I have just been rejected at vetting (again) by the SNP and therefore cannot put myself forward to fellow members as a potential parliamentary candidate. This time they added the somewhat gratuitous comment that I would not only be “unbecoming” as a parliamentary candidate, but as a member. They also suggested, in writing, that I owe a public apology to senior figures in the party. I have written back to ask to whom and why (I really have no idea). I have not received any reply to that yet. I have received a reply to a second query, and am told that the “unbecoming” comment does not indicate any desire or expectation that I should resign membership. Indeed they say they hope my contribution will continue, but as my sole contribution appears to be as a whipping-boy I can’t quite see why I should share that hope.
You will forgive my posting some videos which I think explain the case for my defence:
src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/GfbfldSrJ-0″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen>
Obviously this all causes me to think long and hard about my future political effort. My key focus is ensuring that neither excessive caution nor that most insidious temptation, managerialism and the comfort of power and office, prevents an early second referendum. It is very easy to convince yourself that you are doing good in your taxpayer-paid job. Status is seductive. The SNP is full of siren voices arguing that they should enjoy their spoils for a decade or two while maintaining a steady trudge towards independence. They whisper that we have to await a 60% Yes lead in the opinion polls before we try again as another defeat would be disastrous.
But the greater danger is that the momentum fades. You would have to be the greatest optimist in the World to imagine a more favourable conjunction of circumstances for Independence than an extremist Tory government at Westminster, a Labour Party in meltdown, the Liberals almost eliminated and the SNP supreme in Scotland. Plus the residue of the huge momentum of the IndyI campaign, which put on 14 points in 12 months.
This dream conjunction will not last forever. The great danger is letting the moment slip through our fingers. If pro-Indy candidates sweep Holyrood, having already swept Westminster, we would be quite entitled to declare independence without a referendum. As I repeat till I am blue in the face, the majority of countries in the world have become independent states in my own lifetime, and the vast majority of those without a referendum. There is no legal requirement for one, and it is essential that we retain the threat of UDI in case Cameron tries to refuse a referendum; otherwise we are accepting a Westminster veto on the will of the Scottish people.
A referendum in 2018 must be the goal, with the threat of UDI should Cameron refuse. That is what I want to work for. I am only an individual, actively disowned by the party of Scottish government. But nonetheless I shall dedicate my energies to this goal.
Yes Mr Goss, I must agree with you there, that all parties involved in the investigation of the destruction of Pan Am flight 103,and its occupants have colluded in one way or another.
December 1988 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Bernt Carlsson was on his way to New York to attend the signing ceremony on 22 December 1988 at United Nations headquarters of the New York Accords granting independence to Namibia, which had been illegally occupied by apartheid South Africa in defiance of UN Security Council Resolution 435.
Following the UN Commissioner’s death at Lockerbie, South African foreign minister Pik Botha went ahead and signed the Tripartite Accord. However, instead of handing control of Namibia to the United Nations, Pik Botha put the apartheid regime’s Administrator-General, Louis Pienaar, in charge.
No investigation by the Scottish Police, the CIA, the FBI, Whitehall or the United Nations has ever been conducted into the evident targeting of Bernt Carlsson on Pan Am Flight 103, despite the branding of apartheid South Africa as a “terrorist state” by Michael Dukakis, the Democratic nominee in the 1988 US presidential election campaign.
Quite right RoS.
This is a better link because it includes Patrick’s letters, which I have no doubt are now on Wikispooks but the site currently appears to be down.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/118951448146734/permalink/928785180496686/
Serial Reject.
I am beginning to resent that expression.
Anyway, I have e-mailed Ms Sturgeon telling her she was wrong not to select Craig Murray as a SNP Candidate.
And other things.
Craig Murray.
Is there any way I can challenge “The stolen seas” in the Hague as a private individual?.
You’re too good for those bourgeois fuckers Craig.
This might cheer you up, Craig…..if you’ve not already seen it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei50lM6ab1c
It is tempting to suggest Craig Murray is to Scotland as Jeremy Corbyn is to England because both men have a moral opposition to war and Trident. On the other hand we know from JC’s speech in Aberdeen he discarded the SNPs aim of Scottish independence. To understand that rejection perhaps we should consider Corbyn as the antidote to Scottish independence if we agree Labour in Scotland drove a stack through the heart of it’s founding principles which in my book culminated in that near win for independence.
That truth may hurt somewhat but I believe Jeremy Corbyn will flounder from our own cowardly arrogance and appeasement this notably within the SNP NEC itself unless of course the lingering threat of nuclear war grows to be inevitable- that is not as laughable as some imagine here considering a few are aware is was the British war cabinet that proposed a nuclear strike on Afghanistan after the terrorist attack on the WTC and not as Michael Steiner believes the US government.
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/11-september-bush-regierung-dachte-an-atomschlag-a-1050341.html
Why should Craig feel he must defend himself, with JC decamped the Western oligarth regime changes gear to increase the wealth chasm, increase private debt, increase chaos, in a game of poker none of us can win, subservient to the corporate zombies spawned by the sperms of Blair and others.
Listen-up Hudghton, Mackay, Beattie and McLaughlin and others, rejecting the entanglement of Craig Murray’s intentions now will only lead to anxiety even peril in the months ahead.
Craig
It truly gives me no satisfaction to say it but “I (and probably others) told you so” many threads ago.
I would analyse (if that’s not too pretentious a word) the situation as follows.
1/. It seems to me that underlying your writings in the past has been the belief that the SNP and its modus operandi are somehow based on higher moral and ethical principles than the other UK political parties.
2/. This may have been due to a belief that the noble (from your point of view and that of many others)) aim of the SNP – ie, independence for Scotland)- must imply those higher (and therefore noble)moral and ethical principles I mention under !/. above. In other words, there is a correspondence of nobility between the ultima ratio of the party and its modus operandi.
3/. The treatment you have received from the SNP results from the fact that the SNP is, at bottom, a party like any other.
4/. That includes the fact that, as is the case with all the other parties, the selection of candidates has moved, over the decades, towards party central office and away from the individual constituencies.
In this connection, and as far as the Labour party is concerned, you will have noticed that Mr Corbyn and the other remaining left-wingers are all MPs of long standing, first elected when the selection powers of central office were weaker and those of the local constituencies stronger th they are today; there appear to be few if any persistent left-wing Labour rebels from the more ecent HoC intakes.
5/. Given that centralisation: it is not surprising that the SNP powers should view you as a risk to be kept on the sidelines; you are unlikely to keep to the party line in all circumstances. What you have written on a further referendum illustrates that point rather well.
6/. To the above we have to add your personal history in govt service at the FCO. Irrespective of the moral worth of your actions as HM Ambassador, they were seen from the point of view of the FCO *qua organisation* as unsound and rebellious. All organisations, including political parties, which are also organisations, you would wish to work for will be mindful of that.
To illustrate the point (although there are probably better illustrations), remember that the status of even the arguably most successful Soviet agent of the post-war era in the UK – Kim Philby – remained that of an agent after his defection; he never became a KBG officer (despite his claims to the contrary).
I hope none of the above offends, because that was not my intention.
Craig (as an addition)
Having read the comments just now – after posting myself – I see that some are urging you to stand as an independent.
I would not advise that course of action.
The fate of most independent candidates is to get a pitiful numbers of votes.
Which fact could be use after the event as a way of discrediting the particular issue in favour of which the unsuccessful candidate stood.
The referendum is over and the people made their choice, they decided to remain part of Britain because when asked questions on issues such as currency or EU membership the SNP did not have the answers. Anyone who cared about democracy or the Scottish people would respect that decision.
Now it is time to move on and concentrate on things like health, education, employment and public services which are all falling behind. We need real politics not fantasy politics and we need politicians who care about the people, all the people, not their own egos.
“Is there any way I can challenge “The stolen seas” in the Hague as a private individual?.”
On what basis?
The idea of UDI is madness. At worst it would be a recipe for civil conflict, or even war, and at best if people thought that the SNP were even considering it, you could kiss goodbye to more than a few seats next year.
Why not get in touch with Rise, the new party that has been created out of the SSP and some Trot grouplets? Yeah, I know, it will probably split as they always do, but if you are so disenchanted with the SNP then it might be worth considering.
Your commitment to the cause of Scottish Independence and your keenness to become an MP is undoubted. But I wonder whether you should think again about this. Your independence, your forthrightness, your honesty and commitment to an ethical dimension in politics are your strengths, but your confrontational and often quite emotional reaction to political issues, and your admitted mental health difficulties, could make you very vulnerable in a more formal political setting. I have to wonder how much of a “team player” you’d be too. I hope there’s nothing in these comments that could be called unfair or unreasonable. Perhaps the role you play now, as a ruggedly independent commentator and rouser of passion in others is what you should continue doing – on these pages, in speechifying, in cajoling, in demolishing hypocrisy and cant, supporting others who can advance the cause. You may feel it is like shouting from the side-lines at a rugby match, but I would disagree. Such political activism is the basis of democracy and of politics- in other words persuading the mass of others to elect the right people and to pursue honourable policies. Actually getting elected yourself isn’t important and for 99.995% of Scots it is impossible – there are, after all, 6 million Scots, thousands as impassioned as you, and only 129 MPs at any one time.
We do not need politicians to run our small country,we need proven honest people not tainted by UK/USA influence,open honest government for the people,dare I say Craig as one.
“Is there any way I can challenge “The stolen seas” in the Hague as a private individual?.”
On what basis?”
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Ermm….I would imagine the answer is in the question, you know the word stolen is a good place to start.
“Ermm….I would imagine the answer is in the question, you know the word stolen is a good place to start.”
What are you saying was stolen? A sea? How many buckets did it take?
Talking of Police Scotland I see their incompetence comes with a high price tag.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/kenny-macaskill-blasted-over-stephen-6352202#ICID=sharebar_twitter
Thank you Republicofscotland.
“What are you saying was stolen? A sea? How many buckets did it take?”
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Not just 6000 miles of sea but 7 oilfields as well
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GfbfldSrJ-0
Stolen in bad faith.
But don’t take my word for it the link provided is by no other than Craig himself, I’d watch it if I were you before making a comment that might seem foot in mouth.
Thank you Republicofscotland.
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You’re welcome Robert.
The link I provided is to Craig, where he speaks of the stolen seas and oilfields dine so on the eve of the opening of Holyrood, Craig calls it bad faith.
Craig says he has years of dealing with maratime disputes, he’s very confident that a independent Scotland would recover the seas and assets at the Hague.
The truth is Craig is far too much of a loose cannon to be accepted by the SNP, or any other political party for that matter. As much as I enjoy his uncompromising spirit, you simply will not get anywhere in politics without making concessions, hence the Corbynistas are doomed to failure because they will not accept the various strands of thinking within the Labour Party.
Craig has spent far too long attacking those he is meant to be persuading, engendering a “them and us” attitude, culminating with his characterisation of No voters as “either evil or quite extraordinarily thick”, for him ever to be treated seriously as an SNP candidate. He made it clear from early on that he was prepared to attack the party’s leadership if it deviated from his thinking, and now he complains that it won’t accept him.
I’m afraid to say that despite his thought-provoking analyses, original thinking and insight, and other qualities Craig possesses in abundance, no party in their right mind would ever want him. A feather in the cap that is, and time to move on to pastures new.
“Not just 6000 miles of sea but 7 oilfields as well”
The sea and oil fields are still there right where they always were, how do you call that stolen?
Duggy Dug-Scotland’s oil. A dug you can trust with Scotland’s pound and everything else.
Good humour as well. Which makes a pleasant change.
“The sea and oil fields are still there right where they always were, how do you call that stolen?”
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Acting cute doesn’t suit you Fred, I wonder if Argentina’s people see your way over the Falkland Islands? Or the Chagossian people over their islands? I very much doubt it.
Craig sadly you are a liability to any movement against the establishment as the right wing press would be smearing you and whoever you were linked to politically and the BBC would love it in its pure hatred of the SNP. So I would look on your rejection politically as a candidate that the SNP have more enemies than any one would wish for and your good self would only add yet another weapon for those opposed to independence. The UK is not looking for integrity only blind subservience.
“Duggy Dug-Scotland’s oil. A dug you can trust with Scotland’s pound and everything else.
Good humour as well. Which makes a pleasant change.”
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Robert you may like this site, you can read how Donald Dewar and Henry McLeish helped steal 6000 miles of Scottish seas, there was no democratic process involved.
http://www.oilofscotland.org/scotlands_stolen_sea.html
Nothing was stolen from Scotland because it didn’t belong to Scotland in the first place besides which the boundary does not mark the extent of territorial waters.
I’m not sure what other reaction Craig expected from the SNP. It’s less than year since his previous application was turned down after which he went public here and elsewhere with some scathing criticism of the SNP leadership. That and the resulting misunderstanding of the SNP’s position on the Bedroom Tax are hardly likely to endear him to the party elite.
Oh and whilst UDI might not be illegal with the support of 36% of the electorate the SNP hardly have a mandate.
To typify CM with the end result of espionage is either shifty or obtuse!
Thanks Republicofscotland, I’ve known about this theft for a long time, along with many other things concerned with greed and power over us.
We (Scots) and everything about us, and what we say is shit. While everything English is IT!
Rule Britannia!
Up your kilt with a bunch of Thistles! They have been heard to say.
Good night, just in case, “to-morrow starts without me”.
“Acting cute doesn’t suit you Fred, I wonder if Argentina’s people see your way over the Falkland Islands? Or the Chagossian people over their islands? I very much doubt it.”
Argentina and the Chagossian matters would be international disputes. There are no national boundaries involved here or any dispute between governments.
How can anything have been stolen?