A few points:
1) Contrary to Margaret Curran, it was entirely plain to me that the Westminster deal “loyalty test” in the SNP vetting process related entirely to a possible deal with Labour. There was no discussion of any possible deal with the Tories.
Personally I am just as opposed to the Red Tories as the Blue Tories and their extremely similar austerity agendas.
2) It has been widely circulated that the reason for my disqualification from the approved candidates’ list was articles written on this blog or speeches made during the Yes campaign. At no stage during either the vetting or appeal process was there any mention of this blog or of anything else I had ever said or written. So if that was indeed the reason, they failed to address it with me.
3) The same is true with regard to those claiming the circumstance of my divorce ten years ago was the reason. There was no mention at all of my personal life at any stage.
4) I have been given no other explanation in writing or orally other than an email with the single sentence:
“While you showed excellent qualities, you could not give a full commitment on group discipline issues, and for that reason the Panel could not recommend approval.”
So to those saying they wish to hear both sides of the story; so do I. I have told you all I know. I am I think entitled to the assumption that the reason was the one stated, rather than the myriad alternative reasons people are putting so much effort into promoting.
Are you laughing at Clark’s hilarious typo? I’m thinking of a promiscuous ecclesiastic.
And just to clarify (It’s important) in case anyone thought I may use windows after that video. I don’t, or IOS, there for numptys hell bent on following who they think are up for would domination. What they don’t get is Linux already won that race. Without trying much.
And it’s perfect for old laptops. Think green.
Dead On, Clark,
I made a similar comment on Wings at lunchtime today. Craig is not a “loose cannon”. When he picks up on evil and illegality he lets fly straight at the target.
The problem for the SNP is that if they are in bed with the target when the rocket hits they will get covered in shit as well.
Craig and all who are getting a hard time of it.
I do like a laugh. It helps when this are difficult.
On this blog over the last few days a couple of comments have triggered funny things in my life.
John Goss, and his wee pal Robin red breast.
I am feeding the wee birds in my garden this year because the signs tell me this is going to be a hard hard winter.
I throw the wild bird seed under the bushes to keep the big birds off it. I started in November to fatten them up to survive the winter. Guess what? It has germinated! This is Scotland and December,there is a forest of green shoots under there. It must be “the green shoots of recovery” we were told about all those years ago. The trickle down effect has reached Scotland, at last.
Acetone, was mentioned to produce cordite explosive (true). Then it was mentioned to braze (true). A fellow from Englandshire went over to China to drum up business for his cronies. He was given a tour through a factory where lots of women were brazing away there. He went up to a Chinese lady thinking he would show off his knowledge and asked her,”what do you use for flux?” She replied, “plicks”.
Yesindyref2, when I referred to tribal hysteria I meant the kind of indiscriminate reaction that Craig was getting on Facebook, where it appears the SNP can do no wrong.
Party discipline is one thing, to ask loaded questions about the Bedroom Tax is another. That was a trap set for Craig by a hierarchy which had already decided to eliminate the competition in favour of its chosen candidate.
I can’t prove that but, given what we have since discovered about local cronyism I think it’s a pretty safe bet that the candidacy for this seat has been reserved by the local hierarchy for a party hack. Nothing to do with ‘party discipline’ and everything to do with a parochial old-boy network.
As a member of the 45 and YES Movement I have nothing but utter contempt for those who wish to exploit a people’s deep desire for independence to advance their own petty interests. I know that Craig is one of us, hence better out of their Machiavellian games.
Run as an Independent, Craig.
Think Margo.
Speak with the pro parties? Find out where best to stand? (a few among here would support you in your adventure, perhaps?)
In order to get more people to trust our movement, we must be seen to be reliable, almost incorruptible.
And this comes at a price; we may have to sacrifice some of our frailty for now. And see divisions some of the time. To create better, we must be seen to be better.
We are working against a whole host of vested interests to try and garner more support for change, so compromise is a card well worth playing.
Play the long game, Sir.
As a pro Yes MP, could you not add your experience to the camp, without being a target?
Maybe that could be your shield.
And you could continue to be a source that we can all read about (exemptions for certain political matters, of course) and discuss whilst helping shape the nation we hope for.
They may think that matters are beyond repair; you may too – but did every Yes voter agree with either you or the SNP?
Let’s be big here; as big as the movement you were proud to be a part of. And STILL ARE.
Think Bruce.
Best Wishes
There’s not a single party in the UK, who is serious about winning elections, that would welcome Craig as a candidate after this past few days shenanigans.
Not one…he is in a hole and just doesn’t realise that his enemies (MSM) are the ones who handed him a shovel, and told him to dig, and he just keeps digging deeper and deeper.
Turning into a pantomime figure in the George Galloway mould. very sad.
Tony M
Well spotted – lmao
Fred
I’m glad to see you, as a unionist, seem to accept the ejil opinion paper, as this moves the median line further south from its current easternmost point, which I believe is Craig’s opinion too. On page 98 it’s line 2, and the author’s conclusion is: “Although both lines seem to be able to produce an equitable solution, line 2 – the perpendicular line – is very likely to be the selected solution as it reflects an equitable apportionment of the overlapping continental shelf areas of the parties concerned.”
Some coastal countries have a latitude line, notably South America, but this doesn’t seem appropriate to me for our more crowded situation.
Johnstone
That wasn’t a single event just during the Referendum campaign, nor was it an event of just the last few decades. It started when in 1707, Queensberry, the Queen’s Commissioner in the English Parliament, walked through the streets of Edinburgh ringing his bell, proclaiming that the Scottish Parliament was dissolved.
He had been appointed for curious reasons as negotiator also for the Scottish Parliament, but had no actual authority to dissolve it, hence perhaps Winnie Ewing’s “The Scottish Parliament, adjourned on the 25th day of March in the year 1707, is hereby reconvened”.
The misinformation, disinformation and outright indoctrination continued for 307 years since that date, and the 2.5 years of the Referendum campaign was only long enough to start the process of reversal. But it continues.
Clark
I’m sure Craig would be very effective in that role, but it has little or nothing to do with Devo-Max or Scottish Independence, nor does it help.
Robert Crawford, 2:46 pm; sorry, I missed this comment. I believe it’s mistaken to think of the corporate media as primarily a tool of government. The corporate media are powerful in their own right, and have their own agenda. They are also a magnet for entities that wish to influence public opinion and behaviour – which of course includes political entities.
Of course we do see a lot of convergence of objectives between corporate media and government, but then the corporate media has a lot of influence over who gets elected in the first place. On the other hand, government provide corporate media with plenty of “sound bites” and “expert government opinion” (much of it anonymous) – but these are examples of mutual advantage rather than outright government control of the media.
Craig
Last word on this from me, I’m even boring myself.
You could keep in mind the history of Alex Salmond, especially the part where he was thrown out of the SNP. Well, he never came back from that did he, ummmm …
who is Patrick Rodent? a drum major? and why has he nothing else to offer here than his personal petty disappointment, when it should be the SNP that is disappointed, for informing a unionist paper of their decision, to appease the torturers still prominent within the Labour party, the apologists for extraordinary rendition and for crippling people’s life’s forever.
That would be the deal with Labour, and a few electoral agreements with Jim Murphy, he who can’t be told by his party…hahhaha, what a joke, just about a few seats, making the losses look less than reality suggests, making up the news to make it appear plausible. And both be claiming to have done nothing wrong.
But not to worry, a ‘definitely not serious and nothing to worry about Ebola case’ has appeared on the horizon to splurge over this bad internal Schmiss exposing the puss and inner machinations of the SNP hierarchy and its stooges. Miss Sturgeon had to comment herself and then we saw the poor nurse being transferred back to the Royal hospital in London, were she was hours earlier before she flew to Glasgow.
I hope she gets better soon, as I hope that the new membership will use the party’s procedures and their nous to find out what they can and can’t do, how they can keep their principled support for Independence alive in this race to become a Westminster power player.
I urge every Yes voter to find your own apt local Independents and stand them against all others on issues that you agree on locally never mind the rest of Scotland and/or some party hierarchy. Its not too late, there are thousands of you, make the next election your own, regardless of the wannabes, the has been’s and the quiet determined one’s who love nothin g better than structured disciplined order.
There’s nothing to say you can’t campaign for somebody else if you so wish to, you can financially support anyone with your donations and you can run up many a hills/stairs as you like, nobody can stop you!.
yesindyref2, 11:22 pm; Craig’s story and experiences tear aside Westminster’s veil of respectability. The SNP would greatly increase his impact and reach by sending him to Westminster as an MP. Don’t get so into political manoeuvring that you forget the 55% who need to be convinced.
Clark
I’ve just seen his next thread, and I daresay it will be just one more in a chain of anti-SNP threads. He’s on a crusade now, and it’s got nothing to do with Independence, nothing to do with tearing aside Westminster’s veil of respectability, and nothing to do with anything of potential benefit for Scotland or the People of Scotland.
I expect most of us have been rejected in one way or another during our lives, and I expect many of us have learnt how to handle it with dignity, bounce back, try try and try again, maybe even reverse the rejection if we really want to.
Anyway, see you around. I agree with your posting about the media, and you seem to be a sensible moderate poster! Perhaps you should (join if neccessary) and put yourself up as a nominee. You’ve got until 5pm on the 31st Dec …
yesindyref2
No he’s not on a crusade, merely opening the doughy eyes of thousands of new SNP members to what usually is being kept hidden behind the SNP’s crusading façade.
It is to be seen whether the new leader will actually lead with fairness, not with nudge nudge wink wink.
Habba you had a point to make but you intruded into that point and thereby undermined it.
@
Clark
29 Dec, 2014 – 9:24 pm
Precisely.
I’m a great admirer of Craig and his blog and appreciate his tremendous efforts in exposing UK complicity in torture as part of the NWO’s illegal war on Iraq etc., the war criminals, Blair, Straw et al.
But for Scotland and the SNP the UK parliament post GE 2015 will be about the Scotland Act as Yesindyref2 stated above 29 Dec, 2014 – 8:42 pm.
Craig’s agenda could then prove to be used as a diversion by the établissement.
Beware, there are sure to be powerful dark forces at work!
This to Nicola Sturgeon on New Year’s Day…………
Just as I was about to give the SNP my wholehearted support I saw this on Craig Murray’s blog…
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2014/12/disbarred/
Craig is known and respected on both sides of the border as a man of grit, humanity and integrity, a champion of truth and justice, though like the rest of us not perfect.
Taking Craig’s account together with various press reports, the decision to reject him and the reason given are not only unconvincing but quite disturbing. The SNP is not so flush with fighting talent that it can afford to dismiss the likes of Craig Murray with such apparent contempt.
Furthermore the SNP had earlier pledged no let-up in their opposition to the Bedroom Tax. So the question put to Craig (and presumably other candidates under assessment) seems nonsensical. Is this really what SNP ‘group discipline’ is about?
Craig is also a fearless campaigner on behalf of the Palestinians’ struggle against Israel’s brutal and illegal occupation. So one is left wondering if he was perhaps the victim of Zionist influence within the SNP. The other UK parties have been comprehensively infiltrated. 80% of Tory MPs and MEPs are said to be signed up Friends of Israel, with Cameron himself a shameless, self-proclaimed Zio. Labour has a large number of Israel flag wavers. They flourish in UKIP too. And who can forget how the pro-Israel lobby was permitted to bully the LibDem leadership into “re-educating” MP David Ward? It is inconceivable that the SNP hasn’t also been targeted.
Whatever the motive, such a clumsy attempt at control-freakery is no way to embrace the influx of wider, grassroots supporters such as myself.
The SNP is riding high. Please do not allow anything to bring it down. I hope you at least will dissociate yourself from the Craig Murray incident and the unfortunate message it sends.