And while I’m at it, I’m told the blog states I instigated action against the author. This is categorically not true. If you insist on obsessing over me, please remain factual.
— Shannon Donoghue (@shannon_talks_) January 19, 2025
It makes you more credible.
I won't return the compliment by saying that Shannon is definitely lying (although my assumption is that she probably is) but what I can tell you is this. One of the very, very few points of detail that McEleny did actually provide in the disciplinary referral document, dated 30th September 2024, is that Shannon Donoghue submitted a complaint against me in April about a supposed 'breach of confidentiality', and indeed that her fiancé Chris Cullen also complained.
Now, it's true that McEleny didn't attach any of Donoghue's or Cullen's emails to the referral, so I haven't seen any direct proof of Donoghue's involvement in instigating the disciplinary process. That, indeed, was one of the very points that was raised at my appeal hearing on 8th January. It's also true that McEleny had earlier claimed that another individual was involved in the complaint, but it turned out that person had gone out of his way to make abundantly clear that he *didn't* want to put his name to the complaint. So I can't totally exclude the possibility that McEleny was also lying about Shannon. One thing is for sure, though - either McEleny is not telling the truth about this, or Shannon is not telling the truth about it. There is no third possibility, because their claims are quite simply not reconcilable with each other.
For what it's worth, my instinct is that in this particular case, McEleny is telling the truth and Shannon is lying. But who knows.
By the way, for those of you asking about who Shannon is and what she's like, an earlier tweet of hers will give you a representative taste of the 'endearing banter' that I and others were treated to at those highly enjoyable meetings of the Constitution Review Group -
I’d put it the other way round. James is actually well shot of the toxicity of Alba and the nasty Johnny come Lately refugees from SNP who have poisoned the party. The ones who feel protected and abuse others with impunity because for instance their mum is DGS or because they’re best pals with HQ staff etc etc! What started out as a great idea, a member led grass roots party has turned into a nepotistic shambles thanks to a few poisonous characters.
ReplyDeleteWhoever takes over as leader has their work cut out to sort this shitshow out and the sooner it happens the better or Alba’s credibility is finished
Seems to be that Alba is fuelled by paranoia and run by control freaks. They should rename it the family party. Do the ordinary members have any say in what goes on? The control from the centre seems to be worse than they claim to have left in the SNP
DeleteYou can’t absolve the leadership of its role in cultivating that nepotistic shambles. Those poisonous characters would have gotten nowhere if they weren’t friends or family of Alex Salmond. It has steadily become clear from James and others who were treated similarly to him that Alba was conceived as a family affair. It was “Alex Salmond and Friends”. An exercise in ego massage. And anyone who questioned that clique of favoured sons and daughters has been sidelined or shunted out entirely.
DeleteI get it from the Salmond point of view that “the bastards threw me out MY party, after all I did for them, so this time I’m taking no chances: blood is thicker than water or democracy. This time it’s family loyalty first, and no questions.”
DeleteIf I had been publicly destroyed by the party that owed me everything for leading it to success, I’d have likely made that same mistake. Inevitable as its consequences are.
Understandable from his perspective, but no less damaging for that. Any man who finds himself thinking blood is thicker than democracy has no business leading a serious political party.
DeleteHindsight is 20/20, so we should be able to figure out when it all went wrong.
DeleteWas it when they stitched up last year's leadership elections using Salmond's death as a pretext? No.
Was it when they stole 2023's conference by simply declaring the wrong results void? No.
Was it when they speedran their first conference to confirm Salmond's handpicked officers? No.
Was it when Salmond launched a surprise party with top-down handpickees after grandstanding in a public inquiry?
There it is. We see that Alba never had any credibility to begin with.
How very dare AS have provided an informative contrast to NS's "bad memory" (x 50)? And I expect Nic and Redactor Man Swinney were perfectly justified in running down the clock ahead of the election. (Look how well that all worked out.)
DeleteSo an under-pressure AS ordered up an off-the-shelf party without fine-tuning it later on. And, of course you're right about credibility - damaged by compromise with the SNP from the start.
Deprogrammer, ISP's the way forward !
DeleteNo person is as good at being Shannon than Shannon her self . I’ve heard she keeps receipts . Maybe to help her memory . I see why she would need it .
ReplyDeleteMy auld gran used to say "watch the quiet ones the loud ones are stupid"
ReplyDelete"If you didn't want purged, then why didn't you just quit?"
ReplyDelete—Democracy, Alba-style
That’s what a few of us did. It was only a matter of time until we got the same treatment as James
DeleteWhy did Comrie quit btw? Never understood that one
ReplyDeletePart of the explanation (not all of it) can be found in Heather McLean's guest blog from the other day: https://scotgoespop.blogspot.com/2025/01/the-alba-files-part-2-extraordinary.html
DeleteThe leadership were bullying her.
DeleteThey used similar tactics to those used against the others on the hit list
The ostracised her ignored her at the Grangemouth demo. Did not reply to emails or messages from her.
Then started with smears. I won’t say what the smear was as it would just perpetuate it but it was horrible and worried Eva a lot.
When she complained about Yvonne’s tweet that undermined Alba women’s policy she for once did get a reply, from Tasmina which dismissed her concerns
She resigned as a result
Sad to hear.
DeleteThe women was a good candidate.
I note she polled better than McAskill.
A strange person to bully out of thr party. The party isn't brimming with talent.
You don't say !
Delete