I want to give you a concrete example of how the UK government deliberately sets out to manufacture false sexual allegations against people it considers a threat. I do so to educate those who view this concept as an unthinkable “conspiracy theory”. I write of a case of which I have expert knowledge; it is my own case.
I became an “enemy of the state” when, as British Ambassador, I protested against UK and US complicity in torture and extraordinary rendition in Uzbekistan. As detailed in Murder in Samarkand, I very quickly found myself suspended and subject to civil service investigation of disciplinary allegations against me, the worst of which was that I extorted sex from visa applicants. Blair’s No. 10 quickly leaked this allegation against me to the Daily Mail.
I was in a state of complete shock. I had no idea at all what could have led to such allegations. The Kafkaesque nightmare deepened when I was presented with the evidence against me.
The case was of a young woman named Albina Safarova. I was shown her visa application documents by the investigating officer. These included her passport photo, and she was a strikingly beautiful young woman. On the back of her visa application the Visa Officer had written “HMA (Her Majesty’s Ambassador, i.e. me) authorises issue”. The investigation had obtained a statement from the Visa Officer, in which she stated that she had issued the Visa after being informed by two British diplomats that Ms Safarova was a friend of mine. To complete the evidence, the original application was supported by a letter from Ms Safarova’s sponsor, a Mr Dermot Hassett, who stated in the application that the circumstances of the application were known to the British Ambassador, Mr Craig Murray.
All of which seems firm and damning evidence of, at the least, unwarranted interference in visa issues.
Except for this. Not only had I never had any form of sexual encounter with Ms Albina Safarova, I had never met her or even heard of her. The same was true of Mr Dermot Hassett. Not only were they not my friends, I had no idea they existed.
After I left the FCO, I gave the papers to a veteran investigative reporter, Bob Graham, who contacted Dermot Hassett. Graham told me that Hassett explained that a British diplomat – one of the two who had told the Visa Officer Ms Safarova was my friend – had instructed him to write my name into the visa application, with the assurance that the visa would be granted.
So the British government had put substantial effort into the preparation of fake documents connecting me to Ms Safarova and Mr Hassett and this visa application. Yet the whole thing was entirely fake. Those British diplomats had lied, and convinced Mr Hassett and the Visa Officer to produce “independent” documents corroborating those lies.
Interestingly, they never produced any allegation from Ms Safarova that a sexual relationship was involved. In the absence of this and of any evidence that I had ever met Safarova, and in view of the fact the Visa Officer’s evidence crucially stated it was other British diplomats, not me, who told her Safarova was my friend, I was acquitted. No other incident was ever alleged. But mud sticks, and the smear was used to discredit my evidence on torture and extraordinary rendition, and has been so used ever since.
Alex Salmond is far more of a threat to the British establishment than I ever was. So is Julian Assange and so is Tommy Sheridan. Anybody who looks at any of these examples, and does not understand that the state will actually fabricate allegations and fabricate evidence to back them, is a fool.
I know. It happened to me.
Quelle surprise. It’s become common practice to smear anyone taking a position against authority, no matter what grounds or concerns they have – witness they treatment of whistleblowers by the NHS and regulators in recent years. Sadly, your experience is all too familiar – there are no constraints to what our government and its institutions will do to protect themselves.
http://mark-russell.net/Blog/index.php/2018/03/31/q-e-d/
Like you say Craig mud sticks, especially with the help of a complicit media.
I should add Craig, that I’m beginning to dispair, reading some of the comments on Wings, of how it would appear that the posters are more concerned about what Westminster is doing, rather than focusing on what the Scottish government should be doing, with regards to launching a second indyref.
The story of the naked emperor, the courtiers, and the little boy, is usually told with a sympathetic portrayal of the little boy.
In real life, those who want the benefits and patronage society offers, tend to shuffle away from the little boy. Sad, but true…_
Not being Scottish or involved in Scottish politics, why is Alex Salmond now being targeted?
I mean of course I am not Scottish or involved in Scottish politics and am wondering why Alex Salmond is being targeted in this way?
Mary Paul.
It’s an attempt to divide the independence supporters.
Mary Paul – research the case of Charles Stewart Parnell.
J Galt,
What is the link with Parnell?
IrishU.
Thomas Beach.
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/how-the-english-spy-who-sought-to-destroy-parnell-tore-irish-america-apart-1.2207837
I’m pretty sure there are several Thomas Beach’s lurking in Holyrood awaiting activation.
Interesting article RoS, thanks.
You’re welcome J.
I wrote a much fuller explanation of Parnell’s destruction, including the murder of Dr. Cronin before he could testify before the Parnell Commission, by Oxford’s Vinerian Professor A. V. Dicey 20 years before in my biography of him in 1985 the work cited by RoS.
Just shows what a waste of time posting here is.
My biography of Henry Brougham was also copied up to his war with the Whigs by a Professor at Mississippi State, one Dr William Hay as I recall.
what is Salmond’s view that the Scottish government finds so threatening?
what is Salmond’s view that the Scottish government finds so threatening? is it that he is demanding Scottish independence? It seems a bit extreme to create a divisive mess like this within the SNP, just to silence him.
It seems a bit extreme to create a divisive mess like this within the SNP, just to silence him.
Extreme? This is standard modus operandi for the British Establishment. Google “divide and rule” and see who invented it.
Mary Paul.
It’s neither, the Scottish government must follow procedure when any claim is made, in this case it’s against Alex Salmond.
However the Permanent secretary of Scotland who Sturgeon chose or was appointed is as far as I know a British civil servant, and that person has made such a balls up of the whole procedure, (intentionally in my opinion) that its cost the taxpayer hundreds of thousands of pounds in Mr Salmond’s court case expenses.
Not only that very detailed information was released to a nasty pro-unionst newspaper, information that could’ve only come from Holyrood.
Salmond is still revered by the indy supporters as is Sturgeon, this whole constructed debacle is an attempt to divide the indy supporters.
I should add that no matter Salmond or Sturgeon’s position here the Permanent secretary for Scotland has failed miserably in her duties and should resign or if need be sacked.
There is a slight misunderstanding here. The case was raised by the London appointed permanent secretary to the Scottish government, and not by either the Scottish Parliament or the SNP.
Hope that clears things up a bit.
It’s not the Scottish Government, it’s the ENGLISH run Scottish civil service put in place by Fluffy Mundell.
@Roy
Thanks.
That clears things up.
There has been at least three earlier attempts to discredit Salmond as an active politician. The latest accusation – made five years late – arrived days after he announced he’d like to return to Holyrood if Scotland was to have a second referendum. More here: https://wp.me/p4fd9j-mS3
As usual GB great piece, prescient or cynical or just a good reader of history!!!
I suspect one reason may be that Alex Salmond has a show on https://www.rt.com/shows/ which MSM and government attempt to label as undemocratic. I don’t know why, I’ve never heard or seen anything, on any of the programmes I view, to indicate such a stance. And certainly their News programmes do not have the bias that our state sponsored BBC exhibits. Two other excellent programmes are Going Underground and Renegade TV.
Neither the BBC or ITV would give him a program when asked.
Perhaps the Salmond (like the Tony before him) needs to make a little money. So hey, why not have a show on RT?
Ooh pussy cat, your claws are showing…
Charles, your cat just crossed your keyboard.
Could it be his prrogram on RT that has made him a target for IInitiative’ russophobia campaign?
The accusations against Craig made me read up, get his book and support him for the first time.
Should these two harrassed , Alex and Craig establish a new proper Independence Party for Scottish voters?
Lets hava show of hands…
Hand raised most definitely.
Very interesting and depressing. And clearly something to bear in mind as a possibility in cases with a political or whistleblowing aspect.
Thank you
The viciousness of the attacks on Salmond contrast with the soft focus treatment of Sturgeon.
Who do the UK Establishment see as a threat?
Who are the UK Establishment comfortable with?
This is probably the motive behind the movement towards a presumption of guilt in rape cases. (Alison Saunders’ removal being just a blip on the road). Soon any man and probably older woman too will be controlled by the threat of false prosecution for rape or sexual harassment. The threat of conviction as a common criminal is how totalitarian governments control their populations and limit the number of people who emerge as ‘dissidents’. In Cuba, the need to access black markets in food to feed your family makes every Cuban a ‘criminal’ and leaves the state with the choice of whether or not to convict.
Salmond is not a major threat to the Westminster Government. For a long time he led a nationalist party seemingly indifferent to whether Scotland became an independent country. And then when there was a referendum, he insisted on the independence campaign’s Achilles heel: keeping sterling. The issue of currency might not have seemed important to a non-economist. However, Salmond was an economist, even if one employed by RBS. He would have understand that independence would have required Scotland to make a clean break in terms of currency and financial institutions. There is probably another reason why Salmond was investigated. I could speculate but in the absence of evidence it would be unfair to Salmond to do so.
“In Cuba, the need to access black markets in food to feed your family makes every Cuban a ‘criminal’ and leaves the state with the choice of whether or not to convict”
Complete bollocks. Best not to blindly believe every crass allegation made by the desperately flailing Western regimes as they jettison the last of their credibility. Portraying various “enemy regimes” as deepest, darkest Stalinist throwbacks is a standard tactic and a rather amusing one considering the accusers are increasingly employing overtly totalitarian tactics themselves. Such as, wait for it, manufacturing sexual abuse/misconduct scandals to discredit and destroy whistleblowers who reveal to the public the crimes being committed by the state and its representatives.
I just knew that some nutter would leap in to defend the atrocious Communist regime in Cuba.
Have you visited Cuba, or just absorb the garbage written about it.
No food banks needed and no homeless either. Fantastic education and healthcare.
Not a perfect country , but given the Americans have been so kind as to sanction for years and demand other countries do too, its amazing.
“atrocious Communist regime in Cuba”
You’re the nutter.
Your true colors begin to show.
“He would have understand that independence would have required Scotland to make a clean break in terms of currency and financial institutions.” This is a very interesting use of language. I can’t think why you may have made such a linguistic blunder, are you a bot?
Smear Salmond, split the independence movement. It makes absolute sense, and it is the way the British state works.
They have done it all over the world and they are doing it here.
Put your trust in silver coins!
Of course, it is not only sex that is used. Corbyn and Anti-Semitism springs to mind. I presume it was thought that a sexual accusation wouldn’t work with him.
As others have said elsewhere, we need to know who leaked the existence of this investigation and the details of it. If it was either of the people named in your previous post, or people instructed by them then heads should definitely roll. An enquiry into the leaks should begin at once.
In terms of Leslie Evans Sturgeon may not want to lose her because replacing her would require the Scottish Office to find and interview candidates and present a shortlist while Brexit is reaching fever pitch. It ain’t happening. So for that reason alone I expect her to survive and is why she is distancing herself from Mackinnon, who is likely toast.
The question is, will her complaints procedure survive her? It’s a pity this did not proceed to full trial where that procedure would have been ruled on. All we have is a ruling that the procedure itself wasn’t followed. I would hope ScotGov would see the need for a new complaints procedure which will not be subject to legal challenge.
Does anyone know whether Evans proactively launched an inquiry into the leak to the Daily Record?
Does anyone know whether Nicola Sturgeon ordered Evans to launch an inquiry into the leak? If not why not?
Genuine questions. There must be some readers of this blog with an answer to those questions.
5 years ago I’d have probably filed this away in my brain as the rantings of another conspiracy nutter and gone back to voting Tory. That was until the Home Office decided to reject my wifes visa application and then turn up at the appeal court with “evidence” making us out to be serial liars.
Their evidence was a number of photocopied documents from the visa application centre, listing the documents we had provided. It even had my signature on. Not only was it a document I’d never seen in my life, it was also a document claiming we’d submitted documents I’d never had possession of. The only explanation I can come up with is someone at the Home Office fraudulently made the document and presented it as evidence. The Home Office when challenged could of course not produce any of the documents they claimed we submitted, and on which they based their entire case, because of a “storage error”, but won the case anyway as the judge decided to accept their word because they had “no reason to mislead”.
Now i’m the one people call a “conspiracy theorist” but i’ve learnt what lengths the state will go to for very minor people like me and my family.
I’m sorry for your ordeal but glad you have seen the light.
Would you have done so had this not happened to you?
This is why people don’t like Tories. They seem incapable of imaging what can go wrong in people’s lives until it (unforseen) happens to them.
This isn’t really an “I told you so”, but a request to try and get this through to your Tory voting analogues.
Sometimes, life happens in pretty negative ways through no fault of the passengers. It is therefore essential we provide adequate state protection for when this happens.
I hope you got everything sorted with your wife’s situation. I personally know the stress these applications cause.
Truth,as it was Labour that smeared Craig you would presumably recommend him to vote Tory, if he was still living in England, I presume.
Yes – we got sorted – but only because we had the funds to fight. Many don’t. I’d like to think I would have “seen the light”, but to be honest it was working with the support groups that help people with immigration laws on a day to day basis which opened my eyes to alternative media streams.
It’s only when you see the system at work do you realise it is not what you are being told and how the media manipulates tiny events to push an agenda. I believe a large number of tory voters truly believe they are doing the right thing, through no fault of their own. They just haven’t been exposed to the otherside and therefore know no different. The rest of us need to work out how to get the message across…
I’m glad, and that’s definitely fair comment.
Comfort zones and bubbles have a lot to answer for.
And thank you for taking my comment in the spirit it was intended.
You could start by encouraging them not to read the Telegraph / Sun / Daily Mail.
Roj Blake
Another example of actually-existing fascism.
I am very sorry Craig for what this ‘country’ and its operatives have done to you. It is amazing that you are still resolute and have not been broken.
One would think the UK Government should be more concerned and acting upon with putting their own ‘house in order’ before castigating others. Far easier to ruin others reputations though, I too know this as it was done to my father.
The Dermot Hassett referred to might be this one – a director of Aria Petroleum Ltd.
‘Nature of business (SIC)
06100 Extraction of crude petroleum – Trading of crude oil and refined petroleum products in the market of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Accounts data converted from US Dollar. Revenue = T/O.
https://companycheck.co.uk/company/08202996/ARIA-PETROLEUM-UK-LTD/companies-house-data
If so, shame on him.
Why “shame on him ” Sharp Ears ?
I googled the same person, Sharp Ears.
Safarov is famous name, btw.
Asgat Safarov was the Head of Ministry of Inner Affairs in Tatarstan. He says in his book “…my deep inner conviction: taking away someone else’s life, the criminal must pay with his own. And it is still very humane. Medieval cruelty had a logical explanation – if you can’t execute a murderer several times,if this is too easy a punishment – then his life must be ytaken away as painfully as possible – for the edification of everyone else.”
Medvedev dismissed him after Sergei Nazarov had died of torture.
Safarov has 2 daughters Diana (actress) and Elina (businesswoman and charity founder), Elina studied in London.
I know Tatarstan and Uzbekistan are at some distancee from each other ))) Just a name that came to mind.
There is a huge Tatar population in Uzbekistan. I had presumed she was Tatar. I should state that I attach no blame to either Ms Safarova or Mr Hassett. They were just dupes accepting apparently friendly advice on how to get the visa.
I understand, sure they are not organizers. I’m just curious who that young beauty could be.
there’s a photo of Diana Safarova.
http://www.sobaka.ru/uploads/20150711-IMG_3049-Edit.jpg
if Elina is as beautiful as Diana, so I can understand why she was chosen for sexual abuse accusation.
Just from curiosity, I did a search for “Albina Safarova”.
The image page is mostly captioned in Cyrillic, which I can’t read, but it displayed dozens of photos of the lovely Ms. Safarova– or a lovely Albina Safarova– in various glamorous, provocative poses.
I certainly accept your view that Ms. Safarova was at most in innocent dupe. Otherwise, I admit that my first reaction to the photos was that she looks ideal for a espionage “honeypot” role.
Ort, I’ve found Albina on Odnoklassniki. I think she may be that same person because of her year of birth, her Tashkent school, her living in London and a photo of friend Anna (a girl in that special cosume for auto racing, because Mr. Hassett has a lot of photoes of auto racing in his Facebook account).
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/01/the-uk-government-manufacture-of-false-sexual-allegations/comment-page-2/#comment-816145
Mr. Dermot Hasset is #40 here
https://www.facebook.com/182392465141889/posts/we-now-have-something-resembling-an-entry-list-for-tomorrows-rally-at-kirkistown/625979350783196/
in his Facebook account he has a photo signed “applegreenies”.
I’ve put ‘Dermot Hassett Applegreen’ in Google picture search
https://www.google.ru/search?q=dermot+hassett+applegreen&newwindow=1&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=oOINhDyigyUT4M%253A%252Cj-lMM_BcLogcDM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kSS3V_dAsKFKB4a8TQEwoOKiq2Khw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiW86mH2OHfAhWtiKYKHYzKCS0Q9QEwBHoECAYQBg#imgrc=IUiHY_sc3t6C6M:
I see picture #4 is from some Linkedin profile, there are signs ‘Orbis Tech’ on the wall and furniture. I know the name Orbis.
it seems like the same person?
Dermot Hassett at Facebook with Applegreenies and auto racing pictures
https://scontent-ams3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/44922935_10212461567149931_1546396931905814528_o.jpg?_nc_cat=103&_nc_ht=scontent-ams3-1.xx&oh=e3bdc1b7c570f2a5e08205e89572260a&oe=5CC81B62
and Dermot Hassett an IT specialist in Petrogas Group Ltd (Applegreen). Page # 17
http://investors.applegreenstores.com/~/media/Files/A/Applegreen-IR/documents/annual-reports/petrogas-group-annual-review-2010.pdf
Tatanya, that doesn’t work for me when I strip off the text that is personal to your browser, ie. everything after “applegreen”:
https://www.google.ru/search?q=dermot+hassett+applegreen
Could you post a link directly to the image please?
oh! I’m sorry! The picture is in Linkedin and I have no access to it, only preview in google pictures. i’ve copied the URL by right-button.
I’m sorry!
No apology necessary Tatanya! But those characters after the search string (after the “&”) affect search results, and they probably carry information about your browser or which pages you have visited recently.
I’ve saved the picture to my Google Disk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CTngavWzcQc7fKIctxLolzYcAiQ3yguh/view?usp=sharing
made a screenshot, hope it works
http://prntscr.com/m54iw1
Thanks Tatyana; both your links work. I have no idea if Orbis Tech is linked to Orbis Business Intelligence, nor what Applegreen has to do with Orbis Tech. But thanks for digging it up; maybe someone else will find something.
No bloody wonder you got ill.
Confronted with evidence like that, I think many people would question their own sanity.
J
Although not at your level, in a previous workplace of mine, a married woman made advances to me, which I rejected. Next thing I knew was that I was suspended and asked to attend a meeting in the office. Once there, I learned that FIVE female employees, including the married woman, had made allegations of sexual harassment against me. FIVE!! I was in shock too. The only thing I could think of to say was that if I was so busy harassing these women, then how did I find the time to do my work?
Of course, my position was untenable after that so I resigned but I learnt through that experience that sex has been weaponized to which no man has any real defence. The only thing you can do, is do nothing and just let events take their course.
I’m not saying that the sexual harassment of anybody doesn’t go on, but I’m deeply unsettled as to how easy it is to make these allegations, true or not because as you say, mud sticks.
Speaker Bercow is making up the rules on the fly. Allowing the Grieve, three working days, amendment to a business motion to stand while (allegedly) the Clerks rejected a counter amendment by Bone.
I can see what Bercow is up to and personally I have no objection. The real objectionable issue is May’s cynical attempts to run down the clock and force though her deal (with catastrophic consequences if she fails (not that her deal is significantly less catastrophic)).
The big problem will be the reaction of the pudgy, slaphead, white blokes outside. There will be blood on the streets!
There was a highly toxic atmosphere in the HoC. Five more days of it to come.
LIVE: MPs ‘hopping mad’ as row breaks out over Brexit vote
All the latest updates ahead of the first day’s debate on the final divorce deal, after May and Corbyn clashed at PMQs.
https://news.sky.com/story/live-brexit-deal-critics-trying-to-deny-reality-pms-deputy-11602548
They have moved on to a private member’s bill. The MP for Aldershot is proposing that the military’s activities are disentangled from human rights law.
Ten Minute Rule Motion
Armed Forces (Derogation from European Convention on Human Rights)
They return to Brexit again with Grieve’s amendment.
To be precise Bercow allowed a vote on the Grieves amendment. The fact it passed was due to the number of MPs who voted for it.
Whilst we discuss the ‘sex scandal’ and the ramifications of a ‘divided’ scottish government, pause and think over this.
‘Civil war’ in SNP surfaced a month or two ago; a host of people laughed it off,unsurprisingly.
Timing of these coordinated media reports suggest a deeper theme.
Subliminal messages can be hard to see at first.
We are nearing the point at which Scotland may be asked again to choose.
The civil war headline subtly suggests not just a messed up leadership issue at SNP government level, but plants the message associating independence with.. civil war.
So while we can laugh at this attempt to divide and rule, how many non independence supporters have a deeper fear brought to mind?
I smell SIU.
Remember, there are a number of NI ex military and government experienced people advising intelligence agencies.
They are using the connection to insinuate what could happen should a choice of our peoples here cause UK dissolution.
Oh behave! The situation is bad enough without throwing any more theories into the mix.
Integrity Initiative -The Guardian /Observer/ Carole Cadwalladr and the Nigeria elections 2015
The Integrity Initiative held a meeting in Nigeria with big names travelling (see below) with regards to the 2019 election and candidate support on the 15th March 2018.
On March the 21st 2018 the Guardian /Observer prints an article regarding Cambridge Analytica interference in the Nigerian election in 2015 quoting sources on the ground in Nigeria.
Yet another coincidence between the fake news and cambridge analytica debacle and the Integrity Initiative. I will list them again:
-Spanish Cluster of Integrity Iniciative heard by Fake News parliamentary Committee
-Bill Browder, UK CLuster heard by Fake News parliamentary Committee
-Victor Madeira , Senior Fellow Institute Statecraft /II – heard by Fake News parliamentary Committee
-The strange case of Mr Pikini and how Damian Collins could possibly know he was travelling to the UK and in which hotel he stayed
-CArole CAdwalladr speaks at an Integrity Initiative Conference
-Carole Cadwalladr / Byline Festival 27 November 2018 organise a seminar at Greenwood Theatre with Damian Collins,Bill Browder and David Lammy (Trump , Putin and the Great Brexit Robbery)
To put the Nigeria situation in context , the West was clearly supporting opposition candidate Buhari who ended up winning the election. The Upcoming election has a candidate supported by IFS -II Mr Donald Duke, former Governor of Cross Rivers State, Nigeria. Today , on her twitter feed she links the Nigeria situation to the Muller enquiry via another flaky NYT article fill of may be , could be , appears to , there is no proof, etc.
Quoting Muriel’s Wedding, “what a coincidence” …
———
21st March 2018
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/21/cambridge-analyticas-ruthless-bid-to-sway-the-vote-in-nigeria
“Seven individuals with close knowledge of the Nigeria campaign have described how Cambridge Analytica worked with people they believed were Israeli computer hackers.The sources – who spoke to the Observer over many months – said the company was looking for “kompromat” on Muhammadu Buhari – at the time, leader of the opposition. (…).
——————————————————————-
Integrity Initiative , Institute for Spacecraft Meeting 15 March 2018
(transcribed for those who cannot access files)
https://www.pdf-archive.com/2018/12/28/nigeria-round-table-15-03-2018/nigeria-round-table-15-03-2018.pdf
“-Institute for Statecraft Event Document:
Point person: Harold Elletson [email protected] 0049 151 1720 8817
Date/Time:
Thursday 15th March 2018 / 1530-1700 TBC
Location:
2 Temple Place; Board Room available?
Speaker/Principal Guest Details:
Donald Duke, former Governor of Cross Rivers State, Nigeria,
Event Details:
Round Table Discussion: Mr Duke is very likely to be a candidate in the next presidential elections in
Nigeria and is keen to discuss both the situation in West Africa, relations with Britain and Europe, and
wider political issues (eg terrorism, corruption, fraud etc).
Participation:
Fellows with an interest in the above matters; one or two representatives from the FCO / MoD. As fraud,
corruption and cyber-security are also issues of particular concern, anyone in HMG or related agencies
with an interest in these matters would be particularly welcome.
e.g. Phil Matthews, Euan Grant, Ian Cohen, Keith Sargent, SGMI/77 Bde, Richard White MOD, Roger
Golland, Yusuf Desai, Guy Spindler, Alistair Wood, others??? Parliament?
Equipment Needed:
TBC
Numbers expected:
TBC ? 20 (5 visitors + 15 IfS)
Dietary Requirements:
n/a
Printed Materials Required:
Attendee list; agenda
Statecraft staff needed for set-up:
Chris Donnelly, Guy Spindler, Dan Lafayeedney; others TBC
Follow up:
TBC
Security:
Strict. Distribution of details only to trusted individuals. “
Craig, why would the British government fabricate evidence against Salmond ? If it were Sturgeon it would seem more believable, and if it is so clearly a fabrication ,surely Nicola Sturgeon would have publicly backed him ?
You were obviously in a much more vulnerable position when you had fabricated evidence brought against you ,and had no influential supporters at the time or resources to defend yourself, but Salmond does, and if it is clear that UK Government has fabricated evidence it could spectacularly backfire, even bringing on Scottish independence.
I also do not agree that Salmond is a bigger fish than you. When you protested about the use of torture and rendition in Uzbekistan the government saw you as a very serious threat to it’s “war on terror” . In Particular the image conscious trendy liberal Blair and Straw did not want people to know that they were complicit in torture.
I can see why they tried to discredit you, but not Salmond.
Sturgeon offered no support because she would have suffered a serious backlash from feminists.
They tried to discredit Salmond because they were afraid of him and Nicola getting together for the next referendum.
Not only do they fabricate evidence, they conspire to hide real instances of abuse. Jim ‘the fixer’ Saville’s links to Prince Charles, Louis ‘uncle Dickie’ Mountbatten’s links to the Kincora boys home scandal and last but not least Thomas Hamilton, the perpetrator of the Dunblane school massacre. Hamilton’s motives are thought to be connected to a paedophile ring involving senior Scottish politicians and ranking members of Central Scotland Police. Ever wonder why significant amounts of evidence uncovered by Lord Cullens inquiry were placed under an unprecedented 100 year secrecy order?
For telling the truth about the destruction by weapons inspectors of Iraq’s WMD, stories appeared in the media about Scott Ritter.
@Tony: “stories appeared in the media about Scott Ritter.” It was much worse than that, Tony. I think it was David Albright’s false claims about Saddam’s WMDs, and complete lack of expertise to make such claims, that Ritter exposed. To punsih him for this, he was entrapped on a charge that boiled down to attempted cyber-sex (via an internet forum’s personal message facility & his laptop camera) with a policewoman pretending to be an under-age girl, and sent to penitentiary for it. But he’s back on the antiwar circuit undamaged it seems by the experience. He was a Marines Colonel, after all. Penitentiary didn’t destroy him as it does some.
Conversely, if your mum is the queen or you are a politician who brought home the bacon for big capital you can effectively do what you like.
https://jacobinmag.com/2017/10/bill-clinton-harvey-weinstein-sexual-assault
It happened to me as well, Mr Murray. Not in Government, but in IP Group plc, an LSE-listed private equity vehicle providing technology commercialisation- and investment services to UK HEIs.
In 2005, after some unpleasantness in an MI6 front company (subsequently taken over before new front companies were set up by the same folks), I wrote to an IP group subsidiary in Leeds seeking employment.
As a job interview I was asked, no less, for a 3 year corporate strategy presentation. The job I was applying for was not the CEO’s job….but the Board certainly took notice.
The woman running the show clearly did not want me but her boss seemed keener. At the time, I also wrote a spoof job application to take the BBC job now held by Barbara Slater. John Simpson will no doubt be able to tell you about the raucous enjoyment my creative Olympics engendered at Wood Lane. This was seen as scripting both a Tory-Libdem coalition, but also a reverse takeover of IP Group by its Leeds subsidiary. Neither of which were my overt intentions….which just shows you how words can be misinterpreted…
Anyway, after getting a three month interim post, it became clear they were going to task me with clearing out a veritable pile up of non-valuable caseload due to their emotional limitations in giving bad news to academics over the previous three years. This I took on with principled gusto and occasional political caution. Leeds University had plenty of Professional spies who bugged computers or had others do it for them…..and I did not have a trust fund to live off.
After 9 months, things were going rather well, other than the woman boss, who thought I was after her job (unlike her, I take on jobs I am ready for, as I am no bullshitter and no bully), bringing in a female trouble-maker as a 27 year old junior. Thst junior was constantly implying I had no future, no doubt tasked by my boss to do just that.
After another six months, I was informed that a complaint had been made by a female, but:
1. I would not be informed who made the complaint.
2. The nature of their complaint was not disclosed either.
3. The female boss and the female junior trouble-maker sat opposite me.
So this Scottish working-class only child from Dumfries, who could not work in a collegial manner despite having McKinsey & Company on her CV, was telling a 40 year old highly educated man that he had to answer non-specific charges alluding to sexual impropriety by an unknown plaintiff in front of an all-women panel, both of whom wanted him gone.
I am sure Alison Firlding will be happy to explain to a Select Committee how this represents HR best practice (as the perfect woman never, ever, deviated from perfection in any way, which is why criticising her is an ostracism offence) in handling a complaint.
In particular:
1. Why was a male not also on the inquisition panel?
2. Why were complaints not documented in writing?
3. How can anyone possibly answer any ridiculous charge of this opaque nature?
4. Why had she been carrying out electronic surveillance of her 40 year old PhD MBA-qualified colleague for over a year without his fully informed consent, without her being an unprincipled criminal unfit to hold any Directorship of any company in the UK?
She got her wish. I resigned without admitting anything. I had nothing to admit, but would you want to face a scumbag like that across your desk every day without wanting to pour a kettle of boiling water over her despicable, unprincipled bullying head?? I did not, I had absolute contempt for her but had to somehow keep everything inside me to remain in work…..
Sadly for her, her son was just like me at his age, something she could not face up to. That a creation from her own god-like perfection could be just like the man she loved to belittle and spy upon…..
Being a controlling OCD career woman with a submissive husband creates an atmosphere that boys and girls learn from….the daughter was hyper-competitive, the son, a quiet dutiful submissive little thing.
You reap what you sow, the bible says.
So do plenty of non-religious sardonic observers of human events…..
1. I would not be informed who made the complaint.
2. The nature of their complaint was not disclosed either.
My sympathies, and I too have been there. I figured out 1., and remain entirely in the dark about 2. I believe it wasn’t anything to do with harassment, because there was none, but was something just utterly trivial and stupid. Important enough to threaten to end my contract though, at which point I walked. And, alas yes, it was a female complainer, and a female boss who refused to even take a meeting with me. In fairness, she was probably clever enough to realize the meeting would go very badly indeed. For her, not me.
Amoral behavior isn’t just a male trait, for sure. Indeed, in the workplace, I rather think women are becoming even worse. I guess it gives them something to do, because more than a few of them don’t do any work anyway.
I know all about this and many other stories that prove the British establishment when threatened resort to any means to silence its detractors!
I am not surprised the events you detail occurred – especially since the smears emanated from Bliar acolytes. Oh .. I am shocked to the core …
They murdered Willie McRae thirtyfour years ago, false allegations and a compliant BBC together with a Unionist MSM are small potatoes to the Westminster establishment. Scotland’s struggle for Independence has a way to go yet.
I remember reading about this case some years ago, there is a summary of it here: https://www.scotsman.com/news/the-truth-about-activist-willie-mcrae-s-tragic-death-1-3738745
It seems not unreasonable, given the peculiar circumstances surrounding the case, to suspect that some massaging and slight of hand concerning the evidence involved has taken place. Whether this is by incompetence or design it deserves a proper enquiry, even at this late date.