How is Holyrood's Alex Salmond inquiry going?

[Barry]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-55019830
Scottish government blocks two Alex Salmond inquiry witnesses

Scottish Labour MSP Jackie Ballie described it as an "outrage", adding: "The secrecy and obfuscation of the Scottish government knows no bounds.

"The worst of this latest episode is that John Swinney is blaming the lack of written evidence for the non-appearance of these witnesses, when he is the one that is withholding the evidence. You really couldn't make it up."

[Thomas]

Interpret what you think I mean all you like — but I entered a thread on Holyrood's Alex Salmond inquiry.

you did , despite as i said telling us you dont care about scot indy etc etc.

Actions speak louder than patmans weasal words.....

And while Scotland is still part of the UK with its main party occupying a substantial number of seats in the British parliament, I feel entitled to comment on their probity as much as I do on others like the Mayor of Manchester, Ukip, Extinction Rebellion, etc.

Who is telling you you cant comment on scottish affairs?

This thread is about the scottish parliament  , not the british parliament , and a former scottish first minister , not a former british prime minister.

The point is , you keep telling us you dont care about the buckfast swilling jocks or scot indy , yet here you are yet again , commenting on a specific scottish thread. I mean you dont even have the poor excuse that its about scot mps in the british parliament.

Its about the scot parliament , which you cant vote on.....and a former scot first minister.

You dont half talk a load of shite.Perhaps you are better  sticking to subjects you have some awareness of....like BLM or the racism of the met police.

Scotland seems to be out of your comfort zone.....

As for threatening, I threaten nothing, but just outline a pragmatic response to events.

Why tell me ?

Have i entered a thread about londons independence from england?

Have i objected to it?

I couldnt give a feck if they chiseled london out , towed it down the thames , and blasted the city off to the planet feckin mars.

Im not english , i dont live in london , and i have no more interest in the place than say a german or a frenchman. In fact , the whole p[oint of scottish independence is of course so that the feckers in your city , who are nothing to do with my country , have no say over us.

What part of this dont you understand?

The Brexit die is cast — in my opinion it was a bad move, but not fatal. So I reckon it's therefore up to various communities to work out their own destinies — either together or as separate entities...

scotland isnt a community....its a nation of people ethinically culturally linguistically and politically/historically different and diverse from your country.

I wish england all the best in their future endeavours......my one and only issue with brexit is we didnt vote for it , but are being subjugated with it anyway........because feckers in your city , not my city nor even my capital city , are forcing it on us.

[patman post]

i think you are.

You come across to me by what you post as what i describe as the status quo element. That isnt necessarily  solely about scottish indy , but by that what i mean is you want the uk to stay together and the uk to stay in the eu .

Im not suggesting you are a british or english nationalist , far from it. The status quo is good for you and your family , so you want it to continue. I completely understand that.

In scotland it will be....and uk wide , the people did decide to leave the eu much to your disappointment.

So why are you posting in a thread which is solely about scottish politics?

Either the status of scotland etc within the uk does worry you and you are lying  , or it doesnt , in which case deppity dawg has you spot on in the fact you are merely winding up.

personally i think it a bit of both.


see those two statements? These are typical patman totally contradictory remarks.

The status of the celtic countries within a uk context you tell me doesnt worry you will the next saying scot indy got your full attention?

I have always found the above type comment strange from english people like yourself. You want to fight scot indy by threatening to divide up england into pieces?

The good people of england can do as they choose , feel free .

While you are dividing england up into pieces , we will keep soldiering on regardless.

Interpret what you think I mean all you like — but I entered a thread on Holyrood's Alex Salmond inquiry.

And while Scotland is still part of the UK with its main party occupying a substantial number of seats in the British parliament, I feel entitled to comment on their probity as much as I do on others like the Mayor of Manchester, Ukip, Extinction Rebellion, etc.

As for threatening, I threaten nothing, but just outline a pragmatic response to events.
The Brexit die is cast — in my opinion it was a bad move, but not fatal. So I reckon it's therefore up to various communities to work out their own destinies — either together or as separate entities...

[Thomas]

similar article from the same paper ...

Scottish independence: 'Union doomed' as Yes soars in brand new poll

THERESA May's pollster has warned that the "Union is doomed" after 56% of Scots told him they'd back Yes at indyref2.

The survey, carried out by James Johnson's JL Partners for Politico, gave support for independence a 12 point lead, with No at 44%, when don't knows are excluded.

https://www.thenational.scot/news/18836120.scottish-independence-union-doomed-yes-soars-brand-new-poll/?ref=nuo

[Thomas]

∆∆∆
I'm not among the "status quoers" on independence or accession for any part of the UK.

i think you are.

You come across to me by what you post as what i describe as the status quo element. That isnt necessarily  solely about scottish indy , but by that what i mean is you want the uk to stay together and the uk to stay in the eu .

Im not suggesting you are a british or english nationalist , far from it. The status quo is good for you and your family , so you want it to continue. I completely understand that.

I believe it should be for the people to decide.

In scotland it will be....and uk wide , the people did decide to leave the eu much to your disappointment.

So the status of Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland does not worry me

So why are you posting in a thread which is solely about scottish politics?

Either the status of scotland etc within the uk does worry you and you are lying  , or it doesnt , in which case deppity dawg has you spot on in the fact you are merely winding up.

personally i think it a bit of both.

So the status of Scotland,does not worry me

while independence was getting full-on attention

see those two statements? These are typical patman totally contradictory remarks.

The status of the celtic countries within a uk context you tell me doesnt worry you will the next saying scot indy got your full attention?

that London and the Home Counties could also be considered for a more devolved or independent status...

I have always found the above type comment strange from english people like yourself. You want to fight scot indy by threatening to divide up england into pieces?

The good people of england can do as they choose , feel free .

While you are dividing england up into pieces , we will keep soldiering on regardless.

[patman post]

∆∆∆
I'm not among the "status quoers" on independence or accession for any part of the UK. I believe it should be for the people to decide.
So the status of Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland does not worry me — in fact my early thoughts were (while independence was getting full-on attention), that London and the Home Counties could also be considered for a more devolved or independent status...

[Thomas]

I'd be surprised if any UK-wide party (Conservative, Labour, LibDem) didn't support its organisation in Scotland.

But given the blatant lies they all told to the Scottish people in the run up to the independence referendum, I'm surprised they have the Scottish voters' support they still do in both Holyrood and Westminster.

It seems to me that a significant reason has to be distrust of the SNP leadership...

Poll after poll going back ten years or so has around 25/30 % of scotland being the die hard unionist who wont vote snp under any circumstance , and flit between the main brit nationalist union parties.

So the other 70/75 % are all to play for.

...and we are taking a large chunk of that at present , with poll after poll showing support increasing to new heights .

I think you status quoers....small c tories and right of new labour have a hard job on your hands at present pat.

You seem to be beset and surrounded within and without by enemies...........even a biden win in america wont alleviate your problems going forward .

I think scotland is the least of your worries , and more to the point , im interested to see who fights your corner in scotland at the next ref now that labour have been smashed .

I must admit corbyn worried me a little on how the scottish public would react to him and his attempts at bringing about an old left wing labour....but starmer? Johnson? Gove and all the others westminster party cabal?

Im feckin relishing them coming up to tell us to vote no to indy.

[patman post]

You think?

I think unionists are getting desperate it seems to me and many others.

We have three quarters of the scottish public despising johnson and the english tory party , and the more they shout no to scottish referendums , the more angry the scottish public become.

On top of that , mr starmer has labour on record lows in terms of historic labour support in scotland.

Sturgeon and the snp government have handled covid pretty well by comparison to the uk government , and with full english brexit merely 8 weeks away , support for the union is dropping like a stone off a dover cliff.

I'd be surprised if any UK-wide party (Conservative, Labour, LibDem) didn't support its organisation in Scotland.

But given the blatant lies they all told to the Scottish people in the run up to the independence referendum, I'm surprised they have the Scottish voters' support they still do in both Holyrood and Westminster.

It seems to me that a significant reason has to be distrust of the SNP leadership...

[Thomas]

Apart from all that, don't you find the Sturgeon/SNP v Alex Salmond affair a masterclass in inappropriate behaviour — especially the botched handling of allegations of sexual misconduct that led to £½ million pay out for Salmond's legal expenses in a judicial review?

Then there's statements from deputy leader Annie Wells who "insisted acquitting the former First Minister of 13 sexual assault charges while in office had done nothing to clear the air."

Ms Wells said: "Alex Salmond may have been cleared in a court of law but concerns remain about his conduct while in the highest office in the land.

Then "Mr Salmond's QC Gordon Jackson has referred himself for professional investigation after he was filmed discussing the case on a train.



There's certainly something tainted in the world of Scottish politics...

You think?

I think unionists are getting desperate it seems to me and many others.

We have three quarters of the scottish public despising johnson and the english tory party , and the more they shout no to scottish referendums , the more angry the scottish public become.

On top of that , mr starmer has labour on record lows in terms of historic labour support in scotland.

Sturgeon and the snp government have handled covid pretty well by comparison to the uk government , and with full english brexit merely 8 weeks away , support for the union is dropping like a stone off a dover cliff.

[patman post]

You dont have any style, or class or common sense.

Your sick remark to toots yet again confirmed that the other day on the ballerina thread.

While you refuse to say what was sick about any remark, it has to remain in your imagination.

sure  and if i were to comment on the black community in londons remarkable taste for drugs and knife crime , that would of course be a racist comment wouldnt it , while you think its fair game to toss of generalisations about buckfast swilling jocks.

What comments you post are up to you — but I am surprised you continue with your imagined references  "generalisations about buckfast swilling jocks".

                                          ****
Apart from all that, don't you find the Sturgeon/SNP v Alex Salmond affair a masterclass in inappropriate behaviour — especially the botched handling of allegations of sexual misconduct that led to £½ million pay out for Salmond's legal expenses in a judicial review?

Then there's statements from deputy leader Annie Wells who "insisted acquitting the former First Minister of 13 sexual assault charges while in office had done nothing to clear the air."

Ms Wells said: "Alex Salmond may have been cleared in a court of law but concerns remain about his conduct while in the highest office in the land.

Then "Mr Salmond's QC Gordon Jackson has referred himself for professional investigation after he was filmed discussing the case on a train.

On the video he suggests his client could be seen as a "sex pest"."
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/5443074/nicola-sturgeon-alex-salmond-snp-tories/

There's certainly something tainted in the world of Scottish politics...

[Thomas]

Scottish voting intentions for next UK general election:

SNP 56%
Conservatives 18%
Labour 15%
Liberal Democrats 7%
Greens 3%

Scottish Parliament constituency voting intentions:

SNP 58%
Conservatives 18%
Labour 12%
Liberal Democrats 8%
Greens 2%

Scottish Parliament regional list voting intentions:

SNP 54%
Conservatives 18%
Labour 13%
Liberal Democrats 8%

Greens 5%

http://scotgoespop.blogspot.com/2020/10/history-made-again-as-yes-vote-soars-to.html

[Thomas]

Scottish independence: Latest poll is a new high for Yes

THE "new" poll from JL Partners is actually a glimpse into the recent past – it was conducted in mid-September, so the rather wonderful results for both independence and the SNP can't confirm whether the endless attempts of the Unionist parties and media to chip away at confidence in Nicola Sturgeon have continued to fail.

The real significance of the numbers is that they demonstrate for the first time that it's possible for the Yes vote to exceed 55% in a poll conducted online. The only previous published poll to show a Yes share of higher than 55% was the Ipsos MORI poll earlier this month which reported the all-time high of 58% – but that was conducted by telephone, which in recent years has tended to produce more favourable results.

https://www.thenational.scot/news/18836123.scottish-independence-latest-poll-new-high-yes/

[Thomas]

Not my style — though I may have commented on the remarkable taste for that concoction north of the border...

You dont have any style, or class or common sense.

Your sick remark to toots yet again confirmed that the other day on the ballerina thread.

though I may have commented on the remarkable taste for that concoction north of the border...

sure  and if i were to comment on the black community in londons remarkable taste for drugs and knife crime , that would of course be a racist comment wouldnt it , while you think its fair game to toss of generalisations about buckfast swilling jocks.

[DeppityDawg]

Hope you feel better for that.

But had you considered that some of us might prefer shorter posts rather than screeds of repetitive pub bore ranting, political prose, cut & paste ready-cooked opinion, and over-wordy wheelies.

That%u2019s not to say I think they shouldn't be posted  %u2014 it%u2019s not up to me to dictate %u2014 so I just tend to ignore them...

Sure Pat.

And "cut & paste ready-cooked opinions" of the Guardian type aren't virtually your only contribution to this forum? A forum which, by the way, you've mocked multiple times, and yet for some strange reason you still continue to post on it? Its ironic isn't it, that someone who regularly practices his "erudition" on this forum accuses others of being "wordy". Comedy.

They simply don't come any more condescending and arrogantly conceited than you, pal. But listen, we both know why you posted your one liner, Pat. Its a cheap way to have a pop at another poster without actually daring to test your opinion against theirs. Because we both know you'd get destroyed in a straight debate.

[patman post]

No, well we all know your style, don't we? You couldn't give a flying feck about the SNP, but you're well aware of who supports them on here and their attitude to the Labour Party. But you're too fecking scared to take him on in open debate about it, so you take an easy opportunity to make another needling little drive by post once again. Its an easy way to have a view - "politics lite", the kind of thing adolescents do when they struggle to be taken seriously by adults

You're pathetic. You weedle around the forum, hiding your on line status, making threads about "nasty posters", avoiding all risk of actually having to  defend a viewpoint or enter a proper debate.

What you need is a "safe space", not a politics forum

Hope you feel better for that.

But had you considered that some of us might prefer shorter posts rather than screeds of repetitive pub bore ranting, political prose, cut & paste ready-cooked opinion, and over-wordy wheelies.

That's not to say I think they shouldn't be posted  — it's not up to me to dictate — so I just tend to ignore them...