Search And Replace
Here’s a passage from Crown Agent John Logue’s recent BBC interview in which he described the crime for which Peter Murrell was just sentenced to five years and three months in prison. You’ll note that we’ve highlighted a few words and phrases in red.
JOHN LOGUE: I think the best way I can describe it is in some ways this case was no different from embezzlement that people might recognize in their daily lives. If people are a member of a church or a bowling club or a golf club, if someone in that organization has access to money on behalf of the society or the club and takes it and spends it in the local shops, that’s embezzlement.
And in some ways this case was as simple as that because what we were able to prove after the police investigation and after our investigation was that that was what Peter Murrell had done here. He had access to and control of party funds and he used it for his own purposes and that’s the crime of embezzlement.
And now let’s just swap out those words for some very similar ones.
JOHN LOGUE: I think the best way I can describe it is in some ways this case was no different from embezzlement that people might recognize in their daily lives. If people are a member of [a political party], if someone in that organization has access to money on behalf of [the party] and takes it and spends it [on other stuff it wants], that’s embezzlement.
And in some ways this case was as simple as that because what we were able to prove after the police investigation and after our investigation was that that was what [the SNP] had done here. [They] had access to and control of [ringfenced] funds and [they] used it for [their] own purposes and that’s the crime of embezzlement.
It’s really quite hard to understand why the Crown Office sees the first version as a crime but not the second one, isn’t it, readers? Perhaps their next letter to us will make the difference clear, because to be honest, we’re struggling with it.
Peter Murrell is a total dafty but to get 5 years for that and some get off with less for rape… It’s pretty fucked up.
I think Murrell stole from the SNP,
and the SNP stole from the donors.
The SNP would like him to carry the can for both, but really, the NEC had a duty to look after the money they ringfenced and they failed in that duty. His embezzlement wasn’t the whole sum, so that needs accounting for.
In particular, Sturgeon and Beatie signed off on the books, which they ought to have known were bent. Whether they knew or not, signing off bent books makes them personally, legally and criminally liable.
I hope the lack of comments is I just stumbled in as you posted. We simply must not grow weary of pursuing justice and transparency here. An independent Scotland (as any country) requires a strong and independent judicial system and if we haven’t got that then we simply don’t deserve to be an independent country. Keep going, for all our sakes and those of the next generation. The saddest thing is we had this before devolution and the SNP
Your compare and contrast of the Crown Agent’s views of a) the Murrell use of monies from the SNP bank account versus b) the SNP use of the ring-fenced referendum campaign funds pretty much nails the contradiction in the decision to prosecute the former case but not the latter case.
The murrel’s conviction was meant to lay the SNP’s embezzlement to rest, but it hasn’t. Its now got more people asking more question and its attracted all the sorts of people The SNP and others never wanted to attract in the first place. See the trouble is, you can work on a plan for two years and if you haven’t thought everything through down to the last detail it’ll all going to come tumbling down.
You just have to watch Swinney answering question on TV, here’s a man who all of a sudden has started sweating a lot from his bold spot and supposedly the NICE Mr Swinney has got a temper, I wonder why? I think the pressure is getting to him.
While the love of his life is lapping it up in London she couldn’t be happier and I’m willing to bet she hasn’t given John a second thought.
Keep up the good work Mr Campbell you’re having a major affect.