Judith Mackinnon joined the Scottish government in 2017. She was slotted into the highly remunerated non-job of Head of People Advice. That really is her title. I saw it in the Record and did not believe it, but just phoned the Scottish Government and they confirmed it. Judith Mackinnon is Head of People Advice at the Scottish Government. She was previously Head of Human Resource Governance at Police Scotland. A senior policeman tells me that appeared in practice to mean professional feminist.
As might be expected from somebody with such pointless job titles, Mackinnon writes gobbledegook rather than English. Here is an extract from her Police Scotland submission to the consultation on the Scottish Government bill on gender equality on boards.
I confess I got no further than answer 1), my bullshit meter having exploded. I felt very sorry for Jackie McKelvie.
It is vital to note that, in her peculiar non-job at the Scottish Government, Mackinnon had no normal professional contact with the alleged “complainants” against Alex Salmond. It is still more vital to note that the “complainants” did not approach Mackinnon. In January 2018, shortly after starting at the Scottish Government, Mackinnon sought them out and – as it was carefully put in court today (tremendous twitter stream report here), spoke to them in a manner “bordering on encouragement to proceed with formal complaints” against Alex Salmond. It appears this was a process, not just one meeting. Again in the language used in court today, there was a “significant amount of direct personal contact” between Mackinnon and the complainants.
At this stage the complaints were brought to the attention of Leslie Evans, the Permanent Secretary – assuming she was not the one who instigated Mackinnon to act originally. Incredibly, Evans then appoints Mackinnon as the formal investigating officer for the case.
Even more incredibly, Mackinnon and Evans then together work on a new Civil Service Code which specifically makes the retrospective actioning of these complaints possible.
So Mackinnon instigated the complaints, investigated the complaints and drafted the code changes which made the complaints actionable.
Judith Mackinnon has been a human resources professional operating for over 25 years. It is impossible that Mackinnon did not realise that this method of pursuing a stitch up is absolutely illegitimate, as was today conceded in court. It is equally impossible that the Head of the Civil Service, Leslie Evans, did not realise these measures were completely illegitimate.
The actions of these civil servants are not just reckless, they are a deliberate stitch-up of an individual amounting to the crime of misconduct in public office. It is most certainly a sacking offence and it is Evans and Mackinnon who should be the subject of police investigation. Apart from their deliberate and cold malice towards Salmond, they have cost the taxpayer £350,000 wasted on this case.
Leslie Evans issued a statement today which is breathtaking in these circumstances in its impudence and its tendentiousness. She appears to try to say that she did not know until last month of Mackinnon’s role in instigating the complaints.
After reassessing all the materials available, I have concluded that an impression of partiality could have been created based on one specific point – contact between the Investigating Officer and the two complainants around the time of their complaints being made in January 2018.
The full picture only became evident in December 2018 as a result of the work being undertaken to produce relevant documents in advance of the hearing.
This amounts to an incredible accusation against Mackinnon by Evans. To save her own skin, Evans appears to be alleging that at the time of Mackinnon’s appointment as investigating officer, Mackinnon did not reveal to Evans her role in initiating the “complaints”; and presumably also left that out of the investigative reports, if Evans did not find out until December.
However as a former member of the senior civil service myself, I can tell you that the truly disgusting Leslie Evans is here attempting to give that impression by weasel drafting. She is saying that “the full picture” only became clear in December. In fact, Evans already knew a great deal more than she is here attempting to portray. Perhaps she didn’t know whether Mackinnon and the complainants drank tea or coffee together, hence not the “full picture”.
There is a still more important and extraordinary misrepresentation in Evans’ statement, She claims:
All the other grounds of Mr Salmond’s challenge have been dismissed
I cannot understand this at all. There has been no judgement issued in the case. The Scottish Government caved in once it was ordered to reveal the incriminating emails and minutes that told the above story. The Scottish Government caved in and settled out of court; therefore the case was dismissed by the judge. It is totally false of Evans to claim that this amounts to Salmond’s other claims being “dismissed” in the sense she intends to convey, and indeed is the opposite of what the Scottish Government’s own QC specifically stated in court. He said that the Government disagreed with Salmond on the other points but that this was “now academic”.
The misrepresentations in Leslie Evans’ statement are simply appalling in a civil servant. She has to go.
All documents in this case should now be released. It is a matter of essential public interest, relating to a politically motivated attempt to impact on the bid for Independence of the entire Scottish nation. One thing that those documents will make clear is whether or not the First Minister’s office was as entirely insulated from events as is claimed.
Nicola Sturgeon must now move to demand the resignation of both Evans and Mackinnon. Both fully deserve to lose their jobs. If Sturgeon moves to protect them, she will attract suspicion that she is motivated by keeping them silent about the extent of her own involvement in the sorry process. To avoid this rumour she has to act swiftly and decisively and invite them to resign tomorrow morning.
.
Steady craig. Have you considered whether Scotland could withstand the loss of these ladies?
“It is a matter of essential public interest, relating to a politically motivated attempt to impact on the bid for Independence of the entire Scottish nation”
What does this mean?
Can you briefly explain to an outsider?
Thank you.
It means that Scotland is not a whiter-than-white nation (not now and not potentially in the future). It also means that Westminster’s SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) are probably still stronger than Sturgeon’s hicksville Scotland.
Welcome to the New Scotland (backyard ongoings).
Good piece Craig.
Calm down Mr. Murray, no heads will roll. In fact I predict that the dynamic duo of Mackinnon and Evans will appear in a high profile, high paid, high status non jobs doing hatchet jobs on others. They have proved themselves to be an ‘honour free safe space’.
Everybody here can remember the grand silencing order from one Andrew Marr censoring his colleagues in the media about his peccadillos. Was he shamed out of the hallowed halls of the media……like hell, he got a promotion to his own influential show on the BBC, having proved himself a trustworthy guardian of repressive journalism…….Can anybody forget his interview with Boris Johnson when the multimillion secret programme went unchallenged .
No, these two ladies will be back on a fix up soon…_
Lying, corrupt, inept, lawless politicians and their appointed lickspitles doing what they do best; wasting public money and turning the country into a quasi banana republic run by fanatic ideologues.
What liars.
Poor old Alex Salmond looked pretty broken. He has been smeared and mud sticks.
I am very sorry that he has been through this ordeal.
I noticed that Brian Taylor was to the fore on the BBC ‘news’ channel earlier.
The Dead Sea mud is supposed to be awfully good for the skin. I hope you don’t consider mud to be ‘dirt’ like our cousins across The Pond.
I thought Salmond did very well. He’s never strongest when furious and vindicated.
Why did the Scottish Parliament choose a rent a gob police feminist in the first place. Was this more II anti-Independence dirty tricks? I think Craig has revealed enough criminal lying on the part of the Tory government in Westminster in the last two posts to conclude that it was. Fake news, contested by the fake journaIists Anonymous, with reams of fake invoices trying to make a membrane between government and sub-contractors. I work as a sub-contractor and I put in invoices, but when I’m on site I’m not the boss. My boss is the boss. In other words it is entirely spurious to suggest that II is different from MI5, or in the Salmond case, the police candidate was different or independent from Westminster.
Straying from this theme a little, but as an example of how Westminster does politics in 2019, why did we have to listen to rent a gob Goddard over and over again on the news? Only IMHO for Theresa May to indicate that any public opposition to her stupid ” withdrawal agreement ” which Corbyn said was waffle, would be treated as criminal and prosecuted. Thus the Tories encase their true intent in Russian dolls or Egyptian mummies, with layer upon layer of camouflage and deception which requires a particularly suspicious mind to unravel.
‘Why did the Scottish Parliament choose a rent a gob police feminist in the first place.’ Because that is Nicola Sturgeon’s hardcore feminista personality and attitude, too. Quite simple.
No you’re wrong. It’s because these are Whitehall/Westminster appointment’s and the FM has to chose one of the two candidates proposed. The SG has no say in these appointments.
Maybe lean about the process before shouting off?
There is definitely something about the dark about her.
It is difficult to believe in the context of the Salmond case that she has a background in law. Time will soon tell about her sense of fairness. If I were Salmoind, I’d be considering my legal options to sue her for some real dosh.
In my opinion in relation to the Brexit negotiations, Nicola Sturgeon has shown herself to be a poor leader exercising poor judgement concerning the matter of Scottish Independence. I am in no doubt personally, (without any evidence, I should add), that Nicola Sturgeon is up to her neck in the behaviour of Evans and Mackinnon and surreptitiously supported their actions.
I predict that Nicola Sturgeon will instigate no further action against these two and the whole matter will be forgotten about in the midst of her drive for a second Brexit vote. An announcement concerning Scottish Independence will easily take peoples minds off the matter, so I won’t be surprised to see that tactic deployed.
As I’ve said previously, this is a cult and evidence for my belief will be displayed over the next few days.
The Herald is already stating that they ( the co conspirators) have Sturgeon’s support! It’s time for her to go.
Graig – you know much more about civil service structures than I do – but he work of the Scottish Government ( by that I mean the Scottish Ministers and parliamentarians) is supported and underpinned by the civil service – but the whole shebang is referred to as the “Scottish Government. The civil service part of this has different faces – some parts of which are directly appointed by Scottish Ministers – while other sections are part and parcel of the “British” or UK civil service. Alec Salmond could only bring his action against the “Scottish Government” but the main player, Ms Evans, is the Permanent Secretary to the “UK” civil service in Scotland. She was appointed to her post by Nicola Sturgeon – but from a short list of 3 people selected and put forward by the British Civil service. She spends much of her time in briefings with the civil service in London.
I think this is a relevant fact, since the MSM is now advancing the predictable narrative, latching on to Scottish Tory comments, that the SNP is now at war with itself. What you will not find reported by BBC or MSM is that there are hundreds and hundreds of btl comments on Mrs Evans’ timeline castigating her statement ( for all the reasons you point out ) and demanding her resignation. Her statement quite rightly makes an apology to the women complainants but significantly makes no such apology to Alec Salmond, despite the fact that the judgement has clearly endorsed the view that he has been treated unjustly. neither was there any apology for the incompetence leading to approximately £400.000 of taxpayer’s money being wasted.
You are also correct to point out the misleading comment in her statement that all other complaints had been dismissed. They were dismissed only in the sense that they were not examined since the defence of the whole action was abandoned by Mrs Evans – and there were quite a number of further complaints the action sought to explore.
A hall mark of the procedure drawn up to deal with accusations of harrasment is confidentiality. But while Alec Salmond himself was not allowed to know who his accusers were, or what exactly he was being accused of, the Daily Record was able to publish detailed accounts of the accusations ( though not the accusers) which could only have come from deliberately leaked information from the investigation itself – something that in my view requires further investigation – perhaps even police action.
I note that a “spokesperson” for Nicola Sturgeon has come out with a statement that “..the FM has full confidence in the Permanent Secretary – that is the position.” – though Nicola Sturgeon has not made this statement herself. It looks as though this is a standard response to a direct question on the matter rather than an unprovoked statement and It is said that to say anything other than this could be regarded as an act of “constructive dismissal”. Nevertheless, I find it difficult to believe that anyone can have confidence in a highly paid civil servant who fails ( neglects) to carry out correctly a procedure she herself as drawn up – and thereby causing distress and unfairness to both the accused and the accusers – and bringing the procedure itself into disrepute.
The procedure for dealing with harassment accusations was drawn up by Mrs Evans
The FM said it herself on STV news earlier this evening.
Spot on Craig THE MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS!
I made a donation to Alex’s crowdfunder not just to support Alex Salmond, who I know, respect, admire and believe to be wholly innocent of the accusations against him but to support justice which I believe to be currently hanging on a very shoogly peg indeed.
This matter is becoming both a tragedy and a farce of Shakepearean proportions – the principle that you are innocent until proven guilty must be sacrosanct in law and in society. If we choose to abandon this, in favour of one whereby accusation is deemed evidence and innocence considered guilt until proven otherwise, the freedom of us all is under threat.
Anyone can be accused of anything by parties seeking to smear reputations for their own ends and we must stand full square against this. The particularly febrile atmosphere around unspecified accusations of ‘sexual misconduct’ is, itself, obscene. It starts to feel like simply being a middle aged, white, heterosexual male has become an offence as of itself.
I consider our legal system to be currently on trial and sincerely hope that when Alex Salmond is exonerated it will be equally vigorous in pursuing those responsible for the smears against him.
Whilst Westminster ‘mislays’ innumerable files of paedophile activity and the grievous sins of public figures are routinely ‘swept under the carpet, those who the British establishment deems ‘enemies of the state’ are castigated and flayed in the media on the basis of malicious accusations and no evidence at all.
Whatever its good intentions, the current SNP leadership has not helped with its headlong rush to uncritically embrace the #MeToo movement nor its failure to support Michelle Thomson MP who was hounded from the Party without even being interviewed by the police, far less charged or convicted. Daily Mail/ Express/ Record headlines are not reasons to abandon good people or fundamental principles.
Now is the time for Nicola to declare her support for the principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ and to state that the Party will stand by anyone accused until evidence has been produced to establish their guilt. We must hang together or we will surely be hanged separately!
‘Now is the time for Nicola to declare her support for the principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ and to state that the Party will stand by anyone accused until evidence has been produced to establish their guilt. We must hang together or we will surely be hanged separately!’
Could not agree more with this post, and everything in it. Ms. Sturgeon’s feminist obsession and misandry stink to high Heaven in this case. Given who the case is against, it’s doubly bizarre.
‘This matter is becoming both a tragedy and a farce of Shakepearean proportions’- Divide and Conquer and all roads lead to……
Exactly how I see it, thanks Craig.
However, as a feminist, I am absolutely furious that these two have set back – nae damaged – the cause for women’s equality and justice by such blatant and biased actions. How can we expect complainants to come forward when the system is flawed? Always, fairness to both complainant & accused should be paramount. No man should face injustice to further the aims of feminism.
Both should go and go now, there’s no way back from this, they aren’t fit to hold office.
Unfortunately you seem to be in a minority, especially when compared to tendencies in US feminism where the cry of “we believe her” justifies the condemnation and ostracism of the accused before any evidence has been presented and tested.
The USA is a clinically insane country in all ways. Unfortunately, Ms. Sturgeon seems to get strange couldn’t-cut-it-in-America careerists like manhater Marsha Scott to advise her. And messes like this are what happens because of it.
You are the nearest on here to what has infected borth Holyrood and Westminster……add IHI and Derek Feeley to the equation and hey presto!
What are you talking about?
Out of curiosity – does anyone know if Evans and McKinnon are ‘common purpose’ graduates? My research suggests that this NGO is actively employed by local authorities to train (using neuro-linguistic programming) their potential leaders in public services. Not sure about the civil service?
“Nicola Sturgeon must now move to demand the resignation of both Evans and Mackinnon”
Having listened to the FM’s statement this afternoon, don’t think that is remotely likely until the Police investigation concludes. I do have sympathy for her position, but also with your comments regarding the civil service.
Another load of nationalistic s***e – honestly you guys wouldn’t know the truth if it hit you right on the kisser – shame on you all that believe this inane nonsense.
Gordie,
it might be more convincing if you stated which bit was not true, and produced your evidence and/or reasoning.
I’m not sure that Geordie read the same piece as I did ?
Is he a backfiring bot?
??
Gordie.
If you’re looking for inane shite, the Monica Lennon and Alex Rowley cover ups are a good place to start.
Or the absolute hounding of Michelle Thomson, by the media who was proven innocent.
“Another load of nationalistic s***e – ”
Says the inevitable British Nationalist, without a hint of irony>
I wonder who leaked the info to the Daily Record? Sturgeon is standing by Evans unfortunately.
Evans is an utter disgrace to the office and she should do the decent thing and resign her, position is untenable.
I suspect she won’t. Nicola is a Lawyer , if her hands were clean she should have seen that this whole procedure was wrong. As far as I know she signed this new procedure off.
I believe she said as much at the time this first blew up. Is it not possible that amidst an enormous workload her “trusted” top civil servant shoved the apparently pro-feminist procedure in front of her for signature and she obliged without knowing the hidden agenda? That could account for her obvious distress when the excrement first hit the fan.
Not sure why she should support the perpatrators now, though.
What ‘obvious distress’? I must’ve missed it.
You did miss it. Her distress was obvious.
She signed the procedure off. But the civil servants did not follow the procedure. That’s Alex salmond’s point.
Apart from The Curious Incident of the Retroactive Bitch Barking in the Nighttime.
‘As far as I know she signed this new procedure off’ – Was it her or her ‘adviser’?
Well is there no pound (buck) that stops somewhere?
The procedure hasn’t been found to be at fault, only the way it wasn’t followed in this case.
Let’s not water down the judgement Ian. The process was:-
Unlawful
Unfair
Tainted with bias
Just to be clear.
Thanks Craig. I believe they have to go as well.
The matter should probably be referred to the police as well to establish if there has been any criminality on their part.
The public should be able to have confidence in the civil service and expect integrity. If people of this low moral calibre are allowed to remain in office it sends a pretty depressing message.
According to the Guardian online today, Evans also said ““Finally I would reiterate that the single procedural flaw which led to this decision is deeply regrettable. In particular, I regret the distress it will cause to the two women who raised the complaints.”
No concern (from someone who should in any event be impartial) for the distress that the whole cock-up and stitch-up has caused to Alex Salmond,
Ah, but he’s a white middle-aged man, and we’re all scum these days whom you can say and do anything you want to, with utter impunity, especially if you’re a manhater feminist. So why would he count?
Thank you for writing this – it is excellent
Now that’s an elegant gravatar (and comment) if I saw one. My compliments, Lady Fiona.
I don’t trust Nicola Sturgeon (I am no Unionist, merely a concerned non-partisan Scottish citizen) at all. I think she is more involved in this than she makes out. She apologised to the two complainants involved that they should have had a robust process…but did not apologise to her former mentor Mr. Salmond! Does #HETOO not deserve the same courtesy? I genuinely do not think Ms. Sturgeon likes men, and the revelation here that Ms. Mackinnon is described here as a ‘career feminist’ absolutely does not surprise me in the slightest.
The fact that Ms. Sturgeon seems to want to persecute and prosecute her former mentor is bizarre and disturbing, to be honest. This is personal, not professional, and the fact she cuts Mr. Salmond no slack or sway in this matter is self-defeating and deranged. I think she is trying to show that the SNP is ‘her’ party now and not Salmond’s. I have no idea what the Hell is going on in that woman’s head now, but I watched a video of her at a Women’s Aid event the other night and her contempt for men is quite clear. This case here smacks of being a stupid, tokenist #METOO moment gone horribly, terribly wrong. Witness, in the video below, her ridiculing women saying that men should not be made to feel uncomfortable: “Oh for goodness sake!” As a man, I certainly wouldn’t want her against me in a court of law as a prosecuting lawyer, I must admit. Or as a defence lawyer either. Be going down, even if innocent, either way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okx5et2M73I
Jesus man, have you considered the fact that Nicola has as the FM of the Scottish Government a duty to defend it? Have you also considered the very pertinent fact that Mackinnon and Evans are Westminster placements? Putting aside your very obvious misogyny with regards to her have you really thought about procedure? She will I have no doubt call out the fifth column when the time is right. Both Alex and herself have behaved in a professional manner in this regard. That’s what the SNP do. What’s best for Scotland and all her peoples. You would indeed be a lucky man were she be willing to represent you. You are a nasty British National with a hatred of the female of our species and I claim my £5.
‘My very obvious misogyny with regards to her.’ Here we go as usual, you can’t criticise a woman at all without some knight in white shining armour coming along to save them. Poor Nicola! Bring her the fainting couch! ‘A British National?’ Manges-moi. Hate them worse than virtue-signalling wankers like you.
What nonsense! Sturgeon apologised to the complainants but not to the accused. That’s disgraceful when the accused was the one whose actions led to a court declaring a process to be, “unfair, unlawful and tainted with bias”! ALL parties in this case, accusers and accused were due apologies!
Sturgeon is not obliged to defend anyone who has behaved unlawfully and unfairly in an official investigation or tainted it with bias.
“All documents in this case should now be released. It is a matter of essential public interest, relating to a politically motivated attempt to impact on the bid for Independence of the entire Scottish nation.”
You lost me there.
That makes two of us…
See above.
The British establishment see Salmond not Sturgeon as the biggest threat to the Union. By attacking him they weaken the campaign for Scottish independence. This is politics by other means.
I have no political affiliation, however when I first heard of this last year I knew it was a set-up. The article read an incident had happened in a BEDCHAMBER at Bute House! Over the years in ‘smear’ cases I have noticed the use of antiquated language – I immediately thought here we go again – an upmarket version of Tommy Sheridan. Then of course if you look back AS was defeated by a Tory in the Gordon constituency. Then we have the RT contract offered which attracted controversy. Followed by the collapse of US Kaiam Corporation Livingstone – a contract AS signed in New York April 6, 2014 during Scotland Week supported by a grant of £850,000 from the Scottish Enterprise. This has been a DELIBERATE & MALICIOUS attempt at discrediting AS. At the same time to embarrass and humiliate Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish Government. Divide and Conquer comes to mind. Judith Mackinnon and Leslie Evans have been puppets for a covert and undercover operation poisoning both Holyrood and Westminster. This ‘organisation’ are relentless in their cultural, financial and economic wars to achieve their aim – which explains the reason for their antiquated language. Where do all roads lead to?
Evans and Mackinnon must resign, they have brought the Scottish government into disrepute. Resignations and criminal charges must be brought.
Sir, a devastating dissection of the background to this morning’s events. I hadn’t realised from MSM reports the extent of McKinnon’s contact with the two complainants prior to the launch of the campaign to alter the investigative process (with powers to retrospectively re-investigate no less).
Evans’ press statement had mair spin than a Dervish convention, but the Scottish Government was issuing bullish (bullshit) statements up to and including yesterday. I suspect that the lawyers forced a most reluctant surrender out of her at the eleventh hour. Salmond has stated that all attempts from his council to settle by arbitration were rebutted (not unreasonable to suspect that Evans was behind the intransigence). To me, a large portion of this farce can be attributed to Evans having the ego of a moderately sized planetary system (my guess only, I don’t know the individual).
As for Nicola Sturgeon taking action against Evans and McKinnon either promptly or at any point in the foreseeable future, I widnae haud yer breath.
‘ I widnae haud yer breath’ Why do I feel you are right – however in a month or two we will see a ‘reshuffle’ to save face.
Alex Salmond’s tweet today.
https://twitter.com/AlexSalmond/status/1082601973147410432
“Judith Mackinnon has been a human rights professional operating for over 25 years.”
I presume you mean a “human resources professional”. Those of us who care about human rights get bad enough publicity as it is, without being tarred by association with characters like this!
She is a member of the CIPD.
In trying to find out the meaning of the acronym (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) I find they have a power cut!
Power outage
We’re currently experiencing a power outage at the CIPD HQ. As a consequence of this you will not be able to access any part of our website that requires you to log in. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your patience as we re-establish our web services and other lines of communication.
The Russians testing their grid circuit breakers?
Say hello:
https://twitter.com/judithimack
Power cut!? It’s time to get the f*** out of ‘Europe’. 80 days to go–whoopee!
I think this whole no deal business is akin to the Y2K fiasco we were all supoosed to have seen at the turn of the millenium. Instead it happened at 9/11
I’m noticing that comments such as yours seem to be getting more strident as the likelihood of such assertions become less and less likely ?
No doubt the public figures who have been glorifying the possibilities of crashing out of the EU, will become much more forthright now that Parliament has shown its colours today, and the threat of tar and feathers becomes much more remote.
🙂
The ‘power outage’ at the CIPD persists.
https://www.cipd.co.uk/
One way of staying shtum I suppose.
Thank you for an excellent summary from someone with first hand experience at the top of the Civil Service. Like you, I think both Evans and Mackinnon should resign. Their positions are intenable. I can understand why Nicola Sturgeon won’t sack them. However, they should be suspended pending an enquiry. Isn’t that what happened to Michelle Thomson? I have one worry about Nicola. She, and presumably her advisers, seem to be scared of the criticism she, and the SNP, receive from the media, and therefore attempt to appease them. It won’t work. I hope that Alex Salmond uses all legal measures available to fight the smears, whether from the media, or from the “Scottish Government”.
The Liaison Coordinator
by Tom Leonard
“efturryd geenuz iz speel
iboot whut wuz right
nwhut wuz rang
boot this nthat
nthi nix thing
a saytiz thi bloke
nwhut izzit
yi caw yir joab Jimmy
am a liason-co-ordinator hi sayz
ah good as sayz
a liason-co-ordinator
jist whut this erra needs
whut way aw thi unimployment
inaw thi bevvyin
n thi boayz runnin amock
n thi hoassyz fawnty bits
n thi wummin n tranquilizers
it last thiv sent uz a liason-co-ordinator
wia degree
in fuck knows whut
getn peyd fur no known
whut thi fuck ti day way it.”
Reminds me of e.e. cummings.
More like Rab C Nesbitt.
Braw stuff Brian, sayz itaw. Richt on the caleydosh agin Craig. Thon British ceevil service in Scotlan is a gey muckle slump needin sooked oot an Scotlan is nae different fae ony ither haud doon colony. Smearin ‘nationalist’ fowk is aw thay hiv left. Sturgeon needs tae get a grip tho an staert bi sooking oot thon unionist slump aye rinnin Scotlan. Fowk cannae ser twa maisters, ye aye luve ane and laithe the ither.
Sadly Tom Leonard died just before Christmas.
‘Tom Leonard (22 August 1944 – 21 December 2018) was a Scottish poet, writer and critic. He was best known for his poems written in the Glaswegian dialect of Scots, particularly his Six Glasgow Poems and The Six O’Clock News. His work frequently dealt with the relationship between language, class and culture.’
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Leonard_(poet)
There are a few videos of him.
Unrelated Incidents
https://youtu.be/gMo5cxzLdR4
Who has the right to sack either civil servants. Surely it is London. What part does Sturgeon play in all this and does she have the power to sack anyone in the civil service.
Totally agree with Craig’s analysis and conclusions and Nicola must (if she can) initiate actions to severely discipline or dismiss both Evans and McKinnon
Craig just goes on and on about what Nicola must do, but can she and will she?
Hi Craig,
I enjoyed your article re Alex Salmond or rather his stitch up. It would help many people to understand who the players are, perhaps you can add a description like a theatre programme. I remember speaking to a retired senior civil servant who said no one will win against the civil service. I thought that once we had our own Parliament, Parliament would be in control but obviously this is not the case. The first minister must now stamp her authority on the Civil Service likewise all parties in the Scottish Government must do the same.
Regards,
David