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Why Does the State Hate Alex Salmond? 433
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Surprising how little it takes to change people’s election intentions or invoke ‘disgusted’ abstentions. And when ‘fixing’ occurs, or is suspected, it takes a so long to investigate that the horse is long over the hill. The Brexit fix is still running as in this insightful piece: https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/brexitinc/brexit-dark-money-and-big-data
which makes me wonder if May’s no extension policy is her way of avoiding awkward outcomes?
Westminster the den of iniquity hates Salmond because he has in the past attempted to hold them to account. He Salmond, also tried to open the eyes of Scots as to why Scots would be better to vote for independence and negate Westminster in the process.
Westminster loathes his association with RT, more so than other British politicans who’ve also featured on RT. They fear his prowess in breaking up this completely dysfunctional union.
So Salmond must be smeared, of which in the event of innocence proven mud still sticks. They’ve already branded Corbyn anti-Semtic and a friend to terrorists.
Lets be clear the British state and its media mouthpieces repeats what the narrative is until the message sinks in. Salmond is just the latest target.
I can only hope Sturgeon isn’t involved and that she calls indyref2 soon. Which will of course activate the unknown Daniel Defoe’s at Holyrood and beyond.
As I have said, MI5, foreign publishers etc are the prime movers behind this sort of thing.
The focus needsto be turned on them.
They are not saints, far from it. Rupert Murdoch is always fucking his next wife before divorcing the present one, for that his career as a publisher should have been forcibly ended 40 years ago. Like the way he fitted up Cecil Parkinson, Alan Clark etc etc.
Piers Morgan is constitutionally incapable of faithful monogamy, his career never ends. Why not?
Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks shagging here, there and everywhere. No career stains for years. Brooks convicted of assaulting her husband. Rupert Murdoch does not fire her.
No evidence whatever that the prurient rabble rousers know how to behave……
This is why and Sturgeon is onboard.
“Nicola Sturgeon distances herself from Alex Salmond’s RT show
https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/nicola-sturgeon-distances-herself-from-alex-salmond-s-rt-show-1-4610054
She is showing worrying signs of an over-inflated ego. Most independence supporters understandably prefer RT to the UK propaganda tool, BBC. In fact I believe the SNP lost quite a few people who resigned in disgust over her ill-judged remarks.
The Scotman newspaper, soin to be defunct due to no one buying it, I wonder why? Is a die-hard unionist rag and doesn’t report with parity.
As for Sturgeon distancing herself RT, RT has been demonised in the British media (it’s no better or worse than the BBC). I’d say her stance is one of not alienating voters who buy into the British states RT is evil and all that bollocks.
Well, if that is the case, she should just keep her mouth shut rather than alienate her own supporters.
We live in the British state, bar one newspaper that is pro-indy the entire media is anti-SNP/independence, Sturgeon has to walk a fine line and try not to alienate any possible yes voters.
Independence is all that matters, the road to doesn’t need to be paved with gold.
Well I’ll tell you something RoS, she’s more than “alienated” many in her own Party through her decision to support the woman who kick started the whole thing. Sturgeon even contradicted the judge in order to back her dodgy investigation!
I thought just a few days ago, you were trying to tell us that you could face read Nicola and that she was ‘obviously distressed’ at having to preside over charges being brought against her best friend and mentor?
Yes, I think SNP HQ later warned their people not to appear on Salmond’s show.
I’m neither Scottish nor an independence supporter, but i’ve always found Salmond to be one of the few politicians who talked sense on may issues. I did wonder whether their was a link to his work for RT and the ensuing problems he’s had.
His common sense and ability to speak well and persuade have no bearing on his guilt or innocence. I am surprised that so many commenting on here protest his innocence when the matter is subject to legal proceedings. I would be similarly surprised if there were people protesting his guilt. It is now a matter for the courts and I strongly feel that people should not comment on the charges until the trial is over, particularly as none of us know the details of the evidence that will be given by the prosecution or defence.
However, we do know that Salmond has already been the victim of a stitch-up, as detailed by Craig, and thus, people are understandably open to the idea that the latest developments are just another attempt to nail Salmond.
I wonder how the UK government is going to direct this all star production. The script doesn’t look too good at the moment since the Scottish government has thrown out the case .MI5 will have to avoid the massive cock-up of Salisbury and plant some decent evidence.
Perhaps they will find in his house a phial of a military-grade aphrodisiac (of a type developed in Russia).
Kerrrching! there’s the money shot lol
Vodka? From (not) Varrington?
military-grade aphrodisiac LOL
just imagine what action this chemical warfare agent has!
MJ, 2 questions
1. is it deadly? 🙂
2. are you russian? 🙂
Strike Back series 7 starts airing in the US tomorrow, series 6 gave us a Novichok story just before the Skripal incident, so look out for Scottish bad guys this series!
Or just do what they did to Willie McRae???
MI5 a moral arbiter?
Like having Al Capone as head of law enforcement.
It’s interesting to see that nationalists are so comfortable with criminal assaults on women. So very like the Labour Party’s complaisance in the industrial scale rape of children, in Rotherham and elsewhere. It’s little wonder that most of Scotland regards the SNP as a bunch of worthless nutters.
Is that why they keep voting for them in preference to the other charlatans?
I fear old prosd-whatever is very far beyond reaching Kathy.
Why ‘some’ of them keep voting for them.
Nonsense, most of Scotland voted for them, check the figures! Also, you have found a man guilty before the trial, that English justice, is it?
Most of Scotland voted for them?
I did check the figures as you suggested and my next question is ‘Did Dianne Abbot teach you to count?
SNP 977,569 Labour 717,007
Conservative 757,949
Lib Dem 179,061
Why are you here? What is it that people like you get from posting smarmy, pathetically sarcastic comments on blogs such as this? Is it money, are you paid to do it? Is it a smug feeling of self importance or superiority? Or are you just so deliriously happy with a world in which 26 people own 50% of the world’s riches and where corruption abounds, that you feel compelled to try and belittle anyone who feels differently ?
Sorry, my comment was actually directed at ‘Geoffrey’, but if the cap fits and all that
He tried to break me and my mind four years ago when I was very ill.
He failed but I was taken to a dark place at the time.
Why? Because of my never failing support for the Palestinians.
Sorry to hear that Sharp Ears. You can’t help but wonder what kind of sad little life has the time and inclination to waste on such pointless comments!
Sure. And that is why that most of those who have been found out in such disgusting behviour towards children, in that so called civil establishment of government, are actually found more in the Tory party with Labour coming in at a close second, than any other party in the entire UK.
https://theukdatabase.com/councillorspolitical-party-affiliated/
I don’t think people can be said to be comfortable with assault on women just because they support Scottish independence can they ?
Brilliant!
Twelve years comfortably in government and more to come begs to differ.
Of course the lack of accountability at Westminster is well known to the world.
“Peers have blocked the immediate suspension of a senior member of the House of Lords after an inquiry found he had groped a woman and promised her a peerage for sex.”
https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/national/17227118.suspension-of-sex-claims-peer-blocked-by-house-of-lords/
Are you Scottish, or just an interested bystander?
#justasking
Away an bile her heir ya glaiket gnumph.
*yer heid*
35 MP’s of 59?
So it is back to being a racist Tory plot to discredit Salmond as per your post a few back when you likened Salmond’s plight to your own when Blair/Straw attempted to frame you. Are you back tracking from it being a Feminist plot with the collusion of Sturgeon ?
Or is it both ? Is Sturgeon plus her Feminist appointees in cahoots with the Neo Con Racists ?
He’s trod on a few toes of the British Establishment – so they want him gone
Exactly!
And so does Nato and the real operators of Faslane, the US/CiA.
I’m no Nationalist or a Labour supporter Habbabkuk but you are an irredeemable bought and paid for horrific nasty lickspittle troll.
And more so everyone knows it. ?
A possible answer …… “The most dangerous man, to any government, is the man who is able to think things out for himself…Almost inevitably, he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane, and intolerable.”—H.L. Mencken, American journalist
“Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.”—H.L. Mencken
“On 7 July 2014, the Home Secretary, Theresa May, announced a review into the handling of historic child abuse allegations…”
I wonder how this review is going – I’m sure it must be reaching a conclusion by now and not kicked into the long grass. ?
The website http://www.iicsa.org.uk details progress in avery transparent manner. All kinds of case reports already published on the site.
Expected to continue until 2020 I think.
The MSM, judging by all the pieces I have read about him, has never liked Alex Salmond. I presume it’s because he is an independent voice not following the narrative they try to peddle. I would guess that he is also feared as credible voice of Scottish people who are trying to gain independence from England, hence the efforts being put into trying to smear his reputation.
The test of all this will be what evidence is presented for these assertions. Until this is resolved I’ll continue to presume him innocent, not least because so many of these types of claims have either failed in the courts due to an absence of believable proof or turn out to be malicious fabrications– and, yes, I realise how difficult it is, with these type of claims, to get the level of proof required to convict in a court of law. That should not blind us to the principle that a person is innocent until proved otherwise, that is crucial.
If he is guilty, then of course the law should deal with him accordingly.
But it is rather strange that after years of silence, then two claims of “sexual impropriety” that were squashed and led to a counter charge that was successful suddenly two counts of attempted rape and nine counts of sexual assault are placed against him.
I think the same. If a woman has not turned to police immediately, or in some short time, so apparently she doesn’t feel offended.
Claiming harrassment in several years? I can only guess it is psychological treatment or emotional cheating played over her, or perhaps financial or other personal goal.
And, after all Mr. Salmond’s relations with women are not relevant to his political activity. Even proved true, it only reveals his personal feature. Nobody is perfect.
Except it’s not harassment now, Tatyana, they’ve upped the ante. Two charges are for attempted rape.
Jo1, being a woman me personally, it is no difference for me. I get equally mad if treated as sexual object whilst I’m not going to make sex. No matter how far the case goes and how the court qualifies, harrassment, assault, attempted rape – I’d be equally mad about it. Ok, nearly equally.
I understand Tatyana. But for the accused man charges of attempted rape, various sexual assaults etc are way more serious if he’s found guilty. That’s what I mean by them upping the ante. They’re not looking to destroy a reputation or wreck a career. They’re looking to send him to jail.
He is not russian government, so I hope to see some evidence. They can’t just send him to jail on ‘highly likely’ basis, can they? It is criminal court, not a war of diplomats and media.
I agree with you, Tatyana, but this is a traditional “Old World” perspective.
When ideology gains enough power to be asserted with authority, the distinction between “personal” and “professional” is easily eroded.
Here’s how it works: the current ideology-based view is that, to use the legal expression, “personal” flaws and defects “go to character”. In other words, if a public figure is alleged or proved to have vices and/or deplorable bad habits in their personal life, this means that the person has a defective character.
As such, the person is then deemed unfit to hold a position of public trust and authority. It used to be that one’s professional life could be adversely affected only by extreme, egregious cases of immoral or illicit misbehavior that demonstrated “moral turpitude”.
But now, the distinction between “personal” and “professional”, “public” and “private”, has been worn away by moralistic culture “warriors”.
That’s the “Brave New World”, at least in Western nations. It’s not only like the one Aldous Huxley wrote about– it also is much like the “Wonderland” of Lewis Carroll, but not so delightful. 😉
Yes, I see the difference between western and russian perspective. And I think that western is logically wrong.
Nobody is perfect, you can always find some personal features in a man, which can be described as bad. Or some actions in his/her past, which were wrong.
So what? There are only one Mother Teresa and only one Pope Francis 🙂 More, I don’t think that Mother Teresa would fit into position of the First Minister 🙂
on Mr. Clintons affair with Ms. Levinski, some russian comedian (don’t remember the name) commented:
“You know, there’s a big scandal in America, they are ready to impeach President Clinton. What if it were in Russia? Ah, what would we say if it were Yeltsin? Ha ha, most of us would say “Hey, this old drunkard is still able to do something with a woman? Respect!”
You see, this joke is not covering the whole spectre of opinions, but it is still funny for russian people. We can separate personal and professional.
“We can separate personal and professional.”
We call it the Public and the Private.
That has broken down in the West. Up until relatively recently the French had the same separation as you.
For Britain and the US, this separation of Public and Private broke down from the 1960s on.
It is the case that the concepts of Public and the Private emerged, in their latest incarnation, during the Western Renaissance and Enlightenment periods.
The Medieval period didn’t distinguish that much.
So, it’s probably not a traditional Russian view, more a product of USSR thinking.
Tatyana
Depends on the perceived severity of the trauma, many people block things out as their emotions cannot cope. They obsess about work, a passionate interest etc, anything to block out the emotions.
If they had the emotions to cope with a sexual assault, unwanted touching up etc, then they probably had a character giving short shrift to unwanted male attention.
If you grow up feeling unloved and not empowered, you can be overwhelmed by things more confident people deal with without difficulty.
It is very difficulty to badge how people respond as responses can be so variable to very similar experiences.
Rhys, I understand, but are they not adult women? They must know their rights and be able to defend it. Strange that these women were so sensitive as to be silent then, and suddenly decided to tell their stories all together at the same time 🙂
Tatyana: thank you for speaking up about this. If at the time of the alleged assault they were afraid of the consequences of going public, they could at least have confided in a friend, or even better a lawyer, or just their diary. If they didn’t think it necessary to do anything about it at the time, why bring it up now?
Yes and also which adult woman is not able to deal with an amorous pass anyway? Its’ not Victorian times after all with lots of shrinking violets.
Maybe they told their story ages ago and it was noted and filed for future use.
You know, the girls from the office are out at the pub and they get to girl-talking and promise not to tell anyone, but, yeah, you know what he did, the boss. lol.
And it’s a kind of girlie giggling about clumsy male advances. No malice. Just amusement, laughing and gossip.
Depending on who this boss is, there’ll be a giggling girlie there taking notes to pass onto her real bosses at Central Collating, for use at a future date.
Like what WE used to think about the KGB and Stasi etc.
I think what’s happening is that the West is being Communised, and The East is being Liberalised.
There are regions in Europe and the UK who can escape this fate by striking out on their own in relations with the East.
They’re much desired by the East.
But, can they break away from their dying kings.
Before they die with them.
I agree with your thoughts Tatiana, but I have observed the world in UK since 1983 (the year after attaining my majority) and I can tell you that huge numbers of people tolerate all kinds of things due to economic fragility (mortgages to pay, kids to feed), not having grown up feeling the world is safe, not having encouraging and loving parents.
I have worked for employers who hack your phones, bug your company car, know everything you type on your home computer (no job application to escape would be free of their prying eyes) and it feels like you are a prisoner on the outside.
I have had Directors traducing my sexual potency in sneering, scoffing terms (they were committing adultery in the office, of course) and I have found career prospects suddenly trashed by speaking out on non-sexual matters.
UK places of work are NOT safe places. All the twaddle you hear about HR etc is just that: twaddle.
If you start from the assumption that controllers want mouthpieces with blackmailable histories, you assume that controllers let folks rise as long as they do not challenge sacred tenets, but then use the blackmailable material to get them to back off.
You do not care about legal due processs, you just want them pliant and backed off.
So you start with minor infractions and up the ante as required to achieve the goal.
Salmond was harmless until Indyref almost delivered Leave. Then he became political dynamite.
His resignation was good, but now Indyref II may loom. Salmond becomes Unionist enemy number one. Especially as Leave is now electorally feasible after Indyref I.
Makes sense if you view solely in power politics terms devoid of all concepts of justice.
‘You’ve seen it before
‘The names of the women and men
‘Decreed by the sword and the pen
‘To be outlaws
‘All over again’
Capercaillie.
Apt, I think.
What must be a concern is that as far as I’ve read today, is that no date has been fixed for a trial or hearing which means this could run and run. If I were in Alex’ position, I’d be wanting the matter cleared up one way or another as quickly as possible. I suspect that time will be taken and when certain parties deem it necessary, then we’ll get a reminder of the impending court case every so often.
My gut tells me he’s innocent and this is dirty tricks so I’m assuming him innocent until proven otherwise. He has whatever support I can give if it’s ever needed.
“What must be a concern is that as far as I’ve read today, is that no date has been fixed for a trial or hearing which means this could run and run.”
You’d better believe it, two words Michelle Thomson.
It has to go to the Procurator Fiscal first to see if there is a case to answer before any trial date can be set. If it goes to trial god knows how they’ll ever select a jury given every person in this country has an opinion on Alex Salmond, good or bad ?
Surely where the state has an interest juries are hand picked to give the required result, whatever the evidence?
Strange how the likes of Savile, Smith and Janner got away with their misdeeds, despite there being ample reports of their wrongdoing.
If there’s an office or function of the British state that isn’t comprehensively corrupted I’m yet to hear of it.
It HAS gone to the procurator Fiscal. Todays proceedings where at the instigation of the Crown Office. .
The hearing today was a petition case & the resulting criminal case has to be presented within 1 year.
Important to always remember that to be under suspicion without quick exoneration is a trying time. A trial in itself.
The old medieval concept of trial was precisely that.
Those who survived the torment were innocent.
We’ve got this simplistic Enlightenment concept in which all that matters is the days at court, the arguments, the decisions etc.
No.
The trial began when this most respected and sincere of men was publicly humiliated by the charges. That trial will continue for a year at least, before resolution.
Point is, they don’t even need a favourable resolution.
All they need is to flick shit for a year or two.
You are right that this will run and run. These events happened years ago and there can be no evidence adduced one way or the other. It is just his word against theirs. There can be no justice for anyone.
“These events happened years ago..” Or did they? Trial still to happen pal.
Well, I would get a barky lawyer issuing public statement calling the competence of the Procurator Fiscal into question if the case is not either heard or dropped within six months.
Why does the state hate Alex Salmond? Probably for the same reasons that the state hates anyone that is willing and able to communicate to a wide audience a message that is contrary to the prevailing narrative of the state.
Now see how the morally pure and infinitely virtuous leap to the defense of this man. Compare and contrast these messages of support with the sullen silence or sneering vindication that greeted the imprisonment of Tommy Robinson on contempt of court charges. Oh how the educated rushed to explain that Robinson was obviously guilty and such a rapid imprisonment was nothing out of the ordinary for such charges.
Obviously all of these educated people would be so much more conversant with the law than Lord Burnett, the Lord Chief Justice. In his appeal ruling Lord Burnett stated that “The failure (by the Judge at Leeds Crown Court) to follow the requirements of Part 48 of the Rules was much more than a technical failure”
When will you people understand that every time you fail to stand up against the mistreatment of someone with whom you disagree then you make it inevitable that someone with whom you do agree will also fall foul of the power of the state.
Good point but the court has decided one but not the other
Robinson was virtually working for the defence of a paedo gang by undermining their trial. He didn’t see it like that, but that is what he was doing and why he was rightly banged up.
You are entitled to your view but it is in direct opposition to the view of the Lord Chief Justice. Maybe you should explain exactly how your understanding of the law is superior to that of the Lord Chief Justice or alternatively accept that your view is predicated on your love of ignorance.
Robinson would not have won his appeal had he picketed a Scottish court and we are talking Scots law here. The Lord Chief Justice is an English position with no writ in Scotland.
Ah yes Scots law. The kind of law that criminalizes homeless drug addicts for possession of a plastic bright orange toy gun. You must be so proud,
Try to remember that the revolution eats itself, always and everywhere. No exceptions. Now he who lived by the sword must face trial by the same sword.
And then the SNP fell in line over Libya!
There are political differences and then class differences. Alas middle class politicians of all stripes fear it will undermine their credibility if they are associated with the ‘thuggish and stupid’ working class. The irony is as Labour became more middle class the conservatives became more working class, although the unelected elites remained the same.
Dave: what was the SNP line re Libya?
Well only 15 MPs opposed the destruction of Libya, so I presume the SNP accepted the official line it was done to save lives!!!
I think this will backfire. Those who hate Alex Salmond will not change their minds. Those who admire him won’t change theirs either. Those in the middle will smell a rat because this is total overkill. It will have the effect in the end of causing more suspicion about the agenda of the accusers. Sadly it will create more hatred and rancour. The cause of independence was always going to get nasty once we got closer to the final goal.
Only yesterday Nicola was telling Theresa that IndeyRef2 is on the way
Did she? She didn’t tell anyone else as I recall.
So it’s all a stitch up by the British state, because they dontvwant Scottish independence??? And the British state rigged the independence vote too.
So why didn’t they rig the Brexit vote? Because that is the VERY thing most likely to result in another Scottish referendum with a different outcome this time…
I’m sure somebody will be along with an answer really soon.
Is it just me or has the quality of trolling on here really gone down the pan?
It’s not just you.
Yes, that’s easy. Again. The brutish state thought they were going to romp it. And they didn’t. And the rest is history.
This has been a concerted campaign by the UK establishment to undermine the threat from Wee Eck. First they make him lose a referendum by running the worst campaign in history. Then they make him resign as FM because he’d be too old in a generation., Then the unholy cabals unite so he loses his seat in Parliament. Then he is tricked into make smutty comments at The Fringe. Then he is advised to sign a deal with Russian TV channel which doesn’t know how many gates there are at Gatwick (reminds me of someone else). Enough is enough. But. Just when we thought they couldn’t crush him further we have his arrest and subsequent charges based on ????? Enough evidence to bring it to Court?
Makes you wonder what size of coffin needs all these nails? I’ll need to crowdfund some research into that.
So, Mr Salmond has been Assanged. This was also the week in which the likes of Johnson, and Mogg, started to walk back their picture of a no deal paradise.
It seems likely the British State has commenced operations to protect itself, and its vision of the future. Be prepared for more interesting events to come.
Casual Observer: or ‘Spitzered’. Search ‘Eliot Spitzer’.
I began my visit here today by reading the comments first, and then the blog.
This has to be the most vacuous blog that you have ever done Mr. Murray, it’s a kitchen sink full of Salmonds cut and paste press statements. We can’t even link to the original sources, here they are…
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/chilcot-report-alex-salmond-tony-blair-legal-action-iraq-war-inquiry-a7122626.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/307225.stm
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/alex-salmond-uk-government-abandon-military-obsession-snp-leader-scottish-mp-international-affairs-a7502171.html
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/homenews/15694249.alex-salmond-casts-doubt-on-lockerbie-bomber-conviction/
There is little there that separates him out from a whole range of political figures who have said the same. The only exception being his weasel words in the Lockerbie bombing that fitted up Libya, and Abdelbasset Ali Megrahi as the perpetrators. He is reported to claim “……. when Abdelbaset al Megrahi was controversially freed from prison on compassionate grounds – said it was possible “for someone to be guilty, yet wrongly convicted……..” Well excuse me for believing the Iranians did it, which, Mr. Murray, you also claim to believe to be true.
My stunned silence at the lack of demands for due process to take precedence over biased comments, comes about because of the exact opposite I witnessed here when the fitting up of the dynamic duo in Salisbury was met head on by an overwhelming majority.
It could well be that he is being fitted up, he fits the suitable target profile, such a claim is highly plausible. But there again, he could also be guilty. The political class is not without its venalities. Let due process rule…_
Not guilty.
“Let due process rule……”
Ironically, Digger UK, you mentioned yourself in that post the very case which shows that due process counts for little much of the time when it comes to justice. I hope the Scottish Justice System is kinder to Salmond than it was to Megrahi.
As to your thoughts regarding bias here, there is already cause to be suspicious of this whole process against Salmond. Please check out the ruling by a judge on Ms Evans’ investigation.
Jo1: thanks for making the point. The Scottish ‘Justice’ System is a misnomer. Megrahi had nothing to do with the Lockerbie bombing and anyone who cared to look objectively at the evidence knew that to be the case. The judges were prejudiced, both at the original trial and at the appeal.
The judges did their duty, but made clear in their summing up he was innocent, before declaring him guilty.
Dave
That’s a very odd way of saying they chose to wrongly convict a man.
Yes not their duty to justice but their duty to the state that wanted a conviction.
Then they didn’t do their true duty, they failed to rule in the interests of justice, they obstructed justice by delivering a verdict not supported by the evidence.
Jo, the way the State works, if you were prepared to do your true duty, you would not get to hear the case.
No doubt Clive Ponting, who comments here occasionally, will reminisce on the type of judge selected ‘as a suitably severe member of the judiciary’ (a public quotation of the then DPP) for his OS2 trial back in the 1980s.
Summary: the judge went way over the top, directing the jury to convict and a 24-finger salute came back sooner rather than later. I was in college in Cambridge at the time and huge cheers rang out in the JCR where the students’ TV set resided as the bbc reported on the dramatic acquittal.
The UK State learned to be more understated and subtle as a result…
So never expect judges to do their true duty. Leave that to juries and pray they still exist as an arm of justice by 2030.
Salmonds weasel words that it’s possible “for someone to be guilty, yet wrongly convicted”, and doing nothing of substance to demand a proper verdict be made in the Lockerbie case, makes it quite possible he could get hoisted by his own, but at least he can look forward to a trial with a jury.
He could even take up poetry in the solitude of his cell ‘When they came for the Libyans I said nothing because I wasn’t a Libyan, Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.’
I strongly suspect he will get due process though…_
The US and UK governments wanted Megrahi released to avoid the appeal being heard, so what could the Scottish Government (a grand title for a body with limited powers) do in the circumstances? I wouldn’t be surprised if the ‘independence referendum was reward for his release!
The issue is a huge one Dave and probably not for discussion here. But in answer to your question, the Scottish Government could have allowed the 2nd appeal to proceed. Nothing the UK/US could have done as it was a Scots Law matter. The SCCRC had found six grounds to suggest a miscarriage of justice. The whole thing will forever be a stain on Scots Law. I’m sorry to the heart the SNP government played ball with Westminster by forcing Megrahi to drop his appeal.
They were mostly playing ball, as was Westminster, with Washington.
Yes, which means they, the judge’s, chose to convict the wrong man. No excuses.
Jo you need to realise that the US threatens any nation that does not do its bidding.
The US would threaten Scotland with punitive scottish discrimination, just as they do currently to Russia, Venezuela and Iran.
Judges are appointed to provide the verdict the Establishment wants and demands. They are neither independent nor selected for their integrity.
They are selected for their flexibility, controllability and reliability.
Mr Salmond’s is innocent until proven guilty as far as I am concerned but of course there will little or no physical evidence to go on. It will be one person’s word against another’s.
Last year I was accused at work by a little jobs worth at Unite Students of inappropriate comments. Corporations spy on their employees and trawl for unproven accusations on police and medical records. It’s not that mud sticks. It doesn’t . What happens is that corporations get jobsworths in minor roles in totally insignificant organisations that have borrowed a lot of capital to dig up dirt on any kind of whistleblower.
All sorts of devious freelancers make a living from collecting potential dirt because corporations are very good customers. Religious sects; solicitors; family members; medics dentists and health authorities will all divulge to corporations hearsay and malicious gossip which put together make you look dodgy enough to accuse.
The fact that the police have once put a tracker in your car, or doctor recorded that you are unknown to yourself gay, or MI5 has inserted some kind of device in your gum or skin: these all make you look right dodgy weirdo. But the weird dodginess isn’t yours , it’s theirs. They are the ones who go to such extraordinary and expensive ends to try and k nobble a whistleblower
Believe me, the judge who presided over the investigation had already briefed himself on the mud trail and dismissed it. Otherwise he wouldn’t have let off Alex Salmond on the legal points. What is happening now is that his political enemies reckon they have such a massive file of manufactured bill shit against him it’s worth the trying to get a bent judge to give a credulous look at the pooper scooped ” secret evidence which is no more than the fantasies of professional slandered.
The middle-classof first world society is made up from little jobsworths like these. One such overfed flea is Habbabkuk who tries to denigrate sharp ears solely for her defence of the downtrodden Palestinians. It’s normal. Probably been biting and breeding nests of fleas for millions of years
Stich up….Seen it all before, remember George Galloway in the US Senate and his 10 million barrels of iraqi oil…
Galloway was not stitched up.
He went, he saw, he stuck two fingers up to them. He walked out alive…_
GG wasted the Senate Committee .
https://youtu.be/j5u1skEoqLs
He also dealt with Anna Botting on Sky News in short order.
On the subject of George Galloway, his columns on RT are always an excellent read.
Funny how all those unfamiliar comment posters who popped out of the woodwork to trash Venezuela on the previous blog post are now totally absent from this one, it’s like they all descended in flash-mob fashion to skew the debate and promote the Western imperialist propaganda and it’s insidious agenda.
Anyway, with Salmond it’s a case of throw enough mud and some of it will stick. I presume until a prosecution shows otherwise that the charges are historical and have been brought on little more than hearsay evidence and not as a result of the normal procedure, i.e. a crime is committed, the crime is reported to police, police investigate crime and, based on evidence, proceed with arrest, charge and prosecution. I am curious to see what evidence is presented, and if it is purely a case of victim testimony then why have these establishment paedophiles not been dragged before the beak?
If you are interested in Venezuela try explaining how the US imperialists have managed to topple the Chavez/Maduro regime but after 60 years of well documented economic war on Cuba that regime remains in place. Could it possible be that Maduro is complicit in his own downfall?
Why is Venezuela so interesting? I don’t recall a similar level of interest when Mugabe was removed from office. As a consequence of his removal some of the poorest people in the world are now faced with the worlds most expensive gasoline. Does that sound reasonable.
Oil, in answer to your hypothetical question.
@ Sharp Ears January 24, 2019 at 22:01
Yep, the largest known oil reserves in the world, and the drooling US Corporations want it bad.
Check out ‘Aaron Russo – Historic Interview’ : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3NA17CCboA
In 2000 a Rockefeller (ring any bells?) tipped off Aaron Russo, that after Afghanistan the US was going after Venezuela.
In 2002 the first attempted coup against Chavez occurred…
This info needs to be broadcast as far and wide as possible, especially now, as it comes to the crunch….
“try explaining how the US imperialists have managed to topple the Chavez/Maduro regime”
A bit premature and inaccurate, seeing as the Maduro “regime” is still in office and Chavez died of a mystery illness while in office. With regard to Cuba, that was a communist dictatorship getting huge financial assistance from the USSR, and the only resources that were coveted was fruit and tobacco plantations plus a gambling and sex industry once controlled by the Mafia, so as a prize it is hardly comparable to the world’s largest reserves of oil.
It is possible that quite a few of us non Scots who read Mr Murrays blog simply choose to ignore articles about overt Scottish nationalism.
I read this one because it covers issues broader than narrow Nationalism, but articles revving up rabid nats tend to produce comments which annoy me for their hatred, puerile nature and rabid anti Englishness.
Maybe you should realise that not everyone finds every single article Mr Murray posts as worth reading, let alone worth commenting on?
That is entirely normal, entirely to be expected.
They may also be trying to deflect attention onto Salmond away from the shitstorm that is Brexit.
It’s a long list.
Aaaaand….they arrested him. A little desperate looking, but entirely expected. Backs must be covered, careers protected. I’m looking squarely at McKinnon here, and suspect she has direct involvement.
I never liked Nicola, but I also now realize she’s entirely out of her depth. She’ll soon have more time to reflect on the matter I’m sure.
All those hoping that Mr. Salmond is an innocent man and who wish for Scottish independence may want to take a careful look at the Scottish Justice system.
why in Scotland you can be criminalized for possession of a bright orange, toy plastic gun.
http://www.alloaadvertiser.com/news/13533224.plastic-gun-robber-is-spared-jail/
Obviously a homeless rug addict is unlikely to attract a lot of public sympathy or celebrity attention. However if you let this kind of thing go unchallenged then who knows when someone else will be subject to the same kind of justice.Maybe we will find out…
Poor guy.
“…a homeless rug addict..” That individual is right out of luck. Homeless, and without a rug. Sounds like a particular kind of hell.
I’m not Scottish and know none of the details of the case – but my immediate reaction is that this stinks. I’ve increasingly admired Salmond over the years in his uncompromising views on the issues mentioned and I hope that if these charges are bogus that he is able to clear his name quickly.
And isn’t it convenient for the establishment that we have such tight contempt of court laws in this country, so that Salmond and others can’t properly refute the allegations until quite late in the day.
I doubt that there’s anything really in the accusations against Salmond. It’s obvious that they want to break him.
It’s becoming rampant, nasty, and dangerous. And whenever you query it, you are immediately called ‘misogynist’, by people who ought to look the word up in a good, hardback dictionary. This weaponized MeToo movement is Soviet style denouncing, and Salmond is about to get his show trial.
I am hopeful that more women will see how pernicious this all is, and start calling it out. 3rd wave feminists straight from indoctrination camp are a lost cause, but there are different stylings of feminism, aren’t there? And denouncement culture always ends badly, for everyone.
MeToo was also a neat way to hide some of the goings on in Pedowood. If we knew fully about all that, we’d probably never watch a movie again, I suspect.
It’s a long list. Would indicate more than two women have made accusations.