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.
Alf Baird on The Promise: ““the UK will eventually break up. But when it does, Scotland will too. Probably into four smaller states.” Jings, Hatey,…” Jun 27, 12:26
Alf Baird on The Promise: ““the Civil Service isn’t politically impartial” Of course its not; the main political and ideological purpose of all (UK) civil…” Jun 27, 12:11
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Promise: “Worth noting here that a “state of exception” regarding impartiality was in play during the 2014 referendum campaign. When the…” Jun 27, 12:09
Captain Caveman on The Promise: “Oh, probably add “too indoctrinated”, “incapable of critical thought” and “too left wing” to the mix as well.” Jun 27, 12:02
Lorncal on The Promise: “They might charge a couple of ‘sacrificial lambs’, who would probably go on to be cleared anyway, but they will…” Jun 27, 11:59
Captain Caveman on The Promise: ““The wrong people got their hands on the power because the right people were too nice, too innocent, too tolerant…” Jun 27, 11:49
Lorncal on The Promise: “It would set a legal precedent, I think, Robert, for governments to be forced to use promised ‘ring-fenced’ funds only…” Jun 27, 11:48
Desimond on The Promise: “Subtle difference in first sentence of each email. I wonder if this was a prompt or just one of those…” Jun 27, 11:45
Spartan 117 on The Promise: “A large part of current issues are the fact that the Civil Service isn’t politically impartial. A sensible ruling that…” Jun 27, 11:13
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Promise: “NI CIVIL SERVICE IMPOSES STAFF ‘PRIDE’ PARADE BAN The Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) has halted its participation in LGBT…” Jun 27, 10:08
Hatey McHateface on The Promise: “The wrong people got their hands on the power because the right people were too nice, too innocent, too tolerant…” Jun 27, 09:57
Hatey McHateface on The Promise: “Logic, Confounder? No way. When you start with a conclusion and then interpret everything that happens as proof of your…” Jun 27, 09:39
Hatey McHateface on The Promise: “That’s right Bob, amaze and inspire Scotland and the rest of the world with your profundity, erudition and scintillating wit.…” Jun 27, 09:15
Eric on The Promise: “Hats off to WoS and your summary also excellent. The SNP need this to go away or they will be…” Jun 27, 09:01
Captain Caveman on The Guilty Party: “Heh. Well, there is no “work” to blow out of the water, YL – unless you count 30 seconds’ worth…” Jun 27, 08:59
willie on The Promise: “Just to say another excellent article exposing the absolute scandal at the heart of the SNP and the supposedly hypothecated…” Jun 27, 08:29
David Blake on The Promise: “I think you are doing a great job exposing a huge scandal o am therefore reluctant to pick fault. But…” Jun 27, 06:54
Aidan on The Guilty Party: “Whilst that’s true Alf you aren’t entirely comparing like with like. The MV Finlaggan is a higher capacity vessel than…” Jun 27, 06:15
Young Lochinvar on The Guilty Party: “HMcH Whoa! Easy there tiger!! While I have a scintilla of sympathy with the thrust of what you are saying…” Jun 27, 04:17
Angus on The Promise: ““It’s time for action.” Those even more condemnable than the criminals are those who have deliberately failed to bring the…” Jun 27, 03:13
robertkknight on The Promise: “If it walks like a duck…” Jun 27, 00:48
Confounder on The Promise: “Yeah, but ‘No true Scotsman…yada, yada, yada.’” Jun 27, 00:34
Confounder on The Promise: “False logic in spades, there, I think.” Jun 27, 00:31
100%Yes on The Promise: “Thank you to you both, I never knew that.” Jun 27, 00:23
Spartan 117 on The Promise: “Quite possible, but I think Occam’s Razor would dictate its more likely they are just a bunch of corrupt degenerate…” Jun 26, 23:52
Effijy on The Promise: “https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1E6r5H6ZbK/?mibextid=wwXIfr Wee truthless the Baroness requiring her neck re-brassed.” Jun 26, 23:21
willie on The Promise: “Standard computer generated email response I suspect issued to anyone making a donation, with in this case, Mr Henderson being…” Jun 26, 23:16
sarah on The Promise: “When you’re sending the same email to a whole raft of people who don’t know each other and therefore don’t…” Jun 26, 22:38
robertkknight on The Promise: “What’s that stock response employed by other contributors to BTL in similar circumstances? Ah yes, I remember now… “Prick”” Jun 26, 22:09
Hatey McHateface on The Promise: “And if Police Scotland and the Crown Office charge various Scottish SNP names, and levy fines and other punishments on…” Jun 26, 20:31
