Firstly I do promise that very shortly I shall get back to blogging about things that are not me. But it has been a wild week. I received intimation I had been found in contempt of court, my blog was taken down, I stood for internal election as an Action for Independence (AFI) candidate for the elections, I received the formal judgement on Contempt, I instructed lawyers to appeal, I was elected top of the list for the Lothians for AFI and my candidature announced with a real chance of being elected to the Scottish parliament, my blog was reinstated, Alex Salmond launched his political comeback with a new political party, Alba, and I along with all AFI candidates stood down from the election. All of that happened in five days.
So where do I begin? Well firstly, the blog is back but you will find that the historic articles which gave details of Alex Salmond’s defence in his acquittal at the High Court of Edinburgh have all been removed by order of the court, as potentially identifying complainants. This is I believe a great shame. This blog was literally the only source that bothered to publish the defence case, and the third party evidence of eye witnesses which showed that several of the accusers were actively lying. It is my genuine belief that, were if not for my blog, there would be no measurable proportion of the population that knows WHY the jury acquitted Alex Salmond, and the Scottish Government narrative, heavily promoted by the mainstream media, that this was some sort of erroneous jury verdict, would be entirely unchallenged in public consciousness. As it is, I was only able to inform an active but important minority about the evidence of defence witnesses. That evidence is now removed from this site.
I was found not in contempt on publishing material likely to influence the jury, and on reporting the exclusion of a juror. The finding against me on jigsaw identification was based on this argument:
It also depended on the notion that identification does not need to be to the public, but can be to a single individual with specialist knowledge, eg a workmate. If this is a true statement of the law, then it is reasonable to argue that I am indeed in contempt as “likely” to identify in that sense. The problem is that a great many other journalists and publishers would also have been in contempt under this very strict construction, and we then have politically motivated selectivity of prosecution. It would also be virtually impossible to ever report defence evidence in a case.
You can read the full judgement here. It is particularly scathing of my affidavits and say that they include “hearsay and gossip”. It is true they do include gossip, but it is clearly identified as gossip. The status of source for all information is clearly identified, and on that I have this point to make.
If as described in my affidavit a first hand source tells me of a meeting they were at, which discussed how to ruin Alex Salmond’s career by adding sufficient charges against him to ensure at least one would stick, that is an eye witness journalistic source. If you can stand up that they really do have access to such meetings, it is very good, direct source, eye witness information for a journalist.
If there were subsequently a trial of Nicola Sturgeon for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, my evidence would be worthless. It would indeed be hearsay. The eye-witness was my informant. I am just a journalist with a source.
But my affidavit was not given in a trial of Nicola Sturgeon. It is given in my own hearing for contempt. The purpose of my affidavits is to explain precisely my state of knowledge at the time of writing various articles, how I came by that knowledge, and what my intentions therefore were in publishing. This is fundamentally misconstrued by the judgement, and in a peculiarly pejorative way.
Anyway, that is for appeal. My sentencing hearing is on 7 May. It is quite possible that any appeal will require to be conducted from prison, which is a little dispiriting. But as my late mother always used to say as disaster rather frequently buffeted our small family: “Oh well, it’s all part of life’s rich pageant”.
To understand the coming and going of Independence fringe parties this last week, you have to understand the D’Hondt system under which Scottish parliamentary elections are conducted.
The Holyrood electoral system has two layers and the voter gets two ballot papers, a constituency ballot and a list ballot. The constituency ballot works on the simple Westminster “first past the post system” with which most readers will be familiar.
The second ballot is for a regional list. The purpose of the regional list is to provide an element of proportionality to the result. On the regional ballot you vote for a party. The votes for that party are downweighted according to how many MPs they elected in the constituencies. So for example in Glasgow, where the SNP won all constituency seats, the SNP votes were so downweighted on the second ballot it was impossible for them to win any of the regional seats.
In Lothians, where I am, at the last election the SNP won a majority of the constituencies and that also provided sufficient downweighting for them to get no regional list seats. By contrast, as the Tories, Greens and Labour win very few or no constituencies, almost all their fairly large blocks of Members of the Scottish Parliament are from the regional list.
In the last Holyrood elections in 2016, in six of the eight Scottish regions, the SNP won so many constituencies that over 850,000 SNP regional list votes were so downweighted, they were entirely wasted and elected nobody at all. With every opinion poll showing the SNP well over 20% ahead of the next party i constituency voting intentions, there is no doubt this massive waste of SNP list votes will repeat this year.
I hope that is clear?
Now the D’Hondt system in Scotland allows for parties that are list only parties. As these will have no constituency wins, none of their regional list votes will be downweighted at all. As there are several party list seats in each region available, allocated according to the proportion of votes cast for each party after after downweighting, a list only party has the advantage that it will in most regions only need in practice 5 to 6 per cent of the vote to start electing MSPs. The attraction of a pro-Independence list party is obvious, in that only a small minority of SNP voters need to divert their otherwise wasted regional list votes to an Indy list party, in order to start increasing the Independence vote in parliament and reducing the number of list MSPs from the unionist parties.
This tactic is however opposed with great vehemence by the SNP, who are nothing if not fiercely self-interested. It is also frankly rather difficult to explain to the average voter, because it is both complex and counter-intuitive. A second ballot paper that penalises parties for success on the first is a strange concept.
Personally I detest D’Hondt. It was forced on Scotland because of Tony Blair’s fears that the much simpler STV proportional system would prove popular and eventually spread to Westminster. STV also gives far more power to the elector, and far less to parties. Under STV you can rank your favourite candidates within a party, rather than have the party list ranking shoved on you, and under STV you can just prioritise the best candidates across party lines. Party managers hate that idea. And you only have to deal with one ballot paper.
Anyway, we have D’Hondt, which party power managers love because it gives the parties power to both choose the constituency candidate and to fix the ranking of their candidates on the party list.
Had I stood in this election, it is not at all improbable that a result like the 5% I obtained as an independent anti-war candidate in 2005 against Jack Straw in Blackburn would have got me elected to Holyrood for AFI. For those who support Scottish Independence, the case for a good list party is unanswerable, and Alex Salmond’s leadership is what is required to push it over the 10% number that would probably equate to a dozen MSPs, rising rapidly thereafter. I should say that I was very much looking forward to the campaign and while I am sure my standing down for Alba is the best thing for Scotland, I won’t pretend I am not a bit down about it on a purely personal level.
I should finish with my own belief that this initiative is essential because I remain firmly of the view that Nicola Sturgeon has no real intention to risk her career and position by a genuine tilt at Scottish Independence. The existence of a represented opposition party to the SNP that really does want to achieve Independence, rather than just exploit the concept for votes and enjoy the gratifications of colonial administration, is absolutely essential to Scotland.
There are still many very good people in the SNP. But their claim that this time, if we elect them to well-paid positions, they will actually do something about a new Independence referendum, is unconvincing. We have heard it again and again. In five years time, we may find they have vanished from their apparently dominant position, as swiftly as Ireland’s Redmondites, and for the same reason.
I was delighted to hear Alex state clearly yesterday that a referendum is one route to Independence, but it is not the only one, and it is the Scottish parliament which reflects the sovereign will of the Scottish people. That has passed unremarked amid the media brouhaha: it may prove a historic moment.
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Tommy Sheridan joins the ALBA party.
Or as the Herald so delicately puts it: “Convicted perjurer Tommy Sheridan has announced he had joined Alex Salmond’s new Alba Party.”
Looks likes the Establishment have stitched you right up…again.
Hope the appeal goes well…
7 hour dog walk and then this beautiful blog. What a week. How selfless and spirited is our host? A true human. I’m tripling my monthly. Let’s put wings upon this vessel of light. Propel justice and truth to the shores of the law. *burp*. Without comedy we would go mad, without love we would be fucked.
Let justice be done though the heavens fall.
It seems to me that jigsaw identification is in the eye of the beholder. The law must be objective. My guess is that in Scotland anyone who was interested to know who the women were knows now anyway. I could be told their names and still would not know who they were. If they are not personally named and written directly about must be what matters. Otherwise they must be given new identities.
Robert Dyson
In the eye of the beholder
Bulls eye. In all the months of discussion about jigsaw identification, nothing has busted the spaciousness and malice of James Wolffe’s prosecution more completely than your comment.
The question one should ask is why anyone would want to know their identities.
1/ to protect ‘victims
2/ to protect politicians who have committed rape
3/ to protect victims of malicious political fit ups
4/ to protect politicians who have committed the appalling crime of fitting up their political opponent through inappropriate legal wheeze.
In view of the fact that the institution of Devolution does not separate the Court from politics, in the person of The Lord Advocates Dual role, it doesn’t matter how many judges sit on the bench beside The Lady Dorian, all of those judges can feel the heat on their collar from the Jekyll and Hyde James Wolffe, if they had the temerity to upset his Lordship’s political side.
The victim is justice. No senior judge should ever have to be subjected to party political pressure from a Cabinet member in the executive, who is biased about the outcome of their rulings.
When Boris Johnson says Devolution has been a disaster, he should know, because the Empire built this travesty of Justice into the de-colonisation project. I wouldn’t be surprised if All Imperial powers have not built this loophole into the legislation of their former colonies in order to be able to retain control over them after de-colonisation.
The place to take this travesty of post-colonial legal abuse, by the British Establishment in general and Bojo in particular, is the United Nations. The lever of power that Britain exercises over its former assets by dodgy law, the same lever by which the colonial power wants to hold onto those assets. Chagos Islands, Falklands, Gibraltar, Scotland, needs to be looked at by a higher authority than Bojo and the grey men in Whitehall.
I have no doubt at all that legal injustice of non-separation of the judiciary is well understood in international law. Bojo should resign.
The thing about jigsaws is that you are given the picture before you put the pieces together. In this case, people who know who the ladies are will readily see things that fit the pattern already in their mind. The rest of us? Nope. I find the whole concept of jigsaw identification deeply suspect.
“I find the whole concept of jigsaw identification deeply suspect.“
Yes, and that’s putting it mildly. It’s similar to being accused of conspiring with people you’re not even accused of cooperating with, the basis of the “conspiracy” (or “jigsaw” assembly) being that you chipped the edifice here and apparently some other people were taking some chips at the same edifice over there, totally unbeknown to you.
And all that, while the other supposed chippers aren’t even in the dock because they’re respectful of poshboy dictatorship and in any case they don’t write a blog like this one.
Imagine having to stand up in court, or sit there as a judge, and call that type of crock a sound argument for sending a man to prison. The stuff about the responsibilities of “journalists” makes the whole judgment even more ludicrous.
Prosecutors and judges have no shame. Leeona Dorrian would tell us black is white and it wouldn’t bother the dirty deceitful scumbag one bit.
It’s a fork-tongued way of persecuting Craig for something other than what are stated to be his own actions. “Jigsaw” would only make sense if they could prove conspiracy, and they haven’t even tried to do that.
Note that government lawyers (and all state prosecutors are precisely that) never work on a “no win, no fee” basis, so it won’t be any skin off their noses if they have an all expenses-paid trip to Strasbourg.
It’s like common purpose.
Imho. The burden should be on those prosecuting to prove a citizen, picked at random, could identify with near 100% certainty the name(s) from that satirical blog piece.
Quite clearly they’d fail to meet that test. I still don’t know the names, nor do I care to try to find out. But if I was inclined to find out I wouldn’t come here expecting to find such information.
Excellent point
Well done, Mr. Murray, you should have stood, you richly deserve it that your voice is heard from a public platform with wider coverage than a blog. Perhaps next time.
A point I’d like to make (if I may) is that up until a couple of days ago I didn’t know who any of the ‘betties were. I regularly read Craig’s posts here – some several times over. Nothing that appeared on this site gave me any sort of clue as to who any of these individuals actually are. Another site informed me (with the required additional clue) that you in fact need to put two other clues together to make any sort of headway with this. And that these clues exist in different places. If you happen to be pointed to wherever the clues lie, then all the better. It’s not even like all the pieces of the jigsaw are on the same table. They are (and have been further) spread around, some quite widely. It is quite hard to work out which piece belongs to which part of the puzzle up until the point in time, that penny-dropping moment, when the overall picture begins to appear into plain view. I can’t honestly think of any way that anyone reading any of the material as it emerged would have made any connection or seen the significance of what was being revealed. Those critical pieces had, in all effect, already fallen off the table and been lost beneath the sofa. It is only since then has all of this become a matter of much wider public interest and concern. Given that AS was not convicted of any offence, this became practically inevitable and has seemingly forced ‘the system’ into a corner whereby the anonymity of (alleged) false accusers is permanent and cannot be challenged because of pre-existing and possibly less-than-fully-considered legislation. Taking this several steps forward into a completely hypothetical future, what would happen if any such false accuser were to be later charged with perjury, attempting to pervert the course of justice or involving themselves in a conspiracy to do so? Would their previous protective status of being granted lifelong anonymity continue? If so, could the details of the ensuing court case and thereafter the matter of any following conviction(s) become practically or even completely unreportable? Further still to this scenario, is this in itself quite possibly yet another reason – maybe even a significant one – why so much effort has been applied into making sure that the otherwise still missing pieces of the jigsaw puzzle continue to remain hidden from view?
Badger
Unless you are the Badger from Toad Hall country, “betties ” is a highly offensive word. Imho.
Feminist Nicola Sturgeon , nothing wrong with feminism, is counting on the unappropriate terminology of patriarchy to convince the electorate that she’s a forward thinking reformer.
Also being from Toad Hall myself I see the pitfalls. It takes one to know one. English isn’t equipped with respectful terminology for women. Don’t know why, but female complainants would have been a better way to refer to them.imho
Sturgeon has done absolutely nothing to improve things for women, nor for the small percentage of women who like herself are lesbians either, any more than Thatcher helped women. Interestingly a higher proportion of women voted NO to independence in 2014 than men, and I imagine that that will be the same if there is a rerun. Sturgeon and Salmond are functioning like a two-headed monster. Anyone who feels like scoffing at that assertion should take on board that both of these a*seholes will be admirers of Machiavellian realpolitik, because that’s what people like them are. Sorry, but neither of them experiences anguish of an evening, agonising about how best to serve “the people”.
Salmond won’t say whether he wants a referendum or not, any more than he knew in 2014 what currency he wanted. I believe him to be innocent of attempted rape and also to have been the target of perjurers, but he is still a pillock. The guy is a complete joker, although hey, he does seem to know how to collect money from people on the internet. (One day he’ll get his fingers burnt doing that.)
As for Sturgeon, something tells me she isn’t going to say “Vote SNP rather than Alba in the list vote”.
Hopefully these will be the first questions someone like Andrew Neil asks this horrible pair of nationalists:
to Salmond: “Do you want a referendum? Please answer without mentioning ‘Westminster’. You say you want Scottish self-determination and the result of that self-determination to be independence – well do you want the means of such determination to be a referendum – yes or no?”
to Sturgeon: “How should people use their list votes? Should they give them to your party or not?”
When political leaders who were at each other’s throats come together as pals again, it can leave lower-down supporters of one side or the other who “believed” in one of the leaders in an awkward position… People like Sturgeon and Salmond don’t believe in shee-yit other than money. They couldn’t give a monkey’s whether Scotland is independent or not.
N_
I don’t know why nobody has pulled you up for your attack on Alex Salmond.
In order to be any kind of politician, even a basic level politician of sexual politics or woke politics, you have to understand the game. The game is power. Power is achieved by means of constantly harassing other people in order to assert a fictitious authority over them, while at the same time shielding yourself from the vicious stacks of other people on you.
In all politics, there is no let up. As soon as one campaign on your person has been fought off, your rivals launch another blistering assault on your integrity as a person. It never ends.
The constant harassment affects one’s mental health, and when you succumb to a moment of remorse at your coping mechanisms for the vicious shredding of your self-respect, the banshees are busy trying to put you in prison.
Politics and sexual scandal are bedfellows. Just because at this moment in time we do not know , because it has been cleverly hidden from our eyes, who Nicola Sturgeon is humping, who James Wolffe is raping, how many dicks the Lady Dorrian is jumping in her spare time, we should never accept the narrative that there are saints and devils in politics.
My 87 year old father in law just had a week of covid, and it knocked him flat. But one day , he started bossing his family about food in his usual way. That’s the moment they knew he was better, the moment he was going to survive.
So spare us the sanctimonious tripe about Alex Salmond being a Macchiavellian A%hole , please..
You are a Macchiavellian A@hole in your Marxist wig. Salmond’s fix is Scottish Independence. Just because his political tipple is different from yours, doesn’t give you the right to call him that.
Tell us something about why Scottish Independence won’t succeed iyho
And I’ll tell you , young man, with so many reasons why, there but for fortune go you, or I.
@Badger – “Taking this several steps forward into a completely hypothetical future, what would happen if any such false accuser were to be later charged with perjury, attempting to pervert the course of justice or involving themselves in a conspiracy to do so? Would their previous protective status of being granted lifelong anonymity continue?“
Could they even be charged, because prosecutors would need to have gathered some evidence to know they had a sufficiently strong case, and gathering evidence would involve police interviewing of witnesses, and in such interviews police officers might learn who had made the allegations against Alec Salmond. And if the police thought there were some other relevant witnesses, they’d have to knock on their doors and ask “Did you see or hear anything that showed Ms X and Ms Y to be lying?” without identifying who Ms X and Ms Y were.
I can’t see why government-connected liars who perjure themselves by falsely alleging attempted rape and other sex crimes in order to help the political career of other liars such as Nicola “fake wife” Sturgeon should get lifelong immunity from exposure and prosecution.
It’s a bit like when the authorities in a country prove themseves incapable of prosecuting the Scientologists. In this case we have the Scottish authorities seemingly incapable of prosecuting certain figures who enjoy high-up political and civil service connections.
I am glad that you are arguing for law and justice.
I love you for arguing for justice.
deep X
From the front page of The National. “Exclusive: SNP membership up since launch of Alba party”.
Wot? In addition to the “12,000 who joined” after hearing St Nicola’s testimony to the harassment committee.
This stuff wouldn’t be out of place in Pyongyang.
A reasonably accurate and balanced piece from WSWS on our host’s current legal position (aside from the compulsory Trotskyite theurgy on Scottish nationalism).
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/03/29/murr-m29.html
The > the international coverage the better.
Thanks Vivian for an accurate and equitable report.
“Murray’s nationalist politics are deeply divisive. He seeks to channel social discontent behind support for a Scottish state that would represent a minor imperialist formation, pitting Scottish workers against those in England, Europe, and the rest of the world, in alliance with the regional bourgeoisie and those sections of global capital who will support a cheap labour, low tax, investment platform with access to the European market.”
Stop trying to destroy nirvana Craig in pursuit of your minor imperialist formation.
Lol. That cheered me up on a dull, lockdown, Monday morning.
Ha-ha. However the author does have a very serious point to make and I find nowhere any account of why Scottish independence from the UK will differ from the UK’s independence from Europe. Soul-crushing, fascist, globalist, end-stage-capitalist, warmongering neocon Independence for Scotland anyone?
So Tommy Sheridan supports the Alba Party. Perhaps his mate Paul Ferris can run the security at the hustings if the party can get it together to hold any. Then if there’s any trouble he can call for people to be grassed up to the police, as he did after the poll tax riot.
Reported that UK exports to the EU fell by 41% in January, according to government figures. Of especial concern to Scotland food exporters are particularly hard hit. Meat exporters have seen exports drop to 25% of normal volumes and the plight of seafood and fishing industry is well known. It’s likely only going to get worse too, much worse; new paperwork and increased costs is just the start. Johnson recently delayed the introduction of new bureaucratic Brexit paperwork on imports from the EU in light of coronavirus.
Needless to say, in time, this could destroy the Tories as well as Labour, who bizarrely chose to vote for Johnson’s post-Brexit trade deal. despite Johnson having a big majority and no threatened Tory rebellion. No wonder unionist media wish to concentrate on the soap opera that is interpersonal rivalries between Sturgeon vs Salmond. Both need to expose how Johnson aided by Labour have placed a detonator under the Scottish economy and so many livelihoods for something Scots didn’t even vote for.
Probably why we’re seeing all the union flags gaudily & ostentatiously adorning everything.
Once this coming storm hits, flag waving and encouragement to doff one’s hat to the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha clan, may be all the people who force-fed us the thinnest post-Brexit trade deal have left.
To achieve high office in Government and or Party, one needs to bend to the whip. In so doing you can greatly increase your income. Being allocated a safe seat or by having the attribute of being a female on a womans only short list ( Blair Babes ) you are then beholden to vote as you are directed. The very low turnout at elections is because there is no real choice. Populists are good at being divisive but never offer an alternative. It was a pleasant surprise when an Independent stood in a white suit and won. Not beholden to the whip and able to take the floor and speak and vote their mind. I see no such “white suits” today in Westminster. The only one I see see and hear is Clare Daly. I am sure she would not want an Independent Scotland going the way of her Ireland, headquartered by all the corporations enjoying tax welfare.
That’s more likely the future for the whole UK(incl. Scotland) under Johnson.
The quality of this current Tory party in terms of competency is probably at its lowest in decades. They were always dreadful, eg. Norman Tebbit, Peter Lilley,… but usually clever and moderately competent. Johnson’s cabinet is full of people who simply owe their place and status entirely to their loyalty to him and Brexit. The new ‘red wall’ intake are equally shocking. Gove’s probably the smartest of a bad bunch and no one trusts him as far as they could throw him. They all want a low tax, low regulation race to the bottom version of Britain.
Galloway ought to rename his unionist grouping ‘Alliance 4 Impoverishment’ , because that’s likely the future reality for the vast majority post-Brexit.
Goose, George Galloway, despite opposing Craig on Independence, gave him a rousing accolade last night on his show. Worth hearing.
Yes I know. On everything else Galloway’s usually fine. But his anti-independence, pro-union fetish is hard to make sense of given his rants about Labour and Tory being “two cheeks of the same arse”.
He either has no confidence in the people of Scotland to manage their own affairs, or it’s some sort of deeply personal vendetta against the SNP? Neither of which are attractive explanations.
What good have food exports to the EU done the British working class?
How about starting a poll about the SNP popularity, excluding NHS staff after Krankies latest ‘ come vote for me I give you 4%’ wheeze at the last minute of Parliamentary time possible, VivO Bliv?, so one can establish how popular they really are?
She has played a blinder with that and many less interested simple minds will react to this at the ballot box.
And do not mention dog walking or stroking the heather.
I hope that you are getting enough funds for your appeal Craig.
I think this will go very badly for those who have pursued Craig
– the judges have dismissed most of the Advocate Deputes arguments. (Correctly as of course they were nonesense)
– the ‘jigsaw’ argument has been stretched to (beyond?) its limits. The dense legalese used underscores the wobbliness of the arguments rather than shores them up.
– egregious incidents of identification were ignored and the rather far fetched case against Craig pursued.
– it is disingenuous to assert, as some have, that a court has no control over prosecution, especially wrt matters of the court process itself: perjury, conspiracy, contempt. In the Sheridan case the court refered alleged perjury to the prosecution service.
– the delay for sentencing till after the election might be to avoid the appearance of interfering with the election: it does the opposite
– I think there could be speculation that Craig will take a warning and ‘pipe down’, but if as we see he doesnt and they send him to prison they have created a political prisoner of conscience, and upped the stakes
– if they fine him we all have a duty to rally round and raise the fine.
– but before Craig goes to prison or has to pay the fine there will be an appeal – Supreme Court, ECHR
– this appeal process will emphasize and display for a European public the problems and limitations in the Scottish justice system.
Isn’t it good to know that the COPFS will be examining and have to think about every line in all these comments?
I fear for the consequent loss of self respect and affects on their mental health. The more junior members of the COPFS who were not responsible for the current atrocious state of the COPFS must be contemplating other career paths before their careers are damned before they have started.
On the face of it, these decisions appear heavily influenced by whether the individual was pro-complainants or pro-defendant.
Those who were pro-complainants have been given far more latitude to reveal potential jigsaw clues as to their identities than those who were pro-defendant. Justice is meant to be blind to such things: impartial and objective. Surely at some point this glaring inconsistency will be pointed out?
thanks for pointing out the money trail this lack of justice system forces truth speakers and seekers to pursue in a long windy process that can take years and cost hundreds of thousands, Joe Mellon.
Is anyone safe from the “jigsaw massacre”? 😀
Quick – Call the COPFS!
An article entitled Salmond v Sturgeon by Dani Garavelli appears in the current issue (dated 1 April…) of London Review of Books. Free to read at the moment at: https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v43/n07/dani-garavelli/diary
Has trace elements of “more in sorrow than in anger”, but I may be being too charitable.
Crude propaganda from a fierce partisan, masquerading as judicious final overview.
Garavelli is fitting the puzzle in public sight again there: female establishment privileges.
Having ~50% women in power positions has NOT reduced the number of shenanigans in Scotland alas.
Very disappointed in the LRB: the editorial overview is usually excellent.
As we amble towards the annual seasonal rebirth I have two observations – the first a deserved daily kick at the crimes of the Guardian ‘newspaper’ – the wormtongues that prey on feeble minded social justice warriors.
There is really nothing needed to be added to the kitchen sink throwing of republishing a Scotland on Sunday hit piece by Kirsty Strickland – except to just notice the abject DESPERATION to maintain the failed narrative and personal attacks by the msm.
—————-
The second and hopefully most noteworthy contribution i wish to make is to remember the bloody battles by civilians against armed military forces to gain independence by sacrificing their lives so that their lands would be free of the Conqueror.
It is therefore vital that we all understand the Easter Rising of a century ago , in the midst of a global crises too, that led to the establishment of a genuine independent Eire.
Not an arty-farty ‘Devolved’ or still part of the Act of Union 1800, second-hand independence.
It was not given freely or with a honest heart it had to be TAKEN. By the self sacrifice of its leaders who understood that honest hearts and minds require such blood and sacrifice to see the oppression for what it really is – it ain’t a purring little old Betty.
To see how that is mis-remembered to this day by the State propaganda of Britain check the BBC on the event.
To see the reality of these who put their lives in line, check out the biographies of the executed here.
https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/583995-the-executed-leaders-of-the-1916-rising/
If you are a Scot, wondering at why the barrage is carrying on when it was proved to be LIES and why it has redoubled since Alba’s launch. Look no further.
If you want to achieve what your cousins achieved in Eire a hundred years ago – this is the MOMENT.
You don’t ASK for freedom and get it given, as the BBC (state propagandists) have sanitised Irish Independence. You actively TAKE freedom if you really believe in it.
Its a simple question for Scots this Easter week, are you going to collude in handing the heads of your suffering genuine prophets of Indy to the Salome’s in the conquerors employ?
Are you going to keep your trust in the long term ‘pimpernel’ planted to derail the Indy will?
Like a bunch of Charlie Browns who never learn that Maisie will always pull that ball away, leaving you flat on your backs winded ?
Remember the Easter Rising.
DunGroanin. In the meetings between Churchill and the US Presidents, it was interesting that they constantly pushed him to give up the jewel in the crown India. They also went crazy when we conspired to attack Egypt with France and Israel. I know the calibre of POTUS now is dirt, but there could one day when things get out of hand, the orders would arrive from across the pond to let Scotland go ! Just a thought ?!
How would the US and the Anglo Imperialist Empire collectively have benefited by ‘giving up’ the sun-continent they ‘controlled’?
I venture that is a fake narrative written to cover the reality of the situation.
Remember Churchill was half American, from well connected American ‘aristocracy’ and English cousins. There is not a cigarette paper between Chatham House and the cfr.
Remember also that Gandhi over decades had been able to garner the mass support for independence through his peaceful methods that cut across the religious and ethnic divides.
The controlled Congress party with its British educated ‘leaders’ and the British Indian Army which was MILLIONS strong were expecting their freedoms – just as the soldier parliaments in the U.K. were expecting the security promised and delivered by Atlees election – and dumping of the big Imperial Poo.
Bose had already set up the Indian Free Army and it was clear that Indian Independence would not be stoppable – there just were not enough Anglo soldiers to take on a equally trained and ARMED and EXPERIENCED revolution – no matter how many Anglo-Asians existed.
Only the seduction of Nehru by the Mountbattens beard allowed the time bomb of Partition to be left behind and of course the assassination of Gandhi that allowed it to fester and lessen the effectiveness of that continent- it was never a country – nor was Pakistan. They are the creations of the Anglo Imperialist as much as the Sykes Puquoy straight Ines secretly drawn up are.
The US under FDR may have had a plan to curtail the Bankers that Churchill represented, I am not fully convinced yet – but it didn’t survive beyond his death.
If he had lived – got rid of the Fed, reinforced Glass Steagle, reneged on the Zionist ‘contract’ the Balfour Declaration which was what allowed the US to put the boots on the ground in numbers in the first War; given the UN genuine teeth not just a bark and made it truly independent; and finally given up on the centuries long plans of getting their hands on Russia and its enormous resources, as they had done with the Opium infected Chinese – the world would have been much faster progressed to actual ‘civilisation’ and we still wouldn’t be stuck in the morass they have created over centuries.
DunGroanin, you are truly knowledgeable. Craig has amongst his readership and contributors those I feel at home.
Remember plenty of Scots were involved in putting down the Rising.
Also interesting that Clare Daly pointed out the Government of Ireland was secretly allowing US military personnel and weapons to transit Irish airports although not a member of NATO.
My point being how revolutions are betrayed by money and corruption. NS has in my eyes betrayed her cause even before the birth !
Ireland currently looking at spending upwards of ¢1 billion to equip its air force with fast jets to intercept the growing number of incursions into its (neutral) air space by Russian spy planes. Currently interceptions are carried out by the RAF which is causing some embarrassment in the Republic.
Why would Russia bother to spy on Ireland ? The only logical reason is US and UK Military bases/Spy Posts located in Ireland.
More likely Ireland needs fast jets to fend off British incursions. Always think of the local enemy first, before imagining problems from a power thousands of kilometres away. Britain has been so hostile recently, that they need to take precautions.
Kempe. Russia is totally surrounded. A small economy having to defend a huge land mass. NATO on its borders with US missiles in Poland and Romania. Blockaded and sanctioned without UN vote. Just count how many planes , war ships, aircraft carriers we have in NATO compared to them. The budget the US spends on the military etc… In my eyes it does these flights, still with Cold War era Bears to show it still can. It has spent a fortune in defending Syria from falling to the Jhidists. We on the other hand spend money on Jhidists to make life difficult for them. In my eyes Russia is a modern European country trying to be accepted by the West, but on Independent terms. I fear it is now giving up after repeated humiliations, despite the Cold War ending years ago. Do you honestly believe that it would allow a US naval base in Crimea ? All we are doing is pushing Russia towards China. The next big geo political question is will Germany insist on Independence or buckle to US pressure over Nord Stream. If so, then Russia can get compensation from Germany and sell its gas to China. It can also stop selling oil to US ! What hypocrisy, that the US buys oil from Russia !
@SB
The incursions probably aren’t about useful intel via reconnaissance, it’ll be part of the silly tit for tat, reciprocal gamesmanship going on between Russia, Ukraine and the West (NATO) and along Russia’s borders. No reason for Ireland to have poor relations with Russia really. They don’t have to endorse the leadership, just show mutual respect, of which there’s too little in this world.
Everything in this world is so linked.
Look at the now freed Suez Canal ship. I posed questions asking why the US props up a brutal, despotic regime like el Sisi’s and why the western media never mentions his tyrannical rule. But that stranded ship provides the answer: The US and UK can’t risk Egypt being run by a hostile democratically elected govt, who may deny their warships right of passage, potentially forcing another 4,423 additional nautical miles — and a 44 days trip around Africa.
Well the excuse making and denial I expected. Ireland is not in NATO and no matter how threatened Russia feels there is no excuse for repeatedly violating the airspace of an unarmed neutral country. You wouldn’t try to excuse it i it were the Americans or the Israelis doing it. Ireland has complained, Russia ignores the complaints and carries on regardless. A big nation bullying a smaller one.
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40167846.html
Here is an article detailing the, as yet, unfunded proposal.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/government-considering-purchase-of-military-jet-aircraft-1.4289801
“However, the question of airspace security is not academic. Last March, a number of Russian Tupolev TU-95 “Bear” bombers, also used as long-range maritime patrol planes, entered Irish airspace.
In response, six Royal Air Force Typhoons were scrambled from bases in Scotland and England and headed towards counties Derry and Donegal to intercept, forcing them to alter course.
Quick-reaction aircraft from Nato allies Norway and France also took part in the response.”
Here is another article from UK Defence Journal whch gives a bit more detail. Currently the RAF covers our Irish ass.
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/ireland-considering-purchase-of-jet-fighters/
Thanks for bringing that to my attention Kempe, I didn’t know this until I read your post.
Don’t know much about his politics, but the little I do know, I’m not very impressed by Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
Ireland seems to be suffering the same dearth of visionary leadership talent as the UK.
Nonsense Kempe, ‘considering’ or ‘looking’ is far removed from shelling out Irish folks dosh on a threat that is miniscule on a scale of security issues currently confronting Ireland. Housing and health is the first concern according to my now removed clan in Tipperary.
The agreement allowing Royal Air Force fighter jets access to Irish airspace is peculiar as it interferes with Ireland’s sovereignty albeit interesting as it was mulled over in military circles in the context of a hard Brexit. The agreement was ‘formed’ in the sphere of terrorism and is a friendly reciprocate with providing Britain with access to the peacekeeping expertise of the Irish defence forces.
It might currently not be a top priority but the fact that it’s an agenda item at all shows that it’s being taken seriously.
But they ultimately failed.
Their karma has led them to a further century of voluntary servitude.
Here is a chance at redemption.
DunGroanin. Unfortunately they don’t believe in Redemption but in The Rapture.
Here is a very illuminating discussion (in vibrant Belfast Irish with English subtitles) about the historical context of 1916. Featuring young Irish historian Fergal McCluskey / Fearghal Mac Bhloscaidh. For those who don’t know, it is worth mentioning that one of the main uprising participants whose name comes up in the video — James Connolly — was from Edinburgh, though born of Irish parents. He was executed on 12th May 1916.
https://vimeo.com/165122056
“a genuine independent Eire.”
Really?
Of us for sure.
Which country has the largest share of trade with Ireland?
https://oec.world/en/profile/country/irl/
Apparently Ireland is the largest exporter of “scented mixtures.”
Exports to UK 2019 17.4 Billion.
Imports from UK 26.9 Billion
Before I looked I’d have thought that Ireland imported more from UK that UK did from ireland but I guess that was wrong.
I mean exported more to UK than imported. As in, the opposite to what it is.
Seems to me our ‘friend’ feminist Dani Garavelli is spitting her contaminating, polluting venom again in a predictable piece that includes
“I know he didn’t always behave appropriately towards women, and he hasn’t shown in public a single sign of reflecting on that…and conversations with Sturgeon involve some discussion of misogyny, and this one is no different. Given the whole Salmond debacle was born out of those frenzied weeks after the Harvey Weinstein scandal, and came to a head earlier this month just as women who took to Clapham Common to mourn the murder of Sarah Everard were being huckled around by police, it was in the forefront of both our minds.
We must be aware the British security services are pullin her strings according to my knowledge.
https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/i-will-speak-with-my-own-voice-nicola-sturgeon-on-party-divisions-alex-salmond-and-succession-plans-3181211
I’ve read the judgment which Craig helpfully links above.
I was surprised that most of the points put by the prosecution were dismissed, though that still leaves a conviction for contempt, namely, identifying complainers in a sexual assault prosecution.
I was also surprised to see some of the expected defence abandoned, eg the results of the poll which Craig had conducted. Perhaps Craig has already addressed this, but it seems a lot of time and expense was incurred for nothing.
As for the jigsaw identification, I certainly was unable to identify the complainers, though I didn’t study the various blog articles as carefully as the prosecution and the judges. Reading the judgment, I’m left with a sinking feeling that the articles were capable of jigsaw id-ing complainers. And I note the judges interpreted to the maximum, the negative connotations of Craig’s view on the proceedings.
So, the judgment has left me feeling conflicted about it all. On one hand, I’ve followed Craig for what seems like years and have huge respect for his words and deeds. On the other, this judgment does feel as if complainers in a sexual assault case have been identified, and while it might be said that other media have done worse, that doesn’t excuse the revelation.
I’ve read Craig’s blog for years and I don’t know who the fuck the perjurers are, only that they are fucking perjurers.
Surely the whole idea of anonymity for life opens the floodgates to malicious and unfounded prosecutions.
Complainant anonymity is understandable, in helping get others, those otherwise too scared to come forward, but upon acquittal post-trial, it should be lifted.
For the problem is ,with it comes an assumption the complainant is always on the side of the angels or morally virtuous. What is the basis for such an assumption when anyone can lie?
It’s a bogus argument, anonymity is contrary to justice.
By accident I switched to the election debate Scotland last night and was not surprised that Don Sturgeoni already has postponed the almost imminent referendum on Independence until 2023, in the first half of her new administration.
What does she know of the election result? already decided? postal votes all in? will they include recently demised covid victims vote by proxy?
The SNP does not want Independence otherwise they’ll be howling to the moon after this long grass move.