Barely 18 months after this, here’s East Lothian Labour councillor Norman Hampshire (centre) and pals campaigning today with the aid of their new best friend.
As the story collapses and investigations begin into a cut-and-dried case of unlawful civil service interference in politics (and possibly worse), may they reap what they sow. If the current polls come true, never will a party’s fall have been more abject or more complete, nor its fate more richly deserved.
This is quite something. It took 15 hours into “MemoGate” before anyone got a Scottish Government representative on air – even though they’d found time to get quotes from Willie Rennie, who isn’t the leader of a Westminster party and whose party isn’t even involved in the story. When they did, here’s what happened.
Readers can form their own opinions about the interview. But at the very end of the piece the BBC’s James Cook says “this memo does exist”. It may do, but we’re not sure what his current grounds for that statement are.
To the best of our knowledge nobody is claiming to have seen it personally except the Telegraph. The Foreign Office have denied all knowledge of any memo, the Scotland Office apparently refuses to comment, and we have no idea who allegedly wrote it.
Cook has already made, then rowed back on, some rather questionable statements in the last 24 hours. Viewers may feel it might be better if he just stuck to the facts.
That clip (from just past midnight on the BBC News channel) isn’t a bad starting-point summary of last night’s extraordinary story, except by our count the Telegraph’s piece was fourth-hand rather than third-hand.
(First-hand would have been Nicola Sturgeon. Second-hand would have been the ambassador. Third-hand would have been the consul-general. The civil servant – who doubted the story him/herself – is fourth-hand.)
This is also a pretty good primer. Now let’s get to the fun stuff.
Sheesh. We pop out for a couple of hours to feed the Wings Emergency Kitten and we get back to find that it’s the UK press that’s barfed up hairballs all over its front pages.
And the contradictory cross-vortex coverlines aren’t even the mad bit.
Nicky T Naquetti on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “LOOKS LIKE HE GOT THE BOOT,(assuming he even had an arse that could be kicked in the non-digital realm). Either…” Apr 14, 12:33
Alf Baird on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: ““What have the English stolen from you James?” Our land and national identity, replaced by the colonial myth, same as…” Apr 14, 12:27
Cynicus on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “Thanks for the new link, Fearghas. Are there questionqs for Scottish politics here? Orban’s downfall was partly due to his…” Apr 14, 11:43
Geri on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “LOL! Aye, they’re always the life & soul of the party. Not! I don’t think I’ve ever met a happy…” Apr 14, 10:54
C MacKay on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “No-one with that name registered as a birth in Scotland’s people,there is a marriage in 2017” Apr 14, 09:10
C MacKay on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “No-one with that name registered as a birth in Scotland’s people” Apr 14, 09:09
Mark Beggan on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: ““Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s”” Apr 14, 04:26
Young Lochinvar on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “C’mon Beggars Seriously now: I think you need to calm down and have a Horlicks, you’re in way over your…” Apr 14, 01:42
Young Lochinvar on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “Northcode @ 9.26 “Wish the Unionists would be wittier on here”.. It’s the dour pro English Presbyterian Calvinist thing; like…” Apr 14, 01:29
Young Lochinvar on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “Geri Wackadoo Pastor? Whit? Pastor Faggat?! Gets about doesn’t he with his tedious sermonising eh?” Apr 14, 00:00
James on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “Jay; aye, what a welcome relief it was for a short while to be spared the horse shit that McFuckFace…” Apr 13, 21:36
Northcode on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: ““…I didn’t realise “James” personally owned billions…” The power of Christ compels… I wish tae God the power o Christ…” Apr 13, 21:26
Aidan on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “I didn’t realise “James” personally owned billions in North Sea oil?” Apr 13, 20:58
Northcode on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: ““As are the posts you make in Scots language!” I don’t normally bother responding to unionist idiocy (there’s so much…” Apr 13, 20:49
Mark Beggan on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “Baby Trump says Your getting your oil from Texas. American oil. Probably the best oil the world has ever seen.…” Apr 13, 20:31
Jay on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “Do i remember correctly that M. Beggan claimed to have been posted to BAOR? Does anyone know this character in…” Apr 13, 20:25
Geri on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “That Scottish government wouldn’t be in office & NATO would be put to a public vote. An independent Scotland should…” Apr 13, 19:53
Geri on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “No. That’s just paranoia & they should seek help. The West has indulged in this nonsense long enough. Especially when…” Apr 13, 19:39
Geri on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “Delusional. NATO has done nothing of the sort. It’s only attracted & instigated trouble including the whole U war. It’s…” Apr 13, 19:32
Geri on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: ““There’s something about becoming Christ’s representative on Earth that tends to resolve any sibling rivalry.” LOL!” Apr 13, 19:11
James on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “That the same sensible Scottish government that says men can be women?” Apr 13, 19:04
Mark Beggan on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “Old Jewish proverb; If your enemy wants to kill you get up early and kill him first.” Apr 13, 18:49
agentx on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: ““his manner of speech and the formulations of the words he uses – is literally incomprehensible.” ————————————– As are the…” Apr 13, 18:49
agentx on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: ““Defence With independence, this Scottish Government believes Scotland’s defence and security priorities would be based on three main areas: joining…” Apr 13, 18:37
Mark Beggan on Do You Believe In The Westwood?: “Baby Trump says, Baby Northy has Baby Trump Derangement Syndrome. I’ll have to send Petey over to put him Strait.…” Apr 13, 18:23
