The Great Indyref Swindle
It’s probably past time that we put this all in one post for easy reference.
Herald journalists with no idea what a story is, start here.
Our tale begins in March 2016, when lottery winners Chris and Colin Weir each issued a loan of £500,000 to the SNP, which logic would suggest was intended to assist with fighting that year’s Holyrood election seven weeks later.
(Because they’d made similar loans a year earlier for the UK election, which had been paid back five months later. They also donated £250,000 each in April 2017, a few days after Theresa May called a snap UK election for June that year. It fits within an established pattern of them giving the party money for election campaigns.)
The SNP duly won the Holyrood election comfortably, although they lost their majority in the process. But it was seven more weeks on from then that things got interesting.
On the 23rd of June 2016, the UK voted narrowly to leave the European Union, while Scotland voted by a huge 24-point margin to remain. The next day Nicola Sturgeon made a speech in which she vowed to “do what it takes” to prevent Scotland being taken out of the EU against its will.
[SPOILER: Scotland was taken out of the EU against its will.]
She was clear about what that meant:
Nine months later, in March 2017, the Scottish Parliament duly voted in favour of a second independence referendum, to be held “before the UK leaves the EU”.
But we’ve skipped ahead slightly there. Because a couple of weeks earlier the SNP had already jumped the gun and launched a fundraiser for that second referendum without waiting for the Holyrood vote, aiming to raise an ambitious £1 million.
There was no ambiguity about what the money was supposed to be for. Even the domain name of the website – ref.scot – made the purpose clear, and every page emphasised that the fundraiser was for a future referendum campaign (hashtagged #ScotRef), not just general SNP funds.
Indeed, the SNP weren’t mentioned at all except in the tiny, legally-required small print at the bottom.
The site included a video:
It features an unequivocal pledge: that “when the options are clear”, there would be a choice between leaving the EU with the rest of the UK, and avoiding that fate via a second referendum on independence.
So everyone knew exactly what they were donating money for.
The fundraiser ran for three months before being abruptly shut down without warning in June 2017, the day after the snap general election Theresa May had called to try to give herself a stronger hand over Brexit negotiations, and at which the SNP had lost 21 of their 56 seats.
The SNP said that this was to ensure separation between the indyref fundraiser and fundraising for the general election, even though the page had been live right up to election day and had run alongside a separate election appeal.
For some unknown reason the ScotRef appeal was not restored after the election, even though the fund was less than halfway to its target. The last known total on the page was £482,000.
It was at this point that controversy started to arise.
Opposition parties accused the SNP of using the referendum fundraiser money in its election campaign – something the SNP furiously denied, insisting in the starkest terms that the £482,000 would be “frozen” in its accounts until such times as there was a new referendum.
The SNP has maintained that position in public ever since. Indeed, it had already been giving donors private assurances on the subject since almost immediately after the ref.scot appeal was launched.
Especially alert readers may have noted that the above responses from Jim Henderson appear to identify a specific designated “Referendum Campaign” fund in the party accounts – something that the SNP’s national treasurer would subsequently deny the existence of. But we’ll get to that later.
Now, at this stage we need to rewind slightly. Remember back at the start of this article Chris and Colin Weir had each just loaned the SNP £500,000 for the 2016 Holyrood election? Well, at some point in 2016 one of those loans was paid back, as revealed by the party’s 2016 accounts.
That left the SNP with less than £53,000 in the bank.
For some reason the Electoral Commission website lists both loans as having been repaid on 1 December 2017, even though it looks on first reading like one of them was in fact repaid the previous year.
The 2017 accounts appear to back that assertion – they list loan repayments of just over £500,000 in each of 2016 and 2017, and they can only have been to the Weirs because nobody else has ever loaned anything like that much money to the SNP.
(Its biggest previous loan was £200,000 from the Royal Bank of Scotland in April 2011, again just before a Holyrood election and again paid back in August of the same year. The Weirs won the Euromillions in July 2011.)
[EDIT: We subsequently heard back from the Electoral Commission explaining that what happened was that rather paying back one of the loans in full, the SNP paid back HALF of each loan in 2016 (ie £250K to Colin Weir and £250K to Christine Weir) and the other half in 2017, so neither debt was cleared until December 2017.
That has no impact on anything else in this article, it just explains the apparent discrepancy in terms of the Commission’s records.]
So at this stage we have four quite interesting facts:
(1) At the start of 2017 the SNP owed half a million pounds to Chris and/or Colin Weir. Unlike most of their previous election borrowings it hadn’t been paid back within six months. The party simply didn’t have the money to do so.
(2) The party then raised roughly half a million pounds from the “ringfenced” ref.scot fundraiser between March and June of 2017.
(3) Nobody knows where that half-million pounds is now, but it certainly doesn’t appear in the SNP’s most recent accounts, which show a cash balance of just £97,000 despite the ref.scot money supposedly having been “frozen” in the bank until such times as a second referendum campaign, something that hasn’t happened yet.
(4) But what we do know is that the outstanding half-million pounds in loans to the Weirs was repaid in December 2017, leaving the party with less than £8,000 in the bank by the end of that year.
Could these facts by any chance be connected? We don’t know. But we do know that after April 2017 the Weirs never donated or loaned any money to the SNP again. Colin Weir, a lifelong member and supporter who sadly died in late 2019 with £41m in the bank, didn’t leave a penny of it to the party.
In terms of large donations Nicola Sturgeon’s leadership has alienated the general public and big business alike, to the extent that she’s become so desperate to get some sizeable cheques into the coffers she’ll do just about anything.
It may also explain why by 2017 the party’s fundraising efforts had shifted focus, from trying to get people to donate to the SNP itself to using causes like a second indyref or a non-existent guidebook to independence.
There has in fact never been any detectable trace of the ref.scot money in the SNP accounts since 2017. At the close of that year, despite having received £482,000 for the supposed campaign, the party had just £7,906 in the bank and total assets of almost £100,000 less than it had received in ref.scot donations alone.
At the end of 2018 (the first year since 2014 that there hadn’t been an election or a referendum to fight, and in which the SNP therefore got to trouser close to £3.5m in membership fees and UK government funding without any major outlays), that amount had increased to £411,042 – still well below the fundraiser receipts.
But a year later, after another snap election, it was back down to £96,854 despite a new fundraiser ostensibly intended to produce an independence guidebook – though sometimes the description was downgraded to a “leaflet” – for every household in Scotland raising around £100,000.
Nearly two years on from the launch of the new appeal there’s still been no sign of the guide, despite the website once again having made very clear that all the money would be used for that particular purpose rather than just general SNP funding.
And again, Jim Henderson was keen to confirm that position.
The fundraiser is still accepting donations, but since last year there’s no longer been any reference on its website to the guidebook, and the SNP has never mentioned “An Independent Scotland: Household Guide” again.
Implausibly, the party continues to insist that between the 2017 and 2019 fundraisers it still has their combined total of almost £600,000 available to spend at a moment’s notice, with then-treasurer Colin Beattie infamously claiming in 2020 that the money was “woven through” the accounts in some unexplained way, although being woven through something else is the literal exact opposite of a thing being “ringfenced”.
(This would inescapably mean the separate “Referendum Campaign” fund mentioned by Jim Henderson back in 2017 has either been dissolved or forgotten about.)
It dismisses any notion that it’s been spent as an “utterly baseless conspiracy theory”.
But it refuses to tell anyone where the money can be found, and bizarrely in the same breath tells us that it’s actually spent some of it already, on unspecified “preparations” and on the creation of an “independence unit” (or “Marco Biagi” as the unit normally prefers to be called), and that it intends to have blown the lot by the end of 2021, even though there are no credible plans to hold a referendum either this year or next year.
[EDIT: Biagi quit after just four months as head/only member of the “independence unit”, calling it “the worst job I’ve ever had” but declining to elaborate further. His silence was rewarded with a job as “chief of staff” to Tommy Sheppard MP.]
And even questions from within the SNP’s own National Executive Committee about the money have been going unanswered for almost two years. (Colin Beattie wasn’t at the meeting below, but Peter Murrell and Nicola Sturgeon were, although the publicity-shy Murrell seems to have ducked out of the group photo.)
It would, of course, be quite seriously illegal for a political party to be hiding half a million pounds off the books somewhere in a secret slush fund. And while the SNP has almost 300 “accounting units” (AUs) registered with the Electoral Commission, mainly local branches, none has ever filed accounts which could explain them being used to hold the ref.scot money.
(Any AU receiving over £25,000 in a year has to file separate accounts.)
By a very big distance the largest SNP AU outside the central party is the Westminster Group of MPs – no other SNP AU has ever declared income in six figures.
In 2017 the Westminster Group declared £421,157 in “miscellaneous” income, which is actually the two levies taken by the party from MPs’ staffing allowances and salaries – around £14,000 a year per head – and known as the “pooled budgets income” (PBI).
(That’s why the 2017 PBI figure is significantly lower than the 2016 one, after the party lost 40% of its MPs halfway through the year.)
The PBI and Short money are the WM Group’s only sources of funds.
So the money can ONLY have passed into (and out of) the central-party accounts, because there’s nowhere else it could lawfully be.
At the end of the day, then, by far the most plausible explanation – indeed the only one – for the Mystery Of The Missing Money seems to in fact be a remarkably and surprisingly straightforward one: the ref.scot funds were used to pay off £500,000 of loans to Chris and Colin Weir in late 2017 and have never been seen again.
On that basis, everything in the accounts adds up and makes sense. On any other basis, it simply doesn’t.
(When three members of the party’s own Finance Committee tried to carry out their legal duties this year by examining the books to verify the fact, they were refused sight of them by party CEO Peter Murrell and resigned to protect themselves from liability.)
[EDIT: They were subsequently joined by the party’s National Treasurer, who also stood down when Murrell refused to provide him with the access to the books required to perform his fiduciary duties. He was replaced by Colin Beattie, the previous Treasurer, who’d been rejected by the membership at the NEC election of November 2020 after his attempts at whitewashing the issue with the “woven through the accounts” line. Chapman had been elected on an explicit promise to bring greater transparency to the party’s finances, but Murrell prevented him from keeping it.]
And unfortunately for the SNP, if that’s true then it’s a clear case of common-law fraud. Nobody was asked for donations to pay off the SNP’s debts or for any other party purposes, they were asked for money to be kept in reserve for a future referendum.
[EDIT: Having initially refused refunds when people asked for their money back in the light of Wings’ revelations, the SNP swiftly U-turned after the police became involved and is now returning donations to anyone who asks.
In June the Mail On Sunday also reported that at some point prior to his death in late 2019, Colin Weir had asked for a donation to the referendum appeal be refunded – perhaps because he discovered it had gone into SNP general spending rather than a ringfenced indyref fund. Given that he wasn’t exactly short of a few quid it’s hard to imagine why else he’d want it back.]
Belatedly the party has tried to cover its tracks, by breaking its own promises and (notionally) spending the money before there’s another referendum, which is the exact same thing it’s angrily insisting it hasn’t done before now. (In reality, it’s rebadging normal staff wages as the ref.scot money to try to make it vanish retrospectively.)
[EDIT: Since this article was written the SNP has completely changed its story AGAIN, and now admits that the money WAS spent on other party business but says that this is simply normal “cash-flow” accounting and that in effect it has replaced the cash with IOUs, to be returned to the indyref fund from future revenues, possibly including new additional fundraisers.]
But it’s far too late for that. A crime appears to have been committed, the police are investigating, and the only way that Peter Murrell and Nicola Sturgeon could get out of it now would be if the person in charge of criminal prosecutions in Scotland was also a minister in her government who was directly answerable to her and already had a worrying track record of deeply improper behaviour, or something mad like that.
And readers, what sort of a twisted, crooked joke of a country would that be?
Maybe you should ask “Nicky Special”.
Wow! Just wow!
Wow the link up made.
Wow very informative, the Nicola faithful really need to open their eyes. Thank you for your hard work getting the truth out there.
Like thousands of others I donated to a referendum fund. I also paid fees & a regular direct debit to the party for their general costs & whilst I regret that those costs include vastly inflated salaries & legal costs for court cases that could, & should, have been avoided, I accept that that money was theirs to spend as they saw fit. The money in the referendum fund was not theirs & I want answers.
The jokes on us. I hope the Murrell’s get their day in court.
The return of, a very brave, Alex Salmond, is showing he is a leader and has buoyed my hope’s of iScotland being a reality.
This is why they try to shut you down. Because you have an enquiring mind and are tenacious enough to trawl through the mud to get to the facts and the truth.
IOW P Murrel and Nicola St. are common fraudsters and not fit to run a political party or any other organisation.
Wolffe should also be prosecuted for hindering the course of justice.
Again, kudos to you for your journalistic style Stu as well as doing what should be the MSM’s job for them. No wonder they all despise Wings so much!
There is a strong smell, no doubt about it, we all know where it is coming from.
Get the Salmond squad on this ASAP.
Only thing missing Stu, was Sid singing My Way !
Brilliant analysis and detective work !
If such a clearly ‘defamatory’ article is not legally challenged, it will be an excellent contemporary example of The Dog in the Nighttime (that didn’t bark).
Bingo,Full house? Wow just wow
What’s so depressing is that it’s the ‘follow the money’ approach only that might bring relief. Other issues of immorality appear to have little effect on those who have lost their critical faculties around NS and co.
Wonder if they’ll respond?
Even if Alba do exceedingly well in May, there really isn’t a supermajority for independence, simply because the SNP, or its current Leadership anyway, isn’t pro-independence.
This makes Alba more of an indy ‘lifeboat’ and unless there’s a coup within the party, realistically we will have to wait until 2025 for another crack at independence.
SNP:“We’ve had a big idea! Quick! Pay us!”
YES: Ok. Here you go.
SNP: “……, ……., ……”
YES: So, err, yunno, … what was your big idea?
SNP: “Pay us…. That eh, … that was kinda as far as we got.”
BTW
Here’s the text of the email I received from Jim Henderson after I donated to the referendum fund – received 17/5/19 – I still have it.
————————/——————————————-
Thank you for the donation you made to the Scottish National Party last month. Your donation, along with many more, has been put into a ring-fenced fund to build up a war chest to fight a future Independence Referendum that we all hope is not too far off.
Brexit will, if it happens, deliver a devastating blow. It will destroy thousands of jobs. It will, by driving away talented and welcome EU citizens, undermine whole industries and increase depopulation in our rural areas.
Trying to deliver that poisoned policy is the most intransigent and most arrogant UK Government ever. It has shown contempt for Scotland and the views of the people of Scotland who voted not to leave the EU.
The opportunity afforded by the European elections, by the preparations announced by the First Minister at Conference for a genuinely inclusive and open-minded Citizens’ Assembly and by the enthusiasm and commitment of this national movement to finish the journey all bring hope of turning our dream into reality.
As the SNP continues to fight in Scotland’s interests against a Brexit we didn’t vote for, it simply underlines the case for Scotland to take all the decisions which affect our future. We know that Scotland deserves better than the shambles of Westminster. Britain is broken and Scotland is ignored by Westminster. This cannot go on.
Our message must be simple. It must be about what we know is the truth. That the future of our nation will only be enhanced when we break free of the dangerous, nasty and failing politics of Westminster.
Again, thank you for your generosity and support.
Yours for Scotland,
Jim
Jim Henderson
Party Fundraiser
Gordon Lamb House
3 Jacksons Entry
Edinburgh
EH8 8PJ
0131 525 8904
“Here’s the text of the email I received from Jim Henderson after I donated to the referendum fund – received 17/5/19 – I still have it.”
Have emailed you about this.
The net is closing on the Murrells. I am kind of glad. Because I am scunnered trying to get family members to see what I see. The cult have gone quiet over the last week though.
I probably sounded quite unhinged when I explained what was going on to the cult. That’s what the SNP want us to look like. Soon we will look like the sane ones.
This is why you should never lie.
No matter how big and powerful you are, at some stage you will be vulnerable.
And that’s when the truth gets wheeled out.
Of course, this article is speculation, but it’s a logical one.
It just makes you wonder what the SNP did to piss off the Weirs though.
This is… what’s the word I’m looking for… ah yes, journalism. Quality work Stu.
Tumbleweed?
So it would appear the SNP is to Referendum Funds what Robert Maxwell was to Pension Funds.
To (mis)quote Shawshank Prison’s Warden Samuel Norton:
“Lord! It’s a miracle! Money up and vanished like a fart in the wind!”.
Somewhat of a depressing reality check to conclude with…
COPFS – Crime Only Pays For Some
I am so curious as to why the Weir’s were “alienated “ from a party they loved and respected.
That sounds to me like a plausable explanation.
I wonder if James Wolffe and his stable of £500/hour legal arseholes have got it solved yet…..or has investigating Holyrood become too complex.
It is astonishing that any time Nicola Sturgeon is asked a serious question suddenly she can not remember.
A meeting with a huge property company about to get a massive planning consent worth 650M.
A meeting in Parliament on 29th March to discuss serious allegations.
Well to help her and given her new found fascination with race horses and at no cost to the party because it is clearly skint and the cash has disappeared.
I recently retired a race horse we had with Phil Kirby at Catterick called of all things TRUST THOMAS.
Well this morning we have just bought a young 2 year old and we have applied to call it –
yes you guessed correctly I CAN’T REMEMBER.
Maybe enter it into the first 600k race at Ayr!!
Financial jiggery-pokery. That’s how they got Al Capone, wasn’t it?
If all the above is correct (and I don’t doubt it given Stu’s track record for impec impeccable investigation) this is a despicable way to treat the Weirs and their memory.
Its worse than bungling incompetence, its taking everyone for mugs. Deliberately.
So we’ve donated to pay back millionaires that wouldn’t have needed the money?
Not understanding what was in this for the SNP.
Were the Weirs demanding the money back in a oner? That’s a story itself.
Little wonder there is no rush to leave Westminster then
That might be another appearance in front of a committee that Mrs Murrell will have to defend
What a wimp of a liar he is
FM has been going on about ‘one mans ego’…..might just be her own mans that leads to a fall
Thankfully I wasn’t daft enough to contribute to the fund as it was glaringly obvious they’d no intention of pursuing independence. I can only imagine how angry folk are that did.
Taking 11k a year from their WM MPs as well? No wonder they’re determined to protect their monopolising of the indy vote. I hope the 2 Alba recruits jumped before their levy was due.
Could it be that the Weirs, like so many of us, just got really scunnered by all the trans stuff?
If the SNP can’t be trusted with a small thing like money, how can they be trusted with something really important, like the well-being of the nation?
Another “point of interest” in the SNP accounts must be the “intangible assets” shown in the Balance Sheet. These seem to consist of “software licensing” and “software development” which are not owned but are on hire purchase. I suspect some “creativity” here.
If this is correct I’m not happy
However
Nobody has been enriched by this
“Swindle” is a bit of a stretch.
The story here is the Weirs appear to have been infuriated.
Ps much more pissed off there are staff on over 50k a year and a CEO on 100k. Should be more like 35k and 55k. That’s the swindle.
Was just saying to someone that there would be folk hitting out with Ross’ argument (9:39am) – ‘how dare the Weirs want their money back!?’.
If they’d been silly enough to give away £500k at a time without looking for it back, there would have been a queue and it wouldn’t have lasted long.
If the terms decreed it came back ‘in a oner’ that’s how it should have been done and folk are kidding themselves on if they are claiming that they would not have been pissed off with anyone loaning money and then not adhering to promises to pay it back.
As you so eloquently put it Rev ” on that basis it makes sense”
They conned us to clear their debt.
The are trying to con us again by switching Party salaries into a fictitious Indy campaign and fake the books.
Peter Murrell is still there busy shredding the evidence.
If you are reading this and you are a member of the SNP Finance Committee you had better start moving your assets into your partners name. You are going to be liable for the missing money – NOT the Murrells.
I am still voting SNP1/Alba2 because it will be even more fun keeping her in the spotlight. I look forward to a very public humiliation and resignation.
Then we can get on with Independence!
Interesting that the ref.scot website is still running and says it is promoted by Peter Murrell on behalf of the SNP but searching that web address on the whois domain search website shows it was created on 17 May 2020 but has a 4 year history with 56 changes happening. No details on previous hosting companies.
If anyone donated with a credit card, have they tried claiming the money back as fraudulent ?
Did the original website give the bank details so you can check the sort code for its location or which organisation owned the bank account if not the SNP?
Peter Murrell, Nicola Sturgeon, Jim Henderson, Colin Beattie and others in SNP should all be questioned under caution in my opinion
As someone once said. “Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated..”
Fraudster & charlatan – from early days as a lawyer till present day. Wonder where & when it will end ?
I truly hope those on the hook for the SNP financials are sweating buckets, and that we see people wearing handcuffs eventually. However, they’ve done a real job suborning power to the Dear Leader(s) and I’m not holding out much hope. The display of arrogance over the Salmond affair and the open contempt for a jury delivered verdict has truthfully left me feeling that we’ll never see them held to account properly. And, I’ve basically lost all respect for those who continue to defend them and blindly support both what they have done and what they are planning. The wave upon wave of corruption boggles the mind. I’ll never forgive her for what she has done.
Would there be less tax on a loan than a gift,
any good accountants out there,
i don`t mean spiritually good (not looking for the impossible 🙂
That would help explain why they need bothvotesSNP, – they need as much short money as they can get.
Academic blog deleted, as it was not the view of the Government: link to centralbylines.co.uk
Scott and Chapman’s censored article on Scottish Independence: link to pontifex.substack.com
This is what you call quality investigative journalism. Right up there with expenses scandal. Great work.
I’d wager most of the ref fund is made up from donations from C2DEF groups. Anyone living in these groups know how tight money is and it’s been handed over in good faith.
If true taking money from the poor to pay the rich is not a good look.
My question would be why did the SNP need the loan from the Weirs in the first place? Was the SNP so skint back then? Strange for a party so popular? Or instead of cutting back was everyone riding the gravy train? Or back then were people beginning to see the light?
The SNP could shut this down today by showing us where the money is.
Jonny – I hear you but the reason you’ve thought that as well as me is there’s something in it.
I’m not happy about this and have a lot of respect for the Weirs. Equally this has been a decision to repay a loan, not enrich themselves. The question is; why?
It seems to me that the story is why did the Weirs request their money back in a one-er. If the SNP agreed to that during the investment, it doesn’t make sense either. You don’t take the risk like this to save on interest fees.
Can I just say nice things about the Weirs? Colin was, Chris is truly kind, thoughtful and generous philanthropists.
Ross says at 9:45 am
“If this is correct I’m not happy
However
Nobody has been enriched by this
“Swindle” is a bit of a stretch”
WTAF are you on?
Individuals gave their hard-earned to a cause only to find that there’s an extremely high probability that the same hard-earned was used for purposes other than intended, and you say “swindle is a bit of a stretch”?
Here, just for you…
Swindle
Verb:
Use deception to deprive (someone) of money or possessions.
“a businessman swindled investors out of millions of pounds”
Noun:
A fraudulent scheme or action.
“he is mixed up in a £10 million insurance swindle”
If using “ring-fenced” IndyRef2 funds to repay a loan obtained to fund a general election campaign isn’t “a fraudulent scheme or action” I don’t know what is!
If the Murrells have any genuine friends left, these friends should perhaps be telling them: “It’s time you two got the Hell out of Dodge City.”
Nicola’s knittin’s comin’ aff the needles.
My God, Stu, that’s dynamite.
I knew this was bad for them but from what you say here it could be really bad.
But hold on. Does this mean they effectively spent misappropriated funds on the 2017 General Election campaign? (assuming they used the indyref ringfenced money to pay back loans which were deployed to fight that 2017 General Election)
This is brilliant Mr Wings.
From past experience I know this to be the most tedious of research. And being able to translate the tedium into an eminently readable and interesting article is one of your real talents. Research AND writing at its best.
Whether the Sturgeons or the justice system ever do anything about it – who knows? That ‘staff costs’ figure is huge btw.
Let’s see if any of the MSM show any interest in spreading the news – they’ll all be reading this for sure.
You take care and keep your doors locked and your phone ready to call a friend.
The Times look as if they might be doing a bit of digging.
I wonder how Mrs Weir feels about the SNP at the moment?
Investigative journalism of the very highest order
Robert. On reflection you’re right. I don’t disagree with you and want this looked at properly.
The point I was trying to make (poorly) is it doesn’t appear the money has flowed into Mr Murrels friends pet projects or his own pocket. It’s been used to pay off a loan. My question is why take the risk of using this cash in this way for no obvious benefit? What pressure were they under to do so?
Alison may accept the monies were theirs to spend as they see fit, however, that may not be the way that HMRC see it.
If an employee of an organisation receives payment to cover personal expenditure, say legal fees, it is seen as payment in kind and HMRC will demand payment of employer’s NI, employee’s NI and the tax on the total. So a payment of £150k will result in a demand for about £90k in addition. If they get the wind of this there will be nothing Wolfe can do about it.
Who wouldn’t want Independence but on the same hand who’d want to be Independent and her as leader, god help us all.
Never Mind The Bollocks Here’s The Fx Sisters .
Brilliant post Stu
“Jesus, Mary, mother of Joseph” as my auld ma used to say when she was astounded by a subject.
Well, no wonder then that they don’t want a Referendum on Independence. If I had spent the money to fund it I wouldn’t want one either.
@Ian Brotherhood says: 6 April, 2021 at 9:43 am
“Could it be that the Weirs, like so many of us, just got really scunnered by all the trans stuff?”
Think Colin was dead before the trans nonsense started in earnest (although it tends to go in peaks and troughs – they don’t call it “trans-trenderism” for nothing).
They’d been a wee bit too free and easy with their largesse over the years, particularly to ingrates, and it may have simply have been the process of their lawyers looking after them by calling those outstanding loans back in.
Anyway, superb job by Stu – scary to think the Sex Pistols had better management than the SNP or Scotland does! Malcolm McLaren – thought himself Arthur Daley when he was more Arfur from On The Buses.
WoS leading the way again. An outstanding article with a deeply disturbing but unsurprising message.
Mr Campbell leaving the MSM in his wake.
Could this explain Sturgeon is so into Queer Theory? Is she after funding from pharmaceutical companies like the Greens?
Would she be happy with a not proven verdict now and I guess she will want a jury rather than a judge to cry and wail in front of.
If the money was to mysteriously appear — if they borrowed it or received donations to cover it — would that be the story over? Would they be off the hook?
Like many others before me…Wow! Perhaps this will be the downfall of the Murrels. It has always struck me as completely wrong that a married couple were allowed to continue in the positions they are in. Left themselves wide open to this.
Ross @10:12
“My question is why take the risk of using this cash in this way for no obvious benefit? What pressure were they under to do so?”
The benefit, I assume, was not to piss off the Weirs in the hope that future donations/loans could be secured.
However, I can only speculate that perhaps there was some gentle encouragement to convert the loans to donations, and this approach was handled poorly/not appreciated by the Weirs and the loans had to be repaid, as per the terms and conditions under which they were made.
The only £ which may have been available to repay a single loan at that time could’ve been the “ring-fenced” IndyRef2 funds.
I can well imagine a conversation along the lines of “but what about…” followed by “we’ll cross that bridge as and when”.
Perhaps they figured at the time that they could replace the IndyRef2 funds when they were needed, by once again approaching the Weirs.
“The best laid plans o mice an men…” comes to mind.
How does the time line of this tie in with the domestic problems and complaints about which I know nothing!
Oh, Mr Campbell, I am seriously impressed by that stunning article. Wonderful journalism.
John
As I read it voting Both votes SNP in this election has no effect on Westminster Short Money!
So it’s SNP 1 Alba 2 to max the YES for me.
Well, well, another of Stuart’s “I’ve got a machine gun. Ho, ho, ho” moments. Delightful.
Sadly, if it is as simple as repaying the Weirs, it was out of order using the ref money and trying to hide the fact. Surely it would have been better to have been honest with the reps and members by laying out the financial position and putting in some emergency budgetary actions?
This is where tangling the web gets you.
Brilliant detective work..fantastic piece. Just wish some of the bigger news outlets would run with it. Alas I don’t think so
ScottieDog says:
6 April, 2021 at 9:25 am
Even if Alba do exceedingly well in May, there really isn’t a supermajority for independence, simply because the SNP, or its current Leadership anyway, isn’t pro-independence.
This makes Alba more of an indy ‘lifeboat’ and unless there’s a coup within the party, realistically we will have to wait until 2025 for another crack at independence.
That’s the battle before us. We have a month to waken the awareness of the ordinary SNP voter who genuinely wants Independence.
To go all Lord of the Rings you, it isn’t clear in the movies, but when the Fellowship is trying to march through the snow over Caradhras, before they give up have to go through the Mines, a terrible storm kicks up, and the air is filled with incantations from Saruman and Gandalf. Saruman’s incantations are trying to wake up the evil, ice demon, spirit of Caradhras, – that’s what is causing the storm, and Gandalf’s incantations are trying to make him go back to sleep.
Alex Salmond is now trying to wake up a YES vote to carry through an ALBA supermajority, while Sturgeon will try her best to keep everybody asleep, keep the blinkers on, and demonise Alex Salmond into the bargain.
It’s a big ask, and thoroughly depressing, asking people to keep just enough faith with the SNP’s leadership to vote for them, but just keep reminding yourself it’s not the Leadership we’re appealing to, it’s that YES component in every SNP voter who can do the arithmetic and understand what a supermajority delivers.
Dig deep folks, get ALBA the money it needs because we have just one month to get a vital message delivered to every home in Scotland.
SNP 1 ALBA 2.
ALBA and SNP voters voting SNP in the Constituency seats, godwilling delivers an emphatic SNP majority.
ALBA and SNP voters voting ALBA in the List seats augments that SNP majority, and godwilling, delivers the Pro Indy Supermajority.
The only reason for voting SNP 1 and 2 is a safety net, a contingency, for IF the SNP vote collapses and they can salvage some buoyancy from picking list seats. But to need that contingency, the SNP vote will have to fail first.
We thus need YES to do what YES does best, get talking, spread the word, give people hope… 4 weeks of positivity and sparkling momentum. We can do it.
I repeat again, it’s a symbiosis. We both benefit from the other doing well.
SNP hostility towards ALBA is as dangerous as it is misplaced and unnecessary. Set aside the Leadership inspired bitterness which clouds the issue, because a supermajority is worth the sacrifice. Alex Salmond can rise above being smeared and sent to jail as a sex offender. How does your sacrifice compare to his?
May is not a vote of confidence in a corrupt regime, it is a vote to give Scotland’s Parliament a supermajority, because that supermajority brings us to within a whisker of Independence.
No amount of air freshener or cheap pungent perfume can hide the rancid stench of this.
Hatuey @10:23am:
Chronologically, how does that work? Event 2 (the things you suggest) doesn’t make alleged Event 1 ‘unhappen’, does it?
INDEPENDANT:
Holyrood doles out short money too.
Agreed, second vote ALBA
Ross @ 9.39
If the Weirs made a LOAN to the SNP that loan would have to have teams and conditions attached.
Up to and including when it becomes due . ( the whole point of it being a loan , I think )
They ( the Weirs ) would have to have accounts able to be presented to HMRC and therefore it’s not a matter of them demanding the money back (which they are entitled to do no matter how much they have ) but also to keep their own finances above board.
There was a News Paper article a few years back in which they touched on how it wasn’t so simple to make the donations they wanted to and there was a process .
So it’s unfair to intimate that they should not expect to keep themselves right and just forgive the loan, and apart from anything else …. no matter the amounts involved any loan should be paid back as originally agreed, or the only other course of action is honesty and a new arrangement sought.
Any young mum in benifits will assure ye that ye need to keep yer name good with friends who will lend and pay them back when you say you will , or that option very quickly becomes closed off.
Rev Stu
A master class in forensic journalism.
At the risk of sounding ungrateful – I’m anything but – this story smacks to me of having been exposed long ago. I also see more and more of the British State involved in an elaborate plan to kill more than a few birds. If BuzzFeed’s Jamie Ross smelled a rat in Jun ’17 – as his emerging story suggests – then what made him come to smell a rat? (almost like the SNP were being scrutinised to the nth degree for the slightest irregularity) and why was the story immediately clamped-down upon, never to see the light of day until now?
For me, too many dates tie-in with too many major events; I reckon that if a Salmond – not remotely threatened by the gained power of his protégé – identified something off – like a fund being raised unlawfully – then he’d be quick to ask the right questions. Salmond being a fly in the ointment would then have to be kept occupied, before he acted.
“What about the law?” – Let us worry about the law.
Wonder who owns this Party?
..would hasten to add, this story would never have seen the light of day, at any time, if not for this site.
I wonder if anyone has noticed that the period that this part started was as AS lost his WM seat and just prior to the Sturgeon created problems.
I would have said Sturgeon started her actions in late 14/early15, but that was not in regard to the money,I digress
The money issue has been gray-washed for while whilst AS is in effect out of the picture and It seems none of the bastards have a clue to balance sheets far less spread sheets
Now AS knows finance, did he not write the RBS’s strategy?
plus others.
With Salmond otherwise engaged and ultimately out of the SNP.
I tend to think to an extent that the removal of AS , clears Sturgeon’s way to bankrupt the party
It really is not that hard to believe,is it?
According to an article in the Daily Record in June 2020 “Euromillions lottery winners Colin and Christine Weir revealed as SNP’s biggest donors during last decade.
The pair handed over more than £6 million to party coffers following their jackpot win in 2011”.
SNP appear in deep shit financially, almost like a company unable to continue to operate. Fat salaries a big part of the issue no doubt. The timing of this though is problematic. What happens to our supermajority strategy if they are out of the game?
According to Scots Law.
Fraud: The common law crime of obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception.
When you start going down the road of deceit you inevitably have to compound the original mistake/lie/error in order to try and conceal. When you are eventually found out it only makes things worse.
No doubt Ms Sturgeon will not been involved in any capacity/forgot/have no recollection of events that unfolded. The individual she shares a house with will never have mentioned anything about the Party’s finances as they do not appear to speak to each other!
The Murrell’s and the Party hierarchy have conned the SNP faithful for years whilst their own individual bank balances increase month after month.
It will be interesting to watch developments. Senior SNP figures will be squirming like eels in a barrel.
Voting SNP 1 and Alba 2 was a possibility but I simply cannot support the 1 part of the scenario any more.
Proper investigative journalism on show here. Very well done Stu. Others need to follow your example.
Are people still planning on voting SNP on May 6th? If so, you must be mad!
The Murrells’ jaikits are on a shoogly peg alright. Time they hopped the twig.
Will they even make it to May 6th? Or will they be stranded by the outgoing tide of public opinion before then?
Either way, the Rev is still one helluva guy to have on the side of Independence. He’s our star striker!
I too have struggled to find out what happened to the Weir’s loans to the SNP. The BBC gives quite a good overview published 24th August 2017.
“SNP given £500,000 by lottery winners Christine and Colin Weir”
link to bbc.co.uk
Quote:-“The latest figures also showed the Weirs loaned the SNP £100,000 during the second quarter of 2017. The party has received £2.1m of loans from the couple since 2015 and has paid back £1.6m.”
Assuming the BBC’s figures are correct, this appears to show £500,000 outstanding in August 2017.
Explosive stuff Stuart Campbell.
To Nicola Sturgeon, Alex Salmond said this.
“The real guardians of progress are not the politicians at Westminster, or even at Holyrood, but the energised activism of tens of thousands of people who I predict will refuse meekly to go back into the political shadows”.
Today is the 701st Anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath.
Today Martin Keatings appeal is going on in the Inner House of the Court of Session over Scotland’s right to self determination with the powers it currently has.
Today Alex Salmond, the former first minister who lead an Independence referendum campaign, is launching the Alba Party manifesto for Scottish Independence.
Today Nicola Sturgeon, your establishment ruling class elite, ran by your husband – Chief Inspector Murrell – is facing allegations of fraud by stealing from its core voter base – theft by clandestine possession.
Fortunately, the real guardians of progress, refused to go back into the political shadows.
Hail Alba.
The Weir’s money was I believe lent to Salmond’s SNP,as Salmond spoke of the Weir’s repayment being due.
The Weir’s donation would have been formalised in provide the necessary paperwork
The Weir’s loan again would have again the paperwork.
I believe the Late Colin Weir had reservations of the money use,that was when Sturgeon was in charge
I think that money was a donation
Brian Souter? I think he stopped about the same time
Does anyone know how many people are employed by SNP?
I can’t recall if it was here but I think it may have been. When I looked at the SNP accounts I said the same thing. It looks like (most of) the missing money was used to pay off a loan.
Reading this all it is very clear that is what happened in substance. Can’t recall if I knew it was to one of the Weirs however, possibly not.
Loan Agreements even between friends for any substantial sum of money are usually hard-nosed legal documents setting out repayment deadlines, penalties for default, procedures for calling in the loan etc etc…
If this loan was very late being repaid it may have triggered heavy penalties at some point motivating them to repay it.
If the SNP had alienated the Weirs they may have simply called the loan in.
If the SNP did not have the money to repay it and could not get a loan that could have triggered an insolvency event.
Whatever happened the SNP are not entitled to the Weir’s money forever. A loan is just that, you expect it back at some agreed point.
Did the Weir’s patience reach breaking point over something else, very possibly. The SNP these days are colossal arseholes. They piss off a lot of people.
Now this is journalism.
“Does anyone know how many people are employed by SNP?”
I believe the most recent figure is 21.
High-volume silence from all at the SNP at the moment. All the tools of the Junta….silenced by an internet blogger. Never in a million years will the SNP lead Scotland. They’re goners.
“the only way that Peter Murrell and Nicola Sturgeon could get out of it now would be if the person in charge of criminal prosecutions in Scotland was also a minister in her government who was directly answerable to her and already had a worrying track record of deeply improper behaviour, or something mad like that.”
So it’s a very safe bet that that’s what will happen.
@Stuart Anderson
Simple fact. If you don’t vote SNP you don’t get ALBA. You are voting SNP not for the current leadership. The clear out comes later.
Great investigative journalism. And of course the SNP could clear the issue up immediately if it levelled with people, promising to reimburse them or reinstate the fund from their party accounts.
As an aside from this imbroglio, let us remember in that timeline that the funds for campaigning in the 2017 GE resulted in a loss of seats to the Tories in Scotland which was the sole reason May survived to cobble together a coalition with the DUP. And that set in train the disastrous brexit bill, the inept and catastrophic ‘negotiations’ which Boris Johnson inherited and made even worse.
So for all the whining about brexit from the SNP, it is well to remember that their failure in that election enabled the whole catastrophe to unfold and a tory supermajority to emerge out of it. Well done, Nikla, all of your posturing and posing about brexit triggering an indyref was hot air while your failure propped May up, which led in turn to the playboy of the western world and his mini Trump altright coup. Which set back democracy in the UK enormously, and in Scotland extinguished any hope of your feeble indy plans.
I would call this whole corrupt, and disastrous, last few years a resigning matter. Your time is up.
Could the Weirs have been encouraged to call in the loan after the fundraiser lest a timely indyref2 scuppered whatever cunning plans were afoot for the post Brexit utopia (eg covid 2020, etc)
link to theguardian.com
Violence has broken out once more on the streets of Northern Ireland, despite appeals for calm.
“A car was set alight in Sperrin Park in the Waterside area of Derry, while there were also reports of violent incidents in Carrickfergus, near Belfast. Both locations have been the scene of violence and unrest among the loyalist community in recent days.”
If this were happening in English cities, it would be a very, very different story.
At times like this NI comes across as being far away and of little importance to Westminster.
In some ways, just like Scotland.
But we can change that.
*Vote SNP1 / ALBA 2.*
Rev. Stuart Campbell says:
6 April, 2021 at 11:04 am
“Does anyone know how many people are employed by SNP?”
I believe the most recent figure is 21.
And the figure £1,168,663.00 staff costs:-)
A loan is also a way of making a donation contingent.
I will give you a loan today and if you fulfill your promise on XYZ I will forgive it in the future (making it a donation). Don’t fulfill your promise and I will demand repayment in the future.
The fact the Weir’s made it a loan in the first place and not a donation I think very possibly tells us something about the state of their relationship with the SNP even then. Maybe doubts were creeping in… so they made it loan to wait and see.
It’s maybe one thing for the Lord Advocate /Crown Office / COPFS to dabble in politics, but it’s probably quite another for them to overlook (potential) financial crime putting their own careers / legal standing on the line
An interesting analysis, maybe other outlets will pick it up and give you credit this time?
Another plausible situation is that the second £500k was repaid using the indyref money with the condition that the SNP could call off on £500k from the Weirs to fight a future indyref? That would minimise interest payments in the short term, but would still maintain the indyref fighting fund.
That addresses how the fund could still be available but there not be any cash at the bank.
That doesn’t address the current HR election spend though.
“Another plausible situation is that the second £500k was repaid using the indyref money with the condition that the SNP could call off on £500k from the Weirs to fight a future indyref?”
From what I’m given to understand of the SNP’s relationship with the Weirs, that is not a possibility.
Craig Murray:
‘The majority of countries in the entire world became independent in the course of my own lifetime. In only a very small minority of cases did the process involve a referendum. The International Court of Justice has ruled that the legislation of the state being seceded from, is not the determining factor of whether a state can successfully become independent in international law. If you think about it carefully, that must be true, or Estonia would still be Soviet and Slovenia would be Yugoslav.’
Like russia will inevitably have to invade ukraine, the SNP will now have to invade wings over scotland or be forever condemed by its silence.
The murrells won’t get away with it as malcom mclaren was brighter than that pair.
Well done again, it’s a bit like jigsaw identification !
If this is correct, which it sounds as though it is, someone will have authorised that payment.
The Treasurer will likely have made the payment but won’t have made that decision on his own.
So, it’s either the CEO or the NEC that made that decision so either he, or they are responsible .
Undoubtedly the party leader would also have known, although will struggle to remember.
She really should go now.
Those scot.ref leaflets and web pages are quite shocking in their subterfuge. Most reasonable people will have seen the campaign as a way of funding what they thought was a separate organisation called ‘scot.ref’. All of the literature suggests it.
The small print isn’t just small, it is microscopic. And notably it mentions Peter Murrell first. My bet is that most people will have no clue who he is/was. He is not a politician. Even if they had spotted this tiny reference, they might have just clocked a name which meant nothing to them, assuming he was some person who administrated this scot.ref organisation. And most people wouldn’t even bother reading it anyway.
The deliberate diminishing of the information is as close to hiding it as legally possible. The simple question is if it was an SNP fund, why go to such great lengths to obscure that?
nevermore, remember they had Eliot Ness and Sean Connery.
So £55k per head average.
Where do I sign up?
The loans were possibly contingent donations to the indref fund by the Weirs.
Once the chance of indyref2 went out the window they then had to be repaid.
The Weirs probably had their suspicions that would happen (probably based on previous experiences) hence the loans not donations, and then nothing ever again.
Anybody voting SNP1 needs their heads examined and maybe their bank accounts too. Have you been given backhanders by the corrupt Murrell crime syndicate?
It doesn’t matter what YOU want your vote to be seen as. It will be seen by Nicola, the SNP and the media as a vote of confidence in Scot Gov and it will give them a green light to go ahead with Trans GRA reform, corrupting school kids with porn, poor education and more lies and corruption in the future and if YOU vote for it, then don’t go crying when women’s rights to safe single sex spaces are removed and YOUR kids or grandkids want their healthy breasts or genitals removed.
The SNP under Murrells, Swinney, etc are not interested in Independence just now and maybe never. Even if the Murrells leave, their co-defendants in the Cabal remain to take over and you will still be ignored. You shouldnt work with the SNP, you need to wipe them out and start again with the Alba party in charge on its own but that will take 5 years, not 5 weeks.
There is an important technicality in Colin Beattie’s statement – an irrelevance masking a lie:
How the SNP accounts for its income each year is of no relevance whatsoever to the Referendum Fund debate. The Referendum Fund is not “income” – which is accounted for in a Profit and Loss Account – and has not been since 2017. The Referendum Fund is supposedly existing funds. It is an “asset” that should be accounted for and visible on the Balance Sheet (where self-evidently there is no sign of it).
When a brand new “campaigning car” mysteriously showed-up in my area in the later weeks of the 2014 campaign, I was forced to wonder what the Weirs and their lawyers and accountants might make of such an unnecessary outlay. Not a feckin lot, is probably the answer.
robertknight at 10.25am.
‘However, I can only speculate that perhaps there was some gentle encouragement to convert the loans to donations, and this approach was handled poorly/not appreciated by the Weirs and the loans had to be repaid, as per the terms and conditions under which they were made.’
That is a good bet.
The Murrells are used to getting their own way.
As part of a loan agreement you very often have to supply the lender with regular and timely financial statements.
If the Weir’s lent the SNP the money for a specific purpose, i.e. indyref2, and they found out that the SNP had used the money to pay everyday bills (as they clearly did) it might have enraged them into recalling the loans.
The SNP having already pissed the Weir’s loan money for indyref2 up against the wall then used the chunk of cash raised for indyref2 from the general public to pay back the Weirs.
Or in other words the SNP stole from Peter to pay back Paul.
Either way the SNP were spending money that they should not have been and it came back to bite them on the arse when those loans to the Weir’s had to be repaid.
That was the day the chickens came home to roost, and shat all over the carpet. Probably.
It’s a cracking piece of investigative journalism and at the very least provides evidence of sharp practice but is there evidence of fraud? It seems likely that the funds raised from the appeal were routed into a general SNP account and presumably the loan was repaid from the same account. But how does one prove that it was specifically the tenners and twenties from ordinary punters that were used to repay the loan? All sorts of monies would have been going in and out of that account.
While comments of SNP spokespeople and the letter to Hammerdoon @ 9.27am are interesting they occur subsequent to the closure of the appeal. Whether fraud can be alleged depends on the basis on which contributions were requested at the time the appeal was running. If the party pledged in writing that all contributions would be ‘ring-fenced’ and then funds raised were not invested in a dedicated account then there may be grounds for alleging fraud. Saying funds would have been earmarked or frozen does not carry the same legal weight as ‘ring-fenced’.
Secondly, was there a specific condition that the money would only be accessed once the referendum had been agreed or a date set? A ‘referendum campaign’ could be interpreted as lobbying or preparing for a referendum to be secured, not necessarily waiting until the starting gun is fired. You can bet that the SNP’s lawyers were fully consulted before anything related to the appeal was put in writing. Is it a coincidence that the appeal was closed as soon as soon as the half million to repay the loan was raised? Probably not, but proving illegality is a different matter.
Going to play Devil’s Advocate here:
Parties in Scotland are at an automatic disadvantage as they have to fight more elections as were still hooked into Westminster.
In 7 years we’ve had:
An Indy Ref
Brexit Ref
3 General Elections
A Holyrood election
A European Election (which we left months later).
Can see why the SNP had the begging bowl out, but doesn’t justify financial mismanagement. High staff costs averaging £55k per person, most organisations would look to cut back and reduce wages to balance the books.
Not this lot, head-in-the-sand stuff. Robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Why does the debtors and prepayments line steadily rise to over £1m in 2019?
So the SNP not only don’t actually want to pursue Independence but even if they did they can’t afford the campaign – they are, quite literally, a busted flush.
What an absolute affront.
No competent business would permit a CEO exhibiting such ineptitude (or criminality) remain in situ, unless the surname was Maxwell.
Is it plausible that the claim by the SNP that this money is “instantly available” for a Referendum campaign, is that there is an agreement with Mrs Wier to give them a further loan when/if a Referendum is called? This would at least resolve that particular statement?
And just like that, Rev Stu embarrasses the Herald, the Daily Record, and the BBC, by showing them what proper journalism looks like, and all done by one man with far, far fewer resources than any of these organizations.
No wonder they try to smear him at every oportunity!
It’s reassuring to know that in an independent Scotland our politicians will be as corrupt as the buggers in Westminster. Yay!!
Because of the snail pace at which the SNP were going in terms of delivering Independence (and by that I don’t mean a referendum as such), I avoided this site and a few others for well over a year as nothing was happening.
But now with Alec Salmond back along with Alba I’m now back on here and also other Indy friendly sites such as Craig Murray’s etc.
Suddenly wasted years of inactivity and promises by the SNP leadership is now being challenged.
The YES movement is bigger than the SNP and we need people in our government who will lead that movement rather than fiddling around with Westminster and their cohorts as is the case now with the SNP and some of its Parliamentarians both in Holyrood and Westminster.
Alba and the return, hopefully, of Alec Salmond to the Independence cause is the injection we have needed for so long.
Rev,
You have done all the work for the police in advance of their investigation. Have they passed the ‘Assessing’ stage yet?
If you send a copy of your article with an invoice to the investigating officer they should reimburse you.
How much to ask them for? Well, a dedicated fraud unit complete with administrative back up and specialist accountancy experts taking a year to get this far – say, 10 X £50,000.00. p.a.
As the car advert says, ‘You do the maths’
@ Breeks
It’s a mountain to climb.
My wife posted positively on Facebook about the Alba party and got a tsunami of abuse. Most of it was regarding Alex as being a rapist. This is coming from progressive, mostly YES voting people – many leaning towards the greens.
It is depressing that folk who should be able to read beyond the MSM just jump on the bandwagon so easily.
Fuck your whataboutery “Ross”.
We see you. We know what you are.
Now fuck off with your sly insinuations.
The fact the Weirs never donated again (if I have that right) and Colin left them nothing suggests that the repayment of the loans was abrupt. It was a ‘falling-out’ event.
This suggests the SNP would not have been prepared for it. They were probably caught unaware. They could in the circumstance have been desperate for cash.
And as we know, desperate people often do desperate things.
Great article. A real tour de force of what real journalism looks like.
Rev followed the money. Well done.
No one else could be bothered (or instructed otherwise).
Justice?…..not in 21st Century Scotland there wont be.
Could we ‘lend’ them our vote with the right to recall?
Somerled @ 11.25
Oh I don’t know Somerled…. because that’s no what Alex Salmond sayn, now is it ?
He’s sayin vote SNP 1 and make that vote Indy safe by voting Alba 2, he’s no talking of 5 + years either !
The only thing he’s talking of “wiping out ” is the Treaty of Union.
We shouldn’t be throwing out the baby with the bath water here, and we can also take a crumb of comfort from the fact that if this is all true and the SNP are dependent on Westminister short money!…..Then Westminster are funding their own demise…. thats quite the change isnt it ?
So … Let’s Do That then .. eh?
Now that the Rev has at least given Police Scotland no where to hide, ( the Weirs accounts shouldn’t be difficult to get hold of ) in ruling this potential answer to the missing money in or out we should let that run its course.
If the SNP are bankrupt as a party , the elected MSPs are still elected MSPs are they no ?
The MSM will be back to sayin “unprecedented ” every 2 miniutes and we might just have the opportunity to look at the party system just in time for our new Constitution being written.
5 years my aunt fanny there is no real reason to wait any longer …. we are moving on this NOW..
I salute you Rev,yet again a world-class expose. Real cutting-edge journalism worthy of the name. Well done and keep up the good work, the other so-called journalists across the Press, Radio and TV in Scotland should read this piece and weep. They aren’t fit to tie your bootlaces.
link to twitter.com
Alba fundraiser continues to swell.
Now 21870 pounds.
Should hit 50% of target today.
Alba for the list!
Not this lot, head-in-the-sand stuff. Robbing Peter to pay Paul.
When you consider what some of this staff seem to be required to do, it’s perhaps more appropriate to call the ‘salaries’ something like ‘hush money’:-)
No One Is Innocent
Peter Murrell was doing time until he done a bunk
Now he says he’s seen the light and he sold his soul for punk
Peter Murrell was doing time until he done a bunk
Now he says he’s seen the light and he sold his soul for punk
Sold his soul, Sold his soul, he sold his whole soul for punk
The sad fact of the matter is that Sturgeon could steal Scotland’s Honours and sell them abroad, and she’d face no criminal prosecutions, because she has the, in it up to his neck, Lord Advocate in her pocket.
The ringfenced indyfunds are gone, never to return, I say don’t give the SNP a penny in donations, we’ve no idea what the donations would be used for.
I hope Police Scotland’s investigation does turn up enough evidence to prosecute Sturgeon or Murrell or both if we’re lucky but I doubt anything meaningful will come of the investigation.
“… they’ve arrested Malcolm … !”
Sounds about right.
My own guess was they had this money, sitting there, which they KNEW “they were never gonna use” – so, made it work for them :
pay down a bit of their mortgage
– reducing payments, giving them a lifestyle they cannot afford.
If they were clever about this tho – it could be done via intermediary, made to look like an investment, with an income, small for the visuals.
Property tends to go up in value, so the money is “safe” and can always be gotten hold of quickly by simply re-mortgaging the property.
somerled @ 11:25 am
Apart from the “Have you been given backhanders by the corrupt Murrell crime syndicate?” it’s pretty hard to argue with any of that. 🙁
Unfortunately where I am and going by the figures last time, I HAVE to vote SNP1 if my excellent Alba candidate is to stand any chance of getting into Holyrood. We don’t have the luxury of rebuilding from the ground up over the next 5 years, we need these voices in Holyrood NOW. At least they’ll speak up against this GRA insanity which we’re getting anyway whether we like it or not.
I console myself with the thought that it’ll be interesting hearing Sturgeon’s excuses every week on what she’s done to advance the indy cause. Even better would be Alba bringing forward a bill and watching the SNP fight against it. THEN the scales would surely start to fall from certain eyes? Even the most deluded disciples would see it.
Time is not on our side though and we can’t spend 5 years building a new party outside Holyrood. What’ll the Murrells have done by the end of that period?
A wee bit of positive news YES Tories have seen a surge in Tories intending to vote for the ALBA party.
link to thenational.scot
It looks ‘mucky’, little wonder the Murrels were desperate to prevent Salmond coming back and the involvement of the Crown Office and civil servants in the Salmond case becomes even more intriguing. What did they fear?
breeks @ 10.31
“May is not a vote of confidence in a corrupt regime, it is a vote to give Scotland’s Parliament a supermajority, because that supermajority brings us to within a whisker of Independence”
if the current FM is still in place, then no supermajority will exist. the current batch of sycophants in the SNP will not go against blessed Nic.
she will not be coerced by the likes of AS to press on with an independence campaign, due to being compromised by WM
there has to be a monumental change at the top for ALBA2 to make any difference
however, i do have a little hope, thats why i joined ALBA
fillofficer – are you going to vote SNP1 and Alba2 ?
Dan says:
6 April, 2021 at 11:56 am
link to twitter.com
Where the power lies.
James 6th tried to get that established through the plays of the Shakespearean tribe
‘Macbeth’ to damn the auld ways of election in Scotland
‘Richard’ 2nd to establish the nature of a good king.
He was a greedy little sod as well as the cleverest King any country could every have. It’s all in the blood
even ‘ever’ have
We should not forget that Evans will soon be up before a judge, who will have the power to call the evidence that Alex has said is yet to be seen.
So the gameplan is: put the Sturgeon gang into Holyrood so as to get Alba there too.
Then put the Sturgeon gang into gaol, with the attendant disruption that will give room for further moves by Alex Salmond.
OT. TODAY.
Daily Record on-line:
“…Nicola Sturgeon’s most trusted aide for over a decade will be voting for Alex Salmond’s new pro-independence party at the Holyrood election.
Noel Dolan said it was “sensible” for pro-indy supporters to give their second vote to Alba…”
All part of the deliberate attempt to sabotage the SNP by its leadership and her handlers.
Mine came earlier in March with slightly different wording.
“We are starting now to build the resources that will ensure we are not outspent in the referendum campaign. Your generosity and support will be vital to making that happen.”
(Full message below)
From: Jim Henderson
Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2017 3:51 PM
Subject: Thank you for your donation to the Scottish National Party
Thank you for your recent donation to the Scottish National Party. We are now entering a very important time for the Party, first with the Local Council Elections and then onwards to the Independence Referendum.
Our job over the next 18months to 2 years is not to talk to each other, it is to reach out to those not persuaded – to put ourselves in their shoes. To understand the hopes, fears and ambitions of all our fellow citizens and to do what we can to establish common ground.
We all want the best for our country – we just have different views on how to achieve it, so let us resolve to argue our case with passion and commitment, but – at all times – with courtesy, understanding and respect.
Yesterday the Scottish Parliament voted to allow the Scottish Government to take forward discussions with the Westminster Government on the details of a Section 30 Order which would allow a second Independence Referendum to be held as it is important to us all that Scotland’s future should be in Scotland’s hands.
As Article 50 is triggered, change for our country becomes inevitable. We don’t yet know the exact nature of that change. Much will depend on the outcome of the negotiation that lies ahead, but we do know that the change will be significant and profound.
When the nature of the change made inevitable by Brexit becomes clear, it should not be imposed upon us, we should have the right to decide. The people of Scotland should have the right to choose between Brexit – possibly a very hard Brexit – or becoming an independent country, able to chart our own course and create a true partnership of equals across these islands.
So if the choice we face is an inward looking, insular, Brexit Britain, governed by a right wing Tory party, obsessed with borders and blue passports at the expense of economic strength and stability or a progressive, outward looking, internationalist Scotland, able to chart our own course and build our own security and prosperity, then that is a case we will win.
We are starting now to build the resources that will ensure we are not outspent in the referendum campaign. Your generosity and support will be vital to making that happen.
Thank you again.
Yours for Scotland
Jim
——————–
Exactly the same day, I got this begging letter from Murrell.
Don’t let them block #ScotRef
Peter Murrell
Wed 3/29/2017 5:44 PM
Don’t let them block #ScotRef
Yesterday the Scottish Parliament backed a second independence referendum.
No surprise – Tory and Labour MSPs ganged together to oppose Scotland having a choice.
The Tories at Westminster immediately said they’d block a referendum.
But yet, the Tories and Labour are raising cash for the referendum campaign. No question they’ll have bags of cash and big money backers.
Make sure Scotland has a choice. Make a donation today.
By contrast, our campaign relies on the support of tens of thousands of people like you across the country. That’s why monthly contributions are so critical to our campaign.
So I’m asking you, as one of our best supporters, to consider making a monthly contribution.
We’re so close to reaching £500,000 – halfway towards our £1 million target. With your support we can get there and ensure we have the sustained, predictable funding we need to stand up to them.
Peter Murrell
Chief Executive
Great work, Stu..does the Lord Advocate have the power to stop or hinder a police investigation?
somerled @ 12.08
i am currently reviewing ALL options
as AS has recommended SNP1, the next 5 weeks should be quite the hard sell, for me
‘fastens seat belt’
Superb and clear reporting Stu.
I have a request. Could you turn your forensic journo spotlight onto the Green party and give us source material to get out there regarding their 12 constituency candidates, why they’re standing where they’re standing, any links to Big pharma lobbyist money any of them may have and so forth?
My meagre resources & investigative skills way below yours.Only 30 days to get them & their GRA motives exposed. Here’s the Nicola Gazette article listing the names.
link to thenational.scot
Did you know “slater” is Scottish term for “wood louse” by the way?
Thx.
chas says
Voting SNP 1 and Alba 2 was a possibility but I simply cannot support the 1 part of the scenario any more.
Stuart Anderson says
Are people still planning on voting SNP on May 6th? If so, you must be mad!
If you don’t vote SNP1, you won’t elect ALBA on yor second vote. Instead you’re letting Ubionists in on both votes.
Hold your nose one more time.
Help ma Boab!
Impressive work indeed.
The fact the loans were not paid back simultaneously (despite what the weird discrepancy on the dates says) could also suggest the SNP were unable, at first, to pay back more than one Weir loan.
I don’t know but it seems logical to me that both the Weir loans would have been identical to each other in terms and conditions and thus would have been called in at the same time and in the same manner by the same lawyer.
After being able to only pay back one loan and maintain the ring fenced funds, the SNP would then have been urgently seeking to get a new loan… when that failed it would have then dawned on them they were really screwed… and that was when they decided to use the ringfenced money to pay back the second Weir loan a little time later.
Out of the frying and and into the fire.
But you know they would have got away with this had it not been for this darn meddling blogger.
I’ve looked this up in several reference works and consulted a number of historical authorities, and although I cannot be definitive — the phenomenon not having been observed in a British context for several generations — I believe this is what used to be known as “journalism”.
they couldn’t run a menodge, well they could only if it was their payout week every week,
I’m afraid the Scottish Independence campaign needs a complete reset. It’s no good entrusting the cause to Sturgeon,Murrell et al. If the SNP win handsomely in May then she will simply carry on prevaricating and enriching herself ,and her ego. Perhaps the reset could begin with the Alba Party becoming the main vehicle for Independence,but that will take time.
The Scottish Government and the SNP are so mired in corruption ,that the movement is severely compromised. I think it’s going to take at least a decade to get the movement back on track.
If you want to do something useful today and have access to a decent printer, copy the above article into a Word document or whatever, tidy it (make all the pictures with square text wrapping), print it off (it should come to eleven pages from my experience), and give it to someone who isn’t on the net or prefers the printed word to online or has no internet access.
Make it your task to ensure you get the word out about this today to at least one more person.
Surely it would be robbing Paul to pay Peter.
Glasgow Southside,,,
Vote Sarwar 1 and ALBA 2.
Stop Sturgeon in her tracks.
Don’t let her set a foot back in the Scottish Parliament ever again.
After all, she can’t run a country from Corton Vale Prison.
The Supermajority is still there, even without the presence of this crook.
To achieve a majority for independence in Scotland Snp 1, alba 2. This is first and foremost important step we the Scottish people must do.
I would love to see the alba party hold the snp,s feet to the fire with the backing of the Scottish people who were cheated by the snp, and watch them squirm.
Pro majority first,
This is why no member of the SNP is permitted to speak to Stuart Campbell. In Scotland, whistle-blowers are hanged from trees by James Wolffe and his team of 18th Century law officers. I hope that, whoever the whistle-blower is, has bought him/herself a couple of ferocious Doberman Pinschers for their own personal protection.
Hi Mark Boyle.
All you have to do is click on the green “Print PDF” button at the bottom of the article, above the first comment.
Demagoguery at its finest!!!
Somerled is a unionist mug.
But he is smart enough to sell ‘dont vote SNP ever’ because he knows that less SNPs in the constituency means less ALBA MSPs being returned on the list and therefore no Indyref2 and more unionist MSPs.
Don’t listen to these unionist trolls.
Stand Together SNP 1 ALBA 2
James Che – that doesn’t work, James. Once at Holyrood, they are the best of pals – MSP’s, staffers, SPADS. They don’t really hate each other and that stuff is just made-up.
Don’t elect any crooks to Holyrood. Don’t give them a seat there, don’t give them an office, they represent no-one and that way no further damage is done. That’s the only solution that works.
The future of Holyrood is hanging by a thread. Do not re-elect the same people or it risks being closed-down. Scotland needs to clean-out its own stables.
AngusSkye says:
6 April, 2021 at 9:44 am
Another “point of interest” in the SNP accounts must be the “intangible assets” shown in the Balance Sheet. These seem to consist of “software licensing” and “software development” which are not owned but are on hire purchase. I suspect some “creativity” here.
Most credit agencies and banks consider intangible assets of no value. Therefore if you deduct their value from the SNP accounts, the net assets turn into net liabilities.
Furthermore their liquidity ratio deteriorated from above 1 to below 1 in their last filed accounts.
All of which are indicators in a normal entity that going concern basis for signing accounts needs much more justification/work by auditor (the audit fees are up considerably in the most recent accounts). However it should be noted that in the past the SNP accounts showed large net liabilities on the Balance Sheet without any greater going concern disclosure nor auditor comment, and the position has improved since then.
If I was suspicious about anything else on the Balance Sheet it would be prepayments and accrued income. In 2016 this amounted to £45k. By 2019, despite broadly similar income and expenditure, it had incrementally jumped to £879k. Funnily enough that £800k is also the value the Balance Sheet has improved by between 2017 and 2019. To be clear what this is, it is an asset representing things that have already been paid for but which the economic benefit will flow in future (prepayments) at which point it will be released to the profit & loss account. Might this be the weavers basket?
But here’s the rub.
If the money has been stolen, used for other purposes other than what it was solicited for, will the Lord Advocate decide nor to prosecute. There is already great doubt about the integrity of the Lord Advocate with many saying he is severely compromised.
Indeed there are rumours about relationships that he may have had, and maybe still has, with a member of the First Minister’s coterie. Whether these rumours are accurate or not is a big question. Maybe the Lord Advocate is as pure as the driven snow. Impartial as the day is long.
Most certainly however there is a huge smell about what happened to Alex Salmond and the interventions of the Lord Advocate. There is also a perceived bias which’s raise some very concerning issues issue in the mind for many. Sir Jimmy Saville, by way of example certainly showed how rumour turned into outright scandal with exposures after his death.
Justice as the old saw says needs to be seen to be done. It is at the heart of a fair, open and transparent society.
This piece, on the issue of money is very very concerning. Let us hope it is investigated scrupulously fairly and not covered up, especially when a man cannot serve two masters.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodiet?
Republicofscotland says:
6 April, 2021 at 12:05 pm
A wee bit of positive news YES Tories have seen a surge in Tories intending to vote for the ALBA party.
Archived link for you!
link to archive.is
fillofficer says:
6 April, 2021 at 12:05 pm
if the current FM is still in place, then no supermajority will exist. the current batch of sycophants in the SNP will not go against blessed Nic.
Feel inclined to agree fillofficer, but, Alex Salmond has also served notice on Leslie Evans that she will have to defend her actions in a court of law, and if a fraction of what we know is true, it should mean a judicial review by proxy of the whole sworded business. The amnesia and redactions of Fabiani’s Inquiry won’t cut any ice under legal cross examination.
It seems possible this furore about missing IndyRef money isn’t going away either.
Sturgeon might survive the May Election, but her tenure in command is still living on borrowed time. With Evans in court, and Sturgeon herself facing possible accusations of complicity, conspiracy, dishonesty, financial irregularities, and don’t forget, IF Alex Salmond scoops a supermajority againstSturgeon’s vehement will, then she might be returned to Holyrood in a nominal leadership position, but she will have lost the argument and pretty much ALL the political initiative to Toruk MakSalmond.
If the grassroots of the SNP are persuaded to back ALBA on the list vote, it also means they have heard the call and mustered to the sound of Salmond’s trumpets, not Sturgeon’s.
I think that’s when Sturgeon will bail, and the Wokeratti will just be shunned and unable to orchestrate trouble for their own ends.
Much of what I’m saying might be Crystal Ball territory, but if we can just nail that supermajority, then we are in a much stronger position to act in any way that suits necessity. No supermajority, and we remain bogged to the axles indefinitely. There is no downside to having a supermajority. That alone makes a supermajority a no brainer.
ahundredthidiot 12.55
“Stand Together SNP 1 ALBA 2”
Except in Glasgow Southside where you should vote Labour 1 and ALBA 2.
There ahundredthidiot,,,sorted that for you.
The SNP could have got away with this if they had just replaced the missing ring fenced funds by tightening their belt in another area during the following years.
Sure it is not great using the ringfenced funds even temporarily but had they replenished it then I don think anyone now would care too much today.
They chose not too however. For the simple reason I think they believed no one would hold them to account for it, that they could ‘get away with it’.
Boy that was a fuck-up. lol.
They’ll be fine… the Lord Advocate is already intently looking the other way and will be until all of this blows over.
” Let us hope it is investigated scrupulously fairly and not covered up” says Willie.
Just like the criminal leak from Scot gov to the Daily Record.
Who will police the police?
Andy
I would rather poke sharp sticks in my eyes than vote Labour!
They are a Unionist Party – remember BT
@Brian Doonthetoon says: 6 April, 2021 at 12:46 pm
“Hi Mark Boyle.
All you have to do is click on the green “Print PDF” button at the bottom of the article, above the first comment.”
It comes to 19 pages that way and the fitting of the pictures leaves something to be desired – always have sympathy with your target audience is my motto, something with half a pic on one page and half on the other looks a mess.
Better off doing it manually, it only takes about five minutes of time.
Oh what a tangled web we weave when tis our intension to deceive.
I’m sure I’m not the first to think this;
The SNP commit a crime paying off the Weir loan with the ‘ring fenced’ referendum fund and to cover this up have spent the next 4 years putting off any referendum for fear that their crime will be exposed when it is discovered they have no ‘ring fenced’ fund to fight said referendum.
Hold my nose 1, Alba 2
I do hope the MSM pick up on this! Well Done
Following on from my earlier post, I suppose it may be commonplace in political parties for the accounting to have high prepayments and accrued income, so did a little comparison :
Percentage of total income prepayments and accrued income represents :
Scottish Greens – 0%
Conservative Party – 3%
Labour Party – 5%
SNP – 16%
I think its clear that the SNP are an outlier in this comparison, and if I were investigating this is precisely where I would be probing…………..
Only unionists with an agenda of trying to prevent a super majority of Scottish voices in the Scottish Parliament would suggest not to vote snp1 alba 2,
We have always maintained here in Scotland that we want our own parliament close to home, so if we see wrong doings we the Scottish people will sort it,
We have found wrong doings, we will contribute to holding the snps feet to the fire, thank you very much captain for your opinion to go against Alex Salmonds advice.
Completely O/T but great news for Bath residents, you jammy devil, Rev.
Persephone Books is moving in to 8, Edgar Buildings.
Persephone is the most delightful publisher – great reads, superb quality, really nice people. Looking at their site alone is refreshing to the spirit!
“Feel inclined to agree fillofficer, but, Alex Salmond has also served notice on Leslie Evans that she will have to defend her actions in a court of law.”
I read that this is likely to be settled out of court. More advantageous to all.
Bang to rights yet again…
Of course those £500 stilettos and £2000 suits the 2 bit failed lawyer and fraudster Sturgeon likes don’t pay for themselves…
Meanwhile the sturgeonites who live in the fringes of the real world come out with their demented “SNP 1” bullshit and trying to excuse common theft and fraud to be heaped on the crimes of perverting justice and perjury already committed by Sturgeon and Murrell. These idiots might as well have picked everyone’s pockets themselves, someone who defends a thief is worse than a thief themselves.
Aye “wheesht for indy” aye, the New SNP are going to call indy ref 2, aye Nicola will have her “feet held to the fire” if we vote for them. Spare me these mind numbing imbecilic dribblings. Only a complete and utter idiot could think such things. It is no wonder sturgeon and Murrell thought they could steal everyone’s money and get away with it. That pair of bastards should be getting 10-15 years for this.
So everyone defending this shit and coming out with “SNP 1”, this utter corrupt flaming oil tanker wreck is on you. It is your fault that we are where we are, 7 years wasted backing a common thief, liar and fraudster. Pat yourselves on the back people, it is you who killed the chances of independence.
How to deal with false accusations.
link to lawtrack.com
All they care about is their public image whilst behind the scenes there are nothing but problems. These people have no feelings and are no fun. The bodies are beginning to wash up and I can see the liar going off to Portugal for a holiday in the sun.
“Assuming the BBC’s figures are correct, this appears to show £500,000 outstanding in August 2017.”
Oh, excellent catch. Have edited that in.
Very interesting ploy to try dismantle the snp before AS can use it as a platform in the up and coming election to improve a majority for independence.
Read between the lines folks .
Some are working overtime to try prevent a majority, we do not need a corrupt snp, any more than we do labour or tories,
But we do need the snp as leverage at this moment in time.
I saw two real red squirrels today – honest I did.
Genuine question; Why would the Weir’s *loan* the SNP money rather than *donate* the money?
I always assumed the Weir money was an outright donation.
ahundredthidiot – the only mugs are people who vote for a corrupt party that steals from its members and tries to get its former leader jailed on trumped up charges. Whatever reason for voting SNP, YOU are voting for that and it will continue and YOU will be responsible for it. NOT me.
As Stu says today Sturgeon has pushed back Indyref2 to late 2023 if at all. You are deluded if you think Alex will make any difference to Indyref2, he probably justs wants a salary to pay off his debts. Boo Hoo Hoo Indy will NEVER happen, no matter how much you cry about it. But you WILL get men using female spaces legally because Sturgeon wants them to and YOU are voting for Sturgeon not Indy.
Anyone got a link to watch Alex Salmond conference at Buchan Hotel?
“baseless” appears to now mean we are engaged in a massive cover up and have a dedicated team of pet journalists in an on message media who will smear anyone who brings up the subject.
Great investigative journalism, Stu – Messrs Gordon and Leask take note. Oh, Mike Small, if you’re reading this – and I know you are – try not to bite all of your furniture in frustration
“We have found wrong doings, we will contribute to holding the snps feet to the fire, thank you very much captain for your opinion to go against Alex Salmonds advice.”
….then you will inevitably see the return of what Andrew Neil referred to as ‘Nicola Sturgeon’s Storm Troops.’ Specifically, James Wolffe, John Swinney and Humza Yousaf.
The country then becomes ‘a banana republic without the bananas.’
The rule of law in Scotland is already dead to most of us. Waken-up for God’s sake and don’t just do whatever Alex Salmond asks of you. He doesn’t get everything right.
In 2020, press reports said – “after speculation on the Wings Over Scotland blog, the SNP’s treasurer Colin Beattie wrote to party donors to say that money raised for indyref2 was being held in a “Referendum Appeal Fund”. He said there was £593,501 ready to be deployed “instantaneously” He added: “Like all other political parties, the SNP does not separate out restricted funds in annual accounts. Any such donations are woven through the overall income figures each year.”
Colin Beattie may have chosen his words carefully – if the quote above is strictly correct he did not say there is a restricted fund , merely that if there was one it would not be separated out.
Worth also that noting that not separating out does not prevent you referring to it or even to the total amount of all restricted funds as a material item in the narrative to the report and accounts but nothing was disclosed.
The whole affair brings to mind a certain fictional ship’s engineer…. “Furtive. That’s the word I’d use, furtive. Para’s been furtive since we left Inveraray” – in 2017.. All questions to Colin Beattie…..
“Colin Beattie may have chosen his words carefully – if the quote above is strictly correct he did not say there is a restricted fund , merely that if there was one it would not be separated out.”
He says the money is being held in a fund, called the “Referendum Appeal Fund”. Where is that fund?
TheSNPLeftMe says:
6 April, 2021 at 11:07 am
@Stuart Anderson
Simple fact. If you don’t vote SNP you don’t get ALBA. You are voting SNP not for the current leadership. The clear out comes later.
Simple fact is this there is not a cats chance in hell of removing sturgeon if she gets back in,this is our only chance of getting her removed,if she gets back indy is gone forever,it’s like some people have no recollection of the past year with what happened to AS
President Xiden says:
6 April, 2021 at 10:47 am
According to Scots Law.
“Fraud: The common law crime of obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception.”
Which is why people who lie on a job application are liable to prosecution – unless you are a man pretending to be a woman and you apply for and successfully gain a job with R**e Crisis Scotland.
So what is this Pooled Budget Income this last year? Does anybody know because I have cynical view that it will be woven into the books and it will be a case of nothing to see here move along and Alex Salmond bad whilst they plead for cash.
O/t but may be of interest
“If we look forward to two, three or four generations, then it may well be that it will be a good idea for Greenland to become independent.
Tillie Martinussen, Chairman of the anti-independence Cooperation Party
Same story different country
A simple question should have given us a simple answer it’s either there or ir isn’t.
If it’s not Why not , now it’s a question of where did it go if it’s not where it should be , this shouldn’t take days or weeks to figure out if the person or persons giving the answers are truthful and can show they are truthful the figures won’t lie , it’s not a Multi National corporation it’s a small political party so Why the delay , ” political interference ? ” some might say that I couldn’t possibly comment
I think Alex Salmond is giving a route-map speech to Scottish independence at 2pm today. Today is the 701st anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath.
not sure where we can watch his speech though I doubt the BritNat propaganda terrestrial channels will air it.
Ken says:
6 April, 2021 at 1:33 pm
“Genuine question; Why would the Weir’s *loan* the SNP money rather than *donate* the money?”
I think theyre are certain restrictions on how much can be donated – not sure but I’d imagine it would be up to the Weir’s accountants. I think when you have that much money it would be very difficult to manage it without an accountant – unless, like me, you’d demand it in cash and keep it inder the bed:-)
@ Republic of Scotland – see Alex at 2.00 on Alba facebook, web and twitter.
James Che. @ 1.16
‘Only unionists with an agenda of trying to prevent a super majority of Scottish voices in the Scottish Parliament would suggest not to vote snp1 alba 2 ‘
This person thinks women have penises, what a misogynist.
Two can play that game.
@ RepublicoS – sorry Youtube not website.
Thanks Sarah.
Great stuff Rev.
As I recall, Alex Salmond was the reason for the Weir’s support:
So it was the Murrell’s who lost that incredible support, and most of the SNP membership too.
And now they’ve lost the ‘plot’.
Can I award Nevermore the booby prize for being first to come up with the Al Capone trope on this thread at 9.37am.
What is the booby prize???
Blimey. What the hell else needs to happen before various high ups start being ferried around in Black Maria’s?
Say it ain’t so, Nicola.
Alba broadcast: link to youtube.com
There are 2 reasons to vote SNP 1
First, so the Alba wins its list seats.
Second, it does not matter how bent the SNP is right now. There is no way they are going to avoid the consequences of corruption and we’ll see 2 miracles, the disappearance of the Murrells and the sudden recovery of Joanne Cherry.
There will be squeals and tantrums from the wokerati and they’ll show their rage by decamping to the Green party. God help any straight white men in that party.
Alex Salmond unveils new ‘Declaration for Scotland’ and a route to independence:
Live now
link to youtube.com
link to albaparty.org
Nicola Sturgeons senior aide is voting ALBA on the list.
link to archive.vn
Snap
One thing we know about the Weir’s is that they wanted an independent Scotland, so the question asking what the SNP/Nicola did to alienate the Weirs?
You know, for all you people going on about how ‘intelligent’ Malcolm McLaren supposedly was, you don’t seem to know much about his scummy, seedy side. He was a real piece of shit, and a pal of mine reckoned when his son burned five million quid of ‘memorabilia’ of his dad’s years ago, he was destroying five million quid’s worth of evidence:
link to bitsofbooksblog.wordpress.com
link to vogue.co.uk
link to youtube.com
“On week one of the Scottish Parliament elected with an Independence Supermajority, the Scottish Government should seek an instruction from the Parliament to begin Independence negotiations with the Westminster Government.
link to yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com
It was on the good ship Holyrood,
By Christ all up to no good,
It’s staffed by clots and brainless bots,
and the MSPs are deadwood.
The captain of this lugger,
Everything she’d botch and bugger,
She’d never quit turning things to shit
from one day to another.
The Captain’s name was Sturgeon,
By Christ, she’s no brain surgeon,
With Indy binned, three balance sheets to the wind,
On farce it is now vergin’,
The First Mate he was Swinney,
He was a complete ninny,
He couldn’t muster his bluff and bluster,
as they wasted every guinea.
The Second Mate was Yuseless,
He made laws that were toothless,
Every Old Firm spat, he’d huff “stop that!”
But the bigot boys couldn’t care less.
The Cabin Boy was Patrick,
His support was automatic,
Gone the whole caboodle as Sturgeon Poodle
And his speeches all didactic.
But for those who want their brother,
to call them sister, cat or mother,
They’ll vote ’em in if they have a whim
to be one thing, then another!
“There is no way they are going to avoid the consequences of corruption.”
With a bent Lord Advocate and compliant law officers, it is possible. Almost anything is possible when the Lord Advocate works directly for you.
BLMac says:
6 April, 2021 at 2:03 pm
There are 2 reasons to vote SNP 1
First, so the Alba wins its list seats.
Second, it does not matter how bent the SNP is right now. There is no way they are going to avoid the consequences of corruption and we’ll see 2 miracles, the disappearance of the Murrells and the sudden recovery of Joanne Cherry.
There will be squeals and tantrums from the wokerati and they’ll show their rage by decamping to the Green party. God help any straight white men in that party.
————————————————–
Andy Wightman already left the Greens, no pun intended. I think he saw the writing on the wall. He took a s!!! pile of abuse from the Wokerati in the Greens.
jaf says:
6 April, 2021 at 12:56 pm
If that was the case and it was legitimate, there’s no earthly reason not to simply come out and say so. Explain what it is and why the money was diverted there. Problem put to bed once and for all.
Having said that, I have not a clue what a political party could have bought and “prepaid” to the tune of £880k, and I’ve never seen anybody else come up with a suggestion. Somebody out there must have an idea?
determined to change the Gender Reform Act (GRA) and to continue to permit children to be given permanently damaging puberty blockers, despite a ruling in the English courts that this has to stop.
link to caltonjock.com
Mark Boyle @ 2:17 pm
Chapeau!
Am I being irredeemably stupid to wonder if SNPtoAlba defections would continue after the election?
Could the SNP, in thrall as they are to playing the victim, be deliberately pursuing a strategy of, in some cases, partly or completely withholding information, so they can play the conspiracy theory card when questioned about it?
Well well, it becomes more and more obvious by the minute, Scotland bad, Scottish goverment bad, everyone in Scotland bad, all bad, people in Scotland stupid,
Now that’s leaves what options, mmm vote Tory. Vote labour, vote Lib Dem, vote greens, how stupid do you actually think the people in Scotland are,
No don’t bother answering that, it’s obvious,
We are supposed to avoid voting for any possibility or any chance, even though it may be a small chance to gain future independence, you would rather stupid Scottish people threw it away.
At this moment in time the rights of people in England are being eroded.
Is it Not Westminster who wants humans to have passports, a bit like dog licenses of old, is it not Westminster that has priti Patel, the women that went rogue and wants to bring back hanging to the uk, is it not Westminster that had Dominic Cummings who also went rogue testing his eyesight, is it not Westminster that found some mps had claimed dodgy expenses and money for gazebos.
How many bad stories do you want us to remember about Westminster goverment.
We are no worse than any other government, except Westminster still controls a good few levers in Scotland government, we need to sort it here in Scotland.
I have always wondered why England’s Westminster takes every possible opportunity to publicly bleat on how it subsidises Scotland, but forgets to mention how powerless it becomes for energy power, oil, (still being explored by uk .gov) the land mass they would lose, the coastal and fishing it would lose, and the advantage it strategically gains for war games.
Meanwhile you tell Scotland’s people they are stupid on how they should vote, Perhaps they are….. they should have dissolved the union a long time ago.
As a English woman who uses her husbands old comment site, I have been able to see both sides of both governments, and foresee no advantage in the union remaining.
Super injunctions.
We all know that any details of a super injunction can’t be disclosed. That said; it could be a case of the Weir family being legally impeded from giving their side of the financial arrangement with the SNP. Perhaps a request can be put to the family politely asking for their views but if nothing of substance comes back then I believe we can all take a more questioning view of the situation.
My personal opinion, which has no factual basis to support, is that the Weir family simply saw the party for what they are & decided to get their money back. The only way they were able to do that is by signing some kind of NDA backed up with a super injunction instigated by the SNP & the Murrell’s.
@James Che – We have a bent judiciary in Scotland. Hence, nothing works here and no-one knows the truth.
As a side note, Sir Brian Souter, co-founder of the Stagecoach transport empire, has not donated to the SNP since Nicola Sturgeon took over as party leader from Alex Salmond in 2014.
And I wonder why…
glad to see the Alba live event is glitch free so far (watching on you tube).
The reason the Referendum money got spent was the SNP no longer have any need for it:
“Why the SNP are now the Scottish Inter-National Party” link to archive.is
This was posted on the SNP web site yesterday. Good to see so many candidates committed to the idea of an independent Scotland – whatever that is.
@onlooker
Nobody cares what you think. You sound like a bitter loser. Malcom was far more succesful than you or your imaginary friend.
@ “Dulwich” :
The alleged super-injunctions are nothing to do with the Weirs AFAIK.
They are (should they exist at all) much “closer to home”.
Watching the ALBA announcement on You Tube.
The adult has re-entered the room of Scottish Politics.
Wonder how many msm outlets are going to pinch your work again Rev. They may not like bloggers, but they certainly like pinching their work, rather than funding it themselves.
Anyway, re the above 2 things strike me. STUPID, AND EVEN MORE STUPID.
If you are going to ‘bend the rules’ or break the law – Rule Number 1 – DON’T GET CAUGHT.
And Rule Number 2, if you have bent the rules/broken the law and have the time to put it right – PUT IT RIGHT ASAP.
But since this is a party that will not disclose what Peter Murrell earns – to the party treasurer, and Nicla ‘forgets’ £100,000 donations that she is legally obliged to record (that one is going to do for her IMHO), then playing by the rules left the building some time ago.
So, folks, the Britnats – what do they want to happen?
1/ Ensure No Supermajority
How – If they can’t stop Alex – then get Nicla to make the SNP unelectable, and/or take out Nicla by publishing Scandals, thereby making the SNP leaderless and unelectable.
We really, really need a list of the good guys and gals on the SNP Constituency vote, and we are going to have to campaign for them, in addition to ‘lending’ them our vote – other wise that supermajority is gone, folks. By the same token the Good Guys and Gals – times pretty much up for sitting on the fence folks (though I appreciate why you’ve had to).
And folks, this HE election, realistically, is about getting as many honest, electable, Indy candidates on stage and in parliament. The real ‘play off’ cruncher is likely to be next GE. Just so you all pace yourselves.
I don’t think I have ever read such an excoriating denunciation of a corruption Govt,since Emile Zola and his J’accuse.
As a long term reader of this site I find it ironic that it is the Yes voters who are transfixed to the spot unable to comprehend that they have been played.
Just keep your eyes on the prize as they say and don’t look around you.
This is a good broadcast by Alex Salmond. Exploring many routes to Independence. Give the parliament the mandate and let them get on with it.
Night and day compared to NS approach to date. I like the bloggers introducing themselves too. Denise always looks so happy when she is asking her questions?
That should have been a smiley after ‘Denise’!
The storm is upon us..
For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.
Watching Alex in action just now, if he had led SNP all the time we would be independent and prosperous now. Instead we have Nicla and her thieving husband in power. SNP1 reluctantly and Alba 2 whole heartedly.
@Ross 6 April, 2021 at 9:39 am
“So we’ve donated to pay back millionaires that wouldn’t have needed the money?
Not understanding what was in this for the SNP.
Were the Weirs demanding the money back in a oner? That’s a story itself.”
The Weirs would have had proper financial advice , the Lottery company continues to provide support to winners so that that don’t get scammed after winning such an amount. so any agreed loan to the SNP would likely have been made with advice to the Weirs on how to do so, probably by advisors from one of the Big Banks.
So the terms of a loan to provide working capital would have had to be agreed and signed legally by the SNP so they knew what their legal requirement was so little point in trying to lay blame at the Weirs door. A loan is exactly that a loan not a donation.
The smaller and closer a countries people government is, the more accountable they become. As it was before the police force was centralised , the local councils, the nhs, etc, etc,
The people are the ones loosing out at the moment, all across Britain, no one is being held accountable for bad housing, food banks , poor road structures, big banks and big company bail outs, low income universal credit, everyone is locked up, unwanted, demoralised with any hopes for a brighter future or building up a business gone,
The rich are the politicians, and big companies, they are the only ones gaining any benifit.
Scotland should be taken care of its own, as England should be taken care of its people, so too Ireland and Wales,
The treaty of the union is no longer fit for looking after four countries with fairnes without bias towards Westminster wants and needs.
Outstanding work. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Capt Y at 1 18pm
To settle out of court would mean Alex agreeing to back off.
Somehow I can’t see that happening!!
An absolutely fantastic speech and Q&A from Alex Salmond leader of the fastest growing political party in Scotland the ALBA party.
Unlike Sturgeon, Alex spoke all about independence, and it was a nice wee touch quoting a section from the Declaration of Arbroath, of which today is the 701st anniversary of the document.
Best comment from AS at the live event “the SNP’s 11 point plan has 10 points too many” – TOP MAN.
Really hope the grassroots put in some leg work to spread the word on Alba (but not just rely on online content alone) – still a sizeable chunk of voters still access their content via MSM, need to somehow reach these peeps too.
Snp 1 alba 2, if we want to change politics for the better.
The Rev has been reading the SNP’s accounts, a topic which consumed too much of my time over the weekend. However, a few extra items to add to general understanding of the party’s financial record might be useful, although what’s below offers nothing on the topic of the article above.
1. In the ten years ended 31 December 2019 the SNP’s membership income grew from £386,775 to £2,247,344, a compound annual rate of 19.2%. The number of members rose by 23.2% per annum.
2. Rates of growth for both series have slowed. Over the five years ended 2019 the number of members rose by 6.2% p.a. and by 1.9% p.a. over the past three years. Membership fees rose by 11.1% p.a. over the five years ended 2019, and fell by 4.6% p.a. for the three years to the same date.
3. In the years 2009-19 the SNP raised £46.8 million and spent £46.1 million, generating a net surplus of £0.8 million. In six of the 11 years it reported a deficit of expenditure over income. Six of the deficits arose in years under Salmond although the single biggest deficit arose in 2016 under Sturgeon, £1.3 million.
4. Over the same period, the conference generated an aggregate surplus of £1.1 million. However, having generated surpluses in every year from 2009 to 2017, both 2018 and 2019 conferences produced deficits, £1.3 million in total. Aggregate surpluses under Salmond were £0.8 million and £0.3 million under Sturgeon.
5. Of the years reviewed, Mr Salmond was leader from 2009 until 2014. In each year the audited accounts list five registered officers, Salmond included. Under Ms Sturgeon there have been only three registered officers in each year from 2015 onwards. Mr Murrell has been listed as a registered officer throughout both leaders’ tenure.
6. The party listed 24 central staff in 2009 which dropped to 12 in 2013. Since then the number has increased to 21.
7. Staff costs rose in nine of the 11 years, regardless of the numbers employed. Staff costs rose by 7.9%. per annum on average from 2009 to 2019.
8. Back in 2009 the SNP had 652 members per central employee, By end 2019 that number had risen to 5,985.
9. There were no Notifiable Donations in 2018 and 2019, i.e. those over £7,500.
10. Some (tentative) conclusions…
– The SNP has been very successful in gaining membership which has led to strong growth in fee income. It is hardly surprising that the rate of membership growth has slowed but the decline in membership fee income – £2.7 million in 2015, £2.2 million in 2019 – would be cause for concern in any organisation.
– Personalities aside, the centralisation of power in the hands of three registered officers as opposed to the five under Salmond may be what the membership wants but if that’s the case then a smart leadership would set up an entirely independent audit / risk committee to oversee its actions. If there’s nothing to worry about then the independent committee will say ‘…tickety-boo…’ and all will be well. Listed companies and big charities operate that way, and need to be on their mettle when a strong CEO is in place. Nothing wrong in having such a leader, (potentially) nothing wrong in two of the three registered officers being a married couple but in such circumstances independent accountability / vetting is ESSENTIAL and must be seen to be so
– more inference than deduction, but the party appears to have become more centralised as its membership has risen ten-fold in a decade. Given that it’s now split into two, it is fair to attribute the division in large part to simple frustration. People who join political parties do so to say something / enter debate. Judging from the numbers in its accounts, the SNP looks more ‘command & control’ than ‘vibrant debating society’
– 36% of the SNP’s 11 year expenditure went on ‘Campaigns’ a third of which was spent in 2014. Running the party year in and out consumes most of the funds raised. It may exist to campaign but it also exists to exist.
– raising money isn’t the SNP’s problem. The record says it does that very well, but the slippage in membership fee income over 2018/19 is a hint that the wind may be changing.
Alex Salmond said:
“Independence negotiations should start on first day of new parliament.”
I really like that idea.
Alex is back.
SNP1/Alba2
Looking forward to week 1 of Holyrood.
@James Che. 6 April, 2021 at 2:34 pm
“Is it Not Westminster who wants humans to have passports, a bit like dog licenses of old”
Whst on earth are you on about ? Passports are forced on no-one unless they want one to travel abroad.
Or do you mean these ? link to heraldscotland.com
@Don
Passports are a condition of travel. They are compulsory.
Isn’t it wonderful that in Alex Salmond we have a party leader that can actually quote Scottish history. Salmond easily sounds off on facts and figures about Scotland’s past, and give us a sense, that here’s a man and party leader that knows and cares about Scotland and its rich history.
When was the last time you heard Sturgeon speak of Scottish history? Nevermind in an endearing way that Salmond does.
I know who who has Scots interests at heart and its not Sturgeon.
Still as Alex asks of us, SNP 1 ALBA 2 votes wise.
Hi all, funniest and smartest thing I’ve heard in a while. They were trying to get Alex to be critical NS 11 plan for independence referendum. Alex said I don’t want to be negative about it, but it’s 10 points to long. So bloody true and funny, it’s a good watch. Please keep chins up.
Just watched Alex on his new declaration for Scotland
Care to comment Nicola ?
Eh I didn’t quite get that was that was that was swearing ? ok I distinctly heard someone cursing there , again I ask you for your comments on the broadcast , nope it’s that interference again maybe we will get your views when we have a better line .
#%€$¥%#{\]>*+€ That’s that interference again I don’t know maybe check the equipment again
@james che
SNP1 if you want to hand the country to the corrupt gangsters that run the New SNP and have corrupted the mechanisms of governance, law and justice in Scotland, common thieves who have stolen hundreds of thousands from people who can ill afford it, who plan to destroy freedom of speech and jail those with an opinion different to theirs.
We see you Sturgeonite, we know the future of Scotland and it’s people Donets even register for you, it’s all about propping up the party and saving your masters from their jail cells.
@Republicofscotland 3.20 pm
Exactly! NS is like someone reading a railway timetable in comparison, there is no context to her speeches, no history, no detail. Just nothing.
A spokesperson for the SNP machine versus a leader.
A first class speech by Alec Salmond today. Negotiations should start basically straight away after the Supermajority is delivered. And puts Mike Russel’s piece of tosh aka his 11 points of nonsense where it belongs in the garbage bin. Way to go!
If you can please dont forget to donate. I just have.
link to crowdfunder.co.uk
Alex was excellent today and a reminder of what we had lost.
Just watched the Salmond speech. No wonder they were terrified of him returning to politics, he is a proper statesman and has taken the gloves off completely in his pursuit of indyref2. Immediate pressure on the Scottish gov planned to contact whitehall in the first week of the election is fantastic and will force Sturgeon to show her true colours on indy. Can’t wait.
John Martini says:
6 April, 2021 at 3:17 pm
@Don
“Passports are a condition of travel. They are compulsory.”
Only if you want to travel abroad.
I think some persons have misunderstood the reasons why the Weirs made loans to the SNP rather than donations. There are very strict rules limiting the spent by individual political parties on electioneering. It would be illegal for the Weirs to ‘write off’ the loans, although even the interest on their lottery winnings would have more than covered this.
From the electoral commission website:-
link to electoralcommission.org.uk
Your spending limit is £12,000 for each constituency your
party contests, plus £80,000 for each region your party
contests.
The regional spending limit applies even if you do not field a
full list of candidates in the region.
The spending limit is a national limit, which means you do not
have to attribute your spending between constituencies and
regions.
If your party is contesting every constituency and region, the
total spending limit will be £1,516,000:
£12,000 x 73 constituencies £876,000 +
£80,000 x 8 regions £640,000
Total £1,516,000
O/T Excellent talk by Andrew Doyle on free speech (Ok he has a book to punt but it’s still worth a listen) link to youtube.com
“a pal of mine reckoned when his son burned five million quid of ‘memorabilia’ of his dad’s years ago, he was destroying five million quid’s worth of evidence:”
I have no idea whether McLaren was a piece of shit or not, and nor does that in any way affect whether he was intelligent. But when Corré burned that evidence in 2016, he’d already been dead for six years. You can’t prosecute a corpse.
Forgive me for not commenting on the story. It’s too much to get my little pea-brain round without taking at least half a day to study in minute detail and then map out in my mind in order to take it all in. All I want to comment on here is the picture. It is awesome. Takes me back to when I was first introduced to punk rock by the tougher new boys in the class. Having been at a convent primary school we had a totally sheltered upbringing; moving school we got introduced to new friends, who were into all the latest fashions, and the coolest music, which the Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle was definitely part of 🙂 This is a masterpiece take on it! If you did the graphic yourself, than maximum respect! If it was not you, then maximum respect to whoever did it!
A bit o/t
Regarding the freedom to travel about your own country passport that’s being trailed by the English government Sturgeon will do as she always does and that’s what she’s told , huff guff but she will do it and she will be loudly protesting about it but that’s all crap she will follow orders .
Watching Alex fend off the Unionist media and realising just how useless and petty they really are in their attempts to trip him up he’s way too smart for any of them maybe that’s why Princess Nicola hasn’t a chance against him she forgets he taught her not the other way round .
“If you did the graphic yourself, than maximum respect! If it was not you, then maximum respect to whoever did it!”
It was ALL ME. Well, y’know, other than designing the original film poster.
WeeChid,
“Only if you want to travel abroad.”
For now, but that may change.
Republicofscotland says:
6 April, 2021 at 3:20 pm
Isn’t it wonderful that in Alex Salmond we have a party leader that can actually quote Scottish history. Salmond easily sounds off on facts and figures about Scotland’s past, and give us a sense, that here’s a man and party leader that knows and cares about Scotland and its rich history.
When was the last time you heard Sturgeon speak of Scottish history? Nevermind in an endearing way that Salmond does.
I know who who has Scots interests at heart and its not Sturgeon.
Still as Alex asks of us, SNP 1 ALBA 2 votes wise.
———————————————————-
Took the words out of my mouth there. 🙂
Excellent from Mr Salmond today.
Alf Baird @ 1.56
If the Weir’s link with the SNP was through Alex Salmond, if they were having difficulty getting their money back they may have enlisted his help to recover it.
Was this the spark that lit the fuse leading to the witch hunt against Alex?
@Breastplate
Just catching up now. He’s right, it’s got the same feel of the Indy Ref.
Putting Tom Gordon in his place about what constitutes a majority.
After listening to the Alba broadcast, the common theme that runs between AS and many of the SNP gradualists is international recognition. If they reject salmond’s strategy it simply confirms that they are devo careerists.
The funny thing about these careerists is that the launch of an iscotland would itself present some wonderful exciting careers for those who put their sleeves up…
Could the reason the Weirs stopped their support was the fit up of Alex Salmond
They would have had each other’s phone numbers
Alex Salmond:
“I speak to senior people in SNP everyday when they ask for applications to join Alba” ? ? ? ?
Buuurrrrn. This man has been missed.
That’s the sort of story that the BBC will surely be all over like a rash. Unexplained financial misdemeanours by the SNP following hard on the heels of one the worst concealed political cover-ups ever…..their documentary writers must be lacking their lips!!!
Nope….not a cheep from our pals at the BBC…..nothing to report here…..just government business as usual!
“Exactly! NS is like someone reading a railway timetable in comparison, there is no context to her speeches, no history, no detail. Just nothing.” (Silver Darling)
Nemo dat quod non habet. A legal phrase meaning you cannot give what you do not have.
Nicola has no interest in Independence far less a passion.
She just doesn’t have it in her.
Hers is a different vision for Scotland which she shares with all those she has chosen to work around and alongside her.
We know what the FM’s passions are.
Netflix commissioner,
That had also crossed my mind as I believe they were on very good terms with each other.
Just pressed the “thickos” tab. Surprised not to see Cosyfeet’s name on the list. Was also wondering whether there should also be a thickos list for journalists. I would nominate Tom Gordon for no.1 spot.
I’m watching Alex again because stuff was going on first time, and I missed a lot.
I know this is the 701st anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath, but even so, the whole tenor of ALBA and Alex Salmond’s opening remarks centred on what the Constitution actually means, fair fills me tae burstin. YES!!!
Some marvellous drone footage of the Bannockburn monument too. Top drawer!
If I could go back in time to 2014 and change one thing, it would be to embellish the focus of YES with much more of Scotland’s Sovereign Constitution, and the birthright bestowed upon every new born Scot from the moment they draw breath. Sovereignty, our sovereignty, must be at the heart of this… and then we win.
I’m hoping it’s not just window dressing for the anniversary, but I honestly believe it is so much more.
It’s perhaps just as well Holyrood is closed at present. I suspect Parliamentary Wings Over Scotland viewing figures will be through the roof.
I wonder who Nicla hates most – Alex or Stu?
Only 10 days remaining and not even halfway yet, C’MON! link to crowdfunder.co.uk
An excellent explanation of where the Indyref2 money really went. It’s telling that Colin Weir never left the SNP any money when he died.
What I would like to know, is how much it cost to hire the Hydro in Glasgow when Nicola thought she was a rock-star? I’m guessing it would have been hundreds of thousands of pounds, – money completely wasted just to massage an ego.
On the question of what constitutes a super majority, the Scottish Parliament’s rules (section 11.11.4) define it as two thirds of the total number of seats for members of the parliament. That would make a supermajority from current parliament 129 x 0.67 = 86.4 MSPs.
So that means to guarantee being on a position to call fresh plebiscitary elections before 2026, the pro-indy parties need another 16 or 17 seats? (I’m assuming the last parliament ended on 61 SNP, 6 Greens & 3 Independents who would all be counted as pro-indy, giving a total of 69 or 70 if you include the Presiding Officer and assume he’d vote with the majority?).
Even if the SNP and Greens continue to whinge about gaming the system, Alba have to ram home the message that if they win enough MSPs to contribute to a supermajority, they see that as a mandate to call for plebiscitary elections, because even if Sturgeon hangs on to power for a while and refuses to cooperate with Alba, if (hoping against hope here!) she gets the heave ho at some point from the few remaining adults in her party, it’d be good to have the mandate clearly expressed before hand by the Alba leadership!
Breeks,
You have done a fantastic job talking up the constitution over the years especially on this site.
Well done.
Onward and upwards.
Well, if Alba gets the seats they want, then it is going to be delicious watching Nikla scowling and attempting to take the fantasy moral high ground of her imagination, as she squirms under Alex Salmond’s move to a vote to start negotiations on independence immediately. Just imagine that soor plum face declaring that ‘now is not the time’, ‘we need a section 30’, ‘I’m in charge’, and “I’m not talking to him, I’m in a huff’. It will be hilarious, if nothing else, and reveal her true colours. Please let it be so.
@WeeChid
Soon to apply nationally with covid passports.
“You can’t prosecute a corpse.”
Rev. Stu stop giving them ideas please
When the Indy SuperMajority is achieved on May 6th, were Nicola to refuse to respond appropriately to its implications by not cooperating with the pro-Independence MSP’s in Parliament, then I would reckon that would be political suicide.
So she will cooperate – to ensure her own survival and her husband’s job.
Any idea where I can watch the Salmond speech..can’t see it on the Alba site..
Thanks link appreciated
John Martini,
I’m pretty sure the people advocating vaccine passports will see themselves as the protectors of society, an elite group that can look down on others for daring to speak out against them and the fine job that they consider themselves to be doing.
They could perhaps call themselves the Schutzstaffel and anyone that resists the idea of a vaccine passport could be made to sew a yellow saltire onto their clothes.
Except it seems reminiscent of something I can’t quite put my finger on.
Stu, I have a question.
Since Alex Salmond’s return I have found my hope for Indy again.
Until Alba came along it was going to be a spoiled ballot paper for me, I as know (partly through your reporting, also other bloggers) that the SNP leadership are corrupt to the core, and have no intention of getting us to Indy.
Alba’s message of positivity and SNP1 / ALBA 2 struck a chord with me however, and that is now my voting intention as it makes so much sense.
So with all that said, how does this story (100% true, I accept), at this time, help the SNP 1/ALBA 2 message?
Surely it will dissuade voters from the SNP 1 part of the plan?
Hi Stuart, you’ve probably thought of this but where was the website hosted? May not be Police Scotland who have jurisdiction on this one…
@BreastPlate
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
I would like to see a Timeline of the loan finances Stu quotes and significant events outside. Perhaps Daisy or Iain Lawson might consider presenting one.
For the benefit of the odd, shouty, ‘DON’T VOTE SNP 1’ contributors on here;
“..I’ll be voting SNP with my first constituency vote for that reason. I know tens of thousands of SNP supporters are going to vote for ALBA on the list for exactly the same reason. Because it is in the Scottish national interest to do so.
In that unity and common purpose lies our strength and our greatest opportunity to deliver independence“..
Alex Salmond, leader of the People’s Scottish Independence movement.
I think it’s always good to be reminded that a party is more than its leader. People make up a political party. In a democracy – there shouldn’t be figurehead and there wasn’t in the SNP, until Sturgeon decided to assume that role. Getting rid of , even a bit of the dead wood, wouldn’t be harmful to the party.
John Martini,
Genau.
Hi Rev Stu, should have said thanks for your excellent work on this earlier. Well now thank you.
I continue to watch with interest as the Murrells get ever closer to being put out of business .
I’m curious to know the wheels that are set in motion after you make a post like this Stu, and particularly in relation to the conversations which take place in the Scottish Government. Since we all know this is the most widely read blog in the parliament I’d love to be a fly on the wall.
Do you think Sturgeon sends out an email to her closest allies on how to answer the inevitable awkward questions? Are there SNP MSP’s who have enough of a spine left to confront their leader about such matters? At what stage do they admit that there’s just too much murkiness for them in all good conscience to continue to give her the benefit of the doubt.
I find it very fascinating.
Auld Jock says:
6 April, 2021 at 4:22 pm
Any idea where I can watch the Salmond speech..can’t see it on the Alba site..
Thanks link appreciated
It’s on the Alba Facebook site
link to facebook.com
Andy Ellis
Thanks for clarifying what constitutes a Supermajority.
And you can bet right now, if the combined total of pro-Independence MSPs in the new Holyrood Parliament does not add up to 86 or more, then Baw Jaws will be up on his hind legs insisting that is not sufficient support for a second Independence Referendum.
And, if she is returned, Mrs MacCeausescu will be on her feet at Holyrood agreeing with Baw Jaws.
Never forget – Britannia waives the rules, and they will wave that rule in our faces until we are blue in the face.
Breastplate says:
6 April, 2021 at 3:40 pm
WeeChid,
“Only if you want to travel abroad.”
“For now, but that may change”
Good – it might stop all those 2nd home owners in our area dragging their Covid infected arses here from elsewhere. So many visitors here over Easter weekend – I’m scared to walk the dog.
‘John Martini says:
6 April, 2021 at 2:42 pm
@onlooker
Nobody cares what you think. You sound like a bitter loser. Malcom was far more succesful than you or your imaginary friend.’
Do you remember the scene in The Great Rock And Roll Swindle where he is in the bath, naked, with a 13-year-old girl naked next to him? Well, that’s a clue for a start. Annabella Lwin was 13 when McLaren kicked off Bow Wow Wow with her singing and…naked photos of her. I could go on, but, you know…
‘Post Sex Pistols Fred Vermorel gives an astonishing glimpse into McLaren’s agenda, specifically in fuelling the music industry’s interest in paedophilia with his 1980 launch of Bow Wow Wow and an attempt to launch a magazine called ‘Chicken’, formerly named ‘Playkids’: From the Archives: ‘At the end they even stole his death’, Fred Vermorel, 24 March 2014 – GQ magazine
“I now saw Malcolm’s plot. This was to embroil EMI and everyone else in a paedophile sex scandal. That would make Bow Wow Wow even more notorious than the Sex Pistols.”
link to bitsofbooksblog.wordpress.com
‘Rev. Stuart Campbell says:
6 April, 2021 at 3:38 pm
“a pal of mine reckoned when his son burned five million quid of ‘memorabilia’ of his dad’s years ago, he was destroying five million quid’s worth of evidence:”
I have no idea whether McLaren was a piece of shit or not, and nor does that in any way affect whether he was intelligent. But when Corré burned that evidence in 2016, he’d already been dead for six years. You can’t prosecute a corpse.’
No, but you can get rid of stuff that might damage you and your family’s reputation at a later date, nauseated by it….
The First Minister needs to be elected within 28 days of the start of the new term or a new election needs to be held.
AS is saying that in the first week of an independence super majority, parliament should vote for negotiations on independence referendum to start with the UK government.
Let’s hope that Alba have the balance of power in the election of the First Minister, that would put some serious pressure on kicking off those negotiations…
link to en.wikipedia.org
Is there a legal basis for those who donated to demand their donations be refunded, on the basis that it has been spent fraudulently on non-referendum purposes?
If such a case could be brought to court, could this at least force the SNP to open their more recent accounts for public scrutiny?
Breeks says @10.31am:
I fully understand the message of SNP1 Alba 2 for a supermajority, but I have grave misgivings.
I can see people who are desperate for independence voting for the SNP on the constituency vote, and holding their noses to do so, because they are prepared to put country before party. I can see these people (many of whom were not going to vote SNP 1) helping the SNP reach a majority.
What worries me, is I do NOT see large numbers of NS fans within the SNP voting Alba with their regional vote. They will follow the mantra of ‘both votes SNP’.
End result? We could have the SNP with a small majority able to do whatever they like (except indy), no supermajority and the Alba party with not enough seats to really make a difference.
I’ve always hated it when, in the run up to an election, there is talk about such and such a party holding the balance of power – it never turns out that way.
@ sog says:
6 April, 2021 at 4:28 pm
I would like to see a Timeline of the loan finances Stu quotes and significant events outside. Perhaps Daisy or Iain Lawson might consider presenting one.
Dear Sog, sorry, currently going through the menopause, what brains I have have left me (and they were never that good with numbers anyway). On the plus side I could get away with murder, but will settle for really bad spelling and putting diesel in the petrol car engine last week – doh.
Not so addled that I can’t work out that both votes SNP is really stupid.
A dish best served cold?
If you donated can I just say;
“totally agree folk should be asking the police questions (and their credit card company too)… So good time to be pressurising them. Would be good to know Met looking at events in London” and “TBH the more fronts he is (they are) having to firefight on the better for all complainers. So CPS action would be a good thing.”
I previously posted on another thread that I had complained to Colin Beattie re the location of the ring fenced ref fund , he responded that they had NO record of me donating and unfortunately I cannot locate any bank transaction or receipt for a donation
Can I APPEAL to persons who have donated and have PROOF of those donations. and who are feeling let down. conned and disgusted to take that proof to their local police office and register a complaint
I know people will be reluctant to openly smear the SNP but quite honestly the disgusting contempt of these people to carry out this action and to continue to lie and obfuscate to genuine charitable independence supporters is reprehensible and sickening
As far as we are aware 1 man has made a formal complaint which certain contemptible hacks have derided and demeaned and the SNP hierarchy are continuing to deny , the ONLY way for people to get to the truth and to get accountability is for others to also come forward and do the same
We all applaud Stuart Campbell and support him in his neverending forensic quest to get at the truth and expose the lies and corruption of what is happening and the abuse he is subjected too with his exposures , so what impact will it have if only one or two people have the guts to side with Stuart and that individual , answer very little if we cannot create a groundswell to support the exposures , so again I appeal to people with evidence and proof make a complaint
Sounds to me like:
2nd quarter of 2016, Weirs make their regular loans of £500,000 apiece, towards Holyrood election. Expect to be repaid within 6 months, once the SNP collect levy from MSPs wages in Holyrood.
By end of 2016, only one of the loans has been paid back. However, the Weirs are informed that the party is tight for cash. So, they DONATE £250,000 apiece towards 2017 general election. Perhaps persuaded by Alex Salmond, who is still an MP at the time.
Meanwhile, Nicola is proposing a referendum, to be held 18 months later in late 2018. A fundraiser is started for this. Clearly badged as such.
The Weirs’ lawyers have, however, insisted that the outstanding £500,000 loan MUST be repaid by the end of 2017?
The treasurer, Peter Murrell, the auditor, perhaps Nicola, all see the opportunity to solve the ‘problem’ of a financial shortfall. NOT by drastically cutting inflated staff wages and being honest with members. But by ‘using’ the ring-fenced money to pay back the loan.
Conveniently, Nicola has also decided to drop the referendum plan and focus on trying to stop England getting their brexit. So the fund isn’t needed immediately.
This goes ahead. With the ring-fenced fund closed. To prevent awkward questions about why it’s dropped in value or disappeared.
However, as someone else has suggested, the Weirs are NOT up for throwing good money after bad, and do not offer further loans or donations in 2018.
So the money cannot be returned to the ring-fenced fund, especially as the levy collected from MPs also fell due to losing MPs in 2017.
Attempting to hide this whole fraud further motivates Peter Murrell and others on high wages at HQ to try and prevent Alex Salmond returning to active involvement with any awkward questions.
So from 2018 onwards the party is effectively £500,000 in debt.
By the end of 2019, after the outlay of yet another general election, membership subs are not being passed on to local branches but instead kept by HQ. Nicola capitulates ENTIRELY on holding a referendum. Despite brexit NOW HAVING HAPPENED!
Yet the membership have been told nothing.
Staff wages are not cut.
Mr Smith’s legal fees are being paid from party funds.
Soon Mr Mackay’s counseling will also be paid for.
While membership income had dropped due to tens of thousands of members leaving/lapsing.
The take home message for Nicola is:
If you feel the need to ‘cover for a man’s bad behaviour’, covering for Alex Salmond is MUCH easier and cheaper than covering for Peter Murrell.
And for the rest of us is:
If you attend a meeting with Nicola, take a witness who takes minutes, and audio record the meeting. Get any agreement in written legal form, witnessed.
Seems that STV are minded to proceed with their next 90 minute televised leaders debate without representation from Alex Salmond and the Alba party.
Pure and utter excrement from a corrupt corporate malignity muzzling democratic debate. Their action puts them in my view outside democratic process. Brown and blackshirt politics has been well understood for quite a long time and as this restriction shows it is extant in Scotland.
People should bear that in mind when they deal with the excrement that promotes this type of authoritarian abuse on free and open debate.
The lack of democracy cuts two ways.
What was the expected net turnover of seats in 2017?
At £11k per member its possible that losing 20+ seats had them caught with their pants down hence the need to find the funds elsewhere. That’s almost a quarter of a mil per year income is down
Also, what leaps out of the accounts is the alarming rise in debtors of over £600k in two years. On a turnover of less than £2m I would expect a note to clarify this seismic shift.
As well as being the 701st anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath today, from the 1st of April to the 8th its also the 201st anniversary of the Radical War/Rising.
link to blog.nrscotland.gov.uk
@ Liz at 4.59 – misgivings about voting SNP1 and it not being recipricated for the Alba2 vote.
Someone posted somewhere, that they were having little progress explaining DeHont, but when they said that because of Alba they were now going to vote for SNP on the Constituency vote, that was enough ‘good will’ for it to be returned.
People are complicated.
‘Country before party’ has at least enabled conversations to start up again on either side of the rift.
I’m voting SNP on the Cnst vote, in order to maximise the effectiveness of the Alba List vote. I could not do it otherwise, not in my area.
Regardless of how many SNP are returned, without Alba there in good numbers there will be no change.
We might know nearer the time how the SNP vote share is holding up on either vote, and that might change things.
Apologies that this link isn’t archived; perhaps someone reading this can oblige?
There’s an interesting tool here which you can play with to gauge the likely number of Alba seats based on how the pro-independence list vote divides up.
link to newstatesman.com
Look’s like yous have been played for fool’s by Sly Sleekit fool’s who thought they could get away with anything because of the Crown Office being in cahoot’s way the odd couple The whole of the snp are getting tarred way the same brush # 55
Twat Hater. The SNP have records of who donated money to them. The bank also has records of every donation made. Most of the donations will have been made by bank transfer and or card payment.
If the banks do not have records of who donated money then they are in trouble. Money laundering, failure to keep records is a crime.
But yes, £600,000 didn’t arrive by the stork and people unhappy about being taken for a ride should come forward and complain. They should also make a demand for a timed return of their their money.
Returned monies they could re-donate, and for many Alba might be an excellent home for it to go to.
If Alex Salmond has the graciousness to support SNP1 and Alba2 then ,after listening to his founding press conference ,then it is good enough for me.
The dream is alive and well.
Independence is normal and back on track.
STV broadcast? It should be remembered that they don’t cover the Borders. Is ITV going to do a deal?
@onlooker
It is not unusual for people to share a bath or hot tub. Are you sure you are not projecting your own sick fantaSies onto others?
The clash were far more exploitative and more likely to have been sick monstets than the pistols.
The SNP administration is the most delinquent administration anywhere in Europe. I like Alex Salmond and he will make a difference. George Galloway too will make a difference. But, if Sturgeon, Swinney, Yousaf and Wolffe retake their Holyrood chairs after the election, then the fandango continues.
There’s a big world out there and governments are run in a variety of ways but nothing comes anywhere close to Holyrood when it comes to corruption and so, for the good of Scotland, I will do all I can to vote the SNP out.
ANYONE other than SNP.
Daisy Walker says: at 5:12 pm
“People are complicated.”
Aye, but some are also really really stupid, so when engaging with individuals harbouring stupendously complex levels of stupidity, one should be cautious not to get drawn into the vortex of numbskullery in case your IQ collapses into their vacuum of idiocy.
But on a more positive note, today was a good day with several chats getting folk up the curve, a few more voter registrations, and several postal vote applications handed in to the Electoral Office before today’s PV application deadline. All will be Alba voters. 😉
@ ALANM
Your link archived.
link to archive.is
So SNP is short of cash, explains why NS has been so keen on using Covid breifings to deliver her Stockholm syndrome. By keeping everyone locked down and restricting canvassing she will save the cash they don’t have.
“At times like this NI comes across as being far away and of little importance to Westminster.
In some ways, just like Scotland.”
Surely, if that were the case, Westminster wouldn’t oppose IndyRef2?
@Dan 5:46
Thanks Dan; of course anyone wanting to make use of the Holyrood seat calculator will still need to use the original link.
Stoker Pointed out the Alba fundraiser is not yet half way there yet with only 10 days to run.
He is right to point this out with over 4000 members the current total is sitting at £23,400.
If you have not donated and can afford a few pounds please consider a donation.
Cheers holymacmoses appreciated
Not clear to me how this helps to win May’s election for Alba/SNP
It seems to me that Stuart has lost the plot on timing this one – the day after the election or 2 years when Alex S.’s back was against the wall would have been better.
QUESTION I am doing a series of FoI requests to the Valuation Office Agency in England and Wales, the Ratable Valuation Office in Belfast and the equivalent in RoI.
Anybody know who one writes to in Scotland for details of rates for all Councils in Scotland? There seems to be a whole series of ‘assessors’ offices but no central source of data
@Dan – the only vortex ordinary Scots are in danger of being sucked into is the vortex of Holyrood. If you think that bunch of numbskulls have any interest whatsoever in your well being, or that of any other Scot, then take a look at the George Square foodbank. Another vainglorious Holyrood initiative. In the meantime, Nicola Sturgeon orders more shoes from Harrods.
@ Famous15 5.21
Can we all please start saying
“SNP in constituency”
and
“Alba for List” ???
as the one/two terminology will confuse people and create spoilt ballots for Alba as people think it is like the local elections
At what date was the £600,000 first mentioned, the reason I ask is because I paid monthly donations between February 2017 till February this year. I’m assuming other members did likewise so the above figure may be greater than that
Interesting how the SNP are conspiring with the unionists to exclude Alba.
In a West of Scotland online hustings this evening candidates Jackie Baillie, Ross Greer, Ross Greer and Katy Gordon are in attendance.But not it seems any candidate from the Alba party.
The meeting is at 7.30pm tonight and it may be that being made aware of this that folks may wish to attend,
The link to tonight’s hustings is under noted below –
link to eventbrite.co.uk
O/T
Can some one tell me – when was that interview of SC by AS on RT recorded?
The youtube of it I saw was posted 24th July but when (roughly) was it recorded?
24th july 2019
Cringe inducing SNP Party Political. Transatlantic, creative, middle class hipster female of about 28 reinforcing both votes mantra. Vague rhyming doggerel which could hint at independence, devo Max or devo enough. What a contrast from the diverse group of Alba candidates, anchored by a brilliant narrative of independence first from Alex Salmond.
Alex Salmond being interviewed about The Declaration of Arbroath (6th April 1320),
link to youtube.com
Glenn Campbell on BBC Scotland just there…
‘Alex Salmond….now seems to be posing as the head of a new fundamentalism within the independence movement.’
‘Posing.’ Not positioning himself, but ‘posing.’
Rev. Stuart Campbell says:
6 April, 2021 at 5:22 pm
“Colin Beattie may have chosen his words carefully – if the quote above is strictly correct he did not say there is a restricted fund , merely that if there was one it would not be separated out.”
He says the money is being held in a fund, called the “Referendum Appeal Fund”. Where is that fund?
If he was using terminology precisely, it means a separate nominal ledger and subsidiary ledgers. Here in the USA, that does not necessarily mean a separate bank account, but it is a good idea. Otherwise, bank reconciliations are necessary much more regularly than if the funds are – how can I put it? – ring-fenced. No separate bank account should, at least, merit a note in the accounts. Other parties don’t separately identify restricted funds, but that is no excuse for the SNP to follow suit.
But let’s not get bogged down in the intricacies of Fund Accounting. Facts:
Lots of people donated money to a “ring-fenced” fund.
The purpose of the fund (an independence referendum) has never actually been executed.
The money raised has, it seems, not been reported to the Electoral Commission.
Aye Aye Captain
I’ll be casting my vote in an attempt to install individuals that may perform better than many of the current crew, with some of their performances to date ranging from lacklustre to downright atrocious.
FYI In my political campaigning endevours I’ve always been an advocate of voting for the least shit option, rather than suggesting the concept to the punters that any particular politician or Party could ever deliver a Shangri La acceptable to all.
As a realist I accept the compromise that shitty beige brown magnolia is all you’ll ever get when mixing all the wonderful colours of our political spectrum together.
Crikey, writing that makes me wonder why I bother, time for a beer me thinks.
Interesting when at 28:10 A.S completely evades and never answers the question from Simon regards showing contrition for his past behavior towards women.
Just saying…..:-/
Seems that STV are minded to proceed with their next 90 minute televised leaders debate without representation from Alex Salmond and the Alba party.
The BBC so called Scottish news isn’t reporting on the anniversary of the declaration of Arbroath
or the Alba party announcement today.
Two thrives using the words Scottish and Scotland in their titles but their function is purely
to in-doctorate the plebs North of England.
The amount of “whataboutery” BTL on this article is sadly predictable. SNP sockpuppets…
The Weirs gave more money to the SNP than anyone other than the British State (short money).
They lent more money to the SNP than ANY other lender was willing to do on terms which were basically “free”.
But here we are with SNP scum (for that’s what you are) BTL on Wings blaming a dead man for putting St Nicola into a situation where she had no choice but to “borrow” the money.
The ends do NOT justify the means.
Many of you seem to feel they do, regardless of the corruption of state power you’ve seen.
The SNP found the money for “Daddy Bear’s” libel case against Farage didn’t they?
SNP on constituency (unless its Robertson – there are limits to holding your nose) and Alba on the list.
Then on May 7 the gloves come off as there’s no indyref happening in 2021. Hopefully by 2022 the Murrells are gone, ditto the Robertsons.
If STV are dumb enough to exclude the ALBA party then I would be grateful if someone could name five of their main advertisers – So I can boycott them.
i.e. : Baxter’s soups, tunnock’s wafers, bill munro (ex-head of barrhead travel) and any union jack flagshagging products.
Please feel free to join this protest.
Democracy matters except for the BBc and STV.
@Codogan Enright
“There seems to be a whole series of ‘assessors’ offices but no central source of data”
There’s a history here which is of interest to those who may wish to look at the potential for efficiency in an independent Scotland.
English & Welsh local authorities used to be responsible for their own rating valuations and re-valuations. Unfortunately, they proved incapable of carrying out re-valuation exercises according to the specified frequency. Thus the work was centralised and transferred to the Valuation Office of the Inland Revenue, now the Valuation Office Agency. However, Scottish local authorities were quite capable of performing on time and so they retained the work. Hence the difference between Scotland and England & Wales.
I worked for the Valuation Office in Scotland for many years and never had to do any rating assessments. Those are still done by the Assessor’s Office of each Scottish local authority.
Fred @ 6.44pm
You can only show contrition if you have committed a crime. No contrition is necessary if you were fitted-up.
But you knew that.
P.S. The murrells have shown no contrition for the stitching -up, the £650,000, the genderwoowoo, the loss of over 50% of party members and their abject failure to achieve the primary aim of the SNP.
I see that’s another two mallicious prosecution claims being heard at the moment.
West of Scotland hustings this evening with candidates Jackie Baillie, Ross Greer, Tony Guiglina and Katy Gordon attending.
No Alba candidate attending as apparently not notified.
Attendance link undernoted for those wishing to attend –
link to eventbrite.co.uk
Re Fred @ 6.44pm
Why should he show contrition? He has nothing to apologise for as proven in court unlike Sturgeon. Go back under your stone and take your smears with you.
@Cadogan Enright
I was using a shorthand which I now see is confusing as I often find with abbreviations and also tweets being critical but I do not know who they are talking about.
SO: SNP for constituency,Alba for list. I almost a abbreviated that to SNP for con,Alba for list!
If it is good enough for Alex Salmond, it is good enough for me.
Astonished,
That’s wrong. You don’t need to have committed a crime at all to show contrition- remember his own QC stated ‘ ‘I’m not here to suggest he always behaved well or couldn’t have been a better man on occasions’
And the point I’m making is that he evaded the question, and quite deliberately.
But you knew that.
Our SNP constituency candidate has a crowd funder on the go. Don’t remember this happening in previous HR elections. If this is repeated by all the SNP candidates throughout Scotland then the missing ring fenced money and more will easily be found.
ALBA declaration and so much more highlights the difference:
Alex Salmond – a man of the people
Nicola Sturgeon – a machine politician
One is a delight, the other a deceit.
thanks Rev. I trust those who have been name-calling you, as we speak, issuing apologies and eating humble pie.
Have you been mis-sold Indyref 2? Call 1-800-ALBAPARTY now to find out how you could claim!
Fred @ 7.05pm
That question was irrelevant to the interview. It has been dealt with many times in the past – THERE WAS NOTHING TO APOLOGISE FOR. The interviewer was following instructions to get the smear in on camera and AS gave it short shrift. It was not worthy if a response.
As Astonished has pointed out, like all of us on here, you know the truth so suggest you toddle off back to WGD and join the rest of the wilfully blind.
Pedants corner: when should we mark the anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath? Should it be April 6th or April 17th?
Discuss. Do not write on both sides of the paper at once.
Elmac,
You don’t need to have committed a crime to have done something wrong my friend.
Also, and believe me I’m not here to defend Sturgeon, but you just killed your own argument when you state ‘unlike Sturgeon’ who was also cleared of any criminal activity.
Lastly, Im not here to fall out with you. Just because i pointed something out that actually happened and that you didn’t like reading it, you don’t need to be so aggressive.
@ Fred,
He has already said that he regretted some of his behaviour in the past.
It must be galling for him, when he was found innocent even without being allowed to produce all his evidence and still he gets asked questions about this all the time.
NS lied to parliament, the court of session and lied under oath to the parliamentary enquiry and conspired to get him put to prison and she doesn’t have to field any questions about her shocking behaviour.
A bigger membership than the Lib/Dem branch office in Scotland, and more MPs than both SLAB and the Lib/Dems, yet the London run STV is snubbing the ALBA party.
Of course STV sold Scotland out years ago, it now carries nothing but English made content, and ignores Scottish culture completely, effectively its as big an enemy of Scots and our culture as the BBC.
STV is a hostile entity to Scotland, as are all the other BritNat channels controlled outwith Scotland.
STV blanked Salmond for the debate
polling suggests winning seats
membership numbers ahead of lib dems
journalists asking questions about him non stop
I was a bit of a switherer but i’m backing Alba all the way now.
Blatant bias.
Fred says: 6 April, 2021 at 6:44 pm
What are these past behaviours that you are talking about?
Fred says:
6 April, 2021 at 6:44 pm
Interesting when at 28:10 A.S completely evades and never answers the question from Simon regards showing contrition for his past behavior towards women.
Just saying…..:-/
What bad behaviour… The worst I can see was a sleepy cuddle. All we hear are demented and vague innuendoes from sturgeon, her silly little worshippers and the yoons.Why are they afraid to mention these so called innapropriate gory details that don’t exist… probably because Alex’s lawyers are listening.
@ Republicofscotland at 7.28
The LibDems, alas, have four MPs in Scotland (something anyone could be forgiven for not noticing, so colourless are they), so Alba hasn’t exceeded them yet.
Fred @ 7.17pm
Alex Salmond dud nothing wrong. He stood trial on fabricated charges and was cleared. He left court as he had entered, an innocent man.
Your reference to Sturgeon being cleared is risible. She has not yet been put on trial but that will come. She was however heavily criticised by a discreditited, loaded and hamstrung inquiry set up to give her a whitewash. The corruption on display in suppressing the evidence available to that enquiry was a disgrace to our country and has dragged our legal profession through the dirt. The fact that she lied and was complicit in a criminal conspiracy to jail a politucal opponent was obvious and she will face her day of reckoning, perhaps sooner than you might think. Oh, and yes there is also the small matter of involvenent in a £600k fraud. By contrast Alex Salmond, a mere mortal, appears a saint.
I welcome sensible debate which this is not and I have no wish to waste my time on trolls. So “my friend” this is goodbye. Be a good little chap and go back from whence you came.
Thanks crazycat for the correction, as you say who would notice the difference.
“When three members of the party’s own Finance Committee tried to carry out their legal duties this year by examining the books to verify the fact, they were refused sight of them by party CEO Peter Murrell and resigned to protect themselves from liability.”
The new party treasurer Chapman, has not resigned.
Meaning he now has liability for the swindled money.
Mr Chapman, speak out now or go to jail with Murrell.
.
In light of one of the finest pieces of forensic journalism I have ever read, I would recommend to ALL donors of the “Ringfenced Referendum Fund” that they considere sending the following email asking for their money back…
———————————————————
Time Criritical: By Email: Jim.Henderson@snp.org
Dear Mr Henderson,
RETURN OF FUNDS OBTAINED BU QUESTIONABLE ADVERTISING
THE YES.REF INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM FUND
I refer to the above named matter and find to which I donated.
Given the forensic analysis of your accounts and your own assurance that my funds were to be used FOR an Independence Referendum and NOT the SNP general admin for high salaried CEOs and paying Alyn Smith’s legal fees for his stupid BREXIT comments. Plus questionable manouverings behind the scenes to create around £600,000 invoices for a referendum campaign that is impossible to launch within the timeframe for which those incpcipoices are being manufactured. Therefore, I would ask that you RETURN my funds to me immediately please?
Thus far an Independence Referendum cannot and will not occur. The proof? Since 2015 we have been promised IndyRef2 by Nicola Sturgeon in the weeks before the last FIVE elections.
So far, on FIVE occasions, IndyRef2 has been quietly buried in the weeks after each election.
Mr Henderson, you have personally and professionally promised my funds have been safe and would ONLY be used for a Scottish Independence Referendum.
The evidence of your promise…
If I do not receive a full and complete refund of my money within the next 14 days, sadly this matter will be referred to Police Scotland as I have serious doubts about the legality of what has been alleged against your organisation. To wit: obtaining money by deception and/or theft of funds by clandestine possession.
Otherwise, why would THREE professional accountants/company directors RESIGN from your audit committee when the current SNP CEO Peter Murrell REFUSED to allow the persons in charge of the audit of the SNP books to see those books.
Mr Henderson, you have 14 days to ensure your organisation returns my money to me. Thankyou.
For the purposes of litigation, ex-parte or otherwise, pleas br advised that this missive constitutes the requisite LETTER BEFORE ACTION.
Yours faithfully,
________________________
P.S. Jim, please pass my regards on to Nicola. I saw her irony in this evening’s SNP Party Political Broadcast where she used people with disabilities as a crutch to support the brave Sturgeon fight against Tory Austerity. I am curious at why she and the Somerville disability Minister have failed to use the powers Westminster offered to devolve to the SNP government to save people with disabilities from dying? Was it perhaps the fact that the TRANS lobby group have captured the SNP leadership?
—————————————————————–
“But it’s far too late for that. A crime has been committed, the police are investigating, and the only way that Peter Murrell and Nicola Sturgeon could get out of it now would be if the person in charge of criminal prosecutions in Scotland was also a minister in her government who was directly answerable to her and already had a worrying track record of deeply improper behaviour, or something mad like that.”
Corrupt lying criminal James Wolffe, Lord Advocate of Scotland, MUST GO TO JAIL along with Sturgeon, Murrell, Swinney, Evans, Lloyd and others.
“the police are investigating”
The police boss himself is totally corrupt.
He is responsible for wasting enormous resources on attempts to frame Alex Salmond, Mark Hirst and Craig Murray.
Rev. Stuart Campbell, expose this massive corruption in Scotland before Her Majesty the Queen of Scotland gives Royal assent to the Hate Crimes Act.
You will be the first one they will go for.
@Rev at 2.03pm
Thanks for posting the Alba Party broadcast.
Great viewing and excellent presentation and answer session by Alec Salmond.
He has the vision for true Independence that was lost in 2014 when he resigned from the SNP.
He speaks of the Sovereignty of the Scottish people as the prevailing factor in Independence not a referendum or S30 order which is irrelevant.
Get after them Alec.
So Scotland is run by people who say they want independence but actually they don’t and in the meantime all the stuff that’s important, like educating kids, becomes less and less important.
And somehow getting a ‘super’ majority of pro indy MSPs in the Scottish Parliament is going to change that.
Big Bad Boris won’t agree to indyref2. March all the peaceful marches you want. Try and curry support from foreign governments.
It won’t work. Less than 50% of the Scottish population want independence. There is absolutely no reason on God’s green earth why the UK should pander to the obsessional belief of a minority that Scotland should leave the United Kingdom.
As an englishman living in France I have no horse in this race. I do have a desire to see a government separate from other branches of power and for an independant, functional press.
I watched Mr Salmond`s presentation today, as I have followed all the nonsense of the inquiry and the trials of himself, Craig Murray and others. I was impressed at his calmness, positivity, passion and maturity.
I have made a contribution to Alba, from a pathetically small english pension, and hope that serves as some small motivation to those who have more at stake in the coming election.
Good luck and good wishes to Alba and all the good folk of Scotland. snp 1 Alba 2
Cadogen Enright
‘Not clear to me how this helps to win May’s election for Alba/SNP’
And then proceeds in another post with his/her pedantic point about constituency/list versus 1/2 vote.
So, Cadogen, what’s good for the goose and all that – could you start using SNP/Alba please?
Meanwhile;
SNP 1 ALBA 2
O/T anyone else had a begging email from Bella?
It would be dead easy for an efficient accountant to follow the money trail and find out exactly where the funds went and through which accounts – if they were shown the books.
Will corrupt lying criminal James Wolffe, Lord Advocate of Scotland, who is in Sturgeon’s pocket and in Murrell’s trousers be able to stop the police from examining the SNP’s books?
@Fred @ 6.44pm
Get back up the chimney.
Elmac,
We’re going down a rabbit hole with this and i’m getting bored – and you’ve made enough of a fool of yourself for one night, so I’ll save you any further embarrassment.
Never at any point did I express an opinion on whether AS should apologise or not. I don’t have an opinion on it tbh. All I pointed was his avoidance of the question and put it out there for others to opine on. Someone said it wasn’t relevant, but I believe it is because NS states she will refuse to work with him until he does. How can that not be considered an important hurdle?
Honestly, I could tear apart your previous comments like toilet paper, but just to finish, my little snowflake, if you genuinely think that my comment is comparable to that of a troll, to use your word, that truly is risible.
Cadogen seems so worried about the stupidity of people (and is beginning to sound an awful lot like Ruth Wishart!).
So here is a solution;
On May 6th you will be given 2 ballot papers.
One of them will have the ALBA Party – put a cross in the box next to it.
The other will the name of your SNP Candidate – put a cross in the box next to that.
Simples.
Fred has just been relieved by Gone Right Handed
bye bye Fred, hello GRH.
Coupla muppets.
Jeannie McCrimmon says,
“I hope the Murrell’s get their day in court.”
Murrell will claim it was out of character for him to swindle £600,000 of “ring fenced” donations.
Sturgeon will of course not recall anything.
Judge Dorian will no doubt find them not guilty.
As Alex Salmond rightly said, the leadership of the institutions of Scotland is completely broken.
I would say the institutions have fallen into the hands of corrupt lying criminals.
@ahundredthidiot
I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Fred but your recommendation leads me to believ he’s a thoroughly good guy.
However. Can you please tell me why UK should pander to the fantasies of a minority of Scots who believe that Scotland would be better off outside the UK?
Right said Fred
Honestly, I could tear apart your previous comments like toilet paper, but just to finish, my little snowflake, if you genuinely think that my comment is comparable to that of a troll, to use your word, that truly is risible.
———–
Not the auld IZAL toilet paper ye widnae. That was made for a Rhinos arse that stuff! It’s back in demand so carry on snowflake if you’re brave enough.
Mark Boyle says,
“Think Colin was dead before the trans nonsense started in earnest”
What vulgar language to use for a very genuine and very generous independence supporter.
Politics in Scotland is utterly broken. We need some good people to do some good. I could greet with the utter stench of corruption that prevails Scotland and the Scottish people due to the snp. Time for a change.
@ extremebuilder: “have made a contribution to Alba..”.
Many thanks indeed. Alba, with great help from AFI and ISP, has put a spring in the step of many Yessers. We have had a wearisome 7 years since 2014 watching every open goal studiously ignored by current SNP leadership. Yessers are desperate for some good news.
So thank you for your good wishes.
Hatuey says.
“If the money was to mysteriously appear — if they borrowed it or received donations to cover it — would that be the story over? Would they be off the hook?”
How will they weave it back into their 2019 accounts?
They had become so arrogant taking us for fools for so long, they thought they could get away with anything.
They might still escape justice because both the police boss and chief prosecutor are totally corrupt, but they have been exposed for the corrupt lying criminals they are.
I meant unweave it out of their 2019 accounts.
The captain of this lugger
She was a dirty bugger
She wasn’t fit to shovel sh*t
From one place to another……
Can anyone give me a good reason why the UK government should give an ear to a bunch of self obsessed navel gazing Nats?
Most of Scotland doesn’t want independence. What is your beef with the UK?
It’s a pity that journalists want to rehash the trial rather than ask serious political questions about independence for example.
I view it as lazy journalism at best or part of a smear campaign at worst.
Salmond can rest on the decision of the court with his good character intact.
Gone right troll @8.51
Away and chase yersel ya ignorant wee wank
Listen to Dorothy Grace-Elder and Jim Sillars…there’s something badly wrong with the SNP.
The headline: ‘The Great Indyref Swindle’ – It’s not complex. That’s all we need to know.
@Fred 8:23
The hurdle is for Sturgeon to cross and come to terms with.
Salmond asks a question at FMQ’s. Sturgeon refuses to answer because he has not, according to her, apologised. How stupid and petty would that be? Would it not break the ministerial code? I’d expect the presiding officer to remind her of her obligations. Elected politicians have a duty to act on behalf of the people irrespective of politicians personal distaste for each other. We expect them to act like adults. If a FM cannot act in the manner required of the position then it is time to resign.
There is a recent times radio interview on YouTube where he is asked that very question and also about his “lack” of apology for “non criminal” behaviour. He asserts that if the interviewer bothers to do some research he will find that this has been done.
Gone right handed
‘ I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Fred but your recommendation leads me to believ he’s a thoroughly good guy.’
Thanks for the support GRH – I actually am a nice guy- which is why I refuse to stoop the level of lexical aggression that my attackers have. Unless, of course, the word ‘snowflake’ has now been weaponised. ?
One of the most admirable features of AS’s behaviour since the end of the court case is that he has displayed not one jot of animosity towards his accusers (I know I would have). Alf Baird @ 1.56 says that AS was/is close to the Weirs. Would he know the ‘niceties’ of the loans? Maybe he does but, quite understandably, he has kept his own counsel not wishing to involve friends any further in the machinations of an apparently ungrateful and possibly criminal clique who probably bit the hand that fed them (in such a generous way) . Admirable again if that’s the case.
@Kev
There appears to be a paucity of intelligent argument in favour of independence. Your comment proves that.
Just joined my first ever political party . 06/04/21 A.A ( Anno Alba ) .
The ray of hope it has offered must be seized with both hands , all other considerations are secondary .
Let’s take a scythe to the ” long grass “
@Fred
Kick on and sit deep.
@GRH
Most of Scotland don’t want independence.
There appears to be a paucity of intelligent argument in favour of independence.
/
The king of the one-liner a la Henry Youngman?
Well last time I checked “most” would reflect a much higher number than the No’s achieved last time.
You utilise a small sample for your second sweeping statement.
No One Is *redacted*
*redacted* save the sex *redacted*,they’re a bunch of *redacted*some *redacted*okes.
They just like wearing *redacted* clothes and swapping *redacted*.
*redacted* save TV, keep ‘the programmes’ pure*redacted*
*redacted* save *redacted* from falling in *redacted*ure.
.
.
.
*redacted* save politicians,
*redacted* save our friends ‘the pigs’.
*redacted* save Idi Amin, and God save Ronald Biggs.
.
.
.
*redacted* save *redacted*, *redacted* save *redacted*.
(Even though he’s ‘orrible, and she ain’t what you call a *redacted*.)
“Oh what a tangled wed weave, when we practice to deceive”
Several folks for the gallows I fear.
What I cannot understand is why this is not splashed all over the main stream media. UK government would be being lambasted for this. Scottish Government are just as bad.
“Power tends to corrupt & absolute power corrupts absolutely”
Oh God, please give me an honest politician.
Vote SNP and their corruption will continue. Sturgeon and Murrell simply sit atop a rotten party. Don’t let them. Vote ANYBODY #1 but the SNP and ALBA #2. Get AS into Holyrood and let the rebuilding commence.
@Stephen
I look at the POLITICO poll. Presently 46% yes, 45% no. 9% undecided. A couple of weeks ago it was neck and neck. In September it was 50% for yes.
That’s not a good look. Why should Westminster countenance the call for indyref2?
I am buoyed by the serious uplift in Unionist contributors/antagonists appearing on btl.
They must be fucking shitting themselves.
Their Union – all going well over the next couple of months – is in serious peril.
And they fucking know it. You can smell their fear over the interweb.
I’m bloody loving it!
Stand Together SNP 1 ALBA 2
Minekiller, do you think there is a problem with timing, there. The way I see it is if Alba supporters vote Alba on the list and someone else in the constituencies, the traditional unionist parties sneak in the back door and we have to wait five years for Alba to build up.
If Alba supporters vote SNP in the constituencies and Alba on the list, we may still wait five years, if the SNP proves to be irredeemably devolutionist. However, if they prove to be soft yes, we can contemplate independence much sooner.
It hurts, but I think it has to be SNP on the constituency and Alba on the list.
extreme builder @ 8.12 Thank you.
Despite everything Alex has endured, it is amazing how honesty and sincerity shine through.
I think of the final lines of the ‘Ancient Mariner’ now when I hear and see Salmond discussing.
‘ A sadder and a wiser man, he rose the morrow morn.’
He gives me, and others, hope.
Fred says,
“Interesting when at 28:10 A.S completely evades and never answers the question from Simon regards showing contrition for his past behavior towards women.
Just saying…..:-/”
Showing your true colours, Fred.
Just saying.
Rev. Stuart Campbell says: “You can’t prosecute a corpse.”
Wouldn’t put it past the Lord Advocate if the corpse is a known Salmond supporter… 😉
GRH
Politico poll and Westminster countenancing second referendum
/
Fair point.
There is a lot of noise at the moment with the SNP pursuing unpopular social policies and the whiff of corruption – which doesn’t help.
Hence why many on this website want a laying out of the path to independence and a bit of a clear out.
@ahundredthidiot at 21:29
Boris is just going to say ‘no’.
The Unionists really are shiting themselves following Alex Salmond’s return to front-line politics.
Just read a new Severin Carroll piece in the Guardian in which he goes on about: “Alex Salmond’s bitter attacks on the SNP Government.”
Aye Severin, attacks, so bitter, he is encouraging voters in the Constituency Vote, to vote SNP.
The bitter attacks have been from Sturgeon, and the Unionist and SNP muppets on Alex Salmond – the man they fear most in politics.
But, that doesn’t suit Severin’s Unionist, anti-Independence agenda.
Had a very quick look at 2017/2018 accounts and one thing stands out on note 3a Donations “Cash Donations received below the reporting threshold to the Electoral commission” movement from 2016 is +579,638, it then drops by 576,787 in 2018 there is no mention of “Ring Fencing” in the 2017 notes.
Ring fencing is only mentioned in note 7 for Parlimentary Levies.
I suspect that the fund raiser for Indy ref said it would be ring fenced but that is not noted in the accounts and probably not what took place in reality.
In fairness to the external auditors, they would not be aware that donations should be ring fenced unless the National Treasurer was up front with them.
John Martini, oh aye, it’s not unusual for 32-year-old men to have baths where 13-year-olds they are not related to are present naked. What a dumb apologist cunt you are.
link to thestreetlampdoesntcast.blogspot.com
Boris Johnson has made it crystal clear that the UK Givernment will not countenance a second independence referendum so close to the last one. The polling in Scotland does not give a clear majority in favour of another referendum. Why do Indy supporters think Johnson will change his mind. Both Labour and Conservatives are for keeping the Union. A second referendum is not going to happen this side of 2035.
@ extremebuilder says:
6 April, 2021 at 8:12 pm
As an englishman living in France I have no horse in this race. I do have a desire to see a government separate from other branches of power and for an independant, functional press.
I watched Mr Salmond`s presentation today, as I have followed all the nonsense of the inquiry and the trials of himself, Craig Murray and others. I was impressed at his calmness, positivity, passion and maturity.
I have made a contribution to Alba, from a pathetically small english pension, and hope that serves as some small motivation to those who have more at stake in the coming election.
Good luck and good wishes to Alba and all the good folk of Scotland. snp 1 Alba 2′
Hey extremebuilder – thanks for that. Its appreciated.
Very good interview and worth the 24 minutes of your time folks.
link to youtube.com
Alex Salmond interviewed by Pilar Aymara (whose audio wasn’t great at the Alba press conference this afternoon).
She puts the Colonial Media in Scotland to shame with her finger on the pulse of Scottish politics from Galicia, Spain.
AS answers around GRA and his comment in support to J. Cherry and new that J Buchan, NE Fishing skipper has come out in support of Alba and Scottish Independence (video Thursday), also the Once in a generation put to bed.
extremebuilder @ 8.12
Can I second Sarahs comment of thanks for your good wishes. It is great to hear of your support for our independence, Alex Salmond and our new ALBA Party.
Good to see that most regulars are ignoring the trolls to the extent that they seem to be reduced to talking to themselves/each other now! Just keep scrolling past till Stuart deals with them.
I’d like to see the crowdfunder grow faster but many of the new members will have donated via the ALBA site when they joined. It’ll get there.
Couple of things I noted today from Alex speech and the q and a after.
His phrase – and I’m not sure I’ve got this right – ‘people of the realm’. He kept repeating it. It must have legal bearing for him to do so. Anyone know the details.
And secondly, the unionist media are now Desperate for a Referendum. Anyone else notice. Its as if, as if, they really don’t want anyone to notice that a Plebiscite Election is a much more straightforward way to go.
Referendum, referendum, referendum. They kept saying it, over and over.
@Alan Thom
Polling consistently shows the overwhelming majority of Scots agree that only Holyrood should have a say in when, how often and on what terms referendums are held. That must logically at present include a good number of “No” voters.
If the British Nationalists don’t do the democratic thing, then Scots voters will look for an alternative such as plebiscitary elections, which would work just as well. The beauty of the supermajority scheme for May 2021 is that it allows Holyrood to call fresh elections and make them an explicit vote on independence. The yoons can huff and puff all they like then.
All brilliantly knitted together Stuart. Makes perfect sense.
I think they mean by “woven through” it was woven in and then woven out again!
As you say, only a very crooked state of affairs could possibly fail to bring the perpetrators to justice.
@Onlooker
It is not unusual. Look at the bidens and podestas of the world. I believe the clintons are fond of pizza too. You are just old fashioned.
When I worked on trawlers, sometimes we put plywood on the windows and doors when the weather got too bad, then went below……..reminds me of Scotland at the moment….god help us.
One thing I noticed today.
Salmond made it clear that Scotland was in a voluntary union with England called the Treaty of Union.
I think he has laid the groundwork for a straightforward unilateral dissolution of the Union if Westminster does not cooperate.
Daisy Walker says:
6 April, 2021 at 10:00 pm
Couple of things I noted today from Alex speech and the q and a after.
His phrase – and I’m not sure I’ve got this right – ‘people of the realm’. He kept repeating it. It must have legal bearing for him to do so. Anyone know the details.
—
Crown of Scotland; Scots Law; sovereignty of the people.
The “constitution” has never been “reserved to WM”
…that would be an ecumenical matter.
@ daisy walker
This might interest you.
link to cotr.ac.uk
Look for community of the realm
I am enjoying watching the worms crawl out the wood, where they have been lurking for some time on Scottish blog sites,
Had a few suspicions for a while, but all good things come to those who play the waiting game,
Cast the bait and they have proved they can not resist biting.
No we are not thinking of voting labour 1, alba 2, nor are we thinking about voting torie 1, alba 2, nor greens 1, alba 2, same goes for Lib Dem’s,
Scottish people are not stupid, they can foresee the unionist trying to weaken a super majority independence vote in Scotland, and they also see the unionist parties panicking.
SNP 1 ALBA 2.
Membership numbers up to 5558 as of 10pm
MSM have the oxygen turned well back today. Time to go paint the town.
@Daisy Walker –
I noticed that repetition of “community of the realm” myself Daisy.
I looked it up with specific reference to Scotland and found it’s a historical rather than legal term.
I think Mr Salmond choose it to recall not just the Declaration and Scottish history in general but more specifically, though not explicitly, the Scots acting as a sovreign people.
“The ‘community of the realm in Scotland’ project (or COTR) aims to establish a new perspective on the medieval idea of the nation by undertaking the first-empirically grounded, long-term case study of a nationally-defined medieval political community, the kingdom of the Scots (or Scotland, as it came to be known), between the mid-thirteenth and mid-fifteenth centuries”.
“The reigning royal dynasty failed in 1290, leaving a well-defined ‘community of the realm’—communitas regni—in its place. The next two centuries saw war with the English, the capture of successive kings and two major changes in royal dynasty”.
link to cotr.ac.uk
Does anyone know why Lizzie would be wanting to make one of her family Head of the Church of Scotland? I didn’t think that was a position that would ever be in her gift.
‘community of the realm’ – that was his phrase.
And like others I think also, that Alex was laying the legal groundwork, not necessarily for UDI, but for the Scottish Parliament to legally represent the democratically expressed wishes of the Sovereign people of Scotland.
This is what Breeks and Robert Peffers and others kept highlighting in the aftermath of the Brexit vote, and unlike in days of yore, for the first time (for an alteration to the Treaty of Union this big) we have Holyrood in place to represent us.
So great to have Indy back on the menu, and a master chef at work.
Now Waiting for more verbal attacks,
One sure way to tell a unionist is if you don’t want to vote the same way as a unionist they will quickly try some personal attacks, or maybe a little derogatory comments, if that doesn’t work, they try get you banned,
All because I like the idea of brand new kind of politics, where it starts with the people at grassroots level,
It Scares the heeby jeebies out of them, that they might loose control of Scotland.
@1025 Holy acmosis
The Church of Scotland is a democratic Presbyterian church and has no head per se. The Moderator (or convenor,chair,etc) presides over the General Assembly,the ruling body.
The Queen or rep acts like an ambassador to the General Assembly and has a fraternal but no executive power. So the Prince would be the Queen’s High Commissioner.
Daisy Walker, Ben Madigan,
“For the Lion!”
link to facebook.com
Holymacmoses
As far as I remember God is the head of the Church of Scotland. So there is no vacancy even at Easter.
holymacmoses “Does anyone know why Lizzie would be wanting to make one of her family Head of the Church of Scotland? I didn’t think that was a position that would ever be in her gift.” You’re talking rubbish. William is given a title (Lord High Commissioner) specifically to allow him to chair/start the Church General Assembly. Nothing more. He doesn’t get free birds, beer or board. Princess Ann did it once! The thing that gets me is so many people say rubbish such as Scotland is paying for HS2 (she’s not – even Scot Gov says so on their website) or the local RAF base is poisoning everyone with PFAs in the foam the fire engines use.. as do the civilian engines in the middle of town! Or England wants our water. You HAVE heard of the LAKE District haven’t you? Every time people lash out with such rubbish that most intelligent people know is wrong or can quickly disprove for themselves, we undermine any valid points we’re trying to make. PS That PP Broadcast tonight was scary wasn’t it? And all it did was emphasise how weak the SNP government are in most things yet still they tried to bring Boris into it! Many of my Unionist friends thought it merely enforced the idea that the UK government have saved Scotland with loadsmoney rather than the SNP who have hoarded COVID funding for election bribes.
This, from Craig Murray is awfully well written…
It was interesting to watch SNP followers on Twitter change over the course of three months from absolute denial that Team Sturgeon were involved in acting against Salmond, to a position that Team Sturgeon were quite right to act against Salmond because he is an appalling man. A similar transition is in progress, from denial that Team Sturgeon have failed to act on a referendum, to a position that Team Sturgeon were right not to have a referendum because we would have lost it.
We started the last referendum campaign at 28% to 32% and got to 45% on polling day. That is what a campaign can do. There has been zero Independence campaigning from the SNP since. The notion that a campaign that would have started at 48 to 58 per cent, depending on timing, would have failed is simply daft.
I have been delighted to hear Alex Salmond speak on behalf of Alba of alternatives to the S30 approach and even of the fact that there are routes to Independence that do not involve referenda. This is where the debate must lie.’
Have put some money aside for his defence fund once its called upon.
In just a few days Alex Salmond has initiated a far greater amount of real action for independence than Sturgeon has done in years as FM. That’s real leadership. Wonderful to have it back again and the confidence of the indy movement is returning.
Fred
Why are you dredging up “old Stuff” to stimulate conversation on a blog that has no problem generating opinions. I think we have all made our minds up as to where we stand on the matter. If you go back into the archives you will find tons of comments on the matter and save us from re hashing previously discussed topics
Morayloon
Are you selling much fish in Lossie these days ? So much for your Brexit vote to take back control.
Regrets I have a few- naw?
Did any UK news media carry AS statement today?
BBC, STV, SKY etc?
Or have their arses collapsed and they’re going with the don’t give it the oxygen of publicity routine?
Who the hell came up with that party political broadcast? It is awful.
I think Morayloon may be Wee DRossy.
He needs to do something else for the BritNat cause since he has been removed from election material by the Tories as even those delusional fuckers have realised how big a vote loser the wee linesman is!
Who’d have thought the Tories could have done better if they’d retained Carlaw!
Scott says:
6 April, 2021 at 10:15 pm
—
Crown of Scotland; Scots Law; sovereignty of the people.
The “constitution” has never been “reserved to WM”
…that would be an ecumenical matter.
—
S30 for 2014 was excellent publicity for “Scottish Independence”, so seems a waste of Civil Servants’ time really.
SNP, et al. are scared of Alex Salmond’s knowledge of Scots Law and the role of the Crown of Scotland.
Neither the Crown of England nor the Crown of Ireland are excluded from his knowledge.
The kindest thing I can say is the SNP (“the business”) fears its extinction as a thing when the legal facts are presented in the Chamber, via the *coughs* First Minister and *faints* Lord Advocate.
saor Alba, gu bràth.
The Great Seal of Scotland gives assent to legislation.
Scotland’s status has ALWAYS been governed by Scots Law & The Crown of Scotland, via we the people.
Dinna fash,
Slàinte Mhath.
@John Martini
@11:17am – Like russia will inevitably have to invade ukraine, the SNP will now have to invade wings over scotland or be forever condemed by its silence.The murrells won’t get away with it as malcom mclaren was brighter than that pair
@11:51am – Could we ‘lend’ them our vote with the right to recall?
@11:59am – No One Is Innocent. Peter Murrell was doing time until he done a bunk. Now he says he’s seen the light and he sold his soul for punk. Peter Murrell was doing time until he done a bunk. Now he says he’s seen the light and he sold his soul for punk. Sold his soul, Sold his soul, he sold his whole soul for punk
(Lunch)
@1:18pm – How to deal with false accusations.
@2:42pm – Malcom was far more succesful than you or your imaginary friend.
@2:51pm – The storm is upon us. For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.
@3:17pm – Passports are a condition of travel. They are compulsory.
@4:16pm – Soon to apply nationally with covid passports.
@4:24pm – They could perhaps call themselves the Schutzstaffel and anyone that resists the idea of a vaccine passport could be made to sew a yellow saltire onto their clothes
@4:28pm – Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? (who will guard the guard themselves)
@5:24pm – It is not unusual for people to share a bath or hot tub. Are you sure you are not projecting your own sick fantaSies onto others? The clash were far more exploitative and more likely to have been sick monstets than the pistols.
@10:07pm – It is not unusual. Look at the bidens and podestas of the world. I believe the clintons are fond of pizza too. You are just old fashioned.
Anytime, anywhere, anyplace…
Perhaps elsewhere rather than here tho, with your neon flashing hooks into #Qanon crap.
Did you really believe that was the level to aim at?
I have neither the political nor the legal knowledge of constitutional issues, but nevertheless, I have read over many different sites about the way to Independence.
The Referendum to which so many posters BTL refer, and their reference to having Westminster agree to our having a Referendum is only ONE way to Independence.
If the People of Scotland are Sovereign, and if the People vote for parties or individuals who have declared on their manifesto that they are standing for Independence, then this will create a supermajority (more than 66% or 87 seats).
Seeking Westminster approval is of itself an act of a devolved Assembly or Parliament, that is, one which has been created by the Parliament of the UK whereas an election of a supermajority is, by its nature a Declaration that the Scottish Parliament is already Sovereign.
To satisfy the Scottish electorate and I suppose to be able to demonstrate to, for example the UN, there would be nothing to prevent the Scottish Parliament acting as a result of the supermajority calling for a fresh election (which they would be entitled to do anyway in terms of the Scotland Act) to be held with one purpose namely as a declaration that Scotland is Independent, or entitled to declare itself Independent.
That is why the first step is the creation of a supermajority and all the stuff about s30 and an Indyref is not necessarily of consequence.
This has been stated on many occasions by posters, by the ISP, AFI, Craig Murray, Alex Salmond, Barrhead Boy and Jeggitt to name but a few.
I guess Pete Wishart was tempted to use his young supporters tantrum word “transphobic” but realises he would be on thin ice ,so he just tweeted :
“Yup. The ‘bloggers’ who supply most of the intellectual heft for Alba are to a man ‘raging against the woke’ social conservatives. It would be inconceivable their agenda will be anything other than against anything that would make life just a bit more tolerable for trans people”
Trans activists actually make life more difficult for actual trans people and they also care not that their nonsense activism also throws womens’ rights under the bus.
@elgordo
I never mentioned qanon. You seem to be obsessed with conspiracies as well as my posting history.
Perhaps sheep guardian donkeys Are more your bag.
link to grandvoyageitaly.com.
@martini
Thanks for going full austin powers, baby!
@elgordo
El burro sabe mas que tu!
@daisy walker
Crown of Scotland comes from the Declaration of Arbroath.
The Declaration was probably written by Bishop Lamberton, the Chancellor of Scotland. And he was probably deeply influenced by the great Franciscan philosopher (arguably the founder of the liberal tradition in Western political economy). The Franciscans, having a radical commitment to equality, proposed that authority could only come from election.
And so the Declaration of Arbroath is arguably an early form of social contract, limiting the power of the monarch.
Talking nonsense in that last post. I meant community of the realm, not crown of Scotland.
@Morayloon.
You have Yoon freens???
Awa back tay yer yacht in the Lossie marina min. Well there’s nae boats left noo. I can mind the days when a could walk frae one end o the pier to the other on fishing boats but nae noo. Enjoy yer yacht.
Oh and the codheids a ken hiv nae Yoon freens.
@martini
Quizás tu novio debería publicar en su lugar entonces?
24425 for alba at midnight.
Not quite 50% target
Still a good show.
Famous15 says:
6 April, 2021 at 11:17 pm
“Trans activists actually make life more difficult for actual trans people”
“Woke” was all foreshadowed in the militant vegan trend that peaked 5 years ago. Laudable causes embarrassed by zealots whose sanity (which is obviously dangling by a thread) depends on an endless series of pretexts to lecture and denounce everyone else. Something about Green Parties attracts them like moths to a flame and for some reason managerialist centrist robo-parties like the New SNP find them incredibly useful. Basically because they depend on Stalinist levels of discipline without having any compelling ideas. So the way to enforce discipline is moral/intellectual blackmail.
Beaker says:
6 April, 2021 at 11:09 pm
Who the hell came up with that party political broadcast? It is awful.
By the end o’ I wis lukin’ fer a knife tae cut ma’ wrists, the SNP huv lost it, big time !
@Morayloon
I forgot to add that when the Royals came to Moray and it used to quite often as Charlie freen o Jimmy Saville, Andy the freen o Epstein, and Edward the Wokey who swings both ways all went to Gordonstoun school.
When they were here they went to the CoS. That tells you all you need to know about the Kirk of the Lairdie Idolators. They are no friends of Scottish Independence. Quite the opposite in fact. It wasn’t a Saltire I seen on display the last time I was in a CoS Kirk it was the Butchers Pinny that was on display.
What do the Commandments and the Bible say about Graven Images and Idolatry? The CoS isn’t too bothered these days it seems.
link to soundcloud.app.goo.gl
Alex Salmond Scotgoespop interview tonight
Thanks for your answer Morayloon .. I’m half English so I do know where the Lake District is. But you must understand that not everyone is as clever as you and nobody on here ever attempts irony or humour – particularly so close to a religious holiday:-)
Do try not to be so aggressive – it’s not a good look.
.
I just watched Alex Salmond’s speech and the following Q&A session…
link to youtube.com
Alex starts at 7 miniutes 17 seconds into the video
After 6 years of the over-promoted Dreghorn Dirker droning on about jam tomorrow and how we must pay her beardy Hubby £213,000 a year, it is a hugely refreshing change to listen to the best First Minister that Scotland has ever had.
Alex was incredibly positive and forgiving. The Alba Party is a wee bit of a gamble but so was IndyRef1.
We lost IndyRef1 by a 3% vote swing the wrong way to the NawBags.
I sometimes wonder what the world would have been like today if we had won IndyRef1 AND the U.K. had stayed in Europe.
After listening to the Great Man I think we have a chance of being third time lucky.
Here is to a supermajority.
Voting SNP1 is going to require a big box of Fabreeze air freshener as our local SNP MSP smells worse than Ross Greer’ MSP’s “eau naturelle musky oxters” after he has been exercising his Gone Right Handed on the Twittler Youth keyboard to orgasmatronic levels.
But what Alex Salmond says makes sense. For the Alba Party to secure 20 MSPs on the LIST, the D’hondt system requires the SNP to do well on the CONSTITUENCY.
There is still a smidgeon of hope that once Murrell and the Sturgeonite McWokeists have gone to jail or to the front of the queue of Auld Nick’s political Hell for porkie pie tellers, the SNP can be rebuilt.
There are alternative routes to indyref2 that don’t require a super majority. And I’ll be honest, I think we are watching the SNP imploding right now. For that and other reasons, it’s hard to imagine the SNP contributing anything positive to the push for a referendum.
On reflection, I think voting SNP 1 and Alba 2 is a shot to nothing for us. Even if you assume as I do that Sturgeon will do absolutely nothing to help, we have nothing to lose.
I think it’s more realistic to expect the SNP to have a terrible election, leading to dramatic change afterwards. By that I mean a new leadership that is capable of working with Alba.
There’s a lot permutations, but it’s very easy to imagine a scenario where the SNP loses a lot of seats and is more or less forced to deal with Alba — that’s just two good reasons for Sturgeon to resign but, as we all know, there are others. Many others.
John Main – thanks for your kind comment the other day
Aquarius – I assume there’ll have to be a referendum, but it doesn’t need Boris Johnson’s permission.
What would actually happen if a majority of MSP’s are elected on a pro Independence ticket, then legislate for a referendum?
Legal challenges, definitely, but that’s not insurmountable, or anything to be particularly worried about. Strathclyde Regional Council was able to hold a referendum in 1994. Ultra vires is the main legal obstacle, but this isn’t the Gordian knot, shouldn’t be beyond the wit of Scottish Government lawyers (if they can tear themselves away from covering up the Murrells’ crimes for five minutes) to find a process that at least has a fighting chance of surviving an encounter with judges. And doing something is better than doing nothing.
What else is Westminster going to do? This isn’t Spain, can’t send the army or the cops in to beat people up (not even BoJo is that stupid). The Scottish Government controls the police anyway.
It’s worth being Plan A, at least.
Famous15 – The agenda of trans activists is fundamentally incompatible with a free, honest and sane society that respects women and protects children.
There’s no accomodation possible with self-harming mental illness. No reasonable middle ground. No tolerant agree-to-disagree. Give them an inch and they’ll be grooming your kids on the internet while plotting to have you jailed if you object. We know this because it’s happening now. It’s what happened to Keira Bell.
Either truth and goodness wins, or insanity and death does.
People ensnared by this fetish cult need our understanding, our sympathy, and our help. But most of all, they need us to tell them the truth.
Men can’t become women.
Penises can’t turn into vaginas.
Children are not “trans”.
There is no such thing as an “authentic” “real” self that’s the opposite sex of our actual, biological selves. And even if there was, no amount of horrific surgery and artificial hormones could possibly fix it.
There is nothing “brave” or “beautiful” about a hairy fortysomething man abandoning his wife and children and squeezing into a cheap dress from Primark because he’s been feeding his internet porn addiction for so long it’s consumed his personality.
The whole thing is based on a monstrous, disgusting lie that turns people into miserable, ruined, and broken parodies of the men and women they should’ve been. It destroys families, and will devour our society if we let it.
Just say no.
Impressive sifting of dates, facts, and finances, Rev Stu!
I wonder if the Weirs, kept waiting or sensing something amiss regarding repayment, maybe ‘lawyered up’ as the saying goes, and it then became pressing for the SNP to make payback pronto.. by any means available.. and there was an Indy campaign fund lying handy, for just the right amount! Maybe their officers hoped to make good that deficit by some means, later but before anyone noticed.
Depending how much of this the Weirs (perhaps through their putative legal team?) came to realize, that could explain them becoming so disillusioned – but also, they may have not wished to expose the SNP for its shenanigans at that time, when the party seemed Scotland’s best or indeed only hope for independence.
I also wonder – (and maybe someone knows? I certainly don’t!) – if enough key SNP top officials were to be arrested, and/or the SNP were to be declared insolvent, what would happen? Would the party then have to be completely wound up – say, go into receivership, with assets sold to pay off creditors – and all its candidates be disqualified?
Do ordinary members risk being found responsible collectively in some amount?
In that eventuality could SNP folk, from MPs through candidates down, resign membership en masse – and switch to stand as independents, instead? Or hope to be accepted as members elsewhere and so stand as candidates for some other party?
Or.. could collective responsibility, attributed, and thus criminality (even just alleged, pending investigation), bar them from standing at all?
If any party through such wrongdoing were to be wiped off the ballot immediately pre-election, might the election be postponed?
If SNP were thus put out of the running, might Alba wish and be given a chance to stand on the constituency ballot, as well as list?
Red in case you have not noticed the Gordian Knot has been sliced in 2 by Alex Salmond and the ALBA Party !
@ Red 12.55am very well said , if only these people were rational , however irrespective of their lunatic deviant policies Scots women and children WILL be protected
Once you realize she’s evil, you can never look at Nicola Sturgeon the same way again. Then it’s like, can’t everyone see the smarmy sociopath?
Stu, Do you think that Theresa May called the unexpected general election because she had heard from a unionist within about possible financial irregularities and how fragile the SNP’s finances were? Bordering on bankruptcy and possible criminal behaviour would without doubt give you leverage. The Westminster Tories having the SNP leadership firmly by the short and curlies.
Fred says:
6 April, 2021 at 6:44 pm
Fred’s a beaster. I have photos of him with his **** up my donkey’s bum. Well, actually I don’t. I just made that up.
But we all know he’s wrong’un. So I demand that he apologise to my donkey anyway.
@Morayloon.
So they dont want oor water. Aye right. I forgot about this.
link to bbc.co.uk
We see you Yoon.
.
Thank you to someone up thread for helping me find the Jason Jeggit Blog.
Great wee guy. Thoroughly enjoyed a new website with some intelligence on it. Similar to Wings…
link to randompublicjournal.com
Though what hit me like a baseball bat on the heed was how much we lost when Alex Salmond left Bute House in 2014.
Alex kept his cool, was positive and the ultimate Statesman when being interviewed by the snake-like slithering newspaper flogger Thomas Newton Scum.
I know there are a few journalists with class, intellect and style, but that stain on humanity Newton Dunn was utterly obnoxious. Had a touch of darkness about him too as the hack cannae work Skype/Zoom lighting. Newton Scum’s face was very dark lit. Apt as the odious creepy hack is a dark hearted ba$tard.
Newton Dunn is a dishonest, lying, two-faced piece of excrement. Which is why he is being touted for the top job as BBC Newsnight. A marriage made in Unionist Hell.
Source: link to scramnews.com
Fred says:
6 April, 2021 at 7:17 pm
Elmac,
You don’t need to have committed a crime to have done something wrong my friend.
Reply
There was only one woman who he needed to apologise to & he did so when it happened years ago. The woman in question was offered another position in parliament, same level & pay. She opted to continue working with Alex & did so for a few years.
Fred I’m sure you’ve had a fully clothed sleepy cuddle with an adult after having a few drinks.If not you are one in a million.
Just drop it the other women were all liars. It was a stitch up.
He who is without sin cast the first stone. Ring any bells?
Gone right handed says:
6 April, 2021 at 8:51 pm
Can anyone give me a good reason why the UK government should give an ear to a bunch of self obsessed navel gazing Nats?
Most of Scotland doesn’t want independence. What is your beef with the UK?
Reply
You’re shitting your trousers aren’t you?
Looks like you may need to buy more trousers so you can have a quick change everytime you soil them.
Don’t want you walking around smelling of shit, now do we.
Given your postings on here, that will be often.
Gone right handed says:
6 April, 2021 at 8:51 pm
Can anyone give me a good reason why the UK government should give an ear to a bunch of self obsessed navel gazing Nats?
Most of Scotland doesn’t want independence. What is your beef with the UK?
——————————————————
Most folk born in Scotland want Indy. The White Settlers and foreign holiday home owners dont. You know where the borer is dont you.
“Most of Scotland doesn’t want independence. What is your beef with the UK?”
link to ons.gov.uk
This is my beef with the UK. The UK balance of payments went negative in the mid 1980’s and has declined relentlessly since then. North Sea oil propped it up for a while. Quite simply, the UK is not paying it’s way in the world and has almost run out of assets to sell. The Health System and Education are maybe the last to go. That’s my beef with the UK. It’s a dead end.
“Most of Scotland doesn’t want independence. What is your beef with the UK?”
Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland – all of these small neighbouring countries have consistently mainly had a positive trade balance of payments since at least 1970.
The UK only had a brief positive blip in the early/mid 80’s which was when North Sea oil revenues peaked. All downhill since then. Not much of a selling point for the UK.
link to assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
Red @ 12 55 . Are you the artist formerly known as Who Rattled Your Cage by any chance ? I’ve noticed the latter’s absence and a similarity in style .
Anyway , great comment above and equally perceptive well-expressed ( and funny – result ! ) comments on here of late .
Nothing to add except would the Yoon scavengers who’ve been looking for bones to pick-over here recently kindly fuck-off , we see you and your comments are just the usual rehashing of ” arguments ” every clued-up reader here dismissed years ago , so , beat it , you’re neither impressing nor persuading anyone
“There was only one woman who he needed to apologise to & he did so when it happened years ago. The woman in question was offered another position in parliament, same level & pay. She opted to continue working with Alex & did so for a few years.”
——————————————————————
Then stabbed him in the back
THIS morayloon is not from Lossie 😎 And those making sarky remarks prove straight away that many of you are little more than racist/anti military keyboard warriors who’d rather the RAF and Army left Moray even though it would destroy the local economy. I was part of Angus Robertson’s election team in 2001 but won’t be voting SNP since they’ve proven to be utterly corrupt. Funny how I’m attacked for having Yoon friends – thought we were all Scots together up here? And here I was thinking I was being helpful to the people who retweet lies/fake news and you wonder why people don’t believe the SNP/indy movement/Tories/Lab/Libs anymore.
In all the 470 comments so far on this thread -& the thousands of comments since Alba launched, I haven’t seen a single one that explains how someone walks up to Murrell & Krankie’s front door after SNP-1 & Alba-2 goes through “as planned”, & tells them to pack their bags and shove off.
Sorry, but I’ve been busy grafting, but sense the censorship of all things Alba. An intelligent reasonably informed elderly independence supporter I am doing work for said to me, ‘what’s wrong with the SNP?’. I went through that post by morag Kerr about why she left the SNP. Just as Westminster has a bubble, so too I fear has wings? So given the opportunity, go tell aunt Nancy and all.
Gone right handed.
“What is your beef with the UK”
There is no UK there is only England . I could give you a hundred examples but my most recent one was a documentary called WW11 in Colour.
Throughout the program it referred to England, “the Germans used u boats
to starve the English into submission” , “king George of England”, “the USA, Russia and England”.
The program was laced with other examples and your UK was never mentioned. England uses the tag UK to hide behind whenever there is any negativity otherwise it’s England all the way.
I suspect your “loyalties” are withthat country and not with Scotland.
Alan Mackintosh , thank you for that it was superb!
Gave me goose bumps.
Fred says:
6 April, 2021 at 7:05 pm
Astonished,
“That’s wrong. You don’t need to have committed a crime at all to show contrition- remember his own QC stated ‘ ‘I’m not here to suggest he always behaved well or couldn’t have been a better man on occasions’
And the point I’m making is that he evaded the question, and quite deliberately.
But you knew that.2
So have you shown contrition for beating up your wife/ girlfriend/husband/boyfriend/kids? You don’t need to have actually done it – but I’m sure like most people on the planet you will have behaved, spoken or thought inappropriately at some point in your life. Unless, of course you are a priest – which might open up a whole other can of worms…
Al-Stuart. Where did you get the £213.000 for Murrell’s salary? I thought it was a secret.
Any reports from the Salmond / Alba interview
Scheduled for Radio Shortbread this morning around 8.30am
I have put my mortgage on it’s all the same do you want to apologise
for being found innocent and aren’t you trying to cheat the system designed
to cheat you and independence supporters.
Plenty of interruptions as normal please for my bonus ball.
Dorothy, you are most welcome.
For anyone wondering what that was…
link to facebook.com
“For the Lion”
Gary on radio shortbread there goes very low and dirty ‘nudge, nudge’ and side tracks the interview with Alex Salmond with a rehash of the trial and then suggesting reds under the bed with his association with Salmond’s RT TV programme.
Not to mention his ‘gaming the system remarks’ on the list votes.
Good old auntie wie a kilt! 🙁
Mr Salmond did well.
Alex on Radio Shortbread this morning. Doing well against some ridiculous questioning. They can’t argue against the logical reasoning of a super majority so it descended into the personal smearing of character and his connection with RT and did he think the Russians were involved in the Skripal case.
Effigy
Just read your post.
Right on the money there.
Call me Dave. You beat me to it!
Just listened to BBC Radio Scotland interview of Alex at 08:35.
A disgusting performance by Gary Robertson. He starts with another re-trial of Alex then moves on to accuse him of being in the pocket of the Russians because he has a programme on RT.
Aggressive interruptions throughout.
The so called Radio “Scotland” is the one in the pocket of another Nation and the enemies of the people of Scotland.
Skip_NC
You make a fair point. However, consider this;
The SNP Sturgeonista MSPs will accept any mandate wether it’s the ‘hold the nose’ vote or their loyalist critical mass. A vote is a vote. The GRA and HCB nonsense will continue unabated. If we don’t bring down the edifice, the edifice remains.
So what sort of Independent Scotland do we want? One led by the totalitarian, overly corrupt, dishonest SNP? (If we even got to INDYREF2!!!)
Or play a longer game with ALBA, rebuild, clean up the institutions of state, debug Police Scotland and legislate for the clear separation of powers. In addition, take a long hard look at the economic future of Scotland and build bridges with our neighbours in England, Wales, Ireland and Europe.
With the SNP in charge of an Independent Scotland, what freedom would citizens actually have?
Salmond interview started off ok but ended up a farce with Gary questioning Alex about whether he thought the Russians had poisoned Skripal. This was after continued questioning about his behaviour and then a strange line pursued suggesting the BBC would be continuing to investigate two outstanding claims against him???
Surely I picked that up wrong!
But the interviewer got more and more rattled by Alex’s control and calmness and sounded pretty amateur by the end.
@ Alan Mackintosh
Thanks for the Lion video. It was great!
The thing is ,Alex Salmond thought a certain woman was not good enough to be an SNP candidate and declined to support her cause.
That is your woman scorned right there.
He could have been a “better man” by telling white lies but he did not. He had high standards so had to fall.
That is how hell on him was released.
SNP con Alba list. One and two equals independence.
link to twitter.com
Watched this. You kinda have to, don’t you?
I’m curious why it says Scotland is being dragged out of Europe. Suddenly I’m checking if the video has a sell-by date….
And Sturgeon, literally, on the giant tele-screen and all the TV’s??? Seriously??? OK, so I’m now thinking spoof. If this is legit, then “somebody” is on the wind up, and right now they’re high fiving their mates and collecting their winnings for getting it broadcast.
Bite our tongue Breeks. SNP1 ALBA2.
But…
SNP 1, ALBA 2….
But…
SNP 1, ALBA 2.
You want a supermajority, that’s how it’s achieved.
Yes, I see, and I obey. Let me start again….
Wow! Isn’t Nicola’s Big Brother themed 1984 video just absolutely terrific? It’s definitely NOT a spoof either!
Have the SNP issued any statement regarding the missing money?
The BBC on the attack. Really no different from state funded thugs who would beat you up you up with the boot and the baton.
The modus operandi is exactly the same. Cripple your political opponent.
But we should be under no illusion this state sponsored attacks on opponents is a spectrum.
It is a, spectrum that ranges from using the media to attack, undermine and destroy opponents. It is a spectrum that corrupt police and prosecution services to pursue and jail political opponents and journalists, it is a spectrum that jails activists such as March organisers or twitter bloggers. And it is a spectrum that will kill if none of the foregoing work.
And in that we only need look at the death of nationalist Willie MacRae. After having announced that evening at an SNP meeting in Glasgow that he had the evidence to bring down the Thatcher government, evidence that was widely believed to relate to a paedophile ring at the heart of Westminster, he was later that evening found shot dead as he travelled to his Highland cottage for the weekend.
But you only need to look across the water to Northern Ireland to see the extent of state intervention and state killing in the fight to destroy political opponents against Westminster rule.
Johnson and his ilk would do the same here. The leopard has not changed its spots and what we are seeing from the press and the media is ll part of the spectrum.
So let us give our parliament the thumping majority. We will have international law and international friends on our side.
Let’s get the message out to do that.
Why are my posts disappearing Rev?