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Why the silly reply. In any other business he'd get slaughtered for trying to steal 12 grand through lying about how it happened.Quote:
Originally Posted by grunt
We'll get the usual it's not as bad as the tories but what is. His actions were shocking, Humza shouldn't have backed him and said the matter was closed.
Could a byelection be triggered if he gets a suspension?
He should be sacked. No excuses.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stairway 2 7
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And also, who ever is in charge of procurement who negotiated such a terrible data deal for MSP’s should be sacked as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
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The EE contract ended in December 2021, he changed his phone Sim over to the new Vodafone contract in 2022 but continued to use the out of contract sim in the iPad resulting in the ridiculously high charges.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
If he’d used a new sim in the iPad I doubt the charge would even have been highlighted as it would have been within contract so quite a small amount.
I wasn't aware this was what happened. Flog him until he's dead.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stairway 2 7
And flogged.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
Yeah a sim when out of contract still works but gives you the worst deal, every other MSP managed to swap over. He then shouldn't have let others use his data which was against the rules. He then when he found out about it shouldn't have paid it with expenses.Quote:
Originally Posted by hibee
If he said it was a mistake and paid himself he would have probably got sympathy and it would have been forgotten about in weeks. He's dragged it on and damaged the party
Childlike replies. He should be sacked I'm not sure if its criminal though. Putting through thousands as expenses whilst lying about how it was accrued is shocking in my opinion. He then lied to the public about how it happened, he should have thought of his party and walkedQuote:
Originally Posted by grunt
Well you are the only one then.Quote:
Originally Posted by grunt
Clear as day he knew what the charge was for and clear as day he tired to palm it off onto expenses. Aka theft.
He then lied and lied about it.
Other people get banged up for stealing that amount.
Idiotic move that’s cost him a lot more than the £11k he tried to dodge in the first place. He’s also made this who tried to back him look like fools.
You keep using this word. Has he been charged with theft?Quote:
Originally Posted by RyeSloan
Surely slaughtering him is just as bad as hanging, drawing and quartering him.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stairway 2 7
Typical politicos though. If they any party wants to take the high ground against the incumbent government in a case like this the guy should have resigned immediately.
(Taking the high ground against the Tories could be achieved by going down to the lowest point of the deepest potholing site on the planet, tbf.)
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Politicians aren't like you and me when they rob it goes to a committee when a single mum does it to HMRC she goes to courtQuote:
Originally Posted by grunt
He has been found guilty of improper use and the committee hasn't decided his punishment
"Mr Matheson was found to have breached clauses of the MSP code of conduct which say members must “abide by the policies” of the SPCB and that “no improper use should be made of any payment or allowance made to members for public purposes"
So you're saying there's still a chance of the hanging, drawing and quartering?Quote:
Originally Posted by Stairway 2 7
Aha so if I take something that’s not mine it’s not theft unless Plod charges me about it? Sure.Quote:
Originally Posted by grunt
You were adamant at the start this wasn’t a resigning matter. You were wrong then and you are wrong now.
He effectively stole the money as he knowingly and falsely claimed a personal cost through expenses. Hence when his sticky fingers were caught in the till he eventually paid it back.
No amount of dafty mock outrage hang him high posts will change that I’m afraid but you crack on with them if you think it will.
Can he be sacked? He can be suspended which is likely and he could have the party whip withdrawn but I don’t think he can be removed completely. I may be wrong though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stairway 2 7
I meant from the snp. He should have been sacked as a minister and the whip should have been removed. I'm not sure if we have the same laws in Scotland around by elections being triggered through suspension.Quote:
Originally Posted by marinello59
I would imagine his future in the party is being considered. It’s awkward for the leadership though who continued to back him even after it became apparent he had lied.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stairway 2 7
Which was just daft.Quote:
Originally Posted by marinello59
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I’ll be kind and call it misguided loyalty by Yousaf.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kato
Did anything ever come of the Police putting a murder tent up in Sturgeons garden, was it last Summer?
Was big news at the time.
J
Did anything come of it? Yes, it allowed all the national news media to proclaim, with pictures, that Sturgeon had been arrested, with a consequent dip in support for the SNP. Job done, even if we never hear about it again.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bristolhibby
https://youtu.be/e3-5YC_oHjE?si=ZldQ2HT37XUGlaL0Quote:
Originally Posted by Bristolhibby
😉
We'll hear about it plenty in the lead up to general and Scottish elections and then the police will close their investigation with no charges.Quote:
Originally Posted by lapsedhibee
https://news.stv.tv/scotland/most-ne...3-figures-show
Absolutely brilliant figures for junior doctors and GP training posts.
Pay them and they shall come.
Better pay in Scotland obviously more than offsetting the difference in income tax bands. Once all these guys are up here and enjoying the other benefits of living in Scotland others will come.Quote:
Originally Posted by Moulin Yarns
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...6673243dea.jpg
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Common weal proposes we use a land tax to fund the gap councils are facing from council tax freeze
https://archive.ph/VeZb2
LAND is Scotland’s largest store of untaxed wealth and the country could raise more than £400 million every year if it taxed it in the same way as housing, according to a new report.
Reform of the council tax system into separate property and land taxes could also benefit rural councils and would be “substantial enough to significantly narrow or even completely close upcoming projected budget shortfalls”, the paper says
Murrell arrested again. Hopefully see some actual movement on this soon.
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If he gets released without charge again can it officially be considered wasting our taxpayers money? Or not quite?
Climate pledges ditched. That’s pretty embarrassing for the Green members of the Government.
I imagine they will drag all three of them through the whole thing again. Maximum impact.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jones28
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So who is they’? Genuine question. After nearly decades of SNP governance the civic fabric of Scotland is dominated by SNP appointees,. They are now the establishment. Police Scotland is an SNP creation and the highest legal Officer in the land is part of the cabinet.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
Two years in, millions of pounds spent and no charges?Quote:
Originally Posted by marinello59
Police Scotland have autonomy from political interference when it comes to investigations. I’m sure our money is being spent wisely.
If the PF can pursue malicious prosecutions then I don’t doubt the police can do the same with investigations.
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So who are they? Who is coordinating this? Are they the same people who organised the unionist plot against Salmond. :greengrinQuote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
Who organised the malicious prosecution of Craig Whyte? You don’t think it can happen?Quote:
Originally Posted by marinello59
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You know these are malicious? And if so, again, who is doing this?Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
You have Angela Rayner bang to rights on another thread but Murrell is the victim of a conspiracy. Just as you had Salmond the victim of a Unionist plot until it became clear he wasn’t..
I have no idea if Murrell will be charged and if he is whether he is guilty or not but you seem to have made up your mind already. I also have no idea if Rayner is guilty of anything or not. I’ll give them both the benefit of the doubt unless it is proved other wise.
Explain your Salmond allegation? Think you might be confused?Quote:
Originally Posted by marinello59
I don’t have Raynor banged to rights, she has questions to answer though. And she can easily answer.
Murrell too, although he can’t answer while the investigation is live.
My point is that Labour have not given Sturgeon or Murrel the benefit of the doubt but ask that we give Raynor the benefit of the doubt.[emoji2369]
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https://x.com/stvnews/status/1781022...dxJXScFNwz8V4A
This would be a lucky break for Yousaf.
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At the risk of confusing threads, she has.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
She has.Quote:
Originally Posted by CropleyWasGod
And pledged to stand down immediately if found to have broken any laws.
He’s been charged with embezzlement now.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
If he’s has stolen money from the SNP then I hope he is prosecuted.Quote:
Originally Posted by hibee
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****bags the Cass report is the most thorough and impartial report on youth transition. It was scathing on medicating youth and causing irreparable damage with no research. Holland, Belgium and UK pauses puberty blockers Labour apologises for its previous stance. After pressure the SNP says it will follow the report.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
The green party know better, well Maggie Chapman said 6 year old should be able to get help transitioning. Why the hell wouldn't they recommend pausing until further investigation at the minimum.
When the report came out I thought Scot gov could be in trouble of future litigation if the continue to let children transition without further investigation of the damages.
Telling they would consider walking out of government for this but not failing climate targets 8 out of 12 years or ripping up climate targets
If there was an actual green party focused on green policy and independence I might vote for them, these nutters nah
Ooft the narrative of police wasting time and tents in the garden might fall apart, obviously he could be innocent but this isn't going away any time soon thenQuote:
Originally Posted by hibee
Depends how complicated any crime is? It’s been a very long investigation.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stairway 2 7
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The murder scene tents were well OTT. Guilty or not, they were never required and were there to paint a picture.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stairway 2 7
J
My guess is he will be the only person charged.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stairway 2 7
Like you say, innocent until proven guilty but looks like the law taking its course regardless of how powerful the person under suspicion is.
I previously put up averages on here and it's well within the timescale for large financial fraud. There was a case in the high court edin this week for financial crime that happened 8 years ago and was reported 5 years agoQuote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
Just remembered Murrell is a hibee. Fed up of these pathetic fake news fake charges
That’s the spirit 😂Quote:
Originally Posted by Stairway 2 7
BBC Scotland understands Peter Murrell has resigned his SNP membership.
As he should.Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveHFC
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“A 59-year-old man has today, Thursday 18 April 2024, been charged in connection with the embezzlement of funds from the Scottish National party.
Finally, some action.
If he actually has been involved in embezzlement, then he should be prosecuted.
This sums up my political feeling in a nutshell. It thoroughly annoys me that these idiots play their games under the name of the Greem Party, potentially depriving us of of an actually competent Green Party who could appeal to the many who want climate action without the polarising politics which only appeal to a small minority.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stairway 2 7
If he's guilty, then presumably Sturgeon must have known about it. Finding him guilty, even if he's the only one charged, will do enormous damage to the SNP and Sturgeon's legacy. IMO. Hugely disappointing.Quote:
Originally Posted by marinello59
Sturgeons knowledge is key to any lasting damage. It appears the SNP is the victim given the charges brought.Quote:
Originally Posted by grunt
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I bet breakfast is a barrel of laughs in the Murrell/Sturgeon household this morning.
I'm just glad there is some kind of resolution now. It's in the hands of the PF and the judiciary and just like anyone else Murrell will now be tried in front of a jury of his peers. I daresay finding a jury without preconceptions or prejudices won't be the easiest job in the world, he's probably equally unpopular regardless of what side of the constitutional debate you are on right now.
I think the political fallout largely hinges on how much NS knew or indeed didn't know. I would assume once any criminal proceedings are completed and if there is a guilty verdict then there will be an enquiry within the SNP to determine such things. If she comes out of it well then her legacy and reputation may survive and any damage to the party in terms of votes may be minimised. Making the process as transparent as possible and owning any failures would probably help as well. If she comes out of it badly or there is any hint of obstruction or a lack of transparency around the process then it could be hugely damaging.
A whole host of if and but there of course and I'm sure the process has a way to run yet.
Definitely not wise for Humza to have went big with the continuity candidate during leadership election. If he's guilty the SNP have to distance and slam Murrell. It'll effect the SNP in these elections and I think Humza is gone regardless.
The next leader should be from the new school and they will rightly be able to separate the party from the past.
Not to mention the fact that he can’t get on top of the job. He is getting pushed around all over the place. I doubt Yousaf survives this past the election.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stairway 2 7
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It's difficult to believe she didn't know what was going on (assuming something was going on) given she was the party leader and it was her husband doing the alleged embezzlement. She also has a legal background so she can't really claim ignorance in that respect. Her not knowing would suggest very weak leadership on her part in any case.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pretty Boy
I think even in the event of a not guilty verdict (assuming it gets to court) her reputation is shot. The best she can hope for IMO is that the charges are dropped.
I hope it goes to court and we actually get to see what evidence of criminality there allegedly is, so we can actually make our own judgement on this high profile and expensive investigation.
It'll most likely be in court during the next general election .Quote:
Originally Posted by Berwickhibby
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Her reputation was holed beneath the waterline following her appearance at the Covid enquiry.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pretty Boy
If Murrell is found guilty it won’t really matter whether it is established that she knew what her husband was up to, the video previously released of her shutting down any discussion about the party finances will be replayed constantly.
A guilty verdict will definitely damage the party. Murrell was at the top of the tree for over a decade. Having a husband and wife team heading up the party of Government together never looked to clever and several senior party members suggested that Murrell should stand down, advice which was ignored. In hindsight that looks arrogant.
I feel a lot of sympathy for Nicola Sturgeon here. My gut feeling is that if Murrell is guilty she had no knowledge at all. We know about some of the items that were removed from the family home and we can only assume that they were given to her as gifts from her husband. She will have sufffered enough already, her husband being charged can only have made things worse. I hope she has a strong circle of close friends to get her through this.
I heard a legal expert describing embezzlement as having lots of level of seriousness. From taking a fiver out of the till to buy milk and then repaying it all the way up to stealing millions with no intentions of repayment. We'll have to wait and see.
Pure speculation of course but I’m minded to think that the £600k thing just turned into a thread that was pulled that ended up revealing rather more murky goings on than expected.
We know for a fact that there was a serious lack of transparency around the SNP finances (see multiple previous resignations saying as such) and I wonder rather than classic embezzlement for personal gain this may turn out to be more of an inappropriate use of funds type charge.
As for Nicola’s knowledge of said goings on…we shall have to wait n see. Still under investigation according to Plod. We may of course never get to find out, just like we may of course never see the current charge get to court.
A rather sorry mess though that’s for sure and one that should and could have been avoided by the removal of the often stated conflicts of interest that were tolerated for far too long.
Your second paragraph is where I'm at. This all started with someone (not an snp member) who was miffed that his donation to the indyref2 campaign was used for other purposes. But would any political party be likely to leave £660k in the bank doing nothing?Quote:
Originally Posted by RyeSloan
The law states “Embezzlement is when a person who is entrusted to manage another person's money or property steals some or all of that money or property for personal gain.” Suggests to me that he did not use funds for other official Party use. If he is innocent then I imagine there will be a huge civil suit with a huge compensation pay out at the taxpayers expense.Quote:
Originally Posted by Moulin Yarns
I wonder how much he got paid for that level of insight. :greengrinQuote:
Originally Posted by Moulin Yarns
The Scottish Greens have called an extraordinary general meeting to discuss the future of the Bute House Agreement after the Scottish government ditched key climate change targets.
[emoji1696][emoji1696][emoji1696]Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveHFC
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Hopefully it happens. :agree:Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
The two Green ministers will be gutted to lose their ministerial salaries. , they are for going nowhere. We need a decent Green Party in Scotland, not the one we have dominated by these two incompetent careerists. They’ve both been a shameful waste of public money.Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveHFC
Every time I read Andy Wightman on Twitter I am reminded what a loss he was to the frontline Green movement in Scotland. He was shamefully dismissed by many as a non entity and whatever else because he dared disagree with the Scottish Government on a policy issue. The treatment he received from some in his own party was a disgrace.Quote:
Originally Posted by marinello59
His writings on land ownership and the failings of government on that issue are excellent, he directly links it to climate issues. He's also brilliant at linking such issues to the housing crisis. His regular reminders that the Scottish Government have promised an integrated travel card for well over a decade now with at least 3 launches saying as much are quite amusing albeit with a serious point. He also writes well about the failings of the independence movement and the mistaken belief that faith alone can drive it home.
Harvie and Slater are the worst kind of gesture politicians with a vindictive streak in them to boot. The party under their leadership has seen what can only be called a purge of those who don't toe the line. They need a reset with a genuine focus on ecology and a common sense and sustainable vision for the green movement. The natural environment in Scotland should be at the heart of what they do, largely because it impacts so many other issues. For the last few years it quite simply hasn't been the case.
Andy Wightman and his thoughts on Land Ownership are similar, if a bit less radical, to mine. I simply cannot understand why they haven't become mainstream and a way to drive Independence throughQuote:
Originally Posted by Pretty Boy
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...97f9a10eec.jpg
Progressive taxation will only result in people moving down to England to avoid it.[emoji849]
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Poor Humza has had a bit of a mare with his comments on the Post office scandal and prosecutions.
That’s because he is an idiot …over promoted and should be nowhere near the First Minister positionQuote:
Originally Posted by Pretty Boy
The man is completely incompetent but it does make a change from him constantly talking about religion, the sooner he’s gone the better.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pretty Boy
https://www.scottishfinancialnews.co...-than-it-loses
People voting with their feet.
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It's almost as if real people think there's more to life than the precise level of tax they pay. Who knew? :dunno:Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
Maybe something Yousaf should have thought about before taking the off the cuff decision to freeze council tax after a by election drubbing.Quote:
Originally Posted by lapsedhibee
Interesting. I assume you have evidence of this?Quote:
Originally Posted by marinello59
Madness, whether off or on the cuff. :agree:Quote:
Originally Posted by marinello59
What if the majority of the people coming to Scotland are to replace working Scottish people so there’s not actually any more people paying tax because the Scottish people have been made redundant?Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
We’re going through this at work just now, around 75% of my colleagues have been made redundant and replaced with people from other countries on lower salaries, one of them even complained that those unlucky enough to get sent to Scotland instead of England should get a bigger pay rise to compensate for the higher tax here!
This is people moving from other parts of the UK?Quote:
Originally Posted by hibee
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Sounds like an idiot. Or a ToryQuote:
Originally Posted by hibee
[emoji6][emoji1787]
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I read that hours ago and forgot about that bit by the time I replied. They don’t always come directly from their home country, many do move up from England but not that many!Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
Probably both.Quote:
Originally Posted by Callum_62
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/p...binet-32665598
[emoji1696][emoji1696][emoji1696]
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Bute house deal is done. Happy days.[emoji106]
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Most will indeed be relieved at that, for one reason or another, I’d suggest.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
Another brilliant reading of the room by Humza though.
Just two short days ago:
SNP members do not “want” or “need” a vote on whether to continue the Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens, First Minister Humza Yousaf has said.
Yousaf said the SNP rank-and-file had “already had a vote” on the deal and that he had won the leadership election last year having pledged to maintain it.
He added: “I don’t think a vote is what SNP members necessarily want at this time, or indeed need at this time.
“What we have to get on with is governing in the best interests of the people of Scotland and I’ve thoroughly not just enjoyed but, I think, achieved a lot with our Green colleagues.
“I hope that cooperation agreement will continue and I hope that Green members will also see the benefit of that cooperation.”
So now the SNP have scrapped the Greens, scrapped their green emission targets perhaps some common senses might prevail and they scrap their draconian enforcement of ULEZ and allow businesses to purchase day tickets.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
"They"? Who are we talking about here? Who is "they"? :confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by hibee
Well done Humza.
Isn’t that Edinburgh Labour/Tory council?Quote:
Originally Posted by Berwickhibby
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Sounds like Flynn may have pushed the issue? I admire his ruthlessness if so. I think he’ll be leader very soon.Quote:
Originally Posted by SteveHFC
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The emissions targets were Labour targets brought by an amendment on the original bill.Quote:
Originally Posted by Berwickhibby
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Minor detail.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
SNP are in power they can change it…bad legislation is bad legislation regardless which party proposes itQuote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby
Councils are physically running the schemes but the authority and legislation came from Scottish ParliamentQuote:
Originally Posted by Ozyhibby