Well, this is awkward
Alert readers may recall that the Electoral Commission recently chose, to everyone’s (cough) great surprise, to take no action against extremist Unionist shout-monkeys Scotland In Union over a number of clear breaches of electoral rules, or for failing to disclose a number of large donations from extremely wealthy donors.
10 days ago the EC published a tranche of FOI documents relating to the case on its website, with the donor details redacted to protect the identity of the various Lords, Dukes, Earls and Countesses who’d rather you didn’t know that they’d been handing thousands of pounds at a time to SiU.
Or at least, sort of redacted.
Because any inquisitive person who performed a simple basic edit procedure on the text of the FOI documents… well, they’d see where that plan hadn’t gone too well. Naturally we advise readers NOT to do such any such things. (The document has been deleted from the website anyway.)
We can’t say for sure whether it’s SiU or the Commission who’ve just ham-fistedly failed to take adequate steps to protect the identity of all those people before putting the information into the public domain, but we suspect that either way the individuals concerned mightn’t be all that pleased about it.
Oh dearie me. Who did the redaction, Anas Sarwar? 😀
Ooops bad stuff what.
Epic fail 🙂
When the blind lead the blind,there is usually only one outcome
I can assure you that I would never access data not intended for my nationalist mind!
…and the cheque is in the post 🙂
That format look familiar to me.
The leek a few months back
Ho, Ho, Ho.
CTRL/A CTRL/C Notepad++ CTRL/V
“We do deal with large quantities of financial and other sensitive data, so you can have confidence in its security with us.”
That file is no longer available for download, despite the link still being present.
Has it been removed?
I’m used to BBC blacking stuff out but this – someone’s for their P45.
the FOI is now showing the PDF link as a 404 – Not Found
Out of interest I went to the site and was underwhelmed by surprise the Freedom of ~Information document wasn’t freely available at all! LOL!
Not that I had any intentin of doing the MS Word trick, honest guv.
mmmmm. Looking at the website and for the life of me I can’t find this doc. Perhaps been entirely redacted? The only likely link from a search for “Scotland In Union” results in a 404. Anyone else had better luck with this grand example of freedom of information?
I just noticed that the FOI post on SIU has been removed from the EC website.
It’s now ‘404 Not Found’. ;o)
FOI 020_18
“404 not found”
If that was it, they’re quick off the mark.
Sorry, Rev. I should refresh the page more often so that I’m not imparting information already posted. Ooopsie.
Hah, me too in that case!
I could only imagine if you open it with a pdf editor you could delete the black redacted layer. I wish I knew how to do this.
Document not found when I try to acces on my mobile, looks like it has been removed already. ???
rofl
I’ve just checked again (after dowloading just after 7).
The PDF can be found at:-
https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/241964/FOI-020_18.pdf
but you’d better be quick, if references are disappearing.
Nope -just checked before submitting and it’s now “404”.
@Itchybiscuit
They took it down from the website, so anyone looking for it would need to grab the cached version from Google, which of course is still going to be there.
To do that someone would have to search on Google for the FOI number (FOI_020_18), then right click on the little triangle to the right of the top result, then save the completely unredacted document that it brings up, which includes all the donor names, amounts, etc.
I’m sure nobody will do that though.
The Electoral Commission are not worth redacting. They are totally English in outlook its all FPTP Winner takes all and their running of Referendums is a disgrace.
All referendums pit a change against the Status Quo Ante and the EC choses a lead campaigner for the change and a lead for the SQA. BUT there are four arguments in a referendum, for the change and against the change and also for the SQA and against the SQA
If there is to be any sensible discussion and useful result from a referendum all four arguments should be aired. Do you think the case against the SQA was properly made in 2014? Or the case aginst FPTP in the AV referendum? Yet the EC is so blinkered by its adherence to the Westminster medieval theology of thesis and antithesis, Labour and Conservative that it cannot see that the Brxit shambles is in any part their fault!
The Electoral Commission is unfit for purpose
PS We can be getting on with arguing against the SQA even though Nicola has not yet proposed a change 🙂
Hurried discussions at Scotland In Union this evening:
Alistair Cameron: “Torquil!? I thought we could trust the Electoral commission? Doesn’t your cousin Rupert work there?”
“Yes. Great Aunt Jemima pulled some strings. He maintains the photocopiers.”
*Alistair Cameron hits his head off his desk repeatedly while Rule Britannia plays on a scratchy gramophone record*
Briandoonthetoon, nope your link leads to a 404. I would like to check that my name isn’t on it in error, maybe you can get the pdf to me somehow?
Oh dear I hope nobody managed to download it before it was taken down 🙁
What sort of idiot would redact something by layering a black rectangle, then publish it without making it a read only pdf. You would need to be almost completely computer illiterate to do this.
Thank goodness our betters are never so stupid.
Looks like the EC stupidly chose to format each cell with a black infill to make the black copy appear to be hidden.
Except that it’s not. The data is still there and all one has to do is copy it, paste it into another MS document platform which ignores the black cell background.
Ha! Ha! Ha!
Briandoonthetoon, no need, cancel my suggestionat 19:32.
google, eh ?
any fifth columnists, lets see ?
@Karmanaut
Not only does Google have the cached version but because it’s a text scrape of the PDF without the black background of the table, it contains all the names of the donors! What a monumental c*ck-up by the monumentally incompetent Electoral Commission!
404 not found – noted the error?
Imagine if you ran a posh private school and you made regular large donations to some, eh, political campaign, and then some random person checked your publicly-accessible accounts on Companies House and those accounts didn’t show the donations….
Would that be a worry? Maybe best to check with HMRC.
404 page. It’s been taken down.
* cough cough Google-cached version cough cough*
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:9bZZ6IGBe6gJ:https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/241964/FOI-020_18.pdf+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk
Suspect someone at the EC has a squeaky bottom just now. I advise not to apply for a computer related job at your next employment.
It took me just a minute of searching to find the entire spreadsheet with all the names of individuals & companies, amounts donated, dates & explanatory notes.
The good news is that I can’t imagine anyone working for the main stream media in Scotland having the willpower or indeed the skills to use Google’s webcache.googleusercontent.com tool to find it.
And I’m sure there’s no one at BBC Shortbread either who has even heard of it.
*Cough*
@ Karmanaut 7:28 – thx – it works. interesting!
The electoral commission official advisors to SIU, who’d have thought it?
Thanks, RogueCoder.
“What larks!” as the happy Cockney in his hovel would say in an Agatha Christie novel.
Not going so well in SiU, eh? as we say in the 21st century…
@Karmanaut
So far as I can see there is a political donation to SIU in the annual accounts for the financial year in question, it just under declares the amount.
Freedom of information is just yet another lie in Westminster’s UK.
Also shows how all our posts are constantly monitored by these crooks.
News flash: new Royal baby is put on life support system!
It’s called the Civil List.
lol
@Truth
Ah. I must have missed it (in my hypothetical imaginings).
It’s like an abstract window.
Outside, the dark.
Suddenly, the increasing gravel sound of a Range Rover approaching.
The package is thrown as tyres crunch then fade into the red distance.
Donation delivered. Then, oblivion.
Since the file has been removed can those who have seen the names put some clues in their comments.
Have been reading the FOI readout constantly for over half an hour now. Priceless!
SIU just appear completely hapless. Donor list is, ermm … interesting.
lol
“I appreciate you are concerned about the security of your data. However, the relevant staff are not in the Edinburgh office but here in London, and so it does need to come here. If you feel uncomfortable emailing it to us and want to use another method, such as a courier, then that would be fine. We do deal with large quantities of financial and other sensitive data, so you can have confidence in its security with us”
EC
For those without the tools to remove the black boxes in the PDF, somebody has now permanently archived the un-redacted contents here: http://archive.is/XAYiD#selection-5671.0-5671.11
Michael Russell
?Verified account @Feorlean
This is from first page of @GovUK amendments to #EUWithdrawalBill , just published. It says that even a straight refusal of consent by @ScotParl would make no difference ( & for the next 7 years) . Westminster would be able just to treat it as consent and carry on regardless !
10:58 AM – 25 Apr 2018 from Edinburgh, Scotland
Looks like the gloves are off now
My twisted mind always looks for another angle: probably the intern that edited the document is far more skilled than we think.
S/he knew that the PDF would appear censored to the unwashed and pass muster for publication.
We have a Whistleblower at the Electoral Commission.
Rejoice.
The entirely independent and completely impartial United Kingdom Electoral Commission…
http://newsnet.scot/archive/the-entirely-independent-and-completely-impartial-united-kingdom-electoral-commission/
C’mon Stu hand it over and I’ll publish it.
Oh Jings! LOLMAGEDDON 😀
Oohhh…page 11 has an old ‘chum’ of this place…!!
There are some names on that list that belong on the 17th century aristocracy …dear me, pish parents really hate their kids right from birth !!!
Oh my what an interesting list. No wonder they want to keep it secret.
Some of the donors, based upon what they actually do, and where they are located, are just bizarre – do they even know what they donated to?
RevStu, this is just soooo good.
What a bunch of chancers. People in England, who oh so desperately want to hold on to their Scottish colony, no matter what the Scots think. First time I have ever used this thing called google cache – what a magnificent invention.
The thing is though, we are supposed to be living in a democracy, and here we have a secretive group funded by people in England, including Lords and some businesses, who are utterly desperate to remain anonymous – so ashamed of their behaviour that they want to make sure nobody knows.
‘Scotland in union’ – Scotland’s enemy. Funded by the landed gentry and English folk.
anyone know how Lord Hope’s amendment to the Brexit bill has progressed – if at all ?
RogueCoder,
It’s all gone, we need it pastebin now. I have a site China based that CANNOT be taken down.
Please send it to me.
Twitterleaks@twitterleaks.club
Graeme at 842pm,
Yip, you are right. It would seem that Westminster intends to just TAKE control of the Scottish Parliament, no matter what Scotland thinks, or votes.
This is how London used to treat colonies. What an insult. Call the referendum. Enough is enough. If London do not play by the ‘rules’, then neither should Scotland. If London can just ‘take’ powers, then Scotland should just take the power of independence. Stand firm Nicola, then call the referendum soon.
RogueCoder.
Thanks for the link.
I know very few of them on the list, but can imagine they have some sort of financial vested interest in retaining Scotland in the union.
geeo at 854pm,
Just looked at page 11. My oh my, I see what you mean. Soooo very funny!! 🙂
Shame there wasn’t any great revelation there that would have took our breath away lol.
The best thing that I take from this is the incompetence of SiU in losing this data in the first place. Top prize though goes to the totally useless Electoral Commission.
Hahaha fecking useless can’t even keep things confidential that clearly should be. Stewards enquiry starts tomorrow am and heads will roll over this.
If you hurry up and download all the other FOI’s that have been published in the last few months then just maybe they are are the same and you can read everything and nothing is really redacted?
Black felt pens were probably always best. What a cock up 🙂
Carry On Up the Commission!
I’ve had a look through the donors.
Selection of: full on English or anglified toffs, castle owners,Estate owners (some from abroad) English lords, irish/English toff!?, fee paying kids schools in England, businesses in England, Scot/brit money men and women.
I expected the list to be longer. I suspect that with there would be more toffs willing to give thousands. Quite a short list I’d say given the time SiU has been at the schmooze and the number of hoorays floating around ‘these islands’.
Can anyone confirm that it was a complete list of their donors?
Funny how the list of donors is alphabetical on the basis of first names.
Strange that.
Google is your friend after all. 🙂
@robert louis..i am sure i have no idea what you mean..!!
Rock (13th June 2014 – “To the editor of the Scotsman”):
“Remember that you are now the 2nd biggest threat to the Establishment and they will do everything in their power to get you.
My advice to you would be to move to Iceland – NOW – and carry on your work from there.”
Update: BIGGEST threat.
Very interesting list, was not totally surprise to see a certain Peterhead company among the donors.
Apologies if this has already been found, I’ve not time to read through all the comments.
An html version of the file
http://archive.is/ppZv3
You couldn’t make this up.
This is from first page of @GovUK amendments to #EUWithdrawalBill just published.
It says that even a straight refusal of consent is considered to be a consent by @ScotParl and would make no difference ( & for the next 7 years).
Westminster would be able just to treat it as consent and carry on regardless !
Lovin it! Saw it on twitter, on archive.is
http://archive.is/XAYiD#selection-5671.0-5671.11
https://www.dropbox.com/s/o1huf409zalqlcp/Microsoft%20Outlook%20-%20Memo%20Style%201.pdf?dl=0
This gem, from whoever at the Electoral Commission:
I appreciate you are concerned about the security of your data. However, the relevant staff are not in the Edinburgh office but here in London, and so it does need to come here. If you feel uncomfortable emailing it to us and want to use another method, such as a courier, then that would be fine. We do deal with large quantities of financial and other sensitive data, so you can have confidence in its security with us.
Best part is I’m cross referencing these names with Troll accounts on Twitter. I bloody well knew it.
Strangest yet is a private school in SW London. WTF?
Do the fee paying parents know where their dosh is going???
The 5th name in the list made me giggle. Sounds like a character out of Black Adder!
O/T
I see the Herald have managed to make story about the SNP having never used Cambridge Analytical run for a whole week. Is it strange that they are more interested in the party that didn’t use them rather than the one’s that did. I suppose they consider it job done in Scotland, they have covered the Tories tracks. A press officer’s job is round the corner for one of them once they have run the paper into the ground.
John Michie? Surely not the actor?
If anyone want’s to convert an html file to .doc or PDF etc file that can be opened in MS Office or Libreoffice go here
https://convertio.co/document-converter/
it works perfectly
I blame the SNP
Vanessa Branson sister of the beardy billionaire balloonist. She owns a Scottish Island for the hodilays. Wonder if she voted in Indyref1 an aw?
harry mcaye – you decide (8years old but very good)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvWSG5-JbhM
Here’s the very interesting bit and probably the most important bit as I see it.
The Rev sticks this article up around 18:55 and just 15 minutes later a reader posts that the file is no longer available to view or download on the Electoral Commission website. It’s gone from a government website, they’ve been tipped off and someone with authority has pulled the file straight away.
I’m impressed, that’s pretty fast moving when, you know, maybe just a casual reader of Wings can get the EC to remove a file from their webpage within 15 minutes!
To be honest I’m totally amazed at the shear incompetence of the lot of them. They’re running around now, no doubt screaming DON’T PANIC!
It’s hard to believe that they ARE that fucking USELESS but I do believe it though. After all look at who is in charge.
Not giggling any more.
The more I read, and the more I Google the more unique name pairings, the more I feel that the +45% need to know EXACTLY who they have ranged against them.
Not surprised by some, frankly disgusted by others.
Stopping (for) now.
It’s a good job WikiLeaks didn’t get hold of the SiU redactions.
The may have published the entire list!
🙂
Sue Ryde? That’ll be, like, a different Sue Ryder(?) Not the charity shop…right?
@Harry McAye,
Yep,the actor. He supported Labour in Glasgow East and had to put out a statement saying he no longer supported independence. I think he has ambitions in politics.
Larry Kinch – North Sea Oil multi millionaire dick on the list I see.
Achnababan @ 21:52,
Absolutely. ThatNiclaSturgin must resign! =laugh=
And I suppose the EC will now have to report itself to the Data Commissioners. Ooops…
Incidentally, if anyone wants to see what the EC’s response was to the SG’s recent consultation on electoral reform, it can still =grin= be found at:
https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/240432/Electoral-reform-Scotland.pdf
It evidently considers that residence requirements are far too onerous to have to deal with any of that kind of bothersome thing. Hmmm.
But on the tricky question of multiple voting in non-local elections it does recognise that “there is no mechanism for EROs [Electoral Registration Officers] to compare entries across all the [locally-maintained] registers.” A prime and longstanding hole below the waterline of democracy that one hopes the SG will swiftly and definitively eliminate.
I’ve said it before…
https://i.imgur.com/16XHOwc.png
Naina Tal; beardy billionaire balloon?
With these brainiacs overseeing elections, what could possibly go wrong?
Kevin: Aye yours is better.
Someone must have the original document – and been able to open it up. Please post the names and details… or e-mail them to me. I’ll not publish them.
The obvious question to ask is, “How many of the people wanting to keep Scotland in this wonderful/damned union by hook or by crook are actually Scottish?”
Never mind, I’m sure they’re all doing it for our own good.
Michie the actor? Really? Oh, dear…
🙄
Not John Michie! He did these super wee programmes about Scotland and the Highland clearances and I thought he was an indy supporter.
That really has left me feeling utterly bereft.
The rest of the company just disgust me.
@Jon Musgrave
First time posting on Wings is it 🙂
I’ll send you all the names and details please supply your email address. What are you going to do with all them names and details? I don’t want anyone to get in trouble 🙁
Hilarious
May can get lost. The Tories won’t last seven years. Seven months more like it. All that donor money wasted. What a shame.
Do not give an inch.
When will the illegal DUP donor money be outed. The IndyRef. The Brexit illegal £1/2Billion. The data illegally used.
Milne on the list. Got council land for a bean. Public money wasted.
It’s on twitter. Posted above.
10:20pm It evidently considers that residence requirements are far too onerous to have to deal with any of that kind of bothersome thing.
Of course it does. The electoral commision are incompetent nepotists whose sole purpose is to ensure the culture of breaking electoral law with impunity continues in British politics.
Boyd Tunnock.
Dorothy – I’m quite sure Mr Michie is a Yesser – you cannot do the above video link (@ 9.59pm), and go back to NO. He maybe a labour man but just like many it may be Labour for Yes when the time comes.
(No idea if he still lives here and has a vote or not)
That’s Luss fucked for a day out now.
Always thought their car park was a rip off.
Now I know what they were profiteering for.
The names revealed in this document really don’t mean very much to me. Sure I recognise a number of them and can see quite clearly that they are not from the same side of the fence as me.
I don’t really care too much for that though as surely we have all known since before 2014 that the rich and powerful support remaining part of the UK.
Look at the difference between the supporters of Wings and the supporters of SiU. It’s a big difference, most folk will chip in a tenner or twenty quid. For Siu if you don’t donate at least £500 then your a nobody.
Pathetic really I think, In fact it’s quite funny when you think of the costs that SiU have for staff, we’re talking £50K for a part time leader, then there’s the minions.
Can’t last. They’ll be bust before the next referendum especially after allowing the names of their supporters to be splashed all over the internet. Tough shit.
Just class 🙂
https://twitter.com/ScotNational/status/989245206364151808
The National, tomorrows headline: Scotland in Union;
https://twitter.com/ScotNational/status/989245206364151808
🙂
Great Front Page for The National tomorrow.
Also this is could be a smoking gun for Mundell.
https://indyscotnews.com/scotland-offices-mysterious-multi-million-pound-payment-for-candidates-mailings/
The Payment of £3,001,316.17 was included in a breakdown of the Government Department’s spending for August 2017.The payment relates to a bill from Royal Mail dated June 20th 2017 and carries a description of “Candidates Mailing”. The link to the source is below:
See the Payment on Government Website.
Given the timing being so soon after last year’s snap General Election one has to assume this somehow relates to candidates standing at said election.
It raises some very interesting questions as to just why a department of the Westminster Government would be paying such a thing?
I am going to investigate this further and reach out to the Scotland Office for an explanation, so stay tuned folks.
So the Electoral commission says wings should have known the rules (got penalised) but SIU appears to be given a helping hand?
Note a certain Glasgow based company apparently gave £10k and someone with a similar name to their Chairman gave £8k. Not sure if they support the poor or foodbanks’ with so much spare cash around?
What a shower.
Well done Rev
I wonder if Tom Gordon is choking on his couscous this evening?
Why would someone,a Jane Gotts,donate the arbitrary sum of £2256.00?
Whst goes on in the mind of a British Nationalist millionaire?
Two nice Estates on the list – living off the Scotland brand, nice grouse shooting, fishing, stunning views for their holiday lets and self catering industries. Not to mention their (NOT) Scotch beef, lamb, venison & salmon
Too cosy with the National Park (no surprise there eh)- helped to remove wild camping from our shores.
Bit surprised not to see Cocky Connelly and not so gorgeous St George Galloway on the list.
Too mean or too smart obviously.
But… but… wouldn’t that private school in London have CHARITY STATUS?? Would it be right that a CHARITY is giving donations to a Polical party? Hmmmm… Doesn’t sound right to me..
If the Electoral Commission had any backbone they would make it illegal for people not on the Register of Voters in Scotland to make party donations. Same for Indy Ref2.
Hilarious. Can still do the google cache thing.
@RJS “And I suppose the EC will now have to report itself to the Data Commissioners. Ooops…”
Here’s their ICO registration:
https://ico.org.uk/ESDWebPages/Entry/Z7601419
and here’s their contact information just to prove it’s the same Electoral Commission:
https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/contact-us/our-offices
I’m not convinced their actual registration is adequate, considering the SiU file which some people may have looked at online. There’s this:
“Reasons/purposes for processing information
We process personal information to enable us to provide accounting, auditing and related services, to maintain our own accounts and records and to support and manage our employees.”
Which is very limited, my own one which I did myself is more general and inclusive of actual operations with data, much better as a descriptive “reason / purpose”. Theirs says nothing about “client” data, though it does below the reason / purpose bit.
Naughty naughty EC. Mama smack.
This file was pulled from the internet just 15 mins after the Rev posted this article.
The file is on the Electoral Commission website. Now I’ve no idea who at around 7pm at night might be in charge of that website but they were told get that fucking file of the internet LOL.
OK I’m just guessing someone was told that. Ask yourself this though do you believe Wings Over Scotland is monitored 24/7?
I’m pretty sure that if there’s a data breach you have to report yourself to the ICO, so I daresay that will hit the MSM and BBC headlines shortly, as well as The National 🙂
Damn, feel like a bacon roll, where’s my shotgun (that I don’t have)?
Thepnr
Wings and a lot more monitored 24/7 from a nice town in England called Cheltenham.
Too late, too late, the maiden cried..etc.
It’s all over the internet.
lolololol.
Well well well. Just back from a wee jaunt and I find I’ve been missing all this fun!
Thanks to RogueCoder for the link. Very few names I recognise but then I don’t hobnob with the rich and famous and certainly not with anyone who would wish to harm Scotland.
It does make you wonder what goes on in the minds of these people who, even if they do also donate money to alleviate poverty, want to give money to a shower of shysters hell bent on making the poor even poorer. Strange people.
Private English School donates? Church of England and all that jazz. Why? oops is the connection with Argyll and Luss area?
One for Dave McEwan-Hill!!! with a hyphen in his name he is obviously a toff and has influence.
What connections does this lot have with local politicians in Argyll and Bute if any?. Does the tories, lib-dems wish to comment?
Just think of all the other connections out there. Oh what a weave…..
OT – rotting nuclear fuelled subs
It seems the subs in Rosyth have been defuelled which is a relief, not so for some at Devonport:
https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/plymouth-news/nuclear-submarines-left-rot-devonport-1043977
note this, intermediate storage is in Cheshire, but no site for deep geological storage after 2040 – we have time yet to escape being the dumping ground yet again!
I feel sorry for a lady called “Jill Stephenson”. Made up name I am sure.
However all those £50 “letter of the week” wins and that is all she can muster!
Back to History for you!
Best regards. Stephen
You can just see it in 2040 can’t you, the MOD is like “Excuse me Independent Scotland’s Fifth First Minister Mhairi Black, would you mind awfully if we dumped all our nuclear waste in the Lairig Ghru and sealed off both ends?”
Black: “Feck off”.
@ Sinky at 11.05
Every candidate is entitled to one free mailing to every registered elector, delivered by Royal Mail – they don’t all take advantage of this, of course; I almost never get Lib Dem leaflets, unlike some lucky people here.
Someone has to pay Royal Mail for that. Perhaps it’s the Scotland Office. (The candidates provide the leaflets.)
Here’s a wee insight into David Heathcote-Amory, page 10:
‘Heathcoat-Amory partly blamed the presence of a UKIP candidate on the ballot paper for his defeat during his speech after the result of the ballot was announced.[5] He also admitted that his involvement in the expenses scandal played a part in his defeat.[6][7][8]
He received a level of opprobrium in 2008 after remarking, regarding the presence of a Black MP, Dawn Butler, They’re letting anybody in nowadays.[9][10]’
Tory racist.
Link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Heathcoat-Amory
So….this happened !!
As alluded to by someone earlier.
Unbelievable stuff from WM.
This is an excerpt from the last minute amendment of the EU Withdrawal Bill, in relation to the power grab row.
………
(3) A Minister of the Crown must not lay for approval before each
House of the Parliament of the United Kingdom a draft of a
statutory instrument containing regulations under this section
unless—
(a) the Scottish Parliament has made a consent decision in
relation to the laying of the draft, or
(b) the 40 day period has ended without the Parliament having
made such a decision.
(4) For the purposes of subsection (3) a consent decision is—
(a) a decision to agree a motion consenting to the laying of the
draft,
(b) a decision NOT TO AGREE a motion consenting to the laying of
the draft, or
(c) a decision to agree a motion REFUSING TO CONSENT to the laying
of the draft;
(MY CAPS).
……….
There you have it,
Refusal of Holyrood Legislative Consent CAN and WILL (according to this latest tory amendment) be treated as if consent is given by Holyrood. !!
Put simpy, imagine yourself in a room with another person and they give you 3 options
1. Agree to everything i say.
2. Refuse to agree with me and i will stab you, and i will presume you give your blessing.
3. Think about refusing to agree with me and i will shoot you, and i will presume you gave your blessing.
Constitutional crisis assured now, if this affrontery is passed.
No wonder it has been severely under reported !!
Am i dreaming this ???
Surely !
English government law translated:
You’re saying saying NO but we’re hearing Yes is that correct
NO!….. thought so
They’re going to regret this behaviour badly, but will they care because they’re doing it to Norn Ireland as well
They’ve been warned, hell slap it intae them
I have a new theory.
WM Push this row over the continuity bill/power grab right to the legal wire, then row back at the last minute, announce brexit cannot happen because Scotland stopped it.
WM gets a brexit lifeboat, their precious Union is saved for bit longer, Scots feel the hate of WM, fully backed by vengeful English Tories and brexiteers in general.
Business as usual as per pre brexit ref levels.
Jobs a good ‘un. Barring a load of raging tories hell bent on Brexit.
But hey, labour sweep to power due to no confidence motion and tories in open civil war, tories use said civil war to rid itself or anti EU elements, just in time to sweep back into power after one term away due to labour being generally useless.
Fancyful maybe, but there ye go.
This entire episode is absolute comedy gold. And yet outside of the National the entire episode will likely be buried by the press – as usual.
15 minutes to take down the file certainly does indicated a level of “State Interference” on this website. Again, outwith of the National – will anyone in the Media have the bottle to publish the information? It is highly doubtful that any will.
This is a level of state interference this beyond belief. Who was watching? 77th brigade? MI5? MI6?
And just exactly how in the space of 15 minutes can they contact the EC, who in turn contact the persons(s) responsible for maintaining the website and get the file taken down.
Agree that we are all behind Nicola and the SG on this power grab and definitely not on the side of the UK Government.
@geeo
No, you got it right. Consent is consent, a decision not to consider giving consent is consent, and a decision refusing consent is consent. There’s no such thing as “No”.
The big question is, since Russell has not surprisingly noticed this, what will Scottish Labour make of it?
There shall be no escape for them if they go along with the Tories and allow the Tories to rape Devolution, not ever, never. They would be accomplices.
@geeo
No, you got it right. Consent is consent, a decision not to consider giving consent is consent, and a decision refusing consent is consent. There’s no such thing as “No”.
The big question is, since Russell has not surprisingly noticed this, what will Scottish Labour make of it?
There shall be no escape for them if they go along with the Tories and allow the Tories to r*pe Devolution, not ever, never. They would be accomplices.
Westminster has no choice. They are close to the end of the Constitutional rope. The media is silent because giving Scotland the “Do as you’re told or else” routine isn’t going to end well for Westminster. If Scotland wakes up to what’s going on, Scotland will do what Scotland does best. Dig it’s heels in and refuse to be shifted and then it’s all over for Theresa.
Holyrood must hold its nerve. No deals or last minute compromises. This is the biggest possible red line that we have to hold.
You can see their desperation.
Herald covered this as well as The National.
http://www.thenational.scot/news/16184301.Unionists_suffer_ANOTHER_data_leak_disaster_after_embarrassing_error/
http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/16185472.Watchdog_error_reveals_Unionist_campaign_s_secret_donors/?action=success#comments-feedback-anchor
The lairds must be fair spluttering over their Late Bottled Vintage!
@ Hamish, real Scottish toffs don’t use a hyphen!
Looks like google still has it cached.
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:9bZZ6IGBe6gJ:https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/241964/FOI-020_18.pdf+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
Do not give an inch the Tories will not last 7 years. Stinking Labour and LibDem liars. Tell May and the rest of the pycho bastards to get lost. Johnston the imbecile caused all this mess. The 1/2million who did not come out to vote must be regretting it. Vote NO you get nothing. No show you get nothing.
The Tories have ruined the Oil sector. Ruined the fishing industry for forty years. The industry should have reorganised and used bigger nets. For better terms and conditions. Higher Oil prices put the price of goods and services up. It’s not the price it’s the tax. The tax should be according to price. The Tories have been taxing the Oil sector 40% since Jan 2016. More before that. Losing £Billions and thousands of jobs.
Vote Tory to die younger. Vote Tory to be unemployed.
Trotter and Hunter. Sums the losers up. The non impartial Tory Royals interfering in Politics. Not on.
Aargh! I have just seen Peter Mullen on the list.
When you go will you send back a letter from America – actually dinna bother!
@ Dorothy
Think it might be a different Peter Mullen. Our Peter spells his his name Mullan.
There’s a C of E priest listed on Wikipedia with that name….?
Highland Wifie , thanks for that I shall reinstate my love and admiration for the actor chappie!
Let’s put it this way…
Where a a person donates to SIU and they have a business then I can choose not to frequent that business.
For example, scroll to O and find an agricultural business, check them on the Web and I won’t be buying their produce nor frequenting their accommodation.
Simples.
@geeo
Thanks for printing that about the amendment by the way, it’s been useful to be able to cut and paste it and spread the word.
It will cost you money and require paperwork to visit EU after Brexit;
https://www.autonomyscotland.org/it-will-cost-you-money-and-require-paperwork-to-visit-eu-after-brexit/
The inconvenient truth the media don’t want you to know about: the Scottish government’s negotiating position may have just been strengthened;
http://scotgoespop.blogspot.co.uk/2018/04/the-inconvenient-truth-media-dont-want.html
The Noisy Frenchman;
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/
Home Office had migrant removal targets, report shows;
http://archive.is/sWMkX
What’s the latest on the Brexit powers row?;
http://archive.is/bSaGd
More than a third of LGBT people hide identity at work, report finds;
http://archive.is/i2jXr
American meat is ‘safe for UK trade deal’, farmers say;
http://archive.is/cB4SJ
Kim Jong-un to meet Moon Jae-in at Korean border for summit;
http://archive.is/SajNz
Facebook to vet UK political ads for May 2019 local elections;
http://archive.is/RZ4wQ
SNP releases all Cambridge Analytica communication and calls for other parties to do the same;
http://indyref2.scot/snp-releases-all-communication-on-cambridge-analytica-and-calls-for-other-parties-to-do-the-same
Scotland’s Social Security Bill: what you need to know
https://www.snp.org/scotland_social_security_what_you_need_to_know
Caught Between the Devil and the DUP;
https://www.centreonconstitutionalchange.ac.uk/blog/caught-between-devil-and-dup
BREAKING Russian scientists, Vladimir Uglev, who have developed 4th Gen nerve agent novichok and gave interview to media due to the Skripals assassination has been hit by car and is in hospital. Developing;
https://twitter.com/SteveKomarnycky/status/989032426281324544
Far more Britons live in Europe than government statistics suggest;
https://theconversation.com/far-more-britons-live-in-europe-than-government-statistics-suggest-95477
IVANKA’S $360 MILLION VANCOUVER DEAL IS REPORTEDLY BEING INVESTIGATED BY THE F.B.I.;
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/03/ivanka-trump-organization-vancouver
The press regulator just ruled that a story by The Times was essentially b*llocks;
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2018/04/25/the-press-regulator-just-ruled-that-a-story-by-the-times-was-essentially-bllocks/
A Conservative MP says homelessness is ‘appealing’. Sky News makes him eat his lousy words;
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2018/04/25/a-conservative-mp-says-homelessness-is-appealing-sky-news-makes-him-eat-his-lousy-words/
A trade union just made a bit of a commotion right outside PMQs;
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/2018/04/25/a-trade-union-just-made-a-bit-of-a-commotion-right-outside-pmqs/
Northern Ireland pushes Brexit talks toward fresh crisis;
https://www.politico.eu/article/northern-ireland-pushes-brexit-talks-toward-fresh-crisis/
Secret border visit by David Davis showed contempt for politicians, says SF;
http://archive.is/Ex8eI
Hi @bbcnickrobinson, I read this article, and I’m afraid James O’Brien is absolutely right about something, let me explain what and why…;
https://twitter.com/EmporersNewC/status/989166956191338496
Ormsary Farmers, a sporting estate in Lochgilphead Argyll. Advertising their beef, lamb and holiday accommodation overlooking Islay and Jura. Owned, I believe by Sir William Lithgow. £5000.00
Need to be more vigilant at any farmers markets I go to from now on.
Looks, to me, like the E.C. is one of 3 things-
Not fit for purpose,
Stuffed with incompetent civil servants.
Utterly corrupt.
There’s a sad side to this release. Where it’s just an individual name rather than a company, and you then google the person, multiple possibilities pop up. The problem is, now the names are out there, it’s difficult to identify the innocent.
Many are associated with businesses. I do and will boycott any business who would pass on a percentage of my money to the likes of SiU, or indeed oppose Scottish democracy in any way. I want to know which would so I have the opportunity to withhold my patronage. I also really wouldn’t like to think I made mistakes by focusing on the wrong person.
“DUP threatens to bring down Theresa May’s Government if it crosses Customs Union red line.”
The DUP has warned it will bring down Theresa May’s Government if Northern Ireland is forced to stay in the Single Market or Customs Union after Brexit .
Nigel Dodds, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party at Westminster, said his party would vote against the Government if any of its “red lines” on Brexit are crossed.
It comes as Britain and the EU are deadlocked over how to ensure that there is no hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland after Brexit.
Mr Dodds told the Conservativehome website: “If, as a result of the Brexit negotiations for instance, there was to be any suggestion that Northern Ireland would be treated differently in a way, for instance that we were part of a customs union and a single market and the rest of the UK wasn’t … for us that would be a red line, which we would vote against the Government.
“You might as well have a Corbyn government pursuing openly its anti-Unionist policies as have a Conservative Government doing it by a different means.”
It comes as Tory MPs will on Thursday hold a symbolic vote on keeping Britain in a customs union. Bob Neill, Nicky Morgan and Sarah Wollaston are among Tory MPs backing the motion, which urges the Government to “include as an objective in negotiations … the establishment of an effective customs union”.
Ministers have said that the vote is “meaningless” because it is not binding. As a result Tory MPs will not be whipped into attending the vote.
David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, said he would have personally “failed” if the UK has to stay in a customs union after Brexit.
He also suggested that the EU was posturing when it last week ruled out Britain’s solutions over the Irish border as he insisted Brussels was simply setting out “opening positions” for negotiations.
He told the Treasury select committee: “I do not expect the solution to be an extension of the Customs Union . I would view that on my part as a failure.”
Andrea Leadsom, the Leader of the Commons, told BBC Radio 5 Live: “With regards to being in a customs union, once you leave the European Union – if you stay in the Customs Union – you cannot negotiate your own free trade agreements.
“Genuinely, I cannot understand why anybody accepts leaving the EU but staying in the Customs Union. That’s the worst of all worlds. In the Commons Mrs May reiterated her pledge to take Britain out of the Customs Union.
She said: “The British people voted to leave the European Union, in voting to leave the European Union they voted to leave the Single Market and the Customs Union.”
Mr Davis left open the possibility that Mrs May could be forced to return to Brussels to seek a new Brexit deal if MPs reject her original offer.
He admitted that a Commons resolution to approve the Brexit deal could be amended by MPs, amid concerns among Brexiteers that pro-European Tory MPs could join forces with Labour to keep Britain in the Customs Union.
Mr Davis told the Brexit select committee that the “meaningful vote” on a resolution to approve the Brexit deal could be amended. “If you can tell me how to write an unamendable motion, I will take a tutorial,” he said. It comes after Mrs May delayed a Cabinet debate over Britain’s future relationship with the EU until next week.
The Prime Minister’s Brexit war Cabinet met on Tuesday but did not discuss the Government’s two options for a customs relationship with the EU after Brexit.
Boris Johnson, David Davis, Michael Gove and Liam Fox are opposed to plans for a customs partnership, which would involve Britain collecting tariffs from imports on behalf of the EU. They believe the plan is unworkable and could lead to the UK ultimately staying in the Customs Union, limiting its ability to strike a free trade deal.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/dup-threatens-to-bring-down-theresa-mays-government-if-it-crosses-customs-union-red-line/ar-AAwkWJ4?li=BBoPWjQ&ocid=U452DHP
“Donald Trump UK visit: Reports of July trip spark outrage online as activists promise protests ‘like we have never seen before’
Reports suggesting US President Donald Trump will visit the UK in July sparked outrage online, with many promising mass protests “like we have never seen before”.
Sky News quoted sources as saying that he would carry out the trip in mid-July of this year. The visit is expected to be officially announced in the coming days.
The US president previously cancelled a trip to open his country’s new embassy in London, citing its move from Grosvenor Square to the Nine Elms site, near Battersea, as a “bad deal”.
In a wave of online anger, Twitter user Beluga Hugh wrote: “I’m looking forward to being part of the biggest anti Trump rally seen so far. I hope it is the most peaceful and positive ‘f*** off’ the world has ever seen.”
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/donald-trump-uk-visit-reports-of-july-trip-spark-outrage-online-as-activists-promise-protests-like-we-have-never-seen-before/ar-AAwkQyq?li=BBoPWjQ&ocid=U452DHP
The issue of Scottish self determination is for Scots to decide. Anything else is interference in the democratic process. It doesn’t take long to find donors who have absolutely no right to get mixed up in our affairs.
Scots can back and support who they like, however if they are businesses they should accept the consequences of taking a partisan stance.
However, why is a company from Bury St Edmunds making a donation? Of what possible business is it of theirs?
“Brits could be forced to pay £6 to visit other European countries after Brexit in move to ‘protect EU borders’
Brits may be forced to pay for a £6 visa every time they want to visit any of the 27 EU countries like Spain or Italy after Brexit.
Brussels says “the system will apply to visa-exempt third country nationals”, which Britons are set to become as of March 29, 2019, according to the EU’s agreed Brexit negotiating guidelines.
It comes after an agreement was reached by the Bulgarian Council presidency and European Parliament representatives for the European travel information and authorisation system (ETIAS).
The move, which is intended to ‘protect the European Union’s external borders’ to allow European Parliament ‘to stop those who may pose a threat to our citizens,’ will see an end to free movement for UK citizens between the 27 other EU nations.
Valentin Radev, the Bulgarian interior minister, said: “Today’s agreement is another important step in protecting the EU’s external borders.
“By knowing who is coming to the EU before they even arrive at the border, we will be better able to stop those who may pose a threat to our citizens.”
If the proposals are voted in Brits will need to pay £6 (7 euros) to submit an online ETIAS application to the Brussels authorities.
The EU announcement reads: “ETIAS will allow for advance checks and, if necessary, deny travel authorisation to visa-exempt third-country nationals travelling to the Schengen area.
“The information submitted in each application will be automatically processed against EU and relevant Interpol databases to determine whether there are grounds to refuse a travel authorisation.
“Before boarding, air carriers and sea carriers will need to check whether third country nationals subject to the travel authorisation requirement are in possession of a valid travel authorisation.
“From three years after the entry into operations of ETIAS this obligation will also apply to international carriers transporting groups overland by coach.”
The new proposal will now be voted on in European Parliament before being sent to the Council for adoption.
However European chief Brexit negotiator for the UK Michel Barnier said he wants a post-Brexit deal which includes “foreign, security and defence policy”, meaning Britons may still be unaffected by the proposals if an agreement is reached.
The announcement comes as Brexit Secretary David Davis was forced to deny the Government was “winging it” over quitting the EU today.
The Cabinet Minister was warned the country was on track for a “constitutional crisis”, after he confirmed MPs will be able to amend the Government’s motion on the final withdrawal deal.
The confirmation potentially opens the door to Remainers seeking to force a vote on a second referendum.
And, amid mounting criticism of his approach to negotiations, Mr Davis insisted: “No, we are not winging it, but we are having to accommodate different changes as we go along.”
Speaking to the Commons Brexit Committee, Mr Davis did not rule out a humiliating return to the negotiating table.
But he questioned how much “force” the Government would have in talks if it was “sent back with its tail between its legs by Parliament”.
The Brexit Secretary said it was “unlikely” there would be a no-deal outcome from the negotiations – but there might only be a “bare bones” agreement in October.
“I do not think no deal is a significant probability at all,” he added.
Theresa May is set to come under mounting pressure tomorrow to execute a U-turn and commit to a customs union with the EU.
She has previously vowed the UK would leave the existing customs union, which stops Britain from striking independent trade deals.
MPs are set to stage a symbolic vote tomorrow.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/brits-could-be-forced-to-pay-%C2%A36-to-visit-other-european-countries-after-brexit-in-move-to-protect-eu-borders/ar-AAwldap?li=BBoPWjQ&ocid=U452DHP
I don’t intend reading the SIU data as it was not meant for my eyes. A friend is reading them out to me instead, well…..
That Jill is mean.
geeo at 0155am,
said,
If you don’t mind, I’ve copied your text of the new clause in England’s brexit bill, and added some bolding of the key parts;
This is an excerpt from the last minute amendment of the EU Withdrawal Bill, in relation to the power grab row.
………
(3) A Minister of the Crown must not lay for approval before each
House of the Parliament of the United Kingdom a draft of a
statutory instrument containing regulations under this section
unless—
(a) the Scottish Parliament has made a consent decision in
relation to the laying of the draft, or
(b) the 40 day period has ended without the Parliament having
made such a decision.
(4) For the purposes of subsection (3) a consent decision is—
(a) a decision to agree a motion consenting to the laying of the
draft,
(b) a decision NOT TO AGREE a motion consenting to the laying of
the draft, or
(c) a decision to agree a motion REFUSING TO CONSENT to the laying
of the draft;
(MY CAPS). I’ve added bolding.
In other words, the text now states that Westminster will take a refusal of consent or no consent by the Scottish parliament as actually meaning consent.
Seriously, in my mind the Scotgov should just end any talks right now. Westminster is just taking the complete and utter p*ss of the First Minister, the Scottish Parliament, the people of Scotland, and democracy itself. The only purpose of so-called ‘negotiations’, is to string the FM along, and distract her from taking action.
It is blindingly obvious, that London wants to remove powers from Holyrood (a parliament they despise and campaigned against)and Wales permanently, and turn both into departments of Westminster. Sadly Labour have just sold the people of Wales to Westminster. Those powers will NEVER be returned to Wales.
Let’s make sure the indy march on 5th May in Glasgow, is the biggest ever. And call the referendum.
louis. b.argyll,
The electoral commission is all three of those things. A London controlled, pro union, anti independence, vacuous waste of space.
Glasgow independent audio firm RHA takes on the ‘big boys’ with latest hi-tech wireless technology;
http://archive.is/7UgcN
It seems the EC have assisted the SIU, to “conform” with legal requirements. Nice of them considering how sharp they were with Stu. The truth is becoming more and more obvious, the EC is a Westminster construct, and officers of it are picked by a group of wealthy Unionists of every kind.
The EC is not unbiased, in my view anyway. They are there to assist in keeping the Union intact, as such it shows how badly we need untainted International experts are brought in to oversee Indy2.
This is very important for us, otherwise we will be cheated, no if’f no but’s. They will do anything to keep Scotland hog tied.
Monitors are reserved issues, so it is all able to be rigged one way or another to suit our masters. We need to find a way around this. Legally.
If they do not allow monitors, then it seems obvious, they have things ready, that they definitely do not want to be known.
Brexit/EU red tape. Just the start.
Banks make a fortune changing sterling to euros.
So, as somebody pointed out on twitter, Westminster have now closed the N.Ireland assembly (which was always their plan, in collusion with the bigot, bribed DUP), they have now effectively closed the Welsh parliament, and the only one they haven’t got yet is Scotland.
Ah, yes the united kingdom, a union of ‘equals’, where one nation (England), is more equal than others.
Lesley Riddoch:
Scotland has First Minister’s back on Tory Brexit power grab;
http://www.thenational.scot/politics/16184288.The_First_Minister_isn_t_isolated_on_Brexit_deal_____Scotland_has_her_back/?ref=rss
Malcolm Chisholm urges Labour and LibDems to back Nicola Sturgeon;
http://www.thenational.scot/news/16184269.Former_coalition_MSP_tells_Labour_and_LibDems_to_back_FM_over_Brexit_bill/?ref=mr&lp=5
Yes, the Electoral Commission are employed to make our ‘democracy’ appear fair.
They issue the occasional rap on the knuckles for individual’s misdemeanours.
They fail to grasp that money buys power by corrupting democracy.
They themselves are the ‘friends in high places’ that conveniently turn a blind eye to immoral behaviour.
The Balmoral Group sounds interesting & as for Algernon Percy? Blackadder couldnae beat this from Central Casting!
Refugees and displaced people: Medecins Sans Frontieres;
https://www.msf.org.uk/issues/refugees-and-displaced-people
BJ
Regarding businesses that are contributing to what IMO is a neo fascist power grab by London – a few reviews on the web about their business that are not glowing are, of course, within the gift of any individual.
Scotland will realise why Labour is talking mince on federalism;
http://www.thenational.scot/news/16184260.Scotland_will_realise_why_Labour_is_talking_mince_on_federalism/?ref=rss
Hamish100 at 11.40
Eh?
The independent body which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK;
https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/scotland
And the band played “Believe it if you Like”
🙂
For those wondering why an English public school would be donating to the SIU
Check out the ‘proprietors’
http://www.broomwood.co.uk/admissions/contact-us
A clan chief!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Colquhoun
I wonder if the parents know what’s being done with the school funds.
Is it legal for an English private school to make political donations?
Bit of an irony that the majority of NI MP’s want to keep NI out of single market and customs union despite UK Gov desperate to keep them in.
Whilst majority of Scottish MP’s want to stay in single market and customs union but the UK Gov are desperate to keep them out.
That’s Westminster for you, they are there to look after what they think is best for England, the rest of you can GTF.
Some landowners advertise accommodation on sporting estates near ‘unspoiled moorland’.
Unspoiled? The UK establishment burned the indigenous inhabitants out of their houses and transported them to the colonies.
Sick, twisted, rich, aloof. No change 200 years later.
Same folk, same internal UK protectionism.
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:9bZZ6IGBe6gJ:https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/241964/FOI-020_18.pdf+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&client=firefox-b
Mike Cassidy, ‘Is it legal for an English private school to make political donations’
I would think that being registered charities with tax relief, all the trustees would have to agree.
Don’t ask the Electoral Commission, they’ll find some loophole for their chums, or create one out of thin air.
Maybe the E.C. stands for..
Excepting Conservatives.
Let’s WoS the blazes out of this poll folks. Let’s send The Mooth a message:
“Does Brexit justify a 2nd Scottish Indy Referendum?”
https://www.pollstation.uk/does_brexit_justify_another_scottish_independence_referendum/result
Get clicking and pass on.
@louis.b.argyll
Cracking point about private schools. Is it the same setup regarding charitable status in England?
I’m not sure.
Amidst all the furore over the SiU’s incompetence, let’s imagine how lovely it must be for high-profile Labour ex-MPs like Pamela Nash to be able to hobnob and mix socially with their high bred equals like owners of private schools in London and friends of the royal family’s breeder-in-chief.
I wonder what title Ms Nash will adopt when she joins the company of other ermine-clad socialists like Lord Roberton, Lord McConnell, Lord Reid and Lord Bottle.
Regarding the tories latest twitter poster “WITH THE SNP ITS ALL ABOUT INDEPENDENCE”
I would be shouting from the rooftops – yes it is, and funnily enough we got voted into power, so you can’t then say people don’t want another referendum!
It’s like schroginger’s democracy FFS.
Well, I hope, and do think in this constitutional battle about to commence, that the SNP do have a grip of this and have prepared well.
Of course the supreme court is an english construct via Tony Blair, so it is not impossible that Westminster could fail, given the serious legal issues at stake, and the general outcry no matter how they decide.
Nevertheless, they are an english entity made to muddy the waters in issues like this.
It is “likely” that the judges have been chosen from an english viewpoint, and will after much gibbering, favour Westminster.
So therein is the real battle, our sovereign rights, the attempted legal binding of Scotland, the disregard for Scottish devolution rights, disregard of Scottish laws, the manipulation and theft from Scotland going back a very long time. Far further than the comparably new supreme court has existed.
Many issues like this will be aired and the yoons will scream. However, we have more evidence to hand than we have ever been empowered with, we will win.
At the end of the day Scotland dissolves the “union”, UK is done. We get on with improving the lives of all Scots, and we will comfortably afford to do that, and the sooner the better.
Proud Cybernat,
Signed and shared.
🙂
And to think that there are some ScotNats who balk at the idea of a Scots Republic.
louis.b.argyll says:
26 April 2018 at 10:06 am
Mike Cassidy, ‘Is it legal for an English private school to make political donations’
Campaigning and political activity guidance for charities;
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/speaking-out-guidance-on-campaigning-and-political-activity-by-charities-cc9/speaking-out-guidance-on-campaigning-and-political-activity-by-charities
PS. When Labourette Pamela Nash ex-MP mixes with the Algernons and Ruperts of donation fame, it must remind of being at Parliamentary Labour Party meetings with the Tristans and Darlings of the socialst movement.
Heard Lord Hope on shortbread this morning on about the impasse in reaching agreement on the powers returning to Scotland. He got the word ‘consult’ removed to be replaced by ‘consent’. Introducing an amendment in HOL to bring back any further disagreement to the HOC for MPs to vote on.
That’ll solve it eh! 🙂
Then by an odd coincidence followed by Prof Eric ‘Millstone’
Warning that the American farmers want to lower the existing standards on food health so as to import their best and chicken and cereals. He says the EU standards care about public health and are better whereas the American standards are driven by commercial profit and the chemical industries.
Sometimes Auntie shortbread does these things. Funny init!
Anyhoo! It doesn’t take a genius to see why the WM parliament want to retain the whip hand on food and agriculture and fishing.
Look out Scotland
Who do you trust?
David ‘Southesk’.
(his father’s) recently published will reveals he had an estate valued at £41,676,688 at the time of his death.
His fortune included various farms and land in Kincardineshire and Aberdeenshire worth over £27million.
He also had furniture and personal belongings valued at £11million, a £2.5million shares portfolio and farming equipment and livestock worth £1million.
In his will, the Duke instructed that his estate should be held in trust for the benefit of his two children.
Jings tablet…. ‘beef’ not best.
SNP accused of ‘dogma’ in Brexit row as Mike Russell rejects UK solution;
http://archive.is/b5YCX
LOL with Algernons, Ruperts and Piers the list reads like a bloody Bertie Wooster story.
I’m sorry but I can’t get past the
‘unspoiled moorlands’ bit.
Unspoiled by normal people?
call me dave,
https://twitter.com/GAPonsonby/status/989437873547022336
😉
Presumably the EC will have to report itself for a serious data breach.
🙂 Good enough for them…corrupt, useless lot.
geeo 26 April 01:55
Do you never sleep!
Brexit itself is a damp squib in terms of ‘Material change’
But this late addition to the Withdrawal Bill most definitely is Material change, with nasty red, white and blue knobs on!
Now wondering if UKGov are trying to bounce us into a premature referendum? Perfidious as usual.
Then again they actually COULD be this arrogant and incompetent!
Must check my downloaded copy to see if Dan Snow, Eddie Izzard and Trinny and Susanna donated.
Eh… not my downloaded copy. I don’t have one. I was just havering there, m’Lud.
Beef could not be exported from Britain for over ten years. Mad cow came from Alabama. Taxpayers bailed out the farmers £Billions. Scotland was mainly in the clear but got maligned and implicated.
SCL member gave £3/4Billion to the Tories. What’s in it for them?
Brexit: garbage in, parliament out;
http://eureferendum.com/blogview.aspx?blogno=86844
Oh well, that’s another few companies on the Boycott list.
The West coast of Scotland and the North coast of Scotland is “Untouched” because that’s the way our english Masters like it.
If it were any other way, where would they test their Nuke Subs or fire their live missiles, or play at war games.
Our coast line is the property of the English Armed Forces.
We should remember EU does not make Scottish Law, it makes regulations that Scottish Law needs to adhere to. Holyrood makes the laws for devolved areas that we must adhere to, to my knowledge. The UK can veto things that are detrimental to the UK.
Westminster wants to be able to make Scottish Law for 7 years, there is no veto.
Scottish Nation or Scotlandshire, that’s the choice. We need to take it.
@Robin 11.03
And see every time they’re wee sojers are there so are we but they don’t know that
This is the html version of the document without redactions. https://goo.gl/images/PxovBm
Rumours have it that the SiU rewards was a bottle of gin for a £825 donation.
No mention of Brexit on our National news bulletins.
As I have said before, our National news bulletins consist of news that concerns england england and england.
I personally would like to know what was happening around the UK. Stories from Wales N ireland and Scotland should be included in our National news bulletins.
Our London Masters have other ideas and restrict our scope to english politics, english schools, english hospitals, english local authorities, and english sport.
Usually with a big picture of London in the background.
Know your limits Scotland.
Noo shut up and eat yer porridge.
@robin
Scotland’s significance is territorial. Ukania needs its Lebensraum. The people? Expendable. No surprise there…clearances, emigration aka ethnic cleansing. Yet for so many the Union was/is a good thing! Plainly the ScotBrit brand has a pavlovian response element. Scots Tories! Sit up! Beg!
@yesindyref2 says: 26 April, 2018 at 12:00 am:
“OT – rotting nuclear fuelled subs
It seems the subs in Rosyth have been defuelled which is a relief, not so for some at Devonport:”
Relief? How so?
The very first UK nuclear powered submarine, HMS Dreadnought, is still lying in Rosyth, along with some others. That vessel was commissioned in 1960 and was in service until decommissioned in 1980. Thus it had two decades of the hull, and the reactor compartment in particular, subjected to irradiation. If you place anything where it becomes irradiated it too becomes radioactive.
So even defueled and with the reactor removed that old hull is still radioactive and will remain so for thousands of years and that is only the old Dreadnought. So those old hulks are still sitting, rusting away and the rust dropping into the water, (probably still in the non tidal basin). The sludge on that basin’s bottom must be contaminated and every time they open the entrance lock, or if they level the basin to match the tide and open the emergency gates, then there will be contamination flowing out as they pump the non-tidal basin.
Here’s another wee bit of info for you. When Rosyth was the active refuelling base they had a policy of taking radioactive cooling liquids out in the old puffers, (like the VIC69):
http://www.tradboat2.co.uk/index.html
and dribbling the radioactive liquid into the sea to disperse it. That has bound to have spread contamination around Scotland’s shores.
So, there you go those old hulks are still going to be radioactive for thousands of years.
When we end the UK we should make Westminster take their radioactive junk down to the Thames and berth them alongside the Palace of Westminster.
Suggestion for ScotRef….
Select the option you wish implemented:
1) Scotland should become a fully independent nation
2) Scotland should become the most northerly county of England
@Stephen McKenzie says: 26 April, 2018 at 12:01 am:
“I feel sorry for a lady called “Jill Stephenson”. Made up name I am sure.”
Nope! For your information, Stephen. The, (for want of a better description), “The Lady”, exists:-
https://www.ed.ac.uk/history-classics-archaeology/about-us/staff-profiles/profile_tab1_academic.php?uun=ajrs&search=3
Les Wilson:”This is very important for us, otherwise we will be cheated, no if’f no but’s. They will do anything to keep Scotland hog tied.
Monitors are reserved issues, so it is all able to be rigged one way or another to suit our masters. We need to find a way around this. Legally.
If they do not allow monitors, then it seems obvious, they have things ready, that they definitely do not want to be known”
___________
I agree completely, Les, the entire organisation of the next independence Referendum will already be in place, and will replicate the first one. If this were not the case, we would already know about any proposed changes.
So it is safe to say that ScotRef2 will be administered by the Local Authorities and by the existing Scottish Electoral Board.
If this is in fact the case, then it will indicate that the Scottish Government is quite happy with the way things are, although postal voting will be a favourite for any change which might take place.
Did I dream about Cambridge Analytica, data harvesting, micro-targeting, anonymous donations to the DUP, foreign interference, and David Mundell’s £3 million GE17 bill from Royal Mail?
I remain to be convinced that the SNP leadership is not too trusting of Perfidious Albion.
Did the Scottish Government learn nothing from The VOW and the whole Smith Commission scam?
Has the Scottish Cabinet quietly forgotten the past 48 years of Scottish oil & gas theft by Westminster, with not a word of thanks?
If I was a Tory Government Minister, I’d be very confident of stealing Indyref2. How? I’d insist on postal voting and I’d have another Smear&Fear Campaign, followed by a new Vow. But I’d involve Cambridge Analytica, covertly of course – is there another way?, implement voter ID at the polling stations, ban EU nationals from voting before launching my hidden weapon – can’t say what it is, it’s a secret, but it is a vote winner, and how!
Nervous, Wingers? You should be.
@Smallaxe
Been shopping for ‘non’ Union Jack food!
Yup! I Lord Hope did his best in the HOL to make Scotland’s case stronger by suggesting rewording of the clauses.
I agree he confirmed on radio shortbread that Scotland has a good case to oppose the WM amendments but his suggestion that each sticking point should go to be voted on by the WM MPs is never going to work out for Scotland.
WM will proceed and steamroll it’s view over Scotland it’s what the Scottish voter will do then that matters.
Still at least he got his opinion heard. + That bit that followed on the Americans pressuring the UK to accept lower food standards being refuted by Prof ‘Millstone’ led me to ‘Hope’ briefly that Scottish Auntie was piping up just a little on our behalf.
But I’m probably wrong on that score… 🙂
Re Broomwood Hall School.
I did a search for this on the Charity Commission website but nothing came up.
Not all independent schools claim charitable status – and this may be one of them.
So presumably the owners can do what they want with the school’s money.
But whether they like it becoming public knowledge that they have used school funds for such political purposes –
That’s the question.
Smallaxe, Thanks for that link,
On my surf back found this, in no uncertain terms, from Charity Commission for England and Wales
‘Charities must never support political parties. They cannot make political donations or give other financial
support or resources.
This is because it is a fundamental principle of charity law that it cannot be within the purposes of any charity to promote the interests of a political party. Some charities operate trading
subsidiaries. ‘
Without even scratching the surface..
..There are also a great many Scottish landowners and estate managers who receive various UK/EU public subsidies by creating lots of smaller trusts and charities to carve out careers paid for entirely by government, while the vast areas of ‘useless’ land beneath them is used as leverage by trust fund managers.
Stephen McKenzie re Jill Stephenson
Batshit Jill is an odious person. Stephenson is truly a horrible horrible person. Brings Edinburgh University into disrepute on a regular basis with her unacceptable views.
call me dave,
Nothing will work out right for Scotland as far as W/Minster and the BBC are concerned but we’ll make it work out just fine.
I hope you could find food without the butcher’s apron on it, it’s getting harder every day to find something without it, my friend.
😉
These two tweets basically.
https://twitter.com/jjmitchell/status/989260724122898432
https://twitter.com/Zarkwan/status/989449791888293888
Two who knew(?) moments right there.
Yes Westminster is going to shit all over the devolution settlement and may even win its court case in its own court, in its own back yard. How and ever, it brings the very concept of political union to an end.
Now people they will go one of two here. They will either bury their Pyrrhic victory so deep in the meeja, you’d require a GPS and a world class spelunking team in order to find it, or they will go loud on the SNP badness of it all and the pure personal humiliation of Scotland’s FM. Not our parliament. Not our politics. Not our rights. Only our FM and her party.
Neither can be allowed to happen unanswered. Where they go quiet, the YES movement gets loud. Where they go loud with misrepresentation, we get louder with debunking. Interwebby, social meeja, and face to face in the street, the pub, the work, the livingroom.
They want to quietly tear their union apart in favour of total dominance and assimilation. The first part of that cunning plan I have no problem with, the second needs loudly and peacefully challenged and with as much public awareness/access as we can muster.
Mike,
I saw that too, much of the issue is around their tax status. Many are charities by proxy, by claiming to reinvest all profit etc. Either way the taxpayer has funded this donation. I’d say.
louis.b.argyll,
You’re welcome, Louis, when I was involved with the LSC (London Squatters Campaign) many moons ago we stopped using ‘Shelter’ when they registered as a charity because of government interference.
Once a charity is registered it has to do what W/Minster tells it, rightly or wrongly. Mostly wrongly as we found.
Am I right in thinking that the SNP, the radical one, once was an advocate of land nationalization and the suppression of hereditary titles?
Robert Peffers at 11.31
I support of that post I can remember SEPA saying that had it the power it would shut down Coulport due to continuous contamination leakage
From 2015:
The Highland Clearances and land reform in Scotland: The country’s semi-feudal great estates face reform;
http://archive.is/JEREH
Imagine expecting Scotland to sign up for less control, after being kept out of all negociations, apart from this obviously ridiculous attack on Devolution.
Away and fling shite at yersel, as they say.
There is now a ‘British’ whisky, The One from a distillery in the Lake District. It has a union flag on it. Wonder if unionist propagandist and romantic Rory Stewart had a hand in the brand naming?
As Scotch whisky production is mainly in alien hands might we see a Scottish produced British whisky? No, they wouldn’t dare….Oh yes they would!
Is this the link to the document?
https://archive.is/OPTgl
Sorry if anyone else has posted it – just doing a quick skim read here… 🙂
Abulhaq 12:08pm ‘Am I right in thinking that the SNP, the radical one, once was an advocate of land nationalization and the suppression of hereditary titles?’
Yep, and when the time comes, those issues, along with Crown Estate and council assets, will be confronted.
We must have the right to work our land.
@Albhaq
Is the spelling actually ‘ Whisky’, or is it Whiskey. Scotch Whisky is a protected brand or has that changed.
jfngw
seems to me that the first law the UK government will make will be to abolish Holyrood and they will argue that, whether we say yes or no, they have our consent motion… the subtlety being that our consent motion may say NO but they will still have our consent motion…
Game, set and match they think!
We’ll see!
I agree that it is being set up to be the personal defeat of Nicola Sturgeon – not the Scottish Government nor the SNP- risky strategy when it backfires on them
Sensibledave = Rock = arrogant obnoxious and boring paid to Troll British Nationalists.
@Robert Peffers
It’s a relief because the ones at Rosyth are at least safer than the ones at Devonport. They don’t need continuous cooling uing external power the same way as them. A quick article, might not be the best:
http://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/devonport-and-nuclear-submarines-what-are-risks
It also means presumably the ones at Rosyth will be first to be dismantled, which is from memory actually the case.
manandboy @ 11:49:
No it’s not, alas.
First off, elections themselves are not administered by Local Authorities but by independent Returning Officers. That is deliberately the case in order to ensure proceedings are impartial and seen to be so.
It’s true that many of these people are also employed by local administrations, and that may be some cause for concern, but it’s largely a practical matter because they are the very people with the necessary organisational expertise. You would maybe prefer elections were run by amateurs? Or private companies?
By “Scottish Electoral Board” I presume you mean The Electoral Management Board for Scotland, which was set up by the Scottish Government, has a convenor appointed by the SG, and whose members and advisors are drawn from a wide range of relevant experienced professionals. So I’m not clear what your point here might be except to somehow imply the SNP is just another conspirator or dupe in your paranoid groupthink.
And this tilting at windmills is how we prepare to win IR2? Duh. I despair sometimes.
The following places exist:
Ben Alder Estate,
Bromwood Hall School,
Culden Faw Estate,
Luss Estates,
Marchmont Farm,
Mountquhanie Estate
Ormsary Farms
I believe one of the prizes at the SiU Raffle was a “two-way strap-on (pre-loved)” valued at £825. I wonder who could have donated that.
Unionists have tried this on many as colonies.
It is not a new tactic. We need to back and support our politicians who challenge this .
We also need to tell them to declare UDI if the Court of Session funds for WM government.
Ben Alder Estate, the laird is a wealthy Swiss billionaire Urs Schwarzenbach who built the granite Ben Alder lodge.
Skoosh.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Angest
After a quick scroll through the first page biggest donater at 12,000 pounds henry angest