Lady Dorrian in the High Court this morning described a position taken by the Scottish Parliament’s legal advisers, on the publication and inclusion of Geoff Aberdein’s and Alex Salmond’s evidence, as “an absurd interpretation of the court order”. She also stated that “The answer is for the committee to take a robust attitude to the question of publication and redaction. But this is not the place for that. It is not my job to tell them that.”
To recap briefly. The Fabiani Inquiry has all but collapsed as it has refused to publish or consider evidence from Geoff Aberdein and Alex Salmond. These are the most important pieces of evidence in the entire inquiry. The Committee has refused to accept them because the evidence names a person who made accusations against Alex Salmond, on which he was found not guilty.
Here is the important point. The evidence of Salmond and Aberdein being refused by the Committee has no relation at all to the accusations that person made against Alex Salmond. She is mentioned in a different role. As I have repeatedly tried to explain, the accusers come from a very small coterie close to Nicola Sturgeon. Those closest to Sturgeon were at the heart of the orchestration of the plot. The Committee which has been pretending to investigate, has been doing so on the basis that the protection of identities of complainers precludes it from hearing any evidence that refers to these people – even if it refers to other actions not connected to the accusation they made in court.
Geoff Aberdein’s evidence proves conclusively that Nicola Sturgeon lied to Parliament over when she first knew of the allegations about Alex Salmond, not just by the difference between her meeting with Aberdein on 29 March and her meeting with Salmond on 2 April, but by weeks, because it was Sturgeon’s office which had set up the meeting over three weeks earlier and the subject had been specified then. Aberdein’s evidence is not the whole story – actually Sturgeon initiated the whole effort to set Salmond up months earlier – but Aberdein’s evidence is the smoking gun that would force Sturgeon’s resignation for lying to Parliament.
So the SNP and Green majority Fabiani Committee has ruled that Aberdein’s evidence must be excluded, and it is being excluded at all costs. Their figleaf is legal advice that the Court Order precluding identifying individuals applies to identifying them in any circumstances, not just as accusers in the Salmond case – this is the interpretation that Lady Dorrian said in court was “absurd” (though it was put to her as a hypothetical interpretation, not with specific reference to the Aberdein evidence, though in the context of being able to publish that evidence.)
The Fabiani Committee is hiding behind its legal advice. The source of this advice is mysterious. There is a Solicitor to the Scottish Parliament, but my information is that this specific “absurd” advice actually comes at source from a large US commercial law firm. As legal advice so often is, especially advice from firms wanting their contract renewed next time, it is very friendly to what the client wants to hear.
Geoff Aberdein’s evidence is therefore excluded because somebody was involved in the discussion and organisation of the meetings with Nicola Sturgeon, who also later added her own accusations against Alex Salmond – something of which she made no mention at the time, as Geoff Aberdein testified at the Alex Salmond criminal trial. I always found it passing strange that someone would go through literally scores of meetings about the Salmond accusations before finally adding the claim that they had been sexually abused too, which claim the jury found against as with all the other accusations. What that manoeuvre did however obtain was the court order protection of her identity, and the Scottish government argument that it means all the actions of this person in her entire role in the plot may not be discussed.
Alex Salmond’s statement to the Hamilton Inquiry is excluded by the Fabiani Inquiry on precisely the same grounds. But this statement has been published, with just one paragraph redacted, by the Spectator magazine. This has led to the absurd situation where the Fabiani Inquiry is refusing to consider Salmond’s statement to the Hamilton Inquiry, causing him to withdraw from the Fabiani Inquiry, even though the Spectator has published the statement. The Committee is absurdly arguing that it would be illegal to publish it or consider this statement, even though the Spectator has published it without being prosecuted.
That is how we ended up in court today, with the Spectator asking Lady Dorrian to amend her court order to make clear that the publication and consideration of the Aberdein and Salmond evidence would not be in breach. Lady Dorrian has been highly resistant, taking the view that it is for the Committee to interpret the order, that is pretty plain, in a sensible way – while making perfectly clear that she finds the Committee’s strange interpretation somewhat baffling.
Just before lunch Lady Dorrian had suggested an amendment to the order to state that complainers must not be identified “as complainers in those proceedings”. She suggested that this would clear up any “misconception” that they might not be named in other contexts. As I write, the court has just concluded with all parties agreed on this.
Lady Dorrian’s amendment certainly should sweep out the legs from under the Committee’s ludicrous excuse for not publishing the Aberdein and Salmond evidence, and thus pave the way for Salmond to appear before the committee. But my intelligence from a committee member is that, whatever today’s ruling, the SNP members will continue to refuse to publish, and they are confident that their lawyers will be able to argue the Spectator case has increased the risk of jigsaw identification.
So the mad charade of an “Inquiry” continues. It is, I think, the most shameless cover-up that could possibly be imagined. Wings Over Scotland have listed some 60 separate instances of the Scottish Government directly obstructing the work of the Inquiry. What has changed in the last fortnight is the SNP members of the Inquiry are no longer feigning that they too are looking for the truth.
—————————————————–
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We live in frightening times in terms of the depths that ostensible liberals are now allowed to plumb in order to maintain power and silence dissenters. The SNP seems now to be outdoing even the Labour Right. In both cases absurd logic is cheered or covered up by craven MSM.
Liberals are fascists in cardigans. C19th liberalism presided over the British empire, the Irish and Highland famines and the death of an average of 1 million Indians a year from famine. C19th liberalism had three bastard children which are still alive, bourgeois liberalism, fascism and communism, three cheeks on the same statist arse.
Don’t tell Craig that, he’s often one for quoting 18/19c liberals who occupied their days strip mining the colonies and subjugating unfortunates whilst spending their evenings waxing lyrical about freedom of thought and equality. Now could anything BE more liberal than that?
Anyway, Craig is twice the man than most of the rest of us here are by standing up for humanity when sitting down could have been so much more profitable and facing very real threats
That’s how you can tell Craig came from lowly beginnings, he’s prepared to live by his ethical code rather than bang on about it publicly whilst being a complete bastard behind closed doors.
Indeed. It’s why Craig has a loyal following even the best among politicians are jealous of, he walked the walk.
John Stuart Mill (of his own free will) was a proto-crypto-fascist too.
Yes. Slavery also reached its maximum development during the golden age of liberalism and at the heart of the liberal world. The dingy realities of actually existing liberalism are never connected to the ideology.
Today’s report from the state broadcaster.
Alex Salmond ‘could still appear’ at inquiry committee
Published 3 hours ago
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-56027670
It brings to mind Scottish Sir Walter Scott’s poem Marmion.
Oh what a tangled web we weave
When first we practice to deceive,
…
It cannot end well can it? Sadly there is collateral damage on the way to innocents.
I am at a point where my weeks, if not days, are numbered, but seeing what happens next keeps me going. It’s like that “One Thousand and One Nights” where Scheherazade keeps us hooked from day to day.
The sanity of judge Lady Dorrian is cheering.
Scott’s point was that deception improves with practice.
On a lighter note, you could have added old white heterosexual Scottish male sir Walter Scott just to make it clearer :~) His analysis of the irrational Scottish psyche (the Covenanters) is well worth reading, and far from the romantic picture of his novels. « Tales of a grandfather » for example. He was one of those nationalists who believed the Union should protect Scotland (partly from the Scots themselves).
I am amused. I admire Mr. Murray a lot. But there seems to be a certain naivity as to the belief that the 3 branches of government are on the whole, just and fair, and that there are pockets of lies, corruption, censoring and propaganda.
It is the other way around, esteemed Mr. Murray. The three branches of government are utterly corrupt, they only spread lies and propaganda, en censor the truth.
You, Sir, are the pocket of just and fair….
Pragmatically, some degree of corruption is inevitable, but there is a huge difference in the harmful impact of that corruption, dependent on its degree. There is no solution preventing self-interest etc. from contaminating “properly constructed institutions”, but the constant work against the corruption has positive effect. There is a pragmatic and practical need for “naivety”.
It seems to me that the problem is one of scale.
Human beings are social animals that evolved to live in tribal groups. Our brains are only capable of properly “knowing” a limited number of people, estimates vary but around 150 individuals. Civilization forces us into the unnatural position of living in social groups much larger than this. We accept the authority of strangers because of their place within the economic, social and political structures we have invented to compensate for the limitations of our instinctive social capability. If we all knew [insert evil power-monger] personally, if we’d grown up with them, there would be no way they would be allowed to gain a position of power. The people who couldn’t be trusted wouldn’t be able to deceive their ways in to positions of trust, our experience of them would give us foreknowledge of their flaws.
Most people are good people, the problem isn’t that humankind is inevitably flawed. It’s that in the aberration that is civilization it’s those with the most profound of a narrow set of flaws that gain power. All this “self-interest” stuff is a lie drummed into us as children as a preemptive explanation for the ways we will be abused and exploited (and the ways we will abuse and exploit others) over the course of our lifetimes. Monsters prefer everyone to be a monster, they prefer dehumanizing structures, it makes them feel less abnormal.
Very interesting take. I translate it as; bad people will do worse things to get and keep power than good people.
Less an inquiry more an exercise in obfuscation.
Is Salmond still planning to hold a press conference if these restrictive conditions remain in place and important facts continue to be suppressed for what seems like party political reasons?
Reminiscent of New labour MPs’ behaviour, indeed, the whole political class of that time, closing ranks to protect Blair from the consequences of his catastrophic misjudgement that was his backing Bush’s bizarre, post 911 decision to go topple Saddam Hussein.
Write out 1000 times.
I do not accept the premise of your argument.
Nicola Sturgeon wants Alex Salmond to admit to something he didn’t do.
She must have a very overpowering psychological problem which demands he admits to something that never happened.
My first wife told me that by not staying at home and working from home, and going out to work, I was breaking the contract of our marriage. A statement that none of my family nor anybody else could believe anybody could be crazy enough to say, so they didn’t believe me.
It’s ok to be nuts, many people are at some times in their lives. But is it a good idea to rely on a deranged person’s evidence? Dame Cressida Dick decided that the accusations against Leon Brittain and others were credible, and her decision resulted in his prosecution.
Society is rightly biassed in favour of women’s judgement on women’s rights and sexual exploitation , so when they make a mistake, it becomes increased by their female credibility.
I think Nicola Sturgeon is relying almost solely on this society wide respect for women, to get her own way in the Salmond case. Feminism should not be used for political power , any more than patriarchy should.
Why did she say it was somewhat baffling? Why not simply say they are taking the piss out of the court and the people of Scotland?
When are the law and order professions in Scotland going to start doing the job they are paid for and start arresting and jailing these clearly criminally corrupt individuals?
John
Straight jackets and padded cells. The answer to your question is that the mental health facilities of the NHS are too full up, with Gove and his Tory wonks, taking back control… to lock up the FM and her wonks right now.
(Mods please delete forthwith if inapposite, thanks.)
On Twitter earlier today (12 Feb) Craig remarked: “Unless something happens this afternoon, that’s another week gone by with no judgement in my contempt of court case. The hearing lasted just 90 mins. By Monday it will be 19 days ago. Shadow of possible jail sentence, so delay in judgement is beginning to affect my mental health.”
———
I recently had a go at translating Audioslave’s ‘I am the Highway’ into Gaelic. While doing so, I began to wonder if some of the lyics might well resonate with Alex Salmond and with Craig. Not so much the “get on by myself” bit, I suppose — though (as many readers will know only too well) no matter the degree of sustaining solidarity, any experience of prolongued deep stress remains ultimately a very lonely journey through darkness. So Chris Cornell (1964—2017) therapeutically articulates here for us all some kind of transcendence over remorselessly hounding circumstance:
https://youtu.be/725iONdAu9Q
I AM THE HIGHWAY by Chris Cornell (Audioslave)
Pearls and swine bereft of me.
Long and weary my road has been.
I was lost in the cities, alone in the hills.
No sorrow or pity for leaving, I feel, yeah.
I am not your rolling wheels – I am the highway.
I am not your carpet ride – I am the sky.
Friends and liars don’t wait for me,
‘Cause I’ll get on all by myself.
I put millions of miles under my heels;
And still too close to you, I feel, yeah.
I am not your rolling wheels – I am the highway.
I am not your carpet ride – I am the sky.
I am not your blowing wind – I am the lightning.
I am not your autumn moon – I am the night…the night.
———
IS MIS’ AN RATHAD MÒR
(Bhon Bheurla aig Chris Cornell, Audioslave)
Neamhnaidean ’s mucan cuidhteas mi.
Fad is cianail mo thriall air bhith.
Bha mi caillt’ anns na bailtean, leam fhìn anns na cnuic.
Gun truas gam fàgail, caoidh idir nam chridh’.
Chan e mis’ do rothan luatha – is mis’ an rathad mòr.
Chan e mis’ do bhrat air sgiath – is mis’ an speur.
Càirdean ‘s breugairean, na bi feitheamh riums’.
Nì mi a’ chùis nam shlighe fhìn.
Chuir mi milleanan de mhìltean mar-thà fo mo shàil,
Ach fada ro fhaisg riut tha mi faireachdainn fhathast.
Chan e mis’ do rothan luatha – is mis’ an rathad mòr.
Chan e mis’ do bhrat air sgiath – is mis’ an speur.
Chan e mis’ do ghaoth a shèideas – is mis’ an dealan.
Chan e mis’ do ghealach fhoghair – is mis’ an oidhch’…an oidhch’.
Fearghas MacFhionnaigh
It’s very clear to me that Nicola Strurgeon having been unable to crack her mentor, is now seeking to crack Craig, by playing legal Kung Fu.
But she is the only person who is confu, very extremely confused. There is a co-ordinated conspiracy to pervert the course of justice by her refusal to respect the verdict of the court in the AS trial. She certainly does not “” relish “” the the prospect of giving evidence to the committee. She relishes the psychological power she can deploy against opponents through the mechanisms of her office.
As with Craig’s previous sufferings at the hands of Jack Straw and the FCO PTB the madness was entirely in the minds of the aggressors who attacked the sanity of Islam by means of rendition torture brainwashing.
We are in a vortex of insanity comparable to the insanity of the African Slave Trade, and that is far from resolved after 400 years of amelioration. The torture rendition of Muslims will in turn take hundreds of years to resolve.
What is perfectly obvious to me is that a person who is sanguine living under Hitler is not same. And by the same token a woman who is sanguine under the devolved authority of human torturers is also nuts.
Nil carburundum. Stiff upper lip. There are still 500 years to go before this crime against humanity will even begin to be ameliorated, if past experience of racist crime is anything to go by. Nobody will be able to say in 500 years time, why did everyone in Elizabethan 1 England condone African slavery after witnessing Craig’s stand against Elizabethan 2 England Torture rendition brainwashing. There were obviously people then who objected just as there are millions of people now about the War on Islam.
He declined the English Honours, retreated to the haven of Scotland and waged war against the abomination of English torture rendition loudly and continually for the rest of his God given days.
Thanks to wise poetic men this cold and windy morn, but what of the nil minus 0 chance of us being still here in 500 years?
I feel the same about this sly and grinding delay in a judgement that should have taken them no more than a week to chew over, whilst contemplating how to discouple themselves from their conspiring political masters and charge the lot with perverting the course of justice and perjury.
Time for learned wo/men and those few transients to roll up their sleaves and bring this cart full of rotten apples back on to the rails, to assist with an Independent Scotland by directing and weeding out those, who should be serving society, away from unionist mongering and, sadly, past the background echoes of nauseating royal hangers on.
It will take a very large broom, but I’m sure that there will be many now who had enough of the blather, handwringing and armtwisting to achieve it.
Sweet.
I suspect the verdict in Craig’s Trial will not be announced until after Nicola Sturgeon has delivered her sworn verbal evidence to the Salmond Inquiry Committee. Craig’s sworn affidavit is probably the reason for the delay. Stay strong and optimistic Craig.
Are you suggesting that the Judge in Mr Murray’s case will take account of this in reaching her verdict? That would be wholly inappropriate and either party to Mr Murray’s case would have a basis for appeal if the Judge in his case took account off extraneous sources in reaching her verdict. The decision must be based solely on the evidence heard by the Judge during the course of Mr Murray’s trial.
Stephen – Not at all. I believe the verdict in Craig’s Court case has already been reached, but sensibly the judges want the Salmond Inquiry submitted evidence to be all finished before publishing their verdict in Craig’s case. Any perceived ‘prejudice’ would surely be to the Inquiry? Just my opinion.
Paul Robeson, excerpt
I met my sister the other day
And gave her my right hand
As soon as ever my back was turned
She too scandalized my name
Now do you call that a sister?
No, no
You call that a sister?
No, no
You call that a sister?
No, no
Scandalize my name
On this day 13 February in 1692, agents of the UK Crown massacred the men, women and children of the Clan MacDonald who lived in Glen Coe, Scotland. This was before the Treaty of Union, so Scotland was still (officially) an independent state. However, Scotland was part of a United Kingdom monarchy and so under the influence of the UK Crown.
Scotland will never be truly independent or free of the evil and corruption of abuse of power for as long as Scotland is subject to the UK Crown, as we witness now under a corrupt devolution parliament, or indeed happened under an independent corrupt Scottish Parliament that was unaccountable to the people.
Independence must be real independence. Sovereignty of the people must be real and effective, so government and parliament is accountable to the people of Scotland. Our servants, not our rulers.
For as long as Scotland comes under the influence of the rule of the UK Crown, innocents will continue to face imprisonment under false charges or be murdered. History will continue to repeat itself if we do not learn from our history ( and our current affairs).
I doubt independence would change Sturgeon. She would probably seek to have even more people jailed on false charges.
In musing Scottish independence and not being one I did some historical fact finding.
You raise a point that occurred to me about the leadership of Scotland having always been linked to aristocracy, pretty much in an unbroken chain. Regardless of whichever King was in charge. The revolutionaries were also mostly ‘royal’.
I worry that in all thoughts on Indy I haven’t seen what the plan would be in independence?
Is some old Scottish Kings blood relative to be found and installed?
The answer obviously should be NO.
The auld Stewarts back again. I shall stand by and await the call.
Knock ‘em dead with that pen of yours Iain I’ve heard it’s mightier than my 3B pencil
The Scottish Justiciary, itself still mostly coming from privileged backgrounds, owes its continued protection and privileged position to the Treaty of Union, which I expect they would wish to maintain. Does this not imply they will tend to support the union, and view independence their enemy?
If so, does this make its decisions reflect a somewhat colonial justice system, in seeking to protect the union and treaty which enshrines its privilege?
Thay bide in oor ain auld pairlament tae, which rather reflects their implied status, as rulers of the law in Scotland.
Proximity is probably of more significance than any linkage to the Crown ?
The Scottish ascendency were mixing with that of the English pretty much as soon as the Normans got their feet planted. inter marriage between neighbouring ruling classes predates the coming of Henry VIII’s grand nephew by centuries.
A constitutional election of a head of state for largely ceremonial purposes for a fixed term of say 1 or 2 years would be fairer and allow a greater number of character’s to represent Scotland.
The DoE, Princess Royal and their ‘family’ can stay as English as they want. They may even be allowed to keep their castles and just some of the land – the rest is Scotland’s property as is all the commercial rights of the land and sea.
But you’d need a constitution agreed saying as much first.
Anyone working on it?
Meantime it seems that there is a move to throw some scapegoats at the current constitutional crisis – the old lasseMajeste rule by owned actors of artificial state structures being resisted rather than blindly obeyed.
Some of these convinced to make up lies with ‘guarantees’ of immunity should be getting worried.
For Ms Sturgeon. I believe she is this height.
Five Foot Two – Dixieland Crackerjacks in Portugal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSc1bhcYrpk
But can the evidence be published now? You’ve stated that one of the accusers “is mentioned in a different role” so anyone that now reads the evidence knows that at least one of the people named in it is an accuser.
I’m confused. You said the advice was “from a large US commercial law firm” but the contract award notice names only Brodies and Anderson Strathern. Hardly large US firms.
I had the same thought. Besides wasn’t that Pds51,150 figure supposed to be the amount spent coaching witnesses to the Inquiry? Also that amount seems oddly specific – it rather suggests the contract was signed after the service was already delivered.
“a large US commercial law firm” I have also checked the link which lists only Brodies and Anderson Strathern. The US law firm intrigues me, as the Lord Advocates wife Lady Sarah Wolffe -a Judge of the Court of Session is originally American.
This is how I feel Craig is fighting the tide of suppression and collusion, a small video from Finnland
https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/pandemic-paradise-video-aus-finnland-mensch-vs-eisscholle-a-eed1a12c-eaf4-4604-a966-7c6b4db59b12#
Anything interesting penciled in on the Sunday Papers yet?
Them stringing this out is a typical bureaucratic insolence Craig; you’ll have the last laugh.
So much for all those ‘Democrats’ who, upon owning the presidency and congress, will fail to be materially different to Trump, except for delivering the ‘Domestic Terror’ bill and involving the world in more interminable wars. Although to be fair, we’ll all feel much better about doing less than nothing on climate when it comes from the DNC rather than the GOP.
All those who are about to die in the coming American wars should feel comforted that their death serves a kinder, gentler fascism.
Republicofscotland
February 13, 2021 at 17:34
“POTUS Joe Biden has instructed the DOJ to appeal against Magistrate Vanessa Baraitser decision on Assange, in an attempt to have Assange extradited to the USA.”
So much for all those ‘Democrats’ who, upon owning the presidency and congress, will fail to be materially different to Trump, except for delivering a ‘Domestic Terror’ bill and involving the world in even more interminable wars. Although to be fair, we’ll definitely all feel much better about doing less than nothing on climate when it comes from the DNC rather than the GOP.
All those who are about to die in the coming American wars should feel comforted that their death, however brutal, unnecessary or pointless, serves a kinder, gentler fascism.
“If wars can be started by lies, peace can be started by truth.” – Populations in this world have an image burned into their hearts of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter firing on unarmed civilians in Baghdad. At least 18 civilians were killed, including two Reuters reporters and a man who came to rescue the wounded. Two children were injured. A U.S. Army tank drove over one of the bodies, cutting it in half. The video contained evidence of three separate war crimes prohibited by the Geneva Conventions and the U.S. Army Field Manual.
Assange is the one being made to take the fall for that. Just as they want Craig to take the fall for the sinister Salmond stitch up.
Quite right too in the eyes of liberal media.
Told you, liberals are wolves in wolves’ clothing.
Craig Murray,
: ” It is, I think, the most shameless cover-up that could possibly be imagined.”
Indeed the establishment is not always quite efficient – but this would not be the first, nor likely to be the last, time.
Welcome to the real world – such as it is.
I see that BBC News is contributing to the undermining of the enquiry;
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-56028750
Again, the accuser cannot be named, so this could as easily be totally made up as it could be genuine.
How did BBC know who to interview, if all this is being kept so secret? What made them believe this woman’s claim that she was one of Salmond’s accusers?
If all of this is an open secret among insiders in Edinburgh, what’s the point of continuing to keep it secret?
This is evidence in plain sight of the subliminal, subjective and prejudicial attempt by the BBC and those that govern it, to recapitulate the liability of Alex Salmond despite the courts exoneration on all charges against him.
This gross discrimination and unfairness demands a public revolt considering it is our license fee that contributes to the functional and permanent extent the BBC enjoys.
“Alex Salmond accuser: Inquiry ‘trauma’ worse than trial”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-56028750
Blimey, you’re pompous: “recapitulate the liability”! A little too pompous I’d suggest; what did you actually mean to say at “… contributes to the functional and permanent extent the BBC enjoys”?
I take your point of course, although instead of your slightly silly clarion call to such putative revolt I’d rather more seriously suggest you take direct action of another, appropriate kind; you can quite easily (and entirely plausibly) make a small step yourself by cancelling your direct debit and stop paying for a TV licence. Today.
I hope someone somewhere is putting together a legal case against the BBC.
Because, if that person were competent enough – it would be a protracted exercise – they could make a very strong case with a very high chance of success given the mounting volumes of evidence.
You would, of course, require a straight judge as well.
This morning I read on BBC Scotland that one of the complainants in the Alex Salmond trial had made a statement to BBC Scotland political editor Glenn Campbell .Of course as usual the article is headed The Alex Salmond Inquiry whereas the inquiry is actually about the Scottish Government.
It should read – The Holyrood inquiry into the Scottish Government’s handling of complaints against Alex Salmond.
Why was this lady allowed to make a statement to the BBC anonymously during 2 enquiries and a court case and why is Alex Salmond’s name used next to the word ”inquiry” when the focus of the inquiry is not him?
It really should be called the “Fabiana Inquiry”
And how did the genius reporter verify her identity? Or could it be he was fed an ‘exclusive’, and who would have done that, and for what reason? They are very determined to keep the pot boiling about the so-called victims and the implicit ‘guilt’ of AS. Diverts attention from the purpose of the actual inquiry, and the scandal of how it is being gerrymandered.
Current head honcho BBC Scotland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Carson
I see he sat on the BBC Magic Roundabout previously.
‘Mr Carson and Ms O’Callaghan met after he became a producer on BBC’s ‘Newsnight’ in 1994, where she was employed as an Ireland correspondent.’
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/miriams-husband-takes-reins-of-current-affairs-26795894.html
It is called ‘keeping it in the family’.
Would this affect Craig’s trial?
BBC policy-
8.2.18 Any proposal to interview a witness about their evidence once court proceedings are under way, must be referred to Programme Legal Advice and Editorial Policy.
As this was a recorded interview – was this done? How would they have justified it?
Another outrageous attempt by the BBC to twist the facts to make it sound as if AS is the matter of this inquiry, what a s..t show and so typical. Putting Potts on to the board can only bring this propaganda mouthpiece closer to Goebbels ministry.
Closer ?
Its worse than that, Goebbels still had to tell editors what the line was, the BBC on the other hand are able to set agendas rather than simply follow 🙂
BBC = HMGTV, the dog that doesn’t bark.
It was called Nipper.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nipper
The Glenn Campbell interview with one of Alex Salmonds accusers on the BBC, did not give any insight in to how exactly the WattsApp group came in to being.
Ladies who lunch groups are assembled by private invites done on an exclusive invitation only basis. But how do Ladies who WattsApp groups come to be founded? I’m dying to find out how the Ladies who WattsApped in this case came to found such a secret sororial pact.
Sadly this sterling piece of investigative journalism doesn’t provide any insight on the mystery…_
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-56028750
The Security State is in a dilemma. Its main priority is to prevent the break up of the UK. Till now it had infiltrated the SNP (as it did the IRA). The AS Conspirecy has turned out to have unintended blowback consequences on many fronts. The Scottish Judiciary, Police Scotland and Scottish MSM have been exposed as being corrupted and politisesed. There is no Separation of Powers. So what to do ? Ditch NS for another pair of safe hands or brazen it out ?
I also wonder how many of Craig’s readership still pay the BBC licence fee ?!
Not Me Wikikettle…I don’t even have access to bbC, I only have Broadband.. But I still keep getting letters from the evil Bstds.. like this week..threatening an investigation…Straight into the bin.
I hope AS Sues bbC for defamation..
Brian Fujisan. Indeed, AS will have many papers along with the BBC to sue. Many will support any crowd funding, just as Craig can rely on us. If the Judicary wont prosecute for perjury, then let the writs fly.
Not on your Nellie….;O)
3 years now.
The BBC raking over the embers to re-ignite the political fit-up of Alex Salmond introduces a counter-accusation of political interference in a straight forward rape case.
That is chutzpah on the part of the failed plot against Alex Salmond team. You can’t talk about us, but because we have political links to the heart of UK intelligence services at the BBC, we can use the most influential propagandist in the country to talk about you. Navalny’s getting the same girl-power propaganda.
It is so obviously a integrity initiative template, one wonders when Nicola Sturgeon will do a Trump populist stunt, you know these men, you can grab them by the balls and they love it.
I don’t have access to the BBC, you don’t have access to the BBC, but the BBC is a pure asset of the British Intelligence services. Nuff said
In the vulgar world of freemasonry, men have always been required to inappropriate acts like David Cameron’s placing a pork sword in a corpse. A logical explanation of Nicola Sturgeon’s co-ordinate attack on her mentor Salmond would be that she is required by the vulgar world of Freemasonry to perform an act of treachery in order to be initiated into vulgar priveledges of power.
After all , nobody cares who runs things , so long as the figurehead is being run , themselves , by the vulgar mafia of secret groups. In the world of espionage you have to betray your own kind as a test of your loyalty to your employer. The rewards of treachery are Faustian worldly success, followed of course by eternal damnation.
But psychos don’t worry about that.
Chit-Chat within the Military intelligence hierarchy (absolutely) and MI5 (speculative) are directing the SNP and others through their assets to continue with publishing legislation setting out the timetable and question of a potential albeit quiescent second Scottish independence referendum within weeks of winning a majority in May’s Holyrood elections.
Aside from a U.K. agreement with the U.S. to “buy time” and maintain its Trident submarine base at Faslane on the west coast of Scotland, negotiations between the UK Space Agency, NASA and multinational arms companies, including Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Leonardo, Raytheon and Chemring are moving to create Scottish spaceports to launch spy satellites from the A’Mhoine peninsula on the north coast of Sutherland and on Unst, the most northerly of the Shetland Islands.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/18700583.ministry-defence-eyeing-scottish-spaceports-spy-satellites/
mark golding, logical, that you have a horse in each race. All the Americans want, is the ability to have bases in the UK or in an “Independent” Scotland. While the UK wants to retain its permanant seat in the UN. Craig, AS and Jullian are David’s, facing Golioth not with slings but simple truths.
Just reading the Pete Wishart amusing ding-dong that erupted on Twitter it ends with him skulking off and threatening to block everyone who is against anonymity being used as a ‘licence to smear.
Someone should’ve put that Gore Vidal quote to him: I’m not a conspiracy theorist – I’m a conspiracy analyst.
Wishart just hopelessly inept and well short of what it takes. Dumber and dumber still.
Wishart’s one of these people who believe conspiracies are impossible, despite well-documented examples, and all evidence to the contrary . I’m prone to seeing potential conspiracies everywhere, I’m probably often wrong, but quite willing to accept that if proven so with evidence.
Last year Pete Wishart said this : “We should ask EU to sanction indyref2 if Tories refuse”
Remember this story:
Edward Snowden described his involvement in a CIA plan to recruit a Swiss banker.
CIA operatives were attempting to recruit a Swiss banker to obtain secret banking information. Snowden said they achieved this by purposely getting the banker drunk and encouraging him to drive home in his car. When the banker was arrested for drunk driving, the undercover agent seeking to befriend him offered to help…
“Much of what I saw in Geneva really disillusioned me about how my government functions and what its impact is in the world,” he [Snowden] says. “I realised that I was part of something that was doing far more harm than good.”
———
Reading this today:
The EU is poised to lift a threat to shut off the flow of vital security and business data because of Brexit, in a major boost for Boris Johnson. -Independent today.
For some context : A year ago, the European Parliament adopted a resolution stating the UK’s legal framework for data protection “does not currently meet the conditions for adequacy”.
But Vera Jourova, EU vice-president for values and transparency, struck a different note, saying the UK had a head start compared with other third countries with systems “rather distant” from the bloc’s.
**Wiki – In October 2006, Jourová was accused of accepting a 2 million Kč bribe from Ladislav Péťa, mayor of Budišov, South Moravia, for securing EU subsidies to the reconstruction of the Budišov Chateau. Although she was fully exonerated, she spent more than a month in pre-trial detention, which “brought divorce and anguish to her family”. Her prosecution was halted in mid-2008, when the police came forward and said that the bribery had never happened?!?
Values and transparency, eh?
————
Off topic , but the EU probably needs its own intelligence apparatus, or there is certainly a risk that unscrupulous, well-resourced agencies will fill the EU’s top positions – just as they’ve meddled in European (esp. eastern) govts and in S. America in the past. The incredible pro-Nato bias and overwhelming anti-Russia sentiment expressed in the European parliament recently with calls for more sanctions; sentiment that is in no way reflected in the European electorate, seemed strange and sinister too. Why do people assume politicians are all acting upon their own initiative? Something rotten about this current EU.
So much justified cynicism about politicians : their hidden motivations, their lies and their corruption. I’m at the point of thinking we’d probably be better governed by incorruptible AI.
Power over others attracts the wrong people, like moth to a flame.
That sounds Elon Musk-esque, futuristic utopian fantasy stuff – machine intelligence surpassing human intelligence is certainly decades away – if it ever allowed to happen?
But there’s one thing for sure; AI concerned only with the reaching consensus and making the best decisions for society it serves, wouldn’t spend its time plotting to fit up a former party leader.
“we’d probably be better governed by incorruptible AI”
How would we know if its incorruptable?
@JC
How would we know if it’s incorruptible?
The way it’d work : AI would model ‘best outcome’ then offer best advice; taking into account historical precedent and best practice elsewhere, any suggestion(s) would be put to the public confirmation vote – a form of direct democracy.
It’s decades away but cutting out the corrupt middlemen and women (politicians) I’d wager will be the future. Fallible politicians with all their vices : nepotism; corruption, secret agendas, distrustful of their own populations(mass surveillance) who elect these rogues, all vanquished, by AI and the power of the people in the form of direct democracy. It’s a fusion of powerful AI and direct democracy, resulting in good government.
AI’s role would be merely advisory, ultimately, the population collectively would have the final say in making the big decisions.
Those who think this sounds utterly bonkers. Ask yourself, what would AI have recommended vis-à-vis the early covid lockdown that Johnson and co rejected, and do think we’d have 120,000+ deaths, worst in Europe, if we’d acted on sensible advice?
The EU Commission, Council and parliament make the EU’s laws. So any outside interference is therefore concerning. Any new EU intel apparatus they set up could have a very narrow remit, to prevent overreach; namely, investigating and preventing corruption of EU officials and politicians(MEPs)by non-EU intel agencies. It was Henry Kissinger who said — ‘America has no permanent friends or enemies, only interests’
Given the recent display in the European parliament of vehement anti-Russian sentiment by so many MEPs, it looks like someone has been very busy. The SNP’s unconditional support for the EU is therefore concerning.
The recent resolution put before the European Parliament to increase sanctions on Russia, was adopted with 581 votes in favour, 50 against and 44 abstentions.
That seems extraordinarily high support to me. MEPs also demanded work to complete the Nord Stream 2 pipeline must be stopped immediately. How did they get a European parliament so in lockstep with the US?
The monee….
It’s why many on the left and/or pacifists really struggle to support the EU – the EU isn’t anything like as progressive as some people imagine.
The idea of many European nations cooperating to create a better Europe and world is a fantastic idea. And the EU could be the enlightened voice of reason in the world: pursuing peaceful resolution of conflicts; defending human rights and justice. However, it appears captured by those loyal to the US and risks becoming just an echo chamber of US economic doctrines, and foreign policy.
Hard not to reach the conclusion the the democratically elected European Parliament is just providing democratic cover for that which is fundamentally anti-democratic when you look at the Commission. I doubt people pay much attention to who and their MEP is, and what views they hold. But this vote on Russia shows they should.
How on earth can aping US policy and boxing Russia into a corner, pushing it closer to China(also now in the west’s bad books). How can that be sensible for Europe? Because if a future war is fought it won’t be fought in the US, it’ll be fought in Europe probably reducing Europe to a smouldering heap.
Kissinger was plagarising Lord Palmerston. “We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.”
speech, House of Commons, 1 March 1848
” the EU probably needs its own intelligence apparatus, or there is certainly a risk that unscrupulous, well-resourced agencies will fill the EU’s top positions”
Except that those agencies will fill the top positions in the intelligence apparatus as well. Looks like a tool for keeping the EU in line.
You look at many of the EU’s top officials and quite a few have been involved in domestic scandals that would rule ordinary mortals out of contention for further promotion.
Christine Lagarde, current President of the European Central Bank, while head of the IMF, was found guilty of negligence in approving a massive payout of €400m to controversial French businessman Bernard Tapie but avoided a jail sentence.
Is one of the complainants called Pergie McPergeface?
He’s not known as Wet Pishfart for nothing.
On the topic. Our Craigie Boy is awaiting his fate for “Jigsaw Identification” of the Alphabetties.
The Nicola Murrell party said they couldn’t publish unredacted documents due to one of the names being an Alphabetty, even though it was just mentioning her doing her normal job (of lying for the FM).
Now they say they can’t publish the unredacted documents as everyone will know that the woman is one of the perjurers.
But, if they remove any mention of her from public life there is a fairly obvious hole into which only one person will fit.
Either way they have done more to identify the lying, perjuring, conspiring slattern than anyone not called Daniel Gravel.
Which just goes to show. It also proves that the whole idea of Jigsaw identification is a total piece of nonsense and clearly against any normal rules of natural justice. Not that they ever really existed.
I think that should be Perjie McPerjface.
Unsurprisingly vapid piece from The Canary:
https://www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2021/02/14/salmond-accuser-feels-let-down-by-scottish-government-and-exploited-by-holyrood-inquiry/
Good piece on Consortium News:
https://consortiumnews.com/2021/02/08/scottish-politics-in-crisis-as-craig-murray-testifies-on-plot-against-alex-salmond/
Robert Parry (Founder of Consortium News). There was a brave man. He must have endured considerable pain. Pancreatic cancer is particularly nasty.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Parry_(journalist)
At least he was honoured by being awarded the Martha Gellhorn Prize.
His son, Nat, wrote –
https://consortiumnews.com/2018/01/28/robert-parrys-legacy-and-the-future-of-consortiumnews/
I came across this interesting article when looking for the above –
ARTICLE: MORE THAN A GAME. CRAIG MURRAY BLOWS THE WHISTLE ON BRITISH INDIA,
BY Simon Hewitt 06/01/2017
https://www.russianartandculture.com/article-more-than-a-game-graig-murray-blows-the-whistle-on-british-india-by-simon-hewitt/
Mary thanks especially for that last link – what a great rollicking read in its own right. More than just a review. A lot more history as well. Worth a read.
Has Mr Hewitt not heard of paragraphs and that he isn’t the subject of his report?
Totally agree Josh R, in it being a, ” Good read “, in the Consortium News, and useful to pass on to others as well. Thanks for link.
It would seem you are also a malicious prosecution.
Now a malicuous arrest – with the arrest ON CAMERA.
Whistleblowers are allowed copies of data – ruins a good script in interview does that relevation.
Smart cops stop and dont read on thier preprepared script – bad ones walk into the trap.
who would be that stupid – keystone cops. (Police Scotland) no less. Get in touch. asap.
Cant wait to hear more of this.!!
Good innit!?
The interviewer on BBC Scotland ‘s clip is constantly leading the interviewee alphabeta towards the theme of her being a victim , a victim of the trial, a victim of the inquiry and a victim of the SNP’s politics.
That’s pretty standard “””” investigative “””” – otherwise known as integrity initiative – journalism, like the re-re-re-vamped concept of James Le Mesurier and the White Al Qaida Helmets.
A genuine witness doesn’t need leading at every stage of an interview, nor do they need the somewhat loudly sweeping of the strings of an overanxious male .
Dressed in black, the interviewee reminded me of the PM and Pritti Patel striding put in front of the cameras to weep crocodile tears about the last planned Islamist attack before covid, which MI5 have now admitted they premeditated .
The only thing that has died in British politics … is … sadly … Truth. Not much point mourning for that.
We have the BBC hyperdrama soap Alexandra Salmonella as a saccharine substitute.
So now the BBC is openly undermining the rule of law.
Tom Welsh
Sink holes appearing under Theresa May , Jeremy Corbyn and Alex Salmond. If the BBC refused to comply, soon be a sink-hole under the BBC itself.