To The Parliament Clerks
Posted on
February 23, 2021 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
(Click to enlarge.)
The world's most-read Scottish politics website
-
About
Wings Over Scotland is a (mainly) Scottish political media digest and monitor, which also offers its own commentary. (More)
-
Recent Posts
- 12-14
- 12-12
- 12-09
- 12-07
- 12-03
- 11-28
- 11-25
- 11-23
- 11-22
- 11-18
- 11-17
- 11-12
- 11-09
- 11-06
- 11-04
- 11-03
- 11-02
- 10-29
- 10-26
- 10-26
A tall tale
Wee Books
Video
Probably a robbery
Transphobia
Yet more pathetic attempts at muddying the waters in the hope that Alex won’t appear before the committee.
We see you
Just so you know, you redacted the email address/phone number on your front page, but this article retains the original image.
“Just so you know, you redacted the email address/phone number on your front page, but this article retains the original image.”
No it doesn’t, that’s just the caching, should be gone now.
This just confirms the total corruption involved in trying to silence Alex Salmond from giving his evidence .
Yup, they need to find a judge who will smack down the Lord Advocate.
Corruption Level: Fifa
Only to be expected, I’m afraid……can’t see AS attending tomorrow somehow.
I am actually embarrassed that I once backed this creature.
Independence is for the future,perhaps many years. I see that many influential commentators are calling on the UK government to investigate. If that happens then we are finished with Indy at least for my remaining lifetime.
I curse the day I trusted her.
Thanks for post Stu, what a carry on.
I am totally confused.
Is it just the Ministerial Code submission that they have shut down? The one that was published by Wings, The Spectator and Grousebeater.
Yesterday’s submission still appears to be there. Is that now a redacted version?
Is this ridiculous behaviour in any way sustainable? Can they literally just run the clock down with continuous acts of obstruction?
They can run but they cant hide.
Anybody voting For that party needs their head looked at. This is beyond independence and threatens the international standing of scotland as a democracy with that practices due process.
11th hour attempt to stop AS from appearing, thereby enabling NS to turn up and drop more bullshit in one place in a day than the RHS Ingliston manages in an entire decade.
Given the madness in redacting a document after it was published when they could have redacted it before it was published you have to ask if this is incompetence, panic or an attempt by somone to pile pressure on Sturgeon?
Its hard to see a way in which they could have drawn more attention to redactions being made and the areas in which they made all conflict directly with Sturgeon’s evidence. Is the Loard Advocate looking for a way out?
This letter will not be answered because it cannot be answered. It is what the Scotgov do. I have been on the receiving end of it many, many times.
I noticed earlier that Andrew Neil of The Spectator likened what we have at Holyrood to a delinquent state government in the US. He gave the example of Texas and if Texas wen’t delinquent and started acting unlawfully then the FEDS would be sent in from Washington to restore order.
It is what we would call putting Holyrood under Special Measures.
I think we can safely say that the May election is now off.
All part of the plan to kick the can down the road until recess for the election.
If I were the opposition in Holyrood, I would be walking out.
Nicola the Toom Tabard – hand in glove with the unionist COPFS.
And if you don’t believe that then what part of an indy strategy involves a criminal conspiracy to stitch up your former leader, friend, mentor and legend of the indy movement? Which also leads to a haemorrhaging of your activist base?
Was it worth it Nicola, in order to get Bojo’s backing for the job in the UN or wherever it is you’re gallivanting of to?
One thing’s for sure you’d get booed at the next indy march – Mind you that’s no loss for yourself as you never came to any anyway. A bit of a clue there…
Cue Sturgeon on telly 3,2,1…
Or is it fridge time?
Nicola just announced lockdown could be exited last week of April.
Just in time for HR2021.
We didnt see that coming at all did we? Aye Right!
We used to pride ourselves in having, in Holyrood, a Parliament that stood head and shoulders above Westminster and its sleaze and dodgy backroom deals.
Under the leadership of Nicola Sturgeon the reputation of Holyrood is now in tatters.
I’ve voted SNP at every election since 2012 in the hope that it would bring us independence and a Scottish Parliament that we could be proud of. I feel like a fool.
Hopefully woolfe and the other members of COPFS responsible for this will do jail time.
Making it impossible for Salmond to appear. So delay his appearance , then blame it on him. Or worse stop him appearing at all.
The more time they can waste the better for Sturgeon to hang on a bit longer. Or longer for her to concoct her work of fiction she intends to present to the hearing next week.
Either way it smells like a filthy sewer. So the intention is not to stop people reading the Salmond evidence. It’s to prevent him from submitting it while giving evidence, thus compromising his oral submissions.
Its an attempt by the Crown office to scare Alex Salmond away from giving his evidence tomorrow, with what appears to be no legal justification, other than to stop the truth being revealed.
NS and her cronies, aids and abetters – proving the loony unionists correct on a daily basis.
We are neither too wee, nor too poor, but we very well might be too bloody stupid.
This is what a totalitarian state looks like.
What a hope this lot can take us to independence.
NS clearly thinks that the mugs will still vote her back in May.
Sadly, she may well be right!
Maybe she thinks she can spin this out until the dissolution of parliament. Certainly appears that way. She can’t get sacked when Holyrood is in recess for the elections.
Prasad @2.16
I was confused by it all. The unabridged version is (was?) on Craig Murray’s website when I downloaded it about an hour ago.
it begins –
1Submission Alex Salmond Introduction This is my fourth submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry.
The redacted version of this document is now available on the Scottish Parliament website – see Maggie C link near the bottom of the previous thread.
This makes it as clear as day why NS gave her televised rant about AS yesterday and repeated her obnoxious remarks casting aspersions on his integrity. All part of her plan to discredit AS.
The boot is clearly on the other foot as it is the integrity the SNP/Scottish civil Service, Scottish Government – in fact
the whole ‘clanjamfrie’ that is questionable here and it is astonishing that they are not even attempting to hide it now. Their arrogance will be their downfall.
Hell mend them.
And so it is, that ScotGov wriggles free. One theory doing the rounds is that this compels the shutdown of the inquiry – because we can all see the sections that were redacted.
The only issue is that I’ve read the newly redacted sections and they are just Geoff Aberdein and comms with Sturgeon. It isn’t clear to me that this redaction protects victims in any way.
I wonder what Alex Salmond’s blood pressure is measuring?
Is it 13 o’clock already?
Does the UK government have any legal responsibility here concerning what may be going on?
Seems no one in Government in Scotland is going to be honest.
What a farce, and two months to a wht should be a Plebescite election for Holyrood.
Shameful does n’t cover it.
Incidentally, Sturgeon on the box saying that we’ll remain in level four restrictions until the last week in April, one wonders how this will affect May’s elections.
I apologise for being this obtuse, but I am really confused now.
Can somebody clarify why the COPFS, an organ vinculated to the Sgov who happens to be the entity that is being put under scrutiny here, has any authority over parliament and its committees that are supposed to conduct such scrutiny? In a parliamentary democracy, shouldn’t it be the other way round? Shouldn’t it be that it is Parliament and its committees who decide what evidence is required to properly scrutinise this entity of government and not the entity itself?
What part of the COPFS is suppressing the evidence, is it the part that sits in the Government cabinet and that therefore may be themselves the subject of scrutiny?
How can this suppression of evidence by the entity in disrepute be seen in any way or form as lawful? Isn’t this a blatant abuse of power?
Under what authority is the COPFS suppressing that evidence, is it the authority given by the Scottish government aka the entity under scrutiny, or the authority comes directly from the crown, aka the British state?
Wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim’rous, deceitful beasties
O, what a total fuckin panic’s in thy breasties
Sky news now re Alex Salmond
‘Alex Salmond hasn’t a shred of evidence’….Alex Salmond provides the evidence….12 hours later, it’s removed. It no longer exists.
Time for Alister Jack to step-in and to restore order. That might not happen soon, but it is now likely to happen.
Greetings from a fellow Celt in Kernow. I have been following the events with interest from afar. I feel that your Great Leader has made independence a bit further off. How could any UK government sign off the rights of millions of its citizens to such a person.
She would fit in well in some nations I can think of, but in a western European democracy?
Jesus H christ.
I hope Alex’s doctor is keeping a close eye on the man’s blood pressure.
I wish to hell also that he would just come back up, exit the rabbit hole and just walk away from all this bloody nonsense and put all he’s got into starting a new movement – or at least a leadership challenge.
Any truth in the rumour Sepp Blatter is being lined up to replace the Lord Advocate ??????
I’ve got the old unredacted version. Where would I find the new redacted one?
May I express my sincere thanks to the Crown Office and the office of Nicola Sturgeon for their actions both yesterday and today. The more evidence there is in the public domain of your desperate and increasingly irrational attempts to cover up your disgusting and at times illegal collusion the better.
To Nicola specifically; Its difficult to decide what is the lowest and frankly evil act you have committed. Trying to jail an innocent man. Committing criminal offences to do so. The bit in his submission where he says he knows who leaked to the Daily Record must have made you leak in your pants. Or using the shield of anonymity that real victims of sexual assault NEED when accusing their abusers to make stuff up against an innocent man. Each and every time you use this as justification, you do the exact opposite of what you claim. You are NOT protecting real victims. You are NOT making it easier for victims of sexual assault to come forward. You are making it worse. And you are doing it to try and cover up the long exposed stitch-up of your one time mentor. A man who, when faced with such accusations, ensured the anonymity of his accusers in court when your government was failing to do so.
You are in a deep dark hole. Its time to stop digging. Its time to stop hurting innocent people, stop hurting Scotlands right to self determination and stop the damage you are doing to victims of sexual assault. You are damaging and hurting everyone around you now. It is out in the open. It is clear. You have broken the ministerial code on multiple occasions. Each single time is a resignation issue. You have done everything in your power to suppress the evidence that exposes your conspiracy up to and including throwing those poor naive ladies under the bus yesterday with another feeble and risible attempt to suppress evidence that exposes your wrongdoing.
If only you had shown such commitment and determination in the cause of independence as you have at your own self preservation.
It is time to go. There are no good options left. There are only least worst options. Stop the damage. Stop the hurt. Go now and face the consequences.
Meg merrilees says:
23 February, 2021 at 2:34 pm
to Prasad @2.16
OK thanks i will compare the 2 documents
but i see they have also taken down the Ministerial Code submission.
Apparently different drafts highlight the missing paragraphs
5, 12, 13, 16, 17 and 30.
Keeping up is driving me mental.
I tried to archive stuff this morning not realising that archive.vn only archives first pages of pdfs.
Think i downloaded them on time and as you say we have Craig’s original of yesterdays submission and Grousebeater’s earlier version of the Ministerial Code submission which is the one they seem to be more freaked out about.
@ Prasad
Does this help.
link to wingsoverscotland.com
“The conduct of the first minister must be beyond reproach. The way in which this affair has been handled has unfortunately fallen short of the standards the people of Scotland expect of their first minister.” John Swinney, SNP leader, on McLeish 8/11/01.
“I’ve got the old unredacted version. Where would I find the new redacted one?”
Christian.
You’ll find it here.
link to twitter.com
So in England we have old right wing fascists running the show. In Scotland we have young left wing fascists running the show. Devil and the deep blue sea springs to mind.
Captain – Correct.
You either break the Ministerial Code or you don’t . There is no half way house, where you can break it a little and walk away. There is no not proven verdict. If you break it, Holyrood gets to vote you out of office. That’s democracy. Sturgeon broke the code, therefore Holyrood must have a vote of no confidence.
Christian Schimdt @ 3.44 pm
Here are the links to the redacted version ,
The redacted version of Alex Salmond’s submission on the Ministerial Code is now back on the Written Evidence Page ,
link to parliament.scot
Written evidence page if the above link is broken ,
link to parliament.scot
This is anarchy.
There are no other words to describe what is now going on. This is not the way of a democratic, open and just society. But how does a society rid itself of such behaviours.
Will it, like Northern Ireland take international observers and intermediaries to turn a rotten state round. It now certainly seems so. Corruption on the scale now being exposed always inevitably needs external support.
That the UK Government has been preparing troops for disorder planning this attempted legal curfew – news blackout reinforces just how much more sinister life could become. It maybe also explains why a senior Tory recently said that the Scottish devolution project would soon be over.
Rotted from within and without. Scotland’s freedom will be as hard fought as anywhere else that was once a British colony.
Re lockdown COULD be, this is her all over.
Not only has she been carrot dangling indy, she’s done the same with Covid restrictions.
We are the mouse she is the cat, playing with us.
It’s psychological warfare hope is what destriys you.
Ask Not For Whom the Bell Tolls
It Tolls for Thee.
.
ENOUGH.
Chief Constable Iain Livingstone REQUIRES to investigate the way CERTAIN officials at the Crown Office have handled this matter.
Person or persons as yet unknown to the police are sufficiently compromised as to competently merit Police Scotland to make formal inquiries into their interference in the law and ingather evidence for one or more of the specimen charges of the McWoke SNP and whoever at the Crown Office is culpable for…
A). Malfeasance of Public Official (may vary on locus of origin north/south of the Border).
And/or…
B). Perverting the Course of Justice.
And/or…
C). Bringing the Office of the Crown into Disrepute.
At best Sturgeon’s gerrymandered and compromising of the Scottish Legal Establishment has turned this country’s system of law into a laugh stock that would make a banana republic blush.
At worst, the level of alleged criminality is so arrogantly perverse and pervasive as to REQUIRE immediate systemic overhaul and that must start with immediate effect as the Auditor General for Scotland will shortly be receiving a request to examine how hard a million pounds was squandered by Nicola Sturgeon and Leslie Evans. SURCHARGE will be high on the requirements of that missing. Regina-v-Dame Shirley Porter.
NOBODY IS ABOVE THE LAW.
If Iain Livingstone fails to investigate this wholesale illegal corruption of the highest law offices in the land, the Chief Constable of Police Scotland can expect to be interviewed under caution by Dame Cressida Dick of the Metropolitan Police in terms of a formal complaint of neglect of duty.
Enough is enough.
An utter disgrace. The whole system is now corrupt, including the crown office. This is a disgrace.
Nicola Sturgeon, who sits right at the head of all of this, is an utter disgrace, and an enemy of the independence movement.
Corrupt, corrupt, corrupt. And still after being shwon up as liars, they carry on, day after day, remopving huge chunks of evidence which incriminates them.
I am literally seething with anger that Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP have literally trashed Scotland’s democracy, and the good name of Scotland. Once out of power, she should, at the very least be run out of the country, but I’d much prefer her to stand trial for perjury (at the very least) and go to jail for a very, very long time.
They connived to jail an INNOCENT man, have him smeared forever as a sex offender, and likely jailed until the day he died in shame. It is despicable. Really, really evil and frankly perverse.
People within the SNP hierarchy who do not speak up now (and we KNOW their are many), are equally culpable, and should forever hang their heads in shame.
This has gone on too long, enough is enough.
Surely COPFS does not have the authority to overrule a high court judge. They are a prosecution service.
I think we are very close now to Sturgeon being forced to play her Joker.
Look our for Neil Lennon and Celtic parting company – that’s just about the only story which can knock this sorry tale off every front page.
I’ll say it again…
THE HOLYROOD ELECTION SHOULD BE PUT BACK TO SEPTEMBER.
A MAY ELECTION IS PLAYING RIGHT INTO THIS LITTLE BASTARDS HANDS.
Mia @ 2.40
What part of the COPFS is suppressing the evidence, is it the part that sits in the Government cabinet and that therefore may be themselves the subject of scrutiny?
How can this suppression of evidence by the entity in disrepute be seen in any way or form as lawful? Isn’t this a blatant abuse of power?
maybe it’s time someone formally asked the Police to investigate this corruption at the heart of the Scottish Government (trying to make a serious suggestion here but trying not to laugh out loud at the absurdity of it all).
AS has raised this very point in the document which was redacted earlier today:
However, underlying all of this and perhaps the most serious issue of all is the complete breakdown of the necessary barriers which should exist between Government, political party and indeed the prosecution authorities in any country which abides by the rule of law.
This is disgraceful.
My thoughts go out to Alex and his wife.
@Stuart Anderson says:
23 February, 2021 at 2:29 pm
“…the reputation of Holyrood is now in tatters.”
Absolutely.
Crown Office is STILL trending; at #2 now. Even Boris and his roadmap can only manage #3.
John Cleary says:
23 February, 2021 at 12:58 am
There’s been a lot of chatter going on about what is legal and what is not. They are not being terribly open in their legal justification for their actions, are they?
This is something I’ve been pondering on for more than a quarter of a century, and I’ll tell you what I’ve concluded.
If Queen Elizabeth II is Sovereign (in parliament) in Scotland as she is in England, then something is legal if she so says . It is also illegal if she so says. Something is in the public interest if it is in the interests of Queen Elizabeth II, because she takes precedence before the people, the general public. Queen Elizabeth herself describes it as “having the right sense of duty.”
In England enormous resources are devoted to concealing this state of affairs from the general population.
You’re now getting a foretaste for yourselves. Does it taste nice?
One thing that has struck me is that there is still some hope for Scotland. There is still that sense of community, of feeling for our fellow man or woman. I have lost all hope for England, but Scotland is different.
I wish you all the very best of luck.
Oh to have been a fly on Sturgeon’s wall this morning..
@Willie – Nigel Farage has been saying this for months and months. It’s over. There will be no elections in May. Personally, I’m relieved. If Angus Robertson took over it would be no better.
Someone above suggested the Metropolitan Police took over from Iain Livingstone. That, I think, is a good idea and I have suggested it a couple of times myself in the past.
Guido Fawkes: –
‘…. far from protecting the identity of victims, a redaction ordered of Salmond’s evidence in fact protects the First Minister from criticism.’
The post includes – ‘Read the redacted segment of Salmond’s Ministerial Code evidence in full below:’
link to order-order.com
Sorry, tried to archive but there is a big queue and things are moving too fast to wait.
Quicker than I expected.
link to archive.is
I rather think the committee will decline to provide the answer, citing that it comes under ‘legal advice’ to a branch within Scot Gov, and as such, they are representatives of the Governemnt, and are not obliged/authorised to disclose it as its confidential…
Sky News again re Alex Salmond ,
Anyone know the likelihood of the U.K. government stepping in here and conducting an additional enquiry? If so, surely this would play into their anti Indy hands? Could we even see certain powers of the Scottish Parliament diminished?
So Sturgeon’s corrupt government & her party, which disregarded legal advice and proceeded with a process that later, was proven in court to be unlawful, is now protecting itself by applying corrupt legal advice to prevent an evidential hearing which would otherwise prove that they are corrupt and acted unlawfully?
Did I miss a bit?
Ian McCubbin@2.37
The timing of all of this is not a coincidence. It has been crafted and calculated to erupt about now – especially with the election around the corner.
A to divide the SNP internally and split the vote
B to reduce support for Independence
C to destabilise things
D to discredit AS so that he cannot return to British politics
E now looking as if it will remove NS and top of SNP management team
F in conjunction with the GRA Bill and Hate Crime Bill, sweep up any supporters not affected by AS/NS row and consolidate division
G possibly give WM an excuse to close down Holyrood and ‘take back control’ as they did in NI in the 18 months before Brexit.
None of this is by chance and there are duplicitious employees working within the SNP/Scottish Government and Civil Service who are helping the strings to be pulled right now.
How do I know this?
Any time, in the past, the SNP did something wrong it was amplified a hundred times, blown up into front page headlines everywhere, out of all proportion.
But this – this has hardly even managed a squeak on the national news coverage or mainstream media.
The powers that be/those who wish to benefit the most from this mess are determined to suppress the truth AT ALL COSTS.
It will get worse yet – but the truth always wins!!!
You have got to admit MI5 or whatever the security forces of UK are called now have played a blinder. Looks like independence is gone for quite a while which should suit all the never ending strivers.
Republicofscotland/MaggieC – thank you!
But that is completely bonkers, as these sections aren’t about the complainers at all. The content of these sections cannot identify the complainers any more than, say, any press report about the malicious prosecution of Rangers…
Captain Yossarian says:
23 February, 2021 at 3:03 pm
Someone above suggested the Metropolitan Police took over from Iain Livingstone. That, I think, is a good idea and I have suggested it a couple of times myself in the past.
So, Captain Yossarian – you want a Police force, form ANOTHER COUNTRY – with an extremely well documented reputation for corruption and cover up – and absolutely FUCK ALL experience and training, or indeed LAWFUL AUTHORITY (except in limitted special circumstances) to ‘take over’ from Police Scotland… oh, and not just any other country – but the one we’re trying to get independence away from.
When Police Scotland started up, under the horses COCK that was Stephen House as Chief Constable (a Met Pol import) – it got so bad, the unofficial slogan within Police Scotland by the Police became, POLICE SCOTLAND – MAKING THE MET LOOK GOOD’.
And if you think I am prejudiced against the Met, you should hear what the cops from every other force in Englandshire say about them – no-one with any professional experience of them – would touch them with a barge poll and a great deal of damage is done throughout the UK, due to the sheep like quality of the Chief Constables throughout the land, slavishly following their procedures, in the hopes it will make their CV’s look good enough that they can apply for that ‘top position’ one day and be CC of the ‘biggest Police Force in the UK’. Because size really does matter if you’re a Chief Cunstable.
Cash for Ashes scandal enabled the UK to shut down Stormont – very little doubt they’re going to try the same with this and Holyrood. And you can shove your MET up your arse, they’re not setting up shop here.
Hypothetical question, but can you still vote for a Party if they’re all in jail?
Its all a ploy..Alex needs to go there to ensure NS appears next week. Anyone who wants to read his submission can find it here. Its already public, journalists already have their paws on it.
Anyone can find it, read it it., compare with the redacted copy and only the selectively blind wouldnt see through it.
@Daisy – Corrupt regimes all over the world call upon the Met when a straightforward and honest investigation is required. Many regions of India for example call upon the Met more often than you think.
Maybe we should ask Craig Murray, Mark Hirst and of course Alex, which Police force they would prefer. I think they would all say the Met.
They wouldn’t want to set-up shop here. Just get the corruption sorted-out, ring-fenced money, missing furlough money – that sort of thing.
They would report to a judge who would not be Scottish. Any nationality in the world is, at the moment, preferable to Scots.
@Socrates MacSporran
I thought Prince Phillip myself
Since the Scottish Government published Alex Salmond’s final submission yesterday, surely the Crown Office can’t now stop him giving oral evidence that’s in line with that.
To do so would suggest that the Scottish Government, having taken legal advice on the matter, were themselves guilty of Contempt of Court.
Having read Alex Salmond’s final submission it’s embarrassing that this is able to happen in our own country. If I was reading the events surrounding the JR, the criminal trial, and the Fabiani Committee investigation for the first time I’d think this was only possible in some sort of authoritarian state.
I would like to say we’re better than this – but clearly we aren’t … and won’t be – until our politicians get a moral compass and conscience, and our judicial system gets its act together to provide fairness and balance.
The Scottish people deserve better than this.
John Cleary at 3pm,
Lizzie Windsor is NOT sovereign in Scotland, such sovereignty is a wholly English thing. In Scotland, the people are sovereign, and lend their wovereignty to the elected parliament.
As such the people of England are indeed subjects of the queen, but such a concept does not even exist in Scotland, and never has. In Scotland people are not subjects.
This goes way back to the deaclaration of Arbroath and claim of right, and is enshrined in Scots law and treaty of union.
Anna – Yes – They are trying to drag this beyond the dissolution of Holyrood. The longer they can delay it and then blame Salmond the better for them.
If she can get to the dissolution she can’t be sacked , as she would no longer be First Minister (Technically). She then gets to May as the head of the SNP.
She doesn’t want to appear at the committee, she is being advised not to.
Could Alex Salmond now be regretting sending his QC back to question Aberdien?
Hiding the truth is the same as lying
Daisy Walker @ 3.20
Well said Daisy, the Met coming here is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.
Desimond @ 3.29pm
A Scottish story, on balance, Lenny’s departure from Celtic Park would be a bigger diversion that Chooky Embra snuffing it.
To all those speculating/discussing bringing in the Met. The only police force we could probably trust to sort out this mess would be Ted Hastings and his AC12 team from Central Constabulary.
Daisy Walker :3:20
Stephen House came out of retirement to rejoin the Met and is currently Deputy Commissioner. No doubt a reward for the f*ck up he made in Scotland.
Maybe worth pursuing using the ECHR.
link to emerging-europe.com
Willie says:
23 February, 2021 at 2:53 pm
“This is anarchy.
There are no other words to describe what is now going on. This is not the way of a democratic, open and just society. But how does a society rid itself of such behaviours.
Will it, like Northern Ireland take international observers and intermediaries to turn a rotten state round.”
A very important point, Willie. If you go onto Guido Fox – arch yoon site – you can read all documents unredacted – completely unredacted – and see (justifiably) trenchant criticism of the Scottish Parliament.
The mood music is of Westminster having to step in to bring a rogue devolved authority under control.
Is this Sturgeon’s game plan? Was she recruited – a sleeper?
If so, when was she recruited?
Or has she been one of them all along?
David Duncan It has to be published as that part of the submission has been redacted it is no longer published.
If Sturgeon clings on and the HR election goes ahead in May or later, anyone who votes SNP after this is an imbecile. She needs to go ASAP. Get her out by voting for whoever has the best chance of beating this stinking rotten party on each constituency and list ballot – even if it is a Tory. We need to get independence back on track by the shortest route and that is most certainly not by allowing Sturgeon to survive this. I have wanted independence all my adult life and this little evil conniving cow is stealing it from me.
BTW…
The web page at
link to parliament.scot
has been captured by the Internet Archive 68 times between July 11, 2020 and February 23, 2021.
As far as I can see, the linked PDFs were captured as well. You can browse the captures at this link:-
link to web.archive.org
link to twitter.com
The Spectator is happy with its legal advice about Lady Dorrian’s decision.
Fraser Nelson has a link to an archived copy of the unredacted document.
link to twitter.com
Don’t think i can take much more now folks.
I’ve decided to self ID as “RIP VAN WINKLE”.
I’ve partaken of some Dutch liquor concoction from some strange old men in a forest so maybe gone for some 20 years or so.
Maybe when I awake, Scotland will be FREE!
There are a fair few potholes that could be fixed meantime with redundant HR salaries.
I wonder which laws the COPFS/Crown Agent/Lord Advocate are misrepresenting this time in order to have the legal team under the committee shaken so much that they have needlessly further redacted Alex Salmond’s evidence, evidence which was already scrutinised by counsel following Lady Dorrian’s judicial statement last week.
There is nothing in the now redacted sections that relate to or even touch on the criminal trial.
This is now only about protecting the First Minister and her office, the protection of the anonymity of the complainers is a RED HERRING and is being used to brigade the committee into not publishing crucial evidence that is pivotal to this inquiry in being able to complete the full remit of its purpose.
This is the Scottish Government using all of the levers available to it including legally questionable actions such as misrepresenting the law, to protect those who run it: the FM, the Deputy FM, the Lord Advocate, COPFS & the Crown Agent, SPADs and Civil Servants who work inside the First Ministers office.
@Garavelli Princip and Willie – I have been contributing here for 5 or 6 weeks and have the utmost respect for both of you. I tend to agree with Willie. It is anarchy. She says ‘AS doesn’t have a shred of evidence.’ AS duly provides the evidence and she instructs her law officers to ‘disappear’ the evidence 12 hours later.
It’s the behaviour of a Junta or a semi-authoritarian government. We need outside help now. We should be able to trust our lawyers and Police, but we cannot can we.
I’m getting the distinct impression a lot of you folks aren’t “With Nicola” any more.
Things are moving fast, but listen… can we have a leader with lips next time? Lips and something resembling scruples would be fantastic. A soul would be good too, but that isn’t a deal breaker.
leslie evans has played a blinder, aint she
reporting/colluding every week with WM
snuggling up to sturgeon
contract extended
wage rise
generous retirement package v soon
salmond & sturgeon ruined
holyrood discredited
scotland well & truly shafted
scumbag
There is no way. Nooooo way NS will appear in front of the enquiry next week because she is finished if she does.
If you didn’t see this one coming, you don’t deserve fucking independence!
The former First Minister of Scotland @AlexSalmond has credibly accused his successor and current First Minister of conspiring to falsely imprison him. Her Law Officers have just forcibly extirpated his evidence. Just think about that…MR GALLOWAY AGAIN…..but does anyone disagree with him?
Forget the MET. If we are going to bring anyone to help sort this out, it should be those dancing pallbearer guys from Ghana…. link to bbc.co.uk
I have no idea why. I just think they’d be a good laugh.
Bringing an English police force in (the met), is just daft.
Captain Yossarian @ 3:51pm
No!
That is the really sad part of this nonsense.
According to another site Paragraph 30 that includes the accusation that Ms Sturgeon mislead parliament has been redacted in full. Which if it has it leaves two conclusion’s
1. Its to protect Ms Sturgeon
2. I’m probably not allowed to say so wont
Still this is according to a diff site so might be bollocks.
Will the Barroness make the most of this of fudge it as usual
How long now before the alphabetir break ranks to avoid jail and dob nicola in it
As a former nicola fan I have to say it is her fault and she needs to waken up and go now
Jim F. McIntosh @3.15pm.
Exactly Jim, I think the plan by the COPFS, is to try and scare Salmond away from giving his evidence tomorrow, and thus stop the truth from ever seeing the light of day.
AS many folk have said there’s no legal justification for the Crown office to further censor Phase 4 Lady Dorrian saw fit for the committee to release it as it is before this further redaction.
Ginger Duggers out in force.
Fuck off back to your Sturgeon worshipping
Flat Earthers.
Sturgeonistas not welcome.
George Galloway is 100% correct when he said that Holyrood should be suspended immediately. It might be unpalatable but it’s in a position now where it’s unfixable. Scotland is riddled, absolutely riddled with corruption and the only way to end it is to end Holyrood.
I’ve said umpteen times on here that if Mrs. Murrell goes, then she will be replaced by someone from the SNP, one of these same corrupt, condoning people that are silent now.
That’s not fucking on, no matter how much of an apologist you may be for Murrell or her cronies.
Scotland needs fucking emptied and scrubbed with Domestos, it’s a fucking shithole and I’ll tell you what, you can forget independence in your lifetime because it ain’t happening any time soon.
The UK government should act tonight and close Holyrood down. It’s the only way out for the Crown.
“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves and ("Tractor" - Ed)s are not victims but accomplices.”
George Orwell
(There’s always a George Orwell quote 🙂
@Captain Yossarian,
Remember Scotland asking Edward 1 for assistance after Alexander III`s mysterious death,
took over 40 years before we got rid of the English.
anyhoo,
You couldnae make up the goal Scotland just lost to Portugal.
Well well well
Wee Ginger Dug today
So if you do consider yourself a supporter of Alex Salmond, at least do the man the courtesy of speaking for himself before you take to social media and announce in an outrage that you are not going to vote SNP. Because if the time comes when Alex Salmond advises his supporters not to vote SNP 1 and 2 in May, it will only be because he has an alternative plan which will further the cause of independence and which won’t play into the hands of the Tories or the other British nationalist parties
link to archive.is
I suspect its a case of ‘Stand well back before opening the comments under that article’
Might treat myself to that later
You can see original (unredacted) versions
Submission by Alex Salmond – Phase 4 – Ministerial Code
link to parliament.scot
and
Submission Alex Salmond to Committee
link to parliament.scot
At least these links worked when I just tried them.
Stu will have to pay the Orwell estate megamoney for the amount of 1984 quotes he uses! Chuckling. I see the book more of a manifesto than a work of fiction. Orwell worked in the Censorship Department of the Ministry of Information during WWII. I think he saw a lot of English governmental things coming down the line, through him working there, that he put into the work. Which makes him kind of a prick, too. Didn’t like the Scots and yet, hilariously ironically, he wrote his best book in Scotland. Nae luck, big man!
MIst001.
I can’t agree with suspending Holyrood, it governing duties among other things would be taken over by the BritNat Hub, never to be returned again.
It’s great to see all the journalist finally get a chance to see this pathetic excuse for an inquiry committee. Salmond looks set to not attend and rightly so. Have a press conference and expose them all Alex. Yesterday Sturgeon was having a panic attack as she was asked questions by STV. Be good to have a lie detector test in these cases!
Oh Wow!!
link to twitter.com
Absolutely shocking
Looking at the way things are unfolding before our eyes, one really has to ask if helping the British state to close Holyrood as the ultimate way to stop Scotland’s independence was STurgeon’s plan all along.
Divide and conquer as a strategy to close our parliament and government, perhaps?
Is the seeking of that division to beat us the reason why a person with a such high profile and so liked among yes voters as Mr Salmond was deliberately targeted by the fraud’s team and handlers in order to engineer division not only within the SNP but within the Yes movement?
is this why this fraud and her handlers have been wheeling out the genderwoowoo crap, the direct attack on females’ rights and the hate bill? Was it to keep us distracted while behind the scenes the British state actors move fast to leave us without parliament, government and to terminally wound our legal system?
Is this the reason why the abuse of power by Sturgeon and the COPFS is so evident and so in our face that cannot possibly be missed? Was this perhaps a strategy to portray Scotland’s democratic and judicial structures as worthless, disposable and not better than resigning ouselves to be subjected to permanent abuse by democratic deficit in WEstminster, particularly at a time the British state aims to reduce our representation in Westminster even further?
How did the British state managed to get rid of proportional representation? By offering us FPTP against something even worse. Well, what choices are they offering us now, Westminter vs an engineered utterly corrupt version of Holyrood. Same strategy, same aim: to preserve what Westminster perceives as the status quo?
Is this why the conspirators behind this have been protected all along to give the impression Scotland is a banana republic where injustice runs rampant and where false accusers are given anonymity so they can continue abusing it to destroy the real victim’s life?
Is this why we have government propaganda mouthpieces like RCS somewhat self-awarding themselves a right to undermine a jury’s verdict in a court of law and to determine what the parliamentary committee can publish or not? Is this to make us think our parliament has no authority and a rogue government can simply take over via its subsidised quangos?
Is this why the Parliamentary Committee instead of using its powers and teeth to properly demand the evidence in full to scrutinise Sturgeon’s government, the SNP and the participation of COPFS in government, are acting like lapdogs of the COPFS by giving up the most crucial evidence required to fulfil their remit? Is the idea behind this to present holyrood as a toy parliament?
Is this why the Parliamentary Committee was set up to fail from the word go by allocating half of the seats to the political party under scrutiny, effectively neutering any possibility of scrutiny? Is the idea behind this to present our parliament as totally powerless despite being set up because the people of Scotland demanded it in 1979 and 1997?
is this why we see crown agents and “ex” MI5 with their fingers all over this?
Is this why so many malicious prosecutions have taken place costing millions to the taxpayer so we are presented the image of a police state to make us look being controlled by London as more acceptable?
Is the ultimate goal behind this shower of engineered corruption to make us believe we cannot govern ourselves?
How it can be conceivable that a lawyer did not realise as soon as she read the first draft of the complaints procedure that this was unlawful because it was trying to expand the authority of civil servants towards individuals that were no longer part of the government and therefore no longer under the umbrella of the ministerial code? it cannot, unless they deliberately wanted to show the government under a bad light.
How can it be conceivable that a lawyer turned a blind eye to the fact that these civil servants where, against their own code, clearly crossing political barriers when redacting a procedure that transferred the disciplining of former ministers from the government to political parties? it cannot, unless they deliberately wanted to show the government in Scotland as a jungle where the civil service code counts for nothing.
How it can be conceivable that a lawyer after being warned by Mr Salmond and his counsel of an unlawful procedure, did not assess the situation and still allowed for this process to go forward breaking the ministerial code? it cannot, unless they deliberately wanted to show the government under a bad light.
How it can be conceivable that Sturgeon breached the ministerial code so many times and she is not been sacked yet? It cannot unless there is a collusion of interests with the opposition parties and the MSM.
How it can be conceivable that Swinney refused to abide twice by parliament, still suppressed evidence from the public and the inquiry and is still in post? It cannot, unless there is a collusion of interest in suppressing that evidence with the crown and the opposition parties.
How it can be conceivable that a lawyer after being warned by their own advisers that the government would lose the judicial review, still allowed it to go ahead? It cannot, unless the goal actually lose the case so the people of Scotland perceived her government as incompetent.
So, has this fraud stood for 6 years before us dangling the carrot of indyref and all the time she was colluding with the British state to bring down our government and parliament?
I think the answer to that question is quite urgent and transcends her breaches of the ministerial code.
Why do I feel we are missing the big picture? Why do I feel the MSM and other British state actors are forcing us far too close to the picture so we can only see a small portion of it?
The possibility that Sturgeon and the SNP colluded with the UK civil service and the British state to plan all along the closure of Holyrood and the total disrepute of our judicial system as a way to forever neuter it to stop independence and stop via Scottish courts the future challenges to the breaches by the British state of the Treaty of Union is beginning to emerge.
Could the imminent closure of HOlyrood be the reason why this fraud sent her guard dogs to delay the Keatings’ case for as long as possible? Could this be the reason why the fraud was leaving the passing of the “draft bill” for indyref so close to the election? Was her idea to delay the referendum and the passing of the bill beyond the point they were meaningless because Holyrood would have been closed down before they could ever be used?
There has to be a very cosy place in hell specially reserved for this lady. If it is true she conspired with agents of the British state to close down Holyrood, leave us without government against our Claim of right and permanently damage our body of law to stop independence, is completely unforgivable.
Mia – or could it be they’re all an utterly incompetent shower of shite? That option is not out of the question, either. It’s not like we’re that far removed from the moron-laden primordial swamp of local politics since the establishment of Holyrood. Look at the quality of the people in question. A genuine Muppet show of halfwits, lunatics, axe-grinders, closet cases, manhaters, and personal-agenda-wavers. I genuinely do believe a lot of this total madness is down to S——n herself and her madness and thrashing round trying to reconfigure this country to suit a tiny sexual minority of people who have no children, and thus no stake in the future of the country anyway. It’s a pure revenge trip, but how much England is involved…who knows. Or cares. End result is the same. That evil cow S—–n has fucked all our hopes and dreams for the future of the country. I hope she’s happy. She finally got revenge on a country she clearly grew up despising.
@daisy Walker, 3.20
Cash for Ashes scandal enabled the UK to shut down Stormont – very little doubt they’re going to try the same with this and Holyrood.
Bull’s eye, Daisy.
@Mia, 4:37
Looking at the way things are unfolding before our eyes, one really has to ask if helping the British state to close Holyrood as the ultimate way to stop Scotland’s independence was Sturgeon’s plan all along.
It would certainly help Ms Sturgeon secure the recommendation from the UK government with regards to that position in the UN.
Willing to be wrong in this – but I can’t escape the feeling that all of the evidence (including redactions – but now unredacted) should be transferred in their entirety to an appointed Judge – with witnesses where appropriate questioned and asked to retestify as required under oath and subject to penalty for perjury.
I regret that conclusion in many ways not least over the timescales it may involve – but the Scottish Parliament (a body wholly silent on what is currently happening) established a Committee to establish the truth – it has and is completely failing to achieve that.
The Parliament (of which we should be proud?) should this week debate that change – at the very minimum.
Nicola Sturgeon said that Alex Salmond didn’t have “a shred of evidence “. Was using “shred” and “evidence” in the same breath a Freudian slip or was she taunting us?
Always comes back to this, with these young intersectionalist nutters:
link to youtube.com
The Phase 4 committee page is back online.
It is now in the same state as it was before it went offline with the exception that it now contains a link to the [redacted] evidence from Alex Salmond instead of the original resubmission from Alex Salmond.
FWIW, the only way a single page on a webserver would remain inaccessible is by the deliberate action of the webmaster or the persons in charge of publishing the content on the web server.
I have a background in Computer Science & Software Programming including web development spanning over two decades, I fully comprehend the inner workings of web servers and the software that runs on them.
The Scottish Parliament web team deliberately took the Phase 4 page offline – I am speculating to the reasoning why here – this appears to me as being due to Alex Salmond’s unredacted evidence documents still being accessable by their URI’s even though the links to them were removed from the rendered web page.
With that said, there are zero reasons for the entire page to be taken offline for what is almost an entire working day, all that they needed to do was to remove the document files themselves and any users who used the now unpublished URI would have been rendered a 404 error code from the server instead of the documents. They could then have removed the link from the rendered page and later on add the [redacted] document when it became available and updated/republished the page with the new document linked.
For the Scottish Parliament and it’s web team to hide behind a false flag of the following for a single page being unavailable:
“We are aware that some people are currently unable to access the Parliament’s website and are investigating the cause of these issues.”
Link: link to twitter.com
Is either showing their complete technical ineptness or that they think the people of Scotland really are stupid to their actions and reasoning.
“Dan says:
23 February, 2021 at 2:48 pm
@ Prasad
Does this help.
link to wingsoverscotland.com”
Thanks Dan. Vodaphone won’t allow me to access that site so will try and get a friend to download it for me.
A jigsaw has many pieces and the COPFS is being selective in what ones they want to hide.
If they were simply to get rid of one or two other pieces in the public domain, then there is no reason this needed to be redacted.
How NS can still want to hold on, knowing that she is destroying the independance movement is beyond belief. There’s no way she can come out of this looking anything other than what she is…but surely she can see that it can only get worse!?
Malicious claim of sexual assault at Westminster is dealt with rather differently than Holyrood. No anonymity for the complainant either.
link to theguardian.com
Captain Yossarian says:
23 February, 2021 at 3:27 pm
@Daisy – Corrupt regimes all over the world call upon the Met when a straightforward and honest investigation is required. Many regions of India for example call upon the Met more often than you think
They would report to a judge who would not be Scottish. Any nationality in the world is, at the moment, preferable to Scots.
INDIA????? You think India has a good reputation when it comes to institutional corruption? You think they wouldn’t want/hire a ‘bent’ Police Force to do any enquiry for them? You’re ‘avin a laff mate.
report to a judge who would not be Scottish, OR ENGLISH (since this is deeply tied to the Independence movement and the Egnlish… have a dog in the race). Any nationality in the world is, at the moment, preferable to Scots.
Italy has been through much worse with dealing with the Mafia and corrpution. We should look to the UN for International Judges.
Question for all. I’ve now seen several times now, comment that Alex separated the Lord advocates role from Scot Gov and Nicola reinstated it. When was that/why?
Many thanks.
The unredacted evidence still available here…and I think always will be.
link to web.archive.org
Ross Thomson. Christ, not heard of that help-ma-boaby-grabbing sleazebag in a long, long time. Can’t say I missed him. Nor will the people he sexually assaulted.
Just read The Guardian article as posted by M Russell – as much as any GENUINE sexual assault is abhorrent and should be dealt with in the severest way – why, if these advances were unwelcome, would one allow it to continue for several minutes!? I just don’t get it. Have I missed something or am I lacking, in someway, in empathy, knowledge or anything else?
The only objective of the COPFS was to remove all reference to anyone who could corroborate Alex Salmond’s statements, thus leaving only unsubstantiated statements by AS in the public record, statements that can easily be refuted by Nicola Sturgeon. His word against hers?
Unfortunately, it’s hopefully a bit too late for such deception, but the COPFS and the SG may think this is their last chance to wriggle out.
Is it not the Crown Agent who instructs the Lord Advocate? If so, who is he?
“Is it not the Crown Agent who instructs the Lord Advocate? If so, who is he?”
The Crown Agent is David Harvie. BE MORE ALERT.
link to wingsoverscotland.com