* Speaking as someone who is used to living on a shoestring budget, I have no sympathy for Murrell whatsoever. It's actually the smaller 'petty' purchases that anger me the most - to waste thousands of pounds of other people's money on a single fountain pen, something that can be of no possible practical benefit to you, is absolutely obscene. That seems to confirm that Murrell was to a large extent motivated by vanity and a preposterous playboy self-image.
* The SNP and its members were the victims of this crime. That's not spin, that's a fact. Murrell did not steal from the public purse, he stole from the SNP, and the money he stole had been raised from SNP members for the purposes of making Scotland an independent country. The supposedly righteous anger of unionist politicians over this matter rings extremely hollow, given that the political impact of Murrell's selfish, cynical actions was to slow or stall the progress towards independence - something unionist parties were only too thrilled about.
* The way the SNP have recovered from this event has been truly remarkable. Our old friend Stew is trying to make out it has left the independence movement a "broken shell", which he obviously wants to be true, but the events of the last few weeks tell a completely different story. The SNP leadership under John Swinney have restored the trust of party members sufficiently that the pre-election fundraiser succeeded beyond all expectations - and make no mistake, without that restored trust and without the funds that flowed from it, we wouldn't be sitting here now with the highest number of pro-independence MSPs in history. Once we get past the negative headlines of today, which unfortunately we've known were coming for a long time, both the SNP and the wider independence movement will actually be in pretty good shape.
* * *
Catch up on my latest YouTube video below...
You have to be stupid not to notice that someone nicked £400,000 from your business. It took a member of the public to report it! You have to be stupid not to notice that your spouse is buying a load of really expensibe gubbins. Sympathy? No.
ReplyDeleteThe SNP is not a "business".
DeleteClerkin is not a normal member of the public, he was given information by the Salmond Campbell and the usual suspects and set loose to run his mouth on their behalf because they didn't have the guts to do it themselves, and because Clerkin is as thick as mince he did it.
Delete2.41pm the SNP is a political party that should be in the business of restoring Scotland's independence. Instead it's Chief Exec was in the business of embezzlement in plain sight.
DeleteIFS, So much in plain sight that the auditors signed off the books?
Delete6.57pm a luxury motor home costing £124k was in plain sight.
DeleteHowever, Nicola Sturgeon isn't stupid. Collusion with her criminal husband?
ReplyDeletePolice Scotland say no collusion.
DeleteShe's now broadly in a similar position to Alex Salmond after his acquittal: not criminally liable, but forever viewed with suspicion in the public square. It will be interesting to see whether the SNP airbrush her out like they did to Salmond for several years
DeleteNicola Sturgeon is nothing like Alex Salmond, he was guilty and judged to be so by the entire Scottish public who are not daft.
Delete2.51pm - how many times do I have to point out on SGP that the Polis sent a report to COPFS for them to consider prosecution. After reviewing it for 6 months COPFS decided not to prosecute. So your statement is wrong.
DeleteKeaton. Salmond was acquitted in a trial. COPFS chose not to prosecute. A world of difference.
DeleteAnon@4:10, Salmond was guilty was he? Have you told the court who acquitted him?
DeleteIFS is back! He's got over his disappointment with the SNPs electoral success.
DeleteSalmond was acquitted in a trial. COPFS chose not to prosecute. A world of difference.
DeletePossibly. Though I genuinely don't know in whose favour you consider that difference to be
Anon troll lowlife at 7.24pm. You got nothing better to do than post your trash comments.
DeleteA £110 pencil sharpener apparently.
ReplyDeleteThat's an expensive pencil.
DeleteI see what you did there.
DeleteSure the SNP will recover from this with time. But how much time? Probably by the Autumn is my guess. Next month or so in particular will be a bit of a downer for the party, inevitably, given who he was & what he did.
ReplyDeleteIt's when Scotland is forced to plead guilty to having become Absurdistan that trouble really starts for the SNP.
DeleteIt's mystifying as to why that didn't happen before the election.
And this time in English?
DeleteEven in Scots would be good
DeleteHardly the main point, but this is also quite a vindication for the oft-derided (and admittedly often a bit odd) Sean Clerkin
ReplyDeleteNo it's not, Clerkin is a born troublemaker who was working for Campbell
DeleteThis man is being used by the BBC and MSM when it is clear he needs medical intervention. The fact that he has been proven partially right is a secondary issue.
DeleteThe fact that he has been proven partially right is a secondary issue.
DeleteWhich part was he wrong about
What’s especially ridiculous is that he wasn’t exactly on the minimum wage as Chief Executive of the SNP. Most of the smaller stuff he could easily have afforded without stealing. There’s some weird Walter Mitty fantasist compulsive behaviour behind all of this. It certainly explains why he was latterly so keen to “loan” the SNP some money out of the goodness of his heart. Trying to cover his tracks more like.
ReplyDeleteAs a member for 3 years at I think £12 per year, I wonder how much of my very hard-earned £36 the total absolute swine embezzled proportionately? And how much delay he caused to Scotland's Independence?
ReplyDeleteAnd the straight answer to the disgusting Unionists trying to make a meal out of it is:
"It's my money he took you twit, not one brown cent of it was yours".
Although the Police investigation has cost the taxpayer £2 million and Murrell is on legal aid.
DeleteIf we started tallying up the total costs of various legal wrangles stemming from Sturgeon Era personal scheming and particular ideologies we'd be into the tens of millions.
DeleteAnd the hard rock quarry owner with his misfeasance suit hasn't really got going yet.
Remembering of course that the SNP and it’s members are the victims of this crime!!!
DeleteIt would appear that some people will never learn. You just have to read the recent post by the Big Dug and the btl comments by the likes of Skier and Dr Jim and others. All of them playing down the matter. How does this serve the cause of independence?
ReplyDeleteIt should be noted that it was not wholly the SNP's money donated by SNP members that was stolen ( embezzlement is a form of stealing). Plenty non SNP independence supporters donated to the RING FENCED FUND.
If Swinney has restored trust as James says well good for him but where was he when this was all happening. Too scared to ask questions and too busy covering up for Sturgeon and Murrell.
Your pal Stewy got you working for free again IFS?
DeleteWe see you.
Swinney was leader of the SNP before Salmond, and after Sturgeon, but not in between. And as far as I know he was never treasurer or depute leader. Not during the period of embezzlement. So he was in no more position to know anything, as was I as a member for 3 years. He was deputy FM, NOT depute leader.
DeleteOh look who has crawled out out of the woodwork spouting his usual load of pish. The only person.charged or found guilty was Peter Murrell.Deal with it.
DeleteSaint Nicola can walk on water
DeleteIs ALBA out if the water yet?
DeleteTV personality Olivia Attwood has just finished a PhD about The Inchoate as Persona Grata in the works of Jilly Cooper.
ReplyDeleteIn my substantial lifetime I have seen every single UK political party of any note mired in scandal after scandal, either with money or sexual liaisons.
ReplyDeleteOr both together.
I had hoped SNP would be different.
I was wrong.
Now have to accept they are all basically the same, as far as basic corruption of trust.
That being said, I still believe that the SNP remains the best of a tainted bunch and are still the only major party which will always put the needs of Scotland at the very top of their political agenda.
And until another party emerges which will fulfill that necessity for me, SNP will continue to get both my support and vote.
Murrell is a complete tosser and deserves everything coming to him when sentenced, but similar tossers inhabit every other party I can think of.
Sad reflection on our politics and probably the politics of every other country on this planet.
How are things over on the daily heil? Jog on back over there and give us all peace you cretin
DeleteAnonymous at 4:33. Thank you for your message. Please keep up the pretence of bring a disillusioned independence supporters. There are bound to be some dimwits who fall for it. God save the Queen!
DeleteWhat a quote… ‘Speaking to journalists, Assistant Chief Constable Stuart …. added: “What others may or may not have known is a question for them.”’
ReplyDeleteIf we’re the Pope, I’d cancel that canonisation, too many questions about the purported Saint still unanswered.
One thing is for sure, her high opinion of herself remains perpetually undimmed.
Nicola Sturgeon is catholic? When did that happen? Get help you silly billy. An open goal and you have back heeled the ball.
DeleteCampbell on lying again and it’s being gobbled up by his turkeys. He made direct allegations against Nicola Sturgeon which even the police have confirmed were untrue. From the extensive allegations, the protracted police investigation over several years resulting in £2 million police costs and the arrest of three people, there has been one guilty plea from one person who had taken elaborate steps to hide his criminality. There is little for Campbell to pick over. His disappointment is palpable. But the cult will be giving their card details as we speak to top up the Campbell coffers. Lovely jubbly. He should stick to cross cross dressing. Or talking shite about football matches. I wonder if he is still a virgin.
ReplyDeleteIn fairness to the police, it wouldn't have cost £2 million if a) he hadn't done it or b) he had admitted it right away. It's not the police responsibility for the cost, it is Mr. Murrell.
DeleteShows that Nicola Sturgeon was betrayed and deceived by her husband. She has handled it well considering how distressing all of this must be.
ReplyDeleteImmediately pleading guilty is about the best thing Murrell could have done at this point. It saves a messy court proceeding dragging on and dragging the SNP through the mud with it. Rip off the plaster and be done with it; the pain will be intense but will only last a short while.
ReplyDeleteAnon at 7.25pm says Murrell pleaded guilty “Immediately” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. Anon see when you are told to do something immediately do you wait years and years.
DeleteI hope Sturgeon will be sharing a cell with him soon just fro the damage she has done to the Indy Cause. Where is the 660k that wasn't the SNP's money in the first place?
ReplyDeleteWhy? She was deceived too.
DeleteThat comment by 11.48pm is exactly the reason we are not independent today. This anon is stupid and gullible.
DeleteI agree with your assessment, James. Had Murrell done what he did to support an addiction like drugs or gambling then I could at least have understood it. To steal our members money to pay for fripperies is totally beyond belief. I had heard 'whispers' which allegedly emanated from the Procurator Fiscal's office about some of Murrell's purchases but I didn't believe them - or indeed want to believe them. They all turned out to be true. What on earth was going through that man's head?
ReplyDeleteAye wtf was Nicola doing. Love is blind lol.
DeleteI must admit I’ve got a fondness for Le Creuset stuff myself. Can’t see me embezzling nearly half a million to feed my habit mind you.
ReplyDeleteNearly half a million. Thought it was 646 grand
DeleteMakes ALBA's finances look good in retrospect.
ReplyDeleteNo it doesn't!!!
DeleteWell that inevitable bit of bad news has been neatly buried on a sleepy bank holiday. Unless, of course the media wring every last drop of scandal from Murrell's shopping list over the next week or two.
ReplyDeleteNeatly buried?? It's all over the BBC, and just wait for tomorrow's front pages.
DeleteDoes anybody know if the SNP battle bus was released, or is it still in a polis compound?
ReplyDeleteFactola makes Ifs look sane.
ReplyDeleteI await for the court cases concerning the millions if not billions taken from the nhs by entrepreneurs some photographed in front of the their yacht and others living abroad. Of course this was undertaken solely for the benefit of the public and we should be greatfull. The Chief Constable should jump in her police car or be driven south to arrest them.
ReplyDeleteAnon at 8.18am your comment about London corruption is one reason we need independence. We do not need the party that is supposed to deliver independence have a leadership that is also focused on illegal activities and then trying to cover it all up. All at the same time telling the loyal but gullible members for over a decade that indyref2 is just around the corner.
Delete