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The Gauntlet

Posted on March 15, 2023 by

Well, this has set the cat amongst the pigeons.

Because the SNP leadership election is now a full-blown four-alarm skip fire.

With exquisite timing, Pete Wishart breenged in with his sturdiest slippers to dismiss the whole thing as a wild-eyed lunatic Trumpian conspiracy theory.

…having tragically failed to notice Humza Yousaf’s team claiming just minutes earlier that they’d actually done it first (presumably very quietly).

Poor old Pension Pete.

(In fairness you couldn’t really blame him for missing such a sudden U-turn, because just a couple of days earlier Yousaf had been airily dismissing the growing suggestions of impropriety as tinfoil-hat material himself.)

The SNP have rushed out a mindbogglingly audacious statement that, essentially, the election for the leadership of their own party is nothing to do with them, guv.

(Even though it’s staggeringly obvious that nobody other than the SNP could possibly have provided Mi-Voice with the details of who to send voting slips/codes to, and how many of them there had been. Remarkably, the situation now is that the teaboy and mail girl at Mi-Voice know far more about the membership of the SNP than the three candidates to be the party’s new leader do.)

But the party’s response seems to be a flat-out refusal to all three candidates.

So what happens now will be fascinating. Since the candidates are unanimous in their demand, they could all threaten to withdraw from the contest unless it was met. Failing that, one or all could file a court interdict which could stop the election (if only one did it, the other two would be honour-bound to support them).

Given the circumstances and the limited time remaining in the election, we’d be quite surprised if we had to wait beyond tomorrow for developments. At this point we’re ruling nothing out, up to and including Peter Murrell suddenly charging out of his house stark naked and painted green wielding a huge flamethrower and screaming “ALLAHU AKBAR!” before slipping on a banana skin and ending up with his head stuck in a bin.

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sarah

I needed cheering up, Rev. This article is just what was needed – am now chortling happily, awaiting the next revelation.

sarah

Who does the responsibility rest with, if not SNP staff? The current FM, perhaps?

mikestand

Ah, but which house Rev ?

MrRocknRoll

SNP are a pure rid neck!

Shug

Well Nicola and her team seem to be going for the full on throwing the SNP party, structure integrity everything under the bus.

If the MPs and msp and HQ staff can’t see their jotters when the dust settles then I can say nothing. They must be the most stupid people in the planet.

So glad there is an alba to pick up the pieces.

It will take time to rebuild but once people realise how the snp was infiltrated they will open their eyes and return but it will take time

Morgatron

With the way things are going in the madhouse I’m putting my Cheltenham money on the latter outcome.

Marie Clark

limey, whit next. You couldn’t make this stuff up could you. I hope Murrell is squirming big time and is forced to come up with figures.

Karen

Comedy gold, if it wasn’t so serious.

John Moss

This is better than watching ‘Still Game’ and much funnier!

George Ferguson

“ALLAHU AKBAR” I think if Humza gets it elected. It’s Sharia Law. This contest is a farce. An opaque election where basic fundamentals are not being observed. The result is null and void already.

red sunset

My name is red sunset and I’m an SNP member
.
.
.
I will gladly contribute to a crowdfunder if there was an application for a court interdict

fillofficer

chortlin at the pauchlin
fightin on multiple fronts
delicious

JGedd

This is now a farcical romp. Can’t wait for the next episode.

Neil in Glasgow

Someone pass the bleach!

Barely a passing note on STV news there. Can you imagine the uproar if this was the Conservatives or Labour. Or God forbid Alba!

Shug

Can’t wait till all the patsies in the NEC realise they have a personal liability for all the costs of this debacle.

Even the legal fees will make the eyes water.

So funny and so sad. Has there ever been such a failure as sturgeon in any party.

10,000 Pipers

A cluster fuck of an election. Pathetic!

Anton Decadent

“Let all the poisons that lurk in the mud hatch out.”-Claudius.

Merganser

Just when you think this tragedy can’t get any more farcical the SNP comes out with this complete garbage – and Humza has jumped on the bus even though it left without him – knowing in advance what the answer would be.

Will he sign up to a court action to compel disclosure of the information requested? That would be the test of how genuine he was. Don’t hold your breath,

twathater

OH there will be soooo many giving it the (It wisnae me honestly guv) ffs popcorn is going to be rationed

Ian Brotherhood

Seems that Ash’s team have issued 3pm deadline tomorrow – if no response received then she’ll make statement outside parliament.

(Sorry, can’t post link to tweet and haven’t seen it confirmed elsewhere.)

panda paws

“If we do not receive a satisfactory response addressing our legitimate request…by 3pm 16/03, Ash Regan will hold a press conference outside Parl to address matter further.”

Connor Gillies of Sky News’ twitter feed!

Gordon Gekko

Jimmy Reid in his heyday would have marched 50,000 to Murrell’s office by now. Dragged him into the street and sorted him right out.

This generation can’t decide if they have a penis or a vigina. Cuddle their smart phones all day and take selfies while sitting on the toilet. Their smart phones are their pacifier, their comfort blanket.

Mac

Do it, call Murrell’s bluff. Sick of this fat arsehole at this point. Who does he think he is?

He conspired to pervert the course of justice with Alex Salmond and is right in the middle of the 600k fraud raising money under false pretences.

And this is the floating turd we are supposed to trust count the votes to elect his wife’s replacement. And save his skin.

Fuck off. Robert Mugabe would blush at this piss taking shite.

Andrew scott

Bbc scotland giving this both barrels
“New row has broken out”

SteepBrae

Red Sunset
6.19pm
said:
“I will gladly contribute to a crowdfunder if there was an application for a court interdict”

Likewise.

robertkknight

Oh FFS…

I haven’t eaten so much popcorn since watching two showings of the first Avatar film, back-to-back, in the IMAX at the Glasgow Science Centre back in 2009.

Please, make it stop!

I’m fit to burst!

Rogerborg

That sizzling sound you can hear is our banana republic being deep fried.

Ian McCubbin

Well don’t know whether this is more mire from Yousaf, but the trouble other candidates need to know the numbers voting.
Let’s see if the SNP respond.
I doubt it.

Ian McCubbin

Well don’t know whether this is more mire from Yousaf, but the two other candidates need to know the numbers voting.
Let’s see if the SNP respond.
I doubt it.

ClanDonald

An interdict to stop the election could be interesting.

Imagine a scenario where the police were wanting to make arrests back in January relating to the investigaton into the missing £660k and mystery loan of £107k. This scenario would almost certainly mean the immediate resignations of both the Leader and CEO of the SNP simultaneously.

But that would be a disaster – under these hypothetical circumstances Mr & Mrs CEO-Leader would have no control over the subsequent election process, meaning a hostile candidate could easily win and expose things they would rather were kept secret.

So what could they do to minimise damage and ensure some level of control over the election and, long term, the party?

I know! The thing to do would be to stall the police by getting your well-connected lawyers to argue that any immediate arrests would leave the SNP rudderless and the election of a new leader therefore unfair/compromised. So you manage to negotiate a 6 week window where the current leader resigns for non-plausible reasons and a new leader is installed before the police take any action.

That way you maintain control of the election, voter emails, party resources, staff etc to promote your favoured candidate.

But you got to be quick, it all needs to be put in place before the police investigation closes in by April.

Possible? What they wouldn’t be expecting is a meddling kid called Ash who has the potential to delay proceedings with a court interdict… “Oh no, sh*t, we’re running out of time, it’s all about to blow up in our faces, the guy running the election is about to get done for accounting fraud before we can get our guy installed…”

It’s just another fun tin-foil-hat theory, but it would certainly make sense why they were so desperate to flout the party rules on timescale and why they’re in such an obvious frenzy to get their chosen successor installed so quickly.

Mia

“Responding to the letter from Ash Regan and Kate Forbes, an SNP Spokesperson said: ‘Candidates have already been made aware that responsibility for the leadership election does not rest with any member of staff’ ”

If the responsibility for the election of the leader of the SNP does not rest with any member of staff, on whom the hell does this responsibility fall, then?

The chief of MI5?
The Civil servants?
Starmer?
Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater?
The crown?
The crown agent?
The SPADS?
The Lady Advocate?
The BBC headhoncho?
Pickle Bee?

Murrell’s magpies?

Whom?

And who else other than the SNP data controller can have direct access to the list of members of the party and their email addresses without breaking GDPR? Do the members of the SNP know who has been given access to their information and why?

This is an absolutely ridiculous attempt to deflect and a rather pathetic and unconvincing excuse for an incredibly dodgy procedure that is looking dodgier and dodgier by the day.

The number of members MUST be known at all times. If you have them in some form of excel spreadsheet, for example, it would take you seconds to count them. If you have registered in the same database who is up to date with the payments, then, again it would take you seconds to calculate the number of active members, and therefore the maximum number of votes you can expect.

There is only one credible reason why you will not release the maximum number of voters available (alive, active members), and that is if you intend to inflate the votes of a particular candidate if the result does not go the way you want.

That information requested in the letter must be released to the other two candidates immediately. Not doing so can only be interpreted as a blatant admission of dishonesty, interference, attempt to offuscate and intent to rigging the election.

If this is the case, what the hell is the point in continuing with this farce?

Colin

I was enjoying reading that until you spoke of the hypothetical of a naked Peter murrell. I’ve just had my dinner man! 🙁

Alisdair

We really are down the Rabbit hole now, words absolutely fail me.

Iain+MacLachlan

Has Gordon Brown made an intervention yet? We will never progress without his wisdom.

Helen Yates

This is the first time since the announcement of the Alba party coming on board that I’ve felt anything like near exited, could there be an election on the cards soon? will the corruption within the SNP finally be exposed?

I expect neither Ash nor Kate would be tolerated in the party for long after the contest should they succeed in getting Humza installed as FM so they might as well go all out and bring the lot of them down.
Scotland desperately needs competent and honest governance.

Graeme George

This could turn out to be a masterstroke by Ash the timing’s perfect nobody’s give her a hope in this contest, that might now be about to change

Ash Regan for First Minister

Alastair

I think it’s more :
That’s put the Scottish Wild Cats amongst the rats.

Anne Johnston

Excellent post as always Rev, and a bit of a chuckle, although we all know that this SNP mob are no laughing matter.

mike cassidy

I like to think the unionist parties in Scotland are watching this

And thinking

How fecking awful are we that we get humped every election by this wreck that identifies as a political party

Merganser

Panda Paws @ 6.41.

Humza sends his apologies for not being there – he has a pre-arranged meeting with a foreign ambassador about a transman/woman who feels hurt at the expression “at it”.

It’s crumbling as we watch.

Stick the boot in Joanna and it will all come crashing down.

Luigi

Gosh. Don’t panic! Why does Peter Wishart appear so agitated with this? After, if there is nothing to hide, what’s wrong with a little transparency.

Andrew scott

Large bucket of popcorn required for tomorrow’s FMQ ps -wont need lunch!
Wonder what the opposition will go on
So many targets
How did the Murells get into this mess??

robbo

robbo says:
15 March, 2023 at 7:00 pm- on other thread.

Can see where this going. Ash and Kate will pull out and resign over this farce election and Humza useless will be elected un-contested.

Gregory Beekman

“Once we’ve cheated our way to victory, then we’ll tell you how many votes we gave ourselves.”

Robert Hughes

” At this point we’re ruling nothing out, up to and including Peter Murrell suddenly charging out of his house stark naked and painted green wielding a huge flamethrower and screaming “ALLAHU AKBAR!” before slipping on a banana skin and ending up with his head stuck in a bin. ”

Hahahahahahaha . LOL MAX 🙂

The unfolding drama that is the Fall of the ( mad ) House of Strurrell will be like Tiger King directed by David Lynch

Gordon Gekko

Helen Yates

” Scotland desperately needs competent and honest governance. ”

You ain’t seen nothing yet. The biggest scam/ myth is just about to be reintroduced across mainland Europe. Will be an absolute car crash.

link to billmitchell.org

Next week in Dundee the Scotonomics crowd run by Karin Van Sweeden or whatever her name is. Will deny it and say Europe wouldn’t do such a thing.

It’s called the festival of economics. Should be called the EU uber alles weekend.

Shug

Imagine if you were an election fi and you know the number of votes you have seen and you see the party announcing a different set of numbers
How much would that info be worth

revjimbob

Jings!

SteepBrae

Careless banana eaters – keep yer eyes peeled for naked, screaming, green man BREENGING out of house.

Green men everywhere should have heeded the warning: “Beware the Ides of March!”

ScottieDog

Humza might favour the game being a bogey if he’s going to lose anyway..

Indy 2 now

SNP secretary Lorna Finn needs to resign over this recent scandal!

Derek

Have you been watching Tom & Jerry cartoons again?

(always a good default activity)

Bob Mack

This isnt real. Is it?

Ps. I will back any crowdfunder for an injuction.Happily.

Republicofscotland

Its an absolute disgrace that this shambles of contest is shrouded in secrecy, its further amazingly outrageous that even the candidates don’t know how many SNP members are voting in this contest.

Further more Peter Murrell has no place in actually being involved in this contest, he’s involved in an active police investigation and his wife is the ex-leader, both of these points should’ve seen Murrell recuse himself from playing any part in this contest.

Add in that GCHQ has absolutely no right to have anything to do with this contest either, its a know enemy of Scottish independence, it to needs to desist and remove itself from any form of activities surrounding this contest.

The candidates are right to question how Peter Murrell has handled this contest, I’m surprised they haven’t asked for him to remove himself from it as well.

I’m sure the majority of the SNP membership will not be pleased at the clandestine way this contest has been handled by Peter Murrell, calls for his resignation should be a priority for them.

Ron Clark

This is like a thread from Wings of old.

You just can’t keep up with the new posts.

It just shows you how triggered we are for any sign of the destruction of the Murrells.

Their criminality knows no bounds.

The SNP have become the most corrupt political partying Europe.

Their hangman awaits them all.

Big Jock

The obvious question as always is. If you have nothing to hide, then why not publish them? Publishing them after the result makes it look suspicious.

Republicofscotland

True or not I can’t say.

“I understand there will be a meeting of the SNP NEC tomorrow.

It is expected this will lead to the publication of the membership figures”

link to twitter.com

Mia

“The number of votes, percentage share and turnout will all be published at the conclusion of the context”

At the conclusion of the context, they say? Duh! it is only after all the real votes have been cast that Murrell’s magpies will know the exact number of ghost votes they will have to add in to ensure the continuity candidate wins. Who has not worked that out by now?

What kind of dullard is in control of SNP coms?

How can they be this insulting?

Do they think we are all zipped at the back like they seem to be?

Do they seriously think we have not realised by now they are biding for time? The list of members had to be released BEFORE the vote started for this to be a fair context. Even by now, with the votes that are already in, it is possible to make a rough calculation of how many ghost votes they may require to catapult Hazard Youseless to the position of leader and adjust the “official” list of voters accordingly.

Their reluctance to release the number of members points to something seriously dodgy hiding on those lists.

1. How many ghosts do they have mixed with members?

2. How many email addresses have more than one entry? In other words, is there any single email address with the opportunity to vote more than once?

3. Do they have fake entries in the list to allow for “extra” votes on demand when required “to adjust” the overal result?

4. Or do they want full freedom to add any figure of votes they want?

Until the point the new leader is elected, Nicola Sturgeon remains as the leader of the SNP. The buck stops with her. She is presiding over this embarrassing charade. She is responsible for the lack of transparency in the same way she has been responsible for 8 years of SNP dishonesty where, despite having no intention of pursuing independence she dangled the indy carrot of indy to win seats and use our votes to preserve the union.

In my view, STurgeon’s dishonest, and corrupt amateur dictator’s fingerprints are all over this charade. For the last 8 years she has deployed extremely blunt, unintelligent, authoritarian tools to to shut down dissent. She is very predictable becasue she is no strategist. She only firefights. This charade of leadership contest follows her exact same modus operandi for the last 8 years. Is full of blunt, authoritarian tools and industrial scale firefighting. There is no creative strategy anywhere to be seen.

Republicofscotland

Again I can’t confirm.

“UPDATE: Ash Regan’s team threaten to raise the stakes if SNP HQ fails to provide clarity by tomorrow.

“If we do not receive a satisfactory response addressing our legitimate request…by 3pm 16/03, Ash Regan will hold a press conference outside Parl to address matter further.””

link to twitter.com

Beauvais

What’s the Thief Executive of the party going to do now?

That Ash Regan has got gumption, no doubt about it.

clemfandango

@thesnp The Numbers Racket

laukat

Well done Ash Regan!

I was worried that she and Forbes didn’t have the metal to oust Murrell and the gravy train if they git elected but that looks like very much like an eviction notice.

I suspect part of the reason membership numbers haven’t been released was to allow some massaging of votes but I also reckon it would have been released post vote to imply that since Forbes or Regan have been elected thousands had left the party. If the numbers come out just now as being substantially down it can only be because of Sturgeon and the current leaderships actions.

Humza supporting the request for membership numbers does look like the action of a man trying to protect his place in Government rather than someone who is convinced he will win.

Big Jock

Well, well ,well. Is this the smoking gun?

link to scotsman.com

Breeks

Headline in the SUN from Chris Musson…

AIDE ASSIST Nicola Sturgeon’s ‘right-hand woman’ Liz Lloyd helping Humza Yousaf’s campaign as SNP bosses ‘panic’…

NICOLA Sturgeon’s £100,000-a-year right-hand woman is helping with Humza Yousaf’s campaign amid fears he could be pipped at the post by Kate Forbes, sources claimed today….

Does that come off Humza’s £5,000 spending limit for his leadership campaign? Or does somebody else pay Liz Lloyd’s wages?

Jlm

This should set the lavender on fire.

Den

Not one man I’d like to see Jailed more than the Fat Controller. He has it coming to him the corrupt little bastard .

Merganser

Big Jock @ 7.44

Makes you wonder if they really know how many members there are.

But perhaps that is someone else’s responsibility too.

Where’s Smitty with the latest from the bunker?

Skip_NC

Breeks, she is doing it in her spare time. She is a volunteer and absolutely not getting paid by the campaign or the taxpayer. Move along now, old chap. Nothing to see here.

Big Jock

Breeks. Let’s hope it’s a sign that he is losing. The only way he can pull it back is by fiddling the ballot. His team must be absolutely imploding.

Beauvais

There’s never been so much uncertainty and drama since the Uruguayan government gave orders to the Graf Spee that it had to leave the safety of Montevideo harbour in 1939.

Fairliered

In a joint statement, Scottish supermarkets have announced that they will be restricting sales of popcorn to two bags per person, due to a sudden increase in demand.

ScottieDog

Mr Murrell must be like Jerry Lundegaard in Fargo at the moment…

Frank Gillougley

Can’t help but remember the grim ending of the Ceausescus.

Republicofscotland

This is worth a look is the SNP house of cards about to collapse.

link to twitter.com

Murray

“Jlm says:
15 March, 2023 at 7:57 pm
This should set the lavender on fire.”

Top Comment , You win the Internet today.

James Galt

Beauvais@8.12pm

So are you expecting Murrell to go out in a blaze of glory to the strains of Gotterdammerung?

Neil in Glasgow

Surely Mi-Voice also need to be seriously looking at this and thinking about their reputation? If they just carry on regardless until the conclusion it must seriously cast a shadow on them too in all sorts of ways

Geoff Anderson

Wait a minute!

It is only weeks since Sturgeon was claiming that the membership was still well over 100k.
A dozen articles said the suggestion that membership was down was nonsense.

Did Sturgeon, Swinney and several Ministers lie to the Public…….YES.

chossy

I actually just contacted the SNP just now as I have not received any e-ballot or mail ballot… I am a lifetime member so I would expect I get a vote? feel free to contact me if you want, I can let you know the progress of my request.

Chic McGregor

I think whichever one wins there will be a significant exodus of membership.

Indeed you would be hard put to pick three more divisive candidates in one way or another.

It is passing strange that other candidates who would have been pretty guaranteed to keep the party together, if only in a caretaker role, John Swinney and Angus Robertson are two that spring to mind, almost immediately ruled themselves out.

Dan

IT surveillance monitors at GCHQ picking up activity of an Alphabetties’ whatsapping frenzy as they try to think of any times they were (or weren’t coz Miss H can just make shit up) in the vicinity of Ash or Kate to accuse them of historical hair pinging offences…

Heaver

Den says:
15 March, 2023 at 8:00 pm
Not one man I’d like to see Jailed more than the Fat Controller. He has it coming to him the corrupt little bastard .

He’s a creep.

Merganser

Spare a thought for Alex Salmond and what he must be thinking.

Regrets? I have a few…..

Somhairlin

Best money I’ve ever spent on a subscription ?I think we may need to dedicate a statue in independent Scotland to you Stu. I’m imagining something like the Angel of the North in Gateshead but more sarcastic. Thank fuck you came back. Nice one Elon.

PhilM

@Beauvais
My sources from the world of the historians tell me that luminaries such as Simon Schama and Niall Ferguson are in surprising agreement that in terms of ‘uncertainty and drama’ the Graf Spee incident comes second to the time when Christine from Gardeners’ World finally took a holiday and left Reg her neighbour in charge of her flower pots with the instruction not to water the petals…
Historical comparisons are always controversial but some academic specialists are now of the opinion that Reg was the Humza of his time…

ronald anderson@gmail.com

Chic McGregor 8.36 .

Should U not be on a Snp page with that rubbish

Graeme George

Merganser says:
15 March, 2023 at 8:44 pm

”Spare a thought for Alex Salmond and what he must be thinking.

Regrets? I have a few…..”

I was thinking the same, he must be wondering how that once great Party he led with distinction managed to come to this

jock mctavish

Should that be Mi5 Voice?

ben madigan

@ Geoff Anderson who mentioned SNP numbers

“The Mail on Sunday reported that Southampton-based polling firm Mi-Voice, which is overseeing the leadership vote, had been given the names of just 78,000 members by the SNP.”

link to bbc.com

laukat

@Merganser says:
15 March, 2023 at 8:44 pm
“Spare a thought for Alex Salmond and what he must be thinking.

Regrets? I have a few…..”

Perhaps Salmond is now just waiting for the Empire to fall and then the truth will come out about what was done to him? If the Murrell’s can no longer protect the gravy train then it will just become a matter of who strikes the best deal to tell their story.

Doug McGregor

/////////////// (redacted)

What? Does this not work anymore?

Ron Clark

The gay scene in Edinburgh will be buzzing with the news that one of their own is about to be exposed, along with his fake wife.

Mungo Armstrong

How will anyone know if the numbers they give are correct? Will actual names of members be disclosed? how will the votes be verified?

Louise Hogg

Someone said on Sunday evening:
“It’s not a movie.”
I replied that it feels more like one every day.

I’m assuming the timing of the open letter gave 24 hours for a response?

And that the reason the open letter and potential interdict have been triggered now, more than two days into the voting period, rather than just prior, is that the bulk of genuine voting likely to have happened in the first 2-3 days?

Any fraud is likely to have just begun? So an investigation NOW, would capture both an approximation to the true voting result AND potentially early evidence of fraudulent vote addition.

As well as preventing claims of a mass exodus after the result is announced, as someone pointed out.

Logically, Humza best to try and save his OWN skin I think rather than worry about promotion.

The other 2 best to follow Joanna Cherry’s advice on this one. They’ve nothing to lose if one of them doesn’t win anyway as they’d be treated to a stitch-up for daring to try. And if they DO win, the more is cleared out BEFORE they’re faced with rebuilding, the better. Begin how you intend to go on.

The fraud-arrests-delay theory looks plausible, when you look at the clear GRR-passing deadline of Christmas (before Kate Forbes was due to return and presumably rebel). This resignation-replacement deadline does look like the end of March.

Is there a Financial Year early April aspect affecting this legally? Eg via account submission dates?

I hope Liz Lloyd will have ensnared herself this time. Can only hope.

Is there any action individual SNP members could take via the ICO as well? Since HQ are denying responsibility for their data held under GDPR, when legally their Data Controller MUST take responsibility? Might be a route for a savvy member to call a halt.

Will Anne McLaughlin invoke the protest ban outside Holyrood at this point? And insist that an Ash Regan statement = a protest, just as a ‘conversation’ with Humza apparently doesn’t = an event?

If I was Nicola Sturgeon I’d definitely self-isolate with covid at this point. Send John Swinney as a stand-in for FMQs. And if I was John Swinney, I’d do the same and send Humza as the stand-in stand-in.

10,000 Pipers

My ancestors were Norwegian, yes, those bad-boy Vikings who invaded Scotland. My family are Gaels from the Hebrides. I’m very much Scottish despite a thousand-year gap. However, they must be spinning in Valhalla at the gay mafia currently destroying our nation.

Merganser

Has anyone seen a copy of Humza’s (backdated?) letter? Is he going to publish it in line with the other two?

Mike Fenwick

‘The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft a-gley.’

How did Rabbie know so far in advance?

Big Jock

I think most of us on Wings, were once SNP members. I was a member for 32 years. We forget how angry we should actually be that one woman has completely wrecked the SNP.

I left when Salmond started Alba. He is a man that I take my lead from. He has always had my respect. When one of our own turned on the very person who put her in her position. It was the end of the SNP for me.

They are no longer the same party. Once everyone accepts that. It’s much easier to move on. I don’t know if Forbes, Ash, or Cherry can ever rebuild the SNP. I think they need to create a new SNP and split from the youth extreme and devolutionists. The party can’t possibly stay as it is, with the infiltrators and Sturgeon clones still attached.

Shug

Well members of the Vietnam group must now be considering turning kings evidence to avoid going to jail.

Squeaky bum time I think

I do wonder which one will crack first for the only golden ticket.

Mia

“Not one man I’d like to see Jailed more than the Fat Controller”

Yes, but only after his wife has been led out in handcuffs first. At the end of the day it is his wife who has been the leader of the party for over 8 years. She could have given him the jotters as soon as she got the job, but chose not to. In fact, she could have sacked the entire executive after the Salmond saga but chose to keep them put. The 600,000 were woven through the accounts under her stewardship as leader. The books were denied under her leadership. The democratic structures of the party were destroyed under her leadership. The careerists, the pro-perverts, pro-rapists and pro-paedophiles were allowed to hijack the party under her leadership. The SNP was transformed into a copy cat of New Labour under her leadership. This parody of a leadership contest to make the SNP unelectable is happening under her stewardship.

The buck stops with her.

David Hannah

Peter Murrell and Nicola Sturgeon.

What have you got to hide?

Wullie B

10,000 Pipers says:
15 March, 2023 at 9:16 pm

My ancestors were Norwegian, yes, those bad-boy Vikings who invaded Scotland. My family are Gaels from the Hebrides. I’m very much Scottish despite a thousand-year gap. However, they must be spinning in Valhalla at the gay mafia currently destroying our nation.

Like me you are a Galloglas then,

PhilM

A propos of the complete crumbling of the corrupt SNP…
Helicopter escapes by corrupt leaders must be pretty rare but I’m pretty certain I witnessed one. I was in Buenos Aires in December 2001 when President de la Rúa had to leave office but could only do it safely by helicopter from the rooftop of la Casa Rosada.
My Argentinian gf at the time was taking me around the city every day and when the president resigned we were walking along the waterfront at Puerto Maduro when a helicopter passed quick and low in front of us. It was only later that night we realised who it must have been.
So wouldn’t it be a wonderful visual irony (in my dreams anyway) to have the Murrells leaving the top of Bute House in a helicopter – Stronger for Scotland – with an aerial photograph showing the chopper leaving the helipad but centred in the shot would be a big beautiful shiny yellow and black ‘H’.

Brian Doonthetoon

Well, I was always told, as a bairn, that because I was a blue-eyed blonde, my ancestry was Viking.

I can handle that.

Smithq Johnq

Think back: you used to denounce this sort of article and did it well.

Corrado Mella

Can please someone find their backbone and get Murrell to resign?

It’s demeaning for the whole of Scotland and really a dark stain that we won’t be able to bleach out, when we get back to our rightful status of independent country.

It’s exactly what a BritNazi Establishment double agent would do to make sure Scotland’s bid to be recognised by the international community would fail.

Jm

Wha’s like us?

North Korea possibly.

Absolute tinpot but sinister stuff.

laukat

Forbes wades in with her own statement link to twitter.com

Also SNP staffer account closes down with a 5 minute warning after tweeting support of Yousaf link to archive.ph

Pass the popcorn!

Big Jock

Corrado anyone would think he was doing it deliberately….hang on!

Make Scotland look like a corrupt state, cover up funding figures, smear former leaders, silence all critics, push through bills against the public wishes, have a husband and wife running the government, hide evidence in court cases, redact, redact , redact.

What would an outsider think looking at Scotland now.

Jm

Mi-V?…LOL..blatant really isnt it?Theyre laughing at us all.

Mike Fenwick

Rarely has the phrase “Your numbers up!” seemed more appropriate!

Geoff Anderson

Figures to be released on Thursday….if the NEC approve
link to bbc.co.uk

Big Jock

Lakat.I expect Murrell is looking out his passport as we speak. Guantanimo Bay is nice this time of year I hear.

bluegrass banjo

chossy says:

15 March, 2023 at 8:31 pm

I actually just contacted the SNP just now as I have not received any e-ballot or mail ballot… I am a lifetime member so I would expect I get a vote? feel free to contact me if you want, I can let you know the progress of my request.

dito

i replied on snp site – said they would reply

havent yet

Geoff Anderson

Article in Scotsman about the SNP holding back information from the enquiry. Unfortunately cannot get past pat wall

SNP ministers set for court battle over Hamilton Report evidence on Nicola Sturgeon’s conduct
Evidence about alleged misconduct by Nicola Sturgeon around the Alex Salmond inquiry is set to be subject to a court battle with ministers disputing a transparency ruling.

Kcor

“At this point we’re ruling nothing out, up to and including Peter Murrell suddenly charging out of his house stark naked and painted green wielding a huge flamethrower and screaming “ALLAHU AKBAR!” before slipping on a banana skin and ending up with his head stuck in a bin.”

As long as he is in handcuffs being taken away charged with the theft of £600,000 of independence supporters’ money, that is fine with me.

ronald anderson@gmail.com

Snp now named the Okydoky party releasing a record spinning around

Geoff Bush

ixing the leadership election in some way was routinely anticipated, and there is good evidence of attempts to fix it. The shortened campaign period – against the constitution of the party, the breaches of spending limits, the unconstitutional emails to South of Scotland members exhorting support for Humza – need I go on ? In addition the current leadership cabal, including senior employees, have distorted the outcome of internal elections before, whether by fiddling the counts or by changing the rules. So it is almost universally expected that the result will somehow be fixed by the fixers. That’s just what fixers do.

ElGordo

Would be useful if the unusual betting patterns on betfair were investigated, particularly on Monday 13th between 10am and 4pm, where the odds on Kate Forbes were pushed from 2.3 to 7.0 and Humza came in from 1.8 to 1.2. Over 10k placed on Humza during this period, which was over 10% of the total amount staked at this point.

Where did this money come from? Not a regular bookie or punter. Particularly on the back of opinion polls just being released that showed a preference for Kate Forbes. Totally corrupt.

The market link is below, click on the graph icons to see the Monday 13th, vote opening, swings.

link to betfair.com

Chic McGregor

@Ron Anderson

I think you have misinterpreted my message, it was meant to be critical of the SNP.

We have voted for two of the candidates but I expect the one we did not vote for will win and if that happens we will leave the party.

We know other SNPers who will leave for either of the two we voted for.

There are potential caretaker candidates which could have allowed time for more radical but still cohesive candidates to prepare for leadership, they do exist.

My question is why was that not the approach?

Kcor

The Rev. Stuart Campbell could not have un-retired at a better time than he did.

This time we must absolutely not let any of the corrupt criminals running the State of Scotland get away with it.

Whether from the government, parliament, prosecution service or police, not to forget Sturgeon and her criminal collaborators who tried to jail Alex Salmond on false charges of rape.

And the ones who have quietly put the male rapist Bryson back in a women’s prison.

Ian

It is surely a sign of their incompetence, if not their skullduggery, or simply stupidity, that they respond to a question about the number of voters/members with an airy dismissal of any responsibility for the election. What, the SNP executive have no responsibility for the conduct of their most important election for a new leader? Further the attempt to imply that their ‘staff’ have no input or knowledge on it surely tells us they have completely sidelined their own staff, or that they don’t want them knowing anything either. It beggars belief that they think this is a valid response to the question, or that it closes down the issue – nothing to see here, oh no, go away.
The arrogance of the reply is stunning. If there is no skullduggery, there is nothing to hide. It is that simple. Therefore they can provide the numbers immediately. The only conclusion to be drawn is that on no account do they want the candidates or public to be able to tally the existing numbers with the eventual votes cast. And that has nothing to do with Mi-Voice, because they control the information they give to Mi-Voice.
It is beyond obvious that they election needs to taken out of the executive’s privileged position, away from his determination to hold and tally it in secrecy, if they want a valid and open to scrutiny result. That the SNP is being dragged, kicking and screaming, to be forced to be democratic, is really a nail in their coffin. How could you trust these people with anything after this?

laukat

Getting seriously interesting now link to twitter.com

Ian

Bang on, Chic McGregor. After the inexplicably abrupt departure of the Empress, with no planning for her successor in place, an interim leader would have been the obvious solution, giving time for a proper election in the timescale laid out in the party rules.
That it is being rushed through, with no time for preparation for the candidates, a pittance for their expenses, and massive gerrymandering for their preferred patsy/candidate is entirely in tune with the autocratic behaviour of the party insiders, who have a lot to lose if they face a party clean up.
It is fast descending into a farce, which will damage the SNP long term, unless there is a massive reboot of the entire party. Maybe that is what it needs, but what was dismissed as ‘conspiracy’ theories is now becoming mainstream knowledge and speculation. It is coming apart at the seams.

Geoff Anderson

To those who have not yet received your voting forms from the SNP…..you may have already voted of course. I think you know what I mean.

Kcor

Big Jock says:
15 March, 2023 at 9:34 pm

“I don’t know if Forbes, Ash, or Cherry can ever rebuild the SNP.”

Forbes and Regan can’t.

It has been corrupted beyond redemption.

Should one of them be elected, the Corbyn treatment awaits her.

As for Cherry, let us see if she will for once do something useful for independence since becoming a Westminster MP.

Fat good it did to the independence cause for her to fight for the reconvening of the British parliament where the SNP MPs can never achieve anything in favour of Scotland.

Big Jock

Chic. That wasn’t the approach, because Nicola had to exit in a hurry. Humza is required as the patsy to help keep the secrets hidden. He has been groomed for this position to minimise the damage.

It is no coincidence that the Chief Constable resigned a week after Sturgeon. Meantime the net is closing on the Murrells missing money and their other pecadilos.

They always say follow the money. Ultimately I think the missing money will lead to the truth. There has been a major cover up involving the SG, the police and the wider judiciary. Sturgeon left suddenly, either due to a threat, or as a go now and we will not grass you up, or because she knows it’s all going to be exposed.

Whichever it is. Humza is their last hope of continuing the web of deceit. The SNP set up Forbes to fail. They knew her religious views, but suddenly were faux outraged when she voiced them. This was a tactic, it backfired. Mainly because the public like her honesty, but also because Humza is accident prone and stupid.

alistair cross

The murrells were put into power by alec salmond, his poor reading of character, has led to this mess.

Wullie B

alistair cross says:
15 March, 2023 at 11:28 pm

The murrells were put into power by alec salmond, his poor reading of character, has led to this mess

Heard it was Angus Robertson who might have been the mover for Picdilly Peterboth in job and pay rises, both were close school friends by all accounts

Big Jock

Alastair she deceived all of us, including Salmond. That’s what narcicists do I am afraid. None of us would have believed what she became , or was behind the mask.

Salmond paid a higher price than all of us.

Geoff Anderson

Alistair Cross

What utter crap!. The performance of people in a team you manage is no indicator of how they will perform later when they have power.

They removed Democracy from the Party, They neutered Conference, They rigged the NEC. They rigged selection panels, They fiddled the £600k
Grow up

Geoff Bush

Humza Yousaf could do himself and all the rest of us a huge favour now by withdrawing from the leadership contest. It would be the honourable thing to do, I wonder what are the chances ?

Big Jock

Geoff. The rumours are that Humza has already lost. He won’t leave the stage until mummy Murrell orders him off.

Oneliner

Piff Puff Poof

Hey presto, the Great Murrello (with the aid of his lovely assistant) will open his magic box and the numbers will appear.

Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh

Problem with Craig Murray’s website? Articles show up okay, but since a couple of hours my various attempts to post another comment on the current Rockall article lead to a gray page saying “There has been a critical error on this website.” No-one else’s comments have appeared during that time either.

Derek

“10,000 Pipers says:
15 March, 2023 at 9:16 pm

“…the gay mafia currently destroying our nation.”

Whit??

sadscot

Mhairi Black on Peston insisting she is confident the election process is “absolutely above board” and she’s taken aback by the demands for third party scrutiny of the whole thing. She’s also claiming the Party is a “broad church” and has always been able to “argue things out” openly as it should and accept the outcome. This is the woman who said in the last week if KF or AR win the Party will split!

Louise Hogg

Alistair Cross,

Alex has many strengths but no-one is perfect!

He was unwise to focus on only one possible successor and the potential for the Indy movement to be ripped to shreds in the wake of the referendum defeat meant opting for an effective coronation rather than open contest. That has proved to be a big mistake.

Also worth noting that Nicola Sturgeon, Peter Murrell, Alyn Smith, Angus Robertson and the like were well dug in for years before then. There was probably little Alex could have done to stop Nicola’s appointment. How many years earlier would he have had to rumble her? And how much has she been a weak, unwise puppet manipulated by those behind her?

I’d say he’s already paid personally for his mistake. Stitched up and smeared, almost jailed for life, forced to watch his former party, former government and own country destroyed and abused in this manner.

I have immense sympathy for the distress he must feel at this time. And he has never complained, but put his shoulder to the wheel building a new party, pressuring the SNP to get Indy back on the agenda, refusing to retaliate against numerous betrayals and attacks.

The lesson here is for members of all pro-indy parties to never again entrust the choice of leader to the recommendation of one person. And never again to appoint a single candidate without competition. ‘The first one to speak in Court always sounds right, until their opponent speaks…’

Paulk

Humza belatedly claiming to be the first to have demanded transparency over the membership numbers is beautiful beyond words. The party were frantically tarring Regan and Forbes as Trumpian conspiracy theorists before he put his big foot in it. Classic Humza. You couldn’t make it up.

Wullie B

Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh says:
15 March, 2023 at 11:55 pm

Problem with Craig Murray’s website? Articles show up okay, but since a couple of hours my various attempts to post another comment on the current Rockall article lead to a gray page saying “There has been a critical error on this website.” No-one else’s comments have appeared during that time either

I to have been trying to post on that article, as a former Scottish fisherman who fished those waters,

North chiel

Let’s hope Ash Regan asks some poignant questions re her statement later today .
Like 1)
What exactly is the involvement of GCHQ in this leadership election ?
2) does GCHQ have real time access to voting , ballot numbers etc etc ?
3) How long has Murrel/ SNP/ Sturgeon had links with GCHQ ? Does these links pre date the September 2014 referendum?
4) How many other “ elections “ involving the SNP has GCHQ had with SNP knowledge of involvement?
There could be other associated questions requiring clarification .
Perhaps Ash Regan ( and KF) should ask for complete verification & traceability of every single vote cast in this “ election” as well as verification & traceability of each and every current member of the SNP eligible to vote

Willie

How many paid up members, how many voting papers issued?

Now that an interesting question for MI5 and GCHQ to answer. They after all are the people running the show. Murrell effectively told us so when he issued the cover story to say he called them in.

Ah, the theme tune of Ghost Busters is starting to ring in my head. In fact it’s Ash’s campaign tune.

Muscleguy

Rogerborg says:
15 March, 2023 at 6:47 pm
That sizzling sound you can hear is our banana republic being deep fried.

I’m allergic to bananas. I cannot live in such a state.

Vestas

Pretty sure the idea for this statement came from one of Barrhead Boy’s podcasts – either the one last Sunday or the one with Robin McAlpine the week before….

Patsy Millar

@Scottie Dog: Brilliant analogy.

Mark

These are the people who would run an independent Scotland. No wonder independence is a busted flush. Not only can they not run a devolved administration, they can’t even run an election.

It is a clown show.

Mac

Jm says:
“Mi-V?…LOL..blatant really isnt it? Theyre laughing at us all.”

That is a very interesting observation JM. Maybe they are…

BLMac

Never mind the corruption and diddling.
When you see the incompetent and amateurish way the SNP are dealing with this, you can see why they have been incapable of getting us independence.
The Stonewall white-ants have destroyed the party from within.


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