Scotland the grave
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So, things are hotting up in Scotland.
Either:
a) Alec Salmond is desperately flinging around accusations of a grand conspiracy to fit him up for sexual assault charges to salve his reputation and cover up (les than criminal) misdeed, or;
b) The husband of the first Minister (and head honcho of the SNP) engaged in a conspiracy to fit Salmond up and have him sent to prison for sexual offences.Today a weird thing happened, the inquiry into the whole mess had published Salmond’s submission, but the Crown Office asked for it to be taken down and key parts cut out.
“The move came after the parliament withdrew and then republished a revised version of one of Mr Salmond’s submissions to the inquiry.
The Crown Office had raised “grave concerns” about its publication.
Mr Salmond’s lawyers had described the parliament’s decision as a “significant surprise and concern” which could have “a material bearing on whether he was able to attend the evidence session on Wednesday.”
Either way, it’s all so shit and venal, it’s a massive scandal, and yet so petty and small time.
I wonder if all this is part of the next Scottish independence referendum campaign as an attempt to discredit the SNP (as it undoubtedly does). As does the recent programme about the campaign to oust as MP Charles Kennedy, the former Liberal Party leader who died an alcoholic at the age of 55, waged on behalf of the current leader of the SNP in the House if Commons, Ian Blackford.
Considering the high stakes at risk for the British state we can expect the referendum campaign to be very dirty, particularly on the Unionist side.
Tories going in guns blazing (note also, they are branding themselves “Conservative and Unionist” in Scotland).
Other interesting story of the day, Nicola Sturgeon (or her office) are sending birthday letters to 16 years olds, there’s no overt vote soliciting, but the intent is clear, 16 year olds can now vote in Scotland…
they are branding themselves “Conservative and Unionist” in Scotland
The Tories have been known as the Conservative and Unionist Party in Scotland for quite a while – long before the threat arose from the SNP.
The 16 and 17 yr old vote can be seen as the follow-up to permitting them a say in the 2014 referendum, around a 100,000 16 and 17 yr olds voted in it so logic meant offering them local government and Scottish Parliament votes.
But it remains 18 for the general election.
Tories going in guns blazing (note also, they are branding themselves “Conservative and Unionist” in Scotland).
The Unionist Party was a separate party until 1965, although it was known and recognised as part of the Tory Party, Alec Douglas Home was actually a member of the Unionist Party and was technically the last PM who was neither a member of the Conservative or Labour Party. (useless information is my stock in trade)
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2021/02/in-conversation-with-mark-mcnaught/
14 minutes in. Murray tries to find a motive, and frankly fails. I find the great conspiracy ide implausible, I think it looks more like institutional blundering, there being no way to deal with complaints against Salmond but feeling an impetus to *something* they scratched out a policy, and are now caught between procedural rules around protecting the complainants and also an inherent defensiveness.
Murray tries to find a motive, and frankly fails. I find the great conspiracy ide implausible, I think it looks more like institutional blundering, there being no way to deal with complaints against Salmond but feeling an impetus to *something* they scratched out a policy, and are now caught between procedural rules around protecting the complainants and also an inherent defensiveness.
I would agree with this and the emergence of some internal political opportunism from pro-Salmond/ pro-Sturgeon rivals presenting other reform parties with ammunition for their bare political larders giving the SNPs showings in the polls.
Tonight’s Party Political Broadcast from the Tories, just had SNP portrayed as a pro independence referendum ‘one trick pony’, but neglected to say what alternative they had, other than opposition to independence.
Perhaps related to a new approach and attitude, perhaps not?
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-56186394
The announcement of £4bn “levelling up” money for England last year triggered an extra £800m for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The Treasury has now been confirmed this cash will be run as a UK-wide initiative, not a fund for England with extra money given to the other nations under the Barnett formula.SNP’s deputy Westminster leader Kirsten Oswald criticised the way the funding was being controlled. She said: “The Tory government’s move to bypass the devolved governments and dictate spending over devolved areas is yet another sign of its naked power grab plans. The Welsh government has also hit out at the announcement, accusing the Westminster government of “aggressively” undermining devolution.”
Scottish “Independence” would be a completely pointless exercise as it wouldn’t make any difference the position of the workers, except perhaps to make them worse. The only people to gain from it would be the local politicians leading the campaign.
Socialists won’t be upset in the least if it doesn’t happen.
So, there is a suggestion that Russia is happy to stir up chaos wherever it can.
I’d file this under “pinch of salt”, at worst, it’s just opportunistic shit stirring (though, I’d note, Russia’s strategic interest would be independence).
To weaken the power of the British state, rather than any belief that independence would bring some benefit to workers in Scotland (though of course in their propaganda for “the masses” they pretended that it would), was the reason given by many Trotskyist groups and other “anti-imperialists” for voting for separation in the 2014 referendum.
Funny how they should still align with Russia’s strategic interests even though its rulers have long since stopped claiming to be somehow “socialist” or even anti-capitalist. Nostalgia for the land of the Bolshevik coup perhaps, I suppose.
However, RT host, George Galloway, who has expressed a nostalgia for the old Soviet Union, is still very anti-Scot nationalism.
Clive Thomson, 52, admitted breaching a contempt of court order on two occasions in August last year, has been jailed for six months for tweeting the names of women who gave evidence against former first minister Alex Salmond at his trial.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-56170459
So, watching Sturgeon’s performance, I think the cock-up theory of history applies, serious allegations were made, officialdom cocked up, and of course, the big question, why would she want to get Salmond? I think this will fizzle out, they didn’t find a smoking gun.
The Socialist Party has not tolerated any cult of leaders. The reputation of a person as a member of a party may not be compatible with his or her character in personal relations. We have in our mind instances of persons who have been for years hard workers for the cause, whose party activities have been unimpeachable, but who are nevertheless sometimes awkward to get on with in private life or indulged in some sort of inappropriate personal behaviour.
Scots have already witnessed the demise of the Scottish Socialist Party partly due to character flaws in Tommy Sheridan, its leader, and the legal decisions of the courts were a lesser element in the changed attitude towards it. Although a socialist would suggest its failure to deliver its reform platform may have been the main factor.
It is why we built the party where all power rest in its collective membership and not upon the qualities or reputations of individuals.
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