The Unaccountables
We have written yet again, wearily and with little hope of a meaningful response, to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, a body with the power to destroy people’s lives but which appears to be answerable to no-one.
The letter is attached below.
Dear Ms Miller,
Thank you for your extremely belated response. It is, as I’m sure you’re aware, wholly inadequate and unsatisfactory, particularly given the extraordinary length of time it took.
I hope that you can remedy this by clarifying some issues that arise from it.
(1) You state:
This is confusing as on 20 May this year I received a letter from the Directorate of Justice of the Scottish Government stating:
This appears to be a clear statement that the Lord Advocate is NOT in fact answerable in any way to the Scottish Parliament. Which is correct? With whom should we properly raise issues about the conduct of the Lord Advocate as head of COPFS, given that the Scottish Government has directly disavowed any responsibility on behalf of both itself and the Parliament as a whole?
Your response instructs me to raise any complaints about COPFS with COPFS itself – specifically at the Complaints email address which I in fact originally wrote to you at. It surely cannot be the case that the sole arbiter of complaints against COPFS is COPFS itself. That would be absurd, undemocratic and plainly open to all manner of abuse.
Yet I have been unable to identify anyone else overseeing COPFS’ actions. HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland also washed its hands of any responsibility in a letter to me on 28 May this year, again directing me to the COPFS complaints address.
Is it really the case, as these responses would suggest, that COPFS is simply and quite literally a law unto itself, in all meaningful and practical senses answerable to no-one? And if not, how can its answerability be put into practice? To whom, if not the Scottish Government, Scottish Parliament or HMIPS – all of whom have expressly denied the responsibility – do I raise my concerns?
(2) You also said:
Perhaps, then, as a bare minimum of accountability to the Scottish public, you can tell me which of those two explanations applied. Did COPFS conclude (a) that there had been no breach, or did it conclude that (b) for some reason it was not in the public interest to pursue those breaches? In each case (and all are materially the same) it must have been one or the other, and I can see no reason for you not to specify which.
But as I have plainly detailed how the articles in each publication DID provide a clear means of jigsaw identification of a witness – [REDACTED] – it can really only be the second reason. It is perfectly possible for you to confirm this without going into any specific detail. Please do so.
(3) You also said:
This, I’m afraid, is very gravely dissatisfactory indeed, and a clear dereliction of your duty. Any and every part of the law and order system has a responsibility not only to prosecute crime but to prevent it. It is therefore your duty, where possible, to avoid the situation of a protected witness being publicly identified if you are presented with an opportunity to do so.
If I were to see a man wearing an expensive and attractive Rolex watch in the street, with a police officer standing nearby, and I went up to the police officer and asked “I intend to go up to that man, punch him in the face and steal his watch – is that okay?”, I would not be advised to seek independent legal advice. I would be clearly told that my intended actions were against the law and warned not to carry them out. (Indeed, I might even be arrested solely for the intent.)
COPFS is not merely “another opinion” in this matter. It is not analogous to a lawyer. A lawyer can only interpret and advise, but COPFS actually gets to make the decision. It is the only valid authority. It is analogous to a football referee – when a player believes an opponent has handled the ball he appeals to the referee to make a judgement because only the referee is empowered to do so. He does not appeal to another player, or to a spectator, or a club official. They may well all have a strong and clear opinion on the matter, but their opinion counts for nothing.
You are the only entity with the authority to determine whether a person quoting from Ms Garavelli and the others’ articles will be subject to a prosecution or not. It is of no value and no protection for that person to solicit the opinion of anyone other than COPFS, because only COPFS’ opinion has any material consequence.
Therefore, I must insist, once again, on an answer: may I, or may I not, simply quote from these articles, which you have already deemed not appropriate for prosecution?
The answer seems extremely obvious – those people and publications have not been prosecuted or sanctioned, the articles have not been amended, the information is therefore fully in the public domain and has been for many months now.
Why, therefore, are you unwilling to tell me that the law is the same for me as it is for everyone else and that I can publish exactly the same information, literally word for word, as these people have been permitted, after your analysis, to publish freely?
Why might I be prosecuted – as you clearly imply could be the case in your final paragraph – for simply quoting them? I have not proposed or suggested adding a single piece of new information, merely quoting material that is already firmly in the public domain, which you have been made aware of and have “carefully considered” and concluded does not require any action?
This should not be a remotely difficult question, Ms Miller. The law is supposed to be the same for everyone. If they can say it, why would I be risking prosecution for doing so?
I look forward to your response, and with respect, hopefully in under four months this time.
Yours sincerely,
Stuart Campbell
We will of course keep readers up to date with any reply we receive, which on past performance we’d expect to be sometime around Christmas.
Separately, we’ve also sent COPFS a Freedom Of Information request:
Dear Sir/Madam,
In a response to Kenny MacAskill MP on 29 May 2020, you stated the following:
“[if] it is considered that [a] publication does amount to a potential contempt of court, COPFS may contact the author of the post, warn them about their conduct, ask them to remove the post and refrain from further similar comments. This action has been taken by COPFS in a number of cases and in most instances where the author of an online post or article is a recognised media outlet, a letter from COPFS will ordinarily suffice.”
I therefore request the following information:
Was any such contact initiated or otherwise undertaken by COPFS in relation to any of the following media articles, all of which reported on the trial of Alexander Salmond in March of this year?
– [link] (by Kieran Andrews/Magnus Linklater)
– [link] (by Steve Bird and Izzy Lyons)
– [link] (by Severin Carrell)
– [link] (by Mure Dickie)
– [link] (by Dani Garavelli)
– [link] (by Dani Garavelli)
– [link] (by Paul Hutcheon)
– [link] (by Kieran Andrews, Kenny Farquharson and Magnus Linklater)
– [link] (by David Mackay)
Finally, we’ve also sent Police Scotland a follow-up to our previous FOI request:
Thank you for your response of 3 August 2020. Some issues arise from it which I hope you will be able to clarify.
You stated:
Therefore, section 17 of the above act applies, notice that information is not held.”
However, I also note that in a reply to Kenny MacAskill MP on 29 May 2020, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said the following:
“COPFS does not keep specific records in this regard but I can confirm that to date nine people have been spoken to by the Police in relation to publications during and after the case against Mr Salmond. Not all of these persons were warned by Police Scotland but they were advised why they were being spoken to and may have perceived this as a warning. COPFS instructed Police Scotland in all of these investigations.”
This appears to directly contradict your suggestion that Police Scotland does not involve itself in matters of contempt of court, and indicates that Police Scotland does in fact do so where instructed by COPFS. Please therefore answer the following question:
Did COPFS instruct Police Scotland to conduct any investigation into, or communicate in any way with, any of the people identified in my original FOI request – namely Kieran Andrews, Steve Bird, Severin Carrell, Mure Dickie, Kenny Farquharson, Dani Garavelli, Paul Hutcheon, Magnus Linklater, Izzy Lyons and Dave Mackay? And if so, how many/which of them were among the nine people referenced by COPFS in their response to Mr MacAskill?
So, y’know, stay tuned, readers. It will be extremely interesting to discover whether COPFS didn’t even speak to, or ask Police Scotland to speak to,“recognised media outlets” with hundreds of thousands of readers between them but did spend their time and Police Scotland’s time chasing down a whole bunch of random tweeters with a few dozen followers who may have committed similar breaches.
We suspect, of course, that we will discover no such thing, and will once again be fobbed off without proper replies. But who knows?
Good on yi!
THIS is what I want to see more from you, Rev.
Keep jabbing at these BritNazi stooges pretending to be something else than an obstacle to our freedom and independence.
Bizantine bureaucracy infecting the core ganglia of our society to cripple all of us.
Quislings.
Thank you for what you are doing, shows how corrupt our “leaders” are and how the “sheep” will follow them.
Too many have power without responsibility and it’s about time there was challenge judging by this latest reply.
Fobbing off by various people at Crown office is surely time limited and someone needs to step up and tell the public the truth and be damned.
Thank you Stu for not giving them an inch.
Don’t hold your breath Stu…….
I admire your tenacity but cannot help but think they are simply kicking this issue inti the long grass untill after the election…..
I won’t be holding my breath for an answer any time soon
“I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned”. Freyman.
Either all are subject to Contempt of Court, or none. If some are not subject to Contempt of Court for precisely the same publications in all material facts and means, why not, and if some are, why are they, and not the others? It is actually not a defence to state that someone else did the self-same thing as you did and is getting away with it, but the least that the prosecution would require, surely, would be a more pro active form of publication on the part of those they have charged with Contempt of Court in order to show intent? As you say, all the publications are still public property – in which case, all should be required to be withdrawn from the public sphere, or none, and all stand, and are subject to being quoted, again, in the public sphere?
If the charges against Messrs Murray and Hirst are not either withdrawn before it goes to trial or it falls at the first hurdle, I’d be very surprised. It might well be in the public interest to prosecute for Contempt of Court, as it was to bring the Salmond allegations to public trial, but, as in that case, if the evidence lacks sufficiency and/or strength, it becomes a pointless exercise and the authorities are left with eggy coupons and owing the public purse an apology.
If, on the other hand, both Mr Murray and/or Mr Hirst is/are convicted on slender evidence, the legal system of Scotland will be held in contempt by the public because it will have served no real purpose except to draw attention to the jigsaw identities of the women yet again, and to convict people who would appear to have done no more than a number of others have done. In defence of all of them, it is very difficult to write a piece about such a case without risking subsidiary identification.
The point must be, though, to ask what public interest is being served by highlighting this issue once again when Jock and Jean Tamson are blithely unaware of the identities of these women because they are simply not operating within that political/media bubble? Surely ‘the public’ means the ‘wider public’, not a few individuals within a coterie of political/media professionals with an axe to grind?
So Kirsty Wark is now able to do a one sided documentary on the BBC, no doubt giving the Alphabet women another platform to smear Alex Salmond whilst maintaining their anonymity. Absolutely stinks ?
Rev Stu, I saw that there s to be a ‘documentary’ on the Alex Salmond trial by a top Scottish ( labour party pal) journalist , apparently chatting to some of the women involved – which I would have thought would dissolve the case against anyone charged with contempt , but then I am not a lawyer.
It looks to me as thought the BBBC in Scotland is working hard to give Mr Salmond a new trial where the verdict fits their bill.
[…] Wings Over Scotland The Unaccountables We have written yet again, wearily and with little hope of a meaningful response, to […]
Hats off. It takes quite some determination to do what you’re doing and if you ever feel like quitting, remember there are thousands who really value your work (not just your output but the doggedness with which you go about it).
Bravo Stuart. The last six paragraphs are especially impressive.
Go get ’em…
Although I have a gut feeling Ms Miller will only confirm what we already suspect.
That is a very powerful letter. If no answer is forthcoming are there implications for breach of ECHR?
Wonder what MP and MSP are doing about this?
Hat off!! Brilliant.
Rev Stu
As the saying goes “ you’ve got the patience of a saint “ .
Are they just hoping that you’ll give up ? The whole thing stinks as not one of them will take any responsibility for answer .
Also if the women cannot be named why are the bbc allowed to show this programme next week ,
The Trial of Alex Salmond by Kirsty Wark
link to bbc.co.uk
She followed the trial and she interviews some of the women involved in bringing the charges against Alex , I wonder if they are giving up their anonymity for the programme ?
There’s no mention in the article about the programme if Kirsty Wark spoke to Alex .
Surely this should not be allowed to be shown when the Scottish Parliament inquiry has not yet taken any evidence in person from the witnesses called to the inquiry .
Article in the Daily Record about the programme ,
link to archive.is
NOTE: article now updated with two more letters sent today.
Well done, Rev, keep at them.
This is very typical of the commentary ‘out there’ about Scottish nationalism. It will either make you laugh or do damage to your device. Nevertheless, there is more where that came from.
link to dhakatribune.com
Mr Ibrahim needs reminding that similar ‘arguments’ were presented against independence in the Sub Continent.
About mr Ibrahim, he’s Scottish, and maybe brighter than this article might suggest.
link to azeemibrahim.com
I do not recognize the ethnic ‘tribalism’ he talks about. The SNP has a code of respectability that is, at times, alarmingly ingenuous except when fighting dirty in the cause of gender Identitarianism or suppressing views, people it finds beyond the current political pale. But that’s a tribalism of a different stripe altogether.
Soft power is very cool at the mo. A Scottish version is sorely needed. Why should the devil have all the best tunes?
An excellent analysis Stu, don’t hold your breath though waiting for an answer with clarity, I suspect they’ll keep the decision on prosecuting the British nationalist “journalists” in limbo ad infinitum. Thus thwarting you and other who see the absurdity of the situation.
The Trial Of Alex Salmond programme
link to archive.fo
And OT
Nice wee burn for old WOS favourite
Duncan Hothersall
link to twitter.com
The dangerous amateurism of the Scottish government should now horrify us all.That’s not an idle, throwaway platitude, too many of us have had our eyes of the ball for too long. Anyone who imagines that a price won’t have to be payed for this collective invigilance is fooling themselves. Stuart Campbell is already paying a price.
Without interviewing Salmond, how can Wark’s programme be anything other than a state sponsored hatchet-job?
Salmond inquiry frustrated
“In a letter to Permanent Secretary Lesley Evans, Ms Fabiani said the committee is particularly concerned by the limited information the Scottish Government has offered to justify the grounds for applying legal professional privilege.” link to archive.is
We are up against TWO Governments here,,, the Scottish Government and the English Government.
Gerry Rafferty got it bang on:-
“Clowns to the Left of me,
Jokers to the Right,
Here I am,
Stuck in the middle with you”.
Well done Rev Stu. Exposing the inadequacies of the Scottish justice system is in the public interest.
Rev Stu @ 1.09 pm
Time for a new fundraiser as you’ll be needing to buy a new keyboard soon with all the letters that you’ve written so far as the type keys on the one your using must worn out by now , LOL .
Im in no doubt that you’ll have to write a few more letters as I suspect that you’ll still not receive a positive answer to your latest letters .
The whole thing stinks with no one taking responsibility to give you a straight answer .
This is brilliant. So powerful, I read it twice.
I applaude your sedulous approach in getting to the truth and your tenacity in never giving up.
Kudos, Rev.
With regards to the above this from Robin McAlpine has stuck with me.
“How many countries in the world made the first act they took when Covid hit to effectively suspend freedom of information laws and float abandoning jury trials and the suspension of elections more than a year in advance? Not Trump. Not Putin. Not Bolsonaro. Sturgeon.”
“The dangerous amateurism of the Scottish government should now horrify us all”
I’d say more like planned obfuscation by the departments.
Rev your perseverance and resilience is quite remarkable.
I could feel the noose tightening around their corrupt necks with each paragraph.
This is a despicable state of affairs when our so called justice system is
detached from facing any form or accountability or justice.
They seem to have in common with the BBC the right to be their own judge and jury.
I must question why any official in politics Scotland who has read this can accept that things
Are as they should be.
Why are they not demanding a public enquiry and amendments to our constitution that would
Stop this abuse of power?
Constitution to make
Thanks Rev, for not giving up
The women will be disguised, unsharp, voices changed to sound like Arnold Schwarzenegger and fed lines which make AS sound like Attila the Hun.
REV: whatever you do, don’t stop doing what you do best as in the new post, they really do hate your guts. 🙂
But….but….if you’re in the Yoons prosecuting Indy supporters *is* in the public interest…..parallel universe etc
The BBC made a public apology to Alex Salmond in 2007 after an interview with Kirsty Wark. The BBC, in fact Wark’s own editor on Newsnight, stated that Wark had been “rude and dismissive” towards the then FM.
So obviously Wark’s documentary about the Salmond Trial is bound to be a paragon of balanced and objective journalism.
More in the same vein from mr Ibrahim. Scots nats tools of the Kremlin.
link to scotsman.com
We live in a world, thanks to Covid panic, where the Chinese give the hubristic Yanks and Brits the run around. Putin is nowhere. Unless of course it’s all about Alex.
Scottish nationalism’s not so secret weapon….tick tock, tick tock…..
I salute your indefatigility Stu.
Whatever the outcome, the rank corruption of ‘our’ legal system will be here to see for all time.
The Scotsman link above is beneath contempt.
If Scotland becomes independent we will be ruled by Putin. Lol
I certainly don’t want to be rules by lying adulterer Boris.
They claim very close ties with Alex Salmond as he has
A free from interference TV show on RT where the many topics
The UK’s controlled media won’t go.
Is that link as close as the millions of pounds London based Russians
Give to the Tories each year.
Is that why Putin’s Russian friend gave £20,000 the Tory Ruth Davidson for a fake lunch?
The Scotsman is a pathetic right wing pamphlet that only exists due to funding
from rich tax avoiders.
I wouldn’t put it in the bottom of my budgies cage it’s so toxic.
Ah, so that’s why Auntie has been giving NS the soft soap treatment.
They’re going to demonize Eck (again), to save her when the shite starts flying.
You don’t need to be Poirot to join the dots here.
Murrell, a name that will be cursed in perpetuity.
Ottomanboi
Oh dear, from halfway around the world the erstwhile member of IV Battalion Parachute Regiment seems to have gotten his Englands and Scotlands mixed up.
The premise that civic nationalism shouldn’t be tribalism is correct but I don’t recall the people who lived in Scotland ever thinking that they came from a single tribe. Otherwise the article is just a set of platitudes that could be assigned to any group.
Perhaps he just does a search and replace every couple of years and submits as a new analyst’s report to the Strategic Studies Institute.
Its exhausting trying to keep up with this, let alone actually pursuing every facet of accountability around this debacle. I sincerely doff my cap to you sir for your tenacity, rigour, persistence and stamina. Thank you
The whole thing stinks, keep up the good work Stu.
Thanks for doing this. COPFS is looking so corrupt it’s quite breathtaking (and really, really disturbing).
Kudos for fighting the good fight( as manky shirt sang in his latest podcast).
Most of us are reduced to just hoping the unnacountables get a wee bit of bad karma.
Less Nico, more Travis Bickle might work.
Not.
Neatly done, Mr Campbell. I’m sure you don’t expect an answer since they have created a trap of illogicality for themselves which your questions expose. How can they answer? Only with more obfuscation & surely they must reach a threshold of frustration in trying to defend an indefensible position.
How innocent our dreams from pre-indyref days seem now. After the sadness of September 2014 and the seeming recovery of the Yes movement, I had misgivings about how things would hold together if the timescale to achieving independence was too drawn-out.
Now so much has been revealed recently to discredit our body politic, including the justice system, that I despair. We are not so special after all. If we do get to independence it will be a herculean task to clear out these Scottish stables in the aftermath.
OT
Football players are COVID tested twice per week. The Celtic fella is clearly negative or contact tracing would be underway and the impact would reach Kilmarnock.
So, we have a negative player, but still have matches cancelled.
That is the very definition of a punitive approach. That’s how Dictatorships work.
Anyone still trying to figure out what’s happening or still believes ii’s all about COVID should have a wee think about that. Punishment. And blanket punishment at that. Don’t do as we say on COVID or break our rules – punishment is the order of the day. Players now, employees next week, non-conformists the week after that.
NS is fitting the description of a Dictator extremely well – turns out the loyal orange and bitter knuckle-dragging unionists got at least one thing right.
Stu, well done for all your efforts on this. It will be like the pebble in the water and lead to a tsunami which I hope will bring down the whole rotten edifice.
As for Kirsty Wark and Dani Garavelli, heaven forbid, but should anyone close them be charged with something they did not do, then found NOT guilty in a court even after the most vicious press coverage before, during and after.
Even after trial the media types still pursue them and retry them on TV and in newspapers, hoping even yet to defame AS and do so without any regret just to vent their anger at not getting the verdict they wanted.
I hope they never have reason to realise how unfeicit they have been in bringing an innocent man before the courts and be subject to their hatred and abuse.
Has anyone ever heard of someone getting a NOT guilty verdict in a court of law but still being allowed to have the case raked over and retried in the court of public opinion by the media.
Ooft! That’s a fine strategic combination of accurate hits thrown by Campbell pushing his opponent back towards the ropes.
The neutral judges can’t fail to have noticed that onslaught and add points to their scorecards in favour of Campbell.
One ponders if Miller will have the time to recover enough to fudge together a coherent response.
Is there are referee that will step in and call the bout a technical knock-out on the basis that Miller and team are in no fit state to continue as unable to adequately defend their position.
How many rounds was this bout scheduled for?
#BoxingClever
‘unfeicit’ don’t know where that came from should be UNFAIR
Some people have mentioned the scary word ‘accountability’ and this is exactly what they are running from.
Having important jobs such as these with no accountability is just fucking ridiculous. They should be sacked and replaced with people that are willing to do the job properly for us, because it’s us they are working for (or not as the case may be).
Give them their jotters and a boot up the arse as they leave.
I am getting heart and soul sick of the rotten burgh that the police, the crown are.
You are doing an excellent job Rev Stu exposing this. Democracy plays absolutely no part in a system like this. It is a state of abuse and an abuse of power every but as much as putting a gun to someone’s head and pulling the trigger.
Keep up the very good work. It is appreciated by many.
From second quote…
“the dangers that would be inherent in any constitutional position that allowed politicians to direct the work of the prosecution system, and of the courts”
But no-ones asking for that. Stop fudging the issue. It’s about asking questions and seeking clarification. If you can’t see the difference, should you be in that role?
The postcode teachers have gamed the SQA exam system (which was there for the taking) and closed the attainment gap in the process.
The Daily Record uses ‘eviscerates’ in a headline.
Professional football is finally exposed as an over-hyped, expensive sham.
Wings has become the official opposition at Holyrood.
Too much excitement – it’s a darkened room for me.
Nicola Sturgeon serving Scotland.
That is to say, she’s serving Scotland to the locusts, so they can dine at their leisure.
All good letters. I hope you get something interesting back.
Whole creaking edifice that is the Scots legal system reeks worse than the oxters of manky shirt’s manky shirt.
Fancy winding up the bastards who work against us?
An open thread, ‘enemies of the people ‘ ?
Just a bit of fun.
🙂
Repeat:
How can society obtain accountability if nothing is willing to take responsibility.
Stuart, marvelous letter . Vintage Rev Stu. I actually got a wee disco in my briefs reading it. Get stuck in to them. Let’s see if the smoke screens start to lift with the pressure coming on. I bet a couple of journlists sphincters are twitching like a rabbits noses now.
Swinney has just apologised and is reinstating the original estimates.
He said he gave the SQA direction and is accepting responsibility.
Sorry, but he has to resign. Education is one of the keystones of government.
But as I said earlier, I think there are internal forces at work. He is being thrown under the bus to save votes next year.
What is worrying is why it took nearly a week when they surely knew there would be a fallout.
This is outrageous, well done Stu for highlighting this.
Scotland’s MSM have done nothing about this. To their eternal shame.
And what is our justice secretary ( Humza Yousaf) doing about this ? Obviously pushing through his ‘stop free speech and further favour the woke’ bill. He has got to go.
So now the BBC will do a programme about Salmond and the women will feature in it
Prediction 1: sobbing, I was devastated, I have been ostracized by those around me, I have been so let down since he got off.
Prediction 2: what will not me mentioned. The jury did not believe any of you, the jury believed you worked in a conspiracy, your evidence was rubbish and the assaults’ you claim, did not happen, the civil service called you on the phone and put you up to it. The jury was predominantly female from Edinburgh one of the most anti Salmond areas of Scotland (ie voted no)
Prediction 3: the news and MSM will pick up and repeat the most salaciously allegations and focus on crimes against women and bad men in power
Looks like the powers that be will be gathering round to fire up the Sturgeon/Salmond war to undermine the SNP
Hundred idiots living up to his name again.
It can take up to 14 days for Covid to develop!
I.e. 2 tests in the first week clear and first test of week 2 clear
Still allows you to have full blown Covid at the end of week 2.
That player’s actions were completely idiotic.
Is he a relative?
Just listening to John Swinney.
.
Apologising profusely for getting the exam moderation wrong every pupil moderated down is to have their grade assessment reinstated.
Certainly a reversal from the First Minister’s arrogant ‘ credibility ‘ response of only a few days ago. So, about turn, and whilst there may be pupils creeping through because of grade inflation, this after all was only one years marking based upon exceptional circumstances.
And now I listen to the crowing windbags in the Labour Party……..and Iain Gray calling for resignation. Makes you fucking boak.
@Beaker
If I was at school the previous years I would now be questioning if the estimates were correct this year then why were they wrong in my year if I received a lower grade, it must have been the exam that was at fault.
Court reports of the trial identify at least two women. The journalists are not sanctioned. Craig Murray, Mark Hirst and various Twitter users are singled out for the attention of the Court and Salmond Unit Police.
The ‘Alphabet’ women and their pet journalists do not get the result they want so are given platforms to repeatedly plead their case. They then identify one or more women and this is put into print.
The Rev points this out and asks why this is allowed. No one will take any responsibility for any decisions relating to the trial or decisions made subsequently. The Rev is sent into the nine circles of Hell.
In the meantime, the offending paragraph by the sanctified Dani Garavelli cannot be reprinted by the Rev. It remains in print however. They obviously think by removing the offending paragraph this would draw attention to it a la Streisand effect.
So we all have to pretend we cannot see it?
Really?
Scottish unionist stooges doing what scottish unionist stooges do best, Taking betty’s shilling.
Well ,Well ,I now call you “ the brave one “
Well done to you , it must be tempting to drop it considering how much work you put in to keep track of it all , your perseverance even in the light of the threatening court actions experienced by others is admirable , chapeau.
Patience is required , cornering those who tell lies puts them under extreme pressure , the COPFS will sooner or later instruct a top official to take control of responses to you.
Shug 3.27. If so then alex salmonds lawyers should be watching this programme and the ebc very very carefully.
As expected the SNP caving in over exam results where passes were higher than normal anyway. There is an appeal system which they could have accelerated where required to ensure students unfairly awarded lower grades than they expected would have these grades raised back to what their own teachers gave them. Pass grades have now been raised so the rise in performance is ridiculously high for this year and already some “experts” say that they are now devalued.
Sadly John Swinney should resign as his standing is now weakened with all in education both professionals, students and their families.
The SQA are wholly responsible for this ridiculous situation, Nicola Sturgeon should not have accepted blame that was not the government’s to take. Nicola has by her actions “thrown” John Swinney “under a bus” and made his position untenable.
Still on a positive note, higher passes have now reached amazingly high rates. Probably the best levels ever.
Swinney does’nt have to resign. Cummings never did.
The scottish judicial system has always been unionist and corrupt to the core. Well done stu for exposing the dirty scab that it is. A stain on Scotland.
Go get them Stu. You’re worth every penny. And if you don’t donate to Wings this article alone should convince you to do so.
BBC and upper reaches of SNP now all cosy. Why? To squash independence. This absolutely stinks and shame on the troughers who’ve got us mugs to chap doors to keep them in their comfy well paid jobs. I really hope I’m wrong but this is like labour fast-tracked. Save for some remarkable SNP politicians who speak out the rest really should be hanging Their heads in shame over this stitch-up of not only Alex Salmond, but also of the independence of Scotland which is the raisin d’etre of the SNP. You wouldn’t know it these days.
Effijy,
is the Kilmarnock team in lockdown then?
I must have missed that bit……or the cancellation of games from a fortnight from his return……must have missed that bit too.
@Shug 3.27
There is an election coming so those women and men who believed a Salmond conviction would help their ambitions will be even more desperate now that we are seeing them for what they are.
At the root of all this is a power struggle and those who would go to the lengths they did have shown they will say or do anything for that power.
It will be interesting to see the route Kirsty Wark takes. Will she identify herself as a believer who thinks a miscarriage of justice was done? Or will she give both sides and let the viewer see why, with all the evidence available, these women were not believed by a group of their peers?
@jfngw says:
11 August, 2020 at 3:35 pm
“If I was at school the previous years I would now be questioning if the estimates were correct this year then why were they wrong in my year if I received a lower grade, it must have been the exam that was at fault.”
Ooh, good point. I’m surprise no one brought that up, although I didn’t stop to listen to them, too busy.
The whole handling of it has been a bit of a shambles tbh. What is going to be of interest is what wee Patrick Harvie does on Thursday. He’s in an even worse position that Swinney. I predict a reverse ferret.
No doubt wark will ‘interview’these women whose faces will be blacked out. Bet she wont be interviewing the mostly female jury members.
Of course there might even be a big reveal whereby the Alphabet women ‘bravely’
talk of why having their machiavellian plotting to wreak revenge for thwarted political ambition discovered, has destroyed their lives.
Republicofscotland says:
11 August, 2020 at 1:36 pm
“The dangerous amateurism of the Scottish government should now horrify us all”
I’d say more like planned obfuscation by the departments…
Same difference in my personal experience. The one would not survive long without the other.
@Beaker
What should have been done in my opinion, not worth anything in reality, is every downgraded assessment should have been individually reassessed, there needed to be some comparison of the teachers predictions. I understand this has a huge time constraint problem for university admission but I think many employers will view these awards with scepticism.
Headline ‘Record qualification award passes achieved by not having any exams’.
Lost some confidence in the SNP on this, they put their popularity above the integrity of the Scottish qualification system.
Wouldn’t the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service be answerable to the um… Crown?
A wee letter to Betty at Buck House would probably clear all this nonsense up.
SilverDarling
Its Kirsty Wark!!
You know the one the goes on holiday with Lord Jack the socialist and has a safe with a video of Donald Dewar saying some odd things about the Scottish Parliament that she would not release and has been earning a good living from the BBC ever since
There is clearly no justice system in this country – judges with ick and mix contempt cases, Salmond police teams and corrupt journalists
Great stuff Stu as one of the nine I salute you
@Shug
I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt but you are probably right.
In fact what the hell am I thinking, Kirsty wark, BBC Shortbread – it will be a massive stitch up. I should know better by now!
Though the mills of God grind slowly; Yet they grind exceeding small.
Wait a cotton pickin’ minute.
Downgraded results up = Bad Algorithm/Good Teacher
Upgraded results stay the same = Good Algorithm/Bad Teacher.
Is that right?
What are the post codes of the 7% getting to keep their unexpected improvements? I’m sure we’ll have a Greeny or Tory person on shortly to demand an inquiry into this. Wouldn’t be non-deprived areas would it?
Naw couldnt’t be.
Given such disturbing and unacceptable gaping disparities (re. fundamentally opposed interpretations of statutory role, duty & Rule of Law), it is absolutely imperative that all such responsible Actors address their complicity in this MATTER OF HIGH PUBLIC INTEREST – as a MATTER OF PUBLIC PRIORITY:
COPFS
HM Inspectorate of Prosecution in Scotland
Police Scotland
Scottish Government
Hey, Daily Record, Daily Mail, Guardian, The (laughingly titled) ‘Scots’man, The Herald, and especially, the liars at the BBC in Scotland, THIS and earlier related pieces, is ACTUAL journalism.
Well done REV. This whole contempt affair stinks to high heaven. They couldn’t get Salmond, so went after his supporters.
It is wholly undemocratic, and just exactly the same as the kind of nonsense endured in undemocratic rogue states all over the world. Ditto, the administrative run-around and non-answers you are getting.
It beggars belief that anybody thought for one second, that legal action could be pursued against individuals for minor transgressions, where large eminent publications and fully paid so-called’ journalists’ could meanwhile act with impunity.
Meanwhile, in a further descent into legal chaos, the lying BBC in Scotland are planning to air a smear piece this week, about the Salmond trial. Of course, it will be from a one-sided perspective only. I do hope his lawyers will be watching.
My god, they really fear Mr. Salmond. They are utterly terrified of him.
This is the kind of thing which you expect in communist dictatorships, with corrupt governments. It makes a mockery of any notion of rule of law in Scotland, aided and abetted as it is by the English-controlled colonial broadcaster.
In my opinion, I just do not know how anybody can work for the BBC and not hang their head in shame. It is nothing short of a state propaganda outfit – directly funded and manipulated by Downing street.
The union really is falling apart. When it does, all of these scoundrels should be run out of town.
I hope the kids who would’ve worked sufficiently hard to achieve good results take comfort in their less studious colleagues walking out with exactly the same grades.
What a crock…
…and our ‘esteemed’ SNP MP’s and MSP’s say nothing. Corruption staring them in the face. Of course, they all have their careers to think of, don’t they.
All ways of assessing student performance are flawed.
A one-off exam penalizes anyone who, for instance, has a migraine on that day. Coursework assessment by teachers who know the students is vulnerable to personal bias (in either direction).
That’s why, presumably, we have a hybrid approach, with estimates, exams, and adjustment, with the potential for appeal.
This year, estimates are based on half to two thirds of the course. Depending on the subject, a student’s ability to build on that fraction of the syllabus might be what determines the eventual result.
It seems that the overall “standard” is significantly higher than in previous years; not only does that call into question results in those years, and/or potentially lead employers and admissions tutors to be sceptical about this year’s results, it also prepares a rod for the government’s back next year.
We all hope that by the summer of 2021, we’ll be back to the standard assessment process. It’s likely that the pass rate will revert to “normal”.
“Oh look!” all the opposition parties will cry “the SNP (I’m assuming they’ll still be in government then) have just presided over the biggest ever decline in exam results”.
Further to Shug’s comment about Kirsty Wark and Donald Dewar, this is only some of what may elicit concern about her impartiality:
link to archive.is
Simply put she had evidence that she would not release for the subsequent Parliamentary inquiry regarding the overspend on the Scottish Parliament because she was involved in the commision of it.
‘…BBC Scotland refused, citing the corporation’s traditional reluctance to release untransmitted footage, and claiming that it was protecting sources. Its arguments have been angrily dismissed by proponents of every shade of political opinion, from the former SNP leader Alex Salmond to the Scottish Conservative leader, David McLetchie. What is the problem for Wark? Salmond summed it up in a letter to The Scotsman: “The real problem is that the documentary being produced for the BBC by the Wark Clements company is part and parcel of the Holyrood project itself, rather than an objective piece of journalism.”…’
Will she give him a fair hearing? I doubt it. I remember seeing her at the end of the trial trying to push a microphone in his face to get a quote for what must be her documentary.
Great Questions.
Now its been announced that some of the women have recorded a documentary, if the Murray case is not immediately thrown out on the premiss that the court closed with the case, it might be worth adding a PS (copied to the Defence) to ask when the ladies themselves will be charged with contempt!
I failed my physics O Grade in 1989 , if i winge and moan and stamp my feet and cry `unfair unfair wah wah wah` will the SNP cave in and give me an upgrade,
if i had passed physics i could have gone to Edin Uni and still been in debt to Edin Uni,
the more that pass the grades the more that can enter Uni `ching ching` says Uni.
Robert Louis @ 5.13
“……. all of these scoundrels should be run out of town.” Its not enough Robert. Post independence there should be multiple investigations into the conduct of individuals who have abused positions of power and trust for their own benefit and that of their union masters. Prosecutions and prison sentences should follow for the worst offenders.
In the meantime it would not do any harm to send that message to Wark, the alphabet liars and others.
eh Stu
Face down in a dark alley or
Disappeared forever
phone and computer gone
yer pushing it Stu but the best of luck
i hope you have a secure exit arranged
suggest you get some account you can access funds securely because cash won’t get you far now
Crowdfund it would be a pleasure mate all the best
I see the capitulation of the SNP government on SQA results as a good thing, in that they can be forced to change course if enough folk complain about something, we should bear this in mind when the time comes on independence if Sturgeon reneges on her every fibre of my being wants independence speech just last week.
“Same difference in my personal experience. The one would not survive long without the other.”
Breeks, possibly, though the former isn’t by plan unlike the latter which is surely by design.
@Scot Finlayson
You sat an exam and failed. Todays SQA candidates were not allowed to sit any exams and had their grade based on the past results of their school, not their own endeavours throughout the year.
University was free across the UK for “ordinarily resident” students from 1962 – 1998 with a means tested grant. If you managed to run up debt to Edinburgh Uni in 1989 (having gained entry with an O grade in Physics !) that would have been quite an achievement – but that was not the point you were making, was it?
I liked the football analogy Stu better than another football analogy I heard today. I am correct in saying that a fairly selected jury analysed all the evidence in the Alex Salmond case and he walked a free man. So why are the BBC conducting an interview with the complainants? Did they asked Alex for his input? If they didn’t how can that be a balanced documentary?. I did say I would comment on the exam results situation today. Looking at all the options. I have to say the SG arrived at the correct solution. Grade inflation was the lesser of the evils. Excellent article by yourself Stu.
“Mike d says:
11 August, 2020 at 3:55 pm
Swinney does’nt have to resign. Cummings never did.”
Mike.
Swinney won’t need to resign over Labours vote of no confidence, the SNP gave the Greens what they wanted, so they’ll prop up Swinney if there’s a vote.
Great work Stuart, great work, thankyou!
Honest John Swinney.
I admire the soft spoken integrity of the man.
I’ve only ever seen him lose his temper once.
So, the gang of three want his head?
Pathetic.
Look yourselves in the mirror and say
‘We are doing this for Scotland’
And try not to laugh or look away.
SilverDarling
Re your post about Wark and Dewar
I remember seeing Dewar on the late night shuttle back to Glasgow , he had to be pointed out to me , the impression I got was of a disheveled tramp a scrawny insignificant article if ever there was one , and that bloody eyesore of a statue should have been scrapped long ago after the dirty tricks he played on gullible Labour voters, The pish he was instrumental in re establishing the Scottish parliament must be the laugh of the century.
That con artist along with Blair were dragged kicking and screaming by the Council of Europe to enact devolution they threatened expulsion from the European Community if this directive wasn’t complied with, Labour supporters still cling to the belief Donald brought them Devolution , also the same bloody fairy tale that the SNP gave us Thatcher when it was actually Labour MPs that knifed Callahan not the SNP , this is the lies Labour members cling too, a sad bunch, out of power,out of touch and totally bloody delusional . Rant over .
Very well thought out replies, and I hope they answer promptly this time.
It does appear to be that our government and justice services are trolling – they are trying to force people into identifying the accusers, otherwise why allow all those articles to remain? Baiting maybe rather than trolling. I would almost feel sorry for the accusers, if I didn’t believe they were complicit in the ruse.
Interesting that little is said about the person who dropped out as witness/accuser and those charges dropped – I wonder if an interesting tale would be told there?
Watch now with shock and amazement when nothing happens. You might even get a copy-paste response.
pure dead brilliant, Rev.
wish I had your patience, turn of phrase (without swearing ?) and doggedness.
Just heard that Dani Garavelli has a programme on BBC2 the following night called “Scotland’s Uncivil War”
Coincidence? Nah, me neither.
A cautionary note to Patrick Harvie and the scottish green party , be very very careful what side of the fence you are on if the exam results fallout comes to a vote
people have long memories
Robert Graham says
It’s ok Ross Greer is in full control of the situation. A drop out of Uni himself pontificating on the life chances of others. I would say an election just now would reduce their 6 MSPs to 1. Or none if a proper Indy party went on the list. And this is a lesson for the SNP. No life experience, no work experience don’t make good legislators.
I don’t know if John Swinney should resign or not,,,not bothered one way or the other.
But posters above tell us of how nice and gentle a man he is.
He was leader of the SNP for fuck sake.
What has Swinney done to further the cause of Scottish Independence???
I’ll tell you what this softly spoken, gentle person has done for Scottish Independence, he has done Fuck all.
I posted yesterday that Scots are far too nice and they need to start getting angry,,,and a perfect example of this “niceness” is John fuckin Swinney.
Swinney is a career politician.
He never has, and never will, do anything to further the cause of Scottish Independence.
Now isn’t this an opportune time for Sturgeon? She convinces wee Patrick to vote in favour of the no confidence motion. Then next week holds one in the Government, which again wee Patrick agrees to. Then she can call an election and solve all the Brexit problems which Blackford et al have promised to resolve.
Or does she love the daily grandstanding (sorry, briefing) too much?
@Beaker
I think I can confidently predict there is more chance of Red Rum winning its fourth Grand National than the SNP going for an election.
Beaker says
No brainer I am afraid. The centre of Scottish politics is Sturgeon. Why give up the power. The Greens are expendable. Thrown under a bus like many before them.
Cheers Beaker
I needed a laugh.
Fabulous plan, it would also let NS go gracefully, but I fear the ministerial car is just too comfy to let go.
Bob Mack @ 7.31 pm
I looked up about the Dani Garvelli programme and it’s on Radio 4 on the Tuesday at 8.00 pm after Kirsty Wark’s programme on the Monday night .
link to bbc.co.uk
I’ve posted the link to the programme but I’ve not archived the link as when I did archive it , it didn’t show the full details .
It’s not a coincidence it’s a conspiracy .
I’ve gone back and checked the bbc website and interestingly enough the Kirsty Wark programme is also being shown in England , Wales and Northern Ireland usually Scottish produced programmes don’t get shown outside of Scotland .
Again the whole thing stinks . I hope Alex has a good team lawyers .
Me @ 8.31 pm
I hope Alex has a good team * OF * lawyers .
So if you’ve been downgraded the assessment was wrong, if you’ve been upgraded the assessment is correct, and somebody said 2+2 cannot equal 5, not sure I can believe that now. When you are in an election year anything is possible, ‘how many lights can you see’?
Just a reminder there hasn’t been a single covid related death in Scotland in almost a month, covid wards and hospitals in general are empty, and the cases discovered in the so called “spike” are fine, most probably never even noticed that they had it.
So its strange that nicolas daily briefings have been getting ever more outrageous and hysterical over this past week, and I am sure I am not the only one who has noticed this. Every day she gets up there and starts banging on about people not following her ridiculous and futile rules and threatens serious consquences like some sort of calvinist preacher. When she was “furious” and nearly brought to tears by those Aberdeen football players going out I thought they must have been running around spitting in peoples faces all night to justify nicolas reaction, but all it looked like was a few guys having a drink at a quiet table, am I really supposed to be outraged by this? And now they are threatening to shut down football because someone went to spain and tested negative, like thats a reasonable and rational response.
Meanwhile nicolas campagin of eradication against the private sector continues and no one bats an eye. Soon enough we will only have the public sector and formerly furloughed but now unemployed left.
Poor Alex. Tried by the government. That failed. Tried by the newspapers. That failed. Tried by the Courts. That failed.
Retried by the newspapers. That failed. Now to be retried by television. How innocent do you have to be?
Tannadice Boy says:
I would say an election just now would reduce their 6 MSPs to 1.
————-
if a new indy list party gains any traction at all in the next holyrood election, i think the greens will be lucky to get any list seats
if the greens do bring down the government, good. they will get the blame for the opportunism and causing chaos during the pandemic. not the snp.
Thanks, Stuart, for persuing this.
However, it could be entirely possible for the Lord Advocate to be responsible to the Scottish Parliament for the setting up and administration of the systems of prosecution of crime, but answerable to no-one for individual decisions to prosecute. The more I think about it, the more I think that this is the right and proper way of doing things.
The now infamous cat says.
You didn’t read my comments in full. They will not bring down the Government. Listen in future please. The Greens will be the biggest losers in an election. Harvie has a personal vote a potent advantage but he also is vulnerable. An Indy list vote will wipe them all out ala SSP. 9 months salary come on? Easy decision keep things going. I am definitely looking forward to Ross Greer getting a real job. He will struggle.
bipod@8.45pm
I have completely avoided all Covid related tv including the briefings and mainstream news so I’ll have to take your word for it as regards her recent performances (for that is what they are).
She seems to be modelling herself on that lunatic in charge of New Zealand.
However the majority remain bamboozled and the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party we’re all living through shows no sign of ending, indeed in a few weeks when the seasonal flu starts as usual, the hysterics will start all over again.
Meanwhile just across the water in Sweden sanity prevails.
I have never listened to any of Nicola’s daily sermons from the mount, but that’s a couple of times I’ve heard people talking about her tears.
Two options here, one, she’s milking it for sympathy, two, she’s losing it.
Either way, not good for leader.
I did hear that she was going to feature in the Wark stitch up.
That would be unforgivable IMO
@bipod,
think you may have been watching the Janey Godley voice overs of Nicola,
not sayin what Janey says isn`t what Nicola would like to say.
The SNP sensibly decided to make everyone happy by adjusting the “exam” assessments. For students with overly beneficial results, the course work of their chosen study will test them.
The SQA and it’s algorithm are the body to be questioned, not John Swinney.
And poor Ms Millar of the Fiscal’s office.
Kirsty Wark’s programme next week on the Salmond trial will be extremely interesting.
Big test for Kirsty.
@jfngw says:
11 August, 2020 at 8:43 pm
“So if you’ve been downgraded the assessment was wrong, if you’ve been upgraded the assessment is correct,”
I really haven’t been paying attention. In all seriousness I think this has caused a hefty bit of damage to the Scot Govt. When wee Patrick goes with the Govt vote tomorrow (as expected) he can kiss most if not all of his MSPs goodbye.
He’s already responsible for forcing the workplace carpark tax (or whatever the fuck it is called). I’m just surprised Glasgow hasn’t implemented it yet.
This is dynamite – check out Kenny Macaskill speaking on Alex trial, independence, the NEC and other stuff! Well done to the “twa auld heids”.
link to facebook.com
Vellofello @ 9.28
“The SQA and it’s algorithm are the body to be questioned, not John Swinney.”
I’m afraid John Swinney (one if the few genuine allies of Alex Salmond left in government ) has been thrown under the proverbial bus with this debacle and he knows it.I expect his resignation will follow.
Fabulous letters. You won’t get an answer of course. Not one that makes any sense anyway. But if nothing else you will be annoying them. You just wish you could get every one of them lined up together for some cross examining by a good QC. Their explanations are as watertight as a sieve.
If Nicola is being overwhelmed by all things Covid at the moment, then why doesn’t she appoint a Health Minister, say Jean Freeman, and let Nicola deal with all things Brexit and Indy related???
I am sure a competent Health Minister could hold daily briefings to let us know of any important health related issues.
Poor Ms Sturgeon could take a well earned holiday, come back and attack the Tories head on regarding Brexit and indyRef2.
Or is Sturgeon the control freak she is rumoured to be???
Tannadice Boy says:
The now infamous cat says.
I forgot tae tell ye, my uncle was one o’ the famous fife, hib hib hibbies 🙂
@Walter Jones at 7:47 pm
Swinney as leader moved the party to the right , a few didn’t like the move and left, some did return when Salmond made a comeback
I wondered if that’s why Sturgeon kept him on to appease the SNP tories (there are a good few on the benches)
Does the new Raj/Colonial HQ in the “Northern Territories” also have dungeons or cells for re-education purposes?
It’s not easy for kwizerlings to get the hang of things.
link to twitter.com
@Walter Jones
Or is Sturgeon the control freak she is rumoured to be???
I believe that is the case
Jgalt- Why are you saying sanity prevails in Sweden (5,770 deaths) and not neighbouring Norway (256 deaths)?
I admire your tenacity rev.
These people make me sick.
Can you continue your complaint to link to spso.org.uk?
The three in charge seem to be:
Rosemary Agnew
Niki Maclean
JohnStevenson
I see Kirsty Wark now has a 1 hour documentary on The Alex Salmond Trial BBC 2 next week
“Can you continue your complaint to link to spso.org.uk?”
No. SPSO is a purely advisory body with no power.
The now infamous cat says
The famous five what’s that situation got to do with Enid Blyton? Actually when I was doing my family tree I found out I was related to the mighty Quinn on my mums side. Never helped me on the fitba pitch. Genealogy leads to lots of surprises.
Tannadice Boy says:
Enid Blyton? maybe the arabs could sign him fae clachnacudden, free transfer mind 🙂
The infamous Cat says
Clacknacudden.Hugh strategic mistake in not joining the other two clubs now called Inverness Caley. Reminds me of the Greens.
Stonefree 10.21pm
John Swinney has got to be one of the most boring men on the planet.
And that is just as a human being.
Those same credentials were evident during his stint as SNP leader, and you’re right, he did keep the Tartan Tory members of the SNP happy.
Sturgeon has him as number two for a reason.
She knows he is a gradualist, in every sense of the word.
What a pair of roasters we have leading the charge for Independence.
Sturgeon and Swinney,,, please just go.
@Terry 9:42 pm
Kenny MacAskill was Excellent
@Tannadice Boy says:
11 August, 2020 at 11:03 pm
My favourite team is Cove Rangers. With a couple of exceptions, they were a dead cert on the fitba coupon last year. Not great odds but good for a wee accumulator.
I think nature has surpassed Edinburgh cooncil`s wee festival laser show,
some thunder and lightning spectacle going on.
Beaker says
I am worried about the so called wee clubs. Big shake out of Scottish Football coming up.
Walter Jones says
I would agree I listened to 2 public speeches of John Swinney. He can’t hold an audience. It’s not for me to say whether he should go but he has had a good run at the public trough.
Pete Wishart @PeteWishart
the times latest poll.
yoon trolls on wings in melt down
snigger
SNP support at 57%. Yes an unprecedented 57%. The simple fact is that the Scottish people very much approve of SNP Government. Now can we all unite and win this.
wait for it
incoming
“the times is an snp mouth piece”
nicola and pete are gods of the indy movement, we should be crowd funding statues in homage.
ha ha ha ha ha ha
Bravo Rev. Keep on going.
@JGedd, 2.25
“Now so much has been revealed recently to discredit our body politic, including the justice system, that I despair. We are not so special after all. If we do get to independence it will be a herculean task to clear out these Scottish stables in the aftermath.”
Don’t despair, JGedd. We’re just like any other colony with resources which the coloniser wants. I recently came across a quote from Arundhati Roy
“In a country like India, the British were only able to rule the country because they had completely co-opted the elite of the country, who did the work for them.”
It is useful to see the extent of the rot which is what the Rev is exposing.
@Ottomanboi, 1.21
How interesting that Dr Ibrahim has resurfaced at this point in time. He last had visibility when the YES campaign was gaining momentum. As I recall, his advice was to make the most of devolution to solve Scotland’s problems. His Scotland Institute, founded in June 2012, seems to have ceased activity in June 2016. So now, he is warning of the evils of nationalism. He is a Research Fellow for the Strategic Studies Institute, a US Army think tank. I think the UK equivalent is the Royal United Services Institute, the think tank for the British Army/military intelligence.
The infamous Cat says
Sure. That’s is good news. But WOS is
challenging the SNP version of Scotland and that is why I read his articles. When you have a daily platform due to Covid then it would be a surprise if they didn’t have a massive lead. I am not convinced especially about the intention of having an Indy vote. Too much vested interest.
Cat
You forgot to mention that 50% of those who vote SNP are Unionists.
Sorry to burst your bubble numbnut.
Stu
Keep going. I don’t have the time to check everything out. You are doing it for me. I have had a particularly hard day. Something I hope Ross Greer encounters soon. I admire you just a pity you support COYR.
Beaker says:
My favourite team is Cove Rangers
————–
Na, canny be, i only ken one cove rangers supporter, 🙁
the position of annoying talking donkey is already taken beaker ??
57% for yes and 57% for the snp :O
maybe wos should start crowd funding for a nicola sturgeon statue?
I mean, there’s a great deal of arse kissin’ comin’ yer way folks…
ye’re gonnae huv tae start somewhere. ken?
snigger 🙂
The infamous Cat says
Go to bed.
Tannadice Boy says:
Go to bed.
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha,
ah canny sleep, the warld is endin’ ootside, wie’ a bang
ye ken, during indyref1, i only really posted on the telegraph and the guardian along wi’ the likes o conan, heedtracker and dadsarmy, i liked the cut and thrust o’ the debate. i very rarely commented on wings, it was too much like the fuckin’ waltons, “night night tannadice, gros besoux a’ dogbreath etc”
i much prefer the new wings 🙂
SC,
It’s fantastic that support for independence is rising.
We should probably thank Boris and Dominic for the push towards self determination.
I would be curious to know what the SNP are going to do with a majority of people in Scotland demanding independence?
A) Hold a referendum before the end of this term of government.
B) Nothing.
C) Make HE 2021 a plebiscite for independence if Boris says it’s ok
D) Nothing.
E) Beg Boris to let us have a referendum because if he doesn’t, well er.., people might think he’s a cad. If he still answers “no” to a S30 then the SNP will bring out the big guns and….ask again.
F) Nothing.
What do you think will happen SC?
@breastplate
we could maybe ask twathater to bleed all o’er boris? that’ll dae the trick 🙂
SC,
I understand that a some people are angry with the SNP hierarchy and I think they are entitled to voice their dismay but on the other hand you are correct about a statue for Nicola if she does deliver independence.
Credit where it is due because everybody who plays their part in winning our independence will be remembered as heroes no matter what mistakes they have made or have been perceived to have made.
The Devil himself would deserve a statue if he delivered independence.
Greaaaat Article as usual Stuart further exposing the corruption in our midst
Like Bob Mack I went over to scotgoespop for a wee looksee , MY they don’t like you Stuart , some according to them you have blocked because they disagreed with you and they are obviously so important that you shouldn’t have , james kelly’s snide responses were quite infantile
grizebeard disnae like you either because you banned NANA which is untrue NANA left in a huff after you shouted at her for double posting
You banned Petra, and legerwood left in support of Petra
You banned cubby and he is now getting pelters from the WGD NS apologists because he’s wisened up to the duplicity
The funny thing is that they all know what is happening on here daily and are not slow to continue denigrating your name and posts , for a group who hate you they seem awfully well informed and critical of your posts and readers
From one of your sycophants , one name we have been called , I personally thank you for your numerous exposures of failures and lies carried out by ALL political parties and politicians without fear or favour in our quest for independence
Please don’t let the bastards grind you down , I know it can be hard at times but the truth NEEDS to be told and unfortunately you’re the best at telling it
Hi SC just read your other wee snide comment , I notice you haven’t responded to my other posts asking what you will do now with your proposals , now that NS has just given them the great FU
Oh look NS and the SNP are up to 57%, doesn’t matter a shit if she won’t do anything with it
And BTW are you not due to give us another party political broadcast on behalf of the SNP
SNP @57% in spite of, not because of, NS. Credit goes to BawJaws, Cummings, the clowns in Cabinet and, not forgetting, (hard) Brexit.
But 57%, 67%, 77% matters not – there’ll always be an excuse as to why now is not the time.
ITV News headlines:
“UK students can use their Mock exam results if they are unhappy with their A Level results”
Is this what is known as “Fake News”?
The bastards in england who write these headlines don’t even try anymore to differentiate between England and the UK.
If only we had and SNP Government that had a “media watch” department, where they could keep an eye on english media bias.
But from what I have heard, their leader Nicola Sturgeon spends every waking moment trying to save Scotland from the Corona Virus.
She simply doesn’t have the time to concentrate on ANYTHING ELSE.
are we there yet?
are we there yet?
are we there yet?
🙂
Well well 57% who would have thought even after all the snp bad lately.think it proves the point that only @3% of voters actually use political blogs.if that’s about right think we all have to give nicola credit for where we are today.get ready people independence is on the tracks heading our way.
I am, genuinely, delighted that the SNP is at 57%.
Now is the time to use that strength to strike, not for further SNP control of a devolved assembly, but for Independence.
Tumbleweed.
Not so much Off Topic as off on a kinda tangent to this topic, I have the greatest respect for Rev Stu, but this Herculean effort to topple the sophistry of the “System” reminds me very much of the fifteen years or so when I was trying to get a degree of justice, and armed with all the irrefutable evidence I could ever need. Proof, written there in black and white and signed.
The sophistry is deliberate and designed to make the system impenetrable for ordinary people. I had salvo after salvo of questions which the crooks I was after could not answer without admitting their own corruption. I had them bang to rights. Except I didn’t. I believed in justice, and that was my undoing. Throughout the entire process, they had the advantage of knowing the justice I believed in was complete fiction.
When asking nicely fails, you call for an overseer or management to step in. When that fails, you write to the boss. When that fails you try the Ombudsman or Regulator. When that fails you go to the Ombudsman’s “Independent Assessor”. When that fails you go to your MP. When that fails you try to shame that MP with their disregard for the Ministerial Code of Conduct. You keep going, again and again, but never get anywhere. And why do you go through these hoops? – Because you’ve got the irrefuteable proof which assures you of victory…. (yeah, that is how it works isn’t it?)
It’s around this stage you realise that one layer of sophistry is just as rotten, corrupt and impenetrable as the next. It may be corrupt or rotten in a subtly different way, but when all is said and done, these layers of sophistry look out for each other.
After a while, all the letters you recieve just sound the same, like they could have been written by the same person. “after extenive investigation” or “exhaustive inquiries”, “we are sorry but..” … blah, blah, blah… Same bullshit, different letterhead. Not one of them will break ranks. It’s a jobs for the boys Mafia, and they write letters so they don’t have to look you in the eye when they’re shitting on you.
You’ll notice the one stage I’ve missed out is employing a lawyer. It’s not an oversight. Maybe a lawyer would have helped, but I’ll never know because I simply never had the money to afford a lawyer, and the “system” simply requires that you do. Legal aid? Ah ha ha ha ha!
Crowd funding didn’t exist back then. And we should be in no doubt that crowd-funding legal action will very soon be put under the microscope by the Establishment. It’s like social media, a new and unregulated phenomenon which empowers the little people and threatens the cosy hegemony of the Establishment sleeze bags. That simply won’t do.
Being in the right and suffering an injustice means absolutely nothing to this “system”. This “system” keeps pedophiles out of jail and saved from public disgrace for gods sake. Justice? Justice is merely a veneer they hide behind for appearances sake. The veneer is important because it encourages the unsuspecting majority to believe that without this regime there would be anarchy.
Belief and faith in justice is vital, (just so long as you never actually need to pursue it yourself). Then the illusion is quickly shattered.
It sounds like a sob story, but in all my time, I have NEVER recieved any justice in ANY degree, great or small. Proof didn’t matter. The only comfort there is, is the rare and occassional camaraderie of meeting someone who has been shat on from the same height as you have, and understands your exasperation from first hand experience.
I’ve said it before, Scotland NEEDS an anti-Corruption police force. Maybe something like the FBI in America, where you can “call in the Feds” and the parochial local crooks and rancid political accomplices fill their breeks and burn their records.
Given Scotland’s traditionally supine level of tolerance for endemic corruption, I suspect it would be very difficult to set up a mini army of honest foot soldiers each with the integrity of “The Untouchables” like Elliot Ness during Prohibition, but that’s what’s needed.
We wouldn’t now be waiting on the outcome of a Parliamentary Whitewash which the crooks we know are crooks are allowed to withold evidence concerning the unlawful conspiracy to destroy Scotland ex-First Minister. It would be the Conspirators who’s eyes would be “birlin’ in their heeds” as their contrived and false conspiracy was taken apart and the falacy of their lives as “respectable” citizens systematically dismantled.
Scotland’s “FBI” will never happen sadly. Not while we’re in Union with the UK. But in an Independent Scotland, then maybe, if we put enough work into it, maybe there’s a chance for an Independent Scotland to revel in its reputation for trustworthy integrity and sober justice. But that’s a long journey we haven’t even begun.
Meanwhile, we have to make do with Holyrood… and isn’t that thoroughly depressing?
I don’t post on here much but just want to say that your work on this, is outstanding journalism.
A vote for the SNP does NOT equate to votes for Independence,,,FACT.
Has Sturgeon got the balls to tell all potential voters that a vote for the SNP is a vote for Scotland to have a Referendum on Scottish Independence within a year of them being elected to government???
Or is she going to con the Yes Movement again and string us along for another five years???
And the Unionists just LOVE Sturgeon, they get the best of both worlds right enough. They pick up all of Sturgeon’s freebees, while staying within their beloved Union.
o/t
As predicted by a poster yesterday , sorry can’t give them a mention (memory)
This morning on LBC the English schools minister barefaced lying about the overnight panic changes in English Exam results , the same person was asked in a previous interview he was asked twice to acknowledge the Scottish approach was to be considered and followed , twice he dodged the question , This morning he was perfectly happy to have a right go the way changes had to be made, according to him the English counterpart were getting it better and better thought out
Childish bloody propaganda designed to make Boris look good what a bunch of crooks
Now it has been confirmed the way this Tory government operates ” playing to the gallery ” they govern by opinion poll what makes them look good rather than have a plan , any bloody plan their decisions are made on the hoof , no wonder Cummings wants the Civil Service neutered.
The SNP should be playing that game anticipating anything they do will have a immediate response so start moving the Tory government in the preferred direction , if we say black it’s guaranteed they will say white and do it on a bigger scale , Nicola could have great fun playing them
Breeks
What a terrifying story but it sounds exactly like trying to uphold
A complaint against the BBC.
They have tier after tier of people who pump out the same condescending template
But fear not as you can take it on to another level and get the same letter and frustrations.
It’s like giving a criminal total control over their prosecution.
A gang member is the judge, your gang are the jury, and your mates
Are the character references.
You can take it to a higher court where the same rules apply.
Rev, would a fund raiser assist us in this matter as potentially a QC might
have a greater understanding of loopholes that can be exploited?
I hope votes for the SNP is votes for Jndependence. I’d take an Indy vote from the very devil himself.
Will the 56% vote for Holyrood lead to a referendum? That’s the 64ooo dollar question. Not whether it is big enough of sustained support, but whether Nicola will use it to force a referendum.
That’s the one question we can’t answer positively.
I’m going to stick my neck out and say no.
@Craig Murray
Tumbleweed you say?
mebbe in Edina but I can tell ya that o’er the watter in the kingdom last night the only thing we were missing was the 4 horses of the apocalypse!
Effijy says:
Rev, would a fund raiser assist us in this matter as potentially a QC might
have a greater understanding of loopholes that can be exploited?
—————-
isnt this what craig murray is fighting?
Walter give it a rest we heard you the first 20 times ok we get it you don’t like Nicola, change the bleedn record it’s becoming a bit repetitive , just like a Englishman saying the same boom boom phrase over and over again , it’s maybe amusing the first time but it becomes quickly annoying
Now that the unionists have forced John Swinney to re-assess the exam results, leading to record pass marks, the same lot that have been telling us that the Scottish education system is in tatters.
Who is in the wrong, the unionists for lying about the state of Scotland’s education system or the teacher’s for over marking preliminary exams, it has to be one of them, as the two don’t correspond??
@CIRSIUM
Yes Ibrahim has all the institutional creds for reds under the beds type propagandizing. Give him his due he exposed the Burmese Rohingya genocide, although as policy adviser to Imran Khan his boss was credited with saying he knew nothing of the plight of the Uyghurs, a Muslim ethnicity in China, when interviewed by the BBC’s Mishal Hussein. But Pakistan is a buddy of China hence the ‘diplomatic’ lack of awareness.
The Scotland Institute, despite initial enthusiasm from Scottish parties incl. the SNP seems moribund. A pity. His particular Scottish Islamic interests appear to be still active.
Actually, it is the likes of Azeem Ibrahim we might benefit from having on our side. Unfortunately as with many middle class Pakistani origin people they can be rather too pukka sahib for their own good. Like Scottish Unionism it clouds the vision to the changing political realities.
He’s bright and seems loaded with dosh too!
Brave stuff but you also need to ask yourself two questions:
1. Is it winnable to fight in an arena owned by the opposition?
2. Is it worth winning this one?
They own the law, they have unlimited resources and they can find a way to make life miserable. Maybe better to pick one with better prospects and less risk.
Craig Murray says:
12 August, 2020 at 8:19 am
“I am, genuinely, delighted that the SNP is at 57%.
Now is the time to use that strength to strike, not for further SNP control of a devolved assembly, but for Independence.”
Sorry. Too close to the Holyrood election.
There are preferred candidates to be parachuted, a record to be whitewashed, and an inquiry to be subverted. Busy, busy days. Maybe next year, or after the next Westminster election. I think your being very selfish in trying to complicate Nicola’s triumph of popularity with independence.
Harry mcaye @ 10.45pm
The Swedes made the same mistakes as we did at the beginning in neglecting the care homes – however the difference is that they quickly corrected them.
They have got through this better than us and have kept limitations on personal freedom to a minimum.
They have not destroyed their economy and small business sector and have returned to normality.
They did not close most schools thereby not requiring jiggery pokery with the exam “results”.
Sweden is more comparable with us, it’s more urbanised in the south than any part of Norway therefore I think it is fair to compare them with the UK and Scotland.
London’s man in Scotland Alister Jack opened the new staging post in Scotland yesterday the Hub. Apparently it has the only cabinet office outside of London, the aptly named Queen Elizabeth house, near Waverley station will in my opinion be used to weaken and syphon powers from our own parliament in the not to distant future.
I’d also imagine it will be a listening post to the heavily bugged Holyrood parliament, undermining and not promoting Scotland will be it occupants main goal.
Thanks you Stu for all your efforts.
To COPFS and Police Scotland
and to Ms Evans and her pals in CSS –
‘What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive’
{Sir Walter Scott)
Sorry – I copied the quote above – it should read ‘practise’.
Schrodingers
I did contribute to Craig’s fund but happy to go again.
Rev, you should be overdue a new fund raiser!
With support for indie in latest polling @53% might we now go all out Unionism bashing ie exposing the lies and myths to raise the % beyond the margins of error?
Drop the mask of convention and political respectability FM and get bashing!
57% support for SNP
53% support for independence
link to archive.fo
SNP MP Stewart McDonald and others are attempting to force SNP MSP James Doran to retract an email in which he said a small clique within the party are trying to railroad his selection, but Doran is having none of it and is sticking to his guns, good on you Mr Doran don’t give into them.
This clique should be shown the door with immediate effect.
This shows the sorry state of journalism at the BBC
link to archive.fo
Craig Murray
Thank you, Craig.
The SNP push for independence – hahaha. That fair made me laugh. It’s lifted my spirits just at the right time.
Honestly, I’m no being sarcastic, I found it genuinely hilarious.
I’m no laughing at you, I have the utmost respect for you: I’m laughing at the idea of Imelda and Ferdinand Murrell going for indy.
@schrod cat
Looks to have been quite a night in the east, house behind my daughters in Falkirk struck by lightning, totally ablaze in the photo she sent.
53% in favour of Independence
57% for the SNP in the upcoming Holyrood election.
Just imagine where the Independence movement could be, if it was totally united, and we had a leader prepared to Carpe Diem.
@fdrgw
aye, cowdenbeath has been devastated, damage estimates range from 40, 60, 80 to a pound!!
panic buying has already started, local coopy’s shelves stripped bare of Irn Bru, Pot Noodles and green Rizla papers 🙂
oh, i forgot to say, snp support now at 57% 🙂
@socrates mcsporran
aye, cometh the hour, cometh the man
step forrit oor very ain Rory the Lion 🙂
but 57% eh, no bad eh? 🙂
Scottish judges are a law unto themselves. For decades they have successfully stopped the elected ‘governments’ (altho I use that word guardedly as 75% of Scots ‘governing’ legislation and power resides still and always will, at Westminster) of Scotland from setting up a Scots Judges’ Register of Interests.
COPFS is a stinking cesspit ot injustice presided over by Mi5 approved, public-school, anglophile, staunch nationalists (British) careerists.
breaking
Philip Sim @BBCPhilipSim
Douglas Ross has announced his “shadow cabinet” of spokespeople at Holyrood, which includes Ruth Davidson as “leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP group”. Less than a year on from her resigning as leader of the same group of MSPs…
He clearly hasn’t thought through the abbreviation, has he. 🙂
Of course that 57% means even less list seats for the SNP
List-only indy party, anyone?
@Schrod’s cat
So it could really be 60%, if you are an optimist.
Bad news for some posters they’ll be greetin o’er the bairns into their alka seltzer.
I have just been to the bbc web site and I can’t see 57% mentioned . Silly me of course that means it must be true. You can always count on aunty
Imaging if while on holiday boris gets out and about meeting the people we could be over 60% by the end of the Week
And the fishermen and farmers has still to open their eyes
I suppose the question is do you wait till may or crash the SG now
@schrod’s cat
I never knew why the Tories always put Scottish before things, it’s clear now, SCUM was the better option.
Just received this email…
Update on Peoples Action on Section 30
This morning, as you all know, we filed the motion to 1. Allow the closed record to be formally received by the court. 2. To appoint the case to the procedural roll for consideration of the preliminary pleas. 3. To allow the date to be set for 3 days of hearings.
At around 9.20 am I received an email advising that the Scottish Government have filed a motion in the case (this will be their third) requesting to withdraw and take a neutral position. If accepted by the court, this now means a straight fight between the UK Government and the People of Scotland with respect to section 30.
Things are very much in flux at the moment, so this is as much as I can give you. I do not know what effect this will have with respect to our motion above, but I will advise once I know more about what is going on.
Sincerely
Martin
Why are the Scottish government taking a neutral position. That’s outragous!
SCUM – Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSPs
BCUP – British Conservative and Unionist Party (tits)
DRoss – Leader of the Scottish Conservatives
Baroness Buffalo – Leader-aff of the Holyrood Tories
Blow Job – the UK Prime Minister
Tory party acronyms – the gift that keeps on giving.
Big Jock @ 10.45am
I can (just about) see why the Scottish Government has to take a neutral position.
However, I cannot see any way by which the Scottish National Party can take a neutral position on this, they ought to be in there funding Martin Keatings and giving maximum support.
@Brian Doonthetoon,
I presume he means the Scottish Civil Service as opposed to Holyrood. Clarity required.
That’s more like you Rev, eagerly awaiting your follow up, won’t be easy but the “little man” Can beat the establishment, –eventually!.
SC,
Most people on here are independence supporters, also most people on here are SNP voters.
Being critical of the SNP does not mean they won’t vote for them or for independence.
I’m an SNP voter, I’m also an SNP critic and I’m also an independence supporter.
The SNP is the only vehicle to independence at the moment and I’m critical of its circuitous route of driving us there and cynical that we will reach our destination.
Are we there yet?
Not by a long chalk.
I think we need a list party for this coming HE 2021 as I believe nothing will change regarding the Union before that.
Then in HE 2026 we need that list party to contest the constituency seats also.
But you know SC, if the SNP deliver independence then I will party just as much as you.
Independence could be at 60%, but that pales when compared to NS being 100% focused on the economic legacy of COVID.
Ever the optimist, I am going to put that at 10 to fifteen years.
Maybe after that we can speak about Independence eh?
“What a tangled web we weave, when we first practice to deceive .” (Sir Walter Scott)
This quote was famously posted on the wall of the CID room in Craigmillar Police Station as an admonition to “customers” to tell the truth.
Would the PF Service approve today?
Stu hutch says: at 7:58 am
“Well well 57% who would have thought even after all the snp bad lately.think it proves the point that only @3% of voters actually use political blogs.if that’s about right think we all have to give nicola credit for where we are today.get ready people independence is on the tracks heading our way.”
Re. Those few percent that follow political blogs.
Some of the folk that now slate Wings on certain other sites acknowledged a good while back in their own btl comments on here that a certain policy could be a vote loser and also make it rather difficult for activists to “sell” or more likely the case to defend the policy on the doorsteps of the electorate when out campaigning.
This idea that the public isn’t bothered or concerned about the questionable policies our two “main” supposedly Pro-Indy Parties are pushing is because they are generally not yet aware of them as they have not been weaponised by our adversaries yet.
The term “never interrupt your enemy when they are doing your work for you” rubs both ways, and those who hold the power of broadcasting and run the “newspapers” will put hyperbolic and highly emotive headlines into households across the land as and when they choose the optimum time to do so in an attempt to tarnish our cause.
Shug says:
I suppose the question is do you wait till may or crash the SG now
———–
i’ve been trying to mobilise support for this idea on here for a while but folks too busy gloppin’ awa’ tae CWD’s on pornhub.
————
@Breastplate
I think we need a list party for this coming HE 2021
—————–
nae kiddin’ fit a rare idea
———————-
mike cassidy says:
Of course that 57% means even less list seats for the SNP
List-only indy party, anyone?
—————-
yup, it means more constituency msps for the snp. we really should do some constituency polling down in the south region nearer the time. with 57% support for snp, it might be time to consider standing indy list candidates in that region as well?
————–
Walter Jones says:
A vote for Independence does NOT equate to votes for Independence,,,FACT.
————-
out fuckin’ standing, only a vote for the Heinz 57% is a vote for independence
SC,
I wasn’t suggesting it was a new idea of mine so perhaps you could lose the piss poor attitude.
SC.
I can see you like to answer snippets of other people’s comments but why not step outside your comfort zone and address other aspects of their comments.
Maybe the people of Scotland are ill informed and don’t care to be informed.
Heads in the sand, happy to swallow the blue pill.
Look how long it took them to see through SLAB.
I’ve no idea how this will pan out but I don’t trust NS one little bit
Since Dross is find of acronyms, here’s one for himself.
Conservative & Unionist Northern Toady.
@Socrates MacSporran 10:48 am
Could the reason be, the SNP have tanned in the money that was supposed to be ringfenced?
Where did it go?
@Big Jock
Read the Mr Keatings twitter feed, it looks like some commentators see it as a good thing the Scotgov being neutral. They interpret it as now the People Of Scotland versus the UK Gov, not political but are the people sovereign and is the court going to rule against that (the last bits my interpretation, after my predictions on how the SQA results would be handled, treat with a large pinch of salt).
Stonefree.
Try the end of the rainbow.
the TLA’s are coming think and fast the day 🙂
liz says:
Maybe the people of Scotland are ill informed and don’t care to be informed. Heads in the sand, happy to swallow the blue pill.
———————-
unless it’s just wingers who have swallowed the liquorice torpedo?
Has anyone ever issued a complaint to the court against the continuation of witness anonymity after the case?
If a protected person’s credibility found to be wanting in the trial is that person allowed to be protected from being accused for lying?
I am interested in this section of the law which outlines
‘relevant considerations’ from ‘Criminal Procedures Scotland’
271SRelevant considerations
(1)When deciding whether Conditions A to D in section 271R are met in the case of an application for a witness anonymity order, the court must have regard to—
(a)the considerations mentioned in subsection (2), and
(b)such other matters as the court considers relevant.
(2)The considerations are—
(a)the general right of an accused in criminal proceedings to know the identity of a witness in the proceedings,
(b)the extent to which the credibility of the witness concerned would be a relevant factor when the witness’s evidence comes to be assessed,
(c)whether evidence given by the witness might be material in implicating the accused,
(d)whether the witness’s evidence could be properly tested (whether on grounds of credibility or otherwise) without the witness’s identity being disclosed,
(e)whether there is any reason to believe that the witness—
(i)has a tendency to be dishonest, or
(ii)has any motive to be dishonest in the circumstances of the case,having regard in particular to any previous convictions of the witness and to any relationship between the witness and the accused or any associates of the accused,
(f)whether it would be reasonably practicable to protect the witness’s identity by any means other than by making a witness anonymity order
specifying the measures that are under consideration by the court when allowing an order for anonymity
to be applied and subsequently what should happen if the
accused was found free from guilt on all charge.
This brings into focus the ‘credibility’and’trustworthiness’ of people seeking protection under the act . Should the order be rescinded in such cases as a matter of law?
Why is Kirsty Wark given freedom to interview protected witenesses? Can people who wish to remain anonymous actually choose who they wish to remain anonymous to?
This is very long and I won’t be offended if you choose not to post. BUT I do feel that the anonymity question is ‘questionable’ in a court of law.
Ruth Davidson returns to FMQ’s and leaves with her arse on fire.
“57% for the SNP in the upcoming Holyrood election”
No surprise to me.
Reopened a month ago and have heard mostly positive comments about NS, including from very surprising sources.
Scottish public not frightened of bearded ladies or fretting over SNP candidature.
There’s a surprise.
Of course that could change, but at the moment they are really really not interested, even when I told them about self id.
@SC,
I think that there is plenty of evidence to support Wingers objections to what the SNP are doing ‘re legislation No?
I also think these liqourice torpedoes might just sink your referendum hopes.
Breeks:
I’ve said it before, Scotland NEEDS an anti-Corruption police force. Maybe something like the FBI in America, where you can “call in the Feds” and the parochial local crooks and rancid political accomplices fill their breeks and burn their records.
Given Scotland’s traditionally supine level of tolerance for endemic corruption, I suspect it would be very difficult to set up a mini army of honest foot soldiers each with the integrity of “The Untouchables” like Elliot Ness during Prohibition, but that’s what’s needed.
We wouldn’t now be waiting on the outcome of a Parliamentary Whitewash which the crooks we know are crooks are allowed to withold evidence concerning the unlawful conspiracy to destroy Scotland ex-First Minister. It would be the Conspirators who’s eyes would be “birlin’ in their heeds” as their contrived and false conspiracy was taken apart and the falacy of their lives as “respectable” citizens systematically dismantled.
Scotland’s “FBI” will never happen sadly. Not while we’re in Union with the UK. But in an Independent Scotland, then maybe, if we put enough work into it, maybe there’s a chance for an Independent Scotland to revel in its reputation for trustworthy integrity and sober justice. But that’s a long journey we haven’t even begun.
Answer:
I completely agree with you 100% — except that I honestly believe that, as Scots law has ALWAYS been independent of England, before and after 1707, I think that this is a specific Scottish problem. Maybe I have just read too much “Kidnapped”, but I think it is also a specific “lowland” or “urban” problem.
An indy Scotland needs to do things better and differently. Why just be a miniature rUK? But, even worse… why be MORE corrupt than the rUK? I have lived mostly in Europe and there is just no level of petty cheating as there is in Scotland in the legal class. It is just remarkable.
Personally, I would bar anyone linked to the legal profession from being part of the executive or the representative in an indy Scotland. Why not?
Examples of Scottish lawyers turned politicians: Tony Blair, Donald Dewar, Nicola Sturgeon. I would say that Donald Dewar is the perfect embodiment of sleekit lawyer-politician. His statue SHOULD stand as an “anti-statue” and a message-warning to an indy Scotland.
Hitchcock said
“The MacGuffin is the thing that the spies are after but the audience don’t care.”
jfngw
This Ruth!
link to twitter.com
It looks like the ‘eight in a row’ great brain of Ruth ‘et tu’ Davidson didn’t really think through the consequences of taking an unelected peerage and become the Tories step in leader. Every time she tries to raise accountability her unelected role will be thrown in her face. She was never as clever as she thought she was.
@schrodingers cat
Got plenty to say for yourself with all your wee digs at folk all over this thread. How about you answer Ian Brotherhood’s question to you near the end of the previous thread?
I ask, not to defend Ian coz he’s big & ugly enough to defend himself, because I was going to ask you the same thing but Ian beat me to it.
Apologies if I’ve missed any reply.
PS: I see you’ve put out another dig, further up thread, at the quality of comment etc on Wings. If you don’t like it then fuck off back to your usual haunts in the Britnat BUM rag btl sections.
Where you can “debate” with paid moderators based in England etc. Where you can have your ego massaged by one of your other sockpuppet accounts. Or are you nearing another tantrum on here before running back to the rags? Or am I getting confused with one of your sockpuppets?
Anyway, do you have any evidence to support your statement or is it just wild & exaggerated guff from you again?
__________
Ginswig wrote on 12 August, 2020 at 10:14 am
“Bad news for some posters they’ll be greetin o’er the bairns into their alka seltzer.”
Sure you’re not Somerville, fae the snp, in disguise? She’s doing exactly the same thing, acting like Ruth Davidson. All over Twatter, after keeping a very low profile, crowing about this latest poll finding as if it’s all down to the SNP & Queen Nic.
Told her the same as I’ll tell you. That result would be a lot higher by now if it wasn’t for the likes of her in the snp. That latest polling is more down to a combination of factors. There is no way on earth you can prove it’s just because of Sturgeon so wind yer neck in before you make an even bigger arse of yourself.
And no you didn’t say in those exact words but the crowing post of yours announced your thoughts loud & clear. It’s a poll and it can say Queen Nic & Indy both sit at, say, 70% popularity. It doesn’t make one blind bit of difference if the intention is to continue begging for an S30 agreement. London will always say no.
Well, it didn’t take Baroness Buffalo long to lower the tone of FMQs.
Same old, same old act. It didn’t work last time, so, no evidence it will work this time round.
O/T re the train crash near Stonehaven.
I wish the fucking media would NOT say there are believed to be fatalities and then saying the driver is said to be one of them.
Wait until the emergency services give details so that next of kin are informed properly and not by Twitter or the News or fucking Facebook.
And some **** has apparently taken a picture trackside…
Linda Fabiani will be standing down from Holyrood next year. That’s not good news for the SG, as it means the convenor of the Salmond Inquiry will not be worrying about her future political career and so will be less likely to pull punches.
What a nasty wee shouts bully Ruthless is.
Her Tory government is completely corrupt.
Lied their heads off at Indy Ref 1, Brexit and
The last election.
Holyrood does everything better than Westminster
But that wee tow rag get an ermine rob and much
More than 30 pieces of silver for selling out her country.
My favourite moment for this dwarf of the political world was when
She a document claiming most hospitals were missing their targets.
It was pointed out to her that all the poorly performing hospitals in the
Report were English and the best 2 performers were Scottish.
There wasn’t a hole in the country would wallow her.
Robert Graham or are you the Cat.
You went all protective when I critisized your Nicola.
Is that the new rules coming out of SNP HQ,,,to stop all critisisum of Sturgeon,,,at all costs.
She is a self serving, domineering little Hitler.
Is that plain enough for you?
Cat
You said I wrote,,
“A vote for Independence does not equate to votes for Independence”
That is NOT what I wrote, so you are wrong again numbnut.
I wrote,,,
Walter Jones says:
12 August, 2020 at 8:27 am
“A vote for the SNP does NOT equate to votes for Independence,,,FACT.”
Get your facts right before you start accusing people of anything, you feline fanny.
Mike Cassidy @ 1.22 pm
Thanks for posting the link to the Phantom Power clip from Fmqs , Ruth Davidson definitely got her a*se handed to her on a plate today . She couldn’t help herself and it is the pure nastiness in her that she just had to have a dig at Alex Salmond’s show on RT .
Funnily enough Ruth D never mentions about having lunch with the Russian donor or the Dark Money that made its way to the English tory party in Scotland .
@Stoker (1.33) –
Thanks for the reminder, I’d forgotten to check.
So I just did, and answer came there none.
If SC is referring to those who’ve migrated to other indy blogs and use them as a form of sanctuary from which to fire pelters at Stu and the rest of us, I’m not sure they count as ‘supporters’, long-standing or otherwise.
And if he’s referring to the current readership figures for this and other blogs then he must have access to data the rest of us haven’t yet seen.
Beaker @ 14:00
Of course, I hope the driver is ok and if he/she is, then the family should sue for damages – only then will people regulate their behaviour. And if it was a member of the emergency services (they ain’t all heroes btw) then disciplinary should be the order of the day and an example set if guilty.
Re the MSM though, there is no saving them, which is why they get so much wrong so often (in their race for clicks/views) hence the term, Fake News and why people like me have given up completely on them and everything they say.
Looks like the noble Baroness Buffalo has had some expensive (but ineffective) coaching from Tory Central. You can see she’s performing her speech more than ever before, as if doing a piece to camera or on stage.
Such a shame that her self-satisfied posturing and over-rehearsed lines are so poor that she deserves only to be booed off stage.
@ianbh
i didnt see yer post until stoker pointed me to it.
I think they are ian, i recognise their handles from way back. i also see folk offski from here recently and say as much as before they go. i noticed Capella is now absent. she has been commenting here for far longer than most present day commentators. to say that folk who posted regularly on wos, and contributed to wos crowd funds and now have walked away are not worthy of even being ex supporters is a tad disengenious
stu hasnt posted hit figures for a long time and he did say on a Scot goes pop thread (now deleted) that stats had fallen on wos mainly due to the lack of posts on wings due to the extended time off he had taken. which is fair enough
anecdotal evidence, maybe, but evidence none the less
what evidence do you have to prove the opposite?
Stoker says:
PS: I see you’ve put out another dig, further up thread, at the quality of comment etc on Wings.
—————
au contraire, read what i wrote, i said that i think the comments section here is much improved
present company excepted 🙂
SoftyWalter says:
That is NOT what I wrote
————-
yeah, i know, just pullin’ yer plonker old bean 🙂
Stoker says:
am I getting confused with one of your sockpuppets?
—————-
my name is schrodingers cat for I am legion.
that’s right stoker, i’m a composite troll 🙂
Re reader number ‘decline’.
I’m 100% sure that numbers don’t have anything at all to do with choice of subject matter, or the general direction of WoS.
Isn’t that precisely why you’re here SC, to undermine?
You pretty much declared you’re back to pick fights. (which is fine by me)
“57% support for SNP”
Wonder whether they are “doing it deliberately”?
57%, after more than a decade in power, is a sorry (if welcome) reflection on the state of play in our politics.
If it was 57% for Indy…I wish.
Dakk,
Which beg the questions,
What are the SNP going to do with such support regarding independence?
And when?
I’m genuinely interested in your thoughts if you have any.
Does anyone think the SNP winning 57% of the vote, will make a blind bit of difference to the Tories intransigence. I actually think the higher the vote share indy gets in these polls, the less chance there is of a Section 30.
If the SNP persist with the Section 30 strategy , then they can’t expect anything to change.
Ruth’s wee petted lip beginning to show at FMQ’s today.
Ruth the twisted mooth. The ermine trimming can’t come quick enough.
Pete Wishart did hit a nerve at Westminster when he pointed out that the constant denigration of the SNP MPs and anything Scottish was increasing the support for Independence. However, the change in tone and recent love bombing by the Tories is all a bit obvious and we can see what they are up to.
The days are long gone when a bit of money thrown at something or a proclamation of faux sentiment would suffice as a short term pacifier. What the Tories don’t realise is that while SNP support is going up, it is not inextricably linked with Independence.
Most of us can can see the faults of the SNP but those faults belong to that party not to the concept of Independence. So constantly using poor SNP policy to dampen down support for Independence is a useless strategy
If the SQA problems cannot diminish support for Independence, the Tories must be tearing their hair out. They are so blinkered they only can see the SNP as the government when Scotland is Independent, whereas we can now see that is not necessarily the case.
Independence has come of age as the natural state for Scotland. Now whether the SNP are up to the job to take us there is another thing.
“What are the SNP going to do with such support regarding independence?
And when”
@breastplate
Like everyone else, I have no idea what they have or have not planned.
Way I see it is if SNP were governing poorly in the eyes of the electorate and were falling in popularity then that would make independence impossible in the foreseeable future.
No point in having an SNP gov that Wingers like but Scotland rejects.
I can only hope they have a plan albeit needing some cajoling from here and elsewhere.
@ Stoker 2.33pm well said that man , I asked SC a couple of times for how his proposals re crashing the govt early to enable a indy ref and his proposal that the 2021 HR election be a plebiscite election now transpires when NS has just given a gigantic fuck you to his proposals . Answers came there none instead he just resorted to his usual inane infantile comments, but there again his excitement that queen Nicola’s popularity has SOARED has allowed him to continue with his PPB on behalf of the SNP.
Don’t think about the shite policies, don’t think about AS persecution , don’t think about the umpteen failures to gain independence , just shut the fuck up and vote SNP YOU KNOW IT MAKES SENSE implies SC
dakk says: at 5:11 pm
“No point in having an SNP gov that Wingers like but Scotland rejects.”
It’s not as black and white as that though is it. Discussion requires far more nuance than lazily used language of polarisation.
Stu has commissioned polls and the resulting data showed that the concerns that some Wingers have about certain policies align with the views of the wider electorate.
The fact that the wider electorate aren’t fully up to speed with certain policies is an issue in waiting for activists to deal with.
@Dan
“The fact that the wider electorate aren’t fully up to speed with certain policies is an issue in waiting for activists to deal with.”
Not disagreeing with that,and Wings may help temper some of those ‘radical’ policies which could become problematic.
Over egging the SNP bad could play into the british hands.
They are my only hope of indy at the moment so I’m glad they are popular with the Scottish electorate and indy rising in polls.
Still at work, so sorry can’t engage for another few hours.
@SC –
I’m not getting drawn into a spat with you over unprovables and negatives.
Saying that WOS is shedding long-time supporters makes it sound like some biblical event when in reality it’s the departure of some folk who, for various reasons, got fed-up commenting or had personal beefs with Stu or other commenters.
Given that (as Rev has often reminded us) less than 1% of WOS readers ever comment, we’re talking abut a toty number of people.
The real elephant in the room which you dare not acknowledge is that this place remains the top Scottish politics blog and WGD and SGP have both decided to set their face against Rev. I’ll leave it to others to ponder their reasons but the upshot is that both sites have become havens for WOS-haters.
Dakk,
Thank you for your answer.
The British nationalist Spectator magazine giving it to Sturgeon.
link to thenational.scot
Republicofscotland
And, of course, the Editor of The Spectator is that “Proud Scot, But,” Fraser Nelson.
And Fraser Nelson’s boss is our old pal Brillo reported as being in line to be BBC Chairman.
So much for balanced journalism.
I think they called him ‘boules’ at school Socrates.
His affectation has an affectation!
He’s way up my list of enemies of the people.
I guess everyone who reads or contributes to any Indy site all have the same aim and at the end of the day, maybe a few get a bit excited now and then it’s the waiting that’s getting to people , a strong clear route and leadership would sort the squabbling out. The best part of 5 years we have b waiting for something a sign anything , the drip drip of the relentless unionist media tends to wear anyone down that’s why leadership is not only needed it’s essential , I hope if anyone with any say in the direction of the SNP takes notice , by this time it must be bloody obvious someone has to get a grip we all want the same thing but any longer and folk will just say ah duck this it’s a waste of bleedn time.
Can Boris Johnson stop Scottish independence? asks Alex Massie In the Spooktator
Of course he can, send in the troops, that’s the way to do it and they don’t like it up ‘em….
Cnute Johnson will be at the head to stem that naughty nat tide and rebellious Scots to crush.
Ian Brotherhood says:
I’m not getting drawn into a spat with you over unprovables and negatives.
——————
why did you ask me for evidence then?
————————-
The real elephant in the room which you dare not acknowledge is that this place remains the top Scottish politics blog
—————–
I thought you didnt want to get into a discussion of this very point?
—————————–
and WGD and SGP have both decided to set their face against Rev. and both sites have become havens for WOS-haters.
—————–
well i dont really blog on WGD, I read it sometimes, as for SGP, kelly usually deletes my posts, he always has done. he hates me 🙁 sniff. I’ve been calling him a tosser on here for years
I dont really understand his dislike of indy list voting, for a so called psephologist, his grasp of basic numbers is really poor. Stu was also against indy list tactical voting but subse
It would be interesting to know how COPFS ‘discovered’ that Craig Murray had apparently committed a contempt of court. Normally, a crime is only investigated when a complaint is lodged by the victim. It seems to me that the prosecutor, complainer and victim are one and the same.
Ian Brotherhood says:
I’m not getting drawn into a spat with you over unprovables and negatives.
——————
why did you ask me for evidence then? which I did give you, stu’s own comments on a SGP thread??
————————-
The real elephant in the room which you dare not acknowledge is that this place remains the top Scottish politics blog
—————–
I thought you didnt want to get into a discussion of this very point? what evidence have you for this fact free statement?
—————————–
and WGD and SGP have both decided to set their face against Rev. and both sites have become havens for WOS-haters.
—————–
well i dont really blog on WGD, I read it sometimes, as for SGP, kelly usually deletes my posts, he always has done. he hates me 🙁 sniff. I’ve been calling him a tosser on here for years
I dont really understand his dislike of indy list voting, for a so called psephologist, his grasp of basic numbers is really poor. Stu was also against indy list tactical voting but subsequent results in 2016 made him change his mind. good.
but the maths is the same for everyone so i dont understand why kelly doesnt get it? I can understand why Snp mps and officials reject the idea, (they could fall foul of the Electoral commission if they didnt) but kelly isnt an elected mp or snp official??
soz for double post
Ian B – I’m so very, very disappointed in WGD. He’s become a total Nicola acolyte and seems to have forgotten the folk who were there we he needed them. He’s come a long way from when you, Paul and I were having a natter outside Weatherspoons at one of the first Wings’ gatherings and his subsequent need for funding a flat in Glasgow. So disappointed. The btl comments on his blog has become a ‘we hate WOS and Stu’ soapbox. God knows how Stu must feel. ;-(
I don’t know, but something has changed him, or maybe it’s the price you have to pay, being anti-WOS/Stu, to keep a column in the msm, but in the National, really?
Daisley goes doolally
Whatever England might gain from Scottish independence would be eclipsed by what it stands to lose.
link to archive.is
@TJenny –
Aye, it all seems like a lifetime ago.
Very sad.
🙁
– that daisley article is disgusting, but honest.
Any scottish politician who endorsed a “new act of union” on such principles, should have his head placed on a spike, after having it slowly removed with a blunt set of pruning shears.
How is our “constitutional lawfare” getting on ? – the way I see it, either
– we are an equal partner in union, and thus allowed to “give them the finger”
or
– we are a colony, so the UN “ex colony to country” route becomes available
windows, are closing.
mike cassidy – also in the speccy you linked to, did you read the piece by Debbie Hayton on Labour’s lgbt internal war? She states:
‘The biggest irony is that the Spectator article that Duffield shared was my piece. In the spirit of full disclosure, I am both trans and a member of the Labour party. While LGBT+ Labour were calling on Labour MPs, to show ‘full solidarity and support’ for the trans community, they were simultaneously condemning one of those MPs for sharing a piece written by a party member from that very community.
LGBT+ Labour are now writing to Keir Starmer to ask for a response. I hope he does respond and he tells them to grow up. If not him, then maybe some of those 28 patrons from the parliamentary Labour party might have words? Because the longer this goes on, the less likely it is that the Red Wall will ever be rebuilt. Voters on the doorstep know that only women have cervixes, despite attempts to re-educate them. The Labour party needs a more credible approach to trans rights, and one that does not compromise the rights of women, if it hopes to regain their trust.’
SNP take note.
Hey Daisley sovereignty in England rests with the “Queen in Parliament” (AC Dicey)
For Scotland sovereignty rests with the people. The Treaty of Union makes no alteration to this constitutional reality.
Quite amusing watching attempts to change this by new Acts of Union. Not a legal runner!
holymacmoses
I was interest in that too. Not sure if there’s any wiggle room within the rules as written but would be interesting to find out. At the very least the rules need changed from now on. I believe the accused should also be given anonymity and in future if he is acquitted then the accusers should never be allowed to have the press coverage that these women are being afforded time and time again.
Steven Seagal? The less said aboot him the better. 🙂
Kirsty Wark
@KirstyWark
·
13 Aug
Do watch “The Trial of Alex Salmond”
@BBCTwo
Monday August 17th. 9pm. bbc.co.uk/media centre/proginfo/2020/33/the-trial-of-alex-Salmond
THE LINK IS 403-forbidden
Have they cancelled?
Is Ms Wark checking that it’s the Beeb goes down and not her if there’s a court case?
Interestingly there isn’t ONE post on there that thinks this is a good idea:-)