Profound shock in Alba ranks after Susan MacAskill, the spouse of party leader Kenny MacAskill, 'likes' a Facebook post threatening physical violence against the person who leaked the audio recording of Corri Wilson to Scot Goes Pop

I was contacted earlier today by a member of the Alba Party, who I think was genuinely quite shocked that a controversial fellow member and convicted criminal called Dave Llewellyn had posted on Facebook to threaten physical violence against the person (and I genuinely have no idea who that person is, by the way) who made an audio recording of Corri Wilson revealing that Alba has £200,000 liabilities, and which was then leaked to Scot Goes Pop.  The Facebook post also called me the C-word (which I've partly blanked out below).  However, there was an even greater level of shock that the threatening post was liked by none other than Susan MacAskill - the wife of the party leader.  Llewellyn dares people to "call the polis" on him, and frankly he should count himself very lucky if nobody heeds that advice.

Incidentally, although it's rather sweet of Iain Cameron to imply that I'm having some sort of role in the destruction of the Alba Party, the objective reality is that Kenny MacAskill, Corri Wilson and others are very deliberately and determinedly destroying it themselves, and they didn't require any cue from me to start that process.  That makes it hard to understand why Dave Llewellyn is so upset about the leak to Scot Goes Pop, because from what I can gather he is part of a 'realist' faction that accepts what Kenny MacAskill is doing is unavoidable.  The leak actually assists MacAskill in that task, because it confronts people with the full extent of the party's liabilities, which after all is the main reason Alba will have to be dissolved.

When I was expelled from Alba on ridiculous trumped-up charges just over a year ago, I made abundantly clear that the loyalty I previously had to the party completely ceased at that point, and I don't see how anyone can realistically have any complaints about that, given the mind-boggling number of people in the Alba elite (both past and present) who were involved in the malicious action against me in some shape or form: Alex Salmond himself, Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, Corri Wilson, Chris McEleny, Hamish Vernal, Shannon Donoghue, Chris Cullen, Suzanne Blackley, Daniel Jack, Robert Slavin, Yvonne Ridley, Josh Robertson, Robert Reid, Christina Hendry, Jackie Reid, Geraldine Harron, Debbie Ewen and John Caddis.  (And that's not even an exhaustive list.)  I would have thought it's a statement of the obvious that I now believe that it would be in the best interests of the Scottish independence movement if Alba were to depart the stage permanently - the corruption and nepotism just runs far too deep, and I don't see how that can ever be rectified to make Alba a force for good.  

I do know some good people who remain in Alba and who take a different view and want the party to continue.  I suspect that even they will eventually look back on Alba's destruction as a positive moment, because it will probably lead to them pursuing the same objectives under a different political branding, which will almost by definition be less toxic than Alba's.

Corri Wilson, straight-talking, totally unfiltered, on why the Alba Party must be dissolved - the full transcript of the secret audio recording: "Nobody will vote for us, nobody has even heard of us, we have no activists, we're totally broke, anyone trying to rescue the party would have to take on insurmountable £200,000 liabilities, let's get out while we still can!"

I've been sent an audio recording of Corri Wilson, matriarch of Alba's Corri Nostra faction and also the party's "Director of Operations", addressing what appears to be some sort of internal party meeting.  Beyond that I've no idea what the context is, although I presume her comments were not previously in the public domain, because a) they're fairly incendiary, and b) if they were already public knowledge there'd have been no point in sending me the recording.  Here's the full transcript - 

"It's not just the finance, I mean we've obviously had the McEleny struggle for a year, and it is far from over as well.  The reality is we have few active LACUs and very little activist activity.  We have been, due to all the briefing against the party, which you were informed about on 10th January, we have been haemorrhaging members, and the majority of our members pay £1 a month, so you can do the maths yourselves.  There's just no money coming in.  We live in Twitter-land, where thanks to the negative press we are just no longer rated.  

The ordinary folk on the street havnae heard of us.  There's too many people don't even know Alba exists.  They just don't.  We exist in a bubble, but they don't know we exist.  Wednesday's poll showed us at two per cent.  We need to be realistic.  TWO PER CENT.  We have insurmountable liabilities, and the reality for a Holyrood campaign is we've got no activists, limited impact.  The social media campaign is absolutely hampered by all the negative social media, and you know, Kenny met with you guys on 10th February, laid out the situation, spoke about the briefing against him and the party, and said at that point, either we get together, get behind and do all that Braveheart stuff, or it's going to have an impact, and here we are.  

The reality is every single one of us who has stood as a potential candidate, you're standing for a leadership position, and as a leader, sometimes you have to make difficult decisions, and quite frankly we have to act responsibly.  You need to remove your heart, I want to stand, we all want to stand, we all want independence.  For someone who has spent a year, working night and day to keep this party alive, this is gutting, right?  But the responsible thing to do is to get out when we can, holding our heads up high.  The reality is Kenny's spoke about people saying if you want to come forward, and he'll sign over the liabilities.  I have done a quick calculation on these liabilities, and what you're signing in for is nearly £200,000.  That's what you'd be signing up for.  Thanks."

Popular factional matriarch Corri Wilson sends tidings of great joy to local Alba branches: "Let's be clear about this, when this party dies, you're sending all your money to ME, not to the Junta. Comply or be punished. Yours for Scotland, Corri"

It's the puzzler that has gripped and perplexed fashionable salons like no other since the Schleswig Holstein Question: are Alba branches accounting units in their own right?  Does their money belong to HQ or could it be seized by Christina "Of The Blood" Hendry and her thrillingly quarter-Trotskyite Junta?

As a 1990s Scandinavian singer once reminded us, it's all 'bout the money.  It's all 'bout the dum dum da da dum dum, in which 'dum dum da da dum dum' is perhaps unlikely to refer to Scottish independence.

"Dear Treasurer/Convener

Thank you to those of you who have already replied to my previous email and engaged constructively. I appreciate the time taken to respond, particularly given how difficult and unsettling this period is for us all.

This is not an easy moment for the Party. Many of you know that over the past year I have worked relentlessly to ensure the Party was kept operational, compliant, and able to continue the fight for independence. That work has not stopped, and neither have the responsibilities that come with it.

The reason for this communication is straightforward. As responsible officers of the Party, we must prepare for all eventualities. While our focus has always been on the fight for independence, that commitment has to be balanced with our fiduciary and legal responsibilities as Party officers. This is about good governance, compliance, and protecting individuals as well as the Party.

Your LACU is not an accounting unit in its own right. This means that any money held in the LACU bank account is party money, not LACU money. It forms part of the Party’s overall accounts and must be treated as such at all times.

If, and I say if, the Party is wound up or deregistered, LACUs do not have any legal entitlement to retain, spend, redistribute, or repurpose funds held locally. Those funds must be returned to Party HQ so that liabilities can be settled and final statutory accounts completed.

As LACU Treasurer, you are acting as a custodian of party funds. Retaining or using funds without authorisation places responsibility on you personally, not on “the LACU” collectively.

Failure to comply may result in:

Breaches of electoral law and regulatory requirements

Personal liability for repayment of funds

Recovery action for breach of fiduciary duty

Potential escalation where funds are knowingly retained or misused

Good intentions or the fact that funds were raised locally do not change this legal position.

Accordingly, you are required to:

Ensure that all LACU funds are preserved intact

Cease any spending without explicit central authorisation

Prepare to transfer any remaining balances to Party HQ if and when instructed

If you have any questions about the process, or if funds have already been spent or committed, you must notify HQ immediately. Early disclosure is always preferable to issues emerging later through audit or regulatory review.

Please treat this matter seriously and as a formal compliance instruction.

Yours for Scotland                     Regards

Corri Wilson                             

Director of Operations               

Ian McDougall

Party Treasurer"

"From this day forth, it's DNA, NOT DEMOCRACY": Christina Hendry stakes her "right of blood" claim to control Alba, as she and the rest of the Junta taunt MacAskill and announce the world's most pointless revolution is ON!

I've rarely before had much sympathy for the views of the self-styled "straight-talking totally unfiltered independent woman" Shannon Cullen (formerly Donoghue), but I checked her Twitter account last night, and it confirmed the impression given by the MacAskill email that she and the rest of the Corri Nostra faction are loyally taking the view that Alba's death must be allowed to run its course under the constitutionally-legitimate current leadership of the party.  This may seem surprising (especially given that I recall her being as thick as thieves with Junta member Suzanne Blackley when we were all on the Constitution Review Group together in 2024) but everyone has a deeper loyalty, and I suspect Shannon's deepest loyalty of all is to her bank balance and to the avoidance of bankruptcy.  Once she twigged that she as an NEC member is personally financially liable for potentially vast sums, it was strictly no contest - Alba had to die so her chances of going shopping could live.

She will therefore be appalled at this message that has been sent out under the names of her old chum Suzanne, Christina "Of The Blood" Hendry and the rest of the wannabe Junta, and that was forwarded to me this morning.  I can't quite work out the method by which it was sent out - it seems to be formatted like an email, even though the Junta have been complaining all along about their inability to email the Alba membership directly with their plans for revolution.

I must just note the supreme irony of the Junta resting their case partly on legalistic arguments about the current NEC not being properly constituted.  Similar arguments have been made since Alba's earliest days - even when I was on the NEC in 2021-22, vacancies were not always filled by the correct constitutional process, and sometimes were not filled at all.  Similarly, there was never any constitutional basis for the stuffing of Conferences Committee meetings with non-elected individuals, but we were told it was fine because the NEC had the right to "interpret" the constitution in any way it pleased.  Blackley and Hendry were always totally unconcerned about these sleights-of-hand in the past (not least when Salmond unconstitutionally appointed Blackley herself to an office bearer position that should have automatically been filled by someone else), but suddenly, when it suits them, it becomes an issue.

I also gather there's a question mark over whether the Junta are being honest in signing off the message with the words "NEC member" against their names, because apparently some or all of them have resigned from the NEC.  But perhaps like all true revolutionaries they regard the body they've resigned from as "illegitimate", and the body they've unilaterally set up to replace it as the real thing.  Hendry is Of The Blood, remember.  She has the right to do these things.

"Subject: Formal Demand For An All Members Ballot on the Future of ALBA

Dear Colleagues,

It is 4pm on Friday, 27 February. Candidate registration deadlines are running. A membership ballot can be live within two hours if staff are permitted access to NationBuilder. That access must be granted immediately.

THE DEMAND

Hold an emergency membership ballot tomorrow, Saturday 28 February 2026.

Question: Should Alba Party contest the regional list ballot in the Scottish Parliament election on 7 May 2026?

YES – Alba fights. The party contests every regional list ballot on 7 May 2026 under new transitional leadership, giving pro-independence voters a home and building the Parliamentary Mandate Westminster cannot dismiss.

NO – Alba folds. The party de-registers, withdraws from May, and ceases to exist as a fighting force for independence.

Ballot opens: 10:00 Saturday 28 February

Ballot closes: 18:00 Saturday 28 February

Result announced: Saturday evening, publicly, binding on all parties.

WHAT MUST HAPPEN TODAY

1. reinstate suspended staff and permit immediate access to NationBuilder to set up the ballot. This takes two hours. There is still time.

2. issue voting instructions to all paid-up members by close of business today.

3. halt any de-registration process with immediate effect.

THE CONSTITUTIONAL POSITION

We have taken legal advice. The position is unambiguous.

The constitution contains no provision granting the NEC authority to de-register or dissolve the party. Section 5.1 defines National Conference as the supreme governing body. Section 14.5 requires a two-thirds majority at National Conference to change the constitution. De-registration is more consequential than any constitutional amendment. You have no authority to impose it without a membership vote.

Furthermore, the NEC may not be properly constituted. Section 12.4 requires vacancies to be filled immediately from the most recent ballot. That has not happened. An improperly constituted NEC cannot take binding decisions on behalf of this party.

THREE QUESTIONS – WRITTEN ANSWERS REQUIRED WITHIN 24 HOURS

1. Under what specific constitutional provision does the NEC claim authority to de-register the party without a membership vote?

2. How many NEC vacancies exist, when did they arise, and why have they not been filled under Section 12.4?

3. Will the current leadership halt de-registration and permit the ballot to proceed tomorrow?

Failure to respond will be treated as confirmation that no constitutional basis exists for your actions.

LACU FUNDS – NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION

We are aware the current leadership is attempting to claw back funds from Local Authority Campaign Units. We say clearly: there will be no taxation without representation of the membership bodies of the Alba Party.

LACU funds are controlled by LACU signatories – not HQ. We have taken legal advice. An improperly constituted NEC has no right to access or direct those funds. We are advising all LACU treasurers and convenors accordingly. No transfers should be authorised until the membership has voted.

Any attempt to access LACU funds before the ballot will be reflected in the legal action we are prepared to take.

Should the ballot not proceed and our questions remain unanswered, we will have no option but to invoke our constitutional right as serving NEC members to call a Special National Conference, with a vote of no confidence in the current leadership as the first item of business.

WE ARE PREPARED TO ACT

We have sought legal advice. Every lawful avenue is being pursued.

The clock is running. Permit the ballot. Let the members decide.

Yours sincerely,

Angus B MacNeil – Ordinary NEC Member

Tommy Sheridan – Ordinary NEC Member

Christina Hendry – Ordinary NEC Member

Suzanne Blackley – National Equalities Convenor

Alba Continuation Group"

"Things are even worse now than when I told you the party was dead" says Alba leader MacAskill in latest doom-laden email to party members, as he blasts Christina Hendry and the rest of the self-appointed "Takeover Junta"

Hot off the press, here is Kenny MacAskill's latest email to Alba members, in which he gives short shrift to the presumptuous notion of the self-appointed provisional "Junta" (ie. Christina "Of The Blood" Hendry, Tommy Sheridan, Angus MacNeil and Suzanne Blackley) that they will soon be in control of the party to stop the current leadership killing it off.  I've noted before that MacAskill's discourse of doom about his own party's prospects has become a highly entertaining new art-form, and this latest offering doesn't disappoint - he signs off with "sadly, humans and parties are mortal" in big bold letters.

Also interesting to note that although MacAskill seems to now be in a state of all-out war with the Sheridan faction and the Of The Bloods, he actually seems to have the Corri Nostra and Debbie Ewen on his side as he seeks to bring the party to an end (which may mean that Tyrannical Tas, aka "Cruella", is also on board - although apparently she's been steering well clear of NEC meetings since resigning as Party Chair).  And there is a clear implication that Christina Hendry and her aunt Moira Salmond are now firmly on opposite sides of the fence.

Last but not least, I gather that part of MacAskill's email may refer indirectly to Alba HQ's former wonderbairn Robert Reid, who non-coincidentally is Christina Hendry's boyfriend.

"Dear Friend

 

I wrote last week detailing the precarious financial position our Party faces as a result of a fraud perpetrated upon us and which is now the subject of a police investigation. I also advised that senior Party colleagues and I had met with the Electoral Commission who were reflecting on issues before returning to us with their advice. We have a duty to lodge audited accounts with them, and which are already late due to the circumstances we have faced. Indeed, we have been struggling to lodge those for 2024 which are with the auditor and lack the funds to instruct an audit for 2025. I said I would keep you advised.

 

A week is a long time in politics, it's often said, and this week has sadly proved no different. As we awaited further discussion with the Electoral Commission, a barrage of press releases, public comments and claims were made by some individuals within the Party. Whilst we have often sought publicity as a Party and been denied it, this was neither welcome nor helpful. Quite the contrary as a result we have endured the following.

The loss of hundreds of members who contacted us to resign with more anticipated who will simply cancel their direct debits, and which will come to light shortly.

Several candidates for the coming election have already intimated their withdrawal given the behaviour last week with another withdrawing due to a family tragedy.  

Despite protestations of fundraising by some individuals only very limited donations have been received by Party HQ and which will not offset the loss of income lost through a drop in membership. Any funds received must be applied first to meeting existing liabilities.

As a consequence of the reducing income, declining membership and existing and future liabilities we have both moral and statutory obligations towards staff. We have therefore started redundancy consultations.

Attempts were made by individuals to circumvent the Party's data control and individuals sought to restrict the Director of Operations access to IT and social media outlets. These have been reported to the Information Commissioner.

Draft Party accounts which are yet to be signed off by either the Party Treasurer or even the Auditor were publicly circulated by one of those members and entirely false interpretations made regarding the Party’s financial situation.

It was suggested by four members that they were going to take charge of the Party. There is neither any democratic basis to do that nor any constitutional legitimacy for it. They were asked to provide that but declined preferring to simply speak to the media. They also advised that they had provided an indemnity for NEC members who face personal liability for the Party debts. That is simply not true. They wished to take charge but to leave the financial debt to be faced but not able to be resolved by others.

 

As a consequence of the foregoing, the Party finds itself in an even worse position than it was last week, along with the damage done to the wider Independence movement through their behaviour. More importantly, it has resulted in the Party Treasurer, a professional accountant not an elected Party member, and the Auditor, an accountant based in Northern Ireland now considering whether they can sign off the Party accounts without a declaration of them being on a “break up basis”.  

 

That in a business concern would mean facing insolvency.  The situation faced by our Party is similar. We have liabilities that exceed our income and with little likelihood of that gap being closed. Moreover, we have potential claims of a significant scale which may require to be met. This was not the previous position of the Treasurer or Auditor, but last week’s events require them to reconsider. We are meeting with both early next week to discuss.

 

The Electoral Commission had hoped to return to us this week, but they have also deferred it until next. I am therefore unable to give a precise position on the Party’s situation with the Electoral Commission as to whether we will require to de-register or even be able to re-register as a Party which requires to be done by 31st March. 

 

I am sorry not to be able to provide greater clarity but have been as frank and detailed as possible. I cannot understand the motivations of individuals who whether through self-aggrandisement or political ambitions are making an already desperate situation worse for our Party and damaging the cause of independence.

 

I am though grateful to the senior management team of Corri Wilson, Director of Operations, Neale Hanvey, Deputy Leader, Debbie Ewen, acting Chair and Jim Eadie, Communications Director. They have been to the fore in seeking to address the existing crisis which we face whilst also requiring to deal with matters which are further imperilling the situation.

 

I will return to you as soon as I am able with further information.

 

In the interim, we will continue to support Moira Salmond, who has been understandably angry and upset by the events of this week. She fully supports myself and the Leadership Team in our efforts to act responsibly and in the best interests of the Party. We will also continue to support the ongoing legal action to ensure justice for Alex and progress plans for establishing a Foundation in his memory.

 

Finally, Alex’s strategy for a supermajority in 2021 was correct and Scotland would be in a better place now had that been achieved. Similarly, our call for a plebiscite election this year is the route to Independence. But events and individuals have conspired against us. Our support for independence remains undimmed as our cause is eternal even if sadly humans and parties are mortal.

 

Yours for Scotland  

Kenny MacAskill 

Alba Party Leader"

*. *. *

You can read my thoughts on the historic Green victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election, and what it may mean for Scotland, in an article I've written for The National HERE.  I've also written Holyrood constituency profiles for Aberdeenshire East and Aberdeenshire West.

Stonehaven SENSATION: "Most accurate polling company" projects an SNP overall majority - and the biggest lead for independence since October 2020

Analysis of the MRP mega-poll suggesting the SNP are on course for a single-party overall majority

So a couple of 'quick notes' for you today, because I have two new articles on The National's website.  First up is the constituency profile of Aberdeen Donside, which you can read HERE.  I've also done some analysis of the Stonehaven MRP poll for the Times showing the SNP on course for an overall majority, which you can read HERE.

Incidentally, I can't remember previously being aware of Stonehaven, despite them enthusiastically billing themselves as "the most accurate pollster in the 2024 general election".  I checked the British Polling Council's website, and they aren't listed as a member.  I then double-checked with Grok, who to my surprise told me they are a BPC member.  I asked for an explanation of the discrepancy, and Grok said it might be due to Stonehaven's acquisition of the BPC member Public First, ie. they might have decided Public First's membership was enough to cover both firms.  All very confusing, and it leaves me a bit unsure as to whether Stonehaven are bound by BPC disclosure rules or not.

There's a bit of chaos going on at home at the moment, so I'm not sure whether I'll be able to make proper videos for a little while.  (I know some of you will regard that as a great relief!). So it'll probably be either audio commentaries to tide things over, or a brief return to conventional blogging.

Another week, another TOTAL WIPEOUT FOR LABOUR IN SCOTLAND signalled by YouGov subsample

 

The second in my series of Holyrood constituency profiles for The National is Aberdeen Deeside & North Kincardine, and it can be read HERE.

Introducing your daily constituency profiles for the 2026 Scottish Parliament election

Later in this video I also make an offer to Sara Salyers of a video debate, given that she and her supporters suddenly seem to have such an almighty bee in their bonnet about me.  But I strongly suspect that, just like Stuart Campbell when I made him an identical offer a few weeks ago, she'll mysteriously find that she's too busy washing her hair or something.

The first of my 73 constituency profiles for The National (Aberdeen Central) can be read HERE.

The sickening hypocrisy of Sara Salyers

I was half-thinking of making a video in direct response to the unhinged personal attack Sara Salyers of "Salvo" launched against me earlier today, but in spite of the character limit on Twitter, I was able to fit most of what I wanted to say into the tweet below.  (By contrast, Salyers' own attack tweet had busted the character limit many, many times over, which presumably means she has no scruples whatever about sending a regular subscription fee to the far-right Elon Musk.)

Was Salyers "a typical mooth doing the British state's job for it" when she stayed silent on the good independence supporters (and I'm simply one of dozens) who were trampled over by the Alba leadership? On her own logic I suppose she must have been. What a pathetic hypocrite. https://t.co/nRkd8SsRoe

— James Kelly (@JamesKelly) February 22, 2026

I must say it's something of a relief to finally have such a demonstrably strong reason for not taking one of the noisiest figures from the nuttier fringes of our movement seriously anymore.  I've had to bite my tongue any number of times over the years when people have invited me to treat Salyers and her batty prospectus as some sort of passport to the promised land.  You'll have to forgive me, but as a baptised Roman Catholic with ancestry that is two-thirds Irish and one-eighth French-Canadian, I have no great interest in Salyers' preposterous, offensive and quasi-religious belief that Scotland's right to choose its own constitutional future is not granted by modern concepts of democracy and international law, but instead by the almost random existence of a racist, bigoted 17th Century document that spends half its time wittering on about the supposedly self-evident evils of "Papists".  It really isn't that far from Salyers' belief-system to Benjamin Netanyahu's conviction that Israel must rule the West Bank because it was promised to them in a sacred book 3000 years ago.

Incidentally, my message to Salyers above is much the same as to anyone else who claims that nobody is allowed to criticise the Alba Party because it is nominally "pro-independence".  OK, if you spoke out at the time against the McEleny purges of good independence supporters, if you took to social media to denounce the Alba leadership's appalling treatment of independence warriors such as Eva Comrie and Denise Findlay, if you wrote to Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh to tell her in no uncertain terms how outraged you were by her sinister actions against the impeccably pro-Yes Alan Harris and Morgwn Davies simply because they had insisted on due process in Colin White's disciplinary case, then fine, you have credibility on this matter, you deserve a hearing, and I'll give you one.  But if you instead sat back and allowed all of that to happen without comment while continuing to mindlessly applaud the perpetrators, then I strongly suggest you stop being such a ridiculous hypocrite and just pipe down.

You can see the video that triggered Salyers so much below -