Alex Salmond’s jeopardy has caused me a dreadful shudder of recognition and empathy. I too was accused of hideous offences under a civil service disciplinary code and barred from taking any action to defend myself. I was not allowed to speak to anybody at all about the charges, and particularly not allowed to know the identity of my accusers, or to organise witnesses in my defence – which appears the exact procedure which Alex Salmond now, with absolute justice, complains of. These Civil Service disciplinary investigations are contrary to all rules of natural justice, and designed to facilitate executive stitch-ups, not to uncover the truth.
As with Alex Salmond, some of the accusations against me were hideous – offering visas in exchange for sex, for example. They were so hideous that the mental anguish of not being permitted to take any normal steps to defend myself caused me a mental breakdown. I know what Salmond must be feeling. I received psychiatric treatment in St Thomas’ Hospital for a condition called “learnt helplessness” – meaning it was the dreadful experience of having things done to me which I was not permitted to take any normal steps to counter, which caused my clinical depression.
The charges against me were entirely fake and entirely vexatious, even malicious, issued after I had objected to British complicity in torture in the “War on Terror”, which the government denied at the time, calling me a liar, though now admits. The charges were designed to destroy my reputation. You can read the full story in my book “Murder in Samarkand”, widely available in libraries. I believe it conveys the anguish that “learnt helplessness” can cause.
To be plain, I was told not to reveal the existence of the charges to anybody at all and specifically forbidden from contacting witnesses. Nevertheless the charges were such obvious nonsense they eventually collapsed and I was found not guilty of all eighteen charges – but found guilty of breaking the order to keep the charges secret, in organising my defence. Not keeping the charges secret is the only disciplinary offence of which I was ever convicted.
The extreme Kafkaesque nature of this is only increased by the fact that the government themselves had revealed the charges in the widest possible manner, by leaking them to the Daily Mail, in the effort to permanently ruin my reputation. A number of the charges were sexual, such as having a secret flat to entertain prostitutes – again, totally untrue, but great for the tabloids. The use of false sexual allegations to destroy threats to the political elite is routinely deployed – Alex Salmond joins Julian Assange, Tommy Sheridan (whose recent court victories against the Murdoch press went totally unreported), Scott Ritter and myself among recent victims of this tactic.
There is one important difference between Alex Salmond’s case and my own – I requested several times that my case be referred for police investigation but the FCO refused, whereas the Salmond allegations have been referred. The case of Michelle Thomson, the entirely innocent former MP whose career was deliberately destroyed by Police Scotland keeping an investigation open for years into simple matters that could have been cleared up in a week, makes this a limited comfort. I don’t doubt we will see years of this nonsense against Salmond before it is finally dismissed.
“Safe” members of the establishment elite can conduct the most blatant of crimes and never get prosecuted at all. The late Tessa Jowell engaged repeatedly and personally in blatant money laundering of crooked Berlusconi funds that would have had anyone but a senior politician locked up. Amber Rudd was a Director of a share ramping scheme that ripped off hundreds of investors. Michelle Mone is currently engaged in a Ponzi scheme badly disguised as a crypto-currency. None of those will be prosecuted.
I would suggest that the financial affairs of the vast majority of the wealthy and powerful would not stand up to close investigation and scrutiny. But in the normal course of events the powerful are shielded from such scrutiny. Paul Manafort’s financial dealings would have been actionable at any time in the last few decades. It is only when caught in the mass fishing expedition of the Mueller “Russiagate” investigation that he gets convicted – for matters nothing to do with the ostensible reason for the investigation. Which is not to say the convictions are a bad thing, just that if you scratch below the surface of any multi-millionaire or any friend of the powerful, you will be able to convict them. They should all be scratched, not just those whom other wealthy individuals regard as a threat to the political order.
Prosecution is not happening in the Manafort case from motives of preventing financial impropriety of the rich – 99.9% of that is overlooked, all the time. It is happening because for some reason the neo-conservative Establishment in the United States continue to see Donald Trump as a threat. What I do not understand is why they see Trump as a threat to Establishment interests, as he has given no indication he means to follow through on any of his anti-establishment or non-interventionist campaign rhetoric. The Establishment are not those who should feel threatened by Trump.
He is not a threat per se. He serves as a useful distraction from investigations of deep state connected/protected individuals. He is also being attacked to fence him in on pending attacks on Iran. Finally, the US economy is in a precarious state. The so-called ‘market indicators’ have been increasing consistently for the last 10 years, largely through financial engineering and dodgy arrangements such as companies buying their own shares in order to maintain or improve share prices. None of these actions can continue for ever and what goes up will come down. Trump is being placed for the fall guy for the collapse of the American economy (hiding the true cause, the corrupt central banksters).
thanks yonatan.. i always appreciate your insights here and at moa.
That there is how QE ends up as crystallised gains for the bankers and loss off assets for the investors in funds buying the shares and a double whammy, for the public debt. The usual rinse and repeat. The thieving ****’s.
I know that Alex Salmond polarises people but he has some unique way of resonating with the Scottish people. Alex is the single most important individual in achieving the goal of Scottish independence.
This smear is intended to at least damage Alex or at best take him out of the game completely (for the next two years).
I wasn’t aware of the allegations because I don’t follow MSM but I guessed the smear might be sexual in nature and, quelle surprise (I just checked), it was. Trouble is it’s too obvious. They should have gone for a financial scandal.
It’s all about brexit and fears of a consequential Scottish Independence campaign/referendum.
I’m just not interested enough to read the specifics of the allegations. This could be a spectacular own goal and actually boost the cause of Scottish independence (which, has been fairly dormant of late).
As I said earlier it has all the Hallmarks of Portland communications – supposedly a PR company but in reverse it spends its time smearing and undermining. Problem is that theyre not very good at it anymore being stuck in the 1990s as they are.
Sexual smears are to break any liberal support he may have, just like Assange – no “well meaning” liberal will go near a whiff of Male sexual impropriety (unless they get caught for their own)
Salmond is one of the cleverest and most adroit politicians of his generation, he ran rings around Blair and continued to do so to Cameron, if he were to come out fighting over the next 3 months he would be a powerful opponent to both sides of the Estsblishment, so they’ve decided to ‘neutralise’ him. Whether it’s a strategy that will work, considering the new enfeeblement of the mainstream media, especially in making a smear stick, remains to be seen.
We live in dark times
Jeremy Corbyn defends ‘British Zionist’ comments – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-45301548
The co-author of the Daily Mail article referred to in that link and an earlier one was Jake Wallis Simons, needless to say.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6092435/Labour-MP-Luciana-Berger-hits-Jeremy-Corbyn.html
it’s only one planet. It’s our home where we live. What are we fighting about?
It will still be here when we are all gone. You do not have to log on to Facebook to see this. Just click not now. This artwork is beautiful. You don’t have to like it, and you don’t have to be paranoid. It’s entirely up to you.
“Visual’s Art manipulation’s”
https://www.facebook.com/chrysFArtVisuel/videos/481484332281552/?t=0
Tony
last night, around 10pm, the moon was up amongst a whole load of stripey clouds. When the moon went behind the cloud all the other clouds lit up, golden and silver, it was truly magnificent – no artist could paint it and no camera would do it justice. This land is my land this land is your land – and I ain’t about letting them steal it – onwards into battle …………….
These last four decades ones worst suspicions and fears have been confirmed at an ever increasing rate. Life was far easier when one could garner comfort from the thought one was probably just being paranoid! Now paranoia has been replaced with certainty and a desperate desire to initiate change that frequently yanks one from sleep in the middle of the night..! Paranoia was once, like ignorance, bliss! But thank you anyway for adding yet another piece to the conformation puzzle..! 🙂
‘Behind every great fortune is a great crime’ Honore Balzac.
I find your story so depressing Craig when I think of the injustice in our society. I must confess I never questioned the salacious allegations against Sheridan but as you point out, there is a clear MO in terms of the method of attack and the choice of victim. I’ll look with more scrutiny in future when this pattern occurs again.
How bizarre, just heard that quite being used by Dr. Hudson during his opening speech on MMT presentation in Rimini a few years ago.
Quote.
Not Dr just Micheal Hudson.
Craig’s recent troubles notwithstanding, perhaps now is the time for everyone to start leaving Facebook in droves. It’s actually getting quite sinister now. The latest is behind the scenes negotiations with banks to access your bank account information. A step too far that could be the catalyst for the long overdue demise of Facebook?
You assume everyone signed up.
I, for one, never signed up to Mr Zuckerberg.
“Behind every great fortune there is a great crime.”
Honore de Balzac.
That was before the National Lottery.
“Behind every great crime there is a great fortune.”
Moi
Sorry you were persecuted by the establishment for bringing attention to the British government being complicit in torture. Torture is always illegal and you acted honorably to seek its end. As the illegal wars continue the establishment reveals again and again that it is really a criminal enterprise using tax payers money to steal from and kill others to concentrate more wealth and power for the elite. We need people like you and the Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity and Wki Leaks and Julian Assange. #unity4J
Lolz
I feel so sorry for what you have gone through!! The unfairness of it all … what you and your family must have gone through is terrible…. look I know it’s probably many years since the event but I send you much love man.
As they say in the Northern Soul scene …. keep on keeping on!!
I’m not an Alex Salmond admirer, nor knowledgeable about the accusations against him, which i will rectify, do have faith in your opinon the charges are purely malicious Craig. What happened to you was vile and evil, can see why you’re so disturbed at the thought of someone else facing similar. We live in an Oligarchical, probably Fascist state, the corrupt power elite will do anything to preserve their rule. This is the website of a colleague of mine, he’s a freaking genius and has a lot to say about why we’re in such a terrifying mess: PONEROLOGY The Science of Evil http://www.systemsthinker.com/interests/ponerology/
To me, there’s no logical reason why the elite loathe Trump, he’s not even the slightest threat to them. Maybe just cos they can’t control him, like they did Obama, Bush etc?
It was Hillary’s turn. & they hate democracy. Not that he will do what people want, but his win was a slippage. Look, you can see democracy spots breaking out already.
They are livid.
Totally Ishmael, Hillary was their choice, they put in a lot of effort to make her the Dem nomination, actively cheating Bernie out of it. Then Trump peed on their bonfire…………!
I think they where getting sick of it with obama tbh, the show just wasn’t holding up, and HC was a continuation. Trump just had to point to a couple of things they already knew.
You can fool some of the—
Think the issue is he spit with the one party state to an extent. & In order to win he weakened the overall game they are playing with Americans.
Not sure on that Ishmael, it seems to me Obama generated a lot of respect while committing even more abominations than Dubya? He kept the State of Emergency Act, also known as executive seizure of power, going too.
I might not have properly understood your comment, sorry if so.
Whether there’s truth in the allegations or not, then a powerful voice amidst the turgid cauldron of politics during this crucial phase, has just been weakened..
He’s an experienced cat though, so if he plays his cards right, it may well backfire spectacularly on the hyenas who are baying at him from behind closed doors.
Whatever the truth, then it’s going to consume a lot of his energy and time for the foreseeable future, and that’s possibly true for Nicola Sturgeon also… A convenient way to distract people away from the more significant points which they have to make in relation to the vile Tory agendas with the EU scenario, at such a crucial point of the game… Not to mention another move towards Scottish Independence.
Well done on coming through the intense pressure which was put on you Craig… A testament to your deep integrity and strength of spirit.
It’s already started for Nicola Sturgeon. The howling to suspend Salmond from the Party has already begun. The very idea of an Autumn Conference without him, even if he’s no longer in either Parliament is bizarre. But that’s what they’re howling for. There are precedents of course. I can’t see how he can remain in the Party while this is going on.
While much was made of having a new all-singing, all-dancing code to deal with complaints I believe one of the things overlooked is this thing of making things public. That does not usually happen in the ordinary civil service workplace. I think it is quite wrong to publicise these things when nothing has been proved. The accusers have anonymity while the accused is thrown to the wolves. That is grossly unfair.
The East German Stasi had a procedure called “Zersetsungmassnahmen” which they learned from the Nazis. It is basically psychological warfare.
The Brits are well able to do this. As Mr Murray well knows.
I was unaware Alex Salmond was under attack,
I’m off all social media, I’ve cancelled my tv licence and turn my head if I see a newspaper stand as the bullshit headlines just make me livid,
I’ve no idea what’s going on but I’d no idea what was really going on when I did have exposure to the media!
I just rely on independent analysts refuting the worst of the media bullshit to keep in touch.
Craig, your paragraph on the Manafort case is exactly my understanding of the situation, is this really the best a 2 year, multi million dollar investigation into supposed Russian interference can come up with?
it is the thinnest gruel possible, idk if many people (other than the totally brainwashed) will swallow it,
my mental health hasn’t been all that great over the last few years, the propaganda in the media is like continuous mental waterboarding, constantly feeling as though you’re choking on bullshit, I had to just cut off from it all and I feel much more stable.
I centre myself by reading two pieces,
Desiderata, http://mwkworks.com/desiderata.html
If, by Rudyard Kipling, https://www.davidpbrown.co.uk/poetry/rudyard-kipling.html
prolly best to keep a print of both to hand for the more testing moments in life!
don’t let the bastards get you down!
Noam Chomsky – Bakunin’s Predictions –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gS6g41m_NU
Bakunin is an example of a revolutionary thinker working in adversity. “Already at the end of 1844, Tsar Nicholas 1 had issued a decree depriving Bakunin of his noble rank, confiscating all his property, and, in his absence, sentencing him to a period of hard labour in Siberia.”
Then, in exile “Bakunin spent a year in Saxon prisons, first in the fortress of Koenigstein, where he was completely cut off from news of the outside world. He was tried, along with two of his associates, found guilty of treason and sentenced to death, this was later commuted to life imprisonment.”
Then he was extradited to Austria, “Again he was tried by the judicial authorities and found guilty of high treason – condemned in fact by his own writing as ‘Appeal to the Slavs” had advocated the complete destruction of the Austrian empire. He was sentenced to death by hanging as well as ordered to pay the costs of the enquiry! But this was commuted to life imprisonment, and he was again extradited – this time to Russia…”
Bakunin, back in Russia spent 3 years in the Peter and Paul fortress, during which time the Tsar died. Bakunin had not been close to his mother but nevertheless she petitioned the new Tsar to review Bakunin’s sentence and this was commuted to exile in Siberia. After some time there, in 1861, he left to arrive, finally, in London to focus his revolutionary thought on Anarchism.
The rest is history.
Source: Bakunin, the Philosophy of Freedom by Brian Morris.
Pretty gutted, the Indy gave in eventually and jumped on the latest JC fake AS bandwagon: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-corbyn-antisemitism-row-video-filmed-britain-labout-jewish-charity-a8506966.html
Picking on her looks and indulging in some kind of sordid fantasy. Have you had a look in the mirror? Your comments make you sound like a true piece of work.
Craig.
you are a very brave man.
scotland is grateful and proud to have you.
stay out of Paris tunnels.
And don’t trust Robin Janvrin any more than you would Richard Dearlove 🙂
There is still a possible future in which the French government releases incontrovertible evidence about 31 August 1997.
Don’t get it ref Janvrin. I assume he is nicely tucked away in the HoL or is he spooky too?
The Rt Hon. the Lord Janvrin GCB GCVO QSO
Name Robin Berry Janvrin
Joined the Lords 10 October 2007 (ex Royal Household)
Party/group Crossbench
Register of Interests
Category 2: Remunerated employment, office, profession etc.
Senior Adviser, HSBC Private Bank (UK) Ltd
Board Member, British Library
Category 10: Non-financial interests (a)
Chairman, Leadership Council (specialises in improving leadership communication skills)
Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Turkey
Director, Normandy Memorial Trust Limited and Trustee of associated registered charity
Category 10: Non-financial interests (e)
Chair of Trustees, Entente-Cordiale Scholarship Scheme (interest ceased 23 November 2017)
Trustee, Portrait Fund, National Portrait Gallery
https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/lord-janvrin/3838
Thank you… quite gobsmacked.
This is not very clever.
As irony, it doesn’t work.
Grow up, little man.
Thank you Craig. It’s always difficult to look at our own problems dispassionately, But it’s important not to jockey for position as the Scottish Labour party did, not long after Alec Salmond went public last night. I have no idea what Salmond did or didn’t do, but I really hate the way others jump on top of him.
Trump’s desire for better relations with Russia threaten the long term rationale for a trillion dollar military and intelligence budget. and another trillion for upgrading nuclear weapons.
So why has the US reassembled a Second Fleet for operations in the N Atlantic?
Reactivated US 2nd fleet returns to North Atlantic ‘ready to fight’… guess who? (POLL)
https://www.rt.com/usa/436808-reactivated-2nd-fleet-atlantic/
“What I do not understand is why they see Trump as a threat to Establishment interests”
Trump opposes mass immigration.
Mass immigration has been official doctrine of the Western establishment since the 80s.
The big corporations are totally dependent on the colossal wage suppression resultant from this trend..
No matter how much Trump kowtows to the military dictates of Israel and Saudi Barbaria, no matter how many heavy handed sanctions he places on the dreaded Putin, so long as Trump intends cut off the flow of cheap labour – he will remain the Establishment’s No.1 enemy.
There is something going on here, that I do not understand.
Craig Murray, Can you Please Wheel Out Your Friend Julian Assange from The Ecuadorian Embassy next door to Harrods in Knightsbridge….or I may think even you are taking the piss.
Thanks,
Tony
Let Julian Assange have a break, before he has to do his next live Speech.
My “Sis” is going, and she is Really nice.
No one will know. She is really discrete.
She was a voluntary trainee Nurse at Greenham Common when She was a Kid.
She is my Mate..
My Wife loves her too.
http://www.silverstone.co.uk/
Tony
Slander is practice utilized widely in many circumstances. Unfortunately there are seldom means to immediate clear such charged – there are few legal methods by which those issuing such charges.can be punished. We should be searching for international legal sources to discover how our legal systems might be reformed.
This is abject cruelty by the resudent in the WH.
‘US ‘redirecting’ $200 million in aid from West Bank and Gaza
24 Aug 2018
The Trump administration is “redirecting” $200 million in economic aid earmarked for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to projects elsewhere, the State Department has informed Congress.
“At the direction of President Trump, we have undertaken a review of US assistance to the Palestinian Authority and in the West Bank and Gaza to ensure these funds are spent in accordance with US national interests and provide value to the US taxpayer,” a State Department official said on Friday.
More than $200 million originally designated for programs in the Palestinian territories “will now address high-priority projects elsewhere,” said the unnamed official, according to Reuters.’
https://www.rt.com/usa/436797-redirecting-aid-gaza-palestinians/
It’s punishment too for the Palestinians for standing up to the Zionist Occupiers, friends of his administration and his son-in-law.
Now the nasty party, the Tory party, is reporting Corbyn to IPSA.
http://news.sky.com/story/corbyn-reported-to-mp-standards-watchdog-over-zionist-comment-11481350
The pot continues to be stirred on a daily basis. There is an obvious agenda. CFoI. Israeli Embassy. Plus. Plus.
Monbiot has also put the boot in apparently
What Corbyn actually said – this is the speech
https://t.co/VJ0HE63oQt?
Manuel, to whom Corbyn refers, is Manuel Hassassian, the Palestinian Ambassador who is not recognized by the so called Court of St James,
ie the HMG.
Mr Hassassian is sitting on the stage. I have met him at his office in Hammersmith. He is a learned man. The UK MSM ignore him of course.
https://twitter.com/DTraynier/status/1032877465620934659
It’s laughable that Zionists, with so many crimes against humanity purpotrated in their name, could be offended by such comments. Those who are offended by this, should, as Brits love to say, get their heads out of their asses and grow a pair. pathetic.
I have been long acquainted with Alex and have heard not a peep of such allegations, until something substantive is offered I will accord these allegations no credence whatsoever. I am deeply concerned about the febrile attitude to such allegations whereby accusation is deemed evidence and innocence considered guilt until proven otherwise. What exactly are the allegations? Telling an off-colour joke or making a careless comment are not acts of rape or molestation no matter how the gender extremists may bleat about them. Such conflation minimises the importance of genuine abuse. We need to get a grip of this before simply being a middle aged, white, heterosexual male becomes an offence as of itself. If the ammended code can be so misused then our current FM needs to take another careful look at the legislation.
How can civil servants so blatantly operate outside the law? It doesn’t make sense. I too believe the charges are malicious but a good question is why are they trying to silence Alex Salmond?