/qnotables/ - ===Q Notables===

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20902088 (222340ZMAY24) Notable: Final Law and Disorder Bun / Scots councillor admits downloading indecent material involving children

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https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/scots-councillor-admits-downloading-indecent-32861147

Scots councillor admits downloading indecent material involving children

Ewan Dillon pleaded guilty to a single charge and resigned from Stirling Council on Monday.

By Stirling Observer

22 MAY 2024

A Stirling councillor has admitted downloading indecent material involving children.

Ewan Dillon, 21, appeared at Stirling Sheriff Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to a single charge under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 which bans the “taking or making of any indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph” of children - the offence commonly known as downloading.

The crime took place between October 18, 2021 and September 29, 2022, during part of which time he was a sitting Labour councillor.

Stirling Council yesterday confirmed Dillon resigned as aDunblaneand Bridge of Allan independent councillor on the same day as his plea.

At a previous court appearance in March, where he pleaded not guilty, solicitor-advocate George Pollock, for Dillon, said “the crux of the matter” was how the images in question “ended up on the computer”.

He said: “The case will turn on the evidence of the Crown expert, supplemented by evidence from Mr Dillon.”

However, Dillon, a formerDunblane High pupil and member of the Scottish Youth Parliament,has now admitted his guilt and sentencing was deferred until July 3 for reports.

Yesterday, a Stirling Labour spokesperson said: “We are horrified and utterly condemn the behaviour and actions of Ewan Dillon.

“Ewan Dillon has not been a member of the Labour Party since October 2022.”

Stirling SNP group also commented: “We are horrified and saddened to see a sitting Stirling councillor admit guilt to such a heinous crime.

“Dunblane and Bridge of Allan have been denied effective democratic representation. He has cost the taxpayers of Stirling a year and a half of claimed wages - plus the public purse an inordinate amount of court and legal fees - whilst knowing he was guilty.

“A by-election also costs in the region of £30,000, another cost to already strained budgets.

“Truly shameful and unprincipled from someone elected to a position of trust and responsibility.”

They added: “Real questions must now be asked of Stirling Council’s internal safety processes, to ensure something like this can never happen again. All parties, Stirling Labour in particular, must also tighten up their internal vetting procedures.”

Dillon represented Dunblane and Bridge of Allan alongside three other councillors on Stirling Council.

He was elected as Labour councillor in May 2022 at the age of 19 and later switched to being an independent member in October of that year.

Prior to leaving the Labour group, Dillon had been vice-convener of the community planning and regeneration committee and the children and young people committee.

He is no longer listed on Stirling Council’s website as a councillor for the constituency and his profile page has been removed.

A Stirling Council spokesperson said yesterday: “We note the outcome of yesterday’s (May 20) court hearing and can confirm that Ewan Dillon resigned as a councillor on the same date.

“The notice of a by-election for Ward 3, Dunblane and Bridge of Allan, will be published in due course.”

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20902237 (230003ZMAY24) Notable: Covid and other Pestilence Bun Part One / Jason Leitch secrecy row as details of salary and 'golden goodbye' kept secret amid unusual pay deal

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>>>/qresearch/20849322

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/jason-leitch-secrecy-row-details-32861746

Jason Leitch secrecy row as details of salary and 'golden goodbye' kept secret amid unusual pay deal

Exclusive: The former National Clinical Director resigned from his role last month, but Scots will never be able to find out how much he was paid for his decades-long service due to his unusual employment arrangements.

David Walker

22 MAY 2024

The Scottish Government has been engulfed in another secrecy row, this time surrounding controversial former National Clinical Director Jason Leitch. The medical figure, who shot to fame during the Covid pandemic through his various TV appearances, officially quit his role at the end of April.

He stood down from the job following a turbulent few months for him where he faced calls to resign or be sacked following startling revelations from the UK Covid Inquiry. His 'blokey' friendship with Humza Yousaf was called into question as he gave him advice on how to circumvent mask-wearing rules.

And he also criticised opposition politicians for daring to question pandemic measures, telling the then-health secretary that Labour MSP Paul Sweeney "will tell you how to do your job. He also labelled Labour's Daniel Johnson a "a smart a**e" and said Tory MSP Edward Mountain was "rude" and "harrumphing like a child" at a briefing.

Prof Leitch also deleted his WhatsApp messages and even joked that it was a "pre-bed ritual" for him. Members of the SNP administration were blasted for wiping their correspondence relating to the pandemic, claiming it was Scottish Government guidance.

He stepped down from his role as National Clinical Director in April after working for the Scottish Government since 2007. However, he was not actually employed there, instead being on secondment from NHS Tayside – as exclusively revealed by the Scottish Express.

This means that his salary details have not been made public for all those years, and even though he has now left, how much he netted from the public purse is being kept secret. And whether he got a "golden goodbye" which is a payment for leaving was also not disclosed.

The Scottish Daily Express asked both the Scottish Government and NHS Tayside for these details but were rejected because it was "personal details." We asked how much cash had been given to the health board to cover his employment but were told "NHS Tayside cannot release personal information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

"NHS Tayside considers the information you have requested to be personal information of a member of staff and therefore cannot disclose this information under section 38(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 – Personal Information."

'The public deserve a full account of how their money is spent'

This was the same answer given to a further request on how much he netted after quitting his role, with a spokeswoman responding: "As stated in the FOISA, staff expect NHS Tayside to maintain confidentiality with all aspects of their personal information including any information about remuneration and would not expect that very personal data to be disclosed to the public."

The Scottish Government also refused to answer this question "as Jason Leitch resigned from his employer board". But calls have been made for this to be reversed, as it is public funds that are being used.

Scottish Conservative deputy health spokesperson Tess White told the Scottish Daily Express: "Jason Leitch's admissions about deleting WhatsApp messages during the pandemic cast a huge cloud over his record. In those circumstances, it’s even more important that there should be full transparency about his salary and any deal around him standing down. The public funds such officials, and they are entitled to a full account of how their money is being spent."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20903907 (231240ZMAY24) Notable: Initial Michael Matheson Bun / Shamed Michael Matheson suspended from parliament for 27 days over expenses scandal; Swinney defends him

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>>>154369 Initial Law and Disorder Bun | Updated Michael Matheson Scandal Bun

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/shamed-michael-matheson-suspended-parliament-32874407

Shamed Michael Matheson suspended from parliament for 27 days over expenses scandal

The former Scottish Government Health Secretary was handed a hefty suspension after being found guilty of making an 'improper claim' under the Scottish Parliament's expenses scheme.

David Walker

23 MAY 2024

Shamed former Scottish Government Health Secretary Michael Matheson has been suspended from Holyrood for almost a month over his iPad expenses scandal. The Scottish Parliament's Standards Committee found him guilty of making an "improper claim" and failing to come clean to MSPs about how the bill was racked up.

The SNP MSP billed taxpayers for £11k for data roaming while he was on a family holiday to Morocco in December 2022. He repeatedly told the media and Holyrood that the bill was due to him doing constituency work and it was down to a faulty sim card.

However, he later confessed that it was his children who used his hotspot to watch Scottish football games leading to a parliamentary probe into his behaviour. The decision was confirmed on Thursday, with Mr Matheson receiving a hefty ban from attending work, with this the longest-ever suspension in Scottish Parliament history.

He has been suspended from Holyrood for 27 sitting days and will lose his salary for 54 days. If this was Westminster, he would face a recall petition but his constituents will not get a chance to axe him.

The committee found that he failed to ensure that data on his iPad was not being used for non-work commitments and that he did not investigate it properly before applying for expenses, and did not tell the parliament in November that his request was unsound.

Their final report will be published after it is finalised, with Mr Matheson complaining about the handling of the scandal by parliamentary authorities. Standards committee convener Martin Whitfield said that the publication showed the standards expected of MSPs “have not been met”.

He said: "The unanimous view of the committee is that it is therefore appropriate to recommend sanctions for consideration by Parliament." Two SNP MSPs voted against the 27 day suspension, but it passed due to Tory members Annie Wells and Oliver Mundell, with the convener casting the deciding vote.

The decision will now go before MSPs for approval. Mr Matheson was found guilty of breaching two aspects of the MSP code of conduct in failing to investigate before he submitted the expense, and for misuse of parliamentary resources.

Mr Whitfield said that there was also a "failure to inform the SPCB during the period 9 to 16 November 2023, that he was aware that the assurance he had provided that the claim was made for a purpose permitted under the Scheme was unsound, was not in accordance with the Scheme Principles."

In mitigation, Mr Matheson described the impact the scandal has had on his family, but was told that his actions had an "adverse impact on the reputation of the Expenses scheme.

Mr Whitfield added: "The Committee has concerns about the fact that the non-parliamentary usage of the data was not drawn to the attention of the parliamentary authorities, including the Presiding Officer, more timeously. Mr Matheson had chosen not to share with the Parliament his knowledge of non-parliamentary use prior to 16 November, and the Committee notes that the Parliament could not have been expected to take into account matters of which it was not aware.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20903916 (231241ZMAY24) Notable: Initial Michael Matheson Bun / Shamed Michael Matheson suspended from parliament for 27 days over expenses scandal; Swinney defends him

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>>201340

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"The Committee has considered Mr Matheson’s decisions regarding the sharing of information about his knowledge of non-parliamentary use in terms of the Nolan Principles and the obligations on Mr Matheson and all MSPs to be open, honest and accountable in relation to the use of expenses."

He confirmed that had it not been for the impact on the MSP and his family, "the sanctions proposed would likely have been greater." Mr Mundell described it as the right decision as "those who have sent us here would not look kind on a short suspension for one of our own when many in the real world would have faced the very real possibility of losing their job in the same circumstances."

Mr Matheson will face growing calls to resign, and John Swinney will face demands for him to suspend the SNP MSP from the party. Scottish Labour Deputy Leader Jackie Baillie said: “This damning ruling is yet another sorry chapter for an SNP government collapsing under the weight of its own sleaze.

“Michael Matheson has treated the public with contempt and the upper echelons of the SNP closed ranks to try and protect him, putting the party interest before the national interest. It cannot be right that an MSP can ride roughshod over the rules without the public getting a chance to boot them out – Scottish Labour would introduce a Right to Recall as part of our plans to clean up Holyrood."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20908482 (241139ZMAY24) Notable: Updated Operation Branchform Bun / Police submit report to prosecutor over Peter Murrell's SNP embezzlement charges as Crown Office confirm Nicola Sturgeon still a suspect

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/scottish-news/police-submit-report-prosecutor-over-32879612

Police submit report to prosecutor over Peter Murrell's SNP embezzlement charges as Crown Office confirm Nicola Sturgeon still a suspect

Peter Murrell, 59, was charged on April 18 with embezzling money from the SNP while he was chief executive

David Walker & Mark Connor

23 MAY 2024

A report has been handed to the prosecution service in connection with the ongoing Operation Branchform investigation. Peter Murrell, who was chief executive of the SNP, is charged with embezzling money from the party.

Following a long probe in which his wife, former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, was arrested, Murrell, 59, was charged on April 18. A report has now been handed to the Crown Office as the investigation takes a step forward.

A statement from Police Scotland said: "Police Scotland has today (Thursday, 23 May, 2024) submitted a standard prosecution report to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in relation to a 59-year-old man who was charged on 18 April, 2024, in connection with the embezzlement of funds from the Scottish National Party. Investigations continue and we are unable to comment further."

The Crown Office confirmed it has received the report, and revealed that both Ms Sturgeon and Colin Beattie were still suspects in the live investigation. A spokesman also added that the document would be looked at independent of the Lord Advocate, who sits in the Scottish Government cabinet.

He said: "A standard prosecution report has been received by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service from Police Scotland in relation to a 59-year-old man and incidents said to have occurred between 2016 and 2023. Connected investigations of two other individuals, a man aged 72 and a 53-year-old woman, remain ongoing.

"Professional prosecutors from COPFS and independent counsel will review this report. They will make decisions on the next steps without involving the Lord Advocate or Solicitor General. All Scotland's prosecutors operate independently of political influence.

"Before deciding what action to take, if any, in the public interest, prosecutors will consider if there is enough evidence. There must be evidence from at least two separate sources to establish that a crime was committed and that the person under investigation was the perpetrator.

"This evaluation will involve a thorough examination of the numerous witness statements and extensive evidence collected by police. Prosecutors may instruct the police to conduct further investigations before taking a decision. Decisions on how to proceed are taken by prosecutors acting independently, and are based upon available evidence, legal principles, and the merits of each case. They are not influenced by political events.

"When making a decision, prosecutors will consider all the specific facts and circumstances of a case. The criteria for decision making and the range of options available to prosecutors are set out in the publicly available Prosecution Code. These matters are active under the Contempt of Court Act 1981. The provisions of this Act protect the integrity of proceedings, preserve access to justice for victims and secure the rights of people under investigation.

"Anyone publishing items about active cases is advised to exercise caution as material must not be commentary or analysis of evidence, witnesses or accused. Contempt of Court carries penalties of up to two years in prison and/or an unlimited fine."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20933177 (291521ZMAY24) Notable: Glasgow slavery exhibition is 'partisan distortion' of history that exaggerates city's role, says Oxford academic

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/scottish-news/glasgow-slavery-exhibition-partisan-distortion-32906969

Glasgow slavery exhibition is 'partisan distortion' of history that exaggerates city's role, says Oxford academic

The display at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum was branded a 'travesty' by Nigel Biggar who says it completely ignore's the city's part in ending the transatlantic slave trade

Douglas Dickie

28 MAY 2024

An exhibition highlighting Glasgow's links to slavery has been branded a "travesty of history" by a senior academic. The permanent Glasgow - City of Empire display was installed at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum last year.

According to bosses at the museum, it aims to examine "the legacies of colonialism and how they have shaped our city". But Nigel Biggar, professor emeritus of theology at the University of Oxford, believes it ignores the role Glasgow and Britain had in ending the practice of human trafficking.

He has now lodged a "protest" with museum manager Phillippa McInnes, claiming the exhibition greatly exaggerates the city's actual role in the slave trade. Writing in The Times, Professor Biggar said "only 27 slave voyages left Scottish ports over half a century with four more being funded from Scotland".

He added: "While it is true that profits from slave trading and slavery made a greater contribution to Scotland's economic transformation than Britain's as a whole, the consensus among historians is that their contribution to the latter was modest: maybe 12 per cent, said the late David Richardson of the University of Hull."

Professor Biggar, who was born in Dumfries and Galloway, went on to say the museum's "greatest distortion arises from what it fails to say". He added: "It is largely silent on the campaign to abolish slavery." He writes that Scotland played "an important role" in the initial campaign to ban the practice and that Britain as a whole "took the lead in suppressing both the trade and slavery itself".

He pointed out the UK spent 1.8% of its national income between 1808 and 1868 in suppressing the slave trade. He said: "As part of the British nation, the Scots were among the first peoples in history to abolish the hitherto universal practices of slave trading and slavery. Before calling for reparations, the Kelvingrove needs to tell the whole truth, displaying the credit column too."

Visitors to Kelvingrove are given a 'trigger warning' before entering the display. It states: "Some of the objects displayed contain racist language and images which may cause discomfort or pain."

Professor Biggar is the author of Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning. He also hit out at claims by Kelvingrove that it is a "museum of empire". He adds: "The south balcony, where the display now sits, used to celebrate the extraordinary engineering and shipbuilding achievements of Glaswegians during the imperial period, whereas now it damns them all as 'racist' and 'white supremacist' by association."

Duncan Dornan, head of Glasgow Life Museums, said: "City of Empire builds on work in Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum to highlight and explore people and art that are essential to understanding Glasgow. The profits of empire and slavery played a crucial role in Glasgow's economic and social development, and their legacies shape the city today.

"Our approach was developed over many years, and the interpretation has been comprehensively researched to offer wider perspectives, and therefore far greater context and understanding, of history through some of the objects in our collection."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20933244 (291537ZMAY24) Notable: Updated Operation Branchform Bun / SNP to finally consider stripping Lord Advocate of Cabinet role amid Operation Branchform concerns

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/snp-finally-consider-stripping-lord-32914733

SNP to finally consider stripping Lord Advocate of Cabinet role amid Operation Branchform concerns

The Scottish Government is finally looking at splitting the Lord Advocate role in two amid conflict of interest fears, meaning Dorothy Bain can no longer advise SNP ministers and be head of the prosecution service.

David Walker

29 MAY 2024

Scotland's Lord Advocate could finally be stripped of a role in the Scottish Government's Cabinet amid major legal reforms. SNP ministers are set to consider a bombshell report which could suggest that the job is split into two – a senior law officer to give advice to the First Minister and another as the head of the prosecution service.

Nicola Sturgeon promised to do this in the SNP's 2021 Holyrood manifesto but failed to make much progress before being replaced by Humza Yousaf who faced calls for reform before quitting. And now, an expert report is expected to be handed over in the coming weeks.

Concerns have been raised about current Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain's role in the ongoing Operation Branchform probe into the SNP's finances, which has seen Ms Sturgeon and Nat MSP Colin Beattie arrested and released without charge. Former chief executive Peter Murrell was charged with embezzlement last month.

She has not been involved in this case, as it is standard practice that any case regarding politicians is dealt with by prosecutors without the involvement of the Lord Advocate or Solicitor General. But this has been pointed at by critics as another reason why the role should be separated.

Previously, SNP MP Joanna Cherry has pushed for this change to happen quicker. She said: "Concern about potential conflicts in the role of the Lord Advocate has increased in recent times because of some high-profile cases, including the Scottish Government's handling of complaints against Alex Salmond, the scandal in relation to malicious prosecutions over the takeover of Rangers football club, and the police investigation into SNP finances."

The KC had attempted to speed up the process after lodging a private member's bill in the House of Commons that would have devolved the power to Holyrood to amend the role of Scotland's law officers but will now fall due to the upcoming General Election.

Russell Findlay, the Scottish Conservative justice spokesman, urged the Scottish Government to bring forward the reforms quicker. He said: "While no one can credibly question the integrity of the office holder, to be a member of the Scottish government while also being head of the independent prosecution service creates a minefield of potential conflicts," he said.

"This dual role is clearly untenable and John Swinney's government must be fully transparent about the terms and timescales of this review." Calls were made by former SNP minister Alex Neil to allow an independent law expert to decide on the Operation Branchform charges amid fears it was taking too long.

Malcolm McMillan, the chief executive of the Scottish Law Commission and former government lawyer, is writing the report which will look at the roles of the Lord Advocate, the Solicitor General and the junior law officer position and compare how the roles work against other countries.

Angela Constance, the Scottish Government Justice Secretary, said the report would contain a "summary of insights and comments on the Scottish law officers' roles from former and current holders of these offices and relevant officials". In response to a parliamentary question from Mr Findlay, she added: "The work to publish the final report is ongoing."

In England and Wales, the head of the prosecution service and chief legal adviser to the government posts are held by different people to avoid any possible conflict of interest.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20933333 (291556ZMAY24) Notable: Updated Operation Branchform Bun / Operation Branchform silence can't be allowed to save SNP's campaign, says Alan Cochrane

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/comment/operation-branchform-silence-cant-allowed-32907336

Operation Branchform silence can't be allowed to save SNP's campaign, says Alan Cochrane

By asking for a pause until after the General Election on July 4, former Nat Angus MacNeil is 'provoking the very thing he's trying to avoid - namely the politicisation of this high-profile case'

Ben Borland

28 MAY 2024

A veteran Scottish political journalist has blasted the "astonishing move" by Angus Brendan MacNeil in asking for no more developments to be made public in the Operation Branchform investigation.

The colourful Western Isles MP warned it could detonate a "political grenade" if there was any further news from the probe before July 4. He added: "It has the huge potential to change the narrative of this campaign."

MacNeil, who was suspended by the SNP last year after a row in the Commons before quitting altogether, claimed he was speaking on behalf of his friends in the party (despite the fact he is standing as an independent against the Nats, which is likely to hand the seat to Labour).

His comments came after Police Scotland announced on the second day of the campaign that a prosecution report had been passed to the Crown Office in relation to Peter Murrell, the former SNP chief executive charged with embezzlement. The force also confirmed that Murrell's wife, Nicola Sturgeon, and the former party treasurer Colin Beattie remain under investigation as suspects.

Alan Cochrane, who was a Scottish Daily Express columnist for many years, asked: "However, in this astonishing move by asking for a period of official silence during the election campaign isn't the Western Isles MP's action provoking the very thing he says he's trying to avoid - namely the politicisation of this high-profile case?"

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he added: "Frankly, is he really saying that the wheels of justice should stop grinding just because there's an election campaign? Or is he saying that if the proper authorities determine that they have enough evidence to bring charges against someone that they should keep it secret because of political considerations?

"I doubt if the people who matter - by that I mean the Scottish electorate - would appreciate it if they discovered that a public statement about the outcome of a hugely detailed and expensive case was being kept under wraps because authorities had been asked to do so by a well-known politician?"

In a statement, the Crown Office said: "Decisions on how to proceed are taken by prosecutors acting independently, and are based upon available evidence, legal principles, and the merits of each case. They are not influenced by political events."

And Cochrane responded: "Quite right. Like most people I'm very pleased about this response and just hope that the words mean what they say. If they mean that they'll 'publish and be damned' whenever they have something to tell us about this case, no matter the political pressure, so much the better."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20933473 (291630ZMAY24) Notable: Updated Operation Branchform Bun / Former Nicola Sturgeon adviser in scathing attack on SNP's 'weak, rudderless' leadership as he turns back on Nats

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/former-nicola-sturgeon-adviser-scathing-32906820

Former Nicola Sturgeon adviser in scathing attack on SNP's 'weak, rudderless' leadership as he turns back on Nats

Benny Higgins worked closely with the SNP Scottish Government to help set up the Scottish National Investment Bank and also chaired an advisory group on post-Covid economy recovery which has been ignored by nationalist ministers.

David Walker

28 MAY 2024

A former adviser to Nicola Sturgeon has launched a scathing attack on the SNP, hitting out at the Scottish Government's "weak, rudderless leadership." Ex-Tesco Bank CEO Benny Higgins also blasted the Nationalist executive for its inaction, claiming it believes "one more review after another, has been viewed by politicians as an alternative to taking action.”

He worked closely with the government to help set up the Scottish National Investment Bank and also chaired an advisory group on post-Covid economy recovery. But he pointed out that despite outlining a number of recommendations which were well-received, they were then "barely mentioned" since.

The senior businessman is backing Sir Keir Starmer at the next General Election, with Scottish Labour looking to overtake the SNP in a number of seats north of the border. Anas Sarwar's party is on track to become the biggest party in Scotland according to recent polling.

Writing in the Herald, Mr Higgins claimed that the country had "suffered from the political malaise created by the Tories in Westminster and the SNP in Holyrood”. He hit out at the failure of SNP ministers of trying to boost the economy despite his recommendations.

He said: “To support a society that cares about social justice, the NHS, social care and so much more, we need a vibrant economy. We need to make it an easy choice to invest in Scotland. We need government to support and encourage businesses, not hinder them.

“It is precisely four years ago that I was completing my report for the Scottish Government on economic recovery beyond the pandemic. All 25 recommendations were warmly welcomed and accepted. Most have barely been mentioned since then.

"Instead, the formation of one group after another, and the pursuit of one more review after another, has been viewed by politicians as an alternative to taking action. This forthcoming General Election puts the opportunity in our hands to say: ‘no more’."

In John Swinney's first major speech as First Minister he claimed that he would be after "more action and less policy documents" in a dig at his predecessor Humza Yousaf's approach to governing. The former SNP leader promised a new deal for business but failed to live up to this vow.

Mr Higgins claimed that "strong leadership is the essential ingredient needed to propel collective human endeavour" as he claimed that "for too long this country has languished because of weak, rudderless leadership. In particular in Scotland, we have suffered from the political malaise created by the Tories in Westminster and the SNP in Holyrood."

He added: "Trust is the glue that binds us together. We need to rebuild trust in the institutions that underpin the wellbeing of people and communities across this country. It is only through political change that we can embark on this journey with optimism.

"At the turn of the year, I produced my ‘Higgins Report’, which was an independent detailed survey of business opinions in Scotland. The level of despair and frustration expressed was overwhelming. Almost 80% of the jobs in this country are in the private sector, and a huge proportion of them are in small businesses."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20933977 (291827ZMAY24) Notable: Initial Michael Matheson Bun / Michael Matheson banned from Holyrood for 27 days as 'bully boy' John Swinney fails to save disgraced 'friend'

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Michael Matheson banned from Holyrood for 27 days as 'bully boy' John Swinney fails to save disgraced 'friend'

The disgraced former Scottish Government Health Secretary tried to claim £11k of 'improper' expenses and then lied to journalists and the Holyrood authorities about it.

David Walker

29 MAY 2024

Michael Matheson has been suspended from the Scottish Parliament for almost a month, and will lose his salary for 54 days. The disgraced former SNP Health Secretary was sanctioned by the Standards Commission for "improperly" claiming £11k of expenses, and then lying about it.

Despite the best efforts of his "good friend" John Swinney, MSPs still voted to ensure he was punished through the 27-day ban, the longest in Holyrood history, and the salary removal. But he will remain as an MSP as there is no mechanism for his constituents to get rid of him, even though he will be unable to serve them properly.

Opposition MSPs demanded that Mr Matheson show integrity and choose to resign following the scandal, with a vote to be held later on Wednesday on this issue. The First Minister whipped the SNP into abstaining from the final vote to decide the sanctions, but added in an amendment raging about the process which saw the lengthy ban handed down in what was described as a "bizarre" approach the scandal.

Kate Forbes changes insisted that the entire ban was "prejudiced" due to Scottish Tory MSP Annie Wells previously publicly criticising the behaviour of the ex-Cabinet Secretary. She called on an internal probe to investigate these allegations, but the Nats couldn't get the support to oppose the sanctions, being rejected by the Scottish Greens, who did vote for the Deputy First Minister's amendment.

This meant that the amended motion did pass, meaning Mr Matheson will be banned from Parliament for the 27 days. He failed to appear at Holyrood to face MSPs and his suspension starts on Thursday, with the SNP abstention meaning they voted for no punishment.

Mr Swinney has u-turned numerous times on his party's position, indicating that they would not back the punishment in a lengthy rant at FMQs last week. But then the SNP indicated it would back them, before a final change of opinion hours before the vote.

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross blasted the behaviour of both SNP members and Mr Swinney, accusing them of attempting to "derail" the "due process". He said: "We must be honest, any other Scot would have been handed their P45 straightaway if they were found to have falsely claimed £11,000 from their employer then lied about it as part of the cover-up, they would have been sacked.

"This was a deliberate attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of the parliament and public... This independent process exists for a reason and should be respected and upheld by members across the Chamber, yet instead what we have seen from SNP members and specifically from John Swinney, the First Minister, is an attempt to derail and undermine due process and this has been done for the sole purpose of protecting one of their own.

"The actions of John Swinney, the actions of the First Minister towards my colleague Annie Wells, would make Donald Trump blush. It is disgusting and disgraceful behaviour that demeans the office of the First Minister because he has targeted members of an independent committee in this Parliament and is attempting to undermine due process with his bully boy tactics."

He then took aim at the SNP strategy of putting forward an amendment and refusing to vote for it, calling it a "unique and bizarre in the extreme approach" and that this was "uncharted territory" for the Parliament.

Martin Whitfield, chairman of the Standards Committee, set out that it took five meetings for them to decide on the sanctions, and that the two Tory representatives wanted a higher ban than 27 days, while the SNP wanted lower.

Ms Forbes defended her party's position on the scandal, claiming that Ms Wells "prejudged" the complaint due to her comments, and that the ban was not a "proportionate" sanction. She pulled at the heartstrings by saying he has already been punished by losing his cushy cabinet job and he and his family have dealt with the emotional toll of the scandal.

SNP MSP Christine Grahame abstained from both votes due to being involved in the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. Speaking afterwards to journalists, Mr Swinney outlined that he belatedly accepted the sanctions, but that Mr Matheson should not resign.

He added that he did back a recall petition, as suggested by opposition parties but this would not be sorted in time to punish his SNP colleague and added that it was "not in his campaign plans" to back him to the hilt.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20933988 (291829ZMAY24) Notable: Initial Michael Matheson Bun / Michael Matheson banned from Holyrood for 27 days as 'bully boy' John Swinney fails to save disgraced 'friend'

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>>201366

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Mr Matheson said: “I apologise and regret that this situation occurred. I acknowledge and accept the decision of Parliament."

Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “Yet again this sleaze-hit SNP government has put pals and party before their principles and undermined the Scottish Parliament for political purposes. Faced with the opportunity to finally do the right thing the SNP has – as always – failed Scots and made excuses for appalling behaviour.

“John Swinney is no fresh leader – he is the embodiment of 17 years of SNP chaos, sleaze and impunity. We cannot have rogue MSPs getting away with acting as Michael Matheson has – we need a right to recall so that the people can have their say.”

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20940667 (302157ZMAY24) Notable: Nicola Sturgeon & SNP Bun Part One / SNP quango's taxpayer cash boost to hardcore sex project to be probed by MSPs

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/snp-quangos-taxpayer-cash-boost-32436165

SNP quango's taxpayer cash boost to hardcore sex project to be probed by MSPs

Creative Scotland got into deep trouble after handing out £85,000 of public cash to a project which promised explicit sex, with the public body demanding the money be repaid.

David Walker

25 MAR 2024

A Scottish Government quango's decision to hand thousands of pounds of taxpayer cash to a "hardcore" sex project is set to be probed by MSPs. We previously told how Creative Scotland have now demanded that the Rein project give the money back for breaching contract rules.

Complaints were made when it was revealed that almost £85,000 of public funds were awarded to director Leoni Rae Gasson who later advertised for performers, including cam and adult ones, to participate in "non-simulated" and hardcore "sex scenes."

As well as promising "bare-a**ed lovers frolicking in long grass", a "raucous communal exploration of dyke sexuality" and "daddies lurking in the woods", Rein's "climax" is advertised as a "secret cave sex party" that would be "exploding onto the screens".

Actors were offered a fee of £270 per day to take part, appealing to those with prior experience "particularly in porn contexts". The job advert said: "Some roles will involve just snogging, others will involve vanilla sex and others more hardcore acts."

Creative Scotland, which is a public body that utilises taxpayer funds, later pulled the funding after claiming that there had been a "significant change to the nature of the work presented in the original application which was assessed for funding". Culture secretary Angus Robertson later denied any knowledge of the funding decision.

The Scottish Parliament's Culture Committee has written to Iain Munro, chief executive of Creative Scotland, to find out how this happened. In a letter, they urged him to supply more details about how the decision to fund Rein was made, as there is a "legitimate public interest" in doing so.

They have urged him to reconsider a request to publish the original funding applications "in the interest of accountability and transparency. The project originally received £84,555 through the National Lottery Open Fund, but it was claimed that the director did not list the explicit acts originally.

Clare Adamson, committee convener, said “public concern” had been noted, adding: “While we recognise that it would not be appropriate for the committee to be involved in individual funding decisions, there is nevertheless a legitimate public interest in how public money is spent.”

She said the committee was seeking clarification on how much money has been allocated to the project to date and details of the process for seeking recovery of the cash. The committee also sought additional details on the criteria and process for considering funding applications and told Mr Munro he may be invited to give evidence in future.

The letter added: “The committee also believes that, in the interest of accountability and transparency, consideration should be given to publishing the original funding application.” Creative Scotland previously said it could not publish to full application details due to “business confidentiality”.

However, in its decision to withdraw funding, the arts body said there had been a “significant change” to the project since it applied for funding. The contract for the fund said “no changes may be made to a project without prior written permission”.

Creative Scotland has been asked for additional comment.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20941328 (302305ZMAY24) Notable: Final Government Bloat, Waste, and Abuse Bun / SNP quango's taxpayer cash boost to hardcore sex project to be probed by MSPs

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>>>/qresearch/20905029

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/snp-quango-boss-who-gave-32924988

SNP quango boss who gave public cash to hardcore sex project denies he knew there would be real sex despite lubricant request

Creative Scotland Chief Executive Iain Munro faced calls to resign after being accused of lying to MSPs about why his organisation handed £86,000 to Rein when the application revealed there would be 'a sex scene with genital contact.'

David Walker

30 MAY 2024

The boss of an SNP quango which handed out £86k to a hardcore sex project claimed that he didn't expect "real sex" in the show, despite calls for lubricants in the original application. Creative Scotland were forced into an embarrassing u-turn earlier this year after supplying public funding to Rein.

Iain Munro has faced calls to resign as Chief Executive of the cultural body after being accused of lying to MSPs after insisting they didn't know about the explicit scenes planned in the project. A casting notice put out by director Leonie Rae Gasson asked for actors with previous sex work experience "particularly in porn contexts" and said there would be "non-simulated" sex scenes.

The show was going to involve "Daddies lurking in the woods; a muddy wrestling-cum-f***g bog; princesses playfully trying to drown each other on a loch; bare arsed lovers frolicking in long grass”. It adds: “Your climax: a secret cave sex party featuring a feast of fisting, squirting, wet work and mess, exploding onto the screens.”

Creative Scotland pulled funding for this after these revelations, but confirmed it would not manage to claw back about £30k in development funds. And the quango insisted that it had no idea about the plans for "real sex."

Application forms, seen by the Scottish Daily Express through Freedom of Information laws, showed that the body was told that there would be a "sex scene with genital contact" and the use of "lubricant" was also mentioned. But Mr Munro claimed that this did not mean "real sex."

The forms made clear that in the show’s development phase the company would “work on a sex scene with genital contact with three of the cast, in addition to Intimacy Coordinator.” Mr Munro told MSPs: "The mere mention of it does not mean real sex. Genital contact can be simulated – I would suggest you only need to switch on the TV or go to a streaming platform to see sexual activity of a simulated nature.”

But Scottish Tory Deputy Leader Meghan Gallacher, who has called on the Chief Executive to be sacked, pointed out the Rein application had spoken of the need for lubricant, which should have led to the agency assuming “this was much further than simulated sex”.

Mr Munro replied: “I can appreciate you reading it in that way, it wasn’t our reading of it.” He also confessed that the ongoing row over Rein has been "reputationally damaging" for the organisation. He said: "I’m as concerned about the extent to which this is damaging for the sector as a whole and the risks it poses to undermine the case that we’ve been so diligently speaking about.

“I want to be quite clear though that one controversial award does not make a systemic problem with our processes, and I would want to reassure the committee and others more widely about the robustness of our processes.”

Robert Wilson, chairman of Creative Scotland, told the committee the agency would be more cautious in future. But he also defended Mr Munro from the threat of losing his job, claiming he retained the support of the board.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20941540 (302330ZMAY24) Notable: Final Law and Disorder Bun / 'WALTER MITTY' Top cop accused of wearing ‘fake’ Falklands War medal denies making false claims in books that he saw comrades die

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https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/12774000/nick-adderley-falklands-war-books-comrades/

'WALTER MITTY' Top cop accused of wearing ‘fake’ Falklands War medal denies making false claims in books that he saw comrades die

Adderley allegedly wore a medal for service in the Falklands War, despite being 15 at the time

Daniel Hammond

30 May 2024

A “WALTER Mitty” police chief has denied making false claims in books about two murdered cops that he saw Falklands comrades die.

A misconduct panel has been told Chief ­Constable Nick Adderley, 57, lied about his Royal Navy career to bag his £168,000-a-year-job.

He allegedly wore a South Atlantic Medal for service in the 1982 Falklands War, despite being 15 at the time.

Yesterday it was told that two books on the killings of PCs Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone by gangster Dale Cregan had painted him as an experienced veteran.

Adderley’s defence said the quotes were not genuine and were taken from local news articles.

But prosecutors said that he had failed to ­correct them.

Prosecutor John Beggs KC said: “Mr Adderley was the first person to be thanked in the book’s cover.

"It is obvious that he must have known about both books.

“Under the standards of professional behaviour he had an duty to correct the record where it was wrong.

“You can be certain that that could easily have been done by nothing more than an email.

"It would have taken five mins to draft."

Adderley denies gross misconduct.

The Northampton hearing continues.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20941647 (302345ZMAY24) Notable: Fergusen Ferry Scandal Bun / BOATLOAD BILL Public paying for boss of scandal-hit shipyard to travel to and from home in Canada

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https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/12769701/taxpayers-pay-ferguson-marine-boss-travel-canada/

BOATLOAD BILL Public paying for boss of scandal-hit shipyard to travel to and from home in Canada

The latest twist in the long-running ferry fiasco

Chris Musson

30 May 2024

TAXPAYERS are picking up the tab for the new boss of the Scottish Government’s scandal-hit shipyard to travel to and from his home in Canada, MSPs were told today.

John Petticrew took over as Ferguson Marine interim chief executive in March after former CEO David Tydeman was ditched amid mounting delays in the long-running Holyrood ferries fiasco.

The yard at Port Glasgow has been dogged by scandal with taxpayers facing a bill of around £400 million - four times over budget - with two undelivered CalMac vessels at least six years late.

And today the cash effectively being paid by the public to the new boss came under scrutiny, weeks after it emerged Mr Tydeman got a £100,000 "golden goodbye" despite the firm’s board sacking him.

At Holyrood’s public audit committee - where MSPs are meant to scrutinise the use of public funds - Tory MSP Graham Simpson said he’d previously asked in a written question about Mr Pettricrew’s relocation expenses but was told he wasn’t getting any, as he lived in Canada.

The MSP said: “I was told his remuneration package includes a ‘travel and subsistence allowance’.

“So is the government paying for Mr Petticrew to travel from Canada to Scotland?”

Dermot Rhatigan, the Scottish Government’s deputy director for strategic commercial assets, who was being quizzed by MSPs, responded that it was “a contractual matter between the business and Mr Petticrew”.

But he said: “He hasn’t received a relocation package. He hasn’t relocated from Canada to Scotland. He lives in Canada and he’s got an appointment as an interim chief executive for six months.

“And like all other employees at the yard, he’s entitled to claim for travel and subsistence.”

Mr Simpson then said: “Travel expenses - from Canada?”

Mr Rhatigan responded: “The details of that, I don’t know, .. what he would be claiming for under his expenses, I don’t have the detail of that.

“But he would be entitled to claim for expenses that he’d incurred as part of needing to be here to undertake his duties in Scotland.”

Labour MSP and committee convener Richard Leonard asked if Mr Petticrew was “going to be flying backwards and forwards every weekend”.

He said: “How regularly would you expect somebody in that position to draw down the expenses they’re contractually entitled to?”

Mr Rhatigan replied: “We can take that to the business, or if you want to write to the business they would give you details on that. But it is a contractual matter.

“As far as I understand he’s not travelling weekly between Scotland and Canada, but I don't know the details of how often he’s made that journey.”

Mr Petticrew had been a non-executive board member of Ferguson Marine since 2022 but took over as interim CEO in March.

SNP cabinet minister Mairi McAllan told parliament at the time that Mr Petticrew was “temporarily relocating to the United Kingdom”.

The two vessels for public-owned Calmac were meant to cost £97 million and be delivered in 2018, with the delays hitting island communities left to rely on a creaking fleet.

In September, it emerged the price tag had risen to £368.25 million - plus “contingency” spend of up to £30.6 million.

In April, it emerged the first of the two ferries being built for CalMac - the Glen Sannox - would not be handed over until the end of July, in the latest delay to the project.

Mr Petticrew accepted the delay would be a "disappointment", particularly for locals on the Arran, which the ferry is due to serve.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20941661 (302346ZMAY24) Notable: Fergusen Ferry Scandal Bun / BOATLOAD BILL Public paying for boss of scandal-hit shipyard to travel to and from home in Canada

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>>201373

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He added the shipyard "remains confident" the second vessel - the Glen Rosa - could be delivered by September 2025.

The Scottish Government and Ferguson Marine have been asked for comment and more details on Mr Petticrew’s claims.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20944791 (311214ZMAY24) Notable: Final Government Bloat, Waste, and Abuse Bun / DEBT HEADACHE Scottish Government debts have more than tripled to £2.2billion

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DEBT HEADACHE Scottish Government debts have more than tripled to £2.2billion

The figure for 2024-25 is already three times more than 2017-18

Conor Matchett

25 May 2024

SCOTTISH Government debt has more than tripled in just seven years to £2.2billion.

Now John Swinney’s ministers are set to borrow almost £350million this year to balance the books.

And their debt pile is set to soar to £2.9billion by 2030-31, according to a report on dev­olved fiscal powers.

The figure for 2024-25 is already more than three times 2017-18’s £600million while ministers have used up three quarters of their credit limit.

They are set to spend more than £230million on interest payments this year, rising to more than £300million by the decade’s end.

Labour finance spokesman Michael Marra accused Nats of “flashing credit cards on an empty bank balance.”

With the next Holyrood election due in 2026, Lib Dem Willie Rennie agreed: “Ministers are spending like they know they’ll not be in power long enough to have to deal with the bill.”

We told how Holyrood chiefs face a £1billion budget black hole due to welfare spending and public sector pay rises — rising to £1.9billion by 2027/28.

And Scots Tories’ Liz Smith cautioned Nats against more tax hikes to try to plug the gap.

She argued: “This ballooning debt will stymie economic growth.

“John Swinney must listen to business and get rid of the tax gap with the rest of the UK.”

Ministers insist their borrowing is “fiscally sustainable”, while Finance Secretary Shona Robison is set to outline tax and spending plans next month.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The Medium Term Financial Strategy will provide a further update in the context of revised fiscal framework limits.”

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20945630 (311509ZMAY24) Notable: Final Law and Disorder Bun / Three people convicted of human trafficking in Glasgow

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https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/24350498.three-people-convicted-human-trafficking-glasgow/

Three people convicted of human trafficking in Glasgow

28th May

Grant McCabe & Nicole Mitchell

THREE people are behind bars for their involvement in lucrative sex-for-sale flats where women had been trafficked to work.

Qin Huang, 31, Guolei Huang, 25, and Xiao Min, 38, were snared as part of the joint Police Scotland and Home Office probe Operation Fasthold.

A string of women - mainly from East Asia - had been exploited by a sophisticated crime mob to provide sexual services in Glasgow, Edinburgh and throughout the UK.

The trio - all first offenders - now face lengthy jail terms for their roles in the gang.

Qin Huang and Min pleaded guilty to a charge under the Human Trafficking and Exploitation Act which prosecutors stated included "aiding and abetting prostitution".

The crime spanned between December 2018 and September 2021.

Guolei Huang meantime admitted to a charge of being involved in the management of a brothel at two flats in Glasgow.

Lady Poole remanded all three in custody pending sentencing next month.

Prosecutor Greg Farrell today told the High Court in Glasgow: "Police uncovered a sophisticated and significant criminal network who were arranging, recruiting and facilitating prostitution.

"This also involved the transporting and harbouring of women working as prostitutes."

Mr Farrell added the crime clan raked in "significant financial proceeds" with the help of fake identities to rent flats used as brothels.

The court heard how £200,000 had been spent on adverts on the Viva Street adult site by a so-called 'business agency' firm.

Mr Farrell said: "There is no evidence to suggest any of the three provided the financing for these."

He said Qin Huang was involved in the "daily management" of the women and the sex-for-sale properties.

She also helped organise the online adverts.

Guolei Huang was a "minder" while Min had a "supervisor" role in the renting of the properties.

In February 2020, police learned a flat in Dennistoun was being run as what was described as a "Chinese brothel".

Officers carried out a raid months later - Guolei Huang was there along with one of the trafficked women.

Mr Farrell said: "It had been equipped and set up for the provision of sexual services.

"This included having a bed with towels on it and a side table with condoms, wipes and baby oil on display."

Another brothel was discovered at a flat in Garnethill as well as two more in Glasgow - in Dennistoun and Port Dundas - with one in Edinburgh's Old Town.

In May 2021, it was then found that Qin Huang was operating from a new premises for "sexual exploitation" in Townhead.

There was a further sex-for-sale flat in the city's Kelvinbridge.

The court heard of five women who were brought to the UK by the gang.

Two were in debt in China, another was "recruited" having been approached in a casino while a fourth had her passport taken from her before being helped to "establish" as a sex worker.

A fifth woman said she arrived in England in 2019, had been working 'illegally' there before being "recommended" to travel to Scotland.

Speaking after they were convicted today, Detective Inspector Mark Dines said: "Human trafficking is a despicable crime that has an unmeasurable long-term impact on its victims.

"We are committed to working with our partners to conduct thorough investigations, to identify those responsible and to protect vulnerable victims from harm.

"During this operation, we worked in partnership with the Home Office Criminal & Financial Investigation Team and received assistance from officers of the Metropolitan Police and Cambridgeshire Constabulary.

"We will continue in our efforts to tackle human trafficking and information from people within our communities is key to helping us to identify those involved.

"I ask that anyone with any information or concerns about the welfare of someone they suspect has been trafficked to contact us on 101."

The trio are due to be sentenced on Tuesday, June 25.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20950802 (011437ZJUN24) Notable: Nicola Sturgeon & SNP Bun Part One / SNP quango's taxpayer cash boost to hardcore sex project to be probed by MSPs

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>>201371

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/snp-quango-caught-up-new-32934259

SNP quango caught up in new transparency row over public funding of hardcore sex show

Creative Scotland is once again embroiled in a row over transparency after it failed to tell MSPs about requests to publish the Rein application form

David Walker

31 MAY 2024

Scotland's culture body has been caught up in another transparency row as it was rebuked for failing to inform MSPs about why it funded a hardcore sex project. Creative Scotland bosses gave evidence to Holyrood on Wednesday after being accused of lying to MSPs about Rein.

Chief Executive Iain Munro claimed that he had no idea that the show would feature actual sex, despite the application making it clear there would be "genital contact." A massive public outcry over the initiative, which called for sex workers to help out, meant that the organisation pulled £85k of funding.

But Creative Scotland took months before being forced to publish the application forms which indicated that they may have misled MSPs and the public. And members of the Scottish Parliament's Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee are demanding to know why they weren't given first sight of these documents.

They have written to the cultural body to raise further concerns over the transparency and handling of the funding decision for Rein, with fears it has caused reputational damage. No one in the organisation lost their job despite losing about £30k of taxpayer cash to the project and the entire scandal surrounding it, which saw the public body accused of giving money to "state-funded porn."

Convener and SNP MSP Clare Adamson described how there were "a number of concerns around how Creative Scotland handled its response to the funding of Rein." These include why the information in the applications "was not made available to us in the correspondence provided by Mr Munro.”

She was also concerned that "there was no mention of any FOI requests, or that our request for the application to be published was being considered as part of the FOI process, in Mr Munro’s letter dated 16 April, or in subsequent communication with the clerks” as she went on to say that “It is also unclear why we were not, as a minimum, provided with the application on 21 May.”

Ms Adamson confirmed that the committee thought that Creative Scotland could have avoided the controversy by them "being more open and transparent around how it handled the funding of Rein once the decision had been publicly challenged.” She added: "The initial letter dated 16 April did not provide the Committee with the full picture and this is regrettable.

"In our view, much of the information which was provided to the Committee in oral evidence yesterday should have been communicated much earlier and it is unclear why it was not.

“This raises questions around the extent to which Creative Scotland has sought to be open and transparent with us in addressing this matter. The Committee requests that the Board considers whether it is content that Creative Scotland has been fully open and transparent in its communication with the Committee.”

Calls have been made for Mr Munro to be sacked over the scandal but the board confirmed on Wednesday that they still had trust in him. The Holyrood Committee called on them to consider "the extent to which Creative Scotland’s handling of this matter has caused reputational damage not only to its own role, but also to the cultural sector more widely, and most importantly, the Rein artists.”

A Creative Scotland spokesperson said: “We have received the letter from the Parliamentary committee and will respond accordingly.”

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20951209 (011654ZJUN24) Notable: John Swinney Bun Part One / SNP out of step as Scots overwhelmingly BACK paying for sex in fresh poll blow for John Swinney

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>>201378

>>201371

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/snp-out-step-scots-overwhelmingly-32922943

SNP out of step as Scots overwhelmingly BACK paying for sex in fresh poll blow for John Swinney

A survey by YouGov for sex worker charity National Ugly Mugs suggests Scots do not agree that paying for sex should be criminalised - nor do they agree sex work always results in violence against women

Douglas Dickie

30 MAY 2024

The SNP have suffered a new poll blow - but for a change it has nothing to do with its General Election chances. Instead, Scots have come out against plans to make the purchase of sex illegal in the country.

Instead, more Scots back sex work than are against it despite Scottish Government plans to introduce the so-called 'Nordic model' to Scotland. Ministers published a 'strategic approach to challenging and deterring men's demand for prostitution' earlier this year in the first step towards criminalising the purchase of sex.

But a YouGov poll of 1,088 Scottish adults, carried out for sex worker victim support charity National Ugly Mugs (NUM), shows there is little public support for the agenda. Of those asked, 47% thought it should be legal to pay someone to have sex with them compared with 32% who thought it should be an offence.

In a massive rejection of the core principle of SNP policy, just 13% agreed that sex work always equates to violence against women. Instead, Scots want sex workers to be offered better protection and support while 79% think the Scottish Government should consult sex workers and sex worker-led groups when considering new laws to keep sex workers safe.

Just 1% of those polled think sex work should be a priority for the Scottish Government. NUM claims the policy "runs counter" to recommendations from the likes of Amnesty International, the World Health Organization, UN AIDS, Human Rights Watch, and the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women, which have called for the full decriminalisation of sex work.

It now wants First Minister John Swinney to reconsider the policy. Dr Raven Bowen, chief executive of National Ugly Mugs, said: “This poll shows that Scots are opposed to the SNP's extreme plans to criminalise the purchase of sex, which international evidence shows only serves to increase violence against sex workers, by eliminating their revenue streams, making them desperate and destitute."

Dr Bowen said NUM, which has a base in Glasgow, had been barred from sitting on Scottish Government sex work policy groups "despite being the UK’s largest sex worker safety charity". She added: "This is because we are an evidence-based organisation that cannot sign on to their extremist ideological statement that all sex work equates to violence against women.

"We now know that the Scottish public also overwhelmingly rejects this inaccurate and oversimplified notion – which is the basis for the Government’s entire sex work policy agenda. I urge Ministers to adopt an educated and nuanced approach that reflects the conditions that create forced labour and survival sex work, instead of trying to exclude the research and lived experience that charities like NUM can offer."

The government published its approach in February. At the time, community safety minister Siobhan Brown said: "Lessons learnt from the piloting of the Strategy will help inform any future legislative considerations, including whether to criminalise the purchase of sex."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "Prostitution is a form of violence against women and girls and is completely unacceptable. Our recently published strategic approach to challenge men’s demand for prostitution outlines a number of actions to support the recovery and sustainable exit of those involved in prostitution, including the creation of a pilot programme for a new national hub. Lessons learned from the piloting of the strategy will help inform any future legislative considerations, including whether to criminalise the purchase of sex."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20951380 (011736ZJUN24) Notable: Initial Michael Matheson Bun / Police assessing a fresh criminal complaint about Michael Matheson £11k iPad bill

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/police-assessing-fresh-criminal-complaint-32935918

Police assessing a fresh criminal complaint about Michael Matheson £11k iPad bill

Police Scotland said a new complaint had been received, just days after MSPs voted to impose the toughest ever sanctions on the shamed former health secretary

Ben Borland

31 MAY 2024

Police Scotland are assessing a new criminal complaint relating to Michael Matheson's £11,000 iPad data roaming bill, it has emerged tonight.

The former SNP health secretary has been banned from Holyrood for 27 days and docked 54 days' wages in the toughest sanction ever imposed on an MSP. His fellow Nats refused to back the punishment and abstained.

He claimed the eye-watering bill on expenses and then lied about it when the details emerged in November last year, before tearfully admitting his sons had used his iPad to watch football on a family holiday in Morocco.

Police Scotland told The Herald: "A complaint which had been received in November 2023 was assessed and no further action was taken. A further complaint has been received which is being assessed."

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said: "This latest development underlines again John Swinney's shameful mishandling of the Michael Matheson scandal. It's clearly a matter for Police Scotland to determine whether a criminal offence has been committed.

"But regardless, we know that in any other walk of life Michael Matheson would have been sacked for wrongly claiming £11,000 and then repeatedly lying to cover his tracks.

"It beggars belief that John Swinney and his SNP MSPs refused to back any punishment for their friend in Parliament this week. Michael Matheson is not fit to be an MSP and should have the SNP whip removed immediately. But John Swinney won't do that because the SNP always put party before country.

"The public will have the chance to punish the SNP for this on July 4 – and in key seats across Scotland only the Scottish Conservatives can beat them."

'It's worked well in our Parliament'

Earlier, UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called for a recall petition to be introduced at Holyrood to give voters the chance to boot out rule-breaking MSPs.

The Tories introduced the right to recall at Westminster in 2015 and it has proved hugely popular, with a number of misbehaving MPs ousted by constituents. If he were an MP, the 27-day ban for Mr Matheson would be enough to trigger a recall petition.

Speaking to reporters in Greenock, Sir Keir said: "It's worked well in our Parliament, and we've had a number of by-elections which we've very much enjoyed."

And Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the SNP handling of the scandal had been "nothing short of shameful". He added: "We absolutely need a right to recall in Holyrood."

Earlier this week, Mr Swinney said he was in "support" of the idea of a recall process, stating the current system was "inadequate". But he said Mr Matheson "made a mistake and had been given a punishment by Parliament which I accept unreservedly".

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20959636 (031319ZJUN24) Notable: Covid and other Pestilence Bun Part One / Nicola Sturgeon's mask diktat did nothing to prevent spread of Covid after Omicron wave

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Nicola Sturgeon's mask diktat did nothing to prevent spread of Covid after Omicron wave

A new study by the University of East Anglia suggests mask wearing may have even INCREASED the risk of catching the virus in children during the second Omicron wave

Lifestyle

Douglas Dickie

15 MAY 2024

Nicola Sturgeon's insistence on keeping draconian mask laws in Scotland during the Covid pandemic failed to prevent the spread of the virus after the Omicron variant struck - and may even have increased the risk in children. The former first minister became notorious throughout the crisis for insisting on harsher restrictions on Scots' freedoms.

She ordered a partial lockdown of the country over Christmas 2021 when the Omicron variant started to spread in Scotland. And she waited until the end of April 2022 to relax rules on face coverings despite warnings they were doing little to control Covid.

And new research from the University of East Anglia has backed that up. A study found that wearing face masks did not lower the risk of Covid infection following the initial surge of the Omicron variant.

The analysis of official data found that several risk factors for infection altered significantly as the dominant variant in the UK changed from Delta to Omicron in December 2021. These included wearing a mask, a history of foreign travel, household size, whether people were working or retired, and contact with children or over-70s.

Lead author Professor Paul Hunter, of Norwich Medical School at the University of East Anglia (UEA), said: "Early in the pandemic there were many studies published looking at risk factors for catching Covid, but far fewer studies after the first year or so. Our research shows that there were changes in some risk factors around the time that the Omicron BA.2 variant became dominant."

Co-author Dr Julii Brainard, of UEA’s Norwich Medical School, added: "This isn’t totally surprising because laboratory evidence suggests that the Omicron variant was better able to infect the cells lining the upper respiratory tract than previous variants and so be more transmissible. Management of infection risk needs to be agile, adapting to epidemic development and better-quality information when it emerges.

"To prevent infections we need to have a good view of which factors might be most or least relevant. If those factors can change, we need to be alert to that happening."

The study, which used ONS data from England, found that changes to risk factors included that wearing masks in November 2021 did help prevent the spread of Covid. This research found that prior to Omicron BA.2, never wearing a mask was associated with an increased risk of around 30% in adults and 10% in children.

But by the second Omicron wave there was no protective effect from mask wearing in adults and possibly an increased risk of infection in children. Professor Hunter added: "It should not be a surprise that risk factors change during a pandemic due to a highly infectious disease with a short duration of immunity like Covid.

"So called SEIRS (Susceptible, Exposed, Infected, Recovered, Susceptible) models of epidemics predict that as such an infection becomes endemic risk factors that powered the epidemic in its early stages become less important and the rate at which people lose immunity become more important in driving infection rates."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20960453 (031606ZJUN24) Notable: Final Government Bloat, Waste, and Abuse Bun / SNP pays PR firm £13,400 a DAY of taxpayer cash to plug controversial low emission zones

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SNP pays PR firm £13,400 a DAY of taxpayer cash to plug controversial low emission zones

The Scottish Government handed almost £509,000 to a Manchester-based firm for 38 days work despite having an army of staff to call on

Douglas Dickie

2 JUN 2024

The SNP-run Scottish Government paid a public relations firm almost £13,400 every day for over a month to plug Scotland's controversial low emissions zones (LEZ). Officials handed £508,886 to Manchester-based Republic of Medie for 38 days of work to raise awareness of the zones in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee, despite having an army of government staff to call on.

The contract, worth £13,391 every day, was awarded by quango Transport Scotland, reports the Daily Mail. Ministers have already dished out £1.5 million of taxpayer money to PR firms to advertise the LEZs. While the LEZ in Glasgow has now been in force for a year, Edinburgh and Aberdeen's came into force on Saturday, June 1 while Dundee's was on May 30.

The zones have been hugely contentious with businesses in Glasgow saying it has had a major impact on footfall, Reacting to the spend, nightclub owner Donald MacLeod said: "To spend this amount on PR for an unwanted policy based on flawed science is outrageous and a disgrace.

"Government in Scotland should be collaborating with business and people, rather than passing punitive policies like this. Transport Scotland should be supporting motorists, not continually making things more difficult for them."

Millions of pounds in fines have been dished out to drivers who have broken the LEZ rules. Certain vehicles, said to be big emitters of pollution, are banned from city centres but critics claim they do not have an impact on air quality.

A spokesman for Transport Scotland said: "Through our communications work more than nine out of ten people are now aware of LEZs." Meanwhile, hundreds of taxis found themselves off the roads of Glasgow on Saturday when the deadline for the LEZ time-limited extension came to an end.

Around 350 taxis were thought to not be compliant. One driver whose car does meet standards told the Scottish Express Saturday was an "exceptionally busy" day as drivers struggled to keep up with demand. They added: "Whether that was the weather combined with it being pay weekend remains to be seen."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20962129 (032211ZJUN24) Notable: Nicola Sturgeon & SNP Bun Part One / Incompetent and wasteful SNP ministers to HAND BACK £450million of EU money after failing to spend it (video)

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Incompetent and wasteful SNP ministers to HAND BACK £450million of EU money after failing to spend it

While constantly complaining about the amount of funding available from Westminster, the Scottish Government has squandered nearly half a billion pounds that will now be returned to Brussels

Ben Borland

1 JUN 2024

SNP ministers are to hand back to Brussels £450million of EU money earmarked for economic and anti-poverty targets. The Nats have been accused of "negligence on a remarkable scale".

According to a bombshell report in the Sunday Times, Scotland is expected to return 28% of the European structural and investment funding it received in the past six years having failed to allocate the cash. By comparison, Wales is on course to return 9% of its money, England 6% and Northern Ireland 2%.

Schemes to boost employment, education, training and social inclusion as well as support for small and medium-sized businesses are among the areas to lose out on the Euro bonanza. The programme closes this month which means the funding is almost certain to go unspent and be lost.

Scotland has already returned €199 million from the funding pot, according to EU data, and has now failed to spend another €331m that formed part of the six-year programme. Together they add up to almost £451m at current exchange rates.

Political opponents were staggered at the wastefulness of the SNP, whose ministers have railed against Westminster cuts as "nothing short of a betrayal of public services across the UK".

Douglas Ross, the Scottish Conservative leader, said: "This is waste and negligence on an unforgivable scale. The SNP have poured half a billion pounds down the drain. Their new slogan should be 'squander for Scotland'. This funding could have been spent on vital infrastructure across Scotland, yet SNP incompetence has lost it for good."

And Dame Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour's deputy leader, blamed the Scottish Government's "incompetence" for missing out on the EU money. "Our NHS is in crisis, child poverty is stubbornly high, and economic growth is sluggish — that the SNP government is handing back half a billion pounds of funding while Scots face crumbling public services and infrastructure is a dereliction of duty and negligence on a remarkable scale," she said.

"Vital projects across Scotland are being left high and dry while the SNP allows vital funding to slip away. Scots should not pay the price of SNP incompetence."

The funding scheme, which was replaced by the UK shared prosperity fund after Brexit, ran from 2014 until 2020 but money could still be allocated until the end of June 2024.

Scotland has been suspended from applying for the funding on five occasions, with officials citing "deficiencies" and "irregularities" in the paperwork. By contrast, England's schemes have been praised as "extremely successful" with Wales hailed as "exemplary".

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "These figures do not reflect the totality of spending to date from the 2014-20 European structural funds programmes. Final expenditure figures will not be known until 2025, when the programmes formally close."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20967437 (042149ZJUN24) Notable: Statement on the future retirement of the Lord President

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Seems to tie in nicely with all of these buns....Halley's and Livermore's input into this retirement are evident to this anon. The fake crown will now appoint a new one on the advice of the fake first minister who both of course speak for nobody other than themselves. When will people stop engaging with this corrupt system by voting and paying for it?

>>201344

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>>>154437 Final Historic Abuse Bun

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>>>154288 | Updated John Halley Advocate Bun |

https://www.lawscot.org.uk/news-and-events/law-society-news/statement-on-the-future-retirement-of-the-lord-president/

Statement on the future retirement of the Lord President

The Lord President of the Court of Session and Lord Justice General of Scotland, Lord Carloway, has advised the Law Society of Scotland that he will be retiring from his judicial duties in early 2025.

Lord Carloway became a Senator of the College of Justice in February 2000 and has been the most senior member of Scotland's judiciary as Lord President and Lord Justice General since December 2015.

Law Society of Scotland President Susan Murray said: "I would like to congratulate Lord Carloway on behalf of all Scottish solicitors for what has been an exemplary legal career. We wish him the very best for his retirement beginning next year.

"Lord Carloway has made an enormous contribution to Scots law and in particular in providing effective leadership as Scotland's courts have undergone significant change over the past decade. He deserves praise especially for his leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic and for his willingness to embrace technology in the courtroom.

"The Law Society of Scotland has always found Lord Carloway to be approachable and receptive when we have sought to provide feedback or raise concerns on behalf of our court practitioner members.

"We look forward to welcoming Lord Carloway's successor in due course, and in continuing to work constructively with all members of the Scottish judiciary."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20972574 (051951ZJUN24) Notable: Final Law and Disorder Bun / Serving Police Scotland officer sentenced for sending sexual messages to a child

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Serving Police Scotland officer sentenced for sending sexual messages to a child

Cameron Fraser's behaviour was described as 'appalling' by his chief superintendent after he pleaded guilty to the charge

Mark Connor

5 JUN 2024

A serving Police Scotland officer has been sentenced for indecent communications with a child. Cameron Fraser, 28, was given a six-month community payback order on Wednesday, June 5.

He previously pled guilty at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on Tuesday, May 7. A Police Scotland Professional Standards Department investigation will now begin proceedings for gross misconduct.

Chief superintendent Helen Harrison said: “Fraser’s offending and behaviour was appalling. In committing this crime Fraser believed that his online offending would go undetected.

“However, there is no hiding place, and as a result of our investigation he will now rightly face the consequences of his actions.

“Any form of child sexual abuse is a serious criminal offence, and we encourage anyone with concerns about a child at risk of abuse, or a potential victim, to contact police immediately.

“It is right policing is held to high standards and we will always support officers and staff acting with our values and standards at heart. Those who reject what we stand for do not belong in Police Scotland.”

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20972775 (052031ZJUN24) Notable: John Swinney Bun Part One / 'UTTER CLAPTRAP' John Swinney’s poverty pledge is a claptrap but politicians will never change

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'UTTER CLAPTRAP' John Swinney’s poverty pledge is a claptrap but politicians will never change(Quelle surprise)

That strategy of slogans over substance looks to be alive and well in 'new' SNP Government

Chris Musson

26 May 2024

VOTERS will swallow any old rubbish if you repeat it enough times.

It’s one of the golden rules of political propaganda — a rule that will be tested to destruction by all sides up to the July 4 General Election.

The Tories will go on and on about “hard earned economic stability”. The SNP — for years, the masters of the repeated message — will tell you to “put Scotland first”.

Labour’s mantra is of course “Change” — the simplest possible soundbite, and one which will see both the SNP and the Tories on the receiving end.

Perhaps it’s about time the SNP had a taste of their own medicine, given the contrast between their deft sloganeering and inability to keep promises.

That strategy of slogans over substance — repeating a pledge time and again, while not delivering — looks to be alive and well in John Swinney’s “new” SNP Government.

While the oxygen will be sucked up over the next six weeks by the election, we can’t forget that we are in the first weeks of a new First Minister.

What he has pledged merits scrutiny.

Swinney’s big promise, which he has barely stopped going on about, is his mission to “eradicate child poverty”.

For the avoidance of doubt, eradicate means “to get rid of something completely”. This tells you all you need to know. This promise is utter claptrap.

If you believe he will wipe out child poverty — or even thinks he can — then I’m afraid he’s just taken you for a fool.

But why change the habit of a lifetime?

Promise after promise was made by SNP ministers including Swinney over the years.

As I mentioned in this column last week, promise after promise has turned to dust. When a pledge is made, I’m genuinely unsure if they have any intention of delivering it.

More likely, it was made to milk the PR from the promise itself, or with no proper thought on how they might deliver it. I’m not sure which is worse.

But as politicians know well, a promise is one hell of a campaigning tool.

And the great thing about the SNP and their promises is that they have a ready-made excuse if they can’t deliver. They blame Westminster for not giving them the cash.

This relies on people not considering there are constraints on spending, the world over. There is no magic money tree, not now or under independence.

But he seems to be hooked on this way of governing.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20972786 (052033ZJUN24) Notable: John Swinney Bun Part One / 'UTTER CLAPTRAP' John Swinney’s poverty pledge is a claptrap but politicians will never change

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Cutting NHS waiting lists, reducing P1-3 class sizes, eliminating the educational attainment gap, free school meals for all primary kids, abolishing council tax, free bikes for all poor kids, “world-leading” clim- ate targets, dualling trunk roads . . . just a handful of promises that sounded great, but flopped.

My take is simple: If you can’t deliver it, don’t promise it.

Which brings me back to “eradicating” child poverty. What could be more honourable than wiping out child poverty? That’s what Swinney wants people to think. But if he was serious, surely he would have had a list of policies to put into place, given he was in government from 2007 to 2023, and spent the last year pondering great thoughts, reflecting on what he could have done better? The fact he hasn’t, speaks volumes.

Last Thursday, in his “programme for government” — overshadowed by the PM’s election announcement — Swinney announced some money, which should have already been announced, for expanded childcare pilot schemes that had previously been announced. Hardly earth-shattering.

It’s easy to just rant about this. But in the spirit of not just having a moan, I asked organisations who know their stuff about what he should do.

The Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland says a “good first step” would be to immediately increase the £26.70 a week Scottish Child Payment to £30. They want a nationwide expansion of funded childcare so more mums, in particular, can stay in work and increase their hours. Children’s charity Aberlour wants the SCP to rise to £40. They want an overhaul of strong-arm public sector debt recovery practices, which can net very little but push families deeper into poverty.

And while school meal debt is being wiped — thanks to a Scottish Sun campaign with Aberlour — they want free meals eligibility widened to all families who receive the SCP.

Children 1st want more of a focus on advice services that support families practically and emotionally — as well as financially — to help them out of poverty, and more done to raise awareness of benefits families are entitled to.

There are costly asks among these, but also relatively cheap no-brainers.

And while none — or even all — would “eradicate” child poverty, each would certainly help. That’s the nub of the issue here.

Because while this is no world exclusive, I can reveal John Swinney is not Jesus. He is the First Minister of a devolved Scottish Government.

He can no more eradicate poverty than he can part the North Sea.

If he could, he’d go down as the greatest political leader in history. Mandela and Gandhi would look like Liz Truss-style pygmies at the feet of the colossus Swinney.

But I strongly suspect “eradicating child poverty” is another virtue-signalling promise to weaponise. A tool to bludgeon the Tories with now, and Labour after they win power.

Swinney may produce a proper plan and instigate a host of policies that cut child poverty — meaningfully, and not just in terms of some spun statistics — all the while not blaming everyone but himself.

I doubt he will. But I hope he proves me wrong.

NETFLIX show Is It Cake? is a big hit in my house.

Contestants take part in hyper-realistic baking tasks — making cakes shaped like vintage telephones, that kind of thing.

The aim is to fool the judges into thinking they’re real. It makes Bake Off look like play school.

But I can’t watch the US show without being distracted, as I’m convinced presenter Mikey Day looks like a dapper version of Scots Tory leader Douglas Ross.

They’re very different characters, of course. One oversees a bunch of master bakers, while the other presents Is It Cake?

Just goes to show our politics has a global impact. If anyone spots any other political lookalikes, drop me a line

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20980420 (070032ZJUN24) Notable: Final Government Bloat, Waste, and Abuse Bun / SNP has 'wasted' £5bn of taxpayer cash as EU funding denial called into question

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'Scandal:' SNP has 'wasted' £5bn of taxpayer cash as EU funding denial called into question

The SNP was accused of 'wasting' the substantial sum during their 17 years being the Scottish Government as Kate Forbes was forced to defend a European Union underspend.

David Walker

6 JUN 2024

The SNP has been accused of wasting £5bn on public cash during their 17-year stint in the Scottish Government as Kate Forbes was forced to defend the party's record. And Scottish Parliament researchers confirmed that more than £250m of European Union cash is also set to be squandered by the Nationalist Executive.

We previously told how the Deputy First Minister vehemently denied reports at the weekend that SNP ministers would be forced to hand back £500m of funding from the EU after failing to utilise it. She claimed that the programme referenced was not finished and that there were plans to spend the rest.

But a Scottish Parliament researcher confirmed that the government had confessed that €157.6 million would be handed back as "a result of expenditure targets not being met." A deadline of the end of June has been set for €280.4 million to be claimed or it will be lost back to the European Commission.

They added: "As at 4 June 2024, around two-thirds (64%) of the revised €783.4 million had been paid out to the Scottish Government, with €280 million (36%) of the revised total remaining to be claimed. The Scottish Government has confirmed to SPICe it will make a further two claims to the European Commission for payment of the structural fund programmes with the first claim likely to be submitted in late July.

"However, even after these further claims are taken into account, figures provided to SPICe by the Scottish Government show that around €136 million of the updated value of the programme has not been committed to lead partners with the end of 2023 deadline now passed. The Scottish Government has told SPICe that it is continuing to work with the European Commission to explore ways to ensure it is able to use as much of the funding allocated to Scotland as possible."

This situation was described as a "scandal" by Scottish Labour who revealed a dossier which claimed that the SNP had wasted £5bn of public cash since taking office in 2007. Deputy Leader Dame Jackie Baillie claimed that the EU situation was "just the latest example of SNP financial incompetence."

She said: "At a time when people are crying out for help during a cost of living crisis and our public services are stripped to the bone, it is unforgiveable that the SNP is wasting taxpayers money. New analysis published by Scottish Labour today reveals the SNP has wasted £5 billion pounds since they came to office.

“That includes agency spend costing the NHS over £1.6 billion, delayed discharge costing the NHS over £1.3 billion, ferries now £330 million over budget. People are tired of the chaos, tired of the sleaze, and tired with SNP politicians not treating Scottish taxpayer’s money with respect.

“Failing to use £450 million pounds isn’t treating the taxpayer with respect, wasting £5 billion pounds of public money isn’t treating the taxpayer with respect, and defending Michael Matheson and his £11,000 pound iPad bill isn’t treating the taxpayer with respect.

"People across Scotland are sick of the SNP putting party before country and sick of the financial incompetence that they end up paying for. Last year Kate Forbes attacked Humza Yousaf saying that continuity wouldn’t cut it – but she seems to have failed to learn her own lesson. All we have heard today is more of the same."

The Deputy First Minister hit back at her rival at Holyrood, claiming there was "no evidence" in the parliament report on the £450m claim. She said: "We said that very clearly earlier this week. And the Spice report also indicates that £450 million is not one that they recognise. First of all final expenditure figures will not be known until the programme formally closes in 2025." She added she expected the the final figures to be markedly different from elsewhere in the UK, or from previous programmes.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20983263 (071453ZJUN24) Notable: Final Government Bloat, Waste, and Abuse Bun / Maggie Chapman suggests only 'wealthy white men' benefit from upgrading roads and reducing journey times between cities

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Maggie Chapman suggests only 'wealthy white men' benefit from upgrading roads and reducing journey times between cities

Highlands MSP Ariane Burgess also called for no more Scottish Government investment in road upgrades despite her constituents urging for the A9 between Inverness and Perth to be dualled.

David Walker

5 JUN 2024

A Scottish Greens MSP was heckled at Holyrood after calling for NO new road upgrades in Scotland, despite representing a community which has been crying out for one. Highlands MSP Ariane Burgess called on public transport improvements instead.

And her colleague Maggie Chapman even suggested that "road building is a subsidy for wealthy, usually white men who are the main beneficiaries of reducing journey times between cities."

The Scottish Tories brought in a debate about the current poor state of roads across the country, including the pothole scarred city routes. They blamed "17 years of SNP neglect, underfunding and broken promises" for this situation, which includes the A9 dualling being delayed by a decade.

When in the Scottish Government, the Greens were blamed for various delays on the A9 and also the A96, with the SNP repeatedly denying the Bute House Agreement was the reason for this. But the mask slipped on Wednesday as Ms Burgess ranted about the need to save money and not upgrade the roads.

She represents the Highlands, with the majority of Scots there backing the dualling between the region and Perth after a series of high profile deaths. Despite this, she still called for no more investment into the £3.7bn project.

Ms Burgess said: "Too often our transport plans seem to start and end with road upgrades and expansions rather than looking at all the transport options that we need to invest in from buses to bikes, rail and ferries. The Scottish Government has committed to reducing care kilometres by 20% by 2030 a target that aligns with our legally binding climate commitments.

"However, the proposed road upgrades and expansions such as the full duelling of the A9 and A96 directly contradict this. Building more and bigger roads will only encourage increased car usage, generate more greenhouse gas emissions and undermine our efforts to combat climate change.

"Over the past decade, the Scottish Government has spent £4bn on road building projects, with ongoing or planned projects estimated to cost at least £7bn. Shockingly, the average completion costs of these projects has escalated by 86%. This is a poor use of taxpayer money and a misguided approach to addressing our transportation need.

"Instead of investing billions in high carbon new road infrastructure, we should redirect these funds towards sustainable alternatives that benefit all of Scotland's residents." Her comments led to heckling from veteran SNP MSP Fergus Ewing who has been a firm advocate of dualling the A9.

Scottish Tory shadow transport minister Graham Simpson accused the Nats of having "contempt for those who live in rural Scotland." He pointed out that there were "144 deaths on Scotland’s major trunk roads that go outside the Central Belt between 2020 and 2023 – and 104 of those were on sections that were not dualled."

He said: "Our local roads are dangerously scarred by potholes due to years of the SNP Government starving our councils of cash. The crisis is so bad that an analysis of 69 British cities, found Glasgow was the worst, followed by Edinburgh."

As he concluded his words during the debate, Mr Simpson quoted a number of Nat figures about the failure to dual the A9. He mentioned how Nicola Sturgeon insisted that she did not accept the 2025 target was not met because "we just did not bother" and that they were "committed" to it.

Current Net Zero Secretary Mairi McAllan was also mocked for saying "the A9 is the backbone for Scotland, it needs to be as safe and reliable as possible, and that is what the Scottish Government will deliver."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20996501 (092330ZJUN24) Notable: Final Law and Disorder Bun / Cash-strapped Police Scotland has spent £500k dealing with the SNP's shambolic hate crime law

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Cash-strapped Police Scotland has spent £500k dealing with the SNP's shambolic hate crime law

With the force already facing a £300m black hole, furious Scots Tory MSP Murdo Fraser says: 'The public will rightfully be appalled at this shocking amount of taxpayers' money being squandered on this unworkable legislation'

Ben Borland

9 JUN 2024

Police Scotland has spent almost half a million pounds implementing the SNP's shambolic hate crime laws. The cash was spent despite the force facing a £300million black hole in its budget.

The Hate Crime Act's introduction on April 1 led to a deluge of complaints, many of them relating to previous comments by then-first minister Humza Yousaf or crusading Harry Potter author JK Rowling.

New figures show police chiefs spent £180,000 upgrading systems to cope with the influx of allegations, £240,000 on staff associated with the upgrades and £70,000 on overtime. Around 40 control room officers were enlisted to do the extra work.

The legislation created a new offence of 'stirring up hatred' relating to age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or being intersex. Police Scotland – which no longer investigates every crime, with the likes of garden theft and vandalism often now given a free pass – promised to respond to every hate crime report.

David Kennedy, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation – which represents rank-and-file officers – said: "That £500,000 could have gone towards officers who are struggling. It is the cops on the ground that suffer with this legislation. Because the rate of complaints coming in is slowing, they say it is business as usual, but we have still lost that half a million to this law. It is a total waste of money and it is a farce. It should be repealed."

The figures were revealed by the Scottish Mail on Sunday. Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser told the newspaper: "It is hardly surprising Police Scotland have racked up such an eye-watering bill to implement the hate crime law given that they have accepted every complaint, vexatious or otherwise.

"The public will rightfully be appalled at this shocking amount of taxpayers' money being squandered on this unworkable legislation, which threatens free speech. SNP Ministers were guilty of mass misinformation about what the legislation would mean in practice, which has resulted in the inevitable deluge of complaints being made to our police."

He added: "Rather than continuing to waste essential funds, John Swinney should finally admit how disastrous this legislation is and do us all a favour by scrapping it."

The latest police figures show that, up to May 19, 10,029 complaints relating to hate crime had been made since the Act became law. Yet only about 15% of them - 1,537 - were regarded as crimes by police, confirming fears many claims would be vexatious.

Police Scotland were given an extra £300k

Under freedom of information, the Tories asked Police Scotland what the total spend was on "technological resources purchased to deal with the Hate Crime Act". The force said the technology spend was £181,692 for upgrades and £239,427 in staff costs to implement the system updates.

The Tories also asked how much had been spent on overtime to deal with incidents reported under the Act. Police chiefs revealed the overtime bill was £71,493, taking the total to £492,612.

The Scottish Government said the volume of reports had now reduced significantly. It said the Act "contained provisions in relation to data capture and requirements with which the chief constable must comply. Police Scotland were provided with an extra £300,000 in 2023-24 to support those requirements."

Police Scotland did not offer a comment but referred to a speech by Chief Constable Jo Farrell in which she said the number of online reports had now fallen significantly.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20996596 (092342ZJUN24) Notable: Nicola Sturgeon & SNP Bun Part One / SNP's £850m bill for 'private' NHS contracts lays bare the 'staggering hypocrisy' of the Nats

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/snps-850m-bill-private-nhs-32992024

SNP's £850m bill for 'private' NHS contracts lays bare the 'staggering hypocrisy' of the Nats

The privatisation of the health service in Scotland on a massive scale has been revealed as contracts worth tens of millions have been handed to 'outside firms' across Europe for 'basic services'

Ben Borland

9 JUN 2024

The SNP's "staggering hypocrisy" in falsely claiming that Labour and the Tories want to "privatise" the NHS has been exposed in a blockbuster Sunday newspaper investigation.

The Scottish Government figures show that £31.4million was spent on sending NHS patients for procedures in private sector hospitals last year. However, the true total is many times higher than this when ALL private sector contracts are included.

Since January 2023, contracts worth an eye-watering £850million have been awarded to private companies – many based in England, but others as far afield as Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands – by cash-strapped NHS Scotland.

They involve core NHS functions such as diagnostics, testing, X-ray assessments and treatments as well as spend on private agency staff, collection and delivery of products and the operation of digital platforms. It doesn't include the cost of buying in medicines.

One bumper £30m contract was awarded to a consortium of firms – including one based in Denmark and another in the Netherlands – to assess X-rays and other scans on behalf of Scotland's NHS. And German firm Fresenius Medical Care has been awarded a £7m contract to provide at-home dialysis for patients.

One company in Harlow, Essex, was awarded a £1.9m contract to dispense blood coagulants to homes across Scotland, while £665,000 has been put aside to pay Cambridge medics to collect and test oesophageal cells to help the NHS diagnose for certain cancers.

A firm in Cambridge was handed a £3.5m contract to give Scots access to online therapy, while screening for dermatological complaints will now be done online by out by Oxford clinicians for £561,000.

The figures were compiled by the Scottish Mail on Sunday, by looking at contracts awarded by the main NHS procurement team, National Services Scotland. Last week, the SNP's Westminster leader Stephen Flynn was accused of telling "outright lies" when he called for a new law to protect the NHS from "privatisation".

Scottish Labour's health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: "This lays bare how staggeringly hypocritical it is for the SNP to criticise Labour for considering outsourcing and private contracts as a temporary measure to help with NHS capacity and drive down waiting lists. The SNP have the cheek to call themselves protectors of the NHS when it has been their failure to adequately strengthen the workforce and fund vital services over the last 17 years that has led our NHS to be in a permanent crisis."

And her opposite number in the Scottish Conservatives, Dr Sandesh Gulhane, said: "Scots will be shocked to learn that the SNP have spent a whopping £850m on the privatisation of our NHS in the last 18 months alone - something which my party has always opposed."

Private firms are carrying out basic NHS services

The majority of the sum – around £750m – has been set aside to spend on agency staff to help health boards deal with the workforce crisis. RCN Scotland has warned that nurses are at "breaking point", while the BMA Scotland has warned that staffing levels across the NHS are "dangerously low".

BMA Scotland chairman Dr Iain Kennedy said: "The money being spent on locums should instead be put towards staffing the service properly. Permanent staff are not only by far the more cost-effective option, they also provide the stability and continuity of service that best serves patients."

Alan Taman, of campaign group Doctors for the NHS, lamented an increasing "reliance by the NHS on private providers to carry out basic services".

However, SNP Health Secretary Neil Gray said: "The use of the independent sector to provide additional capacity is not a new development. As is the case across the UK, in certain circumstances limited use of alternative providers, within or without the local area, including independent sector providers, may be required in response to capacity constraints.

"The figures quoted relate to a range of contracts including the provision of agency staff, digital platforms and other services." And the SNP's Amy Callaghan said: "The SNP will always protect our NHS and keep our health service in public hands."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20998328 (100940ZJUN24) Notable: Final Covid and other Pestilence Bun Part Two / Let her speak! Jackie Baillie backs whistleblowing nurse Lesley Roberts in Covid inquiry battle

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/scottish-news/speak-jackie-baillie-backs-whistleblowing-32990149

Let her speak! Jackie Baillie backs whistleblowing nurse Lesley Roberts in Covid inquiry battle

Labour's deputy leader and health spokeswoman calls for the Scottish Covid Inquiry to reinstate the crusading people's champion as a witness... or at the very least publish her statement so the public can judge her evidence for themselves

Ben Borland

9 JUN 2024

The deputy leader of Scottish Labour has backed crusading ex-nurse Lesley Roberts in her bid to be heard at the Scottish Covid Inquiry.

In an extraordinary move, Ms Roberts was removed from the witness list by Lord Brailsford after the public inquiry team interpreted a "frustrated" post on her personal Facebook page as an official declaration that she no longer wanted to give evidence.

Speaking to the Scottish Daily Express, Labour's Dame Jackie Baillie said: "It is disappointing that Lesley Roberts has been denied the opportunity to give oral evidence to the Scottish Covid 19 Inquiry.

"She brings unique experience as a nursing professional, and as someone who lost their elderly mother as a result of Covid. I hope that the inquiry will reconsider and invite her to speak and at the very least publish her written statement."

The former NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde nurse has been at the forefront of efforts to expose the inadequacy of PPE given to health and social care staff during the pandemic. She has also exposed the widespread use of Do Not Resuscitate forms.

In addition, and perhaps most notoriously, Ms Roberts and two fellow campaigners have reported Nicola Sturgeon and Jeane Freeman to Police Scotland for corporate manslaughter in relation to blunders made that cost people's lives – including the decision to move elderly people from hospitals to care homes in the early weeks of the pandemic.

She has fought to be heard at both the UK and Scottish public inquiries, eventually securing a slot to give evidence on Wednesday, May 22. However, Ms Roberts was unhappy with the draft version of the statement she was asked to sign.

She said: "They held back the statement for weeks and gave me an unrealistic time frame to turn it around and get them back in line with how things really happened. There was no way I was going to sign off a statement that was seriously diluted. I wouldn't have been giving anybody the correct story with a statement that was not accurate.

"They accepted a resignation from a post on my personal Facebook page that was written when I was extremely tired and frustrated at the fact they had diluted my statement. I submitted my final statement the following morning and within two hours I was told I'd been removed.

"I was informed about this at 11am on Friday, May 17, and told that I could appeal the decision, but then that afternoon they still put out a post saying I'd been removed from the witness list. My appeal was rejected on the Monday, I just think they wanted rid of me."

'The Chair withdrew his invitation for her to appear'

The Scottish Daily Express also played a role in the events, as we published a story including quotes from Ms Roberts which could have breached a restriction order preventing publication of evidence submitted to the inquiry. As a result, we agreed to remove the article from our website.

The former nurse, from Inverclyde, has also attempted to lodge a petition with the Scottish Parliament asking to be reinstated as a witness. However, the public petitions committee told her the issue was "not within their remit"

In a statement, the Inquiry said: "Lesley Roberts had been scheduled to appear at a public hearing on 22 May. The Chair withdrew his invitation to her to appear only after she announced publicly that she no longer intended to give evidence to the independent Inquiry.

"The Inquiry is committed to progressing its investigations as quickly as possible and will not be hearing any further witness evidence at its health and social care impact hearings.

"The Inquiry has always been keen to receive evidence from Lesley Roberts relevant to its Terms of Reference. As with all witnesses, relevant statements provided to the Inquiry will inform its investigations and reports."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20998375 (101035ZJUN24) Notable: Disestablishment of the Church of England Bill [HL] (video)

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https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3539

Disestablishment of the Church of England Bill [HL]

Private Members' Bill (Starting in the House of Lords)

Originated in the House of Lords, Session 2023-24

Last updated: 29 May 2024 at 12:13

Long title

A Bill to disestablish the Church of England; to make provision for the protection of freedom of religion or belief; and for connected purposes.

Sponsor

Lord Scriven

Liberal Democrat

Life peer

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20998429 (101120ZJUN24) Notable: John Swinney Bun Part One / SNP General Election odds WORSEN after John Swinney's bomb scare STV debate appearance

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/snp-general-election-odds-worsen-32956955

SNP General Election odds WORSEN after John Swinney's bomb scare STV debate appearance

The nationalists are now even less likely to win the most seats in Scotland after the First Minister's STV appearance where he floundered under questioning on oil and gas.

David Walker

4 JUN 2024

The odds of the SNP winning the General Election actually got WORSE after John Swinney's bomb scare appearance at the first leaders debate. The First Minister performed poorly in front of the STV audience, failing to answer questions about his position on new oil and gas licences.

And this has been reflected in the new bookies odds, with Betfair slashing the chance for Scottish Labour winning, with Anas Sarwar now 87% likely to secure the most seats north of the border, up from 77% pre-debate. Sadly for the Nats, their odds rose to 7/2 or 22%, down 3%.

If this result played out in Scotland, it would mean that Humza Yousaf's independence plans, where the SNP would seek to break up the UK if they won a majority of seats, would be vanquished in brutal fashion. The bookies give both the Tories and Lib Dems just a 1% chance of winning the election north of the border.

Current polling has been unpredictable, with the SNP backed to either lose heavily or lose moderately, with some surveys having them down at single figures. This is why the odds for them winning 19 seats or less and 20 seats of more are so close, at 51% and 52%.

Betfair spokesman Sam Rosbottom said: “The SNP may have a new man at the helm, but John Swinney did little to dissuade Betfair Exchange punters his party have much of a future in Scotland after July 4. The SNP’s chances at the general election worsened after last night’s debate, with the SNP going from 25% chance of winning the most seats in Scotland to a 22% chance today.

“This mirrors the result of a blockbuster poll released just hours before the STV debate that showed the SNP winning a paltry 17 seats. Despite coming under fire over their plans for North Sea oil and gas, Labour’s momentum appears to have been further fuelLed by their leader Anas Sarwar’s performance.

“Scottish Labour were already strong favourites north of the border. Their chances of winning most seats in Scotland surged from 77% before the debate, to an 87% chance this morning.”

In terms of the overall UK General Election, Labour are heavy favourites to win most seats at 1/33 or 97% chance, and the Tories far behind on 37/1 or 2%. Sir Keir Starmer is also being backed at 1/14 to win an overall majority (93%), with no overall control at 19/1 (5%) and Rishi Sunak at 84/1 (1%).

The first leaders debate of the General Election involved Mr Swinney, Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross, Scottish Lib Dem chief Alex Cole-Hamilton and Scottish Labour's Anas Sarwar. But it was the performance of the SNP that raised the most eyebrows.

Scottish Labour's Ian Murray said: "John Swinney just confirmed he is happy for nurses and teachers to pay more income tax but the excess profits of the oil & gas companies shouldn’t be touched. Madness."

Scottish Tory MSP Russell Findlay added: "Accidental First Minister “honest” John Swinney claims he will “rebuild trust”. >He won’t sack his lying, expenses-fiddling SNP pal. >He would shut down Scotland’s oil and gas sector but point blank refuses to tell the truth."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20998769 (101329ZJUN24) Notable: Douglas Ross quits as Scottish Tory leader after double jobbing Westminster row (video)

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https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/12858847/douglas-ross-to-quit-as-scottish-tory-leader/

ROSS QUITS Douglas Ross to quit as Scottish Tory leader after election backlash

He announced the news in a lengthy statement

Chris Musson

10 Jun 2024

UNDER-fire Douglas Ross today announced he is quitting as Scottish Tory leader after nearly four years in the job.

The Conservative chief revealed he is to stand down after the General Election amid fury among his colleagues over claims he elbowed out a sick colleague to grab the nomination for a key seat.

He also faced pressure this weekend over his travel expenses claims.

A spokesman for the Scottish Tories confirmed Mr Ross will leave his post as leader regardless of whether he wins on July 4.

In a statement this morning, Mr Ross - an MSP, and an MP until the election - said he's quit regardless of whether his wins the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East seat on July 4.

Mr Ross - Scottish Tory leader since 2021 - said: “I have served as MP, MSP and leader for over three years now and believed I could continue to do so if re-elected to Westminster, but on reflection, that is not feasible.

“I am committed to fighting and winning the Aberdeenshire North and Moray East constituency.

"Should I be given the honour to represent the people and communities of this new seat, they should know being their MP would receive my complete focus and attention.

“I will therefore stand down as leader following the election on July 4, once a successor is elected.

"Should I win the seat, I will also stand down as an MSP to make way for another Scottish Conservative representative in Holyrood.

"My party has a chance to beat the SNP in key seats up and down Scotland, including in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East.

"We must now come together and fully focus on doing exactly that.”

Rishi Sunak said he respected Douglas Ross's decision to quit as Scottish Conservatives leader.

The Prime Minister told broadcasters: "You can read Douglas's statement about his reasons and I respect his decision. It's been a pleasure to work with him over the time that I've been Prime Minister, he has been a steadfast champion of the union."

A string of Scottish Tory MSPs and MPs are furious at the way Mr Ross u-turned on his long-standing position that he wouldn’t stand for Westminster at the General Election.

Mr Ross announced last week that David Duguid was unfit to stand - despite Mr Duguid disputing this - and he was to stand himself instead.

Until last month, Mr Duguid, who is recovering in hospital after an illness, was MP for the old Banff and Buchan seat which overlaps with the new Aberdeenshire North and Moray East constituency.

A source close to Mr Ross denied he had quit specifically because of the fury over his treatment of Mr Duguid, but said the decision was due to “all of the fallout from that”.

The source said: “Douglas felt that the Scottish leader needs to have all of their focus on the Scottish Parliament, and by saying he was standing for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East that signalled that his priority was not to dedicating all of his energy on the Scottish Parliament.

“It became clear that colleagues were not going to accept him continuing as an MSP and MP and continuing as leader.”

Asked why Mr Ross would have to quit as leader even if he loses - and us an MSP only - the source said that by saying he wanted to return to Westminster he was sending a “signal” to colleagues that his priority was not on Holyrood and therefore the party leadership.

We told at the weekend how Mr Ross was urged to follow suit with three of his MSPs and vow to quit Holyrood if he wins a Westminster seat on July 4.

Sources said Tory MSPs who run for election to Westminster do so with the expectation they will stand down from the Scottish Parliament if successful.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20998778 (101331ZJUN24) Notable: Douglas Ross quits as Scottish Tory leader after double jobbing Westminster row (video)

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>>201412

.....................................................................................................continued.......................................................................................

MSPs Stephen Kerr, Sandesh Gulhane, and Sue Webber had all said- either publicly or privately - that they will leave the Scottish Parliament and focus full-time on being an MP.

Mr Ross will remain in post until after a Scottish Tory leadership contest which is not expected to be up and running until after the General Election.

We also told how Mr Ross has been urged to set out the details of expenses claims he made while working as a linesman.

First Minister John Swinney claimed there are “serious issues” raised by reports that the Scottish Tory leader made 28 claims at Westminster as he travelled ahead of undertaking footy work. Mr Ross denied any wrongdoing.

Responding to news of Mr Ross’s resignation, Scottish Labour Deputy Leader Jackie Baillie said “I wish Douglas Ross the best of luck in the future. It’s clear that this divided and chaotic Tory party is out of time and out of ideas.

“Voters know that this rotten Tory government has nothing to offer Scotland – it’s no wonder Douglas Ross has given up on trying to resuscitate the Scottish Tories’ flailing campaign.

Alba Party leader and former First Minister Alex Salmond said: “The first case of a rat deserting the sinking ship while simultaneously trying to clamber aboard a gravy train.

“Douglas Ross requires to resign as candidate for Aberdeenshire and Moray, where he stabbed David Duguid in the back. Ross is totally devoid of honour.”

Seamus Logan, the SNP candidate for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East, said: "Douglas Ross must resign as an MSP today. It's clear he's been forced out as Scottish Tory leader after his shameful behaviour over David Duguid and his growing expenses scandal.

Voters deserve a dedicated MSP - not one who is hedging his bets in case he loses the election.

"On July 4, voters in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East can show Douglas Ross the door for good by voting SNP to put Scotland's interests first."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/20999360 (101527ZJUN24) Notable: John Swinney Bun Part One / 'NO FAN' John Swinney would ‘engage’ with Donald Trump if he visits Scotland as US President

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'NO FAN' John Swinney would ‘engage’ with Donald Trump if he visits Scotland as US President

The First Minister said he has 'duties to fulfil'

Lewis Mckenzie

9 Jun 2024

JOHN Swinney has said he would engage with Donald Trump if the former US President makes a return to the White House.

The First Minister said he has “duties to fulfil” as the leader of Scotland - but said that he is “no fan” of the business tycoon and TV personality.

It comes just weeks after Mr Trump was found guilty on all counts in a hush money trial, becoming the first ever ex-President with a criminal conviction.

Asked whether he would welcome the 77-year-old to Scotland if he was to be re-elected as US President, Mr Swinney said: “I obviously accept the outcome of democratic elections so if the people of the United States decide to elect Donald Trump as their President and he was to come to Scotland, I would of course fulfil my duties as First Minister to engage with him.

“Having said that, I am no fan of Donald Trump and I think Donald Trump has done huge damage to democratic civilised debate.

“So, I would really rather he was not the President of the United States, but if becomes the President of the United States, I’ve got duties as First Minister which I’ve got to fulfil, and I will fulfil because the people would expect me to.”

As Scotland's First Minister back in 2021, Nicola Sturgeon said that Mr Trump should not come to Scotland for golf as it was not an "essential purpose" for travel.

Ms Sturgeon had locked down Scotland at the time amid a rise in the number of Covid-19 cases across the country.

The ex-SNP leader also took several swipes at the businessman and said in 2018 that she was "tickled" by claims Mr Trump detested her.

She indicated at the time that she would have met the then US-President during his visit to the UK, which sparked huge protests across the country.

Last year, Mr Trump said that the people of Scotland are "much better off" without Ms Sturgeon in charge after she announced she would be standing down as First Minister.

And he dubbed her as a "failed woke extremist" in a post on his Truth Social platform.

He said: "I built the greatest golf properties in the world in Scotland but she fought me all the way, making my job much more difficult.

"The wonderful people of Scotland are much better off without Sturgeon in office!"

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21004269 (111011ZJUN24) Notable: Nicola Sturgeon & SNP Bun Part One / Secretive SNP Government redact all minutes from Humza Yousaf's meeting with Chinese diplomat despite Grangemouth discussion

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>>201343

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/secretive-snp-government-redact-minutes-32984918

Secretive SNP Government redact all minutes from Humza Yousaf's meeting with Chinese diplomat despite Grangemouth discussion

Exclusive: The former First Minister met with Zhang Biao, the Consul General, in January but the full meeting minutes were completely redacted despite important topics like the Grangemouth Refinery being discussed.

David Walker

8 JUN 2024

The secretive Scottish Government completely redacted all minutes from a top secret meeting between Humza Yousaf and a Chinese diplomat. The former First Minister met with Zhang Biao, the Consul General, on January 16, with one of the topics of discussion being the Grangemouth refinery.

PetroChina is one of the owners of the Scottish site, with plans announced last November to shut the premises down by 2025. This would cause hundreds of job losses and be economically devastating for the region.

Mr Yousaf met Mr Biao at Bute House just a month after his Constitution and Europe Minister Angus Robertson flew out to Beijing to glad-hand officials. His trip was criticised by some within the SNP, who pointed out that China is a hostile country towards the UK, and has been accused of spying on Westminster.

But in a bid to further relations between the Scottish Government and China, they held a summit in January to "to build on the reinvigorated relationship between" the two countries. However, when the Scottish Daily Express attempted to get the minutes from this meeting, it was fully redacted.

Government officials relied on section 32 of the freedom of information legislation which states "its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice substantially relations between the United Kingdom and any other State; relations between the United Kingdom and any international organisation or international court; the interests of the United Kingdom abroad; or the promotion or protection by the United Kingdom of its interests abroad."

Even though there is a public interest clause, because of the "openness and transparency and because of elevated interest in the Scottish Government's international work in the media" the request was still redacted as it "prevents damage to relations between the UK government and other states and interest in Scotland being able to build relationships with other countries."

Briefing notes prepared ahead of the discussions revealed that the pair were set to discuss the Grangemouth Refinery amid a current campaign to save it. The SNP have been accused of not doing enough to save the jobs on the site, with PetroChina owning half of it with Ineos.

Mr Yousaf was told to ask him for help to "secure a long term future for the refinery whilst maximising the opportunities for the workforce to support planned new operations such as a biorefinery." He confirmed that Mr Robertson met with senior figures in the company to discuss the future of the site.

The briefing added: "This engagement was valuable in signalling Scottish Government’s interest in a sustainable future for Grangemouth and lines of communication will remain open. The recent announcement regarding the Grangemouth Refinery is of concern to the Scottish Government and we wish to ensure that refining continues for as long as possible at Grangemouth.

"I would welcome your support in ensuring that we can secure a long term future for the refinery whilst maximising the opportunities for the workforce to support planned new operations such as a biorefinery."

But the public won't be able to find out if this support was achieved as the entire meeting minute is redacted. China reacted furiously to the UK Government accusing officials of subterfuge with the two countries currently at war over the arrest of two former government aides over this scandal.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21004294 (111022ZJUN24) Notable: Updated Nicola Sturgeon & SNP Bun Part Two / 'Beggars belief' that SNP still owe Peter Murrell £60k as party suffers financial woes

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'Beggars belief' that SNP still owe Peter Murrell £60k as party suffers financial woes

Exclusive: The Scottish Tories have blasted the SNP for continuing to be linked with the party's former Chief Executive as it still owes him a substantial amount of money.

David Walker

7 JUN 2024

The SNP have been slated for continuing to owe former Chief Executive Peter Murrell £60k, and for failing to have cut all ties with him as he faces embezzlement charges. The latest Electoral Commission figures revealed the Nats are still in debt for the substantial amount.

Nicola Sturgeon's husband has kept a low profile since being charged by Police Scotland in relation to embezzling money from the party he used to run. Crown Office are currently considering the standard prosecution report and will decide on the next steps.

Mr Murrell loaned his own party £107k in 2021 to help with "cashflow issues" and received almost half of this back within months. But there remains £60k outstanding which has yet to be handed back to him.

The Scottish Tories have blasted the fact the SNP still have substantial links with the former Chief Executive. Chairman Craig Hoy told the Scottish Daily Express: "It beggars belief that the SNP are still in financial hock to their disgraced former chief executive. The SNP should have cut all ties with Peter Murrell – especially now that he has been charged with embezzlement – and repaid what they owe him in full.”

Mr Murrell's loan was published by the Electoral Commission in 2022, with it revealing that he gave the party £107,620 in June 2021, but three years later £60,000 has not been repaid. The SNP's financial woes have been well-documented, with its latest accounts showing that it was £800,000 in the red in a non-election year.

John Swinney pleaded with supporters once again on Friday to donate to the party as he hinted at the "expensive" four weeks ahead of them. The party is attempting to contest more than 50 seats across Scotland with no major donations reported so far this year.

It means that they need to rely on the Short Money coming from the MPs, as well as smaller donations from the apparent thousands of paid-up SNP members. Crowdfunders have also been launched by a number of the party's MPs to raise cash to campaign properly.

Operation Branchform remains an active police investigation, with the Crown Office studying the charge sheet sent in by Police Scotland. A spokesman said: "A standard prosecution report has been received by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service from Police Scotland in relation to a 59-year-old man and incidents said to have occurred between 2016 and 2023. Connected investigations of two other individuals, a man aged 72 and a 53-year-old woman, remain ongoing.

"Professional prosecutors from COPFS and independent counsel will review this report. They will make decisions on the next steps without involving the Lord Advocate or Solicitor General. All Scotland's prosecutors operate independently of political influence.

"Before deciding what action to take, if any, in the public interest, prosecutors will consider if there is enough evidence. There must be evidence from at least two separate sources to establish that a crime was committed and that the person under investigation was the perpetrator.

"This evaluation will involve a thorough examination of the numerous witness statements and extensive evidence collected by police. Prosecutors may instruct the police to conduct further investigations before taking a decision. Decisions on how to proceed are taken by prosecutors acting independently, and are based upon available evidence, legal principles, and the merits of each case. They are not influenced by political events."

An SNP insider said: "Perhaps Craig Hoy should be more concerned with handing back over £15million the Tories have accepted from someone they think is a ‘racist’. This is a pathetic attempt to deflect from his own part in the backstabbing of David Duguid - an act that is simply inhumane, even by the gutter standards of the Tories."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21004332 (111033ZJUN24) Notable: Updated Nicola Sturgeon & SNP Bun Part Two / Scottish Government launch new probe into Ferguson Marine's 'missing' £128m of public cash

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/scottish-government-launch-new-probe-32999042

Scottish Government launch new probe into Ferguson Marine's 'missing' £128m of public cash

SNP ministers have ordered a new probe into how the Port Glasgow shipyard spent the significant cash before it plunged into administration in 2019 after Audit Scotland previously confirmed that the money was not accounted for.

David Walker

10 JUN 2024

The Scottish Government has launched a new probe into how £128m of taxpayer cash was spent at Ferguson Marine before the beleaguered shipyard fell into administration. The publicly-owned ferry owning and procurement agency Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) ploughed significant money into the company as it built the two ferries which are still incomplete.

Audit Scotland told MSPs that Ferguson Marine could not tell them what these funds were spent on in 2022. Some were labelled as milestone bonuses but the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa were not near completion when the cash injection was put in.

The ferry fiasco will cost taxpayers up to £500m when the scandal is complete next year, and the two ferries finally serve long-suffering CalMac customers. This is more than quadruple the original £97m contract, with no one within the SNP administration losing their job because of this.

An independent probe has been launched into the books of Ferguson Marine to discover how the £128m was spent as the shipyard plunged into administration after receiving it in August 2019. The funds were £83.25m in milestone payments from the government-owned ferry owning and procurement agency Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) and £45 million in loan payments from the Scottish Government.

Delivery of the two vessels are now over six years late, with the completion date put back every couple of months. An investigation into the money trail is being outsourced to external auditors which will be funded by taxpayers, and will feature a deep dive into the financial accounts of the company before it was nationalised.

It will be limited to where the money went, but former shipyard boss Jim McColl believes it should be expanded to look at more than just the financials. He told the Herald: "I welcome an investigation into where the money went because it went into the ships. But it needs to look at why it was needed.

"It is easy to do a review of the records, and the default position is that FMEL didn't do it properly. There would be no proper exposure of what caused the costs, so if they are just looking at the financials... it would be very easy to set up a review like this which is just a waste of money. Because, I tell you they won't come up with anything that shows anything wrong with where the money went."

In the initial probe of where the public money went, Scotland's Auditor General Stephen Boyle told MSPs that the shipyard had no idea where the cash had been spent due to shoddy record-keeping. He said: "Ferguson Marine Port Glasgow (FMPG) has advised us that it holds FMEL’s records, as required by the Sale and Purchase Agreement between the two bodies.

"FMPG advise that these records exist in both digital and hard copy forms, but they are not organised or categorised. The Sale and Purchase Agreement does not require FMPG to review these records and FMPG has informed us that it has no plans to do so. FMPG is therefore not aware of what information exists and indeed whether this information will explain how FMEL spent the £128.25 million."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "We are in the process of commissioning an independent examination of the accounting records of the former Ferguson Marine Engineering Limited. The report from this will be presented to both Audit Scotland and the relevant Parliamentary Committees in due course.”

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21010398 (121519ZJUN24) Notable: Updated Nicola Sturgeon & SNP Bun Part Two / Nicola Sturgeon and the 'sleekit' SNP in new email secrecy scandal over Derek Mackay 'grooming' case

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/nicola-sturgeon-sleekit-snp-new-32974002

Nicola Sturgeon and the 'sleekit' SNP in new email secrecy scandal over Derek Mackay 'grooming' case

Exclusive: The Scottish Information Commissioner has slammed the SNP Government in a damning ruling, after officials failed to respond to a request for the former FM's emails and correspondence on the day her administration nearly collapsed

Ben Borland

12 JUN 2024

The SNP Government has been warned that it faces court unless it complies with a request to release all of Nicola Sturgeon's emails on the day the Derek Mackay 'grooming' scandal broke.

The damning decision by David Hamilton, the Scottish Information Commissioner (SIC), follows a long-running secrecy battle between ministers and civil servants and a dogged member of the public.

It relates to the infamous events of February 5, 2020, when a newspaper revealed the SNP Finance Secretary had sent hundreds of social media messages to a teenage boy. Mr Mackay quit in disgrace – just hours before the annual Budget – and Kate Forbes was drafted in as a last-minute replacement.

Asked whether his behaviour amounted to "grooming, Mr Mackay refused to respond. He said he had "behaved foolishly" and apologised to the 16-year-old boy and his family, while Ms Sturgeon said his behaviour fell "seriously below the standard required of a minister".

Two years after the scandal, the campaigner – who has asked to remain anonymous – submitted a Freedom of Information request asking for emails/communications sent to, or sent by, the First Minister or her private office on February 5.

The SNP Government at first said it did not hold the information, before admitting that it DID hold around 5,000 emails that could fall under the scope of the request. However, it said that searching through them all would cost more than the £600 cost limit for FOIs. The campaigner submitted a second, narrower request for emails from specific email addresses but once again the administration said it would be too costly to search through around 2,700 messages.

At this stage, he appealed to the SIC's office, saying the total number of emails appeared to be "excessive for a single day". He accused the government of "going out of its way to inflate the estimated time" involved and said that if if had "lied in its initial response to his request then it was entirely feasible that it had lied again".

During the investigation, the Scottish Government admitted that "after sifting... around 600 emails would fall within the scope of the request". In his findings, the Commissioner described its approach – switching between 'we do not hold the information' and 'we do hold the information but retrieving it would be too costly' – as "plainly unsatisfactory".

Mr Hamilton urged the government "to ensure that its cost calculations are robust" and also raised concerns about "poor operational awareness of... record-keeping... resulting in inadequate and inaccurate calculations being provided. This is clearly unacceptable."

He also noted that despite the campaigner asking for "all emails/communications", the Scottish Government did not search for WhatsApp or SMS messages sent by, or sent to, Ms Sturgeon on the day in question. The Commissioner said the government could no longer claim that responding to either request would breach the FOI cost limit and ordered it to provide a new response by June 20.

His ruling adds: "If the Authority fails to comply with this decision, the Commissioner has the right to certify to the Court of Session that the Authority has failed to comply. The Court has the right to inquire into the matter and may deal with the Authority as if it had committed a contempt of court."

'Complicit in a cover up in relation to a grooming case'

Speaking to the Scottish Daily Express, the campaigner said: "It appears that the Scottish Government has sought to cover up any involvement by Nicola Sturgeon or her staff in relation to the issue by refusing to release any of her correspondence from this time. It was widely reported at the time that the government tried to stop the publication of the story, and Sturgeon and her office must have been aware of this.

"Similarly, what steps did they take with regards the welfare of the youth involved? Did they attempt to downplay the issue or dig into the personal details of the boy in question? There MUST have been comms between Sturgeon's office and SPADS regarding the issue, yet none have come to light, in fragrant disregard for the FOI process.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21010406 (121520ZJUN24) Notable: Updated Nicola Sturgeon & SNP Bun Part Two / Nicola Sturgeon and the 'sleekit' SNP in new email secrecy scandal over Derek Mackay 'grooming' case

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"On the surface, it appears Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish Government are complicit in a cover up with regards what really went on in a grooming case."

He added that he had not had any further response yet but said this was "just another example in a long line of FOI mishandling and dodgy correspondence/records management".

'Murky goings on when Mackay was a minister'

Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy MSP said: "This damning response from the information commissioner underlines the SNP's sleekit secrecy over scandals gripping their party. There would need to have been a huge amount of correspondence between the Scottish Government and the SNP for it to have exceeded the cost threshold.

"Derek Mackay resigned in disgrace and people have every right to obtain correspondence relating to the murky goings on when he was a government minister. This reluctance to be fully transparent threatens to further blur the lines between the SNP and the machinery of government, which will concern the public."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "Scotland has the most open and far-reaching Freedom of Information legislation in the UK and the Scottish Government remains committed to our obligations under the Freedom of Information Act to ensure openness and transparency."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21015808 (131141ZJUN24) Notable: Updated Nicola Sturgeon & SNP Bun Part Two / SNP minister claims government wants 'value for money' amid huge £3.5m spend to install heat pumps in office worth just £275k (video)

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/snp-minister-claims-government-wants-33016113

SNP minister claims government wants 'value for money' amid huge £3.5m spend to install heat pumps in office worth just £275k

SNP Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee faced questions from rebel Nat Fergus Ewing about the massive spend on the Elgin Procurator Fiscal office which is becoming zero carbon.

David Walker

12 JUN 2024

An SNP minister admitted that he was "concerned" about the Scottish Government splashing out £3.5m of taxpayer cash on heat pumps for a creaking office worth just £275k. Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee faced a question about the cost of upgrading Elgin's Procurator Fiscal premises.

We previously told how the Nationalist Executive had spent that substantial sum on the office which saw heat pumps fitted and insulation improved, even though the gas bills were only about £2,500 a year. But due to the complexity of the project the cost increased from an initial £2.2m to £3.5m after investigations into the "nature of the building."

It was meant to be a flagship initiative for "decarbonising" properties owned by the government but has ended up being a costly mistake. The refurbishment is still ongoing and is expected to take 1,000 years to recoup in energy savings.

SNP rebel Fergus Ewing brought the scandal up at the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday, and demanded to know whether this project would be replicated across Scotland. He asked the government "regarding the application of the principles in the Scottish Public Finance Manual, what its position is on whether the reported estimated cost of £3.56 million for refurbishment to decarbonise the Procurator Fiscal’s Office in Elgin represents value for money, in light of the property being valued at £275,000 in March 2022."

Mr McKee responded by insisting that the government "takes getting best value for money from public spend seriously" and added that "we also recognise the need to meet our climate commitment that includes spending the limited public money available for that purpose most effectively to achieve our targets."

He did confess that Mr Ewing "raises valid concerns about the value for money aspects of this particular investment" and that he "very much shares those concerns." In defence of the huge spend, he said: "This project was intended to increase understanding of the technology and processes around deep retrofit of historic buildings.

"As such it will not be replicated but lessons learned should support cost effective delivery of future projects." He added that Mr Ewing should "rest assured that any future projects will be rigorously assessed to ensure public money is used most effectively to deliver the government's objectives, taking into account strict value for money criteria."

The push for net zero buildings was spearheaded by former Scottish Greens minister Patrick Harvie who was ousted from government in April. His policy will mean all public buildings and homes in Scotland will have to comply with strict new laws which mean they need to be zero carbon by 2045.

But there are fears that this will cost too much money and push some struggling households into financial ruin. It is one of the policies being looked at by John Swinney's new administration.

Mr Ewing welcomed Mr McKee's comment as he pointed out that he was calling for a "new broom" to take over after the shambles of the SNP/Greens coalition. He added: "I'm pleased he will be able to secure valie for money and avoid wasted money in investment and public buildings."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21015891 (131217ZJUN24) Notable: Updated Nicola Sturgeon & SNP Bun Part Two / Skint SNP Government splash out almost £10k on lavish Eid celebration at Edinburgh Castle

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Skint SNP Government splash out almost £10k on lavish Eid celebration at Edinburgh Castle

The Scottish Government contributed almost £10,000 towards an Eid Ul-Fitr event which was held in Scotland's capital in April and attended by the then-First Minister Humza Yousaf.

David Walker

13 JUN 2024

The cash-strapped Scottish Government splashed out almost £10,000 to hold a lavish Eid Mubarak celebration at Edinburgh Castle in April. The event was attended by then-First Minister Humza Yousaf and hundreds of the Muslim community from throughout Scotland.

But the amount of public cash utilised to put on the event may raise eyebrows considering the significant budget cuts passed by the SNP Executive last year, and the financial trouble it finds itself in again. Fiscal experts have warned that there will be need to be more "significant spending reductions" in the next year to balance the books.

A freedom of information request published on the Scottish Government website revealed that £9,985 of public cash was spent on the event at Edinburgh Castle to mark Eid Ul-Fitr in April. The celebration marks the end of Ramadan, a month of fasting with Muslims usually enjoying lavish meals together with loved ones.

The request also came with a breakdown of the costs, with £7,137 being spent on catering the event, £820 on entertainment, £903 on AV and £1,125 on transport. The celebration was posted about on the official First Minister social media account on April 19, with Mr Yousaf writing: "The Muslim community is an important and integral part of Scottish society and @ScotGov value the contribution they make. First Minister @HumzaYousaf reiterated his commitment to stand against all forms of hatred as he hosted an event @EdinburghCastle to mark Eid Ul-Fitr."

He also made a speech which was published on social media where he said: "My commitment as First Minister to tackle all forms of hatred- Islamophobia, Antisemitism, whatever it is, is absolutely firm, unwavering, unshakeable, that we will stand up against those forms of hatred.

"You have my promise and my commitment, and I think I can speak, I'm certain I can speak, for my friends across the political spectrum, that we will all stand together united against hatred. So ladies and gentlemen, you are most welcome. The Muslim community is a beloved community to Scotland. We are a part of Scotland.

"We're not being hosted here. We're not a community that has come from afar. We are an integral part of this country. And we should take great pride in the fact that we have as a community, contributed so much over the years, so my thanks is to you."

Eid Ul-Fitr usually begins the day after the sighting of the new crescent moon which marks the end of Ramadan and the onset of the month of Shawwal, the tenth of the Islamic Hijri calendar.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21016845 (131527ZJUN24) Notable: Updated Nicola Sturgeon & SNP Bun Part Two / 'Unacceptable' SNP water quango splashed out £280k of public cash on sending staff to Argentina and New York

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'Unacceptable' SNP water quango splashed out £280k of public cash on sending staff to Argentina and New York

The Water Industry Commission for Scotland's accounts are being scrutinised by Audit Scotland after the agency was slated for 'inappropriate use of public funds' under former boss Alan Sutherland.

David Walker

12 JUN 2024

Scotland's water watchdog has been branded "unacceptable" after it was revealed that it splashed out £288k of taxpayer cash sending staff on courses in Argentina and New York, as well as paying for "executive coaching." The Water Industry Commission for Scotland (Wics) is currently being scrutinised by Audit Scotland.

The probe comes after the agency was slated for "inappropriate use of public funds" under former boss Alan Sutherland who was forced to resign last year. Under his leadership staff claimed for expenses without proper receipts and spent over the limit on alcohol.

Wics did not get proper approval to spend £77,350 to send its chief operating officer on a course at Harvard Business School in the US, with the Scottish Government granting retrospective permission for this without even scrutinising it. It led to a rebuke from Auditor General Stephen Boyle who allayed concerns about this breaching expenses rules, and encouraging other spends that haven't been signed off.

Mr Sutherland spent £400 on a meal for two at Champany Inn near Linlithgow and clocked up £130k in expenses, mainly on travel, since April 2019. He also clawed back £14,000 for some of the annual leave he did not use, while backing inflation-busting water price rises for Scots.

Wics acts as the economic regulator for the water sector and sets a cap on the amount that Scottish Water can charge and promotes the interests of water and sewage customers. The Times reports that documents released under a freedom of information request showed that the organisations spend of taxpayer cash was even more lavish than reported.

It paid out vast sums to send some of its 26 staff to South America and the US. The agency's head of retail went on an executive MBA programme run by London Business School between 2018 and 2020, some of which took place in London, as well as a five-day placement in Argentina, with this cost coming to £95,476 due to travel, accommodation and expenses.

Another senior manager undertook an MBA with London Business School which included time in the English Capital and give days in Buenos Aires between 2017 and 2019, with taxpayers charged £84,508 for this. In addition, the head of external relations completed a certificate of management at Columbia University in New York that cost more than £21,000 and another £87,768 was spent on "executive coaching" from April 2019 to March this year.

Scottish Tory net zero spokesman Douglas Lumsden blasted this spend as he said: "It's entirely unacceptable that hard-pressed Scots should be expected to foot the bill while this quango spends money like water."

In response, Wics insisted that its most important asset was its people and said: "In recognition of this, Wics has invested on average 1.5 per cent of revenue per year over the eight years [since 2016] on all types of training, from cyber resilience to management development. Anyone completing an MBA is subject to a two-year lock-in and is required to pay two thirds of the cost to exit this contract."

An investigation into the agency's finances by Audit Scotland found that in its 2022-23 financial year, 7.5% of its expenses transactions (£12,419), were found to have non-compliant proof of purchase. The figure was 12% (£7,314) between April and December 2023.

The most lavish spend included £2,669 on meals exceeding £50 per head and "significant expenditure on alcohol" with £359 spend on booze as part of a £1,123 bill at Gaucho in Edinburgh. David Satti, the Wics interim chief executive, said actions to strengthen expenses policy had been taken.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21019226 (140021ZJUN24) Notable: Final Law and Disorder Bun / Woman came forward with sex assault allegation against cop colleague after he was given feminist award

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https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/12904945/btp-officer-reported-sexual-assault-feminist-award/

COP IN THE DOCK Woman came forward with sex assault allegation against cop colleague after he was given feminist award

He is currently on trial at Glasgow Sheriff Court.

Connor Gordon

13 Jun 2024

A WOMAN claimed that she was sexually assaulted by a British Transport Police officer on a works Christmas night out.

The woman stated she was groped by Ryan Tierney, 39, in Glasgow city centre's Maggie Mays pub on December 9 2016.

She claimed that Tierney, of Falkirk, ran his hand down her back and touched her on the bottom.

The BTP office employee added that Tierney then slid his hand further forward and touched her in a more intimate area.

The woman claimed that she did not report the matter due to a negative culture towards "grassing" colleagues at BTP.

However, she stated that she came forward six years later after learning that Tierney was to receive an award for promoting his female colleagues and dealing with domestic violence.

Tierney is on trial at Glasgow Sheriff Court accused of sexually assaulting the woman.

He is also accused of a second sexual assault against another woman by handling her buttocks at a city centre pub in 2014.

The court heard that the woman's team at BTP were invited to the work night out organised by the CID team.

The group of 40 to 50 had dinner around 3pm at an Italian restaurant before heading to nearby Maggie Mays.

When giving evidence, the woman claimed that she saw Tierney sitting alone at a table.

She claimed that she gave him a glass of water which "perked him up a bit."

The woman said that she and colleagues chatted with Tierney.

Prosecutor Jacqui Wall asked the witness what happened to her.

She replied: "I was sat next to Ryan at the time - he was stroking my back.

"His hand then went down my back and touched my bottom and also further forward."

The woman added that Tierney touched her in an intimate area.

She said: "At that point, I shifted in my seat and I looked up to my colleagues across the room then mouthed 'help'.

"At that point, they rushed at the table and said everyone was heading to Stepps Bar and whisked me away from the bar."

Miss Wall asked how Tierney was known to her and she replied: "I didn't know him, he had worked in the same building as me.

"He was previously part of the CID - it was their night out. I did know him from work."

The woman claimed she was "shocked" by the incident and initially spoke to an inspector about what happened.

However, the woman did not formally make a report at the time.

The woman sent an email to her superiors about not wanting matters to proceed against Tierney in order to "protect myself."

She said: "I was scared about what happened, I felt the attitude at the time wasn't good.

"A lot of the time you heard 'suck it up princess' and there was chat about not grassing other employees and things like that."

The woman claimed six years later in 2022 she became aware that Tierney was to receive a 'HeForShe' award.

She said: "I didn't think that it was appropriate after what happened."

Miss Wall: "Is that why you made a complaint to professional standards?"

The woman: "Yes and it also came to my attention that he was due to be going to a diversity and inclusion conference.

"Ryan did not attend the ceremony for women police awards where he was due to receive the award.

"I thought he was going to be given the award at the conference I was attending and I asked that the award wasn't presented."

Sarah Livingstone, defending, stated to the woman that Tierney was "the officer" involved in dealing with disciplinary proceedings on her partner.

The woman refuted a suggestion by the advocate that there was "bad blood" between Tierney and her partner.

The trial continues in August before Sheriff Joanne McDonald.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21026577 (151556ZJUN24) Notable: Updated Nicola Sturgeon & SNP Bun Part Two / Ex-SNP activist who 'wanted to beat feminists' jailed for sexually assaulting young adults

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https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/ex-snp-activist-who-wanted-33032986

Ex-SNP activist who 'wanted to beat feminists' jailed for sexually assaulting young adults

Cameron Downing preyed on his victims at locations across Scotland and ‘repeatedly blackmailed’ one of his victims.

Douglas Barrie

14 JUN 2024

A former SNP activist who once tweeted how he wanted “beat the f**k” out of feminists has been jailed for sexually assaulting six young adults.

Cameron Downing, 24, preyed on his victims at locations across Scotland during a course of conduct which began when he was just 16-years-old. The High Court in Edinburgh heard how the abuse continued until February 2023.

Police learned about his activities and launched a probe. But the court heard that during the probe, officers discovered how Downing ‘repeatedly blackmailed’ one of the men he preyed on. He told his victim that if he didn’t engage in sexual activity with him, he’d make an allegation to the police about how he had been raped by the man.

The witness told the court that Downing said he’d also contact his friends, family and employer and make the false rape allegation to them. The man, who is now aged 22, gave evidence and said he felt “trapped” by Downing’s threat.

Downing, a former Drama student and an equalities convenor for the SNP’s London branch, spent his trial denying any wrongdoing.

Downing, who told the jury in their evidence that they identified as being non binary, said he hadn’t been threatening the male and was battling ‘complex’ mental health issues at the time of the abuse. But on Friday afternoon, after two days of deliberations, jurors found Downing, of Willowbrae, Edinburgh, guilty on charges of sexual and physical assault.

Defence advocate Michael Meehan KC said his client was a first offender and asked for Downing, whose pronouns are he and they, for bail ahead of a sentencing hearing next month.

But judge Alison Stirling remanded Downing in custody and told them: “Your status has changed. I will adjourn sentence to obtain a criminal justice social work report and you will be remanded in custody.”

It is not the first time that Downing has came to public attention. He’s a former drama student who has acted in Edinburgh fringe productions. He also worked as an NHS contact tracer during the pandemic.

In 2022, it emerged that Downing tweeted about how he wanted to “beat the f* out of some terfs and transphobes”. He also tweeted “I f** hate terfs and transphobes with such a passion.”

The tweets caused Harry Potter author JK Rowling to say: “Nicola Sturgeon’s Scotland: A place where an equalities officer feels free to declare in public how much he wants to beat up non-compliant women.”

The comments made by Downing came to light after he had been elected as equalities officer for the SNP’s London branch in October 2022. He later resigned from the post. A photograph also emerged of Downing posing with former first minister Nicola Sturgeon at an SNP conference in Aberdeen.

The remarks made by Downing prompted SNP MP Joanna Cherry, a gender-critical feminist who has herself been called a transphobe for her positions on sex and gender, to condemn the remarks. She said the remarks were “foul and violent” and accused Downing of being “misogynistic”.

During proceedings, jurors were played a video recording of the evidence given by the 22-year-old victim who was blackmailed by Downing. He told the court of how he and Downing had consensual sex but this stopped.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21026592 (151600ZJUN24) Notable: Updated Nicola Sturgeon & SNP Bun Part Two / Ex-SNP activist who 'wanted to beat feminists' jailed for sexually assaulting young adults

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The man, who can’t be identified for legal reasons, told the court that Downing’s reaction to this decision “terrified” him. The court heard that Downing threatened the man by telling him that if he didn’t change his mind, he would tell the police of how the victim had “raped” him.

Downing said they had messages from the man that “proved” that he had sexually assaulted him. He added: “I felt trapped. I shouldn’t have let it get to that point. He said that he would ruin my life.

“He said he would use them to put me behind bars. He was going to tell my friends and family that I was a rapist and that I had done something wrong.”

The jury were also shown messages that Downing sent to the victim. One message read: “I don’t care if you’re not ready make yourself ready.”

Another message read of how Downing wanted his victim to continue having sex with them. it read: “You should want that with all of your f***g being because the alternative is losing me from your life and most likely facing a court case for RAPING (NOTE - CORR capital letters) me.”

One woman who was targeted by Downing spoke of how Downing was a “bit of a loaded gun” who could get “personal” and “nasty” with people.

Speaking about the abuse she suffered, the witness added: "He would touch me inappropriately, like groping. It was mostly my breasts that he would touch, maybe some groping elsewhere. A lot of it I have filtered out."

The woman, now aged 24, said she attended a New Year party in January 2018 at a friend's home when she was still a teenager and Downing was among those present. She said Downing came up to her and told her a boy had said he thought she was "hot" until she discovered food.

She said: "It devastated me because I had quite a few body issues. I got quite upset about that comment. I drank far too much and I got quite drunk. I started to feel really sick."

She said Downing told her he would help her to an upstairs bathroom and she ended up being sick. She said: "I am sure Cameron said to me I needed to go for a shower. After that I don’t really remember anything. All I remember is how my friend found me and the bruises I had."

She said she remembered "pieces", including Downing telling her she had to take her clothes off and her dress being taken off. She later woke up in bed and Downing came into the room and she said "snarled in my face, everything was my fault and he had to leave now because of me".

The following day she noticed she was "covered in bruises" and said: "It was like I had been battered."

She said: "I had bruises that looked like they came from Cameron." She said there were marks of her arms that looked like little indents caused by fake nails.

She said she spoke to Downing via Snapchat but said he started "getting very personal about my mental health" and told her they were were gay and wouldn't want to "look at your saggy t**s anyway”.

She said she did not speak to Downing for a long time afterwards but later met them at an Edinburgh club where he came up to her and said they were “bi now” and asked to have sex with her.

ollowing conviction, Downing was placed in handcuffs and taken to the cells of the high court. He turned to family members who sat in the court’s public benches and said: “I love you.”

Downing will be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on July 16 2024.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21036366 (171346ZJUN24) Notable: Final Covid and other Pestilence Bun Part Two / Misattributed COVID-19 Deaths in Care Homes (video)

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>>201431

https://www.erskine.org.uk/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21036708 (171501ZJUN24) Notable: Updated Nicola Sturgeon & SNP Bun Part Two / John Swinney suffers 'embarrassing' by-election defeat as SNP battered in one of its 'safest' seats

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/john-swinney-suffers-embarrassing-election-33030489

John Swinney suffers 'embarrassing' by-election defeat as SNP battered in one of its 'safest' seats

Scottish Labour trounced the SNP in yet another by-election with Clydebank Central, formerly an area with a 'Yes' majority, electing Fiona Hennebry instead of another Nat councillor.

David Walker

14 JUN 2024

The SNP's shocking run of by-election defeats hit 14 in a row as the party lost in one of its safest seats across Scotland. The candidate for the Nats was soundly beaten in Clydebank Central, which is a nationalist stronghold and one of the regions which voted Yes in the independence referendum.

It was labelled an "embarrassing" loss for John Swinney who has not been able to turn the tide on the awful spate of results which was first presided over by Humza Yousaf. Scottish Labour picked up the seat with a 12% swing giving them two councillors in Clydebank Central compared to one SNP and one independent.

The SNP vote plummeted by 14%, while Labour's rose by 9.2%. In a weird outcome, winner Fiona Hennebry actually beat her own nephew, Nathan Hennebry, who was standing for the Communist Party of Britain, to win the seat.

It was two Nats and two Labour but Diane Docherty quit the party over its stance on gender reforms, meaning they lost another councillor. The turnout for the by-election was 24.3% with 2,845 votes cast andit was called after the incumbent was jailed for being a paedophile.

Disgraced Craig Edwards resigned his seat on the council in March after pleading guilty to owning hundreds of indecent images of children. Despite being charged he refused to quit after being sacked by Labour. Sheriff William Gallacher said the images "plumb the depths of depravity and abuse".

Scottish Labour's Fiona Hennebry was declared the winner at stage four of the count of the single transferable vote election and won 1,425 votes. The party branded this win an "extraordinary result" as the ward is known as one of the safest SNP ones in Scotland.

Scottish Labour Deputy Leader Jackie Baillie said: “This is an extraordinary result for Scottish Labour in one of the safest SNP wards in the country, and an embarrassing defeat for John Swinney. This win shows that Scots are desperate for change after 14 years of Tory chaos and 17 years of SNP incompetence.

“Fiona Hennebry will be a fantastic Councillor and a local champion for her community. The people of Clydebank Central have voted for change and on July 4 voters across Scotland will have the opportunity to do the same.

“It’s time for change - and every vote for Scottish Labour is a vote to deliver that change. Every vote for Scottish Labour is a vote to make sure we get rid of the Tories, put Scotland at the heart of a Labour government and deliver the change our country needs.”

Ms Hennebry added: "I am delighted to be elected to represent the area I call home. For too long our community has been failed by two out of touch and incompetent governments - but this result shows that change is possible. I am looking forward to getting to work representing our fantastic area and I will work tirelessly to repay the trust the people of Clydebank Central have put in me.”

Clydebank has both a SNP MSP and MP in Marie McNair and Martin Docherty-Hughes but the latter is facing a tough battle to retain his seat at the General Election. According to Ballot box Scotland, the town's wards a "real rarity" as they have "an absolute majority of the vote for a single party, in this case the SNP."

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/21036848 (171542ZJUN24) Notable: Final Law and Disorder Bun / Taxpayer forks out over £400k to sack shamed Sheriff Jack Brown and nearly a million to cover his wages

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https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/taxpayer-forks-out-over-400k-33033005

Taxpayer forks out over £400k to sack shamed Sheriff Jack Brown and nearly a million to cover his wages

First Minister John Swinney laid an order before the Scottish Parliament to officially axe the Aberdeen-based Sheriff from the Sheriffdom but not until after he had run up over £1m in wages and court costs.

David Walker

14 JUN 2024

Sacking shamed Sheriff Jack Brown cost the taxpayer over £400k after a six year probe which has been described as "extraordinary" by one critic. It means that the legal professional's case has cost the public purse more than £1m since the investigation began in 2018.

He was suspended on full pay for six years over alleged sexual harassment which meant he pocketed his substantial salary while sitting at home. He was finally found unfit for office this year after a second tribunal ended following the first one being botched.

The Scottish Government published the full cost of these tribunals on Friday, and revealed that it cost £436,329 for the decision to be made to remove him from the Sheriffdom. The majority of this bill (£258K) comes from fees paid to Legal Counsel or Solicitors.

Brown, 64, clung on to his job after a judge ruled that a first tribunal failed to consider evidence from other alleged victims, so a second one was ordered in February 2022. This second one, convened by Nicola Sturgeon, found that he was unfit for judicial office.

The tribunal said that there were "serious concerns as to the character and integrity" of the Aberdeen Sheriff which are "wholly contrary to the standards of conduct and probity expected" of the judiciary. John Swinney laid an order before the Scottish Parliament last month that removed Brown from office on June 7.

He had been suspended on full pay in December 2018, with his salary being £157,705 a year, meaning he has been paid nearly £950,000 for staying at home. He was found guilty of "serious improper conduct" due to his inappropriate behaviour towards two women, one being a lawyer, known as D, in 2018 and another female in 2001 and 2002.

An earlier tribunal found that Brown had acted "entirely inappropriately towards D but concluded that his conduct did not meet the test to justify removing him from office. A judicial review disputed this and ruled that the tribunal had "ignorance of the availability of other evidence" as two other women making similar claims had not been allowed to give evidence.

The new tribunal did hear from the other two females known as B and C and established that Brown touched D on the cheek and made an inappropriate remark in 2018. It also found he had hugged her inappropriately and that he kissed C on the lips in late 2001 or early 2002, and squeezed her buttocks in 2004. Tribunal chair Lord Malcolm said: "In our unanimous view [Brown's] misbehaviour renders him unfit for judicial office."

Scottish Tory Justice spokesman Russell Findlay hit out at the cost and length of time it took for Brown to be finally sacked. He told the Scottish Daily Express: "It seems extraordinary that it took the judiciary five years to deal with this rogue sheriff who is rightly now being kicked off the bench. This costs taxpayers a fortune but, even worse, has added to and prolonged the trauma of female complainers.”

Scottish Government Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: “Under Section 23(6) of the Court Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, Scottish Ministers are obliged to pay such expenses as they consider are reasonably required to be incurred to enable a tribunal to carry out its functions. Given the nature and gravity of the tribunal’s findings, the First Minister decided that Sheriff Brown should be removed from office. The order removing him came into force on 7 June 2024.”