Either Nicola Sturgeon or Geoff Aberdein is Lying on Oath – and Proving Which Will Be Easy 210


It is impossible that both Nicola Sturgeon and Geoff Aberdein are tellng the truth about their meeting on 29 March 2018, which both now say discussed allegations against Alex Salmond.

Geoff Aberdein, Alex Salmond’s former Chief of Staff testified under oath in the Salmond trial that he was contacted in mid-March by phone by Nicola Sturgeon’s office to discuss historic allegations against Alex Salmond, and was asked to a meeting with the First Minister on 29 March. Aberdein testified he was so concerned that he arranged a conference call with Kevin Pringle and Duncan Hamilton QC to discuss this.

By contrast, Sturgeon claims in her evidence to the parliamentary inquiry that the meeting happened by accident, that she had no knowledge it would discuss allegations against Alex Salmond, and subsequently she had entirley forgotten about it; forgetting about it especially when replying repeatedly to parliament, over 18 months, to questioning on when she had first heard of allegations.

As has been reported already, four days earlier – 29 March 2018 – I had spoken with
Geoff Aberdein (former Chief of Staff to Alex Salmond) in my office at the Scottish
Parliament.
Mr Aberdein was in Parliament to see a former colleague and while there came to see
me.
I had forgotten that this encounter had taken place until I was reminded of it in, I think,
late January/early February 2019.
For context, I think the meeting took place not long after the weekly session of FMQs
and in the midst of a busy day in which I would have been dealing with a multitude of
other matters.
However, from what I recall, the discussion covered the fact that Alex Salmond wanted
to see me urgently about a serious matter, and I think it did cover the suggestion that
the matter might relate to allegations of a sexual nature.
Around this time, I had been made aware separately of a request from Mr Aberdein
for me to meet with Alex Salmond.

These two stories are utterly incompatible. Unless we are to believe that Nicola’s office set up a meeting for her without her permission, without telling her the subject, and without subsequently telling her they had set it up. We would also have to believe that Nicola’s private office knew of the allegations for weeks without telling their boss. I can tell you for certain, that is not how the Civil Service works.

The matter is capable of proof. Geoff Aberdein testified he held a conference call with Kevin Pringle and an eminent QC, Duncan Hamilton, ahead of the Sturgeon meeting. Presumably he would have informed Mr Hamilton of the genesis of the meeting to explain why he needed advice. Let the Fabiani inquiry call both Aberdein and Hamilton to give testimony.

It is important to note that if Aberdein is telling the truth – and I was in court when he gave his testimony, which sounded entirely credible – then Nicola Sturgeon’s private office was phoning him about allegations about Salmond weeks before Nicola Sturgeon subsequently claimed to parliament that she first heard anything of all this. Of course, they could have known many months or years before that, but the Aberdein testimony gives us mid-March 2018.

You may, if you wish, choose to believe that Sturgeon’s private office was pursuing these allegations without her knowledge, which must be true if she did not lie to parliament. In which case I have an excellent garden bridge in London to sell you.

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210 thoughts on “Either Nicola Sturgeon or Geoff Aberdein is Lying on Oath – and Proving Which Will Be Easy

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  • David

    Peter Murrell should drop his ego and should recognise that he is now toxic. He should resign immediately and should realise that this is the right thing to do. If he wants to say his resignation is in the interests of the SNP and the broader independence movement then fine. I would gladly accept that so that we can all try and move on. The SNP needs a CEO who is clearly able to operate independently of the party leader. We do not need a golden couple. The magic, if there ever was any, has clearly now gone.

  • Cubby

    This whole scandal is about abuse of power. This is where it all stems from.

    People do not vote and contribute to the SNP coffers to see large quantities of public money wasted along with SNP funds wasted. I doubt the Murrells are paying out of their own pockets the fees for the lawyers they are now hiring to protect the “Scotgov” from the parliamentary inquiry.

  • Derek Aitken

    It does seem inconceivable to me that someone in the position of FM would not have every piece of correspondence, phone call, and meeting documented. If it were me I’d have every conversation taped and recorded on video like Nixon or was it Bush? So if asked when one had a conversation with someone or heard something you could refer to your diary. Isn’t that what the armies of civil servants do, keep records of everything?

    • Rhys Jaggar

      I would have thought that if you were doing things which ‘might be misinterpreted’ that the last thing you would want would be official records. You know the sort of thing: getting MI5 to bug people without their knowledge; getting a nod and a wink from US diplomats about a coming scam in the City; planning to do the dirty to political opponents.

      Thing is nowadays, everything IS recorded, but not by notetakers. Oh no, it is recorded using satellites, advanced bugging technology (when Holyrood was built it will have been filled with the stuff, off the books of course: that’s why the budget will have ballooned amongst other reasons), that sort of thing.

      The British State may not be aware of it, but the monied billionaires all will be.

    • Stonky

      “Could Nicola have been walked into this by scheming folk?”

      Only if she’s completely inept and utterly stupid. Since among other things, this would mean that she had absolutely no idea that behind her back the CEO of the party of which she is leader (who just happens to be her husband), and the COO of the party of which she is leader, and, it seems, her own Chief of Staff, were all scheming in a Whatsapp group with several alleged victims of alleged sexual assaults that were the subject of a live police investigation.

      I don’t know what kind of a red-nosed clown you would have to be to stand up in public and say “I’m the First Minister and the leader of the SNP but honestly had no idea any of this was going on…”

  • Cubby

    Meanwhile, Labours man in Scotland but actually in London Lord Jack McConnell reminds us why we need rid of these Britnat shits. Lord Jack Lording it up in the House of Lords Insists that Holyrood needs a democracy summit to make it work the way it was supposed to. By that he means British parties in control.

    Someone in the Lords and democracy – farcical.

    Lord Jack should be on spitting image.

  • Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh

    SCOTLAND’S CONDITION AFTER DEATH OF ALEXANDER III IN 1286

    Sen Alexander our king wes deid 
    That Scotland led in luve and lee, 
    Away wes sons of aill and breid,
    Of wine and wax, of gamyn and glee.
    The gold was changit into leid. 
    The frute failyeit on everilk tree.
    Christ succour Scotland and remeid, 
    That stad is in perplexitie.

    Nuair a bha Alasdair ar rìgh marbh, 
    a riaghail Alba le gràdh ’s le reachd,
    theirig oirnn ar leann is ar n-aran
    ar fìon is cèir, ar spòrs is tlachd. 
    An àite òir bha luaidh gun stà, 
    An àite measa, geugan seact’.
    Fòir air Alba, a Chrìosd, ’s dèan slàn,
    Is ann oirnn a thàinig an dà latha.

    When Alexander our King was dead
    That Scotland led in love and law
    Gone was wealth of ale and bread
    Of wine and wax, of sport and mirth.
    Our gold transmuted into lead.
    On every tree the fruit crop fails.
    Christ succour and restore
    Scotland so beset with trials.

  • stuart mctavish

    Setting aside testimony from Mme H that he had had other women, the first time the world heard from the horses mouth that Salmond had been unfaithful was when he testified under oath as such at trial so it is entirely reasonable, and indeed vital (given his honest reputation), for Sturgeon to associate the first time she heard of the allegations with the first time she heard them from Alex himself – particularly since, at that point (as evidenced from her own whats app testimony), everything was still being denied.
    It is also noticeable from the what’s app evidence that FM became increasingly wary of being compromised by her efforts to assist Salmond in his defence so she will not necessarily be against the idea that Aberdein and Hamilton should be cross examined by the committee – indeed it is somewhat surprising that Aberdein has not already been called to discuss what he knew about all the women (or the inner circle rumours) back in the day given that that appears to have been asked of others further removed from it.. [n.b also not infeasible that this could be the reason for his initial invite from either a defence or prosecution perspective and that, in either case, Nicola would deliberately have been kept out of the loop].
    That said, what is not clear is whether the FM’s private office is a civil service appointment, or a party political appointment, and, given the privilege accorded to persons defending themselves against malicious accusations, it may well be that, just as Peter Murrell’s texts are beyond the scope of the inquiry (having occurred after the judicial review had ended), so too is anything party political, and everything associated with Mr Salmond’s defence of these accusations (ie Aberdein/ Hamilton need only testify in respect of any civil service procedure or obligations they agreed to follow).

    • craig Post author

      Stuart,

      The Holyrood Inquiry is not how the truth will come out. Its terms have as you observe been drawn up far too narrowly for that.

      If its members had genuine independence and political nous, they would take the view that the attempts to set up Salmond on criminal charges cast a vivid light on the motives of the same actors in the rigged civil service investigation. But they do not have the courage nor appetite for that.

      • stuart mctavish

        Craig,
        Thanks for reply.
        I’m not sure how much truth can be tolerated by a world persuaded to live under house arrest for fear of catching the flu so inclined to agree with your final sentence but would suggest that, in this particular case, the deception has been aided and abetted by the, albeit well intentioned, perversion of process that presumes a preferred class of victims to be victims (in order to grant anonymity), both before and after they are adjudged not to be, so if the committee is able to draw similar conclusions it may at least serve to assist in having your contempt charge rescinded.

        • Wee Chid

          My partner almost died because of flu. Please do not minimize its affect – It isn’t the same as “man flu”.

          • Grace

            Wee Chid,
            I’m so sorry to hear that, but dying of flu, especially if there are no co-morbidities (including old age) is extremely rare. Dying of “Covid19” is equally rare. The point is, we are not normally confined to our homes for six months to a year in order to avoid catching it. Otherwise, we would never feel the good Scottish air on our faces!

          • pretzelattack

            nope people die of covid in the u.s. at far greater rates compared to the flu. is it different in the u.k.?

          • stuart mctavish

            Over and above the humiliation and liberty aspects, some of us have been denied revenue all year (in part) because of it so I wouldn’t dream of minimising its effect.
            From: https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-data-definitions-and-sources/

            “The percentage of newly tested individuals that are positive is the number of new confirmed cases shown as a percentage of the number of people newly tested, i.e. the number of people who have tested positive in the past 24 hours / number of people newly tested in the past 24 hours x 100. “

            R value is meaningless without random testing in any event, but imagine a scenario where only footballers, politicians and others who are tested regularly take the test and the only positive tests are coming from people who previously tested positive – ie 0 people newly tested in past 24 hours but an infinite number of new confirmed cases.

    • Cubby

      Stuart mctavish

      Setting aside the testimony of the (LIAR ) H – so you give your game away by starting by referencing her testimony – ha ha failed at the first hurdle.

      The last FM to forget things – he of “it was a muddle not a fiddle ” fame – Britnat Labour Mc Leish got the boot. Reflect on that.

    • Stonky

      Setting aside testimony from Mme H that he had had other women, the first time the world heard from the horses mouth that Salmond had been unfaithful was when he testified under oath as such at trial…

      Are you sure about this? I was aware that he had testified that there had been “inappropriate behaviour” with one of the accusers, for which an apology had been offered and accepted. I had no idea that he had testified to having been unfaithful or having had other women.

      • Cubby

        Stonky

        You had no idea because I don’t think he did. If he did say that in the trial I think the Britnat media would have given it big coverage. He may well have had other women in his life – is it anyone’s business – but that is not the point here as I don’t think this is some agony Aunt site or marriage guidance site.

        Stuart is posting a lot of confusing stuff by – accident??

        • stuart mctavish

          Apologies for (all?) the confusion & delay.
          For avoidance of doubt I have no objection to FM keeping a secret harem of gymnasts and belly dancers (and probably consider it mandatory in the long term) but had always suspected the affair to be of the Steele dossier variety (ie legacy effect of the Megrahi stitch up), rather than a more Celtic approach of giving security the slip to meet a lover á la Hollande – hence my own interest in transparency and (hopefully) defence of current FM in this particular matter.
          If it turns out to have been dangerously stupid nonsense from me2 all along (admittedly an increasingly likely possibility), or worse, then nobody loses from its exposure as such but the point remains that the special defence of consent (the bit from which unfaithfulness is inferred) cannot have been known by the current FM in advance of being made aware of the accusations and would, in any event, have failed to persuade the jury had it concerned (only) that of the ex FM’s wife.

    • giyane

      Stuart McTavish

      I didn’t hear anything about marital infidelity being criminalised in my own divorce or about John Major.
      i suppose there exists a parallel universe created by USUKIS proxies in Syria where such accusations might get you locked up or worse, but Alex Salmond was accused of something which is considered a crime , rape, and been fully acquitted and the accusers proven to be lying through their teeth.

      If the mud keeps dropping off, why would anyone trowel it back onto an innocent man?

      In Islam, it is sufficient , to be called a liar, to repeat lies spread by a third party about someone without checking with the original person about the truth. The court case heard Alex Salmond’s side of the story and it has been published by Craig. I realise of course that Scotland is not Islam, but why when the whole world that respects judicial process , the rule of law, the impotance of stopping at red lights, has the Scottish Ministry of Justice , led by a Muslim, still clung onto the scandal of the false allegations instead of wholeheartedly acquitting Mr Salmond and calling his continuing detractors liars.

      I see very little Islamic in Mr Humza Yousaf.

      • stuart mctavish

        As far as I am aware he did not stand accused of rape in March 2018 but since whatever he was accused of was not in the public domain, it would have been entirely reasonable to recall the explanation from Alex Salmond himself rather than the impromptu visit from his former chief of staff.

        Presumably, if whatever it was was as minor then as it is believed to be now, there would have been no reason not to have made it public there and then.

        • giyane

          stuart mctavish

          No reason other than malicious slander and hijacking the Scottish Independence project to a very right wing interpretation of “”” independence “”” , making Scotland a global enterprise zone which would be independent even of HMG jurisdiction.

          As in : Mighty Drunken
          October 7, 2020 at 13:43 How a police state starts
          Rees Mogg’s father’s pipe dream for globalism in a truly horrifying link.

          • Sam

            Rees-Mogg father (William) co-authored a tome ‘The Sovereign Individual – End of the Welfare State’ where he predicts among other things a ‘cybercurrency’. You can download it for free.

          • stuart mctavish

            Fascinating link & much to take in.
            JRM’s dad’s book, the Sovereign Individual, looks considerably more interesting now than it might have done 20 years ago (or even this time last year!) so could make a good stocking filler for daughter no. 2 this Christmas.

  • Cubby

    Craig, I read your Twitter comment about WGD. You clearly are a better man than me. I would say the following.

    1. If Mr Kavanagh has been getting personal abuse as he claims then that is wrong.

    2. Have you read some of the derogatory stuff he has posted on his site about people he calls “Conspiracy theorists” that is pretty abusive as well. And, of course, the one sided abusive BTL comments he allows.

    3. You posted as I did that the truth is important but WGD knows the truth of the matter but chooses to lie to his readers. At least James Kelly just sits on the fence and says very little other than about polls and his TV appearances.

    So, in summary, I disagree with your Twitter comment.

    • craig Post author

      I know that you are right and he does know the truth. This is one matter in which I can see that good people might believe that the truth must be subordinate to a wide goal, in an utilitarian equation. It is not an argument I agree with, but it is respectable.

      • Cubby

        Craig, I did hold your view that it was respectable for WGD to take that approach until more recently when I read some of his posts BTL. That changed my opinion. I believe he is tarnishing his reputation – possibly due to his personal feelings towards Wings – but I am speculating.

  • John

    John

    Tom Welsh says “ I am desperately trying to see how Scottish independence is going to improve the lives of Scots people”. It is looking very much as if Scots politicians civil servants, and members of the legal profession are, lets say economical with the truth”.

    At the moment they are “their” Bastards, after Independence they will “our” Bastards, to be dealt with.

    • Out+of+Affric

      Perhaps the ‘rock’ could be better than the ‘hard place’.

      After Independence the apparatus of obfuscation will not have the same finance and/or manpower, as keeping the lights on and relocating Trident become priorities.

  • Fredi

    Min 21, regional governments,individual nations will become a thing of the past, Scotland included. This IS the future, anyone paying attention must have noticed this agenda has been unfolding for decades.

    A few voices(you are one Craig) rail against one aspect(Assange) or the other(Scottish independence) but ultimately it’s all part of the same agenda, it’s global, no exceptions, this is the new world order unfolding and we are indeed ‘all in this together’..

    Everything that Has Happened Was Meant to Happen

    https://brandnewtube.com/watch/everything-that-has-happened-was-meant-to-happen_YzirTosrfBeJD65.html

    • Mark G

      When I find myself succumbing to conspiracy theories, the antidote is normally to find out that they are supported by very right-wing people who normally manage to conflate all the things they hate into one overarching theory and don’t seem to understand that there is a difference between being communism, socialism and liberalism. And there was always a golden age in the past. And most ridiculous of all, that we are now entering into a communist dictatorship and that the BBC is leftist. I believe that we are in dangerous times, but the people at the wheel are most definitely not communist. Follow the money.

      • Fredi

        Yes that sounds very convincing Mark, conspiracy theories emanate from the ‘right’.
        So you better never believe that their could be a conspiracy acting against your interests.
        Even from the people speaking out against Assanges’ rape accusations and the true reason for them? Who, if memory serves, were dismissed at the time as ‘conspiracy theorists’ .
        Look up the origin of when and who encouraged the word ‘theory’ to be put in front of the word conspiracy.
        Which, if that ‘theory’ is to be believed, and it is credible,makes you look remarkably similar to a useful idiot acting for the ‘right’. Quelle irony..

        In time the global response to COVID will be recognised as a powerful facet of Agenda 21, implemented forever, the great economic reset, the loss of most liberties, reams of oppressive legislation, the destruction of small businesses, this thing has happened by increment over decades and by also great lurching steps (sub prime, 9/11 etc) Every crisis, real or imagined is used to bring the goal closer, as it undoubtedly does.

        Does this sound like the ‘right ‘to you? Look how old it is, we’ve been warned about this for a very long time, and it’s been unfolding, as predicted, since shortly after WW2.

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC8Zrtah1AQ

  • InvernessToCrail

    Not unrelated to the topic being discussed, and I’m sure the question’s been asked before, but how can it be that the two most politically powerful people in Scotland are wife & husband? With the obvious potential for conflicts-of-interest, dishonesty & corruption in public office, can anyone with expertise in this area please explain why this situation isn’t constitutionally disallowed?

    • Out+of+Affric

      Alas I have no expertise (I have to live with it daily).

      Apparently, viewed through woke-coloured spectacles, it was thought (by those qualified in the thinking department) to be overtly sexist if an objection was raised to a woman’s husband being denied a position of responsibility. This trumped the more fiscally prudent take on the situation.

      Ruritania or what?

  • yesindyref2

    Quite sad, really, and gullible, Craig. It’s why you were chosen in the first place I guess.

    I repeat what I said before, those who you think are your friends may not have YOUR best interests at heart.

    But I did my best to inject some reality, not for the first time either. Over and out. You’re on your own.

    • Cubby

      Yesindyref2

      I think you are at your best when playing with your warships which I see you have been doing on WGD – have fun. Over and out Admiral.

  • vin_ot

    They conspired to have Alex Salmond sent to prison and were almost certainly influential in persecuting you for hinting at the conspiracy. We can do without people like them believe it or not. Now that the truth is emerging they’ll be swept away soon enough, hopefully to jail but certainly into political oblivion.

    • Stevie Boy

      So the poison dwarf and her acolytes have been exposed, so what ? Just look at what is happening south of the border and across the Atlantic. Lying, cheating, corruption, these are not seen as big issues by the establishment and are probably part of the requirement for success in high office.

  • Willie

    Nicola Sturgeon is now being exposed. So is her husband. So is Scotland’s the most senior civil servants and there can be absolutely no reasonable doubt now about the conspiracy to destroy Alex Salmond.

    What is also clear is how extensively the state combined to bring the conspiracy to fruition. Police, COPFS all more than lent their shoulder to the wheel. And now that too is all is being exposed whilst the same dark whilst Surgeon and her husband twist like flailing corpses on a gibbet.

    That the party have been rotted from within people now know what has been going on, and it’s not just the attempted destruction of Alex Salmond. The corrupted vetting committees, the corrupted NEC meetings, the rigged timetables, the denied conferences, the suppression of policies in favour of a dead end never to be implemented referendum, the peopling of the next election with candidates absolutely independence lite.

    It’s all out in the open now. Thankfully because of blogs like this, blogs like Wings, blogs like Grouse Beater, blogs like Iain Lawson.

    And so as we move towards the dismantling of the Scottish Parliament through the U.K. internal market bill there is much to do, much ground to recover. And we can be stronger in recovering our position, taking back control.

    SNP members for independence isn’t a slogan. It’s a fact and the days of Sturgeon and her rotten clique are drawing to a close.

  • Clydebuilt

    The SNP and Independence are riding high in the polls. Removing Sturgeon before the May Holyrood election can only damage prospects for the Party and Independence.

    Keep the FM in place till after the election, then address the accusations.

    • paul

      If the FM remains, forget about independence, it is another of these things the FM chooses to have a selective memory about.

      Present a party that can clean house, erase the Murrells as they did Salmond, and you have at least a chance of winning something worthwhile.

      Limp on with a wounded policy vacuum and it’s dead as a doornail.

    • giyane

      Clydebuilt

      Just because Nicola Sturgeon and Boris Johnson have been firm-handed but affable during the covid virus does not mean that anybody agrees with either of their visions for the future of Scotland or England. The fan test will be Brexhit.

    • Dawg

      Nicola and her bosom buddies have inadvertently stepped into some perilous legal territory. Many of us are angry, growling and straining at the leash, eager to go right for the jugular and exact some revenge. But maybe we can still be pacified (“Down, boy!”) … on one condition: she states clearly that a majority SNP/Green/AlternativeIndy vote at the 2021 election confers a mandate for immediate secession from Grande Bretagne (regardless of Boris’s bluster). Independence first, then confirmation with a referendum. If that happened, she might save her own skin. She could even pass into legend as a heroine of Scots lore.

      So stand back and stand by. Watch her closely. She needs to make the right moves now, or she’s a goner…

      • craig Post author

        The problem with all that is that the sidelining of Independence in favour of a super identity politics driven devolved administration was the motive for killing off Alex in the first place.

        • Dawg

          Exactly: which is why we should keep a close eye on the manifesto. If there’s no quick route to an independent state … unleash the hounds!

    • craig Post author

      Clydebuilt

      You are a good man. But you are astonishingly blind to the fact that what is behind all of this is that Nicola has not the slightest intention to achieve Independence.

      • Clydebuilt

        Craig
        That’s fine, remove her after the election. If she can be removed beforehand, she can be removed after the event. Irrespective of the number of MSP’s
        As I said
        Keep the FM in place till after the election then address the accusations, . . . and action on Independence.

        • Ailsa

          Clydebuilt- would you build a house if the foundations proved less than solid? You really have to reflect on your thinking. The idiom “close the stable door after the horse has bolted” comes to mind! Scotland deserves much better.

      • Clydebuilt

        Craig

        This week at FMQ’s Ruth Davidson attacked Sturgeon re the Salmond Case. The Tories (& the BBC ) want this publicised. They want to remove Sturgeon.
        If as you say “Nicola has not the slightest intention to achieve independence ” why do the Tories want her gone.

        • paul

          “Nicola has not the slightest intention to achieve independence ”.

          Could you give me any example of her intention, policy development, preparation or campaigning towards this end?

          She doesn’t even seem to concerned about the re-volution to westminster going on before everyone else’s eyes. Her (to be thwarted) ambition is solely as remaining the biggest fish in the westminster’s catch net.

          The unionist parties know the FM’s a dead duck and are happy she hangs on long enough to advantage them.

        • paul

          I can see the attraction of Revo-Max to her.

          How many people get offered the same pay and prestige for less work?

    • Contrary

      I agree with Craig here Clydebuilt, and I have in the past always appreciated you comments.

      I thought a while ago, if we could pressure NS into giving us an indy ref, we could use her popularity – but it ain’t going to work – she will avoid anything to do with independence at all costs. You’d have thought the hurried announcement of the draft bill, to distract us from all the other things being revealed, would have actually been real – you have to read Martin Keatings updates on the s. 30 case to realise the draft bill is a tissue thin no-promise waste of time – there is no intention to legislate in this or the next parliament.

      So, no indy ref from her. Still think we could use her popularity to get a majority, then dump her? Nope: what all these revelations are building up to is a poorly executed conspiracy, and poorly constructed lies – the forces of unionism know all (remember, the security services have untrammeled access to all digital information about any of us, legally) and will wait until just before the next Holyrood election to reveal all – wreck her career etc, but more importantly wreck the SNP popularity, and break morale of the indy movement.

      So, the choice now is – if you do want independence – to disassociate independence, the SNP and yourself from her. She has maliciously brought this upon herself, and deserves no compassion, or any second thought. You are doing the independence cause harm by supporting her and delaying things – if all is revealed now (it would be better if she quietly stood down – which she must know she has to do from the ministerial code, but she’s clinging on, so that’s unlikely I think) we have a chance of picking up the pieces and getting things in order before May. If we wait until the elections and pretend everything is okay – we risk not even getting an snp majority in the elections, it will be disaster.

      I still maintain that brexit is a bigger Independence incentive than any one personality – just because her popularity just now coincides with high independence support does not mean the two are linked.

  • Peter M

    It is also entirely plausible that Nicola Sturgeon was told about serious sexual allegations against Alex Salmond and then just ‘forgot’ them completely. Why would a busy First Minister necessarily remember such an insignificant matter???

  • Edna

    “You may, if you wish, choose to believe that Sturgeon’s private office was pursuing these allegations without her knowledge, which must be true if she did not lie to parliament. In which case I have an excellent garden bridge in London to sell you.”

    What, with Sturgeon’s chief-of-staff, Liz Lloyd involved? Sorry, not buying it, Craig and, no, I don’t need no blooming garden bridge!

    • craig Post author

      Edna,

      You are quite right to think that Liz Lloyd was absolutely at the heart of all this, but completely wrong if you think she and Nicola are not thick as thieves.

  • AlexT

    Well I think it is now pretty much accepted that Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP leadership pretty much colluded to frame Salmond. That being said isn’t it for Alex to go after them on his terms / timing ? Unless you have some agreement with him I’d rather see you spending your time & energy into writing up your “closing remarks” on the Assange case, which is I see much more important, or even your own defence…

    • penguin

      Given that the trial nearly bankrupted him and, thanks to lady dorian, he is unable to release the information showing how lady Marmalade, the woman who dares to win and the rest all conspired with sturgeon to send him to prison. how exactly is Salmond supposed to do this?

      He could use his TV show to publish the information, but he’d be in prison and facing certain extermination, by accident of course, within the day. There is also the problem of destroying sturgeon without damaging the Yes campaign beyond recovery. A strategy which sturgeon supporters publicly admit to following.

      We could wait for the C19 fallout to do her in, but that is just handing her fate, and ours to the enemies of Scotland.

  • Ciaris

    I’m afraid Nicola Krankie is Scotland’s Merkel. And will have to just have to put up with her for the next 10 years – if she survives this scandal of course. I have heard Germany being described as living under Brezhnevism, with various elites conspiring to prop up Glorious Leader. This is looking increasingly the case with Nicola. Glorious McLeader herself isn’t especially charismatic, nor appears to have any especial intellectual gifts, albeit I assume she is intelligent. I personally don’t think she comes across well media wise, or in debates, though I am told she is a ‘good debater’. I have a theory on that. When someone performs poorly in a debate, the media just spin it as a win, and dolts believe it. I myself am no debater, so perhaps I don’t understand the format properly.

    Presumably staffers insulate Dear Leader from knowledge. By which I mean, they ensure Dear Leader is of course fully briefed, but with enough deniability that nobody can prove said briefing occurred. Doesn’t take much to have a conversation in a private residence, or ensure a meeting isn’t minuted. Mr Murray will doubtless know much more about that than myself.

  • Beware the Leopard

    During an interview on Sky News’ “Sophy Ridge on Sunday” Sturgeon was asked some questions about the Salmond inquiry.

    On Twitter one can find people saying that in that interview Sturgeon gave answers calculated to stick knives in Salmond.

    Also on Twitter, one can find people saying that she did no such thing.

    If you would like to see what the first group of people are talking about, you can watch the version of that interview segment uploaded to YouTube by the account “Wings Over Scotland”:

    “A woman with something to hide (10 minutes 15 seconds) – Wings Over Scotland”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KtcvSVgf-A

    If you would like to watch a version carefully edited to produce the impression held by the second group of people, then you can watch the de-fanged version uploaded to YouTube by the account “Sky News”:

    “Sturgeon reads out Salmond messages (21 minutes 26 seconds) – Sky News”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdePhl3sewM

    For maximum Sky News(TM) soporific effect, don’t fast-forward through the 12 minutes of COVID policy questions having literally nothing to do with the title of the video. The Salmond segment begins at the 11:40 mark, after a long segment focused on COVID. Note the two edits at the 18:42 mark and at 20:11 in the Sky News upload.

    Watch the Wings Over Scotland upload to see what Sky News decided to elide. (In WoS version, 7:04-7:13 and 8:43-9:00 contain the removed material.)

    Sturgeon in Sky News upload says (starting at 19:45):

    “One of the worst things that I’ve faced — in a political sense, because nothing’s worse than the COVID stuff I’m going through right now, that we’re all going through right now — but in a political sense one of the worst things I’ve faced was being confronted with the reality that my predecessor and my mentor of 30 years, somebody I considered a friend, closer to me than probably anybody outside my family, was facing serious allegations of sexual misconduct. At every stage I’ve tried to do the right thing and”

    Sky News upload cuts the statement off there, but it continues (as can be seen from 8:43-9:00 in Wings Over Scotland upload):

    “…and not covered it up and I think the reason perhaps he is angry with me — and he clearly is angry with me — is that I didn’t cover it up, I didn’t collude with them to make these allegations go away, and perhaps that is at the root of why he is as annoyed as he appears to be.”

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