
I believe in this instance you are getting a slim majority confused with how accurate it is.
Of course, one has different sizes of majority, perhaps you mean a larger majority.
I understand that some people like yourself would like a very large majority (super majority, maybe) for independence which is quite unfair but more to the point, undemocratic.
Would you be as keen as mustard to insist upon a 75% majority for the Union?
@somerled 3.13pm
As someone with a PhD in IR from your university I’m happy to inform you that your views on what constitutes a majority in terms of this issue is just plain wrong. (Incidentally as someone who has also spent decades in commercial contract management I don’t recognise your characterisation of 75% being there accepted figure for a majority in Company Law either!).
In the overwhelming majority of cases of referendums, a simple majority is the accepted norm. In a few there have been hurdles like 55% in the Montenegrin independence vote, which they just scraped over. The Western Australia independence vote was I think subject to a minimum turnout % of 40%, and of course the 1979 Scottish referendum also had such a hurdle, which was widely criticised as unfair at the time and since: that might explain the relative rarity of that kind of restriction.
You *might* have more of a case arguing for a supermajority criteria of 66% or even 60%, but in general there is more of a logical argument to have such hurdles where the prospective electorate is rather small, such as a parliament or congress. Enacting changes to constitutions often require a 2/3 majority for such major decisions. The rationale for asking for such a hurdle in a vote of millions or even several hundred thousands, is far less convincing. Should the brexit vote have been rejected because only 52% votes leave? Or the No vote in 2014 as it “only” got 55%?
Of course pro indy folk like me would love it if Scots were like our Norwegian cousins who voted 99% in favour of independence from Sweden in 1905, but at the end of the day, no true democrat should really be arguing that 50% + 1 isn’t enough.
@ somerled: well done. What a lot of entertainment you have provided on this rather dull afternoon. I must now get back to working for independence and an obscenely wealthy, healthy and culturally enriched Scotland.
Donibristle says:
17 March, 2021 at 2:56 pm
Somerled: … If you read history at University you certainly haven’t understood it.
Sun is out, so I’m not going to dwell on such a depressing subject, other than to pass this on.
I don’t know who it is as author, what their credentials are, or whether what they say is true, but it’s an interesting read I just stumbled across. Makes you wonder about the origins of all these big athletic type Aussies, Kiwis and South Africans… I always presumed it was getting out of Scotland that was good for them, but maybe that’s just more ‘British’ indoctrination at work.
I also didn’t know. If I’d been asked, I’d have guessed the Scots were always short wiry wee b#!*#%ds you couldn’t leave out in the sun too long. If they were all big lads, can you imagine the pride Scotland must have felt with big yin’s marching as the Bodyguard for Joan of Arc?
https://lenathehyena.wordpress.com/2017/09/15/scotlands-big-and-burly-men-have-shrunk/
@ Breeks: very interesting link, thank you, though sad.
By the way I think our friend’s comments this afternoon have been adhering to the title of the post – “Not listening”.
Podcast to listen to from earlier.
https://yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com/2021/03/17/we-discuss-that-incredible-speech/
The nationalising of ScotRail.
Pressure on to make a decent job if.
https://twitter.com/thecommongreen/status/1372214183408898057
“if” being an abbreviation of “of it”…
somerled @ 3:13 pm
“Alf Baird -I doubt you have ever set foot inside St Andrews Uni”
au contraire, as there is no Maritime Transport Economics & Policy expertise at SAU and as the only Professor of Maritime Business & Transport in Scotland, I was indeed invited to lecture at SAU, and also at several other Scottish universities, and indeed at numerous universities in Europe and further afield where trade and hence global maritime transport and seaports is regarded as critically important for economic development.
“If Scotland really was a colony then we wouldnt have devolution, a referendum & 13 years of SNP failure.”
It has obviously never occurred to you that only a colony could ever be saddled with a non-sovereign, wee-pretendy, limited-power ‘devolved’ assembly masquerading as a ‘parliament’ and its colonial spending department called a ‘government’, much as David Davis MP has just ably demonstrated.
St Andrews is a colonial outpost inhabited by rightwing weirdoes too extreme for the murkier oxbridge colleges.
tell us about the abolition of slavery (just as the economists worked out wage slavery was more profitable)
or the humanitarian mission to give the hottentot the railroad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK7h3XJu_Yg
A lot of opposition on this site for a while now, talking in the same retoric mindset,( off with the snp head, and its body and grass roots apparently have to go, to be dismantled) the head bit I agree with, but not the body of the snp,
Not coming forthwith with solutions for the Scottish people gives the show away for the opposition, but to totally eliminate the SNP. Tories don’t do this to their party, nether do labour when there are bad apples in their barrels,
Diverting others conversation, nameing and Shameing anyone that doesn’t believe the snp should be totally eliminated, is typical wokery there is no term for this, it is cancel culture at its worst,
At this moment in time there is no other platform available to the Scottish people to gain independence this year or next, ganging up on the voices of the rest of the Scottish people Is Not a good look, we see you.
AS, whom deserves justice is also a avid independence supporter and until the setup to get rid of AS started, as I understand it he would still be holding the same snp position, it’s a party he help develope.
He like many others, I have no doubt sees the deliberate destruction of the snp and the deliberate avoidance of going for independence by NS as a big game changer, not because the snp are done for, but that those running the snp at this moment have to go is without doubt, they have no immediate affiliation with the believes of the people of Scotland or AS himself,
However it is a clever strategy by opposition to bring about the total collapse of the snp in Scotland, and to involve Westminster into changing the Scotland act, the devolved legislation. And laws in a heaven sent opportunity.
If we were to gain independence first, I am absolutely sure that the Scottish people would not put up with these shinanagins if it was our own government, we here in Scotland have always said that we want our own government, so we can hold its feet to the fire as they would be closer to home and we would ensure we were more involved.
If the genuine good snp are destroyed along with the crooked, there will be no platform for the likes of AS to come back to in the immediate future.
There is no other political party in Scotland at this moment that comes close to being ready, that certainly puts payed to independence for the Scottish people in the near future, and perhaps that’s why so many here are egging on this situation.
One wonders why the others here speak of totally destroying AS party vehicle for the future and yet
Never speak of alternatives for the independence grassroots. These conversations are slighted and managed into a different direction, we must not talk about these subjects any more on Scottish blog sites. We are to only hate and oppose, get involved with wokery and cancel culture, Not the vision of Scotland most people have or my vision of a new Scotland.
We see can observe that a lot of original independence commentators on here have stopped commenting because they are often shot down by the (new) commentators.
That you have succeeded in having the independence movement go away or that you have destroyed it is only an illusion on the face of politics, as has been for over three hundred years,
It is still in the hearts of the people.
Yes bad and corrupt government should go without doubt,
AS, SNP, the Independence movement does not have to fall with it, this is the talk of opposition.
A lot of opposition on this site for a while now, talking in the same retoric mindset,( off with the snp head, and its body and grass roots apparently have to go, to be dismantled) the head bit I agree with, but not the body of the snp,
Not coming forthwith with solutions for the Scottish people gives the show away for the opposition, but to totally eliminate the SNP. Tories don’t do this to their party, nether do labour when there are bad apples in their barrels,
Diverting others conversation, nameing and Shameing anyone that doesn’t believe the snp should be totally eliminated, is typical wokery there is no term for this, it is cancel culture at its worst,
At this moment in time there is no other platform available to the Scottish people to gain independence this year or next, ganging up on the voices of the rest of the Scottish people Is Not a good look, we see you.
AS, whom deserves justice is also a avid independence supporter and until the setup to get rid of AS started, as I understand it he would still be holding the same snp position, it’s a party he help develope.
He like many others, I have no doubt sees the deliberate destruction of the snp and the deliberate avoidance of going for independence by NS as a big game changer, not because the snp are done for, but that those running the snp at this moment have to go is without doubt, they have no immediate affiliation with the believes of the people of Scotland or AS himself,
However it is a clever strategy by opposition to bring about the total collapse of the snp in Scotland, and to involve Westminster into changing the Scotland act, the devolved legislation. And laws in a heaven sent opportunity.
If we were to gain independence first, I am absolutely sure that the Scottish people would not put up with these shinanagins if it was our own government, we here in Scotland have always said that we want our own government, so we can hold its feet to the fire as they would be closer to home and we would ensure we were more involved.
If the genuine good snp are destroyed along with the crooked, there will be no platform for the likes of AS to come back to in the immediate future.
There is no other political party in Scotland at this moment that comes close to being ready, that certainly puts payed to independence for the Scottish people in the near future, and perhaps that’s why so many here are egging on this situation.
One wonders why the others here speak of totally destroying AS party vehicle for the future and yet
Never speak of alternatives for the independence grassroots. These conversations are slighted and managed into a different direction, we must not talk about these subjects any more on Scottish blog sites. We are to only hate and oppose, get involved with wokery and cancel culture, Not the vision of Scotland most people have or my vision of a new Scotland.
We see can observe that a lot of original independence commentators on here have stopped commenting because they are often shot down by the (new) commentators.
That you have succeeded in having the independence movement go away or that you have destroyed it is only an illusion on the face of politics, as has been for over three hundred years,
It is still in the hearts of the people.
Yes bad and corrupt government should go without doubt, NS and the hate crime bill and her cliche should go.
AS, SNP, the Independence movement does not have to fall with it, this is the talk of opposition.
James Che.
“AS, SNP, the Independence movement does not have to fall”
The independence movement aint going anywhere. I have not been more confident about independence for a while, until now. Especially with this now on offer to the independence movement:
“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.”
https://afi.scot/route-map-to-scottish-independence/
AFI could do with an Alex Salmond ‘bounce’. And if necessary the electorate can alter the SNP leadership (assuming they are still around in a few weeks time), while still mainly voting SNP in the constituencies, and AFI on the regional list.
‘Nivver mynd, the day is near, when independence will be here’!
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=corries+scotland+the+brave&docid=607986117999198686&mid=5BE3A7D4EB5D2D818E7E5BE3A7D4EB5D2D818E7E&view=detail&FORM=VIRE
James che @ 5.11
I brought this over from the other night James, to show there are others who are organising and planning to move forwards out with the political sphere and with no desire for retribution but rather to collate the Yes movement into One voice with One agenda.
Because , I think you are right in what you say in that corruption at the top must be weeded out but it is not necessary to bring down the SNP ( and I have to note here that I don’t think Wings has ever said such a thing ) at all.
The SNP members have a job to do with their party and I would support them in their efforts, but in the meantime NOW Scotland can “nurse Indy to keep it warm” while they do !!!
……………
Liz g says:
15 March, 2021 at 10:38 pm
Gregor @ 9.55
Well it’s ” sort ” of what I’m saying Gregor.
If this lot can’t or won’t move toward Indy then we’re just waiting for those we will replace them with and hopefully choose more wisely.
Politicians come and go.
But , a failed political effort is not the end of Scotland, the maximum danger of that has thankfully past and the British never recognised or capitalised on it ( the decade after the Second World War was the time to completely assimilate Scotland ) when they could have so easily .
I have high hopes for – Now Scotland – as it has the potential to harness the power of Yes Scotland into a civic force powerful enough to push the politicians ( any of them ) relentlessly toward ending the Union.
Yet Now Scotland need not concern its self with the terms and conditions of how it is done !
Or indeed who has the doing of it.
Just that it is done !
If Now Scotland can gain and therefor speak for enough members it becomes a part of Civic Scotland, every bit as much as the Churches, Trade Unions and Businesses …. and a part of Civic Scotland single mindedly devoted to ending the Union.
This I think, is a way forward and a proven one as the Scottish Constitional Convention demonstrated and latterly the AUOB marches too.
Which Parliament , Party or method is used becomes detail and flexible, only the views of the membership matter and the membership only have one proposition End this bloody Union…
Anyone here who hasn’t thought about taking out a membership should take a look…
So to answer your point Gregor , yes we absolutely can keep moving towards independence, a way has already been organised and is there for the taking should we choose to use it .
“I have given eight hours of evidence to the parliamentary committee looking in to this.”
One of N. Sturgeon’s utterances in reply to David Davis’ speech in the Commons.
‘Evidence’? Six hours of ‘can’t remember’ and two hours of ‘don’t recall’.
Evidently, that’s ‘evidence’.
The Rev. Stuart Campbell, I trust you have made adequate arrangements for your safety.
Nothing is beyond these corrupt lying criminals.
@Wulls (at 10.25am)
No, you are not alone.
When people say stuff like ‘the bar for a Yes vote should be 75%’ (lookin at u Somerled), it exposes a complete lack of critical thinking. It also exposes a possibly subconscious bias.
Lets suppose in 2014 we needed minimum 75% for Yes to win. Why not just turn it round to see how fair that is?
Should Scotland remain in the UK? 75% Yes required!!!
By default, due to the nonsensical 75%, or 60% or 2/3’s or whatever you impose, Scotland would ‘vote for independence’.
Somerled arges above for 75% in relation to an Irish unification question. Ok, but are you still for the 75% if the question is ‘should Northern Ireland remain in the UK?’ 75% required or it leaves.
As simply as that, people who argue for anything other than 50%+1 vote are exposed as either having ulterior motives, or just being thick.
Its 50%+1 vote or its a stitch up.
Appreciate all replied, and think we need to regroup our thoughts,
As far as I can see it is not a good idea to place our eggs all in one basket,
If recent events have taught us anything it is if an Independence Party goes rogue like the head of the snp recently did, we all get beaten and tarred and brakes put on while we wait for this or another scenario to play out, this has created many delays and much obfuscation for Scotland’s people.
We need many independence parties to prevent such a thing happening again, whereby the balance is better kept and it never becomes a two or one horse race.
Littleladylotte:
I see you’re now identifying as a character called ‘Andy Ellis’. Firstly, it wasn’t “45%” it was 44.7%. Also, if they’d accepted the result of the 2014 secession referendum, as you choose to misrepresent it, they would have shut up about it; they haven’t.
You are an ingenu(e) aren’t you, Andy/lotte?
Well, the response we got today was only to be expected, ‘I am right, everyone else is wrong, how dare you question me’. Only way we are going to get rid of this nightmare is at the ballot box, give her and her lap dogs no votes. BBC and ITV Scottish news still holding back, newspapers scared to commit in case it backfires on them, just shows you how well she has managed to take control of every institution in the country, vote them out we cannot rely on any inquiry.
First Minister resignations
Wendy Alexander for accepting a £950 campaign donation outside the rules.
Henry McLeish for not declaring £36,000 office rental income while an MP which he did not benefit from personally but which he repaid.
First Minister non-resignation
Nicola Sturgeon wastes over £1m on a judicial review of a biased, unfair and unlawful complaints procedure, withholds evidence from Scotland’s highest Court, lies to the Court, withholds evidence from the Holyrood Committee, uses the Crown Office to censor and intimidate, lies to the Scottish Parliament, asserts that there is ‘no evidence’of a conspiracy while concealing the evidence and threatening criminal prosecution to anyone who reveals it.
Mr Bonobo says:
17 March, 2021 at 2:13 pm
Any chance of anyone in Holyrood having the stones to read out more of the Whatsapp Vietnam group messages in Parliament?
Reply
Unfortunately the MSPs in Holyrood don’t have the same privileges as MPs in WM have.
As it is at the moment the LA could have them in contempt of court if they speak out.
Alex Salmond kept the LA separate to the Scottish government when he was FM. This situation wouldn’t have happened back then.
Nicola is the one who wanted complete power & changed the rules.
Her ministers are unable to speak out. If they do they could be jailed
@Ken MacIntyre says:
17 March, 2021 at 8:37 pm
“First Minister resignations
Wendy Alexander for accepting a £950 campaign donation outside the rules.”
For the umpteenth time, Wendy Alexander was NEVER Scotland’s First Minister, merely one of a long line of Scotch Labour’s branch managers.
She’d already made a complete arse of herself with her “Henry The Hungry Caterpillar” speech in Holyrood, so being “forced” to resign gave her a legit way out rather than having to resign for being a constant embarrassment to her party.
@ Kiwilassie I think Mr Bonobo was referring to the SNP MP’s in the HOC and he is right THEY do have the same privileges and protections as the other party MP’s which makes their silence even more cowardly and reprehensible
@John McNab 8.06pm
Unlike most here and elsewhere John, Im posting in my own name. I’ve been posting on here for quite some time. If the sum total of your argument is to cavil at the (virtually universal) rounding of 44.7% to 45% it really tells us all we need to know about your lack of goof faith argument….or indeed any argument.
Stun us with another.
The unrepentant actions of Scot Gov/SNP has inflicted maximum damage on itself (from a golden position of advantage), and has placed a diminished British State, into a prime position to inflict maximum damage: A strategic blinder.
All at Scotland’s expense.
PaulaJ says:
17 March, 2021 at 5:56 pm
“I have given eight hours of evidence to the parliamentary committee looking in to this.”
One of N. Sturgeon’s utterances in reply to David Davis’ speech in the Commons.
‘Evidence’? Six hours of ‘can’t remember’ and two hours of ‘don’t recall’.
Evidently, that’s ‘evidence’.
Yes Paula and “refuting” something means disproving it through evidence. The fact that once again she used the privileged pandemic platform which she hogs like a wean does a Karaoke machine is another indicator of her poor leadership. She should not be there and the useless Heath Sec should be introducing the clinical experts. With her off the stage they might grow a pair and plough their own furrow.
WhiteLife take your sad racist poison somewhere else as well as your prejudice for people’s sexual preferences. Youseff’s problem isn’t being Muslim it’s the fact that he’s a mediocre placeman and grifter like all of Sturgeon’s crowd. He uses identity as a shield in his case Islam. If he were that Islamic he wouldn’t support the woke policies his career depends on. The transgender cult are being challenged because their goal is to make biology denial a constitutional right.The human right of people to transition is not our concern,as long as they don’t impinge on the rights of others.. That’s the kind of independent Scotland we are trying to build, not your bigoted vision.
Liz says,
“I wasn’t sure about the Hamilton investigation but after the release of the Dunlop criticism and yesterday’s revelations, he will be truthful or his reputation will never recover”
Their reputation with the plebs don’t worry them one bit.
Its their reputation with the Establishment which is their only concern.
He has deliberately delayed his report to the eve of the election so anything he says can be easily swept aside.
Our only hopes are now for David Davis to make everything public.
Rev. Stuart Campbell says,
“My guess – and it IS just a guess, not informed by any sources – is that their report will be brutal to Evans and the other civil servants, will have little or no criticism of the Scottish Government over the Salmond affair itself, but will angrily point out how badly it obstructed the inquiry and will recommend a full judge-led one instead.
Doing so would let them look tough while still letting Sturgeon totally off the hook before the election.”
Yes, they will try to do that, but will the non SNP MSPs agree with that?
And if they lay the blame squarely on Evans, who renewed Evans’ contract and gave her a big pay rise AFTER the judicial review fiasco?
What will that say about Sturgeon’s judgement?
By any reasoning, she should have sacked Evans at that stage.
By doing the opposite, she proved beyond any doubt that she condoned every illegal act of Evans. In other words, she was Evans’ partner/boss in crime.
Posted elsewhere
We needed the Independence movement to clean its own nest. Many independence si[pporters, not only the bloggers tried to do just that. At the same time the unionist MSM in Scotland, the UK civil service and the Crown Office provided protection for a corrupt individual and her closest associates.
Asking the SNP members to remove her now is like asking Joe Soap and Mary Brown from the the small town branch of the US democratic party to remove Joe Biden from office. Sturgeon Murrell and Ruddick removed the members from having any say in their own party a few years back. Even if they get something to vote on in Conference (do you remember the currency vote?) It doesn’t go anywhere, it doesn’t seem to mean anything, we thought it was a policy victory. It wasn’t. it was nothing. it was ignored and there was nothing we could do about it. I am sure Nicola Sturgeon enjoyed that.
It has to come from the SNPs own elected politicians. They have to do it because it doesn’t matter how many angry conversations take place at branch meetings fuck all will come of them. Your email will not be responded to and the rules are made up by the clique as they go along.
If the MPs and MSPS stand up and denounce the goings on then we will still have a a political vehicle that can be used going forward. It will be a corrupt leadership and their cronies tossed out by their own party rather than a corrupt party tossed out by the voters.
Time for them to stand up
So Priti Patel is planning to isolate asylum seekers overseas, places like Scotland, Isle of Man, Gibraltar
Do you not wonder at the sheer stupidity of the government
Why don’t they just go the full hog and gas them!!
Stop trying to pretend they care at all
@ AB: spot on. I have emailed the group of MSPs who aren’t standing in May several times, begging them to act as they are the only ones who can effect change.
Result? No response to me [apart from one high-profile one who disagreed with me] and no visible effect.
The future is terrifying. The SNP activities are unbelievably stupid, as well as cruel, corrupt and illegal. It is all so sad – the Yes movement was happy and active – the SNP have killed the hope we had. I despise and loathe them.
@ Ross Kilbride at 12:11 pm
Accents….I use to love hear the late Sam Gilbraith speak and Nigel Don both born outwith Scotland Both are listed as Scottish
There were and are others
That to me showed the potential of an independent nation (yes I do know Sam Gilbraith was a labour man) a kind of melting pot of idea, that went with Lord Jakey McConnell
And Sturgeon screws the whole thing up completely
Dear goodness I’ve just thought of Sturgeon doing a Lulu accent
Apologies if someone else has posted this elsewhere.
https://order-order.com/2021/03/18/we-wont-comply-with-sturgeons-crown-office-censors-because-when-truth-is-silenced-the-silence-is-a-lie/
The bit I find staggering is that the crown office even told the publications not to tell the world that they had made the request/demand. The worlds gone mad.
Red says:
17 March, 2021 at 11:55 am
Quote:-
“Nicola always knows best. Once she embarks on a course of action she never changes her mind, no matter what happens or how deep into quicksand she gets, because she’s a weak leader paralysed by the thought of ever admitting an error in case it makes people see through her.
She’s Theresa May 2.0″
fair comment.