The media is focusing on Murrell’s continued evasion of the question of his WhatsApp usage (Murrell bizarrely states he has several messaging apps installed on his phone but uses none of them), but there’s a much more interesting revelation in the second of the letter’s two sections.
This is a direct, unambiguous and categorical statement from the First Minister that the investigation into the false allegations against Salmond was a Scottish Government matter that was absolutely nothing to do with the SNP.
This site and other gender-critical voices are regularly accused of being “obsessed” with trans issues, even though the subject has been mentioned in fewer than 0.7% of Wings posts. But this week the SNP’s transgender faction – when it hasn’t been STILL raging about its battering in the NEC elections – has been swamping social media with organised complaints about a tiny prospective legislative change that they themselves insist doesn’t actually matter at all.
Rape Crisis Scotland, who are almost entirely dependent on the Scottish Government for funding, have chosen this evening to wade into the debate over the wording of a new law which is intended to lessen the trauma of people (nearly all women) who’ve been raped. We can only speculate as to whether they were pressured to do so, but the intervention seems likely only to pour petrol on the fire.
In his evidence to a Holyrood inquiry today, having been asked about some troubling WhatsApp messages concerning the case from 2018 which appeared to suggest the possibility of a conspiracy against the former First Minister, Murrell told members of the committee “I’m not on WhatsApp, it’s not a social media platform I use”.
Alert readers will have noticed a very careful use of the present tense there.
We’ve now filed a formal complaint with the Scottish Information Commissioner about this, because what we’d forgotten last week was that our original request was actually sent in September and it’s now been almost 60 working days with no sign of a proper response, not the 20 it’s supposed to take.
Because for some reason the Scottish Government REALLY doesn’t want you to know what the First Minister and Geoff Aberdein talked about in March 2018, and we think that you probably should.
We don’t normally like to devote much time on Wings to things that have been more than adequately covered elsewhere in the media, which is why you haven’t read much here about eg the Internal Market Bill. Unlike some we don’t see much point spending our limited human resources telling people stuff they already know and agree with.
But we’re going to make an exception for this next thing, which was already covered pretty well by Susan Dalgety in last week’s Scotsman, because (a) a lot of our readers, quite reasonably, will have an instinctively adverse reaction to either anything printed in the Scotsman or anything written by Susan Dalgety, and (b) a number of people have asked us to amplify this issue because it’s so important and so awful.
As well as the SNP NEC elections, the weekend saw the election of the first committee of a new grassroots independence organisation which is unfortunately and hopefully temporarily going by the stupendously terrible working name of “Yes Alba”.
15 people were elected to its ruling body by the votes of hundreds of delegates, with the top-ranked picks including SNP MP Angus MacNeil and former SNP MP George Kerevan. The majority of the successful candidates (eight) were female, even though there were no quotas or women-only shortlists imposed, and a wide range of ages was represented from young activists to former UK ambassador Craig Murray.
(We have no idea about any of their sexualities or gender identities, and also no interest in knowing, because those things have not the slightest bearing on their ability to fight for independence and are frankly none of our damn business.)
But that wasn’t good enough for Team Woke.
On a day when Joanna Cherry had a grown-up, reasoned and constructive column in The National calling for unity in the pursuit of independence, the outpouring of snide, sour sneering from a faction still raging with bitterness about being routed on the SNP NEC is instead curdling Twitter even as we speak.
And embarrassingly, not a single one of them has actually bothered to check even the most basic facts.
Aidan on Faces In Sand: “If you’re upset with the company Geri – you could always post the same stuff under your own name on…” Oct 22, 13:55
Northcode on Faces In Sand: “Alf – I wrote that Scotland currently has full civil rights. I didn’t mention human rights at all. You shifted…” Oct 22, 13:53
James on Faces In Sand: “Here we go again. *sigh* Today’s crossword clue A country which has no control over its own borders, resources, broadcast…” Oct 22, 13:48
James on Faces In Sand: ““…I haven’t used AI in any of what I wrote above…” LOLZ.” Oct 22, 13:45
James on Faces In Sand: “3 in a row. Bingo!” Oct 22, 13:37
Geri on Faces In Sand: “Aye Dan.. You’ve just reminded me why I gave up on here. It’s a mystery why so many fucking fuds…” Oct 22, 13:04
Alf Baird on Faces In Sand: “Democracy can only exist once a colonized people are outside the firm grip of the oppressor and his colonial administrators…” Oct 22, 13:04
Aidan on Faces In Sand: ““Liberation Scotland has been visiting the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva to present violations to our human rights,…” Oct 22, 12:14
Northcode on Faces In Sand: “Historical treaty grievances don’t change how sovereignty works today. Modern international bodies don’t adjudicate 18th-century constitutional arrangements. They respond to…” Oct 22, 12:12
Northcode on Faces In Sand: “Alf — human rights concerns can and should be raised wherever people feel they’re not being heard. But even when…” Oct 22, 12:05
James Che on Faces In Sand: “North Code, The UN and the law on treaties would have to consider Scotlands claim that there is no such…” Oct 22, 11:41
Geri on Faces In Sand: “Just a few suggestions of why .. 24/7 pumped propaganda. CIA NGOs littering the place pretending to be charitee. CIA…” Oct 22, 11:36
Aidan on Faces In Sand: “Except I haven’t used AI in any of what I wrote above, I’ve simply used the autotrader app to do…” Oct 22, 11:26
Alf Baird on Faces In Sand: ““Scotland currently has: – full civil rights” Dinna be daft. Liberation Scotland has been visiting the United Nations Human Rights…” Oct 22, 11:19
James Che on Faces In Sand: “North Code, The UN cannot declare Scotland is a Colony, It may be outside their remit, But nor can they…” Oct 22, 11:14
Dan on Faces In Sand: “Test. There’s a post for you waiting in moderation…” Oct 22, 11:10
Captain Caveman on Faces In Sand: “My 03 plate Mondeo 2.0D Ghia X was easily the worst car I have ever owned. Absolute piece of shit.…” Oct 22, 11:08
Captain Caveman on Faces In Sand: “” There is no democracy possible for a people whose territory has been alienated” World history is littered with clear…” Oct 22, 10:48
Dan on Faces In Sand: “You can call bollocks all you want, but the reality is I have worked in and around the automotive industry…” Oct 22, 10:44
Northcode on Faces In Sand: “Alf — I understand the argument you’re making, but the point I’m raising sits at a different level. Territorial alienation,…” Oct 22, 10:42
Captain Caveman on Faces In Sand: “Good post, Northy. Credit where it’s due.” Oct 22, 10:37
James Che on Faces In Sand: “The Westminster parliament for England and Wales, the westminster parliament for Great Britain, and the Anglo Irish Westminster parliament of…” Oct 22, 10:32
Hatey McHateface on Faces In Sand: “On the plus side, we now know ScotGov can write. Maybe they’re already harnessing the power of AI.” Oct 22, 10:18
Hatey McHateface on Faces In Sand: “Rev Stu should post a copy of that on his site, with a permanent link to it at the top…” Oct 22, 10:15
Alf Baird on Faces In Sand: ““the only real path to independence is democratic legitimacy” There is no democracy possible for a people whose territory has…” Oct 22, 10:12
Northcode on Faces In Sand: “I watched Professor Alf Baird’s speech on territorial alienation at the recent SSRG Conference. He makes some valid sociological points,…” Oct 22, 09:45
Hatey McHateface on Faces In Sand: “He gets on tae the laptop when his maw gangs oot. I guess she has no alternative to leaving him…” Oct 22, 09:42
James Che on Faces In Sand: “The SNP pretending it is Sovereign In Scotland regarding laws to do as it pleases is a laugh, whilst it…” Oct 22, 09:41
Hatey McHateface on Faces In Sand: “Dan, I’ve worked on vehicles with electric handbrakes from 2 manufacturers, Vauxhall and VAG. In both cases, the calliper motor…” Oct 22, 09:27
Aidan on Faces In Sand: “He’s learnt how to copy and paste and now he thinks a letter is on its way from Mensa. Generally…” Oct 22, 09:04
