Dear All
President Harry S Truman made famous the quote, 'the buck stops here', Truman kept a sign with that phrase sitting on his desk in the Oval Office. The phrase refers to the notion that the President has to make the decisions and accept the ultimate responsibility for those decisions. In Scotland, the odious SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon isn't someone who accepts responsibility, far from it, she is the type of delusional leader who shrinks from accepting any responsibility. Sturgeon is the type of person who would rather seek to blame someone else, and as we have seen from the Alex Salmond, she set herself up to be removed from what transpired early on. Of course, many people don't believe Nicola Sturgeon was someone who was sitting on the sidelines watching events. Gordon Dangerfield in his blog has come out and said that far from being a spectator, Sturgeon was someone on the pitch leading the team.
Dangerfield wrote:
"I don’t think Nicola Sturgeon was being truthful when she made this statement to the Scottish Parliament on 10 January 2019 about the complaints against Alex Salmond:
“I did not know how the Scottish Government was dealing with the complaint, I did not know how the Scottish Government intended to deal with the complaint and I did not make any effort to find out how the Scottish Government was dealing with the complaint or to intervene in how the Scottish Government was dealing with the complaint.”
I think it’s inconceivable that Nicola Sturgeon did not know of the complaints against Alex Salmond as soon as they were made in November 2017.
I think it’s inconceivable that Nicola Sturgeon did not then direct personally the development of the unlawful procedure which was devised by her civil servants specifically to target Alex Salmond.
And I think it’s inconceivable that Nicola Sturgeon was not closely involved in the unlawful handling by her civil servants of the complaints against Alex Salmond from the moment they were made."
Gordon Dangerfield is not alone in doubting the word of Nicola Sturgeon. Many people have outright called her a liar, both inside Holyrood and outside. As the SNP Government seeks to delay and obstruct the Salmond Inquiry, the truth is that Nicola Sturgeon, her husband Peter Murrell and Sturgeon's Chief of Staff are very much tainted goods. You can certainly understand why the Scottish Conservatives have been saying for some time that Nicola Sturgeon must 'carry the can' for the Alex Salmond affair. And, just like you see in the movies, Nicola Sturgeon as the 'arch baddie' has no problem in pulling people in front of her to take the machine gun bullets. Just look at the 'mug' John Swinney who is fronting for her, now totally without honour, and a fucking disgrace to public office. At this point in the scandal, underlings are being lined up for the chop. Reports suggest that the Scottish Government’s top official, the Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans is a likely first casualty of the inquiry. The question is, does Sturgeon sack her, the UK Civil service sack her, or does Evans jump with her big fat pension? On that question, your guess is as good as anyone else's. One thing, I would suggest is that any chance of a public honour by the Queen or her heirs is a rather remote possibility.
The notion of sacrificing underlings isn't a new concept, and as the SNP is staggering unoriginal, this is a road which they will probably travel down because, they are playing for time. They are like cornered rats desperately searching to prolong their existence by any means possible. The buck should stop at Nicola Sturgeon, but we shouldn't forget the scandal wasn't possible without the supporting players to aid her. Everyone of them who joined in the attempt to firstly stitch up an innocent man and then attempt to jail him should face criminal charges. Criminal charges, trial by jury and if found guilty, then these people should serve time in prison. I am sure that there are a stack of laws which could be applied here such as misconduct in public office.
Misconduct in public office is defined as:
A public officer acting as such; wilfully neglects to perform his or her duty and/or wilfully misconducts him or herself; to such a degree as to amount to an abuse of the public's trust in the office holder; without reasonable excuse or justification.
Then of course, you have the issue of did people working against Alex Salmond attempt to pervert the course of justice?
"If someone perverts the course of justice, they deliberately do something that will make it difficult to discover who really committed a particular crime, for example, destroying evidence or lying to the police. He was charged with conspiring to pervert the course of justice."
What we have seen is that evidence given by various people connected to Nicola Sturgeon has turned out to be false. We know that various witnesses have been professional 'coached', and even then they haven't told the truth. The great thing about the truth is that it is simple, you repeat what actually happened. When you lie, you have to remember a complete new narrative and then try to overlay that over the truth. As we have seen in the Salmond scandal, sometimes the overlay doesn't work, it didn't work in the criminal trial against Salmond and it didn't work in the Salmond Inquiry.
As well as SNP Leader Nicola Sturgeon needing to resign, her husband, SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, and her chief of staff Liz Lloyd are said to be headed for career changes. You could say, what they really are looking for is an escape route while in power, and controlling the levers of power, Nicola Sturgeon can hold off the dogs. Once she releases that power, there is no guarantee that the very "machine" that was turned on Alex Salmond wouldn't be turned on her and her gang. You can see their problem, how do they jump off the burning boat when the waters are full of blood and are shark infested? You can understand what the SNP plan is, it is to attempt to get to the short campaign as an island in the sky from which they will attempt to make this election about independence. This strategy is just another act of deception, done for several purposes, one of which is to try and get a pro Sturgeon supporter in place as a replacement leader. And, yes, we are talking about Angus Robertson, former Westminster MP. Could you imagine the irony and the virtual spitting in the faces of Scots if Angus Robertson and his vile odious wife became the new SNP power couple? Robertson's wife, Jennifer Dempsie has to be blunt, got a history.
An extraordinary part of the scandal which you should home in on is that Sturgeon told the Holyrood parliament that Alex Salmond first told her about the matter on April 2, 2018, and that the Government’s procedure for handling formal complaints had stopped officials from telling her. What was left out of that statement by Sturgeon was the Scottish Government’s draft policy did initially allow Sturgeon to be told by her officials. This part is the nub, this was only changed after Ms Sturgeon and Ms Evans held a previously secret meeting about it on 29 November 2017. The procedure was then as if by a miracle rewritten on December 5, 2017 to say that the First Minister should only be told of complaints once an internal investigation had concluded. The November 29 meeting was omitted from the Scottish Government’s official timeline of events given to the inquiry, so we have had lies being told, and also evidence withheld. You can make your own mind up and guess why the November 29 meeting was omitted. The open record states that on November 29, 2017 “the first respondent [Ms Evans] met with the interested party [Ms Sturgeon] to discuss development of the proposed procedure”.
You can see why Leslie Evans is being lined up to be pushed under the bus, she is the weakest link, she is also someone who also could be in very serious trouble. She is like the lamb who is waiting to be staked out for the wolves while pondering her fate in the holding pen. Why is she not staked out already, well, it's too early, but given the mentality of Sturgeon's poisonous mind, you would imagine it's already been discussed how to use her as a shield. I don't know if you ever saw the movie, Robocop 2, there is a scene as the end, where a Sturgeon like character fears for their safety from jail. One of the underlings, then dreams up a scenario and says, 'don't worry sir, if there is evidence, we will find it', which is code that something will be manufactured against the patsy. Do the SNP already have 'patsy' evidence on Scottish Government employee Leslie Evans?
I would think so.
Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser said:
“The First Minister’s inner circle including her husband and senior officials have serious questions hanging over them in relation to their own conduct. However, Nicola Sturgeon cannot use them to hide behind. She must stand up and take responsibility for the SNP Government’s failings as they investigated her predecessor. She promised to be fully co-operative with this inquiry but has been obstructive at every turn. We see yet more questions over what she knew and when about the allegations against her friend and political mentor of over 30 years. She seems determined to fool everyone by failing to be transparent. This whole affair stinks to high heaven and the truth must be heard. Whatever is concluded from this inquiry, it is imperative that is Nicola Sturgeon who carries the can for the shambolic failings of her Government. If she’s found to have broken the Ministerial Code, then she must resign.”
Liberal Democrat MSP Alex Cole-Hamilon added:
“You would have to be a very bold civil servant to decide not to notify the first minister of these allegations, at a time when the changes to the complaints procedure which took her out of the loop had not yet been completed.”
No one seriously believes that Nicola Sturgeon didn't know, of course there are people who are delusional, but as they are either too stupid, part of the cover up or just indy daft, they are the fringe. In every single major scandal Nicola Sturgeon's default fallback is that she knew nothing, are we to believe with her Stasi watching everyone, that she knew nothing all the time? Remember the Sturgeon's SNP collects information on people within the party and also their political opponents. And all of this is collected to be used against people. They call using it 'deployed', because they see people as enemies. This type of military jargon is apparently used a lot by them.
Finally, I wouldn't want to be in the shoes of Leslie Evans, you see she must have known or should have known that the SNP leadership couldn't be trusted. She should have never acted the way she did, and now there is a reckoning coming. She is now an island in the sky, no friends, no help coming her way, who is ending her career? Will the hangman be from the UK Civil Service or Team Sturgeon? The UK Civil Service will no doubt make her end quick, Team Sturgeon on the other hand, well they will probably be like John C Woods, the Nuremberg hangman who fouled up so many executions. When the political trapdoor opens Leslie Evans may find herself dangling on the end of the political rope being slowly strangled. Who knows, maybe Nicola Sturgeon will sit and watch it with a bowl of strawberries and cream?
Yours sincerely
George
Laird The Campaign for Human Rights at
Glasgow University
33 comments:
I understand that someone is trying to take-out an injunction to prevent the release of Alex Salmond's statement. Hence, the Inquiry Committee Meeting is not on the Holyrood timetable for Wednesday yet.
We, in Scotland, have one of the oldest and most respected legal systems in the world. In amongst that, Sturgeonism has been allowed to grow these past 6-years. The extent to which the reputation of our legal profession has dropped in the past two-years is alarming and quite disgraceful.
It is coming to an end and she knows that. She cannot govern and those she surrounds herself with would be earning £12,000/annum in most any other environment. We're paying them £100,000 plus. They're kidding us on. One of the most sophisticated countries in the world has been led these past 6-years by petty criminals.
I have a great admiration for the work of Gordon Dangerfield. He's an academic now but is fearless of Sturgeon, Wolffe, the COPFS and Iain Livingstone's Police Scotland. I notice you have studies his blog as have I and many of our National newspapers.
There is something gone wrong in Scotland when we have to depend on bloggers to give us the news, but we do.
Personally, I would close Holyrood. It is not working.
Leslie Evans has said many times that she just does what Nicola Sturgeon instructs her to do. She reported it to her boss in Whitehall at the time who warned her about it but did not instruct her not to do it, simply because he/she cannot do that.
In yesterday's Sunday Times it reported that not only Evans, but also Lloyd and Murrell would be bagged.
It's hard to see how the May election can proceed until this is fully cleared-up, not only by the Fabiani Inquiry but also by the James Hamilton Inquiry.
It has been known for a Scottish Government civil service arsehole to be awarded early retirement with an OBE.
The arsehole I'm referring to was one of John Swinney's paratroopers. I believe he has been brought back to clear-up some of his shit.
Leslie Evans was awarded a bumper pay rise and an extended contract by Sturgeon, presumably because the worst might just happen and she would have to be sat down in the St Andrews House ejector seat one day. That day will soon be upon us.
I believe that Rape Crisis Scotland is demanding a vote by all MSP's to have Alex Salmond's statement withdrawn from the Inquiry. That's the delay.
Sounds absolutely desperate stuff, doesn't it.
Was it not Sandy Brindley from Rape Crisis Scotland that criticised Alex Salmond for crowd-funding to pay for his legal defence against what turned-out to be baseless allegations of sexual crimes?
I've just heard that Alex Salmond's statement is due to be published soon - maybe later today.
'With the Scottish Parliament set to publish Alex Salmond's resubmitted evidence to the harassment complaints inquiry, women who work in the Scottish Parliament are taking to Twitter to ask for the publication to be blocked.' Fabulous - I bet they're in charge of the photocopy machine or some other strategically important device....the shredder for example.
Only another two nights sleep for the wee hairy and then old-Alex will set about disembowelling her.
I hope the daft Linda Fabiani just shuts-up and keeps out of the way. She's just nuisance value.
Thereafter, we have a week to wait before Sturgeon herself appears. Maybe she'll have a psychotic episode before then, due to the stress of leading us all through the Covid epidemic.
I am often wrong but every now and again I get it right.
In the past year the UK Gov has developed a Covid vaccine which is world-beating and as a result we have the prospect of leaving this Covid enduced semi-darkness by June.
What has Scotgov done? Two rusting ferries at Port Glasgow - one in the water and one still on the slipway; endless arguements about crime and corruption at Holyrood.
I think we need to see what Scottish Law is made of...Is its purpose nowadays to intimidate the public, or is it to protect the public? I really don't know the answer to that question any more. But, it's high time these bastards started working for a living. Start showing us all what you're made of.
i was just looking at the Wings over Scotland web-site there. I think the majority there know that Holyrood isn't working. They detest Westminster but at the same time they know that what we have here isn't good enough.
A state of limbo exists until Alex Salmond appears on Wednesday. He is a much diminished man and there is no more of the bravado of old. He has a score to settle and I think that all of us are due to let him say his piece.
Give it a day or two to settle. About this time next week, we will know if we have a future SNP, or a future Holyrood, or neither. Many of us hope for the latter.
Holyrood has been a fucking disaster.
It was on Reporting Scotland for 5-minutes or so tonight and so at least these BBC arseholes at last are showing some gumption.
Glenn Campbell interviewed Sturgeon. Last week it was alphabet women H, this week it's Nicola Sturgeon. I'm sure their remarkable honesty has left an ever-lasting impression on him.
Campbell is now much more stand-offish. Last week's interview with woman H got him into trouble with Brian Wilson and Andrew Neil - two people that I'm sure that Glenn Campbell is respectful of.
It was all the usual shite from the utterly repulsive Nicola Sturgeon. She has virtually ruined Alex Salmond and now she must pay.
They tell me that Iain Livingstene's 'Salmond Unit' of 20 or so of the finest Plod Alba Officers is still operative. They're interviewing poor Craig Murray this week about Peter Murrell.
No-one knows if they are harassing Craig Murray again, or if this time they are harassing Peter Murrell (unlikely).
Old Lesley Evans can get a gig with them after she's dismissed from St Andrews House. Otherwise, there are tons of other Scotgov quangos. Jeane Freeman lived off them for years. You get paid as a consultant - just submit invoices and they get paid. It doesn't matter if you do any work or not. No-one cares about that.
I remember old-Jeane submitted weekly invoices for more hours than there are in a week. They still paid them.
Lesley Evans doesn't care. Either way, she wins.
So, Sturgeon says that Alex Salmond doesn't have a shred of evidence to prove he was framed. It's a bit early to say that, Nicola.
What we can however say is that there is not a shred of evidence to prove him guilty of sexual crimes and that much was proven at Edinburgh High Court.
We'll just leave it at that.......until Wednesday, shall we.
This whole debacle should have been a judge led public inquiry from the start. Sturgeon etc should end up in prison where they belong
No evidence eh?...“The evidence supports a deliberate, prolonged, malicious and concerted effort amongst a range of individuals within the Scottish Government and the SNP to damage my reputation, even to the extent of having me imprisoned”
I've helped three people in my life who consequently backstabbed me. It's reassuring that I'm not alone in the negatives of life's experience. This "Poison Dwarf" is finished. She'll be remembered in history as a horrible, little, ungrateful runt. Promoted way beyond her capabilities by a man she threw to the wolves.
'Just finished reading it. One startling point is that there is absolutely zero in it that in any way risks revealing the identity of any complainant – which indicates how absolutely devious and malicious were the SNP MSPs, and Wightman, it using that as an excuse to suppress it.' - From Craig Murray. I was going to say exactly the same thing myself and he just said it for me.
The criticism of the Lord Advocate and COPFS is really damning. The lawyers of Scotland really are a disgrace. £250/hour for fuck-all. I'd put the whole fuckin lot of them under Special Measures. Delinquent shit.
If it wasn't for The Spectator magazine, then this would never have been published. The excellent Andrew Neil, Fraser Nelson and Stephen Daisley deserve credit.
I know from experience that Scotgov send their fannies to the Secretariat to see out the rest of their working lives. The Secretariat is however now full of fannies. No room for the Lord Advocate in the Secretariat. Just bag the arsehole.
At what point does the Secretary of State for Scotland intervene?
We cannot have someone leading this country through this pandemic linked to this scandal.
If Sturgeon still holds the position of the FM this time this week it is an outrage. For decency sake she should resign now as, let us not forget, she defended her husband loudly in Holyrood stating he had nothing to do with the inquiry when Ruth Davidson challenged her on his part in the proceedings.
Scotland will be a far better place without the corrupt Murrells.
She wants to stay in place until the election. Make it impossible for Alex Salmond to appear and then blame Alex Salmond for not appearing.
She said last night that there 'wasn't a shred of evidence'; a few hours leter AS produced the evidence; a few hours after that the Crown Office redacted the evidence again.
Surely there cannot be a May election? Close Holyrood down like they did to Stormont. I think you would be surprised at how little resistance there would be to that.
Turn the debating chamber into a concert venue and the offices into a high-price brothel. They need a good brothel in Edinburgh (my friend told me that, so he did).
'The Sturgeon Clown Office is insisting that crucial evidence supporting the Salmond case be redacted, which means it can't be considered by the official Inquiry into his claims.
This in a democracy. Or former one.' - ANDREW NEIL
This proves that the Lord Advocate cannot be a political place man. An international grade embarassment for this country. Our legal profession, our Crown Office, taking instructions from a vicious wee hairy fae Dreghorn.
Who would have thought that everyone from The Spectator to Wings over Scotland would agree that we've moving in entirely the wrong direction. We need to stop the bus and sort this out. No May election until we have a solution that everyone accepts.
What would help enourmously is if we had a BBC reporter with fire in their belly. Sarah Smith should be reporting on home-cooking or something like that. She's a million miles off what we need just now.
'The history of parliaments in this country is that we stand up to the Crown. But not today. Today a parliament folded. That’s not a farce. It’s a tragedy. And it’s a shameful, historic error.' ADAM TOMKINS MSP
'Nicola Sturgeon says there’s not a shred of evidence to substantiate Alex Salmond’s accusations. Fair enough. But how can we tell since her Clown Office has just redacted most crucial parts of his evidence?' ANDREW NEIL
There is a solution here, of course. Andrew Neil to interview Alex Salmond. Andrew Neil is London's most honorable Jock and so the Scottish Crown Office (or Clown Office as he calls it) wouldn't worry him at-all.
Given what has happened today, the first casualty is democracy.
Alex Salmond’s lawyers call Crown Office intervention re redactions “unprecedented & troubling.” “Our client has a reasonable apprehension that the Crown must have been approached.. by third parties seeking to change (its) previously stated position.” - JAMES MATTHEWS, SKY NEWS
Also, Jackie Baillie has demanded the Lord Advocate appears before Holyrood later today to answer questions on this.
The CPS would never at Westminster be able to do what they have done here at Holyrood. It was on Newsnight and so it now has the necessary momentum.
Salmond's lawyers have written to the Lord Advocate (because these Holyrood arseholes don't respond to letters). He has to respond. I think this is the end for him. He cannot respond with flannel because all of UK media and parliamentarians will be all over it.
The press coverage is increasing by the day. It was the lead story on Radio 4 news tonight.
A week ago, The Herald was saying that there was no interest in the Salmond story. Today, 4 of its top 5 stories are about Salmond.
Also, Liam Fox doing the preparatory softening-up work at the HoC for the suspension of Holyrood and Ruth Davidson calling for a Judge-led criminal inquiry, like Grenfell.
'Why Crown Office has become 'lickspittle' arm of SNP Government' - Alistair Bonnington
Helps explain today's shocking performance at Holyrood by the Lord Advocate. He was taken to the cleaners by Jackie Baillie. Who would have believed that possible.
He was once Professor of Law at Glasgow University and he taught and remembers Sturgeon. What has happend disappoints him but doesn't surprise him as he remembers her. She left a lasting impression on him. We must presume it was for all the wrong reasons.
Post a Comment