On public record
Alistair Carmichael on Channel 4 News a few weeks ago:
Now at least we know why he was struggling to keep a straight face.
Here’s what we now know:
1. A civil servant (still unnamed) in the Scotland Office wrote a memo ostensibly summarising a conversation between himself and the French Consul-General, regarding a meeting between the First Minister and the French ambassador.
2. For reasons which remain unclear (and, it seems likely, always will), the civil servant arrived at a conclusion about the meeting which was in conflict with the subsequent accounts of all three other people involved – namely that the First Minister had expressed a preference for a Conservative government.
3. It was noted in the civil servant’s memo that his/her understanding was suspect, and possibly the result of something having been “lost in translation”, though as far as is known both the meeting between the FM and the ambassador and the conversation between the civil servant and the Consul-General were conducted wholly in English.
4. Euan Roddin, a special adviser to the then Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael, suggested leaking this memo to the press in order to damage the First Minister and the SNP before the election. Mr Carmichael agreed with this plan and authorised the leak to the Daily Telegraph journalist Simon Johnson.
5. Simon Johnson ran the story in the paper’s 4 April edition, extraordinarily doing so without having sought any sort of confirmation, denial or any other response from the First Minister. (The Daily Mail also published it, seemingly having lifted it from the Telegraph.)
6. A long parade of senior Unionist politicians – chiefly Labour ones, going all the way up to Ed Miliband, Jim Murphy and Kezia Dugdale – party activists and journalists immediately and repeatedly propagated the smear. (Labour had a video comment prepared and ready before 11pm on the evening of the 3rd.)
To the best of our knowledge, none have yet retracted their comments or apologised, with the exception of former Tory MP Louise Mensch.
7. As soon as the story was published, however, it was comprehensively and publicly denied by all parties – the First Minister, the ambassador and the Consul-General. This did cause a few Labour figures to delete some of their tweets in an attempt to cover their tracks.
8. It was announced on 4 April that Sir Jeremy Heywood would conduct an inquiry into the incident on behalf of the UK government.
9. As the story began to fall apart in the face of consistent on-the-record denials from every named person present at both the meeting and the conversation, Alistair Carmichael appeared on Channel 4 News (the video at the top of this page), claiming that he’d known nothing of the leak until asked about it by the Telegraph. This, we now know by his own admission, was a flat-out lie.
Carmichael stood by and allowed an inquiry to be conducted – whose costs have been reported at £1.4m by one Welsh Labour MP quoting a “usually reliable source”, though no official figure is yet available – despite already knowing full well who had been responsible, namely himself and his special adviser. Indeed, he even told the Daily Record on 5 April that he knew.
10. Carmichael was narrowly re-elected as MP for Orkney and Shetland on 7 May, with his majority slashed from almost 10,000 to just over 800.
Since the publication of the Heywood inquiry’s conclusions, Carmichael has conceded on BBC Radio 4 that had he still been Secretary of State for Scotland he would have had to resign as a result of its findings.
The Telegraph, meanwhile, has published a highly misleading article about the report, claiming that the memo was found to have been “recorded accurately”. This is a massive distortion of the truth – the report states that the civil servant made an honest error in his account, recording what he believed to have been said.
However, Alistair Carmichael’s letter of apology to the First Minister had already expressly stated that “the details of that account are not correct”.
The Telegraph’s utterly dishonest reporting is a matter for it and its readers. Alistair Carmichael, however, abused an office of state in an attempt to undermine the democratically-elected leader of Scotland and her party, then told a direct lie about it which led to the wasting of a large amount of taxpayers’ money, and also to a delay which may well have materially affected the outcome of an election.
We suspect (and hope) that we haven’t seen the last development in this affair.
High time charges were brought and not just against the likes of Carmichael. The MSM must shoulder a lot of the blame for publishing without making the least attempt to verify stories.
what a prick . Hang your head in shame . I’m sick of them all lies lies lies it’s fuckin sad
Even when they get caught out telling blatant lies they just go on about their business as if nothing had happened.
If I lived in his constituency, I’d be asking why he was still there, After all he has been proven to be “Uneconomical” with the truth…
If it hadn’t happened in front of our own eyes we would have had great difficulty believing it. I’m waiting, and waiting, and waiting for all the apologies. But don’t tell me that I’ll be wasting my time, LOL.
The really sad thing is that he’s my MP, how can I ever trust him.
Auld Rock
Just asked Mr Rennie (by a FB PM) if Mr Carmichael lied to him. (Disciplinary action, surely?).
Or did Mr Rennie know the facts of the incident?
I don’t expect our coal carrying champion to respond but will keep you posted.
To think I actually used to campaign and vote for these liars makes me sick to the stomach.
There was also the back up attack from the BBC, in particular one James Cook but all the MSM jumped all over it. They along with the veritable who’s who of unionist batshittery above have pulled back the curtain and shown the union and unionists in their true light.
This article doesn’t appear on the list of stories on Wings home page.
I wonder if Mr Carmichael would wish to tell us if:
a) the act and the lie that followed it and,
b) the attempt to remain in post now that the truth is out
… is behaviour acceptable by a qualified solicitor in Scotland and by an elected representative of the people.
If, for example, a similar act of dishonesty was perpetrated by a solicitor acting on behalf of his or her client, would the Law Society not consider that solicitor’s position. Yet Mr Carmichael has behaved as he did towards 5 million Scots, not merely one client.
There seems to have been some fore-knowledge of this amongst Slab and libdems as they were all ready to react to the article, which appeared at 10pm I seem to recall. I think the Scottish Affairs select Committee will need to consider the implications of the former SoS impuning the office of the First minister, not to mention a Diplomatic incident, and also the present SoS having knowledge of it as well as he was the deputy at the time.
Can hardly contain my incandescent rage at this lot! Humble pie all round their big, fat lying faces!
I suspect carmichael was acting along usual BT lines. I suspect he has probably only ‘come clean’ on condition that he keeps his lucrative MP job plus expenses (he does have a lot of expenses).
I suspect the former UK Coalition Govt were ‘in cahoots’ over this ‘leak’ as I doubt Carmichael did this without his boss Clegg’s knowledge or his Scottish office’s rep’s knowledge (MUndell).
I suspect the Better Together shenanigans (deal) now is that ‘Carmichael’ agrees to be ‘patsy,’ on condition that he gets to stay MP for 5 years, & to hell with what his voters might demand.
If he has to step down, or there is a by-election and he loses, I suspect ‘frenchgate’ will get very, very messy, whereby he will take some others in on the ‘leak’ down with him.
The whole thing is rigged from start to finish.
There’s also the matter of Carmichael trying to defend himself by saying he believed that publishing the memo was “in the public interest”. Even if the contents had been correct, in what concievable way could such a serious breach of protocol and confidentiality be considered to be in the public interest?
Sturgeon’s alleged words were nothing but potentially politically embarrassing for her election campaign. She had admitted to no wrongdoing or impropriety, merely an opinion about the result of the election. And a conversation involving a foreign diplomat should be sacrosanct unless a very major scandal is involved.
“In the public interest” was nothing but a smokescreen for “in the interests of damaging the SNP’s election campaign. That may be in the public interest as far as Carmichael is concerned, but that’s not what the form of words normally means.
There’s also the timing of the leak. Eric Joyce observed that Carmichael held on to it until the purdah period was underway. More to the point, it was published immediately after Sturgeon had won a convincing victory and plaudits from all corners of these isles for her performance in a TV debate. Carmichael was obviously deliberately saving it up for the moment when it would do most damage.
Fancy adding these points to the article, Stu?
I found it interesting that despite all the anti-SNP media frenzy during the election campaign it was for nothing. The Unionist got thumped. We will never know if the orchestrated smear had not happened would the SNP vote be a fraction higher?
I heard the Barnett formula is going to changed and extended to words.
We are using too many and it is after all the English language, so we are being heavily subsidised by England.
The use of words will be under the control of the office of the Secretary of Statements for Scotland.
Presently these are being used freely by people on benefits, and given out willy nilly to schools and Universities. People are even given free prescriptions for glasses so they can see the words.
The words should of course be targeted to ‘qualified providers’, e.g. newspapers and journalists, where they will be used effectively, and distributed to benefit those most in need i.e. the UK Government, Labour politicians, the BBC and failed establishment politicians.
A UK Government spokesperson from the Daily Record Dept said, “Them words are ours, not yours. You’re not allowed to use them, so there!”
It’s an appalling abuse of an office of state but there’s nothing like this WoS report anywhere, either in the British press or the BBC. They all quietly bank holiday bury it but what a ridiculous line up, from blue tory Cameron to red tory Scotland region activists like John Ruddy’s “they printed it coz it’s news.”
I was quite amused watching his face turn redder and redder as he compounds his lie.
One thing during the media frenzy was the very quick response by the French Embassy denying the comments being reported. Normally foreign governments say ‘we do not comment… but in this case they responded quickly to spike the story.
I will say it again – I blame the BBC. We expect the papers to be be biased but the BBC and MSM have given a free ride to the Unionist Parties in Scotland for many years.
So why are we surprised that these parties lie continually? They lie because they think the MSM and BBC will support them and therefore they think they can get away with it. They are never held to account for their actions. (Has Kezia been questioned about her promised investigation into Ian Smart?)
They could get away with this in the past but not anymore thanks to Social Media and Internet sites like Wings.
Also It is telling that C4 interviewed Carmichael and not the BBC or STV. James Cook and colleagues were more interested in trying to get some traction to the story so they could continue to smear the FM and the SNP.
History will record the role of the BBC in the demise of all the Unionist parties in Scotland.
I good place to start is GA Posonsby’s excellent book…
http://londoncallingbook.com
GAP – you are going to need a volume 2…
On Carmicheal staying on as an MP?
I am fine with that as it will mean that the Lib-Dems will be totally wiped out in a Scotland in SE16.
I like the irony of that – No Lib-Dems even under their favoured PR voting system – Karma.
[…] Alistair Carmichael on Channel 4 News a few weeks ago: Now at least we know why he was struggling to keep a straight face. Here's what we now know: 1. A civil servant (still unnamed) in the Scotlan… […]
It’s quite staggering that, even with such an open and shut case, there are still people in Labour and the MSM who try to find an anti-SNP angle in this. They really haven’t learnt a single thing from the mauling Scotland gave them on May 7th.
(And I include the MSM there, because the result was one big “fuck you” to them as well.)
Well, we’ve got Cameron as PM whether Nicola wanted that or not. Let’s hope the pundits who say this is good for the independencencause turn out to be right.
This just to cheer folk up while we wait for Carmichael’s inevitable resignation:
“And now, welcome Ed Miliband, the next prime minister of England!”
Delia Smith, cook, writer, latter days of the general election.
link to grousebeater.wordpress.com
The Independent (needs to rename itself) is following the Torygraph in its reporting:
Nicola Sturgeon did want David Cameron to win the general election, report concludes.
Thanks, Stu, for pulling these facts together for us.
I hope he will be forced to go either due to strength of public opinion or a possible Court action against him.
What he did was fraudulent.
We deserve better than this lying, slimy so and so in public office in Scotland.
oh what a tangled web we weave
If it wasnt so serious it would be hysterical its like something out of a badly made soap opera,great work Rev spot on once again.
He has got to go he has made a complete fool of himself and is a proven liar if not worse ,if he stays he must be dragged before the Scottish parliament not westminster as he has many questions that need to be answered,he has disgraced the position of an elected representative of Scotland.
So to all of Carmichael’s constituents if you are attending court soon then remember it is okay to ‘LIE’. This is also consensus of Lib DemRats party as no discipline required to be given to lying Toad ( no offence to Toads ).
Obviously Lib DemRats not reflecting on catastrophic defeat at election , business as usual ,media ( with exception of Sunday Herald & The National) will do best to supress this as the name of the game is always SNPBAD.
Fortunately mud sticks and every time I see this Toad ( no offence to Toads ) I will remember what a lying pathetic excuse he is for a politician and what a shit party the Lib DemRats are. No morals , empty promises, broken pledges ( Tuition fees ) and will do anything for power and to cap it all they put a Ferret ( no offence to Ferrets ) in charge of their party at Holyrood.
The silence from the political masses who flocked to comment when this smear first broke is a testament to their utter contempt for the public. Assume Scottish Labour too busy reflecting how they can con Scottish people for 2016 elections. Well if Scottish Labour do not condemn Toad ( no offence to Toads ) face and state Toad ( no offence to Toads ) face should go then it would appear it is also business as usual for them.
Memo to Scottish Labour : Scottish people not playing your games this year or next year.So copy and paste that into your manifesto or fiasco.
Memo to Lib DemRats : Shame on you and get to F**K out of politics Scotland does not need or want any more of your shit policies or politicians .
On simple moral grounds, Carmichael should resign, but if he doesn’t, then there is one great advantage for the SNP and the wider independence movement.
For 5 years the unionist Lib Dems were tainted and eventually electorally crippled by, amongst other things, their lies about tuition fees. For the next 5 years, Carmichael will be a living, physical symbol of Lib Dem lies and lack of principles. His presence will be a gift to anyone looking to attack them.
From a pragmatic viewpoint, the probable loss of his seat would surely be a cost worth bearing by the LDs to avoid further damage in the UK and possible destruction in Scotland.
If you are a LD member, how demoralising will it be knowing that you are going to have to continually defend your leadership’s decision to take no action against someone publically known as a brazen liar. And all the while, you know that he will be picking up £70K+ and expenses a year for the next 5 years.
It’s a ‘no brainer’ in my book.
The Smear Hunter aka The Orcadian Candidate
Should do the Right Thing
I personally like Orkney Smoked Cheddar and a wee dram of Highland Park but this sorry episode has flavoured them,left a very bad taste.
I feel for the people of O&S they played no part in this International Scandal,but are now stuck with this fly man,let’s hope they show their disapproval as he collects his Wages of Shame.
Can the F.M. sue Carmichael for defamation of character? I am sure that telling absolute lies, when he knew the truth of the matter, and allowing them to be printed breaks so me sort of law.
If he cannot be prosecuted then the least he can do is resign, after all it cost the tax-payers over a million pounds for an inquiry that was not needed plus, and most importantly, he brought the integrity of the F.M. into question.
Grouse Beater at 2.02pm re Carmichael’s “inevitable resignation”.
As much as I want that to be the case some people lie and cheat their way through life and continually get away with it.
Sadly, it appears to be all too common in public life i.e. cash for questions, expenses scandals and, of course, more sickening allegations such as paedophilia.
Depressing.
Now this is how you do journalism
Evidence..Accuracy..and more importantly Truth presented in the correct manner
And the MSM have the temerity to deride this site
Superb job, Rev Stuart Campbell
If this memo leak was orchestrated by the Cabinet office PR machine, then all the Unionist papers and politicians would be notified instantly. Like Better Together all over again.
Anyone who got a call from Tory HQ about this leak, would have no reason to verify. They would immediately go on the attack as Stu so vividly presents above.
The explanation lies in two words – Propaganda War.
It started in 2012 and is still ongoing. Scotland, the Holyrood Parliament, and the SNP, Nicola in particular, are the primary targets for the bombardment. The objective is to destroy the Independence movement and to restore the Unionist parties to power. That is the only way that Westminster and the British Establishment can secure Scotland’s vital revenues and resources.
This a fight to the death. Either the Union dies or Independence for Scotland dies.
Have you ever felt sympathy for the poor people in foreign lands who have had to endure conflict and upheaval sometimes for decades? Well Scotland is now one of them. A bit O/T? A bit dramatic?
Scotland was divided between Yes and No. Between those who were awake and those who were asleep. The division now is between those who trust the Scottish Government and those who trust the British Government.
It’s a choice between Nicola and Alistair Carmichael – for there are many, many more just like him.
[…] On public record […]
It was a bit of fun watching the Labour MP’s deleting their tweets when the story did not go the way they had hope. The electorate then went and deleted them instead.
– up to the constituents to pull him down through a concerted campaign of non-co-operation and petitioning. They voted him in, they can vote him out.
to hell with him.
£1.4m? wtf? I’d have done it for living expenses.
This is really slacking off now. Just over 8,000. Disappointing.
link to change.org?
Worth watching alone for the grin at the end.
Rev,
Once again an immaculate piece of investigatory journalism on your part. So clearly and concisely laid out for all to understand the event as they happened.
Good on you.
If only the MSM would emulate your professionalism.
I see that AC shares a Lerwick office with Tavish Scot. If he does the honourable thing (aye, right) he’ll not be dumping all of his staff. He will enforce a pay cut on some of them though, I reckon.
Hope he’s really proud of himself.
I suspect Carmichael will try to brazen it out. However the SNP will have control of the Scottish Affairs select committee whose remit includes the Scottish Office so can kepep the pressure on. They will also have a question at Scottish Questions. If any SNP MP wins a private member’s bill they might want to consider a “recall” bill since I suspect this previous Libdem proposal (irony much) won’t be in the Queen’s speech.
@revstu
“costs have been reported at £1.4m by one English Labour MP quoting a “usually reliable source”
The MP was born in Cardiff and represents Newport. He’s not English though he is Labour – good to know some of them still have principles.
link to bbc.co.uk
link to bbc.co.uk
link to blogs.spectator.co.uk
Strange how James Cook, in his coverage of the story today on BBC website, didn’t reference back to either his deplorable interview with FM on 4 April, or his subsequent bleating about being hounded on twitter.
What a difference a day makes!
My personal view is that his sorry arse should be dragged to court, that if found guilty he pays all the costs, including public ones
Further he is,in addition, an Officer of the Court, and now that his integrity is in question,there rises the suitability of him being a Member of the Law Society, and that’s before going near his prosecutions as a Fiscal
Oh and fling in a public flogging Or am I being unreasonable?
Why is Carmichael sitting by the sea with the tide apparently coming in?
Insert own metaphor here!
In the case of this lying liar, two quotations come to mind
Crime, once exposed, has no refuge but audacity.
L’audace, encore l’audace, toujours l’audace!
He will stay on.
Clear breaches of electoral laws and not just the abuse of power as far as I am concerned and what a week it has been with the kiddy fiddler revelations earlier in the week as well. Corrupt sleazy rotten broken Britannia, still cant believe that folk were suckered into voting No.
Was it true that Shetland voted to ditch him but his corrupt arse was saved by the Orkney vote? If so then there is clearly a problem in Orkney. Can anybody who was at that count confirm either way?
@Dr Jim,
fully agree with that – Rev Stu is the best journalist in the British Isles by miles.
Concise, accurate reporting of the truth.
No wonder the MSM do not like him.
Thanks again Rev Stu.
Have tonight off and watch Eurovision Song Contest.
Then compare notes with James Kelly . I always wondered what the “pop” was all about.
I sincerely hope that either the First Minister herself, or perhaps her very able deputy Stewart Hosie, will now directly challenge The Telegraph and Independent to retract their continuing misreporting of the actual finding of the Heywood inquiry.
The substance of the leaked memo has been admitted as a deliberate lie by the perpetrator himself, Carmichael. So how can the Telegraph continue to perpetuate the lie by implication and weasel words in their coverage? Mind you, any rag which employs the likes of Cochrane and Johnson, can hardly be expected to print anything factual or balanced about either the SNP or its excellent leader.
Of course he won’t resign – and the poor folks of Orkney and Shetland will be stuck with a laughing stock dead duck of an MP.
But that is only half the story as your page shot tweets show – there were many who didn’t think twice about jumping on the bandwagon to do down the democratically elected First Minster of a national parliament.
They are as guilty and as culpable as Carmichael of undermining the democratic process.
We must NEVER forget that – and never let any of them forget.
And Nicola should start by calling Rennie and Dugdale out at FMQs this coming week.
As I understand it, Carmichael is no longer on the legal roll as a solicitor. Good job really otherwise he’d be in the same boat as Darling- he had to stand down from law or face prosecution.
Marcia -I do like your one line posts-always succinct & usually cutting too. Keep it up 🙂
link to twitter.com Its pretty quite out there in teamGB media land and from this dude in particular. Its an odd way to conduct yourself professionally, having piled in to Sturgeon with a camera crew back in April, bursting with teamGB newsiness. Maybe off for a weekend bank holiday as opposed to that faithful April Saturday afternoon in Glasgow .
link to youtube.com
Text book BBC Scotland monstering starts at approx 2mins in, “what exactly are you accusing people of here?”
No doubt Carmichael is getting exact impartial unbiased questioning from the greatest public broadcaster the world has ever seen.
Lollysmum
Merci – I hate typing!
A of of tweets there from ex MPs
Carmichael can consider himself fortunate he isn’t amongst them
If we let Carmichael get away with this, then we will have failed our children.
One for Lesley-Anne and Morag to digest, and anyone else in DCT constituency
Stands to reason he knew, easy to assume the blame being hurled at Carmichael with such force is to deflect from fluffy
link to derekbateman.co.uk
Derek Bateman on what Mundell’s role. How credible is it that he knew nothing? Is he being protected? Is Mundell, Carmichael’s bargaining chip? This story has a legs to go a lot further than it’s gone so far.
So Big All’s finally owned up to his fibbing. It just shows how far down the Libs have come when they support an outright liar. At least Clegg had an excuse of sorts but Carmichael smells of sh-t!. What of Mundell’s role in this?. The two of them shared an office. Are we to believe that Big Al and his secretary kept this from Mundell, considering the lie involved a foriegn Diplomat and could have, may yet do, consequences for relations with one of our allies, France. That should be fully investigated too.
Ian Brotherhood
there are 3 petitions running, on 38 it’s 6500.
Also out there and available on-line on the Shetland Times website of 2010 vintage – serious students may wish to follow the link:
“The right to freedom of speech is a fundamental one but it does bring a responsibility with it to tell the truth. The right to smear an opponent is not one we should be defending.
Alistair Carmichael MP”
link to shetlandtimes.co.uk
I really want to promote a crowd fund to take some these people to court!
For pity sake the country’s democracy has been compromised and we have proof that there are no English journalist or editors who
are interested in presenting the facts of the matter after conducting a full and fair investigation.
Truth and Justice in the UK media has been dashed on the rocks of lies deceit, and injustice.
Freedom of the press I 100% believe in, right up to when its purpose is to deceive the general public about the machinations of the UK elite.
The Telegraph and the Daily Mail should have no right to run the French Gate story with consulting the 3 parties concerned.
When all 3 participants agreed that the story was completely unfounded, the papers refused to accept it, and continues to frame the story as “Sturgeon still denies that this did happen”.
I too recall the French representatives, who have no history or reason to lie, having never operated at Westminster, refuted the story in perfect English.
I want, and expect, the head of any “Civil Servant” who does not understand plain English. Nothing was lost in any translation.
Anyone making this claim must be sacked, imprisoned and lose all pension rights, to ensure future episodes are never repeated.
Even after the chief instigator, Carmichael, has fully admitted that the whole situation was fabricated to skew a free and democratic election, we still see Johnny English in the “Spectator” still insisting that the story is true? Unbelievable!
The Westminster elite are now taking us into a territory where both hands in the till, the takings in your pocket, eye witnesses and video evidence would see a criminal attain a Not Proven verdict.
Our Language, Democracy, Decency, and our Objective to live in a fair and just society is being systematically destroyed by this cabal of subterfuge.
We must take them to court one by one. sue the life out of them
and make them squeal on the terrorists who sponsor their actions.
There’s a stink coming from the civil service.
If, as Heywood claims, after speaking with his colleagues, YUCS (Yet Unnamed Civil Servant) has a reputation for reliability, how did he get it so wrong?
Was it deliberate on his part, or was he just a teensy bit tired.
And who is he writing the memo for?
Sexed-up memo.
It’s worth remembering this from Alistair Carmichael’s letter to the First Minister:- “The details of the account are not correct.”
Isn’t it wonderful how the media have totally underestimated the seriousness of this incident. This man has undermined the position of Secretary of Estate for Scotland with his actions. He deliberately employed a dirty tricks campaign in an effort to smear the First Minister and gain advantage in the election.
In doing so, he insulted a French Ambassador and Consul General. He authorised the release of a Classified document (not his remit) to a national newspaper, the contents of which were incorrect.
He lied about his knowledge of the ‘memo’ to the electorate and his peers, whilst an enquiry was being carried out to find the culprit. Said enquiry is to cost the taxpayer in the region of 1.4 Million.
Compare with the case of William McNeilly who sits in a military jail. His crime? To tell the truth (He did not breach the official secrets act as Carmichael did).
Should Carmichael resign? Any of his peers who think he is still fit to hold office, need to take a long hard look at themselves in the mirror. No doubt that will be most of them.
Ian Brotherhood says:
23 May, 2015 at 2:34 pm
This is really slacking off now. Just over 8,000. Disappointing.
link to change.org?
Ian, I had a rant about this earlier!
The Wings site is quite magnificent with clear factual evidence to the forefront of every story and generally followed with informative posts and discussions.
Rev Stu, I would really like to see you spend a little on advertising your site. I still can’t believe it when internet users proclaim never to have heard or benefited from it.
Even if I was an English Tory Millionaire, I feel certain that I’d be captivated by the reality behind UK politics and the media
There is nothing else with this degree of integrity in the UK.
Last Rant before the Motorway:
The “Change” Petition will likely have 10,000 signatures by the end of the day. For such a heinous crime, how does this compare to the 1,000,000 plus signatures supporting Jeremy Clarkston’s right to punch people in the face when he does’t get a hot meal at lunch time?
Is this a sign of what the media has made of the average UK citizen?
Help me Rhona, I think not
I’ve been reading excerpts from G A Ponsonby’s book “London Calling. How the BBC Stole the Referendum”. You can sample it on Amzon Kindle.
The lying, smearing and misinformation clearly has been part of the media’s remit for decades. He tells us that John Birt advised Tony Blair against creating a Scottish Six news programme because it would “encourage sparatist tendencies”.
In 2007 Blair McDougall warned then SoSfS Des Browne against allowing BBC Scotland “to create an evening news programme that would have presented events home and abroad from a Scottish perspective.”
A good read (if you don’t have high blood pressure).
link to londoncallingbook.com
O/T Rats in a sack time at Labour (branch) leader contest. Ken Macintosh’s accusation that the ‘party machine’ is bullying and intimidating his supporters, denied by Brian Roy, then Macintosh denies he has withdrawn his accusations:
Scottish Labour general secretary Brian Roy said: “I have spoken to Ken Macintosh and he has withdrawn his allegations about the party. The leadership contest in Scotland will be conducted fairly and openly.”
In response, Mr Macintosh said: “I am not withdrawing anything. I clarified with Brian [Roy] that the allegations are not against party staff, but against the machine politics which have too much influence in the Labour Party.”
He hammers home his insistence in the same article:
“All the people that have been trying to support me, the party machine has turned on them, and they are being put under incredible pressure to withdraw their support. They are being bullied and being intimidated and pressurised not to support me so we don’t have a contest.
“I wouldn’t even have put my head above the parapet if I didn’t know I had that support.”
Ironic eh? The ‘party machine’ reeks of McTernan, imv, therefore Jim Murphy’s best pal Ken Macintosh is now at the mercy of McTernan’s bile. You could not make this sh** up!
Reported by BBC:
link to archive.is
(Good stuff Stu, keep on chasing the bastard. He’ll be gone by Monday, imo) 😉
A great piece by Derek Bateman today which opens the lid on possible further complications inside the Scottish Office.
link to derekbateman.co.uk
How implicated is David Mundell?
I well remember the Saturday morning of Memogate. Many were quickly out of their traps to pour media fuel on what they hoped would be the First Ministers funeral pyre. All the usual cast took part including the pathetic Milliband.
Special attention however,falls on one today due to his extremely close ties to Carmichael. As Willie Rennie waxed lyrical to the cameras that day what did he know? There is little room for manoeuvre for Willie. Either he was left in the dark and taken for a complete fool by a close party colleague or he was party to the scam. Few would be surprised if it was the former but the point is we need to know. The Lib Dems refusal to initiate disciplinary proceedings or mount any inquiry is clearly unsustainable.
Mr Rennies already limited time will get very uncomfortable without clarity!
Posted this late last night, and doing so again for those who may enjoy seeing Carmichael doing the ‘day job’, i.e. polishing soundbites with the assistance of a sympathetic film crew.
NB the director, right at the end, asking him if he can do ‘the walk of shame’. No probs for Fozzy, the old pro. Looks like he could be doing it for real pretty soon…
link to youtube.com
Establishment party members can do what they like – the partisan media has their back
I like the sound of 57 SNP mp’s rather than 56, and if Mundell had knowledge or coluded with Carmichael in covering up this scandal, the sound of 58 SNP mp’s is even better.
Its some small satifaction that each of the Labour worthies mentioned above and all but one Lib dem had their arses collectively handed to them on a plate on May 7th for their actions. However as Derek Bateman posits on his own blog, is it inconceivable that Mundell was kept out of the loop for so long in an office he shared with Carmichael?
This wee conspiracy hasn’t just stained the Scotland office and the post of SoSfS, IMO it has totally compromised both the position and the office. We’re supposed to clear any devolution proposals through this office before submission to Westminster FFS and Mundell is now SoS and Dunlop his 2IC? We’re to trust that this office will deal fairly with any SG representation when it actively sought to undermine and defame our First Minister?
I don’t think so. Scrap it and have Holyrood deal directly with Westminster. We want the organ grinder from now on, not the monkeys.
I think it would be just, to have the inquiry bill be sent to Carmichael himself. Why should we, or anyone, have to pay to find out about his lies when he could, have just admitted it was a fabrication?
The Libdem decision to take no action demonstrates yet again we are looking at a party incapable of any other action than stabbing at that self-destruct button.
I suggested some time ago in these columns and somebody else suggested something similar yesterday that legislation be passed to the effect that any politician, political apparatchik, journalist or contributing freelance be subjected to something akin to the laws an d penalties regarding perjury in court under oath should they be found to have deliberately lied.
What would be required is for any of the above on taking office or employment by a political party or member of the media to sign a document similar to The Official Secrets Act which would render them liable to prosecution should they tell a lie or lies. Signing said document would be the equivalent of taking the oath in court.
As regards MPs it might also be an idea, after witnessing this week’s Commons Swearing in, to add to the Oath of Loyalty a committment to speak The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nothing But The Truth.
If any of the 56 are successful in the draw for Private Members Bills can I suggest something along the lines of the above.
It could be a masterstroke as anybody speaking against it would leave themselves immediately guilty of arguing for the right to lie.
If such legislation were to be passed and more importantly strictly enforced it would go a long way to cleaning up the ethical quagmire that is WM and the MSM.
On the subject of Willie Rennie, remember he was one of the loudest voices leading the hounding out of the SNP MSP (who also was under no obligation to resign). Different circumstances, of course, but the principle remains the same – bad characters have no place in public service.
Here’s another one, where Carmichael delivers a masterclass in arrogance before a Holyrood committee. Worth watching to the end, where he all-but gives them two-fingers before leaving. Pompous prick.
link to youtube.com
To be sung at the Scottish Cup Final next week.
(If any wingers are going)
There’s only one carbuncle,
only one carbuncle,
with his nose in the trough,
and on the gravy train,
carbuncles gone and PISHED himself again.
(To the tune of winter wonderland)
Just out of interest, according to his Wikipedia entry,Alastair Carmichael speaks fluent French, just thought you’d like to know.
We’ve had 18months of smears and deceit from Unionists aimed usually at the SNP, sometimes at their supporters, and just as often at Scotland in general.
Their transgressions have been an afront to democracy and indeed, a national disgrace
You can’t say they got off with it … the General Election dealt out justice to many.
Beyond sacking via the ballot box, a firm message needs to be sent if anti-democracy activities become a matter of law breaking. If this has happened, then perhaps the time may have come to make an example. There has to be limits to just how far they can go to subvert democracy and get away with it. And, the more charlatans who can be implicated, the better.
.
Anyone remember Watergate ? : )
As the role of SoSfS and the Scotland Office has been completely discredited is now not the time to close the department down and simply transfer any essential functions, if any exist, to the Foreign Office? A move like this will simply save time later on.
That’s a killer find Des.
@ proudscot ”says I sincerely hope that either the First Minister herself, or perhaps her very able deputy Stewart Hosie, will now directly challenge The Telegraph and Independent to retract their continuing misreporting of the actual finding of the Heywood inquiry.
The substance of the leaked memo has been admitted as a deliberate lie by the perpetrator himself, Carmichael. So how can the Telegraph continue to perpetuate the lie by implication and weasel words in their coverage?”
Proudscot I totally agree with you and wonder if Nicola Sturgeon could have them sued for libel / defamation of character?
If my dishonesty had cost the government £1.4 million I’d be arrested. Why is Carmichael still walking about?
As per usual, seems to be one law for them, another for us.
@IanB, Condescending patronising prick more like. I recall watching that at the time, and had the exact same visceral response as re watching. He didn’t like it one bit when his rather ‘open’ civil servant was clearly co operating in a manner befitting the committee’s questioning: honestly and forthcoming.
Carmichael became increasingly uncomfortable during his colleagues answers: if you just watch Carmichael closely, he doesn’t know where to look, a man not at ease. Disgraceful behaviour, these people really ‘buy’ into their own hype because they have a ‘titled’ position, add a little ‘en’ at the beginning and therein lies the problem, egocentric doesn’t even cover it.
Sick of this hierarchy bullshit!
I remember being on political betting when one poster said that Andrew Neil had tweeted that a story was going to break in the Telegraph at 10 that night. That was at least an hour before hand. It was clearly orchestrated. The BBC and Hootsman were ready to give it a shit stir as well.
Oh and Political Betting is run by a Fib Doom as well. Just saying like.
Excellent work as ever, Rev.
I don’t do twitter so apologies if I’ve got this wrong but, am I right in saying that, of all the tweets you list above, the earliest to appear on the evening of 3 April was from the account of none other than D. Alexander, followed 10 mins later by M. Curran? All the rest then had to play catch-up.
Anybody care to hazard a guess as to why he should be first on the crime scene?
(Or did somebody beat him to it?)
yours, Sherlock Boab
Carmichael gives up his severance package
Guilty man determines his own punishment
If this fat tub or lying lard is still in office by next week a vote of no confidence must be pit forward by the SNP in Westminster.
Damn auto correct
Pretty sure if Labour or the Tories thought they had a chance of winning the seat they’d be all over this. Since it would probably go to the SNP they’re keeping quiet.
I tink the oroginal memo was recorded accurately – until doctored by Mundell or Carmichael.
The false allegations are additions to the end of the original
This whole incident, together with what has gone before (eg expenses etc) just shows that Westminster has fully earned its title as the Mother of All Cesspits.
The Rev, in his time-honoured, typical, forensic style, has analysed the facts and laid them out perfectly for all to comprehend.
The MSM need not do any work. It is all there for them on a plate. They have no excuse for ignoring this, not even laziness. But they obey their imperial masters and look the other way. The name of Wings is not permitted to appear in any of their “organs” unless it is being slagged off.
Shame on the lot of them and particular shame for their craven failure to publicise the fact that there is something rotten at the heart of the Scottish Office and Westminster.
Carmichael must go and, if he is playing the part of a Blue-Panda-shield, the role of others in this sordid little story must be investigated and exposed.
Why doesn’t he just go. It’s only a matter of time now. What an odious individual.
I see the SNP have got the Chairs of the Scottish Select Committee and the Energy and Climate Change one.
I think that is about as good as we could have hoped for 🙂
Alistair ‘Poo-Storm’ Carmichael caught smearing his dirt; but don’t worry too much folks, as you can see he was on his way out when he released his bomb 🙂
link to youtube.com
I have just remembered this attempted smear took place just after the first debate in which Nicola was receiveing rave reviews for her performance.
I remember quite a few of us speculated it was because of her performance that the so-called memo was leaked and that the memo was actually not supposed to be used until the week-end before the election to try and do maximum damage to the First Minster and the SNP party.
So who decided to pull the trigger early ?
Latest reporting of Carmichael fiasco by the BBC:
Thought this little snippet was interesting as it’s the first I’ve seen the memo being described as ‘written by a civil servant in the Scotland office’:
It seems to me that this implicitly states ‘fabrication’. Am I incorrect in this perception?
‘The confidential memo was published by the Daily Telegraph on 3 April as the general election campaign got under way.
It was written by a civil servant in the Scotland Office and claimed Ms Sturgeon told the French Ambassador to the UK, Sylvie Bermann, that she would prefer Mr Cameron, the leader of the Conservatives, to remain as prime minister.’
link to archive.is
But..
In the original Telegraph article (3rd April), it is made clear that the ‘memo’ was an official UK government document:
‘The Telegraph has seen the official British Government memorandum which includes details of a private meeting between Miss Sturgeon and Sylvie Bermann, the French Ambassador to the UK.’
link to archive.is
And again on the 4th April, the telegraph emphasises exactly who wrote the memo:
‘The document, which was circulated to officials in Whitehall and Edinburgh, was compiled by an experienced UK civil servant immediately after talking by telephone to Pierre-Alain Coiffinier, the French consul-general in Edinburgh, who had been present at Sylvie Bermann’s meetings with the Scottish ministers’
link to archive.is
So which is it? Was the ‘memo’ written by an ‘experienced UK civil servant’ as the Telegraph states?
Or
‘Written by a civil servant in the Scotland Office’ as the BBC now states?
Like the rest of us, I get perplexed to the point of illness when the likes of this useless fool lie to their “own” people, and the ebc glosses over their guilt.
However, I’m heartened in the knowledge that the Scottish public are not being conned as they think; 56 mps, soon 57, is the proof.
Maybe we get too carried away with uk msm, and place too much importance on their lies and half-truths. The English public may not be too far behind us in seeing through them all.
The LibDums still owe £800,000 for policing their conference, and now they have wasted another £1.4 million, of tax payers’ money. Ronnie Biggs got hounded by the “establishment” for most of his life, for a crime less serious than this.
It is time we stopped accepting the “one rule for them, and one rule for us”.
As tax payers we have the responsibility to enforce our democratic right to bring ANY politician to justice. We vote for them, we pay their wages, and we expect them to behave with honesty, integrity and common decency.
It is time the electorate grew a BIG PAIR OF BALLS and took on the “establishment”.
A wee sidenote to the contortions of the right-wing media and politicians loathe to admit they were complicit in all of this.
First headline I saw this morning was the Daily Mail’s “LibDem leak minister to give up £17k” (or words to that effect). The gist was he was doing the noble thing.
Can you imagine if the shoe had been on the other foot – days of screaming headlines saying SNP minister LIED and WASTED £1.4m of TAXPAYER’S MONEY, etc., etc. Column inches and MSM airtime comparable to, say, the royal baby with endless op-eds on how this proved the perfidiousness of the Nats, Sturgeon BRAZENING it out, blah, blah, ad nausem.
Next week it’s back to SNP MPs “acting like children” in the Commons and HYPOCRISY!!! if anyone with an accent north of Carlisle so much as expresses an opinion on fox-hunting.
Uncharacteristically naive, Rev. Story is: fat Tory boy does bad thing. And you think something might happen about it?
Oh look, there’s a squirrel!
When I spotted that The Telegraph had decided not to offer a retraction or an apology, I thought I’d do them a favour and do the job for them.
Seeing as how their story reporting the results of the official inquiry allowed no comments, I decided to post my correction on one of their regular “Salmond Accused…” stories instead and, in doing so, admonish their “journalists” for failing to verify their original story and offer Nicola Sturgeon an opportunity to respond.
Unsurpisingly my comments were deleted within minutes by their mods. That’s free speech for you!
Oh this is just too good not share
Please note the date of this letter
link to shetlandtimes.co.uk
@Craig, 6.46, good find! Further proof, if needed, that Carbuncle is a lying hypocrite of considerable proportions, just like his girth.
Craig – Now that is funny, I love the last sentence – well found sir!
@Craig, archived jist incase 😉
link to archive.is
I thought the man was a lot of things, but such a brazen liar? He has to go, his position is untenable.
Carmichael Caught Out: link to vid.me
Craig 6.46
Excellent work!
@Craig
Oh Jeez, what a stunner. 😀
Great find Craig.
People have mentioned Watergate. But this definitely does have ‘shades of’!
Who else knew?
How high did it go?
Did it go all the way to the top?
@Craig
Kudos.
Craig.
That is marvellous. It will be quoted for years to come.
I hope there is some way of ensuring Nicola gets this. Pure Holyrood gold!
Well done Craig, it’s all over for the lying hypocrite now.
K1 @ 6.24pm
In answer to your question: A senior UK civil servant and a civil servant at the Scotland Office are one and the same.
The Scotland Office is a UK (Westminster) government department, it is Westminster rather than Holyrood-controlled. The lead definitely came from Westminster, even if the guilty civil servant was based in their Edinburgh branch office.
Mind you, if the msm’s well-tried and tested efforts to bury this story fails, and if the guilty man was Edinburgh-based, you can bet the English papers will start to play-up the Edinburgh angle, in an effort to try to divert the blame from the Westminster department to the Scottish government.
@ DrEw you don’t have to wait till next week. The DM online has this sickening headline today:
‘Invasion of the McManiacs: Boorish, boozy, picking fights… Even Nicola Sturgeon’s alarmed by the Commons antics of the SNP’s yob MPs’
What is worse is the comments below. Especially the ones from ‘proud buts’ saying how embarrassed they are by the SNP MPs. The MSM have really done a good job on the English readership and I’m afraid I can’t see them seeing through the lies any time soon as Woosie hoped.
@ Craig that is beezer. HOC Tea Room, tee hee.
Goodness when you see all those comments together…….
Makes you glad Scotland voted no and upheld all those Great British values
These Lib Dems do love a good lie
Joking aside I am really very angry about this. When it broke it was all over the news every news channel for days. Disgrace that these chunderheads cannae apologise for being wrong.
Grumpy
Regarding Carmichael’s dishonesty during the election, some might find this analysis useful;
link to lallandspeatworrier.blogspot.co.uk
Meanwhile congratulations to the country of Ireland, voting today to provide equality of marriage for gay people. Meanwhile in religious Bigotland N.Ireland to the North, the people must look on in shame. Jeezo N.Ireland, how about dragging yourself into the 21st freaking century.
Great news on Eurovision night 🙂
We all agree that much wrong doing was done by UK PLC but we alone and I mean Scotland, cannot and will not get much traction out of this.
lets be French for a moment. The ambassador or Consul General could through their own government make a formal complaint.
Now the French president could hold this over the head of Cameron in Latvia this weekend.
Gives the French a bargaining chip they did not have before.
Just a thought
If the good people of Orkney and Shetland don’t chase Carmichael from power, then we will all be on the wrong side of history.
@Robert Louis
Couldn’t agree more.
Well done Ireland. 🙂
Great news on Eurovision night
What in the name of a thousand fucks was that pish from the ‘UK’ neel pwan
Is there any way of finding out how the cost of the inquiry was reached? I assume the taxpayer foots the bill, but where does the money actually go? It doesn’t seem like good value for money. Other than the entertainment value that is.
Change-org petition now at 8853.
If folk are settling in for the evening, good time for SNP members in particular to get busy – if only, what, approximately 15% of the actual SNP membership can be bothered signing any of the petitions on the go, MSM can use that stat to further play-down the magnitude of this scandal.
As Derek Bateman and others have suggested, this could go much further, and may implicate Mundell. The removal of the last Tory in Scotland would be sweet, but for there to be any chance of that Carmichael has to go first. These petitions won’t achieve that, but they can help raise awareness and keep the wrath warm – the higher the numbers, the more embarrassing it becomes when the MSM ignores them.
Please pass this link to everyone you know, especially if you have access to branch membership lists. We’re pushing at an open door, but not hard enough.
link to change.org?
DrEw you don’t have to wait till next week. The DM online has this sickening headline today:
‘Invasion of the McManiacs: Boorish, boozy, picking fights… Even Nicola Sturgeon’s alarmed by the Commons antics of the SNP’s yob MPs’
Can anyone explain why Nicola/SNP don’t sue?
Surely any civilised society would demand that they have “proof”of Nicola making these comments, or they remain silent.
If not, £4,000,000 should cover the compensation for this week’s
defamation of character.
Thomas Cook picked up £3.5 million compensation for damage done to their brand. Can anyone reasonably suggest that damage done to a Nation’s democratically elected members and their party is in any way less serious and due any less of a compensation package?
We Must, Must challenge these vipers in court and take them for every penny they have. The rate of slanderous comments across every media outlet should see any black hole in Scotland’s finance filled within 12 months!
Fiona,
“Most of government accounting is made up. No money changes hands at all”
“Still haven’t seen any evidence of any money being spent at all.”
Have you stopped flogging your dead horse now after being at it all night last night?
A lie a day,
keeps a Minister in pay.
So the experienced civil servant who apparently was otherwise excellent at his job decided that although he doubted the supposed comments by NS decided not to confirm the lost in translation bit. A one minute phone call could have confirmed it.
Carmichael hides behind wearing a different hat, but the man underneath the hat has no honour.
Well done Craig – a wonderful find.
“The right to freedom of speech is a fundamental one but it does bring a responsibility with it to tell the truth. The right to smear an opponent is not one we should be defending.”
Alistair Carmichael MP 12.11.2010 published in the Shetland Times.
This was the Alastair Carmichael the voters of O & S voted for in GE2010. They had a right to know that he had changed his mind by GE15. But Carmichael duped his Constituents by keeping the truth hidden. As so many others have said, including the FM, had his Constituents known of his attempts to smear Nicola and his subsequent lies about his involvement, it is hard to imagine that he would be an MP now. Should he survive, this episode will be a new low water mark in British politics.
Next for enquiry must be Mundell.
Extract from letter to Shetland times 12/11/10
The right to freedom of speech is a fundamental one but it does bring a responsibility with it to tell the truth. The right to smear an opponent is not one we should be defending.
Alistair Carmichael MP
Socrates @7.53, Yes, my partner informed me of this 2 minutes after I posted, and of course I actually know this, I don’t actually know what I was thinking as of course they are one and the same.
I think I was grasping at straws in relation to the much remarked upon difference in ‘tone’ of parts of the memo which may indicate that the ‘memo’ itself was ‘reworked’ by someone in the Scotland Office, before being sent to the Telegraph?
I.E. a different civil servant, not the original civil servant, unfortunately I don’t think the BBC’s article makes it clear as the ‘civil servant’ is not named in this article. I don’t know if the original cs is named in any article?
Perhaps as you say, this, possibly becomes the ‘direction of travel’ if it doesn’t go away.
Anyways, felt mildly embarrassed after sending, but whit can a dae when ah’ve already posted! 🙁
@Doug Daniel
It’s quite staggering that, even with such an open and shut case, there are still people in Labour and the MSM who try to find an anti-SNP angle in this. They really haven’t learnt a single thing from the mauling Scotland gave them on May 7th.
(And I include the MSM there, because the result was one big “fuck you” to them as well.)
Yes, that mirrors what I have been thinking as well. It seems SLAB, the rest of the unionist parties in Scotland, and most of the MSM want to believe the very worst about the SNP, even if it is completely untrue in this case. It is like their reality has become so warped. They see what they believe is the truth through their own demented anti-SNP prism and bitterness. It is a really odd phenomenon. I have difficulty explaining it clearly.
Ian Brotherhood 8.47
I tried to sign yesterday and again today but the site won’t let me.
I make no apologies for lowering the tone, but what happens next over this Carmichael affair, notably around Westminster, will be very telling in respect to the justice, honour and integrity our politicians have just sworn to.
If there is merely a loud shuffling of feet as they close ranks around ‘one of their own’, how, other than the 56 SNP MP’s, can you accept the status quo from that establishment? How can you in all honesty believe in what is being and will be delivered as so-called honest & fair government?
Without satisfactory & appropriate retribution, here at long last will be the truth of the corruption that we’ve always known about, but not quite had the damning evidence presented in such a public way.
Social media’s a killer eh, Mr Carmichael?
But this isn’t so much seeking vengeance on Carmichael and seeing him resign (although that is a given) this is also about the political fall-out these actions cause.
This is an occasion for Nicola Sturgeon and her agents to not allow this matter to rest in respect of the printed press and the broadcast journalists. It’s time that existing legislation was used appropriately and with force to protect the political process of whatever party, whatever the occasion. Without that protection we end up in a state of mistrust, division and the inevitable conspiracy theorists; and that ultimately leaves us in a very skewed and irritated state of affairs.
Already the talk is “was the GE2015 in Scotland compromised?”…and so it begins.
And if anything, Carmichael should be forced to make amends for the flagrant waste of public funds and be asked to repay under ‘Proceeds of Crime’ in so far as he has been richly rewarded as a politician.
In its simplest form; Carmichael’s deception and the resulting costly inquiry was theft; theft from the squeezed public purse. Now if that doesn’t sting most reasoned thinking people, what will?
But on the matter of a politician’s integrity; this leads me to an issue that I find one of the most shocking and so often conveniently forgotten about. Just remember this…
…these politicians at Westminster who we expect ‘to do the right thing’ are the very same people that you are expecting to bring a network of suspected historical & current child rapists to account.
Some of these abusers and rapists are even suspected as coming from within their own community.
These politicians are the people that you are expecting to stand up with all honest sincerity and demand that action is taken to root out the facts of these crimes.
These are the people of whatever political persuasion that you are expecting to possess the appropriate morals, acknowledging that some of our most vulnerable have been abused at the hands of those in power and that these same victims must be protected and/or receive justice.
These are the politicians that you are listening to day-in, day-out pontificating about not leaving the nation’s debts to “our children…our grandchildren…our future generations”. Statements made because we are led to believe in them, that they look out for everyone, especially the young and vulnerable.
Meanwhile, some of the very same children that are “our next generation” have had, and are still suspected of having their lives ruined by predatory sex perverts.
If Carmichael can lie and get away with it, and then be supported by many members from within Westminster; does that give you any faith in any of them to do the right thing on any other issues?
For long enough, Westminster has been an environment of self-protection and entitlement to many of those who mistakenly think that the achievement of gaining a seat on one of the green benches somehow allows them to detach themselves from real society. Many go on to think that merely filling an occasional token constituency appearance will suffice.
An untouchable attitude appears to develop within some of these people whereby they think that they can do no wrong, even if it is blatantly clear for all to see.
Well here we are, here’s an opportunity for Westminster to show itself to the electorate that it has listened to some of the previous criticism, has got its act together and is working in the interests of the people (and no longer for their personal bank balance…Mr Rifkind)
Let’s now hear loudly from the senior political voices as they condemn Carmichael’s actions and further, put into motion new legislation that forthwith, severely punishes all those in positions of power who are proven liars, thieves and frauds.
In the past 24 hours I’ve vented my spleen over the flagrant abuse of public funds, all in the name of an incompetent politician who knew damn well what the truth was and indeed, what the inquiry would most likely determine.
I have seethed over this affair all day, not because of the initial crime, but as mentioned, the anticipation of what is coming next…if anything. I am a born cynic.
I console myself in the knowledge that in today’s society, there is no-where to hide from our online community…and the rest of the world is watching too.
Well done with this. Shows how rotten the whole cabal of the Westminster establishment and media have become in its attempts to retain power and control through fear, smear and corruption of the democratic process.
It also makes you wonder what else they have been up to. We can guess some of it but this is desperate stuff by Carmichael and his cronies.
If he had any honour he would resign. Shame on him.
Mutley it is ‘projection’. They think everyone ‘thinks’ and ‘sees’ the world the way they do. It’s just amazing to see such large scale projection. Quite a ‘phenomenon’: we’re actually fighting against a ‘mirage’ that is being perpetuated at levels unprecedented within our particular ‘culture’. Or, more likely many more have awoken to the ‘reality’ of their (establishment and lackeys) ‘received wisdom’ as being utter ‘pish’!
muttley79 says:
“… unionist parties in Scotland, and most of the MSM want to believe the very worst about the SNP … I have difficulty explaining it clearly.”
It may simply come down to a fear of change.
BritNats I have had personal experience of seem quite irrational about the future we desire.
Anyone actually holding UK is OK views fears that if independence comes their world and role in it might dissolve. It seems to genuinely terrify them. Perhaps those with the greatest personal stakes in the Union believe they have most to lose.
We are excited about life after independence, they just can’t imagine it and any future they might have in it. They perceive the SNP as a huge personal threat.
tammcgarvey,
“Shows how rotten the whole cabal of the Westminster establishment and media have become in its attempts to retain power and control through fear, smear and corruption of the democratic process.”
They have always been as rotten as this.
It is only thanks to the internet, and tireless workers like Stu, that they are being exposed like never before.
Don’t be surprised if the Tories’ draconian “anti terror” laws include measures to censor sites like this “in the public interest”.
Having read the article and the vast majority of comments that follow, I would like to raise a couple of points if I may for discussion:
Does Mr. Carmichael’s statement in the opening seconds of the above video, where he openly states that he will “cooperate fully with Sir Jeremy Heywoods inquiry, BUT it HAS to be Sir Jeremy Heywood’s inquiry”, maybe somehow imply that Mr Heywood himself may have possibly been willing to cover up his misconduct?
If Mr. Mundell, in his role as Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, was privy to the falsification of the ‘document’, would it not be ‘reasonable’ to assume that Mr. Cameron may have also had prior knowledge of the intentions to defame the FM? If so, surely he too has to bear some of the responsibility? If Mr. Cameron had no knowledge of their intentions, and Mundell did, then surely he too should be reprimanded by his party, if not by his constituents, in some way?
With regards to the aforesaid Civil Servant who ‘originally’ wrote the memo: did this person ‘misinterpret’ any other points regarding the FM’s conversation with the French Ambassador, or was it miraculously only the comments pertaining to the FM’s preference of Mr Cameron retaining office that were ‘lost in translation’?
Finally, unrelated to the article/comments but equally niggling, Is it simply coincidence that Mr Mundell’s spouse has the same surname as Mr Carmichael or is there a family connection between them?
Lets enjoy:
link to youtube.com
And my all time favourite, takes me back to my days on the trawlers:
link to youtube.com
Goodnight folks. Take care.
😉
@Grizzle McPuss (9.19) –
Hear hear. Powerful stuff.
@Meindevon –
Invasion of the McManiacs
I looked at it Meindevon and wish I hadn’t, absolutely terrible I honestly have tears of rage. It should be filed under clickbait but the ordinary non-informed person will read this and form a bad opinion of our elected reps and that what makes me so angry. Our MP’s have more integrity than their shitty parliament will ever have known…
link to archive.is
Calm Down Folks!! I am sure the British Media will do the right thing and expose this excuse of a Politician (All be it the last Lib. Dem in SCOTLAND) to do the right thing. Here’s HOPING?
The union dam is really creaking now.
A couple more blows and it will burst.
Some of the truth will out and that will be enough.
Union will be finished by Christmas at this rate.
Then the real work can start.
Here’s a video with loads of tractors in it:
link to youtube.com
“– whose costs have been reported at £1.4m by one English Labour MP quoting a “usually reliable source”, though no official figure is yet available –”
Just a small nitpick but I think Paul Flynn is a Welsh MP not an English one.
Guardian I think is now first to break cover in suggesting by-election likely…it’s moving people. Stewart Hosie is all over this…good man, keep up the pressure.
link to archive.is
Thanks for the warning Croomp. I’m not going near it then. Bastards.
The British establishment will close ranks over Carmichael and will down play any fall out and don’t expect anglocentric BBC Question Time to allow this issue to be raised.
Well worth reading Derek Bateman in to-day’s The National over BBC Question Time’s refusal to acknowledge the changed political balance in the House of Commons.
@Ian Brotherhood
I must have been heard. Front page of the Sunday Herald just issued on Twitter states that there is to be an Ethics probe.
Here’s hoping that the white-wash stays in the tin.
Change.org petition now at 9029.
Picking up a bit, but we need to get to…RAMMING SPEED!:
link to youtube.com
link to change.org?
Carmichael’s admission surprises no-one on here. Nor the obvious collusion of media and BT parties and assorted pimps.
While it is not surprising it is sickening and gut wrenchingly awful that 55% of our electorate voted to sustain our continuing enslavement to the political pantomime known as the UK.
The banks caught out, again, manipulating markets to the tune of millions and no-one is jailed; Clown Prince Charlie doing a PR tour of Ireland,preparing for stepping up to the throne when his maw stops purring permanently ; a naval rating exposes the revolving door security at the nuclear funeral pyre at Coulport and receives detention and msm’s character assassination; a network of paedophiles based in Parliament protected and perverting justice daily.
Democracy is the victim here. Truth and justice are traduced and made a mockery of. The Romans had bread and circuses..we have stale crusts and punch and judy shows. Poverty and masquerades in a theatre of the absurd..Westminster.
I shudder at the thought of our representatives being sent to that palace of mirrors, each image more distorted and ugly than the next. Populated by evil clowns like Boris Johnstone and sociopathic Lord snootys like Cameron and his ilk.
Can they emerge victorious from a moral cesspit full of human vipers?..Only time will tell. All I can dream of is a valid reason to dissolve this oppressive union once and forever.
Croompenstein says:
23 May, 2015 at 10:01 pm
@Meindevon –
Invasion of the McManiacs
“Meanwhile, two fellow MPs, Neil Gray and Douglas Chapman, took ‘selfies’ on the Commons’ green benches, while Mhairi Black, a 20-year-old student who became the youngest MP since the 17th century, posed for a tweeted photo on the Commons terrace.
Black was eating a quintessentially Scottish lunch: chips, bread, and a packet of cola cubes. ‘You can take the girl from Glasgow …”
Quintessentially Scottish lunch is fun. Keep it coming Daily Heil.
Meanwhile, has he gone yet?!
I posted this on the previous thread instead of on here
I would be very surprised if the Tories were not fully aware of this before the event. I can see no compelling reason to suggest Carmichael would have had any motivation to do this on his own.
Had the Con/Libdem alliance survived in power things would be very different.
As it is Carmichael has just been thrown to the wolves to deflect guilt from the rest of them
Ian Brotherhood @10.08
Can’t explain why but enjoyed that so cheers.
Off to watch more eejits on youtube.
Rancid The Guardian FEAR by election now although they don’t say why or what they are so feart of.
link to archive.is
“Some believe Carmichael might try to argue that the investigation should not take place as he was not an MP when the Daily Telegraph published the story on 3 April, as parliament had concluded its five-year term on 30 March. However the cabinet secretary’s inquiries revealed phone calls between Roddin and a Telegraph journalist had taken place on days before publication.”
Panicky bunch. No mention of the lying slob standing back as £1.4 million public money went down the drain either.
“The right to freedom of speech is a fundamental one but it does bring a responsibility with it to tell the truth. The right to smear an opponent is not one we should be defending”.
Alistair Carmichael MP.
A pity Labour’s Ian Murray didn’t subscribe to this when he and his media allies indulged in gutter politics to misrepresent the SNP candidate Neil Hay in Edinburgh South via he Daily Mail and election leaflets.
O/t interesting to contrast the mainstream media’s reaction to Bank of England’s pronouncement over EU and their views on Scottish self determination.
Dave, don’t always agree with you, but good shout.
For anyone who hasn’t seen it, here’s Professor John Robertson’s appearance before the Holyrood committee considering alleged BBC bias.
Reason I’m posting this is that the current stushie re Fozzie will, in the fullness of time, become the subject of various investigations, inquiries etc etc. As and when those events happen – whether or not they are covered by broadcast media – no-one speaking out against perceived pro-union bias should ever be left alone, exposed, as John Robertson was.
Certain members of academia (they know who they are – no need to name them) should be hanging their heads in burning shame at their abandonment of a colleague when he needed all the support he could get – shades of McCarthyism, and all the horrors that entailed for ‘intellectuals’. We would all do well to remember that a common dictionary definition of ‘intellectual’ is ‘a person who uses his or her mind’ – based on that definition, most of us would be affronted not to qualify for such a label.
It is utterly disgusting that not ONE of Prof Robertson’s peers or students summoned the guts to support him – those empty seats behind him speak volumes. When Boothman and his cronies turned up, later, there was, at least, a ‘doughnut’ of support.
Prof. John Robertson:
link to youtube.com
Boothman, McQuarrie et al (who were appearing here after, if memory serves, twice refusing the Scottish government’s request that they attend):
link to youtube.com
We may never get to the bottom of this, but at the very least Carmichael has to fall on his sword.
This will at least make you smile
link to facebook.com
Sunniva says:
23 May, 2015 at 6:01 pm
I tink the oroginal memo was recorded accurately – until doctored by Mundell or Carmichael.
The false allegations are additions to the end of the original
I too have doubts about where the allegations came from. As you say, the memo reads oddly, with two distinct styles. However I would not like to lay to much emphasis on that
What I do think is interesting is that Mr Carmichael, in his apology, now says that he accepts “the details of the account were not correct”.
It is clear from some of the reports in the press that it is perfectly possible to avoid that conclusion on the basis of Heywood’s findings: his report does not unambiguously address that question at all, and the wriggle room is duly exploited.
I am not suggesting that is anything but dishonest on the part of the Telegraph, Independent, and others. My point is that Mr Carmichael does not know anything now that he did not know before.
From the very start all of the participants made it clear that the account was wholly false. In a court of law that is “best evidence” and is given due weight. As Ms Sturgeon said, that should have been the end of the matter so far as the content of the smear was concerned, and for most reasonable people it was. But not for Mr Carmichael and not for sections of the press and politicians with their own agenda.
So on what basis does AC now say it was not correct? I submit that he can only know that if he or his SPAD made it up themselves.
Swnging LibDems.
Rock says:
23 May, 2015 at 9:01 pm
Fiona,
“Most of government accounting is made up. No money changes hands at all”
“Still haven’t seen any evidence of any money being spent at all.”
Have you stopped flogging your dead horse now after being at it all night last night?
Nope. Not had an answer from anyone, anywhere, so far.
I have not “been at it all night”, as you suggest. But it is a legitimate question and if you have any evidence to show that this is real money I am still interested in seeing it. Do you?
This whole episode makes you (if that’s possible) even more sicker over that vote in September.
If Carmichael can hide for a few days and think this will all be forgotten, he is very much mistaken.
I can see no compelling reason to suggest Carmichael would have had any motivation to do this on his own.
@ Dave McEwan Hill
I’m curious about this too.
What is gained about this admission?
It seems that the only genuine option is for Carmichael to leave his post. I can’t see how he might have honestly assumed a letter of apology should suffice.
He knew the fuss this would cause now and whatever sweeteners he has been promised must counter balance his Spring bank holiday embarrassment.
Politics moves at a pace and this storm cloud will pass.
He can’t stay though. What he mistakes as a storm in a teacup is one of the major markers of the climate change that has happened to Scottish politics.
This individual used to have a respected voice, and a significant role. But in some way there was a demotion, not necessarily an effective dismissal but close.
Carmichael is drawing attention to himself because now he has less voice.
Now he has less credibility.
Compound that with how the whole media storm flashed ("Tractor" - Ed)ous betrayal and deceit to those Scots who wish for change more than anything and you begin to understand the insult.
I’ve heard a lot of rebuttal on the radio talking about the cult of personality and how it has ‘infected’ politics. Often used as some dismissive nod explaining SNP and the noisy Scots, as if we all have low intelligence and maybe listened to the news once by mistake and think we have an idea?
What about the personality of individuals ike Carmichael and the horde of twits echoed in the article above?
I see these toxic individuals having a negative impact on our society, THEIR attitude and beliefs are forcing change.
He knows he’s had enough, it’s not the same as it was.
Sometimes I wonder if all this fuss distracts from other stuff?
There was something interesting about big tobacco and seats in the box/ tickets/ holidays and a big bunch of Tory and other MPs this week. I might be wrong but did I hear liberals mentioned?
Stumbled across Nick Clegg ‘ s dignity being auctioned on the Internet. No bids yet.
Slightly O/T
Were we not told last year that if Scotland voted YES, it would not be connected to HS2?
Well Westminster have just announced that Scotland will not get any high speed connection to HS2 – just announced on the Independent on Sunday
This guy was a leading “light” oh dear..and storyteller in the no campaign. Surely the integrity of the whole vote must be brought in to question?
The article in the Independent on Sunday stating that the HS2 rail link will not be extended to Scotland due to ‘no business case’!
No doubt Scotland will be expected to pay for it though
link to archive.is
Carmichael is a floating Sheriff at Hamilton, appointed in Oct. 2013, and as far as I can see, is still on the list. The salary is £123k – but surely he would not be paid that as a floater!!!???
link to scotland-judiciary.org.uk
link to wayback.archive-it.org
Shetland Liberal Democrat MSP Tavish Scott declined to comment.
Doesn’t that speak volumes!
His colleague has been proven beyond doubt to be a corrupt liar,
the Lib Dem Party don’t think that any action should be taken to remove this threat to democracy, and Tavish is now Toast along with his fellow inmates.
Ta Ta Tav! Hold hands with Ali on the way out!
Ian@12:56
I watched this live and thought the prof. handled himself extremely well,honest answers/statements throughout.
I have never met him but if I ever do it’s my round.
Thanks John
A man of impeccable character,we are walking on the shoulders of giants.
Ian@ 10:56
Doh sory prof. 50 lines 🙂
INTERESTING AND IMPORTANT DETAIL ABOUT RECALL OF MP ACT, AND HOW IT MAY BE TRIGGERED IN THE CASE AGAINST ALISTAIR CARMICHAEL. GOOD WORK IN THE FORMAL PROCESS BY STEWART HOSIE
link to theguardian.com
One of the things that I have become aware of over the past couple of years, reading WOS, is that there are contributors to the comments below the line who don’t actually read the whole contribution from Rev Stu before adding their comment, and there are others who do read Rev Stu’s input, then immediately go to the comment box and add their input – without reading the comments that have gone before.
Today has a classic example.
At 3:57 pm, Des posted this:-
Also out there and available on-line on the Shetland Times website of 2010 vintage – serious students may wish to follow the link:
“The right to freedom of speech is a fundamental one but it does bring a responsibility with it to tell the truth. The right to smear an opponent is not one we should be defending.
Alistair Carmichael MP”
link to shetlandtimes.co.uk
That post was TOTALLY ignored by commenters who latched on to Craig’s later post at 6:46 pm, where he typed;
Oh this is just too good not share
and then repeated the link that Des had posted at 3:57 pm three hours earlier!
The reason I don’t post too often on the main pages is that I find that by the time I’ve read all the comments and get down to the comment box, someone has already made the point that I was going to make.
I think it’s only common courtesy that if we feel the need to comment, we should read what others have typed before we add in our tuppence worth.
Please, read before you comment!
End of rant.
Re the Mc maniacs issue , Diane Abbot has tweeted that she is in the HoC with them and that this is a lot of tosh , there is no misbehaving .
@ Al Stuart
In your link the Guardian says that the original memo was written by a foreign office official. That actually fits with my recollection, but I had thought I was wrong because of an earlier discussion here which stated it was written by a Scotland office official. That is also what the OP says in this thread.
Now I would put my money on Rev Stu before the Guardian any day of the week. But this matters to me, because like Sunniva, I am not convinced the memo is the work of one hand, and if it came from the foreign office originally, then an addition from within the Scotland office would explain that part.
Can anyone confirm that the Guardian has just got this wrong? Or is it the case that it originated in the foreign office, with a possible later amendement?
As the SoSfS, and as the MP for Orkney and Shetland for 14 years, you would think that of all people, Mr Carmichael would know a thing or two about Scottish oil and gas which would be of interest and value to the population of Scotland. And yet he very rarely speaks on the subject. I wonder if his propensity for lying has anything to do with his silence on the subject.
Here’s something to consider:
Carmichael said something like “If I was still a government minister, I would consider this a resigning matter”
So is he trying to put some pressure on some people who may have known and who are indeed still government ministers?
If I was a criminal who had been tried or whatever by the proven liar Alistair Carmichael, I’d be contacting my legal representative, looking to lodge an immediate appeal to attempt to have my conviction quashed on the grounds that Carmichaels expose shows my conviction was ‘unsafe’
We must never let the Fat Liar or his Lib Dem cronies forget this.
I have been on to Nick Clegg asking him about his claims to rebuild trust with the voter can be compatible with letting a proven liar remain a Lib Dem MP.
If you have the time or inclination why not try dropping Nick or some other Lib Dem a similar question.
Hi VAl, interesting research about the floating sheriff on £123k, but it isn`t the same Carmichael. The Lib Dem fibber`s real name is “Alexander Morrison Carmichael”. The floating sheriff in Dundee is a totally different person. Would have been an interesting development though.
Meanwhile Westminster village is getting very worried that Carmichael is in real trouble if the Recall of MPs Act goes ahead.
It will just take 10% of Orkney and Shetlanders to be angry enough to sign a petition then it is off the Gravy Train the big disassembled.
Let’s face it. Speaking the truth as a Unionist Party politician is tantamount to signing the death warrant on your political career as things stand. Now I’m sure most Scots don’t believe that politicians are going to be perfect in an Independent Scotland. But by God, they had better be a helluva lot more honest than the Unionist crowd we have at present.
Let the message get out there into unionist political circles – we are sick to the back teeth of being lied to! Anger among the electorate will soon become anger in action. It’s going to happen, because the Tories and the rich have no intention whatsoever of changing their insatiably greedy neo-Liberal ways.
The population of the UK will not suffer another 5 years of austerity at the hands of the uber-wealthy. The social contract between the Government and the electorate is at breaking point. It will not hold for another five years.
A few years back, we were living in interesting times. Now, we’re living in dangerous times.
Brian@1:06
Interesting point of view
For all those reasons and more is why WOS works,people are not afraid of typo’s,changing their posts ‘as to be correct’.
It is truly ‘freedom of speech’,it is for everbody,as and when they like to comment or just read,I’ve learned more on here than anywhere else.
Young,old,politically aware,everdays a school day on here,hope it never changes.
@Des
Posted your quote on FB and its had quite a few shares.
“The right to freedom of speech is a fundamental one but it does bring a responsibility with it to tell the truth. The right to smear an opponent is not one we should be defending.
Alistair Carmichael MP”
Doonthetoon, I take your point about duplicate postings and web link references, but what happens to some of us is having read 160 posts and then taking 10 mins to type on a slow tablet to post ourselves, along with the 10 minute time delay before posts appear can mean accidental duplication. I for one would much prefer mild repetition than to risk missing an important link. To this end here is a reminder link. but it is absolutely relevant to what is being debated on this thread. In essence our 56 MPs may be able to exact proper justice and democratic fairness in the issue of Alexander Morrison Carmichael, alias Alistair.
linkhttp://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/may/23/alistair-carmichael-liberal-democrats-byelection-threat-leak-snp-sturgeon
To lie or not to lie, that is the question.
The human mind is designed to believe and to give access to the truth. The human mind will only admit entrance to a lie if it is presented as the truth. It is the truth which is the common currency of all human interaction, including the economic. To become useful, the lie has to look like the truth.
This is a huge issue in the UK at the moment because of the epidemic of lying in political life. For example, the UK Govt. has persuaded 60 million citizens that Scotland is subsidised by English taxpayers. That is a lie, but it is a lie which supports the way that the UK is financially structured.
Another example is the lie that Scottish oil and gas fields belong to England. Although it is a lie, this idea supports a large part of how England is financed.
Society would fall apart if it was not based on people telling the truth and being honest. But politics seems to be the exception. When a member of the public tells a lie about paying for an item in the supermarket, he or she could end up in court. But when a politician tells a lie, no matter how big, he or she is protected and cannot be prosecuted. This is madness.
All over the UK, individuals are going to have to make up their minds about the kind of society we all wish to live in. Do we want to live with lying politicians all the time, or are we going to grow up and start building our politics on the truth.
Al, Here’s the article archived.
link to archive.is
Archiving as well as retaining a copy of any given article, should it be altered later, also prevents revenue clicks for the rags.
I think we should be formally asking David Mundell exactly what he knew about this matter and his role in it.
He was Alastair Carmichael’s deputy. Can we trust him? Should we be paying his ministerial wages?
Time to put the spotlight on David, the sole English Conservative in Scotland.
P.S. I use the term “English Conservative” because I ‘m assuming that like “Scottish Labour” that “Scottish Conservatives” is not a distinct legal entity but a creative fiction intented to make us think they are an independant enitity – staffed and run from Scotland that makes its own decisions independentlay from it’s non-Scots counterpart.
P.P.S I don’t believe the Scottish Conservatives exist.
I think Al, the point Brian is making, is that by reading the thread you might find that the link that you are about to post may already have been posted, and then you don’t have to worry about it being missed, as it’s already there.
Sometimes, in the above example (guardian), whilst reading the said article, you will see at what time the article was actually published. A quick scroll down a thread like this one, roughly going by timestamps can show you quite quickly after the publishing time, whether anyone has picked up on it and therefore no need to read entire thread.
It’s also just about acknowledging those who have many hours before already provided the link. Otherwise as Brian says, after comments have been made about said article, it can become very repetitive. That’s all 🙂
Brian,
I take your point, in my defence, I did read the whole article and then the comments till the last one when I was on, I then came back a few hours later and didn’t think to read from where the last comment I read cos I was so pleased with what “I came across” and shared it.
I hope this clarifies that I wasn’t “TRYING” to claim a bit of glory in case you thought I was and take the limelight away from Des
It’s not a contest to see who gets the best approval, we all know who does and it’s the chap who does all the hard work for us wingers.
O/T
Well done Ireland and also to Sweden
Mike Small’s take on it over at Bella…
“What’s changed in the last few months is the idea that you can get away with this any more, that it’s okay, that you can ride it out. That’s not okay any more.”
link to bellacaledonia.org.uk
So MANY brilliant and informative posts on here such as Grizzles and Lochsides.
Thanks for that.
We internalise and analyse the facts as they are fed to us (most often being thrown crumbs of (mis) information). Whatever the case I think something absolutely stinks here.
We are all making a big hoo-ha about this but let’s face it Carmichaels behaviour and lies are the Political / MSM NORM, as witnessed most recently in the lead up to the Referendum. How many people were brought to task then? The Celtic League listed complaints to the UN about Cameron’s behaviour but nothing was done by anyone else at all for example the SNP. Maybe there were too many complaints for them to deal with at that time?
I reckon that MANY people were privy to this scam and Carmichael thought he would get away with it: but then something changed.
Someone, Cameron?, decided that he would be fed to the lions. Well why would he do that? To decimate the Libdems in Scotland? To attempt to totally decimate all opposition in the UK .. Libdems and Labour? To penalise them for turning on the Tories pre-Referendum? To protect Mundell?
These people normally close ranks to protect each other especially against parties such as the SNP. They have the power to let things drag on for years, drop, dilute and twist to the point of duping us all. It hasn’t happened here. I’m just asking myself why?
There’s more to this than meets the eye. The investigation / s should have been recorded and made available to us all especially as we, the taxpayers, are footing the bill. We the Electorate vote for these individuals and we are paying for Carmichaels and Heywoods wages. We should demand that there is absolute transparency in relation to this and all future cases. I for one am sick and tired of all of the Westminster secrecy and subterfuge.
Then we get to the 1.4 million spent on this case. I don’t know where this figure came from but if it’s correct it’s an absolute disgrace.
Investigation ….. you phone a number of people and ask them to make themselves available to be questioned at a certain place at a certain time. You and ‘they’ are already being paid by US for their time. They have travel / accommodation expenses. The talks will last over a couple of days (throw in a concert at night, a few meals and some bubbly). Well they claim for all of this too and we pay for it. Someone takes the minutes of the meeting and a wee secretary types up the report. Their wages too are being paid for by US. As a UK taxpayer, paying through the nose, I want to see an itemised bill for this investigation. Or are we going to find out that a rip-off jobs for the boys Private Company was involved?
Carmichael should resign ASAP. An enquiry should now be carried out in relation to Davidsons manipulative behaviour re. her tweets on polling day. We should demand to know about the outcome of the Police investigation into her pre-Referendum postal vote knowledge too. We should demand to know if the Libdems paid their £800,000 Police Scotland bill. If not we’re left to pay it. £800,000 on top of 1.4 million racked up by the Libdems. Did Wullie Rennie play a part in this the Carmichael slander / libel case? I would reckon that wee slug surely did. And as a bye he should be resigning just as Miliband, Clegg and Murphy did when they were all booted right up the backside. He and Davidson have been hiding behind the Labour catastrophe.
We should all become pro-active in outing all of the liars. Newspapers such as the Telegraph and Independent should be reported. Better still charged with publishing libelous material. The BBC should be hounded to death with complaints or better still just don’t pay your license fee. Spend the money on supporting pro-Scottish sites such as Bellacaledonia and weegingerdug. Queries should be made to STV in relation to their lack of reporting on issues such as Trident (potential accidents / Nuclear radiation leaks) and fracking (in particular who benefits from this).
I’ve just about had it with the whole corrupt cabal of narcissistic, lying crooks (and some paedophiles) that are running this country: running it into the ground in fact.
Time now to say **power to the people**
So lets consider,
A meeting between the first minister and the Ambassador of a foreign powers exact words were recorded (what by, stenographer or recording device?) I take it then that means the same would have been done when Cameron was having “private chats” with Putin, Obama,Tony Abbot, et al when he was asking them for support for his anti Scottish independence effort, so we’ll be having those recordings then chop chop.
LPW says unseating Carmichael “would be worth a punt” I think unseating him would be a gift to the libdems and the chances are the Orcadians would just elect another libdem back to square one,
let the bastard stew in his own juice, we have the Scottish select committee to keep chucking more wood on the fire under his pot.
Unionists/MSM are just a bunch of manipulating criminal, greedy liars. There are no depth they would not stoop to keep them ignorantly and desperately troughing on public money. They are disgusting. The Telegraph (Barclay Bros) are disgusting. Are they worried they will be sued? If only. The have had to pay out £Millions in compensation for their criminal actions. The BBC just lies and does not follow it’s own Charter. The Head of the BBC, appointed by Cameron is a defrauding, criminal banker accomplice, who should be in jail. Appointed so the Tories can sell the off the BBC, so they and their associates can plunder loads of public money (£Millions) in consultant contracts, fees and commission. Making the general public mugs pay more for a worse service.
This latest episode with bring the Unionist/MSM actions back to the fore and lose them even more revenues or support. Some ignorant, arrogant greedy people just never learn. Most of them should be in jail. Including Press proprietors who illegally bribe public officials. Civil servants feeding them unresearched public stories covered by the Official Secret Act.
Carmichael is just jealous of Nicola. Nicola is what Carmichael would never be a good, caring politician.
‘A civil servant still unnamed in the Scottish Office’ – M15 – the Official Secrets Act. Used for Westminster cover up.
The Scottish Office costs Scottish taxpayer £100,000 a year, so a numpty can brief against Scotland. The money could be better spent.
oooffff
Must read by all
link to shetlandtimes.co.uk.
Karma catches up with Carmichael
Perhaps a wee bit O-T, but, I saw someone refer to this above.
The Daily Heil ran a well-publicised anti-SNP MPs piece this week. In the piece they indicated how terribly badly the “McManiacs” as hey dubbed the 56, had behaved towards that national treasure Denis Skinner.
I laughed out loud at that, the idea of the Heil backing the “Beast of Bolsover” – that’s not comedy gold, that’s comedy platinum.
Any way, I got my weekly e-mail from my former school friend, who now lives in some style in the Sudetenland, he was having a rant at how outrageously the SNP was behaving inside the Mother of Parliaments.
Other than either cutting-off communications with a friend of over 50 years, of cautioning him against believing anything he reads in the Daily Heil or the Torygraph (something I have often done before), what can I do?
If you are wondering why Alexander Carmichael is called Alistair, then an answer may rest with the Gaelic, where Alistair (many various spellings) is the known Gaelic form for Alexander.
UKOK press completely ignoring Labour infighting and the Carmichael lies stories on the front pages this morning.
And Sunday Times even gives credence to the ramblings of the disgruntled former Scotch Whisky Association who has wasted millions of taxpayer’s money to oppose the democratic decision on minimum pricing.
Patrick Roden says:
24 May, 2015 at 1:19 am
Here’s something to consider:
Carmichael said something like “If I was still a government minister, I would consider this a resigning matter”
So is he trying to put some pressure on some people who may have known and who are indeed still government ministers?
I think the story below sums up Mr Carmichael’s hopes.
Tory Cabinet Minister Maria Miller Scammed her MP’s expenses by Circa £45K and was asked to pay back only £4K?
The wonderful Westminster system let her step down from the cabinet after enduring public pressure, however an act of Gross Misconduct in that environment means you keep your £60K salary
and £200K expenses.
This is was this particular leach is trying to point out. If he was still a minister he would stand down, but you “must” let him keep his snout in the Westminster trough, guilty or not.
Not for me Michael! Prison is to good for you, after you pay back that £1.4 million of inquiry costs.
• It emerged Mrs Miller even lobbied a committee of MPs, who had already reduced what she had to repay by £40,000, to try to persuade them she should repay only £4,000.
Mrs Miller has been accused of trying to bully Kathryn Hudson, Parliament’s independent standards commissioner, in an apparent attempt to block the investigation into her expenses claims.
Mrs Miller threatened to make a formal complaint about the commissioner, refused to provide documents to justify her claims and employed a lawyer to try to limit the scope of the investigation against her.
When The Telegraph first began examining her expenses claims in December 2012, Jo Hindley, Mrs Miller’s special adviser, telephoned the newspaper to “flag up” the fact that at the time Mrs Miller was involved in discussions over the future of press regulation in the wake of the Leveson Inquiry into newspaper ethics.
Between 2005 and 2009, Mrs Miller had claimed £90,000 in mortgage interest and other housing costs on the home. She designated as her main house a rented property in her constituency in Basingstoke. In all, she rented three houses there.
But Mrs Hudson recommended that Mrs Miller should hand back £45,000 in over-claimed allowances and concluded that the minister should have declared her house in Wimbledon as her main home.
The Commons Standards Committee, made up of 10 MPs and three lay members, agreed with Mrs Hudson that the Wimbledon house should have been designated as the main home but said that under the guidance at the time it was “reasonable” to designate it as the second home and ordered Mrs Miller to pay back only £5,800 on a minor over-claim on her mortgage.
The senior minister, who said Mrs Miller should quit, said her career had been saved by the committee’s decision to largely ignore the commissioner’s findings. “What Maria Miller has done is serious but she has been cleared by the body set up to investigate her,” said the minister. “The fault is with the system.”
link to t.co
OT but interesting analysis by some guy called Davidson. Might have been an MP once, but forgotten now.
Note comment on Labour membership numbers. If only we knew we could buy a branch.
link to storify.com
This is a good account of the whole Carmichael affair and in passing it answers my question about which department the memo came from. I had forgotten that the Foreign Office denied all knowledge of it and it was later admitted it came from the Scotland office.
Brian Doonthetoon says:
24 May, 2015 at 1:06 am
I think it’s only common courtesy that if we feel the need to comment, we should read what others have typed before we add in our tuppence worth.
It can be a bit of a pain. The Carmichael Shetland Times story is a good example.
The simple method I use is ctrl F. This opens a search box and you can do a quick check before repeat posting. If you ctrl F shetlandtimes you will see that the article has now been “ooh look at this’d” four times. Still a cracking link though. Hoisted by your own petard comes to mind 🙂
@ Brotherhood says:
23 May, 2015 at 10:56 pm
For anyone who hasn’t seen it, here’s Professor John Robertson’s appearance before the Holyrood committee considering alleged BBC bias..
Thanks for posting – I hadn’t seen it.
For starters all the neeps who have appeared on radio saying that Carmichael should stay – why don’t they pay the estimated £1.4 million that this disgraceful affair has cost us? I certainly don’t want to pay for a manipulative liar out of my taxes.
I had a look at the next Lib Dem leader’s Tweets, Tim Farron, link to twitter.com
Very little on there about asking for his plans to rebuild his party on a foundation of Lies, Corruption and Cover up?
If anyone has a minute, it might be good to advise him this is not going to go away.
Just watched the Marr show with all the newspaper headlines.
Not a solitary mention of Carmichael’s Corrupt Cabal?
Can’t be a headline if its just another story about the Scots being ripped off by a Westminster representative?
They did comment on the new High Speed Rail Link.
Remember being told that if we were to vote Yes, this rail link would not come to Scotland, well you voted No and No you don’t get the High Speed Rail Link.
Its for the English only, but you will be paying for it!
We know that there are pedophile politicians, we know that the children associated with their “visits” have gone “missing”, we know, the Civil servants and High ranking police officers have covered up for them, we know the UK political system is rotten to the core with corrupt payments and contracts, and people worry that Scotland couldn’t survive without Westminster sharing all this with us?
I desperately want to give it a real good try!
Socrates Macsporran 8,34
inform your friend even labour think this story rubbish.
Diane Abbot tweeted about it yesterday.
Parliament live shows Chris Law and Dennis Skinner sharing joke prior to being sworn in.
The tory press just trying to demonise ( Diane Abbot ) SNP
There was an excellent interview with Prof Tom Devine on GMS this morning at about 8:30. Well worth a listen.
Not up on iPlayer yet so I can’t post a link but I’d urge anyone who hasn’t heard it to look it up later.
Why are 83 year olds, unprofessionally, hogging Westminster seats. There are no 83 year old Doctors, Nurses, Teachers, Police, Firemen, Civil servants, Public sector workers, Engineers, tradesmen etc. So why are there 83 year old MP’s. There are enough members (800) stuffed into the unelected HoL,which can delay but can’t any legislation. A complete waste of time and money. Jobs for life. Illegal, undemocratic Westminster style.
… Breaking!!! …
Alistair Carmichael to write book after dumping in by-election.
Working Title … “Alan Cochrane – My Part in His Downfall”.
I had a look at some of the Carmichael Corruption Petitions,
Shetland Times, 38 Degrees, and Change.
Rough figures show £7,500, to £9,5D0 votes or signatures per site?
God help us if something of this magnitude can’t generate 10,000
signatures. Has someone formed an Apathy Party during the night?
Frenchgate should be a much bigger story throughout the media and the chattering classes.
It isn’t because the view in Unionist circles is that any attack on the SNP is in the national interest. So whether it was baseless, or is a wider conspiracy, or involves deceit, or wasting public money … none of that is important to them. Attacking the barbarians at the gate by any means available is their priority.
This does feel more like a ‘Better Together’ dirty tricks than Carmichael flying solo.
He’s clearly taking the heat to protect his unionist masters. Highly commendable, but heads will still have to roll, starting with Carmichaels.
‘Scotland please stay so we can undermine you at every turn’. Better together, Aye, right.
had a look at the next Lib Dem leader’s Tweets, Tim Farron,
With the exception of a few stalwarts, the Lib-Dem party is dead, gone the same way as the BNP. They’re unelectable.
Carmichael..aka The Anti-Santa
All around the country millions of kids are waking up and excitedly asking “Has he gone?”
Should Carmichael not get struck off and debarred for breaking the professional Oath and lying. Unprofessional conduct and Gerrymandering against electoral rules.
Could Unionist politicians sink any lower? Nick Clegg lying. Conman Cameron. Labour lies.
@X-sticks
Yes it was an excellent few minutes and drew together so many strands in our past and recent social history which contributed to ‘the perfect storm’
PS:
What purpose did Henry Mc serve in his interview, standing in for official labour, was he trying to paper over the cracks or encourage the K Macintosh via that serious bullying was exerting pressure on his supporters? Ach! Who cares anymore.
Latest …
Exit Poll says …..
Carmichael will survive ; as he did not act alone ..
He was major player in coalition government with Tories and trail goes right to the top.
Story will be buried now
Ahemm !!
O/T
During Eurovision last night Graham Norton read out some of the e-mails from BBC viewers while the voting phone numbers were being shown. Loads of people must have e-mailed the BBC who then made a selection. If you go to the iplayer at 2 hours 37 minutes in you can hear Graham read out an e-mail from a group of people hoping for ‘points for England’.
Well done again BBC.
Effijy
I think the problem is that there is no coordination, so we have two petitions
Most likely people (me included) only signed one of the petitions, not both
So most likely there are more than 10,000 original signatures (that is not duplicated)
Carmichael belongs to the untouchables, a lawyer, procurator fiscal, they can do anything they wish and know they can get away with it , a website made that clear regarding two solicitors who colluded in a court case one had been a procurator fiscal the other was promoted to the status of a sheriff, there was ample evidence the two had colluded in the court case , the Law society were notified , the police were notified,the outcome so far nothing has been done.
Another excellent and positive reason for a by-election is expressed BTL of this item,
link to shetnews.co.uk
“If Mr Carmichael has any real concern for the islands he will consider how much value a by-election would have. easily £500,000 would be generated for the local economy as the BBC, Sky, ITN and C4 plus the dead tree press flood the islands with reporters. If Mr Carmichael has any care for his constituents he would consider this a very valuable revenue stream.”
West Wales: If you go to the iplayer at 2 hours 37 minutes in you can hear Graham read out an e-mail from a group of people hoping for ‘points for England’.
Can you help me out by posting the exact sentence spoken? Many thanks. 🙂
@Stoker
Your posts have consistently plumbed the depths of inarticulacy.
If you can’t understand why the Rev has asked us not to use certain terms and to behave as if we were posting to a ‘No’ voter, then you should be asking yourself what you’re doing on this site.
Please be assured that there is no limit to how much I despise you for the harm you bring to our cause.
I’ve just made a wee picture of Mr Carmichael that you might like.
link to mistygee4.wix.com