Dear All
In the drama that is being played out with Nicola Sturgeon
and her husband Peter Murrell about their involvement in the Alex Salmond case,
it is easy to forget the minnows swimming in the stream that support Sturgeon.
The SNP at present are keen to take the spotlight off Peter Murrell, as
witnessed by Sturgeon’s recent covid actions. This for them isn’t enough
because the SNP tactic is when it comes to media manipulation is to keep
pumping out stories. The Kate Higgins story about being unhappy with the
Can Alex Salmond destroy both their careers?
SNP Leader Nicola Sturgeon has many ‘little helpers’ as part of her act, one such helper is MSP Kenneth Gibson; this oaf sits behind her at FMQs playing the role of the ‘nodding dug’. Why was Gibson selected, well it could be that he ‘nods’ better than anyone else in the SNP MSP group. He isn’t much good for anything else as his parliamentary record shows; his motion congratulating his daughter shows the strength of this individual. He thinks it is nothing to waste parliamentary time, but then Holyrood is a massive joke, a failed parliament and an expensive mistake every year for the last 20 years. While in the SNP nearly a decade ago, I met the Gibson’s, the mother (Iris), the son (Kenny) and the daughter in law, Patricia (now an MP). The Gibson’s where a wee family dynasty starting out as Glasgow Councillors before Kenny got his MSP spot. The daughter in law, Gibson’s wife was a particularly horrible bastard, during my time as an activist, she was a Councillor for Pollok, but I never saw her come out to work with the branch.
Fast forwarding to 2020, and SNP MSP Kenny Gibson’s future doesn’t look secure, he faces a challenge to his MSP slot from two other people. One, the discredited, Osama Bhutta aka Osama Saeed, Humza Yousaf’s cousin, and the other more credible candidate in the shape of Corri Wilson. The only real contender for the seat of Cunninghame North increasingly looks like Corri Wilson. I have blogged before about Osama Saeed, the incredible name changing man and his previous election agent, the sex worker, Esther Sassaman (she uses multiple names too). His name in the mix is barely credible as a potential candidate to represent that part of the world.
What make take out Kenny Gibson is the fact that 21 councillors, activists and members have signed a letter of complaint to the SNP chief executive Peter Murrell detailing Mr Gibson’s ‘aggressive and abrasive’ bullying, ‘especially of women’. So far, it seems that Murrell isn’t interested, maybe Nicola doesn’t want the trouble of breaking in another ‘nodding dug’ at FMQs. Gibson also represents no threat to her, another reason why possibly the SNP HQ is slow to act. Clearly those who run the party in Gibson’s area want him gone, two party officials have resigned in protest at his alleged behaviour. It is said that Gibson is only on speaking terms with two of the seven North Ayrshire SNP councillors in the constituency. Why did it all go wrong? Something must have happened to have turned 21 members against, and who knows that number may rise. Gibson’s reply is to say of the allegations that he is a victim of ‘vicious and mendacious smear campaign’.
In the same voice as protesting his victimhood, he said:
He said:
“I’m no angel but any actions that may have offended are done in the passion of the moment and not calculated, whereas the actions by this group are deliberate, vicious and spiteful.”
To me, this is a key statement in which, Gibson excuses his actions because he was what, angry? If you read my view on his wife, I described her as ‘a particularly horrible bastard’. So, I don’t see why I or anyone else should support Gibson’s claims of victimhood or indeed support him continuing as an MSP.
Gibson added:
“Any accusations against a member should first be raised with the individual concerned, his/her branch, the Constituency Association and only then HQ.”
This is nonsense, we have Gibson’s admission, we have 21 people willing to sign a letter saying his behaviour is unacceptable, and he thinks, a meeting with him firstly to discuss his alleged ‘aggressive and abrasive’ bullying would happen, would it happen over tea and a biscuit? Branch and Constituency level investigation couldn’t sanction Gibson, so the point of that is what exactly? As to complaining to SNP HQ, they are the portal to the party within a party, and clearly since they have been ignored by Murrell and presumably the other staff, this route is as meaningless as all the other ones offered up by Gibson.
Kenny Gibson is ruffled because the SNP Officials and members have decided to go public. One can only imagine the mentality of Gibson when he says that the complainers have gone to a ‘unionist paper’. He also is quick to accuse people of acting underhand and willing to use sneaky tactics during the selection process. He made the statement, so far, he doesn’t seem to have been able to produce evidence, but he knows how to muddy the water. These sneaky tactics, would that be telling the truth? Would it be sneaky to point to Gibson’s confession that he says offensive thing in the heat of the moment? Just exactly does Kenny Gibson define sneaky? How many would consider that Gibson would hope that selection is taken away from the branches and the candidate is appointed by SNP HQ? Is that how this little scenario will eventually be played out, the members won’t get a say?
As to the discredited Osama Bhutta, he has since suspended his campaign citing rule-breaking, no one will care, and I doubt he would appeal to the members anyway.
Bhutta said:
“Office bearers in one of our largest branches last week circulated a motion to all their members in support of the incumbent MSP. This contravenes rules 8.5, 9.2 and 9.3 about using member data, using party meetings, and the role of office bearers. I lodged a complaint with SNP headquarters about this exactly one week ago. My message and follow ups have not been acknowledged.”
Maybe SNP HQ is busy trying to fire fight for Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell?
So, what does the opposition to Kenny Gibson say, well Cunninghame North constituency organiser Dr Malcolm Kerr said the allegations against Mr Gibson include bullying, harassment and abuses of parliamentary expenses rules. If there have been abuses of parliamentary expenses rules, then this is a matter for the Holyrood Parliament and not SNP HQ. One way to sink people in public office who do wrong is to follow the money trail.
Kerr said:
“There is widespread disbelief across the Cunninghame
Councillor Ellen McMaster and Mr Gibson’s former election agent Linda Nicholson have resigned their party roles Cllr McMaster said:
“Members increasingly won’t work for the party, have left the party and, in some instances, have also left the independence movement. HQ is aware of this problem and you would think it would set alarm bells ringing.”
SNP HQ doesn’t care about either people’s views, whether they remain members, or leave the independence movement, they have got their paid jobs and regular money coming in. Cunninghame North SNP Councillors said they are aware that the allegations are being investigated by the party’s national secretary.
A Nat Sec spokesperson said:
“Any concerns raised are passed to, and considered by, the national secretary, who treats any such matters seriously. Some evidence of the claims being made is, however, required and that’s been made clear to those raising concerns here.”
Anyone think this is stalling? Surely the Nat Sec would want to have a meeting with the complainers? How many people would think that McLeod is simply stalling for time? The real test for Gibson is as I have mentioned from Corri Wilson for the SNP's nomination. The complainers would be better advised to ‘seek’ their justice by backing her campaign and use their time to canvass for her.
Corri Wilson said:
“I am very sorry to learn that my colleague, Osama Bhutta, has felt it necessary to suspend his nomination campaign. I was approached to stand in the Cunninghame North constituency by a large number of SNP Party members who wished a positive nomination contest to take place. I have no doubt that the SNP will address the issues of conduct that have been identified and will ensure that a fair and friendly contest now takes place, with breaches of party selection rules by the incumbent candidate being appropriately addressed.”
So, how do you properly address breaches of party selection rules by the incumbent candidate, Kenny Gibson? Tell him off? Sit him on the naughty step? Well, to me there can be only one sanction; removal from the selection process. Anything else is meaningless in my opinion. If the complainers still feel aggrieved, surely they should take a pragmatic approach, get rid of Gibson as an ongoing project, if that doesn’t work, then turn and focus on getting rid of his wife as MP. Have you heard of the notion of ‘transferable guilt’, it is being used by the Crown in the case of Craig Murray, his explanation is a must read.
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2020/10/lord-advocate-launches-war-on-twitter/
Finally, another version of this tweaked concept which could be applied in the Gibson case, that is to take Gibson’s ‘confession’ and transfer that to his wife, and then use that as a basis and motivation to get rid of her. Transferable guilt isn’t a new concept as Alex Salmond found out. He took Sturgeon’s Government to court and got their ‘show trial’ annulled, the Scottish Government were mad keen to find him ‘guilty until proved innocent’ in their process. It was a carefully crafted rigged process, a lot of time spent on it. Sturgeon’s Government’s second bite of the cherry in the criminal trial didn’t account for the jury, they had the numbers but best laid plans and all that! The SNP uses the same system, ‘guilty until proven innocent’ on people, something I have experience of myself, when they tried to fit me up, but I wouldn’t play their game to brand me homophobic. When I expose the National Sec William Henderson to the Daily Record for what he was doing, he later stepped down rather quickly from his post. You see you can get rid of bastards; you have got to be willing to take the hit and do what is necessary.
Yours sincerely
George Laird The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
"accused of ‘aggressive and abrasive’ bullying, ‘especially of women’"
ReplyDeletethe song remains the same.