The race is on
This morning’s news is that the SNP have finally found a company desperate enough for business to take the gamble of associating itself with the party’s finances.
But while the stakes are high, all bets are off.
Because during our downtime this week (forced by a DNS screwup, nothing sinister), Wings has been chatting behind the scenes to some experts from the world of auditing, all of them from the “Big Four” accounting firms.
And just before the party’s enormous friends-and-family Westminster payroll get too excited about actually getting their wages for the rest of the year, we thought you should hear what they said.
“I would think the only way an auditor could move forward here would be for the SNP to first engage forensic accountants who generally are involved with suspected fraud or unusual transactions. They would come in and basically recreate books and records from scratch – very long and onerous process – and validate the authenticity of recorded transactions.
They would not be signing an audit report so the hurdle for accepting an engagement like this would be lower and would be documented as “new management wants us to investigate the old and possibly wrong old management” and thus would be accepted.
While with an audit you normally say “this will cost x”, with a forensic engagement like this you’d basically say “we’ll charge you x amount per hour” … and costs can ramp up very quickly.
I’d say one of the bigger firms could get a team of 4-5 junior team members doing this and then supervisors and partners. I’d think you could actually get through blocking and tackling quickly – but then you have week of review, a week to report to management, a week to document the report and then a week to report to the board. If they approached my firm now (I’m in audit not forensics and we are different departments) I think we’d say “we can report to you in 3-4 months minimum”.”
With over £1m in UK government funding at stake and the deadline just 28 days away, it looks – at the very best – like this one’s going to the wire, folks. But perhaps there’s already a worrying sign:
Because slightly embarrassingly, it looks like the SNP’s new accountants (and they’re VERY new, only formed in 2019)… can’t even get their own paperwork in on time.
Fetch the popcorn, readers. This’ll be fun.
Interesting times Stu and pressure really on Yousaf and his party now.
Will keep watching for the next installment
According to companies house, the new auditor hasn’t managed to file it’s own corporate returns on time and has only 20 employees. Let’s say 3 admin staff, one office/operations manager, one HR, one ethics/risk – we’re down to 14….let’s say 20-25% are already engaged on audits for other clients….at absolute most you have ten people available….this is not a mid-tier accounting firm, this appears to be a one man and his dog type operation….the stench of desperation is nauseating.
And the the first task of these forensic auditors will be to find the cash to pay themselves ?
If they had been willing to do this under Sturgeon’s leadership, they wouldn’t be in this mess. She really left a binfire behind her, didn’t she?
I’m also wondering: Can the police investigation team demand to see them? Could the forensic accounts report be used as evidence?
They need their next fix, they’ll find a way hook or by crook!
Manc accountants for the manky party.
If they get a job done and approved in that time I will eat hay with a donkey.
They might be able to work up a suitable caveat but then Westminster might get arsey and not accept it.
They might need the 600k to pay the fee
I was wondering about the downtime!
Glad it was “nothing sinister”…..
AMS eh? …Makes me think of ‘sawn off’ loudspeakers (so contrived that they could fit an extra layer of them into a shipping container) record-wrecking cheap tacky stereos pretending to be ‘HiFi’ systems and satellite TV receivers that ran so dangerously hot, if you left a cable lying on top of one of them it would start melting through the (decidedly cheap) plastic casing.
This lot have nothing to do with ‘Sir Allan’ of course – except I’m reminded of two famous phrases he often used – ‘The mug’s eyeful’ and (of the SNP) ‘you’re fired!’
“I think we’d say “we can report to you in 3-4 months minimum”
That is why they rake in fat profits. It need not take that long. If four people cannot do it in a fortnight, then they are the wrong people. Four juniors and a supervisor/ partner or two, is a bit of a clue. This is not a job for juniors, but for experienced people that can crack on.
So David Clegg is going to be auditing the SNP accounts? I’ve heard that name before. Just can’t think where.
More seriously, the link takes us to a company with only investments in Fixed Assets. This entity probably doesn’t do the auditing. It may own a limited liability partnership that does.
It is not a good look that a filing is late but now that you have published it here, I am sure the upper echelons of this firm’s latest client will ask them, quietly, to remedy the situation.
I’m sure the SNP office bearers and party members will be pleased to hear what is happening
even if it’s not from the source they could expect it from.
If SNP have less than £100K in funds it looks like that won’t be enough to pay these auditors
Can they sell the big bus to reduce the debt they will be in?
Will banks lend them money with this going on behind the scenes?
Can a political party be declared bankrupt?
Will Hamza be passing a plate around Westminster Abbey this weekend?
All politicians like to use the word transparency but it’s only them that we can see through.
I too looked the firm up and made the same error. The SNP have actuall gone with an company based in Manchester link to groupams.co.uk
Unles i got this wrong
“I too looked the firm up and made the same error. The SNP have actuall gone with an company based in Manchester”
The company I’ve linked to is based in Manchester. Says it right there on the picture.
Jeez..! This just stinks of desperation, how many corners will be cut, blind eyes to numbers, creative fantasy, I can’t recall and useless won’t understand a word of it.
Company Name: AMS ACCOUNTANTS GROUP LTD
Company Number: 11977633
RECEIPT
Received for filing in Electronic Format on the: 03/05/2023
Looks like someone has tipped them off today!
AMS Accountants of Manchester, as the BBC story neglects to mention: link to heraldscotland.com
Good luck to those guys and gals! link to groupams.co.uk
I still think there’s more to come out as regards Johnston Carmichael. Reported but receiving very little comment so far was the resignation of four of the firm’s partners, including one who’s the husband of Maree Todd.
I thought it would be spin. Thank goodness one “journalist” does the job properly.
Shug says: at 11:24 am
“They might need the 600k to pay the fee”
———————-
They’ll have to find it in the “cooked” books first..:-)
Ha ha, the overdue confirmation statement is no longer overdue it seems. That was quick. I guess they must read wings, which would make sense if you were about to audit the SNP. Funny.
Sadly, Google can find no mention of the word ‘forensic’ on any AMS Accounting Group web page – on their site or elsewhere.
There is another AMS – Accountancy Management Services Ltd. which does forensic accounting. There couldn’t possibly be a mix up? Could there?
Skip_NC says:3 May, 2023 at 11:34 am
“So David Clegg is going to be auditing the SNP accounts? I’ve heard that name before. Just can’t think where.”
I’m sure he used to hang about with two other blokes called ‘Compo’ and ‘Foggy’… both well known terms in the world of trough economics. – Especially when it comes to recollections and being the one chosen to take a dive.
maybe nikki murrell was taking financial advice from this fine gentlemen, whose new-scottishness is coincidental …
“loses the VAT”
link to thescottishsun.co.uk
the SNP 600K will be found, alas, “disappeared” with a consignment of 300 tons of curry sauce, which never arrived, but generated many false invoices
remember kids, never pay retail, this is what they should teach in the unis
“my cousin can get you best price”
ah, happy days, up the west end and down the south side
MINA GET TAE FUCK YOU FAT COW
Page 5 of the notes of the accounts says the company has 2 employees.
If that’s still the case they’re going to be very busy…
An interesting turn of events, but given the comment from the industry experts you have been in contact with and the estimated timescales they have given there appears to be an overshoot over 2-3 months over the 28 days the SNP have left.
The key unanswered question will be whether both the House of Commons and the Electoral Commission will accept such a further delay given the presence of a police investigation for fraud, whether they will simply let the SNP fold into bankruptcy – which would be a wet-dream for unionists, or whether they will accept that new auditors/forensic accountants have been appointed and that there would need to be an short, say 3 month, extension applied.
Also given that there is an active loan to the party by Peter Murrell, a person under police investigation at this time, of which is officially is outstanding to the value of £107,620 [https://search.electoralcommission.org.uk/English/Loans/AL0559123], the EC may be reluctant to do anything until the police investigation has concluded as they are a regulatory body and must by law adhere to PPERA [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/41/contents].
Within PPERA is section 47 [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/41/section/47], which states that failure to submit accounts on time is a criminal offence, treasurers have up to 7 days after a deadline to submit documents, but also the EC may extend by notice the deadline for submittion if a “special reason” is submitted to them and extension applied for prior to the deadline [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/41/section/45].
With that said, none of thise bodes well for the SNP’s new treasurer, Stuart McDonald MP, as he may have unwittingly already criminalised himself by taking the job of party treasurer, this also may somewhat explain the reason for Colin Beattie suddenly resigning after being arrested under caution – not to protect the party and spare it some headlines but to protect himself – as he will no longer be criminally liable in the eyes of PPERA and the Electoral Commission as it is the current treasurer of any party at the time of any PPERA breaches who is viewed as being liable for criminal offence.
Rangers going bust in 2012 was an eye opener on the financial world. When they started the new entity they faced similar challenges in finding accountants and other bodies that would help prepare and provide statements to allow share offerings to go ahead. That experience showed that there is always somebody willing to offer a service at the right price. So as inferred in this article perhaps the question isn’t who are the new accountants but more how much will they charge?
However I can’t help thinking that Humza has missed a trick established during Rangers liquidation.
Would it not just be easier to Humza to fold the current incarnation of the SNP, create a new SNP and buy the history of the old SNP? Surely Murdo and other Tories would be the first to recognise New SNP as being the same entity as old SNP? Maybe then Humza’s skills as the continuity candidate would take on a more literal meaning?
This skip fire is so utterly absolute and destructive the British establishment could only have dreamed of being able to create this unfolding mess.
One might even suspect that Sturgeon facilitated it.
Im utterly convinced her objectives have been successful.
One of the director, David Luke Clegg, has been director of 23 companies virtually all of which have been dissolved or liquidated.
link to find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk
If SNP relying on further backroom deals with their friends in Whitehall, to dig them out of this mess, the party could be in for a nasty shock.
It looks like SNP has outlived its usefulness. The Referendum in 2014, played its part in the onset of Brexit, IndyRef2 sham, helped get Brexit over the line.
Whatever happens next, the initials S N P will be confined to the history books.
All Under One Banner, open to newcomer.
“Interesting” accounts they have – £5.5m of “investments” turned up in 2020 after they filed dormant accounts in 2019, presumably from one of the dissolved companies Mr Sidat was involved in.
Mr Sidat is a very busy person isn’t he – 23 directorships. Lots of history there. Lots of companies called AMS “whatever”.
Definitely popcorn time…..
ENGLISH company
Mmmmmmmmm
David T, accountants will often perform company formation services and company secretarial services. For him to be an officer of twenty-three companies is not that unusual. In most cases, he would not be involved in the day to day management of the companies. Most of them were probably accounting and/or audit clients.
A look at the firm’s website reveals seven directors or associate directors (partners in old money). That does not sound like a very large firm. It is often said that an auditor and its client will tend to have similar values. I find it interesting that there is quite a bit about Charlie Windsor.
CEO and 2 directors are asian origin…pals of a pal of Humaza Useless ?
Wouldn’t it be ironic if the audited accounts bill was £600k.
It’s astonishing how this mess keeps growing but shite is the best fertiliser.
Andrew scott says:
3 May, 2023 at 12:10 pm
ENGLISH company
Good Point! The auditors will be working in a slightly different legal environment, ie, under Scots Law.
That would hardly matter unless they run into items of dubious legality, such as spending “restricted” funds on something other.
(Of course, going abroad to hire auditors is not a good look for an independence party.)
If I were a journalist I would be looking at any social or family or business connections between these accountants and the Continuity Leadership of the Scotnatz.
I don’t know whether Ms Sturgeon or Mr Useless have cousins in Manchester but it might be worth a keek.
Next up has to be the old switcheroo and a rebrand.
Do i watch in FHD or QLED with Dolby Sound and a picket of hula hoops, don’t like popcorn.
If the police uncover a fraud and/or frauds and/or the misappropriate use of funds then you would have to review all the years prior for as long as the same person was in charge. I would say at a minimum since 2014 when it became a cozy husband and wife team.
Chiselling a few bob out of the SNP is one way of stealing but considering the vast discretionary budgets of the SNPG funnelling grants to dubious non-governmental organizations might be another. Selling off important national assets for pennies on the pound might be another. Awarding huge contracts to inappropriate suppliers might be another.
Everything the SNP have touched and will touch is a disaster because they are fundamentally incompetent and unfit for office. Between them and the Greens they are the embodiment of the Dunning Kruger effect.
Lorna Slater FFS… This government is f**ked and Sturgeon has f**ked it. Plus big thanks to the weegingerdug morons, that site is a shrine to the Dunning Kruger effect. They are all made for each other, dumb, dumber, and dumbest.
The motorhome might be a small thing if it all goes Gupta here but it speaks loudly of the mindset of management.
If you are playing naughty with the company’s money you don’t typically start with a f**king motorhome do you. A motorhome is something you do after years and years of taking the pish, and getting away with it, and doing more and more, until you get a bit carried away, and buy a huge f**king motorhome and park it on your mum’s drive, allegedly.
It would have taken quite a long history of ripping the pish to build up the (false) confidence required to push the motorhome button, if that is what happened. So it could be everywhere and in everything to some degree. Not just the SNP accounts that is for sure.
Humza: “Quick! Get me Dewey, Cheetham and Howe!”
These guys should be fully aligned with NuSNP core principles.
Skip_Nc @ 12.19.
Is it normal for accountancy firms to have charges registered against their names? I see this firm has two.
HY missed a golden opportunity where he could have announced that the accounts were going to be audited by an AI. Photo ops of him standing next to a rattling contraption running Win 95 on dialup.
It will be interesting to see how they can prepare accounts considering Police Scotland have all the books as part of their investigation.
100%Yes says: 3 May, 2023 at 12:47 pm
“Do i watch in FHD or QLED” – Doesn’t matter in the slightest since both terms ‘as they are spoke’ are mere spin; most often applied to things that are not remotely the thing they claim to be… sold to a public that don’t understand them, by professional liars – and they won’t really change the fact that a terrible picture remains a terrible picture!
The Hula Hoops should be ok though – buy a big box from the cash and carry.
I hope they find the missing 600K and get the million quid short money from WM, cos they are certainly going to need it. It looks like this “audit” is going to be horrendously expensive. Forget those plush party jobs and expensive WM jollies, folks. The piggy bank is empty.
Just checked at Companies House. AMS Accountants have now filed enough documentation to get the flag on their accounts taken down.
Merganser @ 12:52, they have simply borrowed money and the bank has taken title to some of their assets as security against non-payment. Basically a mortgage. That is normal business practice. For instance, they have borrowed from HSBC. There’s nothing unusual about that. The other charge would appear to be related-party. There may be nothing in that either, but it does give me pause. For instance, it could simply be related to the purchase of a motor vehicle (write your own joke) and would not be cause for alarm. However, it could also be a sign that they needed more cash than the bank was prepared to provide. However, I note that both loans were taken out at the height of COVID, when restrictions were much, much tougher than they ever were in most of the USA.
To sum up, in the absence of any further information, I do not think the presence of the charges is a cause for concern.
I should be willing to wager a large sum of money that they have found a company willing not to have a forensic audit done and to sign off in a fortnight.
Tam Norrie says:
3 May, 2023 at 12:29 pm
It’s astonishing how this mess keeps growing but shite is the best fertiliser.
Aye, when it hits the ground. It’s very much airborne at present.
They will probably just qualify their opinion somehow.
“Assuming the Police investigation reveals nothing untoward the accounts are true and fair and smelling of roses… however if the cops do find frauds coming out the wazoo then obviously the accounts are complete lies and honking like a tramp’s Y-jo’s. Job’s a good ‘un. Signed, The Auditors.”
I hope they enjoy the publicity and notoriety. Their actions (or otherwise) will be picked apart by other members of the profession.
I’ll be interested to hear why they took the account, because if it sounds self-serving simply to be in a spotlight, then an English firm with I presume a lot of English clients may get a few odd looks about snuggling up to an entity that never has a good word to say about anything South of the border.
Let’s hope they are not out of their depth.
When people are aked their views on monarchy the brain is full of treacle.
«It works», «it brings stability» etc not that it is the keystone of a system of wealth, privilege, exceptionalism and social caste.
In a true republic the people constitute the state, the people do not need a supreme head living in a palace, protected by troops or secret service and offered deference, as most republics seem conventionally to function.
From the various descriptions above, sounds like two blokes in flat caps, accompanied by a whippet, have agreed to give the books a once-over… “Aye lad, tip top thems bouks, tip top…”
It is obvious that the more urgent matter is getting the Westminster Group accounts audited. I wonder how many political party audits AMS has done? If they have a track record in that, the pre-audit planning will be easier and quicker. The Westminster Group should have relatively few transaction classes to audit so, with good planning and a following wind, they might just get it done. It will be very, very tight. Mind you, we are only hearing about this today. What we don’t know is when the engagement letter was signed. They might be well into the planning process.
Of course, if they are going to get the Westminster Group done first, that will delay planning and performance of the headquarters audit. Given the media comments, I think it is reasonable to assume that the auditors were only appointed in the last ten days or so. I think late August is the earliest the accounts can credibly be audited.
I was a DTI corporate fraud investigator in an earlier life and I’d be surprised if there were too many transactions and payment flows meriting a close look.
A team of two or three decent professionals could soon crack it.
How sad for the SNP when trust has gone so low we are now auditing the auditor.
Interesting, according to this AMS has donated to Nick Clegg’s previous campaigns.
link to twitter.com
link to groupams.co.uk
I suspect you are right Mr. Murray! Whether HMRC will be happy with that is, of course, another matter. Hmm, I wonder. Might ask the offspring who is a chartered auditor for one of the big 4. She’s already informed me that the one of the 4 she works for wouldn’t touch the current SNP with the ferrules of their collective umbrellas or even a bargepole!
Looking at the unbelievable mess that Sturgeon has left behind with surely far worse to come, it is really hard to imagine how it could be worse, it is the ‘Perfect Mess’.
Anyone else watching all this unfold getting the feeling that the ultimate architects of the current crisis engulfing the SNP are the same architects of the Salmond stitch-up. Although they are very different events there is something very similar about them. Like they are both a little unnatural.
I watched in horror as Sturgeon & Co attempted a heinous stitch-up of a good man but I also watched in horror as she methodically and systematically ruined every functioning component of the SNP, laying the groundworks for the future, the culmination of which is here today, it is now.
It is like watching a Titanic meets The Perfect Storm B-movie starring Peter Murrell and Nicola Sturgeon. A ruined party completely unable to save itself in time, set firmly on a course to iceberg-hurricane disaster, with the independence movement locked in the 3rd class cabins.
AUOB’s final list of speakers for Saturday’s gathering, looks like Forbes and Cherry and Regan from the SNP will speak, why Forbes I don’t know she has no plan for indy, other than asking for another S30. She also had a smile as wide as the Clyde on her face when Yousless won the leadership contest.
link to twitter.com
I still don`t get the mystery of this missing £600,000. Maybe i`m simple but the police ask to see evidence of the existence of this ring fenced money, its either there or its not. So why is it taking so long to confirm which i would have thought would have been a relatively simple matter.
If SNP survive this shambles, it can only be due to their usefulness to Whitehall.
There’s no genuine threat from the Scottish National Party, they’re now part of the fixtures and fittings, in the House of Commons. Their comedy value alone, could be the deciding factor, making it worth UK connivance to save them.
Saving Holyrood could be a different matter. In that curcumstance, even then, would SNP pull-up the drawbridge behind them, in return to Edinburgh?
Two faction of SNP, North & South, vying to save their own skin, at this very moment. The auditors have their work cut out.
I’d bet the skin of my arse this “AMS” is one of those man and a dog operations that makes a living extricating failed businessmen from their merde with an acceptable level of damage.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.
Yousaf? He’s just the patsy.
McDuff says on 3 May 2023 at 2:38 pm:
“I still don`t get the mystery of this missing £600,000. Maybe i`m simple but the police ask to see evidence of the existence of this ring fenced money, its either there or its not. So why is it taking so long to confirm which i would have thought would have been a relatively simple matter.”
Is the investigation about the £600K? Because i’m with you, it’s taking one helluva long time just to verify its existence. And just a point of note, i’ve never seen it clearly stated *anywhere* that this investigation is solely about the £600K.
The closest i’ve seen is when the BBC in Scotland announced that an investigation was launched after complaints of membership figures and money donated for an indyref. Which might not mean how that reads. ie; investigation launched *after* blah blah blah.
It’s now looking more like a case of investigation into financial malpractices etc. I’m no finance-wiz but i think it’s about a lot more than the £600K. Those on here with a background in finance are the ones to pay close attention to in the comments, and what they are saying.
The big four may not touch the SMP with an extended bargepole, but for a small ambitious metropolitan firm, it’s a great big free advertising opportunity to be the go to firm if you have a business with some difficult accounting challenges.
Have we passed the 28 days-from-arrest period? What happens now?
Guy Fawkes reports “… AMS has long been involved with politics. They currently handle the books for Baroness Warsi’s charity and have previously donated to politicians. Another company belonging to AMS director, Ebrahim Sedat, donated £2,500 to Chuka Umunna …”
Serious Q:
Why does everything associated with this train-wreck seem to take so fuckin long?!
Didn’t Alex Salmond, in a very recent interview (sorry, forget where) indicate that he feels there won’t be any significant progress until Christmas?
Why so long? And why Christmas specifically? Is something happening around that time that we should be aware of?
In the meantime we have to endure She Who Works From Home swanning about like the Gallus Alice we thought we were finally seeing the back of.
Seeing Alex speak on Saturday will be a tonic but I’d much rather see you-know-who in the dock.
Looks likely they were only ones who would Risk it
Just wanted to say how nice it is to have you back on line. Probably like many I was worried in case you had been ‘de-platformed’. Not many we can trust for honest and in-depth journalism.
David W Ferguson says on 3 May 2023 at 3:03 pm:
“I’d bet the skin of my arse this “AMS” is one of those man and a dog operations that makes a living extricating failed businessmen from their merde with an acceptable level of damage.”
a la Charles Green?
“And just before the party’s enormous friends-and-family Westminster payroll get too excited about actually getting their wages for the rest of the year…”
Nefarious nepotism: just one more brick in the party-before-country wall built up by the SNP hierarchy. They are permanently mortared into the british establishment. The thought of Scotland’s independence scares the hell out of the SNP. Hopefully this latest exercise in fiscal harling will become unstuck and bring the wall crashing down on the money-troweling… erm… tractors.
[Metaphor ran out there, sorry].
I thought it was the SNP Group at Westminster that needed to have their own audited books in to qualify for Westminster monies.
Books within books raise even more questions mind.
laukat says on 3 May 2023 at 11:57 am:
“Rangers going bust in 2012 was an eye opener on the financial world. However I can’t help thinking that Humza has missed a trick established during Rangers liquidation. Would it not just be easier for Humza to fold the current incarnation of the SNP, create a new SNP and buy the history of the old SNP? Surely Murdo and other Tories would be the first to recognise New SNP as being the same entity as old SNP? Maybe then Humza’s skills as the continuity candidate would take on a more literal meaning?”
HAHAHA! Love your thinking! And just for the shits-and-giggles, could you imagine the furore if the SNP ended up in the hands of Salmond? That thought gave me a good giggle, even though it couldn’t happen.
Someone should start a rumour on social media that a group led by Salmond are in the process (advanced negotiations) of taking over the SNP. Sit back and watch the fallout as the wokerati go Tonto. 😉 LOL!
Would now be a good time to remind everyone about this? link to scotsman.com
Well done, sir; you’ve made it into Private Eye (“Scotch Mist”, page 15) with regard to Branchform/Iain Livingstone.
SERFDOM AHOY!
link to archive.ph
«New laws to curb protests came into force on Wednesday ahead of Saturday’s ceremony but Security minister Tom Tugendhat said the celebrations will ‘SHOWCASE OUR LIBERTY AND OUR DEMOCRACY»
At least N Korea does not pretend to be what it is not.
I note that AMS accountants website suggest that company was formed in 1982. That would be before most if not all of the current staff shown on the team page were born!
Desimond @ 3:49pm, yes, it’s the Westminster Group accounts that are more urgent. They are separate entities for reporting purposes. Normally, that would make the Westminster Group audit fairly straightforward. Given the press coverage, I imagine the new auditors will want to devise procedures to test transactions between the Westminster Group and Headquarters. Presumably, they will also want to obtain evidence regarding – how can I put it? – the accuracy of Wages & Salaries Expense and whether that complies with the use of Short Money.
As an aside, now that the SNP has gone with a foreign auditor, I am a bit offended that they never got in touch. Granted, I am not a Registered Auditor in the UK, but I did take delivery of a dozen green felt tip pens a couple of weeks ago (anyone in public accounting will get that).
What does it say Derek?
No links annoy me much more than direct links!
AMS isn’t far off AMG who are the high performance wing of Mercedes.
So maybe AMS have some secret plan to get their hands on some of that high calorific value SNP gravy to directly inject into the last of the V8 powered
campervansabacuses so they can rush to beat the deadlines.Currently playing in AMS premises.
Yello – The Race
link to youtube.com
Ian brotherhood as they say
The Wheels of Justice Grind Exceedingly Slow. But They Grind Exceedingly Fine.
Be patient my friend, the powers that be will be trying to spin this out until at least the Scottish Elections , they have been handed the SNP on a Plate by Sturgeon, they are not going to waste the oppurchancity.
We will just have to move forward without them.
The Companies House filings look like they are for the holding company, not the accountants themselves. The actual trading company has 58 employees, according to their LinkedIn profile.
the first thing they will do is file a request for an extension to the deadline, citing ‘extenuating circumstances’ blah blah blah. Then they will cobble together a set of accounts which will do the bare minimum and hope that does the trick. Then they will bill the SNP for an astronomical amount of money, because everybody knows the SNP are desperate and no credible accountancy firm will touch them with a bargepole. And so it will lurch on.
As an aside, dissolving the SNP is not a bad idea. They have admitted they have no agenda for independence and no prospect of achieving it. Which means their one and only reason to exist is dead and buried. Nobody voted for them to lounge around as the devolution party, collecting large cheques and favours for their personal benefit.
They will get it done in time as this firm will have seen that the last mob charged 57k, there is a timescale so they have probably said 100k and we will do it be end of the month. There will be a fundraising drive in a few months to cover the cost of this once things settle down
There’s 1915 accountancy firms in Scotland and they choose one on the other side of the wall.
Something really stinks.
Auld Highlander, not every accounting firm could handle that audit, for two reasons. Before an auditing firm can accept an engagement, it must have two things:
1. Experience and expertise in auditing political parties. That usually means having a partner and audit manager who know what they are doing.
2. Sufficient staff and other resources to carry out the audit in a timely manner.
I have always felt that the only firms capable of meeting both requirements are either the Big Four or the Group A firms (the ten or twelve below the Big 4). In other words, someone roughly the size of Johnson Carmichael, or bigger. They may come through and do a decent job, but it is so easy to cast doubt on their work, simply because of their size.
Well done Stuart Campbell. Outstanding jouralism as ever. Police Scotland should hire you as a forensic detective.
There’s so much rotten in the state of Scotland. The people are lucky to have you on their side.
I don’t think they had much choice.
There was only this company prepared to take them on.
Any reason why this lot of accountants wont come to the same conclusion as the last lot of accountants and the previous treasurers
ie
‘something very dodgy going on here’ we’re resigning.
Would anybody be surprised to see the headline:
SNP’S new English auditors quit
I’m not saying its a dodgy accountancy company that helps dig out shady businesses and corrupt political parties, however, I find it rather unlikely that this firm could sort out the SNPs books in a “proper” fashion before the deadline at the end of the month.
@Dan, I’ve been listening to Yello this afternoon, including The Race, having a binge after two mixes were on ipod last week. Way ahead of their time.
Republicofscotland, I believe it is just the Westminster Group accounts that need to be audited by the end of the month. It’s a tall order, but it can be done.
Firstly, we found out today that AMS was appointed but we don’t know when they were. Probably in the last ten days. So if they were appointed, say, at the start of last week, that is time to start audit planning for the Westminster Group. It is a very, very tight schedule but it is doable for the end of the month. I suppose, if they demonstrate the work still to do by then, the House of Commons authorities might just agree to a short extension. In any case, they would have to work hard and fast to get this done.
If the SNP’s main audit is done on time (first week in July?), I would have serious doubts about the quality of the audit.
Managing director David Clegg.
What could go wrong ?
The hypocrisy of the SNP knows no bounds as Justice secretary Angela Constance on the English ran STV channel talks about courts and the law protecting women and girls rights, and all the while her party has been undermining women and girls rights via the unamended GRRB, as usual the SNP don’t practice what they preach.
Lets evict these SNP charlatans come the next election and replace them with Alba party, get the troughing SNP out.
I had to look up forensic accounting:
Forensic accountants use their expertise in finance to investigate fraud and other financial misrepresentation. They work analysing financial information to enable lawyers to prosecute criminals, such as those funding illegal activities, and with insurance companies and other clients to resolve disputes.
Does this mean non forensic accountants would just accept a figure of say £600K in assests.
ie a campervan, a villa in Portugal, a set of Le Crueset cooking pots, 200 burner phones & 40 pairs of Manolos provided there were receipts for these items?
Do accountants care what their clients spend their money on?
Would they be any the wiser if a donation made in someone’s will just got missed off the books or that that money was spend on new car & driving lessons?
Maybe the current treasurer has actually already prepared the accounts and just passed them onto AMS.
This little chancer and her moronic minions have brought immeasurable shame and embarrassment to ALL normal law abiding Scots, the fucking world is cringing at the mortification of it all
Is there anyone in the snp with honesty and integrity to EXPOSE these CORRUPT LIARS who have betrayed the independence movement or are they ALL TOO BUSY turning their heads away and claiming nothing to see here guv
For anyone celebrating Cherry , Forbes or Regan speaking at the AUOB March may I remind you that these three persons have sat back on their well remunerated arses whilst this piece of scum and her sycophants have destroyed our dreams , so what will they say that would EXCUSE their cowardice or will they just trot out the usual placatory gibberish
ALL 3 had an opportunity to launch a legal challenge against the illegal and fraudulent parody of Uselesses election to save Scotland from the shame of this clown, but as usual cowardice and self preservation won out
They have nothing to say that I want to listen to, their actions or inaction speaks for them , they will continue with their fake promises whilst enjoying their time at the trough and quite honestly we deserve our betrayals when we listen to or believe these fakers
“Labour ahead of SNP on [Holyrood] regional list, new poll finds” says The National.
The SNP will split soon enough. Chances coming up for Alba, genuine independence supporters and the independence movement in general to benefit. Alba must get radical. Start at next week’s conference.
Remember Angela Constance doesn’t know what a woman or a girl is. I’m not kiddin’ you Ros Angela Costance believes women have penises.
‘Mad as a box of frogs’ emoji
In her case it would be a psychedelic box full of pink frogs!
Ruby, auditing and accounting are two different skills. An auditor should not “just accept” anything. The role of an auditor is to test the accounting records PREPARED BY THE CLIENT and report on whether they are free from material misstatement. It is not their job to second-guess the need for a camper van. It is their job to verify its existence and to check that title is properly held by the entity being audited. It is, however, absolutely not the auditor’s job to allow the vehicle to be listed as Office Equipment in the notes to the accounts. That was a serious misjudgement. Either that, or they acquiesced to the way in which it was reported and then decided to resign.
Testing is done by developing procedures to sample all major areas in the accounting records. They will not check every last transaction. Instead, what they will do, using random statistical processes, is select sufficient transactions to test each major area.
On the other hand, forensic accountants dive deeply into all transactions. For a description of forensic accounting, see the first paragraph of the quote from the Big Four source. That is fundamentally different from an audit.
link to order-order.com
Ebrahim Sadat – can’t find that name on the CA website.
David T says:
3 May, 2023 at 12:02 pm
“One of the directors, David Luke Clegg, has been director of 23 companies virtually all of which have been dissolved or liquidated.”
A quick look at Google maps shows the address of many of the companies were registered to what looks like a private house address in Rectory Street, Middleton, Manchester.
Looks like due diligence in both directions was rather lacking . It’s no like Mr McCann.
What if the auditor was in on the scam?
If the book-keeper had listed the campervan, villa in Portugal, Le Crueset pots etc in the correct column and not as office furniture would all have been fine provided there was proof that the SNP owned these items <b<at the time of the audit?
Jackie Baillie knows all about the Salmond conspiracy. She’d need to be living under a rock not know every detail about the case. Everyone in the Scottish Government knows.
I suspect she’s mentioned the conspiracy today in Parliament. Because she knows the truth is about to come out.
Nice to see they used a good Scottish accounting firm! Very patriotic.
Are the owners of this Accounting business friends or family of the First Minister?
3-4months done properly be a big firm, okay. But the SNP don’t want a proper job, they just want a quick one. So if this firm is happy to do a quick and dirty that is what will be done.
I doubt the electoral commission will bother itself about it.
Ruby, the auditor audits the period under review (in this case, the calendar year). They must, however, consider events that have happened between the end of the financial year and the date of the auditor’s report.
The auditor would be extremely unwise to be in on the scam. I worked for Grant Thornton in the 1990’s. Everyone who joins the firm gets a book called “The Grant Thornton Way.” One thing that everyone learns on their first day is that no single client is ever important enough to adversely affect the firm’s relationship with the Inland Revenue (as it then was) or their standing in the three institutes of Chartered Accountants in the British Isles. I am sure most other firms stress the same.
I think the issue here is this: I don’t think a bookkeeper listed the asset in the correct place or, if they did, someone went in and made an entry they ought not to have been able to make. You may recall that Johnston Carmichael’s last report commented on an area of concern: manual journal entries. So, it is definitely possible that Johnston Carmichael tried to get the client to properly classify assets in the books and the client pushed back. At that point, a note in the auditor’s report would certainly be appropriate, as would resignation as auditors.
I haven’t looked at the accounts for some time and don’t have time to look through them but, from memory, I do not think there is anywhere in the accounts to hide a Portuguese villa, unless the SNP is doing an Enron. If they are, anyone offering to audit the SNP’s accounts would do well to remember what happened to Enron’s auditors (hint: it used to be a Big Five, not Big Four).
the only firm suitable for work of this kind is
Arthur Andersen
@ Anton Decadent at 6:00 pm
Yello are still grooving away! But I’m now stuck on a Youtube algorithm trip taking in the likes of Art of Noise, and Thomas Dolby; the former just reminds of me of work fixing chainsaws that won’t start, but enjoying re-listening to The Golden Age of Wireless tracks so it’s not all bad.
@ Big Jock
Ach, there’s previous for going ootside Scotland. You’ll probably recall this from a couple of years back.
link to twitter.com
The Scottish National Party, formed to seek Scottish independence, engages an English firm of auditors.
As true patriots would say “over my dead body”.
Those who have been running the SNP since Alex Salmond resigned as leader have no shame and no credibility.
They are sleazier than the sleaziest Tories.
The question is what are the likes of Cherry and Regan doing inside the SNP apart from being in very well paying employment?
Would anyone be surprised if moneys donated for a referendum,members subs,will donations ect were used to pay legal fees and judgments against snp mp/msp’s that should have rightly have been incurred by the individuals.but put through the snp books as office furniture.
Confused @ 9:17, that made me smile! Been a tough few days for a variety of reasons so some levity is good.
Dan…and this!
link to thenational.scot
“Ruby says:
3 May, 2023 at 4:50 pm
What does it say Derek?
No links annoy me much more than direct links!”
No link because I get a paper magazine!
“A freedom of information request made by the Rev Stuart Campbell, who hosts the “Wings Over Scotland”* website, askingwhat Livingstone and Brown had discussed on 9 February was met with silence. Both Police Scotland and the Scottish government refuse to say why the meeting was held, whether the missing money was discussed or whether the then first minister had any involvement in the meeting.”
(italics originally; my quotation marks)
Here y’are; forgot.
*
@Dan
Re Yello, I bought Toy on vinyl on release, it was just great to hear new stuff from them, I’ll get the latest one. Checked their discography and there are maybe three albums, including the most recent, which I don’t have. I run the risk of buying them and realising one’s misplaced in the racks and already owned but that’s not exactly a problem. I think that Boris Blank is a seriously underrated musician. They are such a mad mix, art, EDM, funk, jazz, calypso, rock etc with a sense of humour, just look at their videos.
I was thinking about other vocal/synth duos earlier, Suicide, Yazoo, Soft Cell and somehow forgot Sparks despite having seen them live twice. Was also thinking about Art Of Noise earlier. Re Thomas Dolby, I know that he is still touring. Re Yazoo, check out the Peel session on youtube, outstanding.
I am listening to poll results saying the SNP are in for a big pasting and soon we will be back to the 1980s and 13 to 18 percent of the vote.
Membership was 120k and might now be 55k nobody will say and how many are real people is something of a mystery. Money appears to be missing. Strange asset are being purchased.
Almost on a daily basis SNP policies appear absurd, gender rights, closing fishing grounds, giving away off shore wind farm rights.
I hear Humza announcing what sounds like bland press releases almost in denial of everything around him and ignoring cost of living and BREXIT and the rest.
Every MP, MSP and counsellor had better be working on their CV.
All this happened on Nicola’s watch having been handed a flying start.
What a disgraceful performance and legacy. She must have a brass neck to continue appearing in public.
David T says:
3 May, 2023 at 12:02 pm
One of the director, David Luke Clegg, has been director of 23 companies virtually all of which have been dissolved or liquidated.
link to find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk
=======
Are these 23 omens for the future of the SNP?
Shug says11.25pm
All this happened on Nicola’s watch,
What a disgraceful performance and legacy!
ABSOLUTELY!
But the real disgrace is the absolute refusal of (some)independence
supporters to aknowledge truth!
It started with the attack on Salmond (the undisputed leader of the
drive towards Scottish independence)…he had to be destroyed!
How quick so many were to join wee nick’s witch hunt against him!
Even now when they can see in full colour how Sturgeon and murrel
have f*cked over the snp,independence and the Scottish people!
It’s late so…
Everybody has heard that old chirpy chirpy cheep cheep song by
middle of the road,…i thought they were a joke band…only just
found out they were scottish,and they were huge worldwide,and that
they’re sound was an inspiration for what became abba.
They were no joke…lucky old chick,
she was lovely!
link to youtube.com
Undernoted is an extract from the AMS website about their chief executive Ebrahim Sidat.
“Ebrahim has won numerous awards in recent years and is ” recognised by his peers and his mentors, including senior members of the business, political and social communities as a future ‘inspirational’ leader with a key emphasis on philanthropy, and as a result has been voted as one of the top 100 most powerful Asian’s within the UK.”
Salesman’s puff no doubt about the business. But like many I do wonder about the wisdom of focusing on ethnicity and the wisdom of categorising individuals into groups.
Our country has been plagued with the negative impacts of powerful societies of powerful people.
Understand?
For fu^cks sake,it’s not complicated…you R Scottish or ur not!
Theres nothing els’e
link to youtube.com
Stop this f*king blabbering shite about everything that is nothing
to do with Scotland and Scottish people,I am sick to death of all
this crap!
Get off your arses and do something you whiny useless c*nts!
Hee,heee…something good…and Scottish!
link to youtube.com
Im not stopping till Stu boots my arse!
or i have to get a kip before work!
link to youtube.com
I’m no genius…but!
I know i was’nt brought up to be a…
cunt!
Were you?httpwww.youtube.com/watch?v=dnrbcrFXMj4
oops!
link to youtube.com
There is something important about Scotland…beyond independence
movements,labour movement’s…! don’t know how to explain it…just feel it!
But I know it’s more important than the best brain’s have figured,
even the likes of rev stu!
So!
U can all fu*k off,i will keep watching,…and
maybe u smart arses will keep missing the F*cking point…point’s,
good luck to all!
link to youtube.com
Thank you for going to the bother of typing that all out Derek. Star emoji.
Ruby 7.20
Excelent,i love you …but…enough…words…!
link to youtube.com
Hi,ruby
were beyond,or were done,
link to youtube.com
Action,solution’s,ideas,the end of scotish, begarism?
we are scots,
enough!
link to youtube.com
tempting fate here,ie hammers,lol…but for good reasons…
don’t dismiss i know yoonies R here,lol
link to youtube.com,
good intentions!
Just listening to Shirley Ann Robertson on the Naynews Scotland. My god they played her like a piano.
Humza’s new policies are to re introduce tuition fees for universities, reduce free school.meals and get rid of free personal care for the elderly.
That sounds like a winning package all right.
Next car crash ahead
How did these people get into politics???
Shug…i love u!
but it does’nt matter!…they’re c*nts
link to youtube.com
Shug says:
4 May, 2023 at 8:17 am
Just listening to Shirley Ann Robertson on the Naynews Scotland. My god they played her like a piano. Humza’s new policies are to re introduce tuition fees for universities, reduce free school meals and get rid of free personal care for the elderly.
That sounds like a winning package all right.
“Those whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad.”
link to archive.is
This block who calls himself Debbie really annoys me.
He says
Women and children are the principal victims, but it is also bringing transgender rights – my rights – into disrepute. It needs to stop, and the world needs to return to reality.
It’s his rights to change sex that are causing women & children to be victims.
You can’t give someone the right to change sex and become a woman and then exclude them from women’s sport and all the rest.
The only solution to all this madness is to repeal the GRA 2014 and have zero sex changes.
The one positive thing about Lia Thomas, Austin Killips and all the other ‘sex changees’ competing in women’s sports is that they are highlighting the madness of sex changes.
If this block who calls himself Debbie wants to help women then he could start by ditching the name Debbie.
Does this make me a transphobe? Well I don’t know because I haven’t a clue what is meant by transgender.
Willie says (at 4 May, 2023 at 4:56 am)
Undernoted is an extract from the AMS website about their chief executive Ebrahim Sidat.
“Ebrahim … has been voted as one of the top 100 most powerful Asian’s within the UK.”
I’m loving that greengrocer’s apostrophe in “Asian’s”. Very professional. Not …
(The link is from link to groupams.co.uk , in case anybody else wants to see the original.)
I wonder what the ‘most powerful Asians’ competition actually involves? Something like ‘World’s Strongest Man’?
But jockmcx apart from
😉
🙂
🙁
😕
words are all I have here on Wings.
Limited emojis but at least I’m allowed to write the word cunt.
You seem afraid to use that word. Why is that?
FYI There is a cunt emoji. It’s called the C You Next Tuesday emoji.
Cunt is a pretty powerful word. I have used it here on Wings quite a lot when describing a man who thought it was acceptable to call people schemies.
Just out of interest how do you pronounce casterisknts?
‘Pulling yer leg’ emoji
Ruby,8.49am…
I love U!…but u r interacting with loonie’s…stop…look…listen,…they can f*ck off as far as i’m
concerned,just like any other loony…don’t waste ur time…that is somebodyelse’s game,designed to fu*k up your humanity!
STOP!
And be nothing more than a sensible human being born and raised
or,at least raised in the country of Scotland!
And i have to get a kip now…sorry for hogging wing’s…not!
link to youtube.com
Sally Carr…ouch!…lol…not
F*ck me, this rancid bunch of troughers are attempting to what can only be described as counter the AUOB march in Glasgow on the 6th of this month, looking through the names not one of those gravy train b*stards is interested in Scottish independence, though they’ll tell you they are, they disgust me.
link to twitter.com
They only seem to care about being seen as ‘progressive’ none of the rest matters.
This same thing is happening to businesses who used to be interested in making money. Now all they are interested is being seen as trans friendly.
All very weird.
See:
link to youtube.com
The ex-Daily Record editor who published the lying Vow, Murray Foote who Sturgeon the Judas employed as her media spin doctor, thinks that there’s a very good chance that Operation Branchform will end up being a wild goose chase and nothing will come of it.
Foote branded the operation a grotesque spectacle, Foote also appears to hint that heads should roll at Police Scotland if nothing concrete comes from the investigation.
Considering the Keystone Cops aka Police Scotland postponed the operation for a month to allow Murrell and GCHQ along with the SNP membership to install Yousless as the next FM and SNP leader, and remove/destroy and evidence, the pr*ck Foote might actually be right for once and nothing might come of it.
The wokefest on Calton Hill. They will be able to see the Golden Turd in view, Lorna Slater that is.
Ruby,9.12am…
c u next tuesday…lol
gotta sleep now…tata,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnrbcrFXMj4…tried to make a point…
who know’s maybe somebody gets it?
Like a point i tried to make year’s ago on wing’s…and got hammered by the rev,…my mind works in mysterious ways…LOL
……………………………..but it work’s!
forgot,last time,
link to youtube.com
Anyone who has studied the Clintons would be fully aware that insane levels of political corruption can evade ever proper legal scrutiny so long as you have plenty placemen installed across the relevant institutions, and ensure some have had their hands bloodied.
Commitment to universal benefits, especially ones that garnered mass support for a political party would be expected to be absolute core values.
For HY to be even contemplating major review of Student Fees and Primary School Diners only weeks after no indication during his leadership campaign is deeply troubling.
Willie says: 4 May, 2023 at 4:56 am
‘Undernoted is an extract from the AMS website about their chief executive Ebrahim Sidat.
“Ebrahim has won numerous awards in recent years and is ”’ …Targeting his offering at ‘Mug-punters’ by the sounds of it.
“Awards” – there is a whole sector of the PR and Events industry which works closely with hospitality to put on ‘pay to play’ awards ceremonies; they’re a kind of ‘raffle’ coupled to vacuous photo-opportunities. – Never to be confused with genuine industry events (which in themselves are very-often a bit of a racket/cliquefest) where people are freely nominated by some objective group; you buys your table and the bigger your table the more chance of winning a ‘Muttley medal’!
These events have nothing to do with merit or achievement or ability; but are a kind of ‘school sports day’ for the dull and (frankly) dishonest. I can think of one particular’ publishing’ firm which runs (or ran) these on an industrial scale along with various trade papers’ – all neatly compartmentalised into different sections.
If I recall correctly they once gave an “of the year” award to the Editor of one of it’s own group’s trade papers… who, it later emerged, didn’t understand basic things such as the First Minister of Scotland (Salmond, at that time) being unable to intervene in criminal investigations… There was some later issue of the said individual not filing accounts and buggering off to Australia.
I do so wish it was possible to post a picture of Muttley at the bottom of this comment – with him saying ‘gimmie gimmie gimmie’ in his under-breath doggy voice whilst being ‘awarded’ by Dick Dastardly. – It’s an image that often comes to mind when I see some dullard being lauded on their ‘award winning’ status.
Scotland is a «region», that is how the world perceives, of a state in grave trouble.
The FT, the only English language newspaper worth reading, indicates the US is little better. Global prospects are bleak. National ships are probably headed for a storm.
Yet Scotland doesn’t even have a ship that functions let alone a paddle. It’s a plastic duck on the edge of a maelstrom.
Scottish politics needs desperately to move beyond gender, stones, claims, Sturgeon and mercat cross politics. The politicians on offer just do not cut the English mustard.
The likes of better thegether Trump and Farage on Scottish soil is yet another kick to Scotland’s head.
Where is Scotland’s ferocious RAGE.
Ha! Through it all, I just keep chortling at the old “Find the umbrella” expenses/ accounting trope.
The world runs on it.
*Keeps putting in business expenses for new umbrellas, lost, broken etc.
We will no longer reimburse you for these umbrellas.
Submits latest ‘clean’ expenses.
Small note at the bottom.
‘Now find the umbrella’
How can accounts be signed off as a true and fair account when the finances are subject to a fraud investigation? They probably can’t even conduct forensics as the financial data and the outcome of any analysis will be subjudicy surely?
Matt Quinn @ 10.24.
Absolutely correct about how awards can be abused or misrepresented. What however is represented here is aside of awards a categorisation of this CEO as being one of a select group of powerful Asians.
Groups or listings based upon skin tone are not a good thing. Can you imagine if someone said that the First Minister was one of a select group of top German
aryans. The Germans certainly saw themselves as being in a group based on skin colour, hair colour, eye colour.
The comment about being a top Asian in a country that is trying to see citizens, all citizens as being citizens is not helpful at all. It breeds division and yes it could inculcate the notion that Asians stick together and exclude let us say non Asians or Whites. And Humza after all has a thing about Whites being in top positions.
So did he give this audit contract to an ‘ Asian’ accountancy firm on an top Asian to top Asian basis. It’s a horrible question but it is not difficult to understand how such a question could be asked.
Let us hope not.
On finding out that Shell has made gigantic profits in the first quarter, off the backs of Scottish assets, this is what an SNP trougher had to say about it.
“SNP energy spokesperson Alan Brown said:”
“A wealthy nation like Scotland should not be made to watch as our money is squandered on projects we have no say in, our energy wealth should be properly reinvested here in our local communities.”
Sturgeon the Judas and now Yousless did absolutely nothing to win independence and allow Scotland to have a huge say on its own energy assets, infact the Betrayer sold us out with the Great Scotwind Giveaway ( no wind turbines to be built in Scotalnd) where we received a measly sum of cash so that energy firms can make billions in profits.
The SNP should be utterly embarrassed talking about energy and its costs, it the SNP that’s put Scots in this horrendous position. All this lot are good for is finger pointing, troughing, wanting a quiet life (don’t rock the boat) and dangling the indy carrot to keep them in office.
Get the SNP out at every election, Vote Alba, Join Alba, do it for Scotland.
Horrified at these fishing bans being imposed and their refusal to listen at FMQs.
Douglas Ross should tell Yousaf to pack his bags and go.
They don’t listen on anything. The SNP are loonatics. Utter fucking loonatics.
Yousaf doesn’t give a fuck. High and mighty. Save the fish. There’s nothing wrong with our fish. Our rivers and waters have more fish than any time in history.
Stop killing the islands. Loonatic.
No ferries. No fishing. Fuck the SNP.
No ferries + no fishing = No islands.
Do you not get that into your fucking pea sized brain?
I canny take it anymore. Back your backs and Go Yousaf. Fucking don’t come back form the coronation scumbag. I despise you.
Some twenty years ago now I was mad and frustrated to not be able to enter Scotland anywhere online as my country. Every other small country or dot on the map was there (mostly).
Here we are in 2023 and nothing has changed, except it has, it has got much worse. More corruption, more poverty, foodbanks, starving children, and so maybe it’s not so bad that I can’t select Scotland on a drop down form online?
Only, it is bad, it is the biggest sign I can see that nothing has been done over all these wasted years, and more of our sovereign wealth stolen and misused – used against us. Thank you from the bottom of my stomach to Sturgeon and all the other troughers and betrayers who have sold us even further down the swanney (should that be swinney?).
I’m beginning to doubt now – as I approach 65 – that I will see the magic word Scotland on that form…I hope TF I’m wrong. So, how about we leave the stupid SNP accounts to whichever cleaner they get in and move on. We should be walking away fast and getting ourselves as far from them as possible. Come on ALBA, let’s be having you. Scotland is a country and I want to be able to select it the next time I fill in a poxy form online. Is that too much to bloody ask?
@RepublicofScotland
In my opinion the only chance Scots have of being left alone to guide their future is by giving up our oil and gas. Strategic resources of this scale are manacles to our wrists. We will never have the force necessary to use them explicitly for our own benefit.
This is why I do not like the idea of Scotland’s economy being hung on those natural resources. They are simply are not necessary for us to function as a prosperous sovereign nation.
As the guy in the film Blood Diamond said when they were talking about how diamonds were a curse on the country ‘Yes, but it could be worse. Imagine if they’d found oil?’
Willie says: 4 May, 2023 at 10:58 am
“Absolutely correct about how awards can be abused or misrepresented. What however is represented here is aside of awards a categorisation of this CEO as being one of a select group of powerful Asians.”
I take your point Willie… and do so as someone whose (late) eldest daughter had maternal grandparents hailing from Hong Kong and Shanghai; and who is pleased to have had relations in my wider family group of South East Asian descent, for all of my life. I find it disturbing how the term ‘Asians’ is utilised.
Asia is a big and very diverse place… just as Europe is. It’s not at all (not remotely!) homogenous, and yet the terminology you highlight seeks to impose such homogeny. – This is something deliberately manufactured by a particular group which, it would appear, seeks to impose itself (religion, culture etc.) as the dominating ‘group’. – It’s not-even a matter of skin tone, but of religion and underpinning politics.
…The parallels with the German group you mention are there; let’s recall that they saw themselves as canonical Europeans thus granted the divine right to assimilate all into their narrow model. – They were not the first, last or only group to do so of course. We can however have no doubt as to the destructive and toxic example set by that group of knuckle-dragging inbreds. – Part of the problem being that they were never the Germans per se; but a particularly belligerent, self-serving, aggressive (both physically and culturally) and imperialist sub-set.
You are, in my view quite correct to highlight “Humza after all has a thing about Whites being in top positions”. It would appear though that his enmity readily extends to other groups; groups which only become ‘Asian’ when it is convenient to him and his eigene Gruppe.
In my view what he and his kind serve is the antithesis of ‘melting pot’ multiculturalism and progressive inclusiveness. – In this respect I view him as an utter hypocrite. …The last thing people like him (of all shades and grades) want to see is a peaceful, socially-just society. – This ‘enclave mentality’ you rightfully detect is just one symptom of that.
I’m convinced that Sturgeon is controlling Yousaf. “His” government is going beyond even the excesses of Sturgeon when she was FM. This way she can sabotage Scotland beyond anything that she would have dared to do when in office. He will do as he’s told and take the flak and she can play at being little miss innocent.
Should I go and look out my tinfoil hat?
Wedding cancelled due to vegetarian staff refusing to serve the steak pie that the bride & groom wanted.
‘Loopy Lorna from Tranada’ believes the staff are correct they should not be forced to serve meat.
Krazy Kezia says this couple are not being denied a wedding there are plenty other places they can go to.
@ David Hannah. Yes mate, I feel exactly the same. The SNP are guaranteeing dependency forever more.
Stone of Scone gets Scots Tory Guard so “nationalists don’t steal it again”. [The Telegraph]
Erm. Rephrase please – “Stolen Stone of Scone gets UK guard so “the rightful owners (people of Scotland) don’t get any wise ideas about taking it back”.
That’s better. Only here to help. 🙂
John H. says: 4 May, 2023 at 12:37 pm
“Should I go and look out my tinfoil hat?”
I’m not sure who was operating Sturgeon, but they’re probably-also pulling Yousaf’s strings. – Very much the ‘OxBridge’ or ‘1%’ model as I see it. – Deeply classist.
One of the best ways to hide something is to make it seem ridiculous and put it in plain sight – the threat presented to the 99% by globalism being a prime example. Operation Mockingbird seems to have laid eggs that hatched into things that do actually fly.
I’d suggest consulting a skilled seamster or seamstress – have them construct some suitably stylish stealth headgear from the material they make cooler bags from (the ones with the metallised fabric lining); I believe some of it is even ‘breathable’… Something more resilient and rational than mere tinfoil is required.
…One shouldn’t forget to ground oneself either!
Is this a flame-bait?
You keep asking the same thing.
Where’s your RAGE?
Maybe you are not in Scotland or even an independence supporter but just here to flame-bait.
So Ottoman you show me yours and I’ll show you mine.
O/T
A man in London who was holding a blank piece of paper, has been warned by the police that if he wrote anything anti-Monarchist on it he would be arrested. 11,500 police on duty in London for the coronation.
INTELLECTUALLY DEAD.
«People forget that the SNP was founded in the 1930s by intellectuals, artists, poets, thinkers, former diplomats like Compton Mackenzie — people with a rich hinterland. And I think there’s an awful lot of people in the SNP just now who don’t like debate, are afraid of debate and hostile to it and very insecure in their beliefs»
Joanna CHERRY.
link to archive.ph
“In my opinion the only chance Scots have of being left alone to guide their future is by giving up our oil and gas.”
Joe.
Thankfully its just your opinion, tell that to Iran or Venezuela, the latter’s gold stolen which now sits in the vaults of Bank of England, and £80k of UK taxpayers money was used to help steal the gold.
Westminster has already stolen 6,000 miles of Scottish waters, now you want them to keep on stealing our North sea assets just for a quiet life like the SNPs MPs/MSPs want.
Scots need to learn fight for their nation and its assets like other nations do.
Is it just me? Seems the snp are looking at a coalition with labour? Getting rid of the bus pass, end of free prescriptions etc.
Hope i m wrong.
RUBY..
Stop «pretending»
The sooner we get those SNP b*stards out of office the better.
“SNP Westminster Deputy leader Mhairi Black says difficult conversations on whether Scotland should continue funding free prescriptions & free bus passes are coming down the road.
On back of Humza Yousaf suggestion today to axe free school meals, they’ve gone mad”
Vote Alba, Join Alba, do it for Scotland.
link to twitter.com
Exactly that is what I was trying to say to you.
I wonder how many in the SNP have already purchased these, quite a few I’d imagine.
link to pbs.twimg.com
I have to say Borris’ union committee with unrestricted resources has made an excellent job of getting the Murrell’s to crash the car.
“Loopy Lorna says vegetarian jobseeker should not be sanctioned because he refuses to take a job in a burger bar.”
As SNP Westminster Deputy leader Mhairi Black hints that free prescriptions and bus passes will need to be discussed at a later date, and Yousless hints that some free school meals could be cut, a prominent House Jock Alister Jack says the English government will robustly defend the S35.
This will of course entail huge sums of Scottish taxpayers cash being wasted in the courts, (not including Westminster’s lawyers legal expenses) and for what to try and allow men (intact) dressed as women into women and children’s safe spaces.
You’d never see the current SNP going to court to fight for Scottish independence.
Get these b*stards out of office as soon as possible.
Vote Alba, Join Alba, look at the state Scotland is in since Sturgeon the Betrayer of Scots became FM, and nothing will change under Yousless who admitted openly that he’s the continuity candidate.
‘Loopy Lorna from Tranada’ says transwoman should not be sanctioned for refusing to take a job in a bar that serves ‘terfs’ and that requires she/her to clean the gents toilet.
Anyone remember the time people could register at the job centre as an ‘elephant catcher’
Loopy Lorna says it should be everyone’s right to register as an elephant catcher or anything they want.
Nobody should be forced to do a job they feel uncomfortable in.
@RepublicofScotland
I would let your answer slip if it did not represent the view of a large amount of indy supporting Scots.
My question for you is:
1 – how do Scots convince the establishment in Westminster (and global powers) to allow us 5m Scots to not only walk away with our own land, but the massive oil and gas reserves in our territory? Given how recent decades have shown that those powers are prepared to spend trillions, kill millions and flatten entire countries over the issue?
2 – As for fighting? Are you serious? Most Scots, independent or otherwise, haven’t got the guts to question the ‘history’ of the 20th century. We, thanks to the strong progressive streak within our national identity, can barely bring ourselves to even TALK about the fact that we are being slowly ethnically cleansed, to the point where sometimes in our main cities it resembles an entirely different country?
We have idolised the feminine and undermined the masculine to the point that a ‘bastard’ in the Scottish sense, is a man who doesn’t make sure to put the toilet seat back down when he’s finished.
So im honestly interested in how you, or anyone, see’s Scotland gaining political independence and the massive strategic reserve of oil and gas on our territory at the same time.
Ottomanboi,
I wonder were the anger has gone too, it is like talking to wet soggy socks nowadays,
When wings over Scotland started and was in its prime every one contributed information along with Stu brilliant talents of investigation.
That all went into the Wee Blue Book and Scotland started waking up,
Nowadays the talk is of the dying dregs of the Snp in one form or another for over half a year or more now, and the going on’s, in the Westminsters branch office placed in Scotland.
Perhaps Some of us are ahead of our time as the Alex Salmond accusations and the Craig Murrey inprisionments, the Hate crime bill, etc meant long ago that we all could see we were not dealing with the original Snp party.
But perhaps a party well intergrated with American politics with civil servants from down south.
Anyone who missed the clues will never be worth a much to Scotlands independence,
Stu did excellent journalism on those topics and bought it to our attention.
However it is time now to drop the dying yellow duck,
To talk of where do we go from here and what is next?
what parties are alternatives ?
How does Salvo fit into Scottish independence if at all?
Would we have a share of debt ?with England in any circumstances as the “Bank of England” was a private Corporation and not the Bank of Britain?…besides the debt being in Englands control and name,
How do we ensure that no one in Scotland dies from this coming winter due to energy prices?
How will anyone be able to travel the long distances for food or hospital and appointments if they have no fuel provided for transport.
It is only right that we stamp on the graves of the Snp and the green party,
However important talks are very much lacking about replacements and quick needed solutions for everyone living in Scotland over the next 6 months. Including for new Scots after one system has broken down.
With Council becoming mini dictatships and fineing anyone and every one, While at the same time increasing other services,
Scotland is no different in this respect from England, both are going bust.
Tories, labour nor liberal Democrats are a solution for Scotland as they all sing from the same hymn sheet, at varying times. There no longer is a opposition party in the British Isles’s
At one time here the ideas and suggestion, the research by individuals for solutions to help the people living in Scotland was brimming to the point of spilling over,
Many fond memories of the likes of Robert Pheffers and many other contributors that have sadly passed away waiting, to be replaced with more dead duck thinking, gossip, and prolonged focus on only a few topics,
The zest has gone, the marches will eventually be banned under New Council Authorities and hate speech,
Scotland and its people are standing up dying.
Yes I agree with that but then men in Scotland who call Alex Salmond a ‘sex pest’ deserve all they get.
Not putting the toilet seat down is a whole different issue and the cause of many injuries and even deaths.
Men who use the ladies toilet and don’t put the seat down are inconsiderate bastards.
Oh fuck off James Che and stick yer wet soggy sock up yer erse.
Is that angry enough for you Mr Che?
@ Joe,
unfortunately for pro-indy sentiment, the oil and gas reserves aren’t going to be worth very much after the next couple of decades as the world moves to greener energy. There’s still value in them now, but after around 2040, very little, because hydrocarbons elsewhere in the world that are easier/cheaper to extract will easily fill a diminished global demand. It wouldn’t be wise to bet the future on Scottish oil and gas income.
Even renewables (wind, tidal, solar) aren’t going to give Scotland an export industry, plentiful as they are, because Ohm’s law of resistance means that after about 500 miles of transmission, resistance losses make the energy more expensive than local generation.
@Republicofscotland.
We need Alex Salmond back as FM. Or someone as strong as him if we’re going to recover from this mess.
Joe:
away and lie in your ain pish, ya bampot. It’s the revenues, stoopid.They would come here instead of straight to Westminster.
(The learned prof. Alf Baird has estimated that with the free and cheap electricity/gas we give away to our southern neighbours added in the actual bumper giveaway of revenues is currently circa £1,000,000,000 annually).
Joe.
We don’t need to physically capture rigs etc, what is required is a sitdown with the oil companies and see a redirecting of the taxes from Westminster to Holyrood on independence.
We certainly need our own maritime military vessels which we could buy straight away (used) until we can build our own vessels to spec.
The problem just now is and has been for a long time is that Scotland has no fighting force that stands alone, the mentality surrounding that will need to change, if you are to become an independent nation you need to be able to protect that nation or to project the image that you can.
On independence as Craig Murray highlighted all manner of civil servants, Politicians, Police, Judges, etc will need to so swear an oath to serve Scotland and it people. I honestly think attitudes will change once we ditch this rancid union and a bit of nationalistic pride will emerge.
There is no scenario where we leave the union which doesn’t cause animosity with our larger neigbour once you accept that the task at hand becomes clearer.
And yet more bollox from superYoon ‘A Scot Abroad’.
He forgot to tell us that “it’s the wrong sort of oil” that we’ve got.
Ruby says:
4 May, 2023 at 2:17 pm
“Anyone remember the time people could register at the job centre as an ‘elephant catcher”
No, no can’t say I or anyone else I know does… and I left school in 1979. What exactly does one register at a Job Centre for</i? Surely it's all done online now? …Even if they had any genuine jobs to offer; a problem I seem to recall being people complaining that the boards inside were filled with endless duplicates and schemes which were complete bollocks. – TBH I had no idea they still existed!
Is that why you BritNats don’t want an IndyRef until 2035.
‘Tartan tractor’ & ‘C U Next Tuesday’ emoji
John H. @2.45pm.
Agreed John.
Republicofscotland.
Many have heard of the great “reset” from globalist, its no longer a conspiracy theory, there are videos out there of them planning it, speaking for themselves. Out of the horses mouths,
The reset for Scotland is acknowledging that Scotland did not proceed into the treaty of union, in fact was extinguished from that very treaties wording and promises made in writing.
Scottish water boundaries would be returned along with its fishing, energy, oil, wind power, and assets of Colonial Stock ( Scotland) Act land investments,
Taxes, trade deals that included Scotland, buildings,etc.
No need for long term negotiations,
Reparations for the last three hundred years for misleading Scotland and it nation into believing it had entered into s Treaty of union while at the same time extinguishing the Scottish parliament,
Now that is genuine Great reset of assets.
Republicofscotland.
The bonus is that the hate crime bill, and the gender bill would also be gone along with the Scotland Acts that control us from the devolved Westminster legislated government branch office with its civil servants, The SNP and Green party, and the corruption with the election system endured in Scotland at the moment,
By 2040 oil and gas will be more important, as the countries that laugh at our Climate Catastrophes steal our lunches, and it becomes more and more apparent that the climate has not changed worth a damn, no matter how many media reports and fraudulent analyses say otherwise.
There is no free electricity going south. It all comes from very expensive and very unreliable renewable sources, all of which were manufactured abroad and installed by the dutch. That we now have record renewable energy content and record energy prices is not a coincidence.
To those hankering for oil and gas, it’s not going to pay Scotland’s bills after 2040, because it will be uneconomic to extract in comparison to other countries, and diminishing global demand. That’s only 17 years away.
Oil and gas as a source of significant revenue is done. In the past. History. It isn’t coming back.
@ Ruby,
you seem to be permanently angry and potty mouthed. There’s no need for it.
This website isn’t your’s to use as a platform for spewing bile. We are all just guests here, hoping to debate and exchange ideas. That’s kind of hard if you just spout torrents of abuse at pretty much everyone.
A Scot Abroad says:
4 May, 2023 at 3:39 pm
Oil and gas as a source of significant revenue is done. In the past. History. It isn’t coming back.
Sigh. Listen mate, they have been saying that for 50 years, and they will likely be saying it for another 50. Any other words of wisdom?
BTW how’s the Norwegian Oil fund doing? (it’s probably increased by another million since I started writing this).
LOL at A Scot Abroad. So all those idiots that bought the blocks “auctioned” off in the ScotWind giveaway don’t know about OHM’s Law and have never heard of HVDC transmission…
“HVDC systems can do the following:
Connect distances of more than 2,000 miles
Transmit up to 3 times more power than AC systems of equivalent voltage in a similar right-of-way
Transmit the same amount of power as an AC network in significantly smaller right-of-way
Interconnect grids over land and under sea
Provide grid operators with greater control over power flow with minimal losses”
link to guidehouseinsights.com
And even if there was a 500 mile transmission limitation then England would still be able to receive power created in Scotland’s geographic area. Like the 3.3GW being supplied to them at this moment.
link to extranet.nationalgrid.com
A scot abroad, you obviously do not know anything about oil , do you think its only used for petrol and diesel,? Also there is a lot more than 17 years of production left.
And another thing Scotland does not need oil and gas to be a successful economy, it would be icing on the cake allowing us to invest in other technologies without borrowing , thats all
And as we will have nada debt come Independence then that is not an issue.
Oh he’ll, let’s all put on black and masks, beat up incomers and then say they make us feel unsafe and so deserve it lmao
@ Luigi,
oil and gas is a money-driven business. It stays in the ground if other sources are cheaper to extract. Scotland’s oil and gas is among the most expensive sources in the world to extract, because it’s in a challenging environment, and because the U.K. has expensive wages for skilled people. As the global demand for oil and gas wanes – which it is, and will continue to wane – then investment decisions by oil and gas companies will increasingly ignore Scotland as a source of oil and gas, because lowering demand decreases the price.
Don’t think in terms of the current price, think in terms of global prices over decades. That’s what the oil and gas companies do, and they know the business rather better than most.
Scot abroad.
It maybe won’t pay for it,
But reparations to Scotland for Stealing it under a nothing more than faux treaty would go a long way to helping Scotland financially along with the assets from stolen Scottish waters, fishing and land grabs through the Colonial Stock ( Scotland ) acts.
Because many things do not tally up.
Scotland cannot be considered a equal partner to the treaty of a union yet come under a Colonised Country in Westminster Acts.
Scotland cannot have a Scottish representative in Westminster parliament while it parliament is Sine Die’d in Scotland 1707,
Nor can it have Scottish representatives in a Westminster parliament if the Parliament of Scotland was extinguished from the treaty of union by agreeing to the treaty in 1707.
There is no present evidence of a Scottish parliament and therefore its Country existing in the treaty of union since 1707.
But the English parliament continued up to [1708 ] , with the new elections in Westminster, which again continued further the English parliament on its own in Westminster.
Dan,
there’s only one HVDC system that runs over 2,000 miles, and it isn’t fully built yet. The current engineering challenges are subsea boosters, which aren’t working very well. It’s going to bring solar power from the Sahara to the U.K. Solar power in the Sahara is a lot cheaper per GWh than wind in the North Atlantic, so the business case stacks up. Just about.
Who is Scotland going to sell renewables to? Ireland, Norway, Wales, England, Holland and Denmark all have similar renewable resources (wind and tidal). Germany isn’t short of electricity from its own resources and French nuclear power. Germany’s need is for gas for industrial processes, not electrical power. So that leaves you within an affordable distance with Iceland and Belgium. Not very big markets.
@ James Che,
I’ll start with an apology. I don’t tend to read your posts because they all seem to dwell in some ancient stuff that frankly has no part of today’s world, and that nobody of any substance is raising within the Scottish independence debate. Frankly, I think the legal minds would tell you that you are on a hiding to nothing with all of your Sine Die stuff, and shouldn’t waste any more time on it.
But on the specific matter you raise of reparations (from England to Scotland), I’ll tell you straight that that is just moonshine. It just isn’t going to happen.
Ah see chancer manky black spouting NAT shite propoganda that fuckin useless is steering away from universal benefits cos ( drum roll……. ) WM bastards forcing him to do it, thats why folks we need freedum to make our own choices…… desperate shite
Scot Abroad.
It would be presumed that all the plastic on the solar panels come from the Oil industry, and it would be presumed that all the cables would require Water proofing plastic coating from the Oil industry,
It would also be presumed that all the mechanical machinery that contributes to building the solar panels and cables would require to be driven by petro-Chemical fuel in large quantities,
And can we presume that the gigantic quarries needed to supply the rest of the materials has not intruded or damaged a natural habitat for many Species of insects and animals,
and there is no child labour in those Countries.
It seems that profit and blind eyes are required to have faith that the new climate change methods are better than the old methods
While noting that Micheal Gove, along with many other politicians had stoves in their homes during Covid Skpe meetings,
And that the monarchy is televised in meetings with members from other Countries with open fires.
@ A Scot Abroad
They don’t need to be 2000 miles long as mainland Europe isn’t even 500 miles from Scotland.
An acquaintance is an engineer involved in the planning and design of some of the new HVDC lines that will transmit the power generated from the offshore windfarms as they come online. I used to work on boats piloting the ROV that surveys and supports the cable laying barges in cable laying processes. Another mate still does so we have a bit of a clue about what is going on.
Due to the failings of the 300 year political union under London Rule, the Kingdom of England now has approximately ten times the population of the Kingdom of Scotland (it was only 5 times greater at the start). So why is England currently accepting electrical power produced in Scottish geographic area if they are self-sufficient? How is England going to power itself in the future?
And seeing as you say there is no future in oil or gas then let’s not forget that when the wind drops that England can be producing up to 40 or even on occasion 50% of it’s electrical power requirements through CCGT – Combined Cycle Gas Turbines, which will be burning gas coming from Scotland’s geographic area.
link to gridwatch.templar.co.uk
Live data gas flows can observed here. Note volumes flowing at St Fergus Terminals and also that Easington Langeled terminal transports Norwegian gas to England.
link to mip-prd-web.azurewebsites.net
link to en.wikipedia.org
All Under One Banner will hopefully be a major success.
Ash Regan, Kate Forbes, Alex Salmond and Alba all together to discuss ideas sounds like a Government to me.
Ha! Ha! Ha! You are a hoot.
We’ve got one lot saying we need more anger and another lot saying less anger.
This website is as much my platform as it is yours. It definitely isn’t yours to moderate.
I have absolutely no interest in exchanging ideas with you.
Exchanging ideas about Scottish independence with a hardcore BritNat flame baiter who lives in England is in my opinion a total waste of time.
QT tonight
link to bbc.co.uk
Fiona Bruce presents an hour of topical debate from Telford in Shropshire. On the panel – Mark Harper MP, David Lammy MP, Minette Batters, Peter Hitchens and Billy Bragg.
Peter Hitchens he’s the one who supports English independence.
It would be quite interesting to hear English residents views on this and maybe even Unionists who live in Scotland.
link to youtube.com
Any guesses what they might be talking about down there in Shorpshire?
@ Ruby,
I’m not a “hardcore BritNat flame baiter”, I’m a Scot who currently believes in the benefits of the Union, but isn’t hard set against Scottish independence if the facts change and Scotland can be demonstrably self-sustaining as an independent nation. You know, the sort of person who pro-independence people need to persuade over to the independence camp.
If you are representative of pro-independence supporters, with your vitriol, bile and abuse, then you are a perfectly good indication of the fact that people with your mindset are going to achieve absolutely the opposite of what you desire.
As for moderation, it’s not my place to moderate you, or you to moderate me. But immoderate outbursts will have a negative effect.
Rage = Passion.
When expertly used, i.e. not wasted on outbursts of armchair irritation, results may be expected.
Expertise in usage requires intelligence, finesse and sense of purpose.
Far too many just shout and swear into their whisky.
Passion and rage work better when served with intellectual cool, otherwise it’s headless chicken spasm.
Rage does not equal passion but can spring from it and when it does the subject has lost control.
Without control the desired outcome is unlikely to be achieved.
Therefore rage is not something to be coveted, rather best avoided.
SCOT
For heavens sake READ what i have written, not what your prejudice suggests i have written.
My ancestors were fighting colonialism when many Scots were effective instruments of it.
Rage is a dynamic force. Scotland might benefit from its application.
Surely the insipid régime of milquetoast has had its day.
@ David Hannah 4.42pm it’s such a pity that Kate Forbes ,Ash Regan and Joanna Cherry have NOT been interested or DONE ANYTHING in the last nine years to PROMOTE INDEPENDENCE or who knows we might even be nearer to independence, I hope you enjoy their speils they should be good at promising the earth while doing absolutely nothing they have had 9 years to practice their deceit
But don’t worry David it will be somebody else’s fault that independence is nowhere on the horizon , they couldn’t even summon up the courage to expose the corruption and lies in
the election of the CLOWN FM, they much preferred being humbled, demeaned and denigrated by a fraudulent process that elected the cardboard cutout of a moron who embarrasses Scotland more every time he opens his mouth
That makes zero sense just sounds like another criticism of us useless Scottish independence supporters.
What do recommend we Scottish independence supporters do with our rage/passion?
@ Dan,
I’ll ask again, who in Europe is going to be buying Scottish renewables, when they can just as easily produce it themselves? That’s not an anti-Scotland point of view, it’s a business point of view. It’s just more expensive to deliver energy from 500 miles away over expensive HVDC cables, and there’s enough wind and tidal power close to the shores of every European country with a North Sea / North Atlantic coast.
Of course, Scotland could use all of the renewable energy for its own purposes, to reduce the cost of living and of industry, but so too can every other country, so it’s not a discriminator.
Rage is a dynamic force for sure and it can propel you into oblivion.
Perhaps the best classical example is the rage of Achilles which eventually led him into hubris.
I wouldn’t want that to be the motivating force behind Scottish independence.
And as for prejudice, if you had grown up in the West of Scotland you would know what that was without any further mention.
Why are you so keen to talk to me?
Is it a control thing/something to do with my gender?
You claim I have achieved nothing but that is another lie because I have managed to get your Union Jack knickers in a twist. Air punch emoji.
My other claim to fame is I am able to spot a “hardcore BritNat flame baiter’ ten times faster than I was able to prior to the 2014 IndyRef.
link to twitter.com
Oh aye. That you been mowing grass Rev Stu?
Correction to earlier post
it should read ferocious rage.
see.
link to wingsoverscotland.com
“Where is Scotland’s ferocious RAGE.”
A Scot Abroad says:
4 May, 2023 at 6:22 pm
@ Dan,
I’ll ask again, who in Europe is going to be buying Scottish renewables, when they can just as easily produce it themselves?
Nobody, but it doesn’t matter because renewables run on subsidies. They’re great at hoovering subsidies, which is good because they’re objectively terrible in every other way.
We’ll a’ get rich doing each other’s non-bio vegan organic locally sourced washing (cold water only). Rich, I say.
And it’s not just me saying this, there’s tons of nasally perverts in Edinburgh and London with no clue about how science or economics work (and, in many cases, no experience of “work”) who share the same opinion.
So you know the future’s bright.
One day, Ruby, you’ll realise that dialogue is the way that human progress is made. I’m happy to debate with anyone, but if all they spout is bile, vitriol and abuse, it’s not a productive use of my time.
Spouting bile, vitriol and abuse is not a productive use of your time either, if you want to advance your cause. You can deny that if it makes you feel good, but you are only denying yourself.
A Scot Abroad says: at 6:22 pm
“I’ll ask again, who in Europe is going to be buying Scottish renewables, when they can just as easily produce it themselves? That’s not an anti-Scotland point of view, it’s a business point of view. It’s just more expensive to deliver energy from 500 miles away over expensive HVDC cables, and there’s enough wind and tidal power close to the shores of every European country with a North Sea / North Atlantic coast.
Of course, Scotland could use all of the renewable energy for its own purposes, to reduce the cost of living and of industry, but so too can every other country, so it’s not a discriminator.”
Are you just acting dense for the bantz or are you the real deal thick as fuck.
You’ve just stated up thread that oil and gas will be phased out; so what the fuck is going to replace those sources of energy if not renewable generated power? Or are you going to live in a cave and burn environmentally friendly sustainably sourced fire wood to keep yersel warm?
England is a net importer of energy and that isn’t going to change anytime soon as generation infrastructure takes significant time to plan and build. If you think that isn’t the case and England can be self sufficient then why would they have recently signed a long term 20 year contract to get access to Norwegian gas. They even import biomass from across the Atlantic to burn in Draxx power station so it can get “green” subsidies.
link to energyvoice.com
At the moment in the UK the energy sector is not nationalised and energy is a power reserved to Westminster, so it would require UK government to put in place regulations that stopped the excessive profiteering the energy companies are making. But that ain’t going to happen as they’d rather bung the consumer a subsidy and let energy companies keep their prices high and make massive profits, so it’s effectively a bung to the corporates delivered to them to make it look like they were generous to the population who are just the conduit.
If Scotland returned to self-governance then we could regulate the corporates better or look to bring the utilities back into public ownership as btl poster George Ferguson is looking into. This means we could stop or at least limit the exploitation of resources in the Scottish geographic area which doesn’t benefit Scots.
Plenty people will buy the energy generated here, or are you saying those folk that bought the ScotWind blocks were idiots and sold a pup. The generation potential of the recent ScotWind giveaway is ten times what we we currently have which is enough to often export 100% of what we use here, so there will be a surplus, unless everyone is driving fucking Teslas…
Dan,
I’m looking at things over a longer term timeframe than you are.
Oil and gas is dead off the UK (primarily in Scotland’s economic zone) as it’s too expensive to get out in comparison with other parts of the world, so no corporate is going to bother.
England has just as much wind and tidal potential as Scotland has. So too does Ireland, Holland, Norway, and half a dozen other countries. If Scotland were to be independent, why would any country import renewable energy from Scotland when they can have it cheaper themselves, without having to build HVDC interconnectors?
I can tell you I’m not the thick one. No investors are looking to build HVDC cables from Scottish waters to anywhere in Europe. Those who have invested in Scottish wind blocks are only investing in a future Scottish market.
@republicofscotland
Thank you for that very good answer.
For you and the others who replied here is my problem that I can’t think around:
1 – the reason we want out of the Union is because it is a bogus political Union that is in place to be a net benefit to the moneyed establishment. It is not an ‘equal partnership’ and is really just a fluffed-up form of colonialism. For that to be true, and it is, would mean that there is an inherent bad faith coming from the political centre of Britain. Let’s remember that everyone is aware of the dishonest villainy and shamelessness in which the very establishment we are discussing has historically conducted itself.
2 – given that the above is true why can we ever expect the establishment in London to ever give us 1: a fair election/referendum that would allow us to cede cleanly away from the Union and take with it massive strategic energy reserves or 2: allow us a constitutional path to do the same?
Given that the UK is a nuclear power, one of the top 10 economies of the World and therefore an important member of any trade bloc or alliance then I am sorry to say this but it is simply fantasy to think that we will be given the real opportunity to simply walk with trillions worth of assets.
Our only hope is to be prepared to give a very large portion, or all of it, as the price of being allowed to claim some kind of political independence.
But we also need something coupled with that and it’s a rebirth of real national spirit (which I have wrote a lot about and won’t now).
As for oil and gas being worth considerably less in the next few decades – I consider the leading indicator for this to be whenever a major serious military force switches to renewable energy (I exclude the current U.S regime but won’t explain or it would turn this post into something too long and probably annoy WOS). The reason for this is that it would offer a significant strategic advantage to not be reliant on hydrocarbons and there’s no reason for it not to be done other than the fact that renewable energy is not up to the task that is set for it. We shall see, but I won’t be convinced of renewables until that happens.
As a summary to Scottish independence and oil/gas – let’s put it this way: if Britain was so honourable as to allow the Scots to walk away with its strategic reserves on the back of a vote or constitutional stunt then very few of us would feel the need to argue for independence in the first place. Of course that is not the reality.
Here’s the frustrating thing. We have literally crafted our own Achilles heel by focusing on oil and gas. In simple terms Scotland does not need those things to be a very successful, happy and secure country.
RE: rage/passion
I strongly disagree.
Self respect. Sense of self. Above all a sense of duty to family, community and nation.
Rage and passion are handy for when the U.S army is violently supressing your country for the benefit of Israel’s long term geopolitical goals but it doesn’t do well in the long game.
Scots have to shrug off the progressive poison and become real nationalists again.
@ A Scot Abroad
Can you furnish some evidence that the oil and gas in Scotland’s relatively shallow sea depths is more expensive to produce than the deepwater oil fields elsewhere on the planet? Please also factor in transportation and profiteering financial and environmental costs of buying bulk oil/ gas from elsewhere on the planet where we have no control over the producers.
I’ve piloted ROVs in the North Sea east of Scotland at approximately 100m depths, and West of Shetland at approximately 500m depths. Operating in up to 10,000m depths brings more complexity and cost to extract.
You continue to ignore the evidence I have supplied in various posts that show England is a net importer of various sources of energy from various different countries for the foreseeable future.
You can state all these different countries can be self-sufficient in renewable generated power in the long term all you like, but you also need to factor in the scale of what you are suggesting because you have stated that this also means stopping using any oil or gas to contribute to these country’s energy generation requirements. Because removing fossil fuel generated power increases by a significant magnitude the needs of a country to generate enough renewable power to meet all their needs.
Plus you’d be looking at a complete overhaul of infrastructure and transportation to implement such a change and the tech isn’t there yet.
Another pal works at Ford / Daf tech development and they are a long way off producing a leccy powered haulage truck that can carry a load anything other than short shuttle distances.
Scotland’s train track is only electrified to Dunblane so that means the rolling stock will still require to be diesel power until all the track electrification is complete. There is a hydrogen powered locomotive being tested but again that can only be hydrogen produced by a surplus of renewable power or it ain’t green at all.
Ergo diesel will still be required to shift goods for the foreseeable for differing reasons.
Scotland needs the oil and gas industry but it needs to be under Scottish control in an independent state. Our oil, our revenues.
For those of you who seem to think that oil won’t be needed in the future when we all go electric with wind, water and sun, don’t seem to know what we need oil for.
It’s not just for the usual culprits petrol, oil etc..
There are ~ 6000 different products that we use in everyday life and without oil would be hard to replicate.
From Aspirin to clothes, to cell phones, cosmetics and and …..
link to linkedin.com
link to scimed.co.uk
link to innovativewealth.com
Grafitti art in Bath to commerorate Charlie!!
link to archive.ph
I reckon these ‘saviours’ will punt out a version of the accounts just in time to meet the tax man’s deadline so the SNP can get its short money and a stay of execution. Later the audit company will close and re-emerge fresh-faced, with political favours earned.
Is that right! Do you mean all the UK’s warmonger,illegal wars, weapons of mass destruction, 4th highest military budget in the world, finacial support for the Uk-raine war is all just a waste of time & money?
Dan, it’s not useful to compare North Sea oil/gas to only deep water sources elsewhere. It’s a fact that onshore oil and gas (around 80% of the world’s reserves) are cheaper to extract. The Gulf of Mexico is shutting down quite quickly, because US land oil in Texas and shale in other places is cheaper.
As for why England is a net importer from other countries, but importantly Scotland, it’s because the nations are in union and Westminster doesn’t see it as an import. That could change if Scotland were to be independent.
The question is Maureen is it or isn’t a ‘lady dick’ and therefore possibly a transphobic hate crime.
Joe @7.23pm.
As Ash Regan pointed out during her leadership campaign for the SNP and FM, Westminster has in the past denied or tried to obfuscate when a nation has voted to leave the empire, however after all the smoke has cleared they know they have no option but to agree. Westminster claims England is a democracy and projects that image on the international stage, so to physically deny this to a country that is in a union via a international agreement that can be dissolved by either party would seriously damage Westminster’s international standing, you can’t speak of democracy and respecting it around the globe whilst denying it at home.
As for our exit of this union it will be via the amount of indy MPs and MSPs that are elected, Ash Regan explained it beautifully during the SNP leadership campaign that’s why Murrell with the aid of GCHQ made sure Regan didn’t win.
When a majority of indy MPs is elected at Westminster this equates to a declaration of independence and a sitdown with Westminster to discuss leaving the union, this also applies in elections at Holyrood, the latter being my preferred vote at our own parliament. This route has no Westminster input whatsoever, Craig Murray says the laws of the country being ceded from have no bearing on the country ceding from them.
As for assets, if the 2014 indyref was anything to go by, back then Scotland via a deal with David Cameron, would leave with around 8% of assets (possibly fixed assets in Scotland) and no debt as Cameron declared Westminster would keep the national debt, after all Westminster did spend the money and Scots have contributed to UK assets. The details of a future exit of the union would need to be thrashed out between the two governments.
We need not give away our assets to obtain independence, yes Westminster has an ugly history of stealing assets or encouraging partitioning, but if you have a strong enough government in place with the will to hold fast then I see no reason why we can’t keep what is ours, afterall Westminster has stolen enough from Scotland, and if Westminster goes ahead and steals from an independent Scotland, it would be for our representatives to take it to the international community the UN’s ICJ and so forth.
Independence isn’t for the faint hearted, but the rewards will be worth it, Westminster won’t be happy to cede Scotland and its assets, but its not Westminster’s happiness that I’m concerned about its the people of Scotland’s that are my priority, and independence is the starting point to that.
A Scot Abroad says: at 8:14 pm
“Dan, it’s not useful to compare North Sea oil/gas to only deep water sources elsewhere. It’s a fact that onshore oil and gas (around 80% of the world’s reserves) are cheaper to extract. The Gulf of Mexico is shutting down quite quickly, because US land oil in Texas and shale in other places is cheaper.
As for why England is a net importer from other countries, but importantly Scotland, it’s because the nations are in union and Westminster doesn’t see it as an import. That could change if Scotland were to be independent.”
First point, no, it is important to compare because if there is such a discrepancy and it’s so expensive to extract Scottish fossil fuels then why are numerous oil and gas companies continuing to extract fossil fuels from our geographic area if they can be sourced easier and cheaper from elsewhere?
Plus how will these huge bulk tankers bringing this easier and cheaper produced fuel here be powered if they are not going to be burning large amounts of dirty bunker fuel? It’s notable Tesla hasn’t got into the cargo vessel game…
Second point, maybe there would be less desire for Scotland to return to self-governing status if the union better served Scottish needs.
As an exScot and NuEnglander (you’re a civic nationalist or a bigot aye 😉 ) then maybe you should balance your time on here with more time spent telling your fellow Englanders to sort their shit out, and influence them to elect a better form of English (UK) government which addressed so many of the issues that motivate many Scots to end London Rule.
Dan,
it’s not up to you to tell me that I’m an ex-Scot or “NuEnglander”. I’m just as Scottish as anyone else who is 75% Scot’s by ancestry. I suspect that I’m rather more Scottish than a good few of the MSPs in independence parties, and especially the First Minister.
But then, I see ethnicity as being important to self-definition.
@Republicofscotland
Honestly I’m not convinced. At all. But I’ll leave it at that.
As for the UN and ‘international community’? Well, the UN and it’s various arms seem to function primarily for the benefit of the international elite when you look at outcomes rather than talk and so-called mission statements. The UN should be viewed as the embryo of a self-appointed world government.
One thing is absolutely for sure however – a tougher and broader nationalist outlook is necessary. We cannot afford to rely on politicians to look after our families, communities and nation or we will lose everything.
@ Republicofscotland,
can you point out where Cameron is on record as saying that Scotland would leave with no share of the U.K. national debt? Because that’s certainly not the impression from south of the border.
I’m fairly certain that would be very vigorously contested if it were to be suggested again. If Scotland is to achieve independence, it will have to acknowledge and assume its pro-rata share of U.K. debt.
A Scot Abroad says: at 9:46 pm
“it’s not up to you to tell me that I’m an ex-Scot or “NuEnglander”. I’m just as Scottish as anyone else who is 75% Scot’s by ancestry. I suspect that I’m rather more Scottish than a good few of the MSPs in independence parties, and especially the First Minister.
But then, I see ethnicity as being important to self-definition.”
You missed the point, it’s not up to me either as our betters tell us we have to accept anyone arriving in Scotland is a NuScot or we’re a racist blood and soil nativist bigot, so it was just a tongue in cheek remark that as you live in England you’ll be a NuEnglander.
But as you recognise and feel ethnicity is important in matters of self definition, and choose to define yourself as a Scot on here even though you live in England; this ties in with Mia’s studying of demographic changes, and this recent article on CHI numbers on Yours For Scotland.
link to yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com
I was speaking to a health visitor in my rural area the other day and they have around 200 babies in their area, but get this, only around 20 were to both Scottish parents. Nobody see any issue with that?
How is it that lots of young Scots have to leave their homeland to find work, yet if there are no jobs here then why are so many English folks moving up here. How are they sustaining there existence if there is no work?
@A Scot Abroad (2.44) –
‘unfortunately for pro-indy sentiment, the oil and gas reserves aren’t going to be worth very much after the next couple of decades as the world moves to greener energy.’
I’ll be 60 next month and have been hearing permutations of that pish since I was about 14.
You may have better luck flogging that rubbish elsewhere – it certainly won’t wash here.
@ Dan,
living in England, there’s no sense that as a Scot that I’m unwelcome. English racism (it does exist, very markedly) is very largely reserved for anyone who is a first generation immigrant, and particularly (post 9/11 and terror attacks in the U.K.) for Muslims. It’s sad, but it’s the case.
@ Ian Brotherhood,
you have to recognise that the world is rapidly changing. In the 46 years since you were 14, the world glutted itself on oil. Well, it isn’t doing that any longer. There’s still a steady demand for oil, but it’s declining, and it’s just obvious from a business finance perspective that with a flat or declining demand, the first sources of supply that get abandoned are the expensive ones. And that’s Scotland, because almost uniquely, Scottish oil is very expensive per barrel to extract, very expensive wages to pay compared with Saudi or Venezuela or Nigeria, very expensive taxation, and very expensive onshore processing. And none of what I state is “pish”, it is demonstrably true.
Keep your head in the sand, ostrich.
Great stuff A Scot Abroad, so we’ve now established that Scotland has abundances of the wrong type of oil, the wrong type of gas, and the wrong type of electricity. And that no country that doesn’t have enough of those energy resources will want our surpluses.
@’A Scot’ Abroad –
You are not qualified to make such pronouncements about oil or anything else.
The tale you tell is so familiar to most Scots that they have forgotten that it’s supposed to ‘end’.
Why doesn’t it?
Why doesn’t the oil run out?
Oooh, it’s so expensive!
Oooh, it’s so costly to process!
Oooh, the labour costs are so high!
Yada yada yada ad fuckin nauseum.
And that’s why they continue to make billions every year from it, right?
Time for you to shut your geggy and take it elsewhere – you’ve done your turn here, no-one’s buying any more.
I thought that noise I heard was the bottom of a barrel being scraped.
How odd that my hearing’s range should reach Manchester!
@ Ian Brotherhood,
You might think that I’m not qualified to make such judgements, but I am aligned with the markets, which are the arbiter of such matters. You can carry on being wrong and shouting out your own “truth”, but you will still be wrong.
@ Dan,
I’ve never said that Scotland has the wrong type of oil, gas or electricity. Strange that you want to make stuff up when what I have said is in black and white on the screen above.
A Scot Abroad says: at 5:53 am
“I’ve never said that Scotland has the wrong type of oil, gas or electricity. Strange that you want to make stuff up when what I have said is in black and white on the screen above.”
But you effectively have though as you say with regard to Scottish oil and gas that it is too expensive to extract in comparison to production in other places; ergo it’s the wrong type of oil and gas because there are cheaper oil and gas options. Whilst ignoring the aspects of bulk transportation and also that we would just be consumers rather than producers so have even less control over regulation and pricing.
But if this is all market forces driven in your view then why are production companies still working on existing and developing new oil and gas fields in our geographic area if it isn’t financially viable?
You didn’t comment on or explain why England would require a 20 year contract to have access to Norwegian gas on top of them continuing to use gas from Scottish areas.
And you stated it is too expensive to transmit electricity produced in Scottish geographic area to other places because of OHM’s law bollox; so again it is the wrong type of leccy because there are cheaper methods of generation and other countries can simply produce there own, even though they currently use power from Scotland and also haven’t started developing the massive amount of new generation infrastructure required to be self-sufficient in leccy as oil and gas is to be phased out.
And seeing as you mention you are aligned with markets and Scottish oil is not worth anything.
Can you explain why Jim Rogers has this wrong?
link to youtube.com
Dan thanks for that reminder.
Iain B , geggy is a great word is it not??
A Scot Abroad.
The UK which would still be alive in the form Wales, NI and England, would be the successor state and obliged to deal with the debt, a debt that I might add Westminster created.
@ Republicofscotland,
that’s just dreaming if you think Scotland would walk away without it’s share of the national debt. Nobody serious is suggesting it. Internationally, it would be seen as defaulting, and iScotland’s credit rating would be marked as equivalent to Zimbabwe’s.
Let’s not forget that public sector net debt was £347 billion in 1996/97, the year before Gordon Brown came into office, and £1,011 billion in 2009/10. A Scottish Chancellor and PM of the U.K.
North Sea Oil will obviously be a very important asset for an independent Scotland for years to come.
It will be a key export and therefore a source of foreign exchange, benefiting our trade account.
Scotland’s lack of dependence on oil as a source of energy generation is a positive as it will lead to much of the oil being exported, generating revenue for the exchequer.
International demand for oil is robust and the outlook is the same for years to come.
The war in Ukraine and the subsequent economic dislocations has shown once again that the world needs fossil fuels.
Also the industrial production of oil based products is huge and lucrative with no end in sight.
The belittling of the economic value of Scotland’s oil reserves is a tactic by those who know its value only too well and want to keep it for themselves.
Scot,
Shell obviously don’t agree with you: they are actively trying to divest their 30% stake in the Cambo field, and there aren’t any takers for it.
Look at the markets. People who know about the oil business aren’t interested in Scottish oil any longer, as it’s so expensive to get out in comparison with other sources.
Ach, more idiots doing un-viable stuff… But unlike Scotland those lucky Irish obviously have the right type of wind and are using the “expensive” HVDC connection to mainland Europe.
It’s only 0.7GW capacity but that’s still enough to power 450,000 homes… (Scotland is currently sending 2GW to England)
link to breakingnews.ie
link to eirgridgroup.com
link to en.wikipedia.org
But no Scotland, none of this will work for you…
A Scot Abroad.
Its not defaulting Holyrood has no real debt and very limited borrowing powers, Scotland would start with a clean sheet.
It doesn’t matter who is PM or Chancellor the debt accumulation takes place at Westminster, again Scotland has no powers to issue gilts etc.
Commercial decisions on whether or not to invest in a particular oil field will no doubt have been taken after due diligence and the consideration of information which most will not have access to.
A key factor which has depressed North Sea oil revenues has been the effective tax rate and uncertainty around future government policy regarding fossil fuel extraction.
Buyers of North Sea oil aren’t concerned about the cost of extraction. They just want to know the cost to them.
You can see the cost of oil by looking at the futures market. It is no mystery.
Dan, gaun yersel, boy. You shoot the Norfolk Yoon doon in flames every time!
Oh, and can you post the link to live free electricity flowing south every half hour pls? ;-D