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When you’re already gone

Posted on April 12, 2023 by

So it turned out there was very little new information in this story.

But the tiny bit there was raises an extremely disproportionate number of issues.

The vast bulk of the piece was lifted straight from the Mail On Sunday’s big story at the weekend, with the addition of a few lines from an unnamed “SNP source”:

We know that in February 2021 – six weeks after the camper was delivered to Peter Murrell’s mother’s house – Nicola Sturgeon announced that “stay at home” lockdown restrictions would remain in place until at least March. She also warned people not to book Easter holidays as restrictions would likely still be in place.

Easter Sunday in 2021 was on the 4th of April. The election was on the 6th of May, so the maximum time the van could possibly have been used for was four weeks.

So, in no particular order, as they come to us:

(1) Was the outright purchase of a brand-new top-end vehicle for circa £110,000 the most efficient use of party resources? That sum represented almost half of all the money the SNP had in the bank on 1 January 2021.

Something only required for four weeks would surely have been better leased rather than bought. The party could have rented a fleet of 20 large, practical vans for a month and covered the entire country for just £6,000.

(2) Even if there’s a reason to buy rather than lease, was the Niesmann & Bischoff iSmove the best choice for the stated purpose? It’s rather cramped inside for a time when social distancing was still in force, with a maximum capacity of just four people – not much of a campaign team – and a pretty modest amount of room for gazebos and trestle tables and boxes of leaflets and other materials.

They could have hired 20 Ford Transit minibuses – max capacity 18 people each – to go with the 20 vans for another £12,000 or so, for a total cost of just £18,000 rather than £110,000. (And one would imagine it’d have been possible to negotiate a sizeable discount for bulk leasing at a time when the industry was on its knees.)

And remember, that arrangement gives you 20 times the campaigning capacity for about a sixth of the cost. That £18,000 is also very likely less money than the amount the iSmove would depreciate by as soon as you drove it out of the showroom (and see point 5 below).

(3) We’re told the SNP had a cashflow problem after the election, which is why Peter Murrell loaned the party £107,620 in June 2021. But if that was the case, why wasn’t it liquidating the shiny new asset that was parked idle on his mum’s driveway? Why did the party need to hang onto it with no elections scheduled for four years?

(And if they weren’t going to sell it, couldn’t they find ANY use for it? Ever?)

(4) Every member of the SNP’s ruling NEC is personally legally liable for the party’s finances. So why weren’t they told about an item of expenditure that accounted for half the party’s cash reserves and from which absolutely no benefit accrued or was going to accrue? (And indeed which already represented a large and reckless waste of money for nothing, which they might have wanted to raise concerns about.)

Why weren’t they then asked at any point in the next two years whether to sell it or not? And why did it take more than a week for an anonymous source to come up with an explanation for its existence? Why wasn’t there an official statement as soon as it was seized saying “Oh, this is why we own a big fancy motorhome that’s been stashed at Peter’s 92-year-old mum’s house doing nothing since 2021”?

(5) Why don’t the 2021 accounts properly identify the camper? Under “Fixed assets” a motor vehicle or vehicles is listed with a value of £80,632 (which would be a hefty apparent depreciation of £30,000 if it’s the iSmove, at the price given in the Record), but in the Notes regarding fixed assets the only entry that could possibly encompass the motorhome is that for “Office/computer equipment”.

(6) Was this murkiness related to the resignation of the SNP’s auditors? In the party’s 2021 accounts, Johnston Carmichael LLC included a disclaimer noting that “we have assessed the following areas as having a heightened risk of fraud; related party transactions and manual journal entries”.

Could that have been a reference to the iSmove? But if they knew about it, how were they able to sign off on accounts where it was described as “Office/computer equipment”? And if they didn’t know about it, isn’t that a very large transaction for the SNP to be hiding from its auditors/misleading them about?

One of the two things must be true – they either knew or they didn’t – and either answer raises questions.

(7) If the campervan was purchased specifically for 2021 election campaigning, why doesn’t it appear in the SNP’s spending for the election? The party spent almost £30,000 in just two large items of “Transport” expenditure for that year’s Holyrood vote, but neither of them is identifiable as the van.

(OPG Ltd in Lesmahagow is a “fleet vehicle graphics” firm who specialise in temporary branding “wraps”, so it’s almost completely certain that the £12,500 paid to Park’s of Hamilton was for the leasing of the SNP’s infamous “gravy bus”, and the £16,000 to OPG was the cost of outfitting it in the party livery and slogans.)

Failing to disclose such a significant piece of election spending would of course be a serious breach of Electoral Commission rules.

(8) Who actually knew about the purchase? As CEO Murrell was probably able to authorise it himself, but could he credibly have taken such a big step without informing at least the leader – his wife, Nicola Sturgeon – and the Chief Operations Officer, the reclusive Sue Ruddick (who was announced today as Murrell’s interim replacement)?

And if Sturgeon didn’t know, why did she feel able to angrily castigate worried senior members of the party about its finances, “furiously” insisting that there was nothing to worry about and that they were to stop asking questions?

(9) Why has more than half of Murrell’s 2021 “cashflow” loan still not been paid back? The election was almost two years ago and any short-term cashflow issues should presumably be long over, but around £60,000 is still outstanding, which coincidentally would be roughly the value of the campervan by now.

(10) And finally, what was going to happen to the camper before it was seized by the police? It’s been sitting rusting on Margaret Murrell’s driveway for two years already. COVID restrictions are over and it has no identifiable future use, so every day it wasn’t sold was a day when it was losing the SNP money, yet almost nobody in the party appears to have even known of its existence, far less had any plan for recouping some of the huge cost of the white elephant in the room.

Wings Over Scotland does not know the answers to any of the above questions, and makes no speculation as to what they may be. We list them because they need to be answered as a matter of urgency, but we have very little confidence that that’ll happen any time soon. If anything, the more time passes the longer the list gets.

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Doug

Motorhome for tractors.

Antoine Bisset

This is all very droll. It also quite revealing. The leaders of the SNP have not moved our country one inch towards independence. (There is no prepared plan for independence now, nor was there ever. Relations with England, Europe and the world ,transport, tax plans, finance, currency, issuing bank, defence, social security, health, education. None of that. Not a jot, not a tittle. Lots of waffle though.)
They have revealed themselves as being pitifully small-minded thinkers in every respect.
If one sets out to loot a country(I’m not saying that they did, quite the opposite, more bungling than anything else it looks like) then one should think big.
Fulgencio Batista comes to mind. He quit Cuba with ¢300m. By private plane not a camper van.

Den

Whatever the reason , the cops saw it as potentially part of criminal enterprise (fraud) and either seized it with a warrant or powers under common law confiscation laws were crime is suspected

Humphrey

The ‘battle bus’ claim is an obvious lie. If Peter et al. try this in court he’ll get ripped to shreds. So much for Humza’s new era of openness and transparency.

Black Joan

You could have been a great detective, Rev. Or a leading forensic accountant. And yet you volunteered to fight for Scottish independence while those elected and handsomely paid to do so failed dismally.

Thank you.

Cath

One question you haven’t asked: if it was bough specifically for the 2021 election, why was it never used? It’s Sat in Peter’s Mum’s driveway for 2 years. Why would an organisation buy a spectacularly expensive asset without a plan to use it? You would surely first create a plan, then decide you needed something to implement that plan. Then, as you say, crunch the numbers and realise renting 20 useful vans is a better use of money. But why would you never use the thing? Even if you were fraudulently buying a camper van via the party’s books, why would you never use the thing?

Merganser

Who is the ‘source’ that claimed it was a battle bus? why hide behind this terminology instead of being transparent? Are they afraid of ridicule?

Someone in a high position must have authorised this ‘explanation’.

Was it Russell?

Merganser

Cath @ 5.40.

Think of another word for washing.

Highland Crone

What a shower of fraudsters they are, and how gullible were we to have believed them after Salmond quit. I wouldn’t trust these crooks as far as I could throw then.

Stuart MacKay

Does it have a trailer hitch so they can add the horse box for the extra oomph to drive indy over the line.

Fran

Would the 80k for motors be inclusive or exclusive of VAT?

Scot

Powerful stuff.
These questions should be put to Yusaf directly and on camera.
We deserve an answer.
It is not enough for him to say he didn’t know.
He should find out and then tell us.
If he doesn’t he is nothing more than a waste of space and should move over for someone else.

Edwin Wine

Anyone know what the milage was on the camper van when it was seized?

andrew

The SNP have gone motorohomophobic all of a sudden.

Anton Decadent

They could say that it self identifies as a unicorn.

@Rev Stu, I used to go to a well known satirical magazine for investigative journalism but it also appears to have been captured. The light in the dark which you provide is very much appreciated.

ClanDonald

If the depreciation is indeed £30k a year then presumably after 4 years it would be written off the books?

At which point what were the plans? Could someone then purchase it for a modest sum? Without alarm bells being raised because it was no longer listed as an asset and who would ever know anyway?

Merkin Scot

Forensic, as usual, Stu.

Astonished

What Black Joan said @ 5.38pm.

Any “Plausible deniability” for anyone involved with this is quickly disappearing.

How much longer must we wait until charges are brought ? Anyone have any idea ?

David Gray

Had they leased the vehicles suggested, the cost would have been tax deductible, unlike the cost of the motor home.

Elton

On thé vehicle V5 document. Who is the owner? The registered keeper? Is it insured? For who to drive?

Ruby

Merganser says:
12 April, 2023 at 5:41 pm

Who is the ‘source’ that claimed it was a battle bus? why hide behind this terminology instead of being transparent? Are they afraid of ridicule?

Someone in a high position must have authorised this ‘explanation’.

Was it Russell?

That is an interesting question.

How do they get away legally with making a this comment? Does this not breach the sub judice rule?

Northern Lad

Find out the current mileage!
If you get the licence number you can find out when it’s taxed and MOT’d and if it is who did this and who paid for it?
Then you’ll know what it’s been used for – certainly not SNP business, maybe a couple of touring jollies?

ALANM

Perhaps they only kept it for two years so Pete would have a roof over his head if he ever found himself single & homeless?

Graeme Hampton

The registered keeper of the vehicle may not be the same as the person who paid for it. I’d like to know who it is.

AnneDon

Sue Ruddick is Murrell’s interim replacement?
Jeezo, they’re not even trying to look as though they’re cleaning up their act, are they?

The one good thing to come out of this is that the Yes movement will thoroughly separate itself from any one political party, as was the case during indyref.

No control freak with with a petted lip should be telling the rest of us what to do. We need to be telling the various party leaders what we expect from them!

Alex Sneddon

Great questions- heres another. If theres been a tendering process for auditors going on for 6 months, why is there no trace of any Invitations To Tender for that work.

Alex

You forgot to mention that it’s illegal to be in the back of a motorhome while it’s moving in the UK. You are still required to be secured with a seatbelt in a designated travel seat for motorhomes made after 2006. So that greatly reduces the Covid excuse to being not plausible.

Alastair Campbell

SNP is a Van de Gaffe Generator.

dearieme

As far as I can tell Scotland’s been run much worse than, say, Jersey, or Guernsey, or the Isle of Man, or Gibraltar. Why?

Doug McGregor

What use is a campervan without a motorbike and a jetski? Both available from your regular office equipment supplier.

Ruby

Is there any reason why the Murrells or even his mother aren’t entitled to own a motorhome?

Did they ever offer a home to Ukranian refugees?

Liz

I was on polling duty for Alba at the Shawlands polling station.

This was at the height of the Covid Delta variant which was apparently rampant in that district.

NS drove by in a big limo shouting at us through a megaphone accompanied by another limo, both of which could hold 6 comfortably, and a digital advertising van.
After several negative comments on SM as to her gas guzzling campaign.
The cars stopped and her team joined the rest of us plebs outside the polling station.
She then proceeded to take loads of selfies with passersby.

She had her own camera crew, photographer, and several lackies, 2 of whom looked like body guards
Not a single one of them was wearing a mask.
There would have have been no room for social distancing in those cars.

Just her usual fakery

Geoff Anderson

The Motorhome was the Murrell “Burn Bag”

link to escapeartist.com

Dan

A more credible explanation might have been that such a fancy vehicle was bought so they could sell loads of raffle tickets with it as the prize, and thus raise back the 600k Indy Fund they had previously spaffed away.

Mike

The Note 18 office and computer equipment total NBV of £272k is the accounts total of office equipment £190k + motor £82k.

Which would indeed suggest aggressive depreciation on the motorhome.

Chris Downie

Is there any truth in the rumour some of the funds went into topping up Peak Wetfart’s pension fund?

Republicofscotland

I think we could rule out the motorhome as a battle bus, you’ve pointed other options would’ve been more practical, so why was the luxurious motorhome purchased if not for a battle bus as you rightly say we just don’t.

twathater

Every one of the new and invited or placed or appointed NEC because they certainly weren’t ELECTED should be filling their troosers just now ,was the celebrations enjoyable when the real ELECTED members to the NEC were ousted , do you regret celebrating vociferously and publicly that these genuinely elected by the membership national executive members were ousted , were you aware or informed that as a member of the NEC you are RESPONSIBLE financially and criminally for the outcomes of any criminal activity undertaken against the membership , I hope you are prepared and willing to recompense at your expense persons who have suffered financially from your actions and BTW ignorance of the law is not a defence

Dan

The camper is a pretty rare beast, there’s not many iSmoves registered.

link to howmanyleft.co.uk

SFP

Interesting article. I have a question.

If the vehicle was bought for purely business purposes, they would have been able to reclaim the VAT? So when you add in the “drive it off the forecourt” depreciation, it could come to £80K-ish on the balance sheet?

Wonder what the current mileage is!

Ruby

link to archive.ph

Anyone remember the coffee machine story?

Maybe they started small with a £2k coffee machine and built up to a £110K mobile home.

Dan

@ Ruby

Coffee machine to campervan… Transformers in disguise!

James Jones

dearieme says:
12 April, 2023 at 6:23 pm
As far as I can tell Scotland’s been run much worse than, say, Jersey, or Guernsey, or the Isle of Man, or Gibraltar. Why?

If true I’d suggest that those Parliaments weren’t able to distract a gullible electorate with the ‘Freedom!’ single-issue politicking and so had to do a proper job.

David Hannah

Sue Ruddick the new party chief. The download of her WhatsApp messages held by the Scottish police. Of which the accuracy can be checked, was read out by David Davies in Westminster unsing Parliamentary privelege. Of which she was involved the failed conspiracy to jail Alex Salmond.

Hopefully in one of David Davies final acts he reads out all of the incriminating text messages that prove Salmond was innocent. And that these bastards are rotten to the core.

Chas

Always wise to remember that ‘When you are running a Dictatorship the first casualty is ALWAYS the truth’.

Lots of the SNP hierarchy, past and present are unusually quiet. Apart from the calls for ‘Unity’. Whatever that is in an SNP context?

Does anyone understand what Gordon Geeko is trying to prove? Does anyone actually read it’s drivel? Whatever you do, do not respond to it.

JockMcT

Don’t worry, Humza has all the answers you need, after all, he is the continuity candidate.

Ruby

Rev. Stuart Campbell says:
12 April, 2023 at 6:30 pm

“Find out the current mileage!
If you get the licence number”

I’m a little puzzled as to why we don’t know the licence number.

I bet the neighbours would know. They gave journalists very precise information about a incident that happened two years ago.

Police seized the high-end campervan – which locals say was originally delivered to the address by two men, in January 2021 – on Wednesday at around 9am.

David Hannah

These bitter consciously selfish people will meet their day of reckoning in front of a jury. For the reason being. We can’t have an Independent Scotland built on corruption.

Sue Ruddick. Get yourself tae f*ck.

stuart mctavish

Talking of monthly hire rates for vehicles of lesser prestige, if the camper van was taken on morning of 5th, and Mr Murrel was released without charge on evening of same, its a shame in retrospect that the story about it on April 12 neglected to address informative issues such as when it can be expected to be returned to Mrs Murrel, the weekly rate (excluding mileage) the law obliges the taxpayer to pay whilst the vehicle remains in police possession, and/or in whose custody it is currently, on what authority, and why..

Scotspine

Proceeds of crime.

IAN LE COUP

I’m not an independence supporter but i was always open to persuasion by the right kind of government; alas of the type type we’ve not seen in Scotland for almost a decade (or probably more to be honest).
What i like about WINGS is the fact he has wants independence for a better Scotland and quite rightly wants these rogues run out of town.
If parliament was full of people like WINGS i would trust it with my independence vote, but right now Scotland is broken from head to toe!! Corruption on a scale i could never have imagined!!!!

Al-Stuart

.
With the legal brain cells engaged, when Stuart first highlighted the missing RINGFENCED £600,000 INDYREF2 funds on his Wings Over Scotland website it reminded me of reports I have prepared for the Procurator Fiscal along general lines that might echo in the minds of some BTL contributors…

If you wanted to quickly and legally dissolve that pesky £600,000 off of the books in a way that avoided trouble, one method deployed by CFO/CEOs and allowed by “flexible” accountants is to spend LARGE amounts on what could legally be termed as “INDYREF2” items that DEPRECIATE FAST.

The most effective way of muddying Stu Campbell’s allegations and DEPRECIATING FAST are things like a pretendy INDYREF2 battle-bus.

In circles of dubious Arthur Dailey types, they know how to do this effectively. But not Penfold and the Dreghorn Dreg.

It seems that the word AMATEUR applies to everything that came out of the Dynamic Duo in charge of the Seedy Nonce and Pedo party.

Today, there have been calls for a forensic accountant to be employed by the SNP.

Plus an advert for a new CEO of the SNP.

Rev Stuart Campbell, as you are in the TOP 3 FORENSIC INVESTIGATORS in Scotland and you are one of only TWO people in 2014 who actually moved the YES vote percentage UPWARDS (via your Wee Blue Book). The other person lifting the YES vote in 2014 was Alex Salmond.

I have but one request…

STUART CAMPBELL, PLEASE CAN YOU APPLY FOR THE JOB AS SNP CEO?

The NuSNP really need your skills.

If you do an Elon Musk and have a social media vote on who should be the new boss (he did Twitter, you could do SNP), the result might astonish the rancid toxic woke-captured cabal at Jackson’s Entry.

It would be wise to use an honest algorithm (only one vote per person) for the online social media vote on who should fill the job of SNP CEO.

I think there is a scary chance you would be voted into the job.

Just imagine it?

Rev Stuart Campbell is the new CEO of the SNP 🙂

Geoff Anderson
JonM

From a Telegraph report of 5th April that credits the Rev for breaking the funds questions:

“Police are now understood to be concentrating on around five transactions made while Mr Murrell was still chief executive of the party, including at least one that involved the purchase of a car.”

Have the Police disclosed the nature of the other around four transactions under investigation?

Iain mhor

You buy a motorhome like that to tour.
Usually far afield. Usually.
A motorhome like that is ideal for touring continental Europe (or even further) If you wanted to, if you had to, on a whim, or in a hurry.
It’s a bug-out bus.

The flaw with that theory of course, is that there was a point its time had come, and it didn’t go.
Maybe the keys had been misplaced.

Hey, I’ll go for that – the forensic police presence was simply to try and find the keys.
The entire police interview consisted of “When did you see them last? Have you checked down the back of the settee? What jacket did you have on? Were you wearing different trousers”?

Nemisis Benn

A possible, plausible even, scenario:
The Party bought the campervan and parked it on Mummy’s drive;
The Party’s accounts depreciate it aggressively (20% per annum for four years, two of which have already gone);
The Party runs out of money so Mummy’s little boy lends it lots of dosh;
After three years Mummy’s little boy buys it as an almost unused, three year old campervan, at a discount from the (depreciated) book value;
Eventually the Party repays little boy his loan (before or after he buys the campervan?) and everyone (almost) lives happily ever after…..

Mia

The words in the Record article cited above say:

“An SNP source told the Record the motorhome had been bought during the pandemic for use in the Holyrood election campaign in the spring of 2021”

But the article does not state if it was the SNP who purchased the motorhome with party funds or if it was somebody else with their own money.

So this leads to my question: how would a valuable asset appear in the accounts of a political party if it was not purchased by the party itself but it was a “gift in kind” by a generous/grateful donor?

I appreciate it would have to be registered as a donation equivalent to the market value of the item minus the nominal fee (if any) demanded from the donor, but where in the balance sheet would it be visible?

Let’s just think for a moment in an imaginary scenario, where a grateful business donates the motorhome as a “gift in kind” on the first week of January 2021.

Let’s imagine that within weeks of having been donated and before it was even used, the asset is sold to some wealthy member of the party to quickly transform the donation into cash to cover a cash flow problem.

How could such transaction be traced in the 2021 balance sheet? It would not appear as a fixed asset because by 31 December 2021, the asset had been transformed into cash. Lets not forget that the state of financial position/balance sheet is just a snapshop in time, the time it was recorded. To know exactly what went on between two balance sheets, the ledgers, income statement, cash flow statement are needed.

Following with the imaginary scenario above, what if Murrell’s “loan” was never a loan per se but rather the fastest way they could think of to transform the motorhome into cash? This would explain why it was in Ms Murrell senior’s driveway. If the “loan” was donated in June, and the motorhome was acquired early January 2021, it would explain the motorhome not being recorded as a fixed asset by 31 December 2021. If it was acquired in 2020 and never entered the balance sheet for that year, then one has to start to wonder if the objective was always to transform it quickly into cash.

But this would open another question: why was the SNP paying back for “the loan”?

A payback would make sense in a situation where there was an understanding that the motorhome would return to the party at some point. In such scenario, particularly if there was never an intention by the temporary new owner to personally enjoy the asset and the transaction was merely to transform it into quick cash for the party, it would not seem strange for an understanding that the party would pay back to the temporary motorhome owner the equivalent to the depreciation of the asset until either it was recovered by the party or disposed of.

But if only £60,000 are left from Murrell’s “loan”, then this means the party has paid back over £45,000, which seems a lot more than the depreciation expected from less than 2.5 years with no use of the asset*.

Is it known at which point (if ever) the SNP become the registered owner of that motorhome?

Is it known who the current registered owner of the
motorhome is?

How long until this motorhome needs its first MOT?

*According to Oaktree motorhomes, motorhomes depreciate around 10-15% on the first year but their value remains at above 70% after three years. 30% of Murrell’s £107,620 “loan” is 32,286.

Geoff Anderson

Handy guide for the next 2 years

link to image.vuukle.com

David Hannah

link to twitter.com

Sue Ruddick. The liar.

Davis said the messages point to “collusion, perjury up to criminal conspiracy.”

An act of physical aggression. She lied. She’s now committing an act of physical aggression on the SNP.

Now this liar is chief of the party. Get David Davis on the phone. Tell him to read out the text messages. It’s in the public interest. Scumbags.

Skip_NC

Just one small point. You cannot go selling an asset to an employee (or ex-employee) at net book value without tax consequences. It has to be at fair market value. Depreciation is merely the orderly writing down of costs incurred in buying an asset that is likely to last more than twelve months. If the net book value ever represents fair market value, that is simply coincidence.

Craig P

Stu Campbell – our very own Jack Parlabane. (If you don’t know who Jack Parlabane is, you’re in for a treat.)

Merganser

Geoff Anderson @ 7.56.

If your aunt had baws she’d be your… aunt.

Colin

The SNP accounts state computers and equipment are depreciated at 33.33% on reducing balance each year. There is no mention on what motor vehicles are depreciated at.
If vehicles are depreciated at a different rate then this should have been disclosed in the accounting policies. As Stu has stated vehicles have been amalgamated with computers etc in the relevant Fixed Asset accounting note, albeit there is no obvious reason for this to have been done.

It would be inconceivable for Johnston Carnmichael not to have required documentation for significantfixed asset purchases as standard audit procedure so they must have been provided with something as evidence for a spend of circa £100k! Possibly,as others have speculated,the battlebus was obtained by Mr Murell in a personal capacity and then as a related party transaction transferred to the SNP and the circa £100k loan created as the means of repaying him. £60k remained o/s according to the 2021 accounts.All the other questions raised by Stu re authorisation,rationale, subsequent use etc. are of course valid.

Now in a flight of fancy imagine if say next year and none of what has been disclosed in recent times had been discovered the SNP decision makers, whoever they are, decide that in the post-covid period the battle bus had outlived its usefulness and it is agreed to sell it to sell it at book value – therefore no loss in the accounts. If it cost £100k then after 3 years its book value would have been just below £30k and not too many miles on the clock either! Wouldn’t imagine they would need to waste money by advertising in trade magazines etc. As I stated just a flight of fancy.

As to Johnston Carmichael one obvious hook they appear to be on is that very little of the £660k of ring fenced money remains. There appears to be no reference to this in the 2021 accounts and certainly no specific qualification in this regard.if it is held the donations were solely for a referendum and not for general independence campaigning then JM may have difficulties in explaining why the shortfall
was not disclosed and the accounts qualified.

Finally in my experiences with Auditors over several decades, areas of potential weaknesses or concerns and recommendations on how to address these were communicated by way of an annual “Management Letter.” This would as a matter of course in my career be circulated to the relevant internal Committee.
Whether JC issued such letters to the SNP and if they did their distribution I know not.

Daisy Walker

What class of license do you need to drive that bus, it looks far larger than your normal van size.

Obviously ‘Pete the 58 year old’ if he got his licence in his 20’s will have the old fashioned B, B1,C1 and D1 drivers license, but so many of these young ones don’t have more than B /B1. Kind of cuts down significantly on who is available to drive the thing, if its a different catagory.

Tommo

Yet again-skewered by the Learned Editor; the Order of the Golden Rivet
That said the 600 K/ swanky bus etc is as nothing balanced against the possible loss of a man’s freedom and reputation (And I am not a fan, as I have said before)
Despite the legal land-mines laid around that case that, to me, is the real allegation and should-so far as the law allows-be followed to its end

stuart mctavish

@Skip_NC

Fairly sure employers shouldn’t be spouting insanely dangerous mantras about the need to respect politically motivated harassment of their staff and extended families either (especially if it happens to be couched in terms of a live investigation, etc) but, oddly enough, I cant remember ANY trade union or professional body speaking up when similar scenario happened worldwide with farce masks and coughid

Dougie

Is it possible to find who was insured to drive it? Were the Murrells insured when it was seized? Did the snp pay for that insurance?

Sean

What individuals were put on the insurance to drive the thing?

Ian Smith

It has all the ring of an equivalence to the old Westminster expenses scandal.

We don’t want to pay you a salary than seems unduly generous, but as you obviously consider yourself worth of far more, why do we not buy you a nice little asset that we will write down on the books for a few years then pass over for buttons.

After all nobody had seen the bloody thing, virtually nobody knew anything about it. By going for a top of the range luxury item, it would have far higher intrinsic value than a disinterested accountant might consider seeing a four year old camper van going for 20K or so. Call it a Fiat or Peugeot, or whatever basic chassis or engine it was based on.

Christ, even I called it a battle bus as a joke when the story first broke. It was supposed to be obvious satire, not something that would fill the press.

Iain M

A police request to find out who paid for the motorhome from the dealer originally may produce some daylight.
If it has been paid for by the SNP that is one thing. If on the other hand it has been paid for by a company in,say,Lichtenstein or the Cayman Islands we can surmise its purpose.

Bob Mack

The wages of corrution is apparently a Chief Executives post.

Better to keep everything in house I suppose.

Merganser

You would think that the NEC would know all about the battle bus and have approved its purchase and use, wouldn’t you?

Er, Naw.

Karen

Apparently deals were done with a well known electrical commodities supplier. These would be “payments in kind” not disclosed to HMRC, a la Al Capone (went to jail for tax evasion, not his other nefarious activities).

Colin

Apologies for not stating the obvious in my previous post but if the Murrell loan was in respect of the transfer of ownership of the Battlebus from himself to the party then clearly the impact on the organisation’s cash flow is
diddly squat!
A few weeks back I had thought the loan was nhim deferring taking his salary for several months – which of course would have favourably impacted on cash flow

Allan

Has anyone done an MOT/Mileage check on it at all out of interest?

ronald anderson

Daisy Walker

The older licences allowed a driver to drive up to 7.5 tons mine was removed at 70 cause i didn’t apply for a continuation with a fitness certificate from a doctor

President Xiden

I think it would be fairly safe to assume that Useless wasn’t on the insurance to drive this.

President Xiden

Look, if the motor home identifies as a battle bus then that is the end of the matter. Any suggestion that the motor home is ‘at it’ is simply hate speech.

Pjay

Battle bus on one member of the Murrells has a driving license

Effijy

Just took an elderly lady into Glasgow Airport-
£15 for my 22 minute stop.

That must be over £44 per hour while we have human beings earning less than £10 per hour before losing half of it in taxes.

The casino bankers closing their branches leaving the elderly high and dry.
Most haven’t passed on any of the recent rate rises to savers so they can pocket the lot on top of not paying branch council taxes, energy bills or the staff who once worked there.
In the last budget the Tories cut taxes for banks and removed the cap on multi million bank chief bonuses.

Tory Britain is the land of the rip off!

akenaton

Does “property market” ring any bells with BTL dwellers.
or “Follow the money” a couple of months ago?
All will be revealed shortly. Or perhaps not!

Andrew Kidd

There is another aspect to this that may cause further losses to the party. A vehicle provided by an employer that is available for private use is a taxable benefit. The amount of tax is calculated by referring to the CO2 emissions of the vehicle and its value.
So for a vehicle valued at £110K with emissions of 170 the annual taxable benefit is £110,000 x 37%=£40,700.
A higher rate taxpayer would therefore pay £40,700 x 41%= £16,687 per annum and the employer would pay £40,700 x 13.8%=£5617.

Whether the vehicle was used or not is irrelevant – it was available for private use.

Ian McCubbin

Oh dear , no procurator fiscal in Scotland has the research or deductions from evidence that you have Stu.
I see it bug does Scotland have a chief legal eagle willing to act on all these facts.
Well done for the investigative journalist accolade on Facebook, so so well deserved. ?

Jim Tadgercock

President Xiden says:
12 April, 2023 at 9:40 pm
Look, if the motor home identifies as a battle bus then that is the end of the matter. Any suggestion that the motor home is ‘at it’ is simply hate speech.

Question is does the motorhome have a tow hitch?

Derek

“Anton Decadent says:
12 April, 2023 at 6:05 pm

I used to go to a well known satirical magazine for investigative journalism but it also appears to have been captured.”

I know what you mean, but I disagree; it’s just that they see things from a mostly southern Enlish viewpoint. They’re still pretty handy with a skewer.

Red

To be fair to Peter Murrell and The Crazy World of Peter Murrell (formerly known as the Scottish National Party), “battle bus” sounds a bit more dignified than “wank chariot”.

Ian Brotherhood

A lot of folk are looking at one another and having a nudge and wink about what the mobile home was really for.

But they daren’t even say it. You can’t do that ‘these days’.

It’s just not possible to reach a certain age without realising that the vast majority of ‘public officials’ are either in position because they have dirt on someone else, or are themselves blackmail victims doing someone else’s bidding. You don’t have to be a student of 20th Century politics (or Netflix series) to suss that, but there are so many examples…I’m not even going to attempt a list.

Perhaps it’s just ‘unfortunate’ that political discourse has been completely ‘captured’ by so-called Wokeness.

Perhaps it’s just ‘unfortunate’ that so many of our political representatives – duly elected democratically! – turn out to have such peculiar kinks, fetishes and whatnot.

It’s certainly unfortunate for most of us that these ‘idiosyncracies’ have penetrated mainstream culture to the extent that calling them out for what they are i.e. ‘perversions’ has become a form of heresy.

One of Orwell’s lesser known essays is called ‘Benefit of Clergy’ and it uses the work of Salvador Dali as the basis for a discussion on taste, censorship etc. It’s been a long time since I read it but the final line has been with me for 40 years or more – ‘It is diseased and disgusting and any investigation ought to start out from that fact.’

That’s maybe not verbatim but it’s close. And it’s precisely the kind of statement which is not allowed now.

No-one cares about other folks’ kinks. Do whatever you want, but don’t hurt other folk and leave vulnerable people, children and pets alone.

What’s so difficult about that?

Why do you need to tell everyone about it? Doesn’t it ruin the ‘thrill’ of doing something dodgy/dirty if everyone knows about it? You still want to be being subversive and ‘dangerous’, but also require open public approval? Validation?

Cake and eat it, much?

Perhaps it should be a requirement for anyone aspiring to the most responsible positions in public life, that they be rendered ‘free from desire’, by safe surgical/medicinal methods? Might not improve things overnight but it would certainly concentrate minds somewhat.

Nick

Although the camper van didn’t move, maybe it was still ‘used’ whilst parked on the driveway. Secret hideaway for the privileged few, for instance?

Kcor

Instead of questioning Murrell for twelve hours the police should have questioned the auditors for twelve hours.

The £600,000 had gone missing long before the auditors resigned in September 2022.

If the £600,000 was required to be in the SNP’s accounts, the auditors would have been responsible for its disclosure in the accounts.

The motorhome is a red herring. Too convenient as an attempt to link it with the loan.

Murrell is far from stupid. If the motorhome was in anyway an illegal transaction by him, he would not have parked it at his mum’s, waiting to be found by the police.

There is much more at stake and the auditors have a lot of questions to answer to the police.

It is time for someone to closely examine the SNP’s accounts going back several years and signed off by these auditors.

IMHO, auditors are in the pockets of those who pay them, in this case Murrell.

IMHO, not appointing new auditors is an attempt by the SNP to get dissolved without having to disclose anything.

Rev. Stuart Campbell don’t let any of the corrupt criminals get away with their crimes. Keep on investigating and exposing all of them.

Tommy

Can someone fill me in, as I have not been following things intently. Also, I know you have to be careful about discussing things online when the police are still investigating, so as not to prejudice any case. But how do we know this “motorhome” is linked to the supposedly missing funds (£660K)?

There is no evidence that it ever belonged to the SNP, certainly not when you look at their formal accounts. All we know is that Peter Murrell was arrested, question and released; on the same day, this motorhome was removed from outside his mother’s house.

Or am I wrong and the police have issued a statement on the subject? What I mean to say is that even if the police are investigating the missing funds, who is not to say this is not some parallel investigation?

willie

Stuart Campbell would make a good CEO for the SNP. he knows a lot about the SNP.

So, why not Rev Stu, throw your hat in the ring. You might get an interview, and so you should.

Go for it.

Kcor

David Hannah says:
12 April, 2023 at 7:08 pm

“Hopefully in one of David Davies final acts he reads out all of the incriminating text messages that prove Salmond was innocent. And that these bastards are rotten to the core.”

Why wait for David Davies?

Why haven’t the two ALBA MPs revealed everything?

Ian Brotherhood

This is the Orwell essay I was on about earlier.

Fuck knows what he would make of what’s happening right now…

link to orwell.ru

Kcor

Al-Stuart says:
12 April, 2023 at 7:29 pm

“I have but one request…

STUART CAMPBELL, PLEASE CAN YOU APPLY FOR THE JOB AS SNP CEO?”

You can’t drain a swamp once you yourself get into it.

As happened to the SNP MPs who entered Westminster.

The Rev. Stuart Campbell is doing an excellent job remaining completely independent of the swamp that the State of Scotland has become since Alex Salmond’s resignation as First Minister.

Andy Griffiths

It’s interesting that Humza is so politically inept, he hasn’t realised the only thing to do with this bus is to through the whole NEC/Murrell/Green cabal under it and pitch himself as the savour of the SNP.

Jax

I cant believe what i watched on # scotland tonight on my own tv

Shug

What’s with Mike Russell stepping aside

Anyone know the back story

Shug

What’s with Mike Russell stepping aside

Anyone know the back story

They made an absolute cod of Russell with the horse box so why is he covering for them

Lenny Hartley

Daisy, not size that matters but weight, i can drive vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes in weight on my “Car” licence, youngsters (dont know when it was changed) are required to pass a class 2 hgv test before driving anything over 3.5 tonnes.

highlander

Antoine Bisset says:
12 April, 2023 at 5:29 pm

then one should think big.
Fulgencio Batista comes to mind. He quit Cuba with ¢300m. By private plane not a camper van.

————–

£2bn of unaccounted covid money?

boris
Shug

Stu
How’s your view numbers doing

They must be going through the roof. Given the fall in MSM numbers I am very interested if you see a similar decline

Anton Decadent

@Derek 10.43

I have subscribed for the last twenty five years and I think that it has changed over the last decade. Some things which it used to cover such as grooming gangs it will no longer go near, it also avoids the trans issue and very rarely goes near the Greens or SNP. It has a one sided view on topics such as immigration and goes to literally the exact same sources as the Guardian, questionable charities etc, for quotes on this.

PhilM

Just been reading the Mail articles. Not sure either Kate Forbes or Ash Regan could save the SNP but one of them needs to be given the chance to try. Otherwise…they are monumentally f***ed. The voting public will see through this lot very soon.
With the latest appointments…Humza might actually already be worse than Sturgeotti. He had the tiniest window of opportunity to signal a change of direction and back this change with some practical and visible decisions but he’s made the worst possible choices already. The acting CEO choice could not be a worse decision. There is no guarantee that the search for a candidate will turn up anyone ‘suitable’ and lo and behold SR will be installed as the confirmed incumbent.
There isn’t a word to adequately describe this kind of implosion because there’s still relatively little pressure coming from the authorities.
Self-Harmageddon?!!

Willie

The reason for buying this Rolls Royce of a motor home rings as a battle bus fings absolutely hollow as the Rev points out.

And the choice of the storage location at Murrell’s mothers house indicates very much who were the custodians of this hidden away very expensive asset.

Maybe Murrell should have gone the whole hog and bought an actual Rolls Royce as a campaign car.

The name Emelda Marcos comes to mind when you read the background to this!

Skip_NC

Totally off topic, but I have just read the most stupid comment in a newspaper ever, discussing whether Dianne Feinstein should resign from the US Senate

“It seems we can both thank her for her service and decades of blazing a path for women in politics and recognize that her remaining in the Senate past her ability to do her job isn’t exactly a feminist victory — not when women and pregnant people stand to be harmed the most by the stalled confirmation of liberal judges,” wrote Jezebel, an online politics and culture news site featuring commentary geared toward women.”

Full article at link to apple.news

Dominic Berry

For my money, Murrell knew he was likely to be arrested and this van was his getaway. There’s a fake passport hanging around somewhere.

Important point:
Why would anyone want to be involved in a lavender marriage in this day and age?
This is Holyrood 2020s, not Hollywood in the 1920s? Answer: The law cannot compel a husband or wife to bear witness against each other in a court case. Implication: They anticipated the need for damage limitation as far back as that.

Dickie Tea

It might be Motorhome to you and me but it self identifies as a Battle Bus. Please please stop oppressing it you Busaphobes.

Buses have rights as well.

Dorothy

Great start but many more questions.
Was it insured for the stated purpose?
Who was the registered owner?
What is the mileage and if not consistent with the stated use when and how was it used?

Gordon Bain

Listening to Whitford on Radio Shortbread this morning. WTF has happened to her/them?

Gordon Bain

I know a bit about motor-homes and I have to say I’m surprised it’s available in RHD form. There’s also only one dealership and it’s in England. It’s a very strange choice. It will hold it’s value pretty well though, after the initial depreciation that occurs as soon as it’s taxed. Is it taxed?

100%Yes

At the SNP peek they had 126,000 members and from that point to 2023 it had lost 54,000 members and only two days ago Kate Forbes is begging the membership not to leave. At what point is it going to dawn on the evil dead that that unless you change course your heading into the disaster everyone is telling you about. Humza isn’t prepared to suspend the Murrells they’re still going to challenge the Section 35 and Independence isn’t even on the horizon. This campervan is just one of the many failings of Nicola Sturgeon and the people who were and still are running the SNP, I have no doubt there’s more to come. Nicola has put the SNP on the road to destruction and Humza Yousaf wants to steady the ship and stay the course nothing to see here everything’s fine move along.

John McGregor

Mr/Mrs Fraud n Corruption are up to their haw maw’s in this IF found guiltya procced of crime would be interesting Mr Honest John Swine eh must have know the auditors had done a runner n never opened his gub Plot Thickens

Gordon Bain

@LennyHartley. I used to have that facility too until I had to replace my license some years ago where it magically disappeared. My right to drive a motorcycle under 125cc has also vanished. I’m 58. Check your license.

Mac

I think the loan was to mitigate the purchase of the motorhome. To make it so the SNP is not ‘out of pocket’ for the purchase of it.

And then strangely they seem to be paying back the loan as they depreciate the motorhome. So as the net book value of the motorhome falls so the loan is commensurately paid back to Murrell.

This is some strange shit if that is what it is and it does look like it.

If so I would bet good money that Murrell was advised to do this by the Police themselves during their chat. Just a hunch.

Consider how the money that bought the motorhome was raised – for a ring fenced indyref fighting fund – versus how it was spent – splurging on a six figure luxury motorhome – that was located ‘resting’ on Peter Murrell’s mum driveway for two years after its completely unnecessary and bizarre purchase.

When you step back and look at just that… it looks really bad, it really does, and this is just the motorhome.

robertkknight

PhilM says:

“Just been reading the Mail articles. Not sure either Kate Forbes or Ash Regan could save the SNP but one of them needs to be given the chance to try. Otherwise…they are monumentally f***ed”.

Sorry, but what is it you are trying to “save” exactly???

SNP members, officials and elected representatives have spent the last eight years either playing all three wise monkeys simultaneously, or actively steering the party away from its stated objective of “independence for Scotland” to a settled-will of the Scottish people pro-devolution stance, with priorities shifting towards the identity politics and virtue signalling of the Woke.

In almost every devolved, domestic policy, with very few exceptions, the SNP government at Holyrood has been a cluster-f**k, and the Westminster group an embarrassment.

So tell me, what exactly is worth “saving” where Sturgeon’s rancid SNP is concerned?

Alan Mackintosh

The motorhome wont have an Mot yet as its not yet 3 years old so there wont be a record of it, it would only be the tax/not taxed linked to the registration. I did have a look on google maps but number plates are obscured so that doesnt help.

I do wonder if the motorhome is not linked to the 600k though… and thus doesn’t appear in SNP accounts. Perhaps it is linked to the wider “other stuff” alluded to by Craig Murray when he mused about looking for something and discovering something else.

Mac

Someone mentioned that the depreciation on the motor home seemed heavy. It is but there would be an incentive to depreciate it quickly if your loan getting repaid was tied to it.

These type of vehicles hold their value apparently much more so than ordinary cars. So this level of depreciation in year does seem very high. The vehicle is basically a two year old brand new unused motorhome. I am surprised it is only valued at 60k today.

There is something really odd about the purchase of this motorhome and we are being told a story about it that does not really add up.

It clearly spooked the auditors and I can totally understand why they jacked it. I think they knew it was a story as well.

Maybe the plan was to buy it. Depreciate it very heavily and then 2-3 years down the road Peter would generously offer to take it off the party’s hands at net book value of course…

Mac

What I keep coming back to in my head is why would you need a bed in the vehicle.

If it was essentially a campaign bus as we are being told now then were they seriously thinking multiple people would be sleeping in it as they traversed Scotland converting the masses in their 110k luxury motorhome towing Mike Russell’s horsebox.

The whole idea is laughable. The vehicle is completely inappropriate for a campaign bus. You would never by this for that purpose, the cost alone is crazy but the vehicle itself is clearly not fit for purpose.

The mobile meth lab gag was more believable than campaign bus.

Rogerborg

>”Would the 80k for motors be inclusive or exclusive of VAT?”

A very interesting question given that King Murrell appears to have “loaned” the party the entire cost of the vehicle, then (initially) received back what looks like the VAT amount on it.

They got Capone for tax dodging.

Lenny Hartley

Mac depression amount if i remember correctly is just an agreed value that the tax man thinks is a fair amount. (So most companies will use the same method, ie computers over 36 months etc ) It has nothing to do with actual value of vehicle, in todays luxury motorhome market where you cant get news ones without waiting a year or more, it would probably sell at close too or above cost price.
I know somebody involved in importing new luxury German Motorhomes he cant get enough from Manf and its not changing with economic outlook.

Stephen O'Brien

Who knew ‘self-determination’, in political circles in Scotland, means individual careers based on deception and greed. The electorate, a means to that end.

As this fraudulent endeavour unravels, the international community has observed this utter farce. The extent of false election campaigns. SNP & others, elected under false pretence. Onlookers bewildered as even now, the public mainly refuse to believe the scale of manipulative politicians, using the guise of independence for Scotland, to further their self-centred ambitions.

There is of course, many a career built on this lucrative industry, while the country suffers.

The industrial revolution, alive and well, hot air and steam never went away. The greatest invention to ever come out of Scotland!

john cormack

What I don’t understand is why this vehicle has been taken in by the police, rather than just searched and left on the old lady’s drive. Surely the police interest is in the money trail,which the vehicle may form part of,rather than the physical vehicle itself? Or is there more to this than meets the eye?

Lenny Hartley

Gordon Bain, that happened to a fair few folk when the changed from paper to id car licenses,lucky enough I knew of the issues and checked at the time. I know of folk who have had to resit motorcycle tests because of the screw up.,

Gordon Bain

@ Lenny. I didn’t notice until I moved to the South of France and decided a scooter would be perfect here. I was furious.

Mac

Lenny, that is interesting about these vehicles holding their value or even appreciating in value in the current economic climate.

Because that makes them the ideal kind of vehicle for tunneling out money.

You can (legitimately) depreciate them heavily as if they were an ordinary car.

Then when the book value is low enough (3 years say) buy it off the party. Anyone asks you can say you paid the book value so it cost the party nothing.

Et voila! You just got yourself a massively discounted motorhome courtesy of the SNP’s coffers.

It is a bit of grubby scam if that is what was going on. But it is about the only ‘sense I can make of the purchase.

Brian Doonthetoon

Hi Mac at 8:45 am.

You typed,
“These type of vehicles hold their value apparently much more so than ordinary cars. So this level of depreciation in year does seem very high. The vehicle is basically a two year old brand new unused motorhome. I am surprised it is only valued at 60k today.”

During summer, 2021, I decided to treat myself to a 2 berth campervan. I did a lot of research via Google. I needed a vehicle that was no taller than 1.95 metres so I could park it in the multi-storey car park for which I had a resident’s permit.

I found a suitable vehicle on Gumtree, asking price £13,000. Further research indicated that this was a reasonable price for that vehicle, with an 02 plate and an MOT due in April 2022. It had only been in use for a couple of months since it was MOT’d in April 2021, as the owner had died and it was being sold by his family. I eventually bought it for £12,000.

When it was new, the retail price was around £21,000, in 2002. So the depreciation over 19 years was around 43%. I could have bought a bog standard 2002 van, with the same cab/chassis and a year’s MOT for around £1,000.

Campervans/motorhomes do tend to ‘keep their value’. Try doing a Google search and you’ll find vehicles from even the 80s and 90s at, apparently, eye-watering prices. The thing to bear in mind is that these vehicles tend to be used intermittently, resulting in low annual mileage. When I bought mine, the mileage was just over 95,000. I’ve added around 2,000 to that since 2021. It has now gone through 2 MOTs, with no advisories.

Ian Smith

Kate Forbes must surely be out the running for any leadership contest, if as one of the most senior cabinet members she had no idea of the party’s financial shambles despite her much touted accountancy qualifications.

Even if stitched up by the Murrells, she has proven far too naïve to be trusted with leadership of the party and the country.

Similarly having taken hospitality of the Guptas, despite astonishingly poor deal for the public finance, and as local MP not apparently noticing any concern.

Either that or the junior SNP ranks just breeds a natural acceptance of poor governance and corruption that it never raised a flag.

Angus Files

So where’s HMRC and the tax inspections if you don’t have proper paperwork for a 25 quid watch threatening to take you off the premises cuffed as they have more power than the police.??

As far as scams go Murrells think process could have been.Here listen up Golden Goose SNP im going to buy a campervan but because I am employed the vat and the depreciation will not be reclaimed. Tell you what goose egg to help YOU, you buy the motorhome register it under your name then I pay you back for it minus the vat minus the depreciation…do the maths probably get it for nothing over the years.All you have to do is make sure HMRC sees no paper trail going back to Murrell before transfer of documents and final payment.

Cuilean

Is there any evidence of the motorhome being used during the election campaign e.g. selfies, other pictures, showing Mr Murrell and his wife or anyone in the SNP using the campervan during any campaigning, inside or beside the motorhome? Surely the press will have lots of pictures of an alleged ‘battle bus’ during an election? Very odd if they don’t.

Of course, if anyone in the SNP, or otherwise, wanted a discreet rendevous, away from hotels, B&Bs and other prying eyes, a mobile home would be just the thing.

Mac

John, I keep wondering why the police seized it myself. I think they must be pulling it apart looking for something, anything.

I think they are searching the motorhome for the same reasons they are searching the home and offices and potentially other properties. They have extended that search to include the motorhome it seems.

Maybe the police suspect someone was using the van to stash something, something they could not keep at home. Money, documents, massive dildo collection…

Remember the Murrells were warned the searches were coming. That van might have seemed like a good idea as a place to conceal something whilst keeping it safe.

It is very curious why, given how contentious it is, that the SNP / Murrell did not just simply sell it, especially if he could have made a small profit on it. Then it would have been medals and promotions all round.

So why did he not do that? That is a real question. He could have removed the motorhome from the 666k equation very easily by just selling it and recovering most of the money but he never did… why?

Instead he left it resting on his mum’s driveway depreciating like a lead balloon in his own party’s accounts… why?

It seems he even went to the ridiculous lengths of lending back the party the equivalent amount of money instead of just selling it… why?

Was there something in the van that meant even when it became a problem for him he still could not get rid of it. Well I guess that is maybe what the police are curious about as well.

Dan

It’s worth checking your license to see what categories you can drive, and the specific codes applied to each category.

link to gov.uk

link to gov.uk

willie

Look who Yousaf has just appointed SNP Head of Strategic Delivery. One Julie Hepburn the wife of Jamie Hepburn who was just appointed Minister for Independence.

Another husband and wife team exactly in the mould of the now gone and disgraced First Minster and SNO CEO her husband.

Absolutely no messing when Humza descried himself as the Continuity Candidate. And who has he appointed as interim CEO than no other than existing SNO COO Sue Ruddick.

More more more of the same failed rotten SNP. Two fingers up to all in a broken divided party there can be no recovery from this. The SNP is gone.

Stravaiger

Another great post from Rob McAlpine today.
What we have here is not a disaster, it’s the biggest opportunity we’ve had in nearly a decade.

link to robinmcalpine.org

PacMan

It would be funny if pictures emerged of the Murrells in their campervan breaking the lockdown restrictions they had forced on the rest of us.

Ottomanboi

Nevertheless, compared to the scale of questionable activities within the British state and its legions of «agents», offshore tax havens and covert money laundering being list toppers, the set up to which many pay homage, Scotland is a mere neophyte.
«I/we/they have done nothing wrong», the system is obligingly flexible to the higher initiates.

TheSNPLeftMe

I read Robin McAlpines piece today. I respect his appeal.
However, I remember Alba suggesting a Supermajority at the last Scottish election and Alba/ISP members and voters voted SNP 1 and their own Party 2 for the list. The SNP pushed both vote SNP and opened the door for Unionists instead.
I think Robin is wrong to call for calm. One tribe has their hands on the steering wheel. They are heading for the cliff edge. They have at least 2.5 years before their Holyrood control is at risk.

I say pull them down and start again. I don’t trust them and I am convinced Party, self interest and Cult comes before Scotland for them.

I will attack them every day because they are the enemy of Scotland.
I have seen a real YES Movement.

Daisy Walker

@ Dominic Berry re, ‘ The law cannot compel a husband or wife to bear witness against each other in a court case. Implication: They anticipated the need for damage limitation as far back as that.’

TheSNPLeftMe

Goods are also seized to recover funds from any criminal activity.

Daisy Walker

re the Murrells being married and non compellable as witnesses against one another in a court of law.

That may be one motive for the marraige. Another is, that as a couple they can attend official do’s…. while Nikla (or any other official minister) is legally obliged to declare the meeting and keep minutes…. her husband does not, and of course once the introductions are made, Nikla can be in one place in the full glare, and Pete can be somewhere else entirely, totally off the books. Not even subject to Freedom of Information requests.

Very useful I would suggest. Potentially.

John H.

Willie 10.09am.

I don’t think the leadership has changed at all. The same woman who has been busy destroying Scotland for the last eight years is still in charge I believe. Yusaf is there to take the pressure off of Sturgeon, but he’s just a puppet.

Why hasn’t Peter Murrell been suspended from the SNP? Sturgeon was quick enough to suspend any one else who came under the slightest suspicion of wrong doing.

Robert McAllan

Ian Smith @9:51, Forbes naivety stretches to her believing her electorate are even more so than she!!

Mac

Couldn’t agree more Daisy.

If there was real corruption here (and we are not talking about fiddling a cheap motorhome level stuff) then Peter would have been positioned as the ideal bag man. Totally off books, totally off radar.

I am just surprised they don’t have a foundation or some kind of shady charitable trust.

If a much larger corruption scandal emerges here then the SNP are going to implode.

Big Jock

Robert – I think there are very few good MSP’s in the Holyrood SNP. Probably 5 at best. Forbes and the rest are just part of the rotten cabal to a greater or lesser degree. The SNP need to be put out of their misery. A completely new party with a proper NEC , with no person ever having the power of Sturgeon.

Dramfineday

Anent Motorhome depreciation. I would venture that the statement from Oaktree motors ( Mia 12/04 at 7.55) was correct for a pre-Covid world. The same does not appear to hold true at the moment. Perhaps, due to accounting rules physical assets need to be depreciated annually (I don’t know, I’m not an accountant) but in the motorhome world and again I emphasise, at the moment, assets are appreciating.

We bought our van (new) in 2019, the same model today costs £27K more than what we paid. The used value for our model, year and similar mileage is £7k more than the price we paid.

Now there are a load of issues at play here….post Covid demand nearly emptied out every dealer in the UK, Brexit impacts on imports of van conversion cabs and parts, a huge hike in the base van price from European suppliers, availability of same due to microchip shortages and of course, lately, inflation.

In 2021 an ISmove started from £82230, then you add the lux packs, chassis upgrade etc., and according to a review in MotorCarvan Motorhome Monthly (MMM) expect to bump into £100k. Looking at Autotrader, a 2019 ISmove 7.3 with 15k on the clock is retailing at £105k (with Chassis upgrade to 4.5tons). Tried to get a 2023 price, but the dealers appear coy to put anything on their web pages re money …… probably to avoid the “How Much…..I could have bought a (Flat / House / Rolls Royce) for that.

Regarding depreciation, the normal rationales appear to be up in the air at the moment so I’d be cautious about thinking that the Murrell’s van had declined in value. Mind you any one bidding for it, if the stories are true that it sat uncared for and unmoving for two years, would have to think of a lengthy (and expensive) series of replacements and maintenance for the van.

So depreciation, yes or no?

PS Normal car licence if under 3500KG but C1 required if over. I understand that the UK government is currently thinking of reverting to pre EU standards – pass you car test and you can drive up to 7.5 tons without further testing.

Ian Brotherhood

‘What weight should that mobile home be Irv?’

link to youtube.com

Higgy

To add to the list of questions. When was the order placed as weighting times for cars were +12 months at the time mine took 14 months? A top end vehicle like the camper when every person and their mother was after a camper would surely have a longer lead time. Was a deposit paid to secure the production slot at time of order? Is that hidden in the accounts? Is there no procurement governance requiring multiple sign off by NEC members? I’ll stop with that one.

stuart mctavish

Mac @10:04

Indy roadmap to replace the defacto one the (ahem) party spoilt with Humza?

TheSNPLeftMe

I believe we do have some good SNP MPs and MSPs. However, they cannot keep sitting silently hoping this blows over. They are now guilty by association. They either believe in Independence or they value Party loyalty higher. They cannot have both anymore.
The comparison to Labour denial when their end arrived is clear. Voters will switch eventually.You can lead, follow or get out of the way.

We are past the tipping point now.

Stoker

Stuart wrote:

“We’re told the SNP had a cashflow problem after the election, which is why Peter Murrell loaned the party £107,620 in June 2021.”

That really is quite a specific figure, isn’t it? Why not £110K or £108K or even £107K? Are we to believe Murrell decided, by himself, the party is skint and needs a loan so i’ll give them one for £107,620? Someone discussed this with him. Someone else was very much in the know.

Stuart also wrote:

“Every member of the SNP’s ruling NEC is personally legally liable for the party’s finances. So why weren’t they told about an item of expenditure that accounted for half the party’s cash reserves and from which absolutely no benefit accrued or was going to accrue? (And indeed which already represented a large and reckless waste of money for nothing, which they might have wanted to raise concerns about.)”

Every single member of that NEC needs to be pursued legally and prosecuted with Murrell. That’s a guaranteed surefire method of loosening lips. Especially with the threat of a hefty jail sentence hanging over them. Offer immunity to the first one who steps forward with valuable info.

London Scott

Re the Campaign Bus. As pioneered by Lady T back in the 80s and taken up by other parties, these buses start life as 80 seater coaches. Rows of seats taken out at the front, seats reversed, tables added. Seats at the back for either the press to take to some event, or party workers for a mass delivery/campaigning session. The buses would be covered in party colours, slogans etc.

So Covid required a campaign ‘lite bus’. So what was proposed? Peter and Nicky alone roaming around Scotland? Seriously? Or perhaps accom0anied by the Press Officer and Campaign Manager all squeezed hugger mugger into the 2 beds. And if the camper van was delivered in Jan for an election in early May would it not have gone straight off to the paint shop for some yellow paint and a saltire on the roof. It is so ridiculously laughable.

Colin

So it appears the loan by Mr Murrell was not actually money but the provision of a battlebus. If so, then the purpose was not to assist in regard to the SNP’s cash flow as at that point, it would have been a paper (journal entry) transaction.
It would be interesting to marry up the date of purchase by Mr Murrell to the date the loan and asset were recorded in the party’s books.
Whilst the loan was from memory £106,720 it doesn’t definitivly mean that this equates to the price paid by him. Viz £106,720 could have been list value and his actual purchase price less than this. We do not know what paperwork the auditors will have seen or been able to obtain from his original purchase

If indeed Mr Murrell did purchase the vehicle privately then on a salary after tax etc of circa £50k it would have absorbed two years plus of his earnings. You would think then the wife’s approval would have been required.

As leader of the party, she should also have known when ownership was transferred to the SNP and approved the transaction..

Circa £47k of the loan was repaid to Mr Murrell by December 21 as the accounts disclose £60k outstanding. Thus the cash flow position is now negative. It looks as if it will be a considerable time before we find out the position at December 2022!

With the 33.3 % depreciation rate the book value will soon be down to around £30k. Were it to have been sold at book value to guess who to extinguish the residue of the loan then
ey ho he would have got an incredible bargain for use in his retirement with the SNP having wasted £107k.
Surely now at least the battlebus will be sold oommercially at market value
We should,however, also be thankful that at least the loan was interest free!

Arch Stanton

Why did Mike Russell have to run his independence campaign from a horsebox when the party had a luxury motor home going spare?

PhilM

@Robert Knight
I can assure you I am not holding a candle or ‘leaving a light on’ for the SNP, however this party doesn’t belong to the current cabal and there should be an attempt to save it if it’s possible. However it may not be possible and I can’t say I care very much. I want independence only and this party got us pretty close in 2014. If it could be saved, it is worth trying for those who are in a position to attempt it. I don’t like calling parties ‘rancid’ because there are hundreds of thousands of members in all the major parties who are probably fairly decent and I want them to stay active and engaged in mainstream politics. The populist trend worries me personally.
It’s very easy to get caught up in this new hyper-speed politics and believe that it has an uncomplicated reality. Us older types can remember when all of this was slower, less frenetic and much less paranoid. People think it’s natural now to jump on any mistake, any gaffe, any accusation, allegation of wrong-doing and dismiss a person, a party immediately without giving it much thought but justice is slow and methodical (when it’s not corrupt of course), so calling the SNP rancid or worse and wishing their imminent demise is part of this hyper-politics. When people engage like that I don’t see them thinking very clearly.
Our established parties have all been through episodes like this but these occurred before social media. I suppose it comes down to being careful what you wish for. I can remember how many of our new media people were very enamoured of Sturgeotti just a few years ago but I also remember further back when a raven-haired humourless unhappy little pedant used to run point for the SNP and for the life of me I could not understand why this person was in politics and why they were considered ‘one to watch’. I was never someone impressed with Sturgeotti’s presentation skills, her ‘command of her brief’ (oh f*** off as if people who say that know what the brief is) and as I have an interest in healthcare I probably know things about her time as Health Secretary that others don’t know or can’t remember and this made me question the political sense of her former cheerleaders who seemed to like her just because she was ‘oor Nikla’. IMHO we should never call our politicians by their first names in forums such as this. They’re not our friends unless they really ARE our friends.
One thing you can guarantee is that in politics as in life there’s always an over-correction when things change. Want to do right by trans people…great…but then things over-correct and you quickly and up with Isla Brysons and transbutchers and flat-footed talentless six-foot three ballet dancers on stage and the Green tail wagging the SNP dog.
I doubt the SNP will change and certainly not fast enough but there are a few left who might want to give saving this party a chance and they should try to do that. I think an over-correction is part of a lot of people’s reaction to the alleged wrong-doing we appear to be seeing. Not sure I deserve your pelters for standing back a bit and trying to look at the situation with a bit more objectivity based on decades of interest in politics and an actual interest in party political history. That being said I’m an amateur and really know f***all for certain.
There’s your answer.

Beauvais

The call by Robin McAlpine for calm reflection and civility amongst members of the independence movement is an understandable reaction to events. Less vituperation and more sober reflection is certainly sensible.

Nevertheless there has to be some clear thinking about what is meant by the term independence movement. Are SNP ministers who talk of independence being an aspiration with a timescale of around the year 2050, are such people to be deemed part of the movement, and accorded the civility and comradeship that Robin believes is necessary?

There is a kind of naivety that assumes that the success of a movement comes from keeping as many people on board as possible. That it’s primarily a game of numbers with a wee bit of strategy tacked on for good measure. “We will need these people” is the phrase often employed. But we are seeing the results of everyone assuming a few years ago that the leadership cadre of the SNP were all on the level and working for indy.

Success for any political or social movement comes after goals are set and then pursued authentically by the WHOLE movement. It’s not about the numbers but about the effectiveness.

This effectiveness comes from CONSTANTLY taking the initiative. People have to be told that Scotland regaining sovereign nation status is vital. People are ready to be told and will respond to polite assertiveness. Spending decades ‘persuading’ some quasi-mythical group called the Soft NOs is a marvellous strategy if you are not seriously a nationalist.

We have to define who is and who isn’t really in our movement. Alba is the SNP before pursuit of cushy devolution careers ruined that latter party. The Salvo initiative is a valuable development. Let as many genuine SNP people as possible come over to the real independence movement and be welcomed.

Sturgeonites, woke weirdos, troughers and aspiring troughers are not part of our movement and should never again be regarded as such.

Merganser

The rats in the NEC are jostling for a position on the gangplank.

Who will be first to make a dash for it?

D.Holden

Anyone expecting Murrell to have a medical “episode” which renders him unable to answer probing questions for a long, long time and his little wifey too distraught to do likewise ?

Ian Smith

Should some employee at SNP HQ have been paying BIK tax on a £100K luxury vehicle, without getting approval in advance that this could be considered a battle bus?

London Scott

Further thoughts on that bus. I find it inconceivable that a purchase of that size would not require the authorisation of someone else. Every organisation I have worked for required 2 signatures for the purchasing g and paying of invoices for stuff not taken out of petty cash. Moreover even small voluntary groups have two signatories for cheques- my local town twinning group and history society for example. I cannot think that Ruddick is complicit in this and the last person and the last person who should be appointed interim CEO. In fact there should be a full clear out of senior employees. Plus the NEC and treasurer – elections should be held now to replace them

Ian Smith

The longer spent in calm reflection, civility and clear thinking by the SNP cohort of the independence movement, the more time the continuity cabal have to entrench themselves into the system.

They have already poisoned the party with a shockingly inept and bizarre cast of characters for the cabinet, hooked back up with the deeply suspicious greens, and will no doubt move on to the new CEO, new auditors, new Chief Constable, judicial appointments, etc.

Derek Mackay's Interior decorator

Those of an investigative bent might like to look closely at recent raids on a Dumbarton address that may be well known to the local SNP.
Strong rumours that this is connected to the campervan. Apparently not just recreational pharmaceuticals.

Geoff Anderson

If we truly have an Independence Movement why are they not getting together for a coffee and having an informal chat?

I see no action on the ground. Can delegates from Alba, ISP, SNP, Labour for Indy, AUOB, Common Weal, SSP, Robin McAlpine, BforS, etc etc not at least meet up without an agenda for a chat. If someone doesn’t attend then empty chair them so WE can see who puts ego before Nation.

If our movement cannot make a few phone calls to organise a chat then I have little hope that they will deliver Indy.

Will someone get off their arse and start to organise this. If any group don’t want to attend then GOOD because then we will know who to bypass.

You want to run a Nation……how about running a kick off meeting?

A two hour meeting with Robin McAlpine as chair…..get on with it

Anne Johnston

Wings is the best, (maybe the only), investigative journalist in Britain,in my lifetime.

Stravaiger

When I posted Rob McAlpine’s link above I didn’t mean we all sit back and muse over how we get all Kumbaya about saving the SNP, I meant this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to seize the day, carpe diem, be measured in our anger in order to not alienate those who haven’t got their head around what has happened yet, take stock, regroup and formulate a proper plan to take us to where we want to be. Alba will be a part of this, Salvo will be a part of this, but it will take more, it will take all of us to keep the heid. It could all happen very quickly if we want it to. There’s no such thing as a slow revolution, they all happen at pace, before the powers that be can react.

sarah

@ Geoff Anderson: Precis of Geoff at 1.16 – why isn’t the Independence Movement getting together for an informal chat – Robin McAlpine as chair.

Totally agree. We know that the key bloggers do talk to politicians, independence groups, and each other privately. So use this as the basis for a real move to organise – perhaps even set up the Convention. Rev, you can help get this chat set up, I’m sure.

Time is of the essence. We cannot afford to waste any more.

Confused

is there a weird subculture of campervan afficionados on wings?

always wondered about those magazines on the rack – who would buy that?

link to magazine.co.uk

takes all kinds; what next – the battle re-enactors? Model railway enthusiasts? – it would be a welcome change from the tediously perverted “hobbies” our politicians seem to like.

You can always combine the two – initially thought maybe Peter was a closet heterosexualist and was using the van to hide a massive stash of vintage 1970s grumble mags from Nikki – Oui, Rodox, Color Climax, the stuff your cousin, in the army, got in Holland and had to smuggle through customs …

Disappointed no one made the obvious Scooby Doo reference – their van is called the MYSTERY MACHINE

and velma is a little closet lesbian, and at some point the mask gets removed from Peter Murrell’s face :

if it wasn’t for you pesky kids (*) – I’d have got away with it

(in the light of the new norms of TQ+ identities, Scooby and Shaggy’s precise relationship is open to speculation)

(*) = extreme far right alt-nat extremist reactionary transphobes and wings cultists aka normal people

London Scott

At 1.03 pm I said:

“I cannot think that Ruddick is complicit in this and the last person and the last person who should be appointed interim CEO.”

Meant to say:
” I cannot think that Ruddick is NOT complicit in this and she is the last person who should be appointed interim CEO. ” Stu – can you add an edit feature to your super site?

Beauvais

Confused @1:56

Then there’s also Sturgeon’s alleged Scrappy Do at the Balmoral Hotel.

Ian

It does seem that Murrell loaned the campervan to the SNP, which was then recorded as aa a cash loan. Presumably they would then repay the ‘loan’ and ownership would revert to Murrell in some obscure and hidden way, writing it off or accepting a knock down price for it. So he gets a state of the art luxury campervan, no miles on the clock, for a derisory fee. Nice.
Except you have to wonder what petty minded, acquisitive double dealing consumes the mind of a man on an already generous salary, with lots of perks, pension etc? Is this really the measure of the man who was supposedly the architect of the SNP in policy and strategy?
It is so shabby, laughable and conniving – and yet, don’t scandals of this type often reveal how small-minded and acquisitive those who lord it over us often are? All those MP’s double dealing on fuel bills and property, who already had very good salaries and expenses. It is quite astonishing how power and relative wealth corrupts people who already are doing very well. It has become the norm among them, and especially the SNP elite cadre of Sturgeon’s that they cannot see how desperately shabby and tacky they are – and worse, how entitled they feel to help themselves to public funds for their wine cellars and new kitchens, holidays and gourmet dining. The same people who most nauseatingly lecture us on how ‘progressive’ and principled they are, and how dare you question them. The same people who think nothing of jailing someone who represents a threat to their high life.
It is like something out of an East European satire on the bourgeoisie from decades ago, yet here we are, living through it, and no real commentary apart from individuals who according to Craig Murray’s persecutor aren’t ‘real’ journalists. Laaugh? I nearly cried.

Ebok

Geoff Anderson / Sarah

Alba organised two discussion meetings, Perth Dec 10, and Edinburgh Jan 14, open to all Independence groups and individuals. The outcomes of these meetings were to be discussed at the Alba National Council in Ayr on Feb 11, though this observation was added to the report from Perth: –
‘it is for others to decide which aspects of the discussions will assist in their own organisations’

That observation doesn’t sound very unifying but presumably there is ongoing communications behind the scenes. Like both of you, I have no idea who is talking and who ain’t.

Geoff Anderson

Who paid for the broken window and the replacement iron at the Balmoral Hotel?

Big Jock

This is where it gets interesting. When the crisis starts affecting the Troughers wages. Then they will become mutinous.

link to heraldscotland.com

Dan

@ Confused

Mega spec expensive campervans became a thing when the rules were changed to make it difficult for you to buy any old van and convert it into a campervan yourself.
No longer was it possible to buy a transit or other euro van, lob a couple of old pallets and a mattress sorry a futon (coz we’re classy) in the back, and then go away on holiday exploring the great outdoors where you can see outdoor stuff and take a piss or shit in the woods and use some naturally grown locally sourced moss to wipe your butt. Aloe vera win! (bury pooh properly though natch)
Back in the day moss was used for nappies.
Humans evolved to become weak, vain, and saft as a loose skitter and embraced this notion of needing “luxury” all the time. Which basically means they work their arse off to earn loads of money to blow it on superfluous luxury shite.
The joy of being outdoors trying to find an electrical hook up and a wifi signal, and also having to mix that blue stuff that goes in van toilet for me takes the edge off the simple beauty of being outdoors.

It also now appears to be mandatory for mountain bikers, surfers and other outdoor hobbiests to use highly priced VW T4/5/6 van of some sort.

London Scott

Confused at 1.56 said:

“it takes all kinds; what next – the battle re-enactors? Model railway enthusiasts? – it would be a welcome change from the tediously perverted “hobbies” our politicians seem to like.”

Bang on. My husband I have between us had 90 years of working for the Conservative Party, including being Councillors. He was threatened with deselection back in early spring of 2021 by the local party. Why? He had not been out knocking on doors for 3 months for the London Elections. Perhaps because he had been taken to hospital a few days before Christmas with 2 Pulmonary Embolisms on both lungs. He and I kicked up a big fuss and threatened legal action, so the party backed off.

I said to him now it is all about fighting elections – no matter which party you are in. It is not about being a good MP, MSP, Cllr. And forget about having family, friends and hobbies. It has to be 100% campaigning.

Dennis Healey said that all politicians need a ‘hinterland’. He had photography, James Callaghan his dairy farm, Harold Wilson bird watching, Roy Jenkins writing historical biographies, Ted Heath sailing and music, Ken Clarke, jazz and bird watching, Winston Churchill – painting, looking after pigs, building walls. Apart from anything else you meet ordinary people and not just politicians in your party if you have wide interests.

The younger politicians I see now are OBSESSED with politics…regardless of their political inclinations. The current culture encourages narcistic, selfish people with no roundness or grounding in normal life. Spending every Saturday and Sunday campaigning for months on end is not psychologically healthy. I said to a Council colleagues who complained about a third who often spent Saturday mornings taking his girls to ballet lessons. “Good, better a loving Dad on the Council, than a dried up political obsessive like you.”

My husband is into public transport (old and new), architecture Billy Bunter and Just William stories, military history, local history and family history. He goes to conferences and events related to his interests (and buys magazines). And he loves to spend time with his grand nieces.

Funnily enough we have heard today that the key figure behind trying to get him deselected has been chucked out the Conservative Party. Why? For sending an offence tweet at 3.00 am. Perhaps if he had had a sensible girlfriend and a few interests which kept him grounded he would be a better person – and still a Conservative Councillor.

Scot

Yusaf says he didn’t know about the campervan.
What a surprise.
The next question he should have been asked is, “what does he know now?”

When will our journalists toughen up and stop bowling underarm.
We need some bouncers and yorkers.

Ottomanboi

When will «the West» stop making excuses for Biden?
Why do so many fawn before this cracked idol and the country he represents?

Big Jock

Otto – Biden could be useful in a Scottish independence fight. He detests the Brits as much as we do!

Anton Decadent

Anyone who is on a site such as this is aware that politics attracts the absolute worst types of people, liars who would do and say anything to get ahead. During all of our lifetimes this has been demonstrated time and time again and across the parties. The only crime in politics is being caught.

Re SNP, to a lesser extent with Alex Salmond than with Nicola Sturgeon but it is still there, there has been a cult of personality cultivated by the party and media. With Alex Salmond it is more visible on sites such as this as the media were party to his scandalous framing. People I know were taken in by the Chief Mammy and drawing of the crossed legs and high heels under a table stuff. Re cult of personality, I can see why they went for it given the current opposition, Sarwar, Ross, Douglas Home and if you include Harvie, Slater and Yousef it is a hard sell to market them like a celebrity.

I think that there is and should be a place for Alex Salmond in Scotlands current and future campaign for independence but it has to rely on policies rather than personalities. I believe that it also has to be free of people representing the likes of the WEF rather than the people of Scotland and that is harder than it sounds, I do not think that people are aware of how badly the EU is compromised by the influence of the likes of Schwab and Soros and multinational corporate capital.

willie

Here now, if Murrell was given the luxury motor home which he stored at his mother’s house’s driveway, should the party not have notified the Benefit in Kind to their employee Mr Murrell to the tax authorities.

This after all was a luxury motor, retained and controlled by Mr Murrell, available for his use, and should have been notified on Mr Murrells P11D.

Company cars, company yachts and other such benefits all have to be notified to the tax authority. The more you think about this Rolls Royce of a motor home the more you smell something not quite right.

It is all so reminiscent of Emelda and Ferdinand Marco of the Philippines and the Nationalista Party.

Even more so when you consider that the current nationalista party President of the Philippines is BongBong Marco. Nothing like keeping it in the family and not unlike our continuity candidate.

I wonder how many pairs of shoes Emelda Sturgeon had.

Stoker

Good luck to those above trying to get things moving and suggestions of pulling together. All i will say is what i’ve said before. Too many ego’s at play within the movement and an awful lot of childish mentalities.

Just look at WOS btl. There’s still so-called indy supporters posting direct links to Unionist organisations, helping them to pull in advertising revenue etc. Unionist organisations that have worked 24/7 against both our right to self-determination and against this very blog.

Then there’s the utter disrespect and lack of support towards those of us who go to the trouble of archiving links to preserve a factual record etc. If so-called indy supporters can’t unite on that one simple task do you really expect them to unite behind more complicated organisational tasks? LOL!

Seriously, good luck! You’ve not got your problems to seek.

dasBlimp

Big Jock says:
13 April, 2023 at 3:02 pm
Otto – Biden could be useful in a Scottish independence fight. He detests the Brits as much as we do!

——-
What do you have against the Welsh? You don’t realise how ridiculous you come across.

McDuff

This lot will never deliver independence so lets vote them out.
Vote Alba.

Republicofscotland

” Biden could be useful in a Scottish independence fight. He detests the Brits as much as we do!”

Big Jock.

I doubt Biden would want to see the break-up of his most loyal minion the 51 state, the UK, US presidents laud Ireland as a great wee successful country but warn Scots to remain in the union as Obama did.

The US doesn’t want its nuke warheads to be removed from Faslane, US president/s are no friend to Scottish independence.

London Scott

Further to my comment at 2.45 pm. Just popped into my head. Douglas Ross is a football referee. Good for him to have a non-political life.

London Scott

Big Jock says:
13 April, 2023 at 3:02 pm
Otto – Biden could be useful in a Scottish independence fight. He detests the Brits as much as we do!

A lot of the Brits killed by the IRA were and descendants of Scots. Not a good look your comment.

Biden is a Plastic Paddy. Mixing up the Black and Tans with the all Blacks, and a Scottish Piper with an Irish Piper. It is all show for the so called Irish American voters. The family on his mother’s side sound like bigots.

Ottomanboi

BIG JOCK.

OK…but could he find Scotland on a map?
Seriously, getting into bed with America is frying pan into magma, but then im rather biased re the USA and its ways.
link to archive.ph
Everything they touch

North chiel

Meanwhile the deputy director of GCHQ/M15 has been promoted to Director . Wonder what her remit is/was to earn the promotion ?

John Green

Dan, there is nothing up with a vw t5 van,they are wonderful

Republicofscotland

North Chiel.

The head of Mi5, I’m embarrassed to say is/was a Glasgow boy, now a devoted House Jock Ken McCallum.

Doug

How many Irish have been killed by the british [including Scots] over the centuries?

If Biden upsets racist british nationalists with his comments [however fallaciously] I can only applaud him.

God bless the Irish.

Ottomanboi

REPUBLIKOFSCOTLAND

In colonial situations is not unusual to find very loyal servants among the cerebrally colonized subordinates. Ya gotta make a buck, somehow!

Republicofscotland

Ottomanboi.

You are correct, and Professor Alf Baird often points this out in his excellent articles on the colonised mindset.

Stuart MacKay

The Crisis of the Story of Nationalist Scotland: Six Suggestions for a Different Politics of Independence, Gerry Hassan, Bella Caledonia, link to archive.ph

I know I post links from Bella way more often than is good for a normal person, but this is actually worth a read. There’s much hand-wringing and general angst but the message is clear enough – the country and politics needs a new direction.

Whether that includes the SNP appears to be open to question. Hassan references Forbes’ attempt in The National to put some distance between her and Winnebago-gate. “Ach, we didnae ken”. Sorry Kate, pull the other one.

So, Breeks, the moment is about to arrive. The only question is how to wash off so much failure and come up with something new.

Beauvais

Sorry London Scott, but wouldn’t you be happier commenting at Conservative Home rather than Wings?

Red

The US doesn’t want its nuke warheads to be removed from Faslane, US president/s are no friend to Scottish independence.

This is how the Western liberal international order works:

The gang of criminals running the USA can do whatever they want*, but if you do something they don’t want, you’ll get the sanctions, colour revolutions, drone strikes, and eventually a good ol’fashioned full scale military assault of your country.

Rentboy was wrong.

We are not a colony of wankers*. We are a colony of wankers who themselves are fully colonised, owned and operated by the world’s #1 exporter of violence, terrorism and weird pornography, the United States of America.

Pray that the good and beautiful peoples of the USA, UK, EU and Scotland can be liberated from their governing classes.

*It’s not the ordinary people, it’s the “elites”

Republicofscotland

Red.

Its not just the USA its Nato as well, and with the Finns joining Nato earlier this month tensions could just have jumped up a notch.

“the Finnish border is that it comes within about 100 miles of Severomorsk, where Russia’s Northern Fleet and 13 of its 23 nuclear-armed submarines are based.”

link to consortiumnews.com

Cliff Edge

Is the SNP not actually insolvent?

Dan

John Green says: at 3:42 pm

Dan, there is nothing up with a vw t5 van,they are wonderful

I’m a big fan of certain VWs myself owning a couple of early classic watercooled models that are now tax and mot exempt! They are a simple and easy to work on design. And have humped some much more modern machinery in one in my motorsport days.
But VWs like many other things went to shit in the 90s with all the electronic crap on them. Golf Mk4 window regulators being a prime example of utter cheap plastic crapness.
Close behind was the Passat / Audi multi link front suspension pish, when they still had a flexi rear beam axle. Mind, if you’re going to put a heavy longitudinally mounted FWD engine so far forward in the body you need to do something to try to make it turn…
Dual mass flywheel pish! And best not get on to all the over-engineered 4×4 running gear on a road car…
Electric motors in brake calipers! WTAF.
Anyway, I had to remove and refit the engine from a T5 van a couple of years back which was getting front accident damage repairs done. Jesus wept, you couldn’t see the engine for all the ridiculous amount of hoses and wiring smothering the entire engine.
IIRC it had 3 small auxiliary electric waterpumps on the engine which needed the van to be connected to a VW computer to put them in bleed mode for refilling and properly bleeding the coolant system.
Enjoy your van, just pray you don’t get any major issues with it.

robertkknight

So, let’s get this straight…

I’m employed by organisation “Alpha Beta Enterprises”, (ABE), as CEO.

I lend ABE £120,000, at zero %, out of the goodness of my heart.

With my blessing, ABE purchase a rather snazzy RV for, as luck would have it, £120,000.

This rather snazzy RV belonging, (on paper at least), to ABE, sits stationary on the driveway of a relative of mine, depreciating, (on paper at least), at an average rate of £20,000 pa.

This means that, after 3 years, the rather snazzy, mint condition, low-mileage RV has a book value of only £60,000.

I ask the board of ABE to refund my loan of £120,000, which they duly do, and offer to take this unused and unloved, but still snazzy, low-mileage RV off their hands for the book value of £60,000.

Therefore, instead of languishing on a dealer’s forecourt for three years, and the dealer offering me a 10% reduction, I can pick up the same item, with a 50% reduction, with the associated depreciation of £60,000 being picked up by ABE.

Ker-ching!

Anton Decadent

What about putting together a mixtape for the van?

Taking The Skinheads Bowling-Camper Van Beethoven
Born To Be Free-Van Morrison
Lemmings-Van Der Graf Generator
Hot For Teacher-Van Halen
It’s Over Now-Luther Vandross

ronald anderson

You’ll all know by now the Campervan belongs to the SNP Im expecting another day of the wheels go round n round / Please refrain ah canny take any mair .

Dan

Folks are having a field day with all this. Posting as has Bullseye content so I doubt Stu would mind.

link to twitter.com

Plus wee bump for this older article.

link to yoursforscotlandcom.wordpress.com

Wee Chid

A couple of years before Covid the local Pensioners for Independence group in Dumfries bought an old van and had it done up with suitable indy themed decals. It cost a tiny fraction of the price of this monstrosity and has done more miles campaigning for indy than either of the Sturrells have ever done.

robertkknight

I forgot to add to my last “Ker-ching!”…

and if anyone asks… The RV is in fact a “general purpose logistics vehicle”.

There you have it.

Ker-ching!

John Main

@Red says:13 April, 2023 at 4:23 pm

if you do something they don’t want, you’ll get the sanctions, colour revolutions, drone strikes, and eventually a good ol’fashioned full scale military assault of your country

No shit Red!

Just as well the majority of Scots want to go along with the US hegemony. As well as all of the popular culture we can’t get enough of, from burgers to Iron Man, we are free to post unlimited shite online about anybody we dislike too.

Best keep it that way eh? We Scots are rubbish at repelling drones, and I bet we couldn’t repel even a quarter scale military assault.

FFS Red! They might assault in leaky rubber dinghies! What we would do then? There’s no defence against that.

John Main

Quite a love-in between Sleepy Joe and Ireland today.

Such a shame there was never any recent POTUS with solid and recent Scottish roots. We could have cosied up to him and leveraged his dislike of the Brits to support Scottish Indy.

Haud oan though …

Of course, there was such a POTUS (and maybes will be again – now wouldn’t that be a surprise).

Bet we will do the same as last time – kick him in the teeth for not being sufficiently ideologically pure.

Scotland doesn’t need the likes of his (insert “ism” of your choice here), we will say. Then, having virtue signalled to perfection, we will all sit around for another 10 years and wonder who is going to gift Indy to us.

Mia

If we are to believe what has been published in the dead tree press, and I did not misread the contents, the motorhome was brought by two men to Ms Murrell senior’s driveway sometime in January 2021. But “the loan” was not paid to the SNP until June of the same year. That is 6 months later.

Who was the registered owner of the motorhome during those 6 months?

How many owners has the mortorhome had since the moment it was acquired as brand new?

Who is it currently registered to?

Who was it registered to before?

Who was the very first owner of the asset and when was it purchased as a brand new item directly from the supplier?

How many miles did it have in the clock when brought to Ms Murrell’s senior’s driveway?

Who used it and when?

When would you want to keep for over two years without moving a really, really expensive state of the art motorhome parked in your driveway being bleached by the sun, gathering dust and with the engine and tyres rotting away instead of capitalising on it as soon as possible?

When what it is hiding inside is far more valuable than the asset itself.

Could that motorhome have been hiding some get out of jail card/empowerment and control tool such as, lets say, the DNA of some naughty VIP who needed to be brought down a peg or two?

Stuart MacKay

Anton Decadent

+10 for mentioning Camper van Beethoven, youtube.com/watch?v=gKfMlQ7KWFE

Lenny Hartley

Dan i have a vw t4 2.4 5 cyl with only 49k campervan, wee bit o rot in the back, do you think somebody would be willing to swap for a neissman & Bischoof?

Chas

The criticism that our properly elected SNP MSP’s, MP’s and Councillors receive on here is a disgrace.

They are clearly the creme de la creme in Scottish political circles and have worked tirelessly over the past 8 years to make Scotland a better place for all. They are paid a pittance and have to make do with a woeful expenses system just to get by.

Sorry, I have to go now as the nurse has arrived with my medication.

John Main

@Ottomanboi says:13 April, 2023 at 2:54 pm

Why do so many fawn before this cracked idol and the country he represents?

Cos his country is the one our ancestors chose to make.

Millions of Scots, Irish, Germans, Swedes, etc. etc. went to the “empty”, undeveloped, resource-rich New World and what we see today is the result of their labours.

It’s not complicated, Otto.

That’s the place our ancestors made, at least, the ones who were happy to escape the Scottish shitholes they came from.

One last thought while on the subject. Anybody know any Yanks who have emigrated to Scotland recently? I mean, this Scotland is a paradise, and the US is a gun-toting, red-necked, hellhole of violence, drugs, inequality, ignorance and political correctness. Right?

Stands to reason there will be a flood of US refugees back to the civilised, progressive and safe Old Country.

So where are they?

Brian Doonthetoon

Hi John Main.

Here’s one example of someone from the US in Scotland, facing being sent back to the US.

Quote from the link below…
“Scotland could lose a highly trained doctor specialised in diagnosing cancer after the Home Office refused a visa for a child in her care.
After securing a job as a pathologist in the UK, Kathrine and David Leeson and their niece, who we have been asked not to name, could not have foreseen that months later their lives would remain in limbo.
Mrs and Mr Leeson, who are the legal guardians to the 13-year-old child, were granted a skilled worker visa and a dependent visa respectively in December last year – but the child’s application was refused.
“It was positively devastating,” Mrs Leeson said. “We had already sold our home in the United States and our cars so that I could come on over.”

link to archive.md

Achnababan

Did Jimmy Saville not have a battle bus or was it a peado shagg mobile…I sometimes get these things mixed up…

John Main

@Mia says:13 April, 2023 at 6:48 pm

the DNA of some naughty VIP

The body hidden in an abandoned vehicle occurs in some of Rankin’s Rebus stories.

Sturgeon likes Val McDermid. Does anybody know what kinds of evidence McDermid writes about as hidden in a vehicle?

Depending on what might be found, and if it relates more to McDermid or Rankin, and whose novels are found on which side of the double bed, and which side Nikla and Peter usually favour, the polis could perhaps build a case against one party or the other.

Sounds ridiculous I know, but then Mia started it.

I assume both Nikla and Peter can read? Any evidence for that though?

akenaton

John Main, I love to hear someone saying something nice about Donal John, I think he was a great president given that the whole of the American political swamp hated him….and lots of women hated him because he told the truth about celebrity grifters, women on a mission to climb the ladder lying on their backs.

I always thought he looked and acted very Scottish probably passed on from Mary MacLeod.
He was treated abominably by the media who he called out right from the start they hated him too.

Anton Decadent

@Stuart MacKay 6.53pm

I have the 12” single of it in the racks.

Tenruh

Van belongs to the party,Yousaf confirmed in bbc interview.
He found out after becoming FM

Alf Baird

John Main @ 6:48 pm

“Then, having virtue signalled to perfection, we will all sit around for another 10 years and wonder who is going to gift Indy to us.”

Quite so; instead of at least attempting to cultivate Scots patriot President Trump’s support for independence the SNP deceivers attacked and spurned him, even built turbines next to his golf course just to upset him. Trump was at the time the most powerful political leader in the world, an his ain mither a Scots wumman tae.

We could have offered Trump the Scottis croun in return for oor leeberation, same as Wallace or Bruce. Instead we are lumbered wi anither Imperial chairlie and a bunch of gutless SNP campers in Holyrood and Westminster, wi independence naewhaur.

Ebenezer Scroggie

Who, in the Party, knew that the Party owned this thing?

If nobody but Murrell knew that the £107,620 thing parked in his Mum’s front yard belonged to the Party, then how does that work?

Is a Party, or any other corporation, supposed to be run as if it is a one-person band?

There’s something deeply stink about that.

If so much as a Pound of the £666k was involved, then surely that must be prima faciae evidence of Fraud.

If the auditors got so much as a whiff of that odour, then it’s unsurprising that Der Partei is having difficulty in finding any auditor who is willing to take them on.

John Main

Brian Doonthetoon says:13 April, 2023 at 7:32 pm

Thanks for the link.

They’ll get their visa. They are articulate, photogenic, professional, they have the media and their MP on the case. I doubt if the review will find against them, but if it does, their supporters will kick up a row until the verdict is reversed.

They’ll be fine.

O/T – anybody know if they support Indy? Maybes another 2 No’s (with a third No pending).

Terry Darvel

One of the saddest things about this whole fiasco is the paltry sums involved – for fugs sake, couldn’t the leaders of our country have fiddled themselves a few million and a country mansion?

Shug

One assumes SNP money paid for the van.

Perhaps the resources for the van came from elsewhere!

Ottomanboi

JOHN MAIN
The land in North America wasn’t theirs to settle. It was already occupied by several million indigenous peoples. I trust you are not condoning the colonization, the diseases and ethnic cleansing that accompanied the European settlement?
You did not mention the West African element that did not choose to be in the New World.
Perhaps I may be missing some irony in your comment or are you a fan of the «classic Scottish enlightenment liberal» Niall Campbell Ferguson?

stuart mctavish

More I think about it, less I’m sure its a distraction from the somewhat reckless tranny bollocks /devolved sovereignty gambit than vice versa but:

if the camping car belongs to the SNP and,

its leader has confirmed both that it does AND that he’s seen the warrant for its confiscation then,

assuming the garage that sold the camper was not trading in stolen property and it was no coincidence that it was removed the same day as a police tent appeared on the former FMs lawn..

How much longer is it allowed to be held before Angela Constance (minister for justice and home affairs) is obliged to confirm that its owner(s) (ie the 50000/72000 members) have indeed been charged* AND convicted to the extent that it was allowed to be confiscated/ subject to proceeds of crime legislation in the first place?

*upside of this particular confirmation being that straight forward foi request thereafter might be enough to get reasonable certainty on how many SNP members there are within Police Scotland’s jurisdiction and, if the arresting officers were up for making the due process more light hearted, perhaps even an informal integrity check on the recent leadership election.

George Ferguson

@Brian Doonthetoon 7:32pm
That’s a fair example. I can give you many examples of home grown, home trained Doctors leaving the Scottish National Health Service. The core of our future capability. I have been saying for some time retention,retention,retention. Humzas recovery plan was a joke. His strategy, recruit from abroad and stuff the home grown talent. He is now the First Minister. Lot’s of single tickets to Australia booked by our junior Doctors. The SNP thinks this a joke. Hundreds of avoidable deaths since Christmas but GRR is an SNP priority.

David Hannah