Jeremy Bamber Forum
OFF TOPIC => Scottish Independence => Topic started by: nugnug on October 24, 2024, 09:25:PM
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latest news https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7wTUJoGfLI
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latest news https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7wTUJoGfLI
The video keeps crashing on my laptop. I think the nub of the latest news is that Westminster is too frightened to involve itself in the investigation lest it stir up Scottish nationalism again. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24675557.operation-branchform-uk-crime-agencies-ready-assist-probe/
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latest news https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7wTUJoGfLI
That is really interesting. The Scottish legal system is dreadful. I really hope Sturgeon and her corrupt gang are held to account for what we know they have done. I am sure that now Alex Salmond has died they believe the heat has gone away, but I do not believe it has. Sturgeon, Murrell and the rest of them should rot in a prison cell.
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That is really interesting. The Scottish legal system is dreadful. I really hope Sturgeon and her corrupt gang are held to account for what we know they have done. I am sure that now Alex Salmond has died they believe the heat has gone away, but I do not believe it has. Sturgeon, Murrell and the rest of them should rot in a prison cell.
It's still too early for speculation. I must say though that Nicola has gained an awful lot of weight and must be under considerable strain. https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1966245/bombshell-secret-nicola-sturgeon-report
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It's still too early for speculation. I must say though that Nicola has gained an awful lot of weight and must be under considerable strain. https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1966245/bombshell-secret-nicola-sturgeon-report
I am sure she is under a lot of strain as she is under threat on more than one issue.
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I am sure she is under a lot of strain as she is under threat on more than one issue.
It doesn't sound like she is fandabidozi.
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Frankly, Sturgeon: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c754rel2nyno
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Frankly, Sturgeon: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c754rel2nyno
A very different view will be prented when Joanna Cherry KC publishes her book. She knows what went on and is determined to expose it.
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A very different view will be prented when Joanna Cherry KC publishes her book. She knows what went on and is determined to expose it.
I think I get the drift. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14984273/JOANNA-CHERRY-Shes-promised-tell-unadorned-truth-Nicola-Sturgeons-book-answer-embarrassing-questions-REALLY-matter-Frankly-doubt-it.html
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I think I get the drift. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14984273/JOANNA-CHERRY-Shes-promised-tell-unadorned-truth-Nicola-Sturgeons-book-answer-embarrassing-questions-REALLY-matter-Frankly-doubt-it.html
I think Sturgeon has a lot to fear from this book.
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I think Sturgeon has a lot to fear from this book.
Did you write all those adverse comments re. Sturgeon's bio using different pseudonyms under that article? ;D
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Did you write all those adverse comments re. Sturgeon's bio using different pseudonyms under that article? ;D
This story will run and run: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/nicola-sturgeon-on-horror-and-shame-of-police-raid/vi-AA1Kg4DV?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=767d97aaa4cd4efba7ee6ce8f60c8057&ei=28
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This story will run and run: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/nicola-sturgeon-on-horror-and-shame-of-police-raid/vi-AA1Kg4DV?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=767d97aaa4cd4efba7ee6ce8f60c8057&ei=28
What a bluffer and accomplished actress she is.
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What a bluffer and accomplished actress she is.
You know Curiosity, I believe I'm a good judge of human nature, but I just can't see it in her.
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Did you write all those adverse comments re. Sturgeon's bio using different pseudonyms under that article? ;D
No I did not.
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ITV interview: https://youtu.be/hrzjgSBHHdc
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ITV interview: https://youtu.be/hrzjgSBHHdc
I think history will judge her very harshly. I genuinely think she is a horrible individual and she has seriously harmed Scotland.
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I think history will judge her very harshly. I genuinely think she is a horrible individual and she has seriously harmed Scotland.
I'm not quite sure what to make of her deleting the Whats App messages. It does tend to suggest a cabal operating at the heart of Scottish government. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-67254855
On the other hand her heart is in the right place on many economic and social issues. My gripe with her is that she can blame Westminster for insufficient funding instead of taking responsibility herself.
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New interview Times Radio: https://youtu.be/mj1tu1zG0KI
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New interview Times Radio: https://youtu.be/mj1tu1zG0KI
Dreadful. She is dire on so many levels.
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Dreadful. She is dire on so many levels.
She discusses double standards in public life with some credibility, mentioning Boris Johnson and Alex Salmond and the way they conducted themselves. I have some sympathy with her the way she was dispatched, and it seems Theresa May and Jacinda Ardern may have been scapegoated in a similar manner, though she doesn't mention the latter.
The main gripe I have with Nicola is she can blame the lack of funding from Westminster for all Scotland's problems instead of taking responsibility herself. Notwithstanding, there is a limit to what politicians can achieve and sometime or another people have to be made accountable for their own lifestyle choices.
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She discusses double standards in public life with some credibility, mentioning Boris Johnson and Alex Salmond and the way they conducted themselves. I have some sympathy with her the way she was dispatched, and it seems Theresa May and Jacinda Ardern may have been scapegoated in a similar manner, though she doesn't mention the latter.
The main gripe I have with Nicola is she can blame the lack of funding from Westminster for all Scotland's problems instead of taking responsibility herself. Notwithstanding, there is a limit to what politicians can achieve and sometime or another people have to be made accountable for their own lifestyle choices.
Here is an excellent review by J K Rowling of Sturgeon's much hyped autobiography:
https://www.jkrowling.com/opinions/the-twilight-of-nicola-sturgeon-j-k-rowling-reviews-frankly/
It is quite long but very amusing and well worth reading. It sums up Saint Nicola really well in my view.
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Here is an excellent review by J K Rowling of Sturgeon's much hyped autobiography:
https://www.jkrowling.com/opinions/the-twilight-of-nicola-sturgeon-j-k-rowling-reviews-frankly/
It is quite long but very amusing and well worth reading. It sums up Saint Nicola really well in my view.
I would have thought those on the left would have welcomed some SNP's policies: free tuition fees (Salmond: Hell will freeze over before I introduce them.."), free NHS prescriptions, free travel for the over 60s, the Scottish Child Payment for families with over five children, the baby box.
Yes, there is an obsession with independence, and I'm sure there is some anti-English sentiment which drives it. But as a party they are far removed from the IRA, who used indiscriminate violence to further their cause and don't take their seats in Westminster, whilst having the gall to take the office allowance.
The gender issue is divisive and I think Sturgeon was wrong. Trans people should be offered support, not hormones. It's always difficult when two rights collide: abortion where the right of the woman to control her own body conflicts with the right of the unborn child, the right to freedom of speech and demonstrate on the streets without inciting hatred, and in this case the right to self-identify one's sex without infringing women's rights to feel safe.
I can't help but think J.K. Rowling and others are a tad jealous of Nicola's success, rising to the top in a man's world, even if her legacy is mixed. One issue I do agree with her on is the drugs crisis, which is shocking. It suggests that life in Scotland is not as rosy as some people have portrayed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_crisis_in_Scotland
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I hadn't realized the current state of the Scottish education system until I watched a debate. The education issue starts at 31:40: https://youtu.be/QLxqnc4fOX8
More on the SNP: https://youtu.be/KrAPEMWew6w
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Nicola Sturgeon’s estranged husband has admitted embezzling £400,000 from the SNP.
Peter Murrell, the party’s former chief executive, pleaded guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday.
He was accused of using the money to buy items including a motorhome and luxury goods, and towards the purchase of two cars, between August 2010 and October 2022.
Murrell, 61, was led away in handcuffs and remanded into custody for sentencing on June 23. The judge told him that his actions were a “gross breach of trust”.
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Nicola Sturgeon has been urged to “come clean” over what she knew about her husband embezzling £400,000 from the SNP.
Peter Murrell, the party’s former chief executive, was remanded in custody on Monday and faces jail after admitting to stealing funds to buy a motorhome, cars and luxury items ranging from watches to fountain pens.
His guilty plea at Edinburgh High Court immediately triggered accusations that Ms Sturgeon must have known about Murrell’s actions, which occurred between August 2010 and October 2022. The couple married in July 2010 and shared a home in Uddingston, near Glasgow, before they separated last year.
Dame Jackie Baillie, the Scottish Labour deputy leader, claimed it was “inconceivable” that Ms Sturgeon could have known nothing. Russell Findlay, the Scottish Tory leader, called Murrell a “thieving magpie” and urged Ms Sturgeon to “come clean about exactly what she knew, and when”, adding: “Nobody in the real world is buying her claims that she didn’t know a thing about the criminal actions of the man she shared a house, life and political party with.”
But in a statement issued through her lawyers, Ms Sturgeon said she had “no reason to doubt” Murrell had used his own money, adding: “We were both earning high salaries and, due to the responsibilities of my job, rarely socialised or went on holidays.” Murrell reportedly earned £104,492 in 2011 but this fell to £79,750 by 2021. Ms Sturgeon’s 2021-22 tax return showed a gross income of £140,496.
The conviction could damage the SNP’s push for a second independence referendum following its Holyrood election victory this month. MSPs are scheduled to vote on Tuesday on having another referendum.
Ms Sturgeon and Murrell worked at the top of the SNP for two decades. Murrell was the party’s chief executive from 2001 to 2023, while Ms Sturgeon served as deputy party leader from 2004 before taking over from Alex Salmond as leader and first minister in 2014. As party leader, Ms Sturgeon was legally responsible for signing off on the SNP’s accounts.
On Monday, Murrell admitted using party funds to buy a £124,550 luxury motorhome, which he parked outside his mother’s home in Fife.
He also admitted embezzling funds to buy two cars, including a Jaguar, and filing false business expense claims worth more than £18,000.
A 119-page document also detailed how Murrell spent £139,971 on luxury items, including £2,618 on salt and pepper grinders from Lalique, more than £3,000 on a robotic lawnmower, nearly £2,600 on a coffee machine and £240 on two women’s umbrellas.
Murrell also used SNP funds to purchase two Bremont watches for a total of £9,350, a £4,225 Starwalker World Time fountain pen and a £3,500 Hamilton and Inches silver wine coaster.
Among the smaller purchases were DVD box sets of the Danish political drama Borgen. Ms Sturgeon was a fan of the series and interviewed Sidse Babett Knudsen, the lead actress for a TV show.
Judge Lord Young told Murrell, 61, that his actions amounted to a “gross breach of trust” given his position as chief executive of the party.
Murrell, who wore a navy suit, white shirt and navy tie, was led away in handcuffs. He was remanded into custody, with sentencing due to take place on June 23.
The High Court has the power to impose sentences of more than five years for embezzlement, although Murrell’s early guilty plea could lower the jail term.
In a press conference after Murrell’s court appearance, John Swinney, the SNP leader, apologised to party members but still faced calls to resign.
Joanna Cherry, the former SNP MP, said she and others had raised concerns about the party’s finances but were criticised by Ms Sturgeon and her “lackeys” and described as “traitors”.
Murrell’s guilty plea was the culmination of a £2m police investigation, titled Operation Branchform, which was triggered in 2017.
Party members raised concerns about the whereabouts of more than £600,000 in donations raised in 2017 for a campaign to fight a second independence referendum.
Accounts lodged with Companies House in 2020 appeared to show the SNP had only £97,000 in the bank, despite a second independence campaign not having taken place.
A video showed Ms Sturgeon telling a March 2021 meeting of the SNP’s ruling national executive committee that the party’s finances had never been stronger.
Three senior officials had just said they intended to resign from the party’s finance and audit committee after being denied access to the accounts.
But the recording, which was leaked two years later, showed Ms Sturgeon warning of the impact on future donations to the SNP if anyone went public with their concerns.
Police raided Ms Sturgeon and Murrell’s home in April 2023, searching it for two days and erecting a large evidence tent. They also confiscated the motorhome. Murrell was arrested and released without charge pending further investigation.
Colin Beattie, the former SNP treasurer, was arrested the following month, and then Ms Sturgeon in June 2023. Both were also released without charge. She denied any wrongdoing.
Murrell was arrested again in April 2024 and charged with embezzling party funds.
Ms Sturgeon announced last year that they had separated and were divorcing.
The court hearing was originally scheduled for February, but was postponed until after the May 7 Holyrood election, which saw the SNP win a fifth term in government.
In a first statement posted on social media, Ms Sturgeon said: “My reaction to the guilty plea tendered today by my former husband is difficult to put into words. I am angry, hurt, sad and very distressed about the impact of his actions on family, friends and the SNP.
“To be deceived and let down by a husband I loved and trusted has caused me acute pain. Why he acted as he did is, and always will be, beyond my comprehension.
In a second statement issued hours later by her lawyers, Ms Sturgeon said: “I want to reiterate that I had no knowledge or suspicion whatsoever that personal items had been purchased using SNP funds.
“I was cleared of any wrongdoing after a lengthy and thorough investigation. In relation to many of the items in question, for example expensive watches and games consoles, I was not aware of them having been purchased at all.
“Indeed, in relation to the item of largest value – a camper van – I was not aware of its existence until it featured in the police investigation in early 2023, nor was it parked in our driveway as has been claimed by some.”
But Dame Jackie said: “It is inconceivable that Nicola Sturgeon knew nothing about the large-scale fraud, which she benefited from, taking place under her nose in both her party and her home.
“It was Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP party machine that attempted to close ranks and shut down scrutiny when questions about the finances started to emerge and we need to know why.”
She added: “Nicola Sturgeon must urgently come clean and tell the public what she knew and when, and explain how it is possible that this luxury lifestyle was bankrolled under her own roof without her knowing about it.”
Mr Findlay said: “Peter Murrell has finally taken the rap for being a thieving magpie – but he used vast sums of the stolen cash to feather the marital nest he shared with Nicola Sturgeon.
“His crime spree took place right under her nose over many years while they jointly held a vice-like grip on the SNP.
“You would need to be a particularly gullible member of Nicola Sturgeon’s fan club to swallow her preposterous protestations of ignorance about her husband’s criminal racket.”
He added: “Frankly, Nicola Sturgeon should come clean about exactly what she knew, and when, about her husband.”
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Michelle Thomson, former SNP MSP and MP, said: “Where was Nicola in all this? It should not be forgotten that she was not only Peter’s wife, but as party leader was the accountable officer who had responsibility for signing off the accounts. She should have known what was going on, because it was her job to know.
“Then, when legitimate questions were raised about the party finances, she told everyone they had nothing to worry about. At the very least, she has utterly failed in her fiduciary duties and her responsibilities to party members.”
Mr Swinney, who was Ms Sturgeon’s deputy, told a press conference in Edinburgh that he had “never suspected” that Murrell was stealing from the party.
The Scottish First Minister said he believed Ms Sturgeon’s insistence that she knew nothing about what her husband was doing, quoting a Police Scotland statement that Murrell had “carefully” hidden his actions using false receipts and accounting.
He said he had “no idea” why the motorhome was purchased, dismissing previous claims it was needed for the 2021 Holyrood election campaign, adding: “What we needed a camper van for is beyond me.”
But he was challenged on how someone could not notice the vehicle being parked outside their mother-in-law’s home or a £2,600 salt-and-pepper set appearing in their kitchen.
Ms Cherry, who attended Mr Swinney’s press conference, said the “true victims” were “many of the ordinary, decent working-class people who donated small amounts of money to the party” and not Ms Sturgeon.
The former Edinburgh South West MP said: “I was deeply suspicious about what her husband was up to, but I never imagined it would amount to [such] serious and grave crimes as this.
“I tried to ask questions about it. I was treated appallingly, and I saw other women and men also treated appallingly. So, I’m quite emotional about it.”
Murrell was originally accused of embezzling £459,046.49 between Aug 12, 2010 and Jan 13, 2023.
However, the court heard on Monday that the sum had been cut to £400,310.65, with the period of offending also reduced by three months.
He pleaded guilty to using party funds to buy a £124,550 motorhome “for your own personal use” from a dealer in Staffordshire, and that he created false documentation “to portray the purchase as a legitimate party expense”.
Murrell also admitted using £57,500 of SNP money towards the purchase of an £81,000 Jaguar I-Pace car in 2019.
He falsified an invoice “in an attempt to disguise the true nature” of that purchase, and that when the Jaguar was sold in 2021, more than £47,000 was paid into his personal bank account.
Murrell embezzled £16,489 from the SNP in part payment for a £33,000 Volkswagen Golf purchased in 2016.
He also admitted filing false business expense claims worth £18,408 between January 2019 and 2022, including £12,042 from Apple. The six-page indictment said he used the latter proceeds to part-fund the purchase of the Jaguar.
The former SNP chief executive used party credit cards to fund £42,660 of purchases from Amazon between August 2010 and October 2022. The items purchased were “for your own personal use or the personal use of others”, the indictment said.
Murrell admitted using “false or inaccurate accounting codes and descriptions for the purchase of said items” to “disguise the true nature of said purchases”.
Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston, of Police Scotland, said: “This was a lengthy and extremely complex case due to the scale of criminality over a 12-year period and the lengths Peter Murrell went to try and cover his tracks.”
He added: “Peter Murrell has shown utter contempt for the high public trust placed in him as the chief executive of a political party and his position in the wider political establishment in Scotland for many years.
“He abused his privileged position with access to Scottish National Party funds to divert cash into his own accounts and bankroll the lavish lifestyle he craved but could not afford.”
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You know Curiosity, I believe I'm a good judge of human nature, but I just can't see it in her.
Haha, it’s always the same ‘she seemed a nice woman.’ If political scandals relied on judging character, I bet Peter Mandelson seemed a nice bloke too.”
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"Two Bremont watches for a total of £9,350"
Hugely overpriced and overrated watch brand also.
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Haha, it’s always the same ‘she seemed a nice woman.’ If political scandals relied on judging character, I bet Peter Mandelson seemed a nice bloke too.”
You can't prove Nicola knew about her husband's activities. He embezzled £400,000 over twelve years. Maybe he bought the Jaguar in an attempt to woo her and save the marriage. The expenditure was concealed with false accounting. Nicola was a busy woman. It's quite conceivable she knew nothing.
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You can't prove Nicola knew about her husband's activities. He embezzled £400,000 over twelve years. Maybe he bought the Jaguar in an attempt to woo her and save the marriage. The expenditure was concealed with false accounting. Nicola was a busy woman. It's quite conceivable she knew nothing.
Most husbands try chocolates and a spa weekend not a Jaguar and a motorhome at £124,000, “Oh by the way Nicola dear, there’s a brand new Campervan parked outside in case you didn’t notice”
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Most husbands try chocolates and a spa weekend not a Jaguar and a motorhome at £124,000, “Oh by the way Nicola dear, there’s a brand new Campervan parked outside in case you didn’t notice”
You don’t need to be a Sherlock Holmes for this one. Most people would notice a £124k motorhome appearing in the family finances. Thankfully common sense still exists in some people. A £124k motorhome and a Top gear Jaguar tends to jump out a bit louder than a hidden Amazon Parcel for Nicola.
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"Two Bremont watches for a total of £9,350"
Hugely overpriced and overrated watch brand also.
He spent just over £42,660 on Amazon.
In 2016, he used £16,489 in party funds towards a £33,000 Volkswagen Golf.
In 2019, he used £57,500 towards buying an £81,000 Jaguar I-PACE car.
In 2020, Murrell bought a £124,550 Niesmann and Bischoff Smove 7.4e motorhome for his own personal use.
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The motorhome was parked outside his mother's house. The Jaguar Nicola would have noticed, but they were both high earners, so not entirely unexpected.
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He spent just over £42,660 on Amazon.
In 2016, he used £16,489 in party funds towards a £33,000 Volkswagen Golf.
In 2019, he used £57,500 towards buying an £81,000 Jaguar I-PACE car.
In 2020, Murrell bought a £124,550 Niesmann and Bischoff Smove 7.4e motorhome for his own personal use.
If you think that is bad...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxlS79Q3EXk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxlS79Q3EXk)
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The motorhome was parked outside his mother's house. The Jaguar Nicola would have noticed, but they were both high earners, so not entirely unexpected.
She said she fully cooperated with the Police, she was interviewed for ten hours after her husband was interviewed and answered No Comment to ever question. £104,000 gross after tax and NI about £66,000 take home doesn’t buy you a Jaguar and a motorhome. I find it quite unbelievable that she didn’t know, they played it crafty and it was all linked to his bank accounts making it hard to prove against her.
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If you think that is bad...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxlS79Q3EXk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxlS79Q3EXk)
Ha Ha he sweats a lot
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She said she fully cooperated with the Police, she was interviewed for ten hours after her husband was interviewed and answered No Comment to ever question. £104,000 gross after tax and NI about £66,000 take home doesn’t buy you a Jaguar and a motorhome. I find it quite unbelievable that she didn’t know, they played it crafty and it was all linked to his bank accounts making it hard to prove against her.
On the podcast on another thread there's a mention of Dolly Parton, a fabulously wealthy woman, who with her late husband used to take to the road on some motorhome or other. I think some famous people get tired of the crowds they attract and just want some peace and anonymity. The other purchase of some salt cellar cruet set (or whatever it was) might have been another occasion when they were together as a couple at evening meal, with the husband eager to spend quality time with his wife.
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On the podcast on another thread there's a mention of Dolly Parton, a fabulously wealthy woman, who with her late husband used to take to the road on some motorhome or other. I think some famous people get tired of the crowds they attract and just want some peace and anonymity. The other purchase of some salt cellar cruet set (or whatever it was) might have been another occasion when they were together as a couple at evening meal, with the husband eager to spend quality time with his wife.
Why on earth do you defend this dreadful corrupt woman? You seem always to be on the wrong side on every issue.
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Why on earth do you defend this dreadful corrupt woman? You seem always to be on the wrong side on every issue.
In Steve's world, all women shit gold.
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Why on earth do you defend this dreadful corrupt woman? You seem always to be on the wrong side on every issue.
Both had long, intensive workdays, both high earners, probably not much quality time together. They lived in a comparatively modest house, no children.
.From what I've read the only personal material benefit she gained was a £425 necklace from Shetland. Hardly an item to raise suspicion. The objects her husband bought to adorn the house may have been bought to curry favour or to compensate for his own inadequacy, faced with the popularity of his wife among Scots.
Cases I'm on the right side of: Jeremy Bamber, David Bain, Sion Jenkins, Robin Garbutt, Jonathan Jones, Sheila Bowler, Sally Clarke, Eddie Gilfoyle.
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In Steve's world, all women shit gold.
David 1819: Bamber innocent, David Bain innocent, blood type diet useless.
Too emotionally unstable or immature to engage with me. Takes a sneak peek now and then in private to keep abreast.
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It is very odd. I do not know what to make of it. Is there something psychological behind it or just greed and a sense of entitlement?
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On the podcast on another thread there's a mention of Dolly Parton, a fabulously wealthy woman, who with her late husband used to take to the road on some motorhome or other. I think some famous people get tired of the crowds they attract and just want some peace and anonymity. The other purchase of some salt cellar cruet set (or whatever it was) might have been another occasion when they were together as a couple at evening meal, with the husband eager to spend quality time with his wife.
I am not sure a Lalique salt and pepper grinder costing some 2.6k is required to spend quality time with a significant other?
https://uk.lalique.com/products/feuilles-pepper-salt-grinders-10508400
'Oh darling please allow me to grind some salt over your chips'...
You are not usually as accommodating over this:
https://jeremybamberforum.co.uk/index.php/topic,8633.msg413492.html#msg413492
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She said she fully cooperated with the Police, she was interviewed for ten hours after her husband was interviewed and answered No Comment to ever question. £104,000 gross after tax and NI about £66,000 take home doesn’t buy you a Jaguar and a motorhome. I find it quite unbelievable that she didn’t know, they played it crafty and it was all linked to his bank accounts making it hard to prove against her.
NIC'S BLIND SPOT Nicola Sturgeon insists she never saw 24ft motorhome in mother-in-law’s driveway despite it being there for 2 years. 8) 8)
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NIC'S BLIND SPOT Nicola Sturgeon insists she never saw 24ft motorhome in mother-in-law’s driveway despite it being there for 2 years. 8) 8)
Maybe she didn't visit her mil?
She said due to her job they (hubby and her) rarely socialised or went on hols. None of the ill-gotten gains appears to have been spent on hols, travel, tickets, VIP or otherwise, for various events.
It seems it was all very unhealthy. How does she think others running actual countries manage to lead a balanced life?
I am not convinced she knew. It seems to me she was very single minded about SI and being first minister to the point it became an unhealthy obsession. Has she not heard of all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy?
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I wonder if she had time for sex or even a quickie for some light relief? Certainly spent a lot of time mass debating. Or did she? More lecturing?
Maybe he thought if I woo her with a Lalique salt and pepper grinder (costing 2.6k) by offering to grind the condiments on her food the grinding might extend elsewhere?
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I wonder if she had time for sex or even a quickie for some light relief? Certainly spent a lot of time mass debating. Or did she? More lecturing?
Maybe he thought if I woo her with a Lalique salt and pepper grinder (costing 2.6k) by offering to grind the condiments on her food the grinding might extend elsewhere?
You seem remarkably interested in the intimate details of people you’ve never met. While, us grown ups are discussing the embezzlement
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Maybe she didn't visit her mil?
She said due to her job they (hubby and her) rarely socialised or went on hols. None of the ill-gotten gains appears to have been spent on hols, travel, tickets, VIP or otherwise, for various events.
It seems it was all very unhealthy. How does she think others running actual countries manage to lead a balanced life?
I am not convinced she knew. It seems to me she was very single minded about SI and being first minister to the point it became an unhealthy obsession. Has she not heard of all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy?
I know it was at her mother-in-law’s. I’m just struggling with the idea that a 24-foot motorhome spent two years in the family without ever becoming a topic of conversation.
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I know it was at her mother-in-law’s. I’m just struggling with the idea that a 24-foot motorhome spent two years in the family without ever becoming a topic of conversation.
The SNP's former treasurer has clarified when he found out that the party had bought a luxury motorhome.
Colin Beattie, who was in the role for a total of nearly 20 years, was asked by journalists whether he knew about and had signed off the purchase.
"No, I didn't know about that," he said.
He later said although he did not know about the transaction at the time of purchase, he found out about it in the 2021 annual accounts.
Mr Beattie quit as treasurer the day after he was arrested by police as part of an ongoing investigation into the party's finances.
He was subsequently released without charge pending further investigation.
The Niesmann and Bischoff vehicle, which can retail for more than £100,000, was seized by police from outside the home of former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell's mother in Dunfermline.
The motorhome was removed on 5 April - the same morning that Mr Murrell became the first senior party figure to be arrested in the probe.
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You seem remarkably interested in the intimate details of people you’ve never met. While, us grown ups are discussing the embezzlement
I think Jobseekers allowance gets paid on the last weekday of the month? So its the off-license first thing this morning.
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If you can't beat 'em join 'em, seeing as they've all got their snouts in the trough one way or another.
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You seem remarkably interested in the intimate details of people you’ve never met. While, us grown ups are discussing the embezzlement
Just seeing if I can get a rise out of Steve by my bawdiness ::)
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I think Jobseekers allowance gets paid on the last weekday of the month? So its the off-license first thing this morning.
I think you should contact Nicola. She might be up for taking an incel in hand ;)
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I know it was at her mother-in-law’s. I’m just struggling with the idea that a 24-foot motorhome spent two years in the family without ever becoming a topic of conversation.
Maybe she had a falling out with mil and they didn't meet and she was unaware of its existence. Maybe they holidayed in it and he told her he had it on some sort of lease scheme or hp. Maybe said he had some investment that matured and he funded out of that. in part or fully. Who knows?
Its all very odd imo. I did note none of the expenditure appeared to be on holidays, hotels, events, fine dining etc.
Some of it appeared to be gifts for others eg two Montblanc pens, maybe his and hers, and a jewellery box.
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Why on earth do you defend this dreadful corrupt woman? You seem always to be on the wrong side on every issue.
I will reserve judgement. https://youtu.be/GLfz7-Z9OLs
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I will reserve judgement. https://youtu.be/GLfz7-Z9OLs
Joanna Cherry has been very principled throughout over this. She was appallingly treated by Sturgeon and the SNP heirarchy. The interview you linked is interesting.
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Joanna Cherry has been very principled throughout over this. She was appallingly treated by Sturgeon and the SNP heirarchy. The interview you linked is interesting.
The only quibble I have with her is her overhasty rush into another independence referendum. Even if they had obtained one legally I doubt the appetite was there for an issue which divided a nation so intensely.
I was surprised that Nicola thwarted attempts for the auditors to examine the books. Maybe she felt she was being loyal to her husband. I didn't know they had been together as a couple for so long. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-10652420
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Laura Kuenssberg interviews Nicola Sturgeon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPGPcOZ8rIM&t=42s
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She came over well in denying knowledge of the stolen items but when LK suggested she should have been more curious about the SNP's accounts etc she became rather defensive.
I wonder if there's more to come? :-\
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I am reminded of other recent cases where wives have been completely shocked by their husband's crimes which they were unaware of (and there's no evidence to the contrary) until the police became involved:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Britton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelicot_rape_case
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The only quibble I have with her is her overhasty rush into another independence referendum. Even if they had obtained one legally I doubt the appetite was there for an issue which divided a nation so intensely.
I was surprised that Nicola thwarted attempts for the auditors to examine the books. Maybe she felt she was being loyal to her husband. I didn't know they had been together as a couple for so long. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-10652420
The first SI referendum was Sep 2014
The UK remaining/leaving EU referendum was Jun 2016
Scotland elected to remain (62%). England to remain (48%).
The UK left EU.
NS probably thought she could swing it on the above.
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Joanna Cherry has been very principled throughout over this. She was appallingly treated by Sturgeon and the SNP heirarchy. The interview you linked is interesting.
I agree NGB, she was shut down every time she raised the issue about finances. She was sacked for unacceptable behaviour, unacceptable behaviour including asking about party finances. Sturgeon avoided these questions, she didn’t want scrutiny about finances. I thought she was the best out of a bad bunch, I liked her stance on various matters.
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I agree NGB, she was shut down every time she raised the issue about finances. She was sacked for unacceptable behaviour, unacceptable behaviour including asking about party finances. Sturgeon avoided these questions, she didn’t want scrutiny about finances. I thought she was the best out of a bad bunch, I liked her stance on various matters.
The allegation Joanna Cherry makes that Nicola thwarted attempts to uncover malpractice has yet to be proven, which is why I reserve judgement. There were people charged with the task of examining the books, who, as Nicola herself says in the following interview couldn't decipher the embezzlement, so it may be unfair to expect Nicola to have done so. https://youtu.be/kPyYC8THiNo
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The allegation Joanna Cherry makes that Nicola thwarted attempts to uncover malpractice has yet to be proven, which is why I reserve judgement. There were people charged with the task of examining the books, who, as Nicola herself says in the following interview couldn't decipher the embezzlement, so it may be unfair to expect Nicola to have done so. https://youtu.be/kPyYC8THiNo
A leaked video has emerged apparently showing former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon playing down worries about the party's finances.
The footage, published by the Sunday Mail, external, is said to be from a virtual meeting of the party's ruling body, recorded in March 2021.
Ms Sturgeon told National Executive Committee (NEC) members the party's finances had never been stronger.
She also warned of the impact on donors of going public with concerns.
SNP says finances are balanced after crisis reports
SNP ruling body orders transparency review
Sturgeon's husband arrested in SNP finance probe
In the two-minute clip Ms Sturgeon said she had been on the NEC continuously for 20 years, including times when the party had been "frankly teetering on the edge of bankruptcy".
She added: "The party has never been in a stronger financial position than it is right now and that's a reflection of our strength and our membership. So, just a bit of context for us all to remember."
Ms Sturgeon, who appears to have been recorded without her knowledge, also issued a direct appeal to those attending the virtual meeting.
She added: "Just be very careful about suggestions that there are problems with the party's finances because we depend on donors to donate.
"There are no reasons for people to be concerned about the party's finances and all of us need to be careful about not suggesting that there is."
The ex-SNP leader also urged members not to leak any details from the meeting because that would limit "the ability for open, free and frank discussion".
The SNP NEC meeting held on 20 March 2021 took place against a backdrop of growing internal dissent about transparency.
According to the Sunday Mail, three senior officials - Edinburgh Lord Provost Frank Ross, Allison Graham and Cynthia Guthrie - had just revealed to the NEC their intention to resign from the party's finance and audit committee after being denied sight of the accounts.
In May that year, two NEC members - SNP national treasurer Douglas Chapman and MP Joanna Cherry - resigned from the ruling body, citing concerns about transparency.
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I am reminded of other recent cases where wives have been completely shocked by their husband's crimes which they were unaware of (and there's no evidence to the contrary) until the police became involved:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Britton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelicot_rape_case
Concerns was raised about finances for years, when enough people start asking questions you expect it to generate curiosity, especially when a brand new jaguar rolls up and (disputed if she knew) a 24’ motorhome appears at the ma in laws and been sitting there for two years?
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A leaked video has emerged apparently showing former SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon playing down worries about the party's finances.
The footage, published by the Sunday Mail, external, is said to be from a virtual meeting of the party's ruling body, recorded in March 2021.
Ms Sturgeon told National Executive Committee (NEC) members the party's finances had never been stronger.
She also warned of the impact on donors of going public with concerns.
SNP says finances are balanced after crisis reports
SNP ruling body orders transparency review
Sturgeon's husband arrested in SNP finance probe
In the two-minute clip Ms Sturgeon said she had been on the NEC continuously for 20 years, including times when the party had been "frankly teetering on the edge of bankruptcy".
She added: "The party has never been in a stronger financial position than it is right now and that's a reflection of our strength and our membership. So, just a bit of context for us all to remember."
Ms Sturgeon, who appears to have been recorded without her knowledge, also issued a direct appeal to those attending the virtual meeting.
She added: "Just be very careful about suggestions that there are problems with the party's finances because we depend on donors to donate.
"There are no reasons for people to be concerned about the party's finances and all of us need to be careful about not suggesting that there is."
The ex-SNP leader also urged members not to leak any details from the meeting because that would limit "the ability for open, free and frank discussion".
The SNP NEC meeting held on 20 March 2021 took place against a backdrop of growing internal dissent about transparency.
According to the Sunday Mail, three senior officials - Edinburgh Lord Provost Frank Ross, Allison Graham and Cynthia Guthrie - had just revealed to the NEC their intention to resign from the party's finance and audit committee after being denied sight of the accounts.
In May that year, two NEC members - SNP national treasurer Douglas Chapman and MP Joanna Cherry - resigned from the ruling body, citing concerns about transparency.
But the resignations still don't make Nicola Sturgeon guilty. She was probably relying on the word of her husband that the accounts were in order. Were there not auditors besides Joanna Cherry et al whose professional job it was to sign off the accounts?
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Concerns was raised about finances for years, when enough people start asking questions you expect it to generate curiosity, especially when a brand new jaguar rolls up and (disputed if she knew) a 24’ motorhome appears at the ma in laws and been sitting there for two years?
She asked her husband about the motorhome and Murrell said it was for SNP business during Covid lockdown, as hotels weren't available for that purpose.
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But the resignations still don't make Nicola Sturgeon guilty. She was probably relying on the word of her husband that the accounts were in order. Were there not auditors besides Joanna Cherry et al whose professional job it was to sign off the accounts?
Guilt and curiosity are two separate things Steve, Joanna is not saying she’s guilty, she was concerned that questions was being raised about finances, and those asking the questions wasn’t getting a warm reception, if she’s relying on her husbands word, I don’t believe that Steve, she was known for micro management.
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She asked her husband about the motorhome and Murrell said it was for SNP business during Covid lockdown, as hotels weren't available for that purpose.
Oh right, have you got a link Steve for that
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Oh right, have you got a link Steve for that
It's broached at the 19:15 point: https://youtu.be/kPyYC8THiNo
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It's broached at the 19:15 point: https://youtu.be/kPyYC8THiNo
October 2020 - Pro-independence blogger Stuart Campbell, the man behind the Wings Over Scotland political website, highlights that according to the SNP's 2019 accounts it only has £97,000 in its bank account and total net assets of £272,000.
Campbell claims that "supposedly ring-fenced" money from the two indyref crowdfunding campaigns has "vanished into the maw of the party machine".
The article "You've Been Robbed" invites donors who are "concerned about this state of affairs" to ask the SNP what has happened to their donations.
March 2021 - Three SNP officials - Edinburgh Lord Provost Frank Ross, Allison Graham and Cynthia Guthrie - resign from the party's finance and audit committee after being denied sight of the accounts.
A statement from them is read out at an SNP NEC meeting, the party's ruling body. While not made public, it is believed to complain about a lack of transparency in the party finances. Guthrie later joins the newly-launched Alba party led by Alex Salmond.
A video, which emerged in 2023, apparently shows Sturgeon telling this NEC meeting that the party's finances have never been stronger, and warning of the impact on future donations if anyone goes public with their concerns.
A few days later Police Scotland receives its first complaint, widely reported to be from pro-independence activist Sean Clerkin, about the SNP's finances. Several other complaints are subsequently said to have been submitted.
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October 2020 - Pro-independence blogger Stuart Campbell, the man behind the Wings Over Scotland political website, highlights that according to the SNP's 2019 accounts it only has £97,000 in its bank account and total net assets of £272,000.
Campbell claims that "supposedly ring-fenced" money from the two indyref crowdfunding campaigns has "vanished into the maw of the party machine".
The article "You've Been Robbed" invites donors who are "concerned about this state of affairs" to ask the SNP what has happened to their donations.
March 2021 - Three SNP officials - Edinburgh Lord Provost Frank Ross, Allison Graham and Cynthia Guthrie - resign from the party's finance and audit committee after being denied sight of the accounts.
A statement from them is read out at an SNP NEC meeting, the party's ruling body. While not made public, it is believed to complain about a lack of transparency in the party finances. Guthrie later joins the newly-launched Alba party led by Alex Salmond.
A video, which emerged in 2023, apparently shows Sturgeon telling this NEC meeting that the party's finances have never been stronger, and warning of the impact on future donations if anyone goes public with their concerns.
A few days later Police Scotland receives its first complaint, widely reported to be from pro-independence activist Sean Clerkin, about the SNP's finances. Several other complaints are subsequently said to have been submitted.
Well, maybe she was duped by her husband. It was for the auditors and the national treasurer to do the job they were professionally paid for, namely to sign off the accounts, rather than rely on the say-so of someone who may just have repeated something she was told by her then husband.
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Well, maybe she was duped by her husband. It was for the auditors and the national treasurer to do the job they were professionally paid for, namely to sign off the accounts, rather than rely on the say-so of someone who may just have repeated something she was told by her then husband.
A woman trusted to run the Scottish Parliament, didn’t know her husband was a crook 😂😂. She turns the waterworks on and “oh she gave a good account of herself” Three members of the Audit finance committee quit because they were denied access to the accounts. The motorhome Steve…. Sturgeon continued: ‘My mother and father-in-law’s house has a driveway in front of their house where we parked the car, then we’d go into the house.
‘Where the motorhome was, was round the side of the house which is not immediately visible in the way we went into the house, and it’s between their house and the next-door neighbour’s house.
‘I genuinely, genuinely don’t have any conscious memory of seeing that motorhome – if I saw it, I probably would have assumed it was a neighbour’s.’
So she never seen it and the mother in law and father in law never mentioned it, she couldn’t lie straight in bed this woman! She also forgot to add, the driveway that the motorhome was parked on, is next to a window.
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A woman trusted to run the Scottish Parliament, didn’t know her husband was a crook 😂😂. She turns the waterworks on and “oh she gave a good account of herself” Three members of the Audit finance committee quit because they were denied access to the accounts. The motorhome Steve…. Sturgeon continued: ‘My mother and father-in-law’s house has a driveway in front of their house where we parked the car, then we’d go into the house.
‘Where the motorhome was, was round the side of the house which is not immediately visible in the way we went into the house, and it’s between their house and the next-door neighbour’s house.
‘I genuinely, genuinely don’t have any conscious memory of seeing that motorhome – if I saw it, I probably would have assumed it was a neighbour’s.’
So she never seen it and the mother in law and father in law never mentioned it, she couldn’t lie straight in bed this woman! She also forgot to add, the driveway that the motorhome was parked on, is next to a window.
I agree with everything you have said about this HB.
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A woman trusted to run the Scottish Parliament, didn’t know her husband was a crook 😂😂. She turns the waterworks on and “oh she gave a good account of herself” Three members of the Audit finance committee quit because they were denied access to the accounts. The motorhome Steve…. Sturgeon continued: ‘My mother and father-in-law’s house has a driveway in front of their house where we parked the car, then we’d go into the house.
‘Where the motorhome was, was round the side of the house which is not immediately visible in the way we went into the house, and it’s between their house and the next-door neighbour’s house.
‘I genuinely, genuinely don’t have any conscious memory of seeing that motorhome – if I saw it, I probably would have assumed it was a neighbour’s.’
So she never seen it and the mother in law and father in law never mentioned it, she couldn’t lie straight in bed this woman! She also forgot to add, the driveway that the motorhome was parked on, is next to a window.
But she is not responsible for the SNP accounts. That job is for the auditors and the national treasurer, Colin Beattie, who held that post for sixteen years. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/j0OzoGSr4I8?t=1&feature=share
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But she is not responsible for the SNP accounts. That job is for the auditors and the national treasurer, Colin Beattie, who held that post for sixteen years. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/j0OzoGSr4I8?t=1&feature=share
Steve, I know the auditors signed the accounts off. But at some point we’re asked to believe an awful lot of things at once. Folk raising concerns, finance committee members walking away, a £124k motorhome at the in-laws, and nobody noticed anything?
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Steve, I know the auditors signed the accounts off. But at some point we’re asked to believe an awful lot of things at once. Folk raising concerns, finance committee members walking away, a £124k motorhome at the in-laws, and nobody noticed anything?
I can't be explicit without the risk of falling foul of the law. But Colin Beattie had been national treasurer for sixteen years, then Douglas Chapman suddenly took over in December 2020. Why? More confusingly, Chapman resigned the role a few months later, citing lack of transparency as the reason. Lo and behold Colin Beattie was reappointed in June 2021.
The neighbours of Peter Murrell's mother spotted the motorhome in January 2021, which was shortly after Beattie relinquished the post as national treasurer.
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But she is not responsible for the SNP accounts. That job is for the auditors and the national treasurer, Colin Beattie, who held that post for sixteen years. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/j0OzoGSr4I8?t=1&feature=share
Steve, As party leader Sturgeon shared responsibility for monitoring the SNP's accounts. Even Sturgeon herself understands how people are sceptical, you can be as blind as you want, but at some point when people are raising concerns about the Party’s finances, the dark glasses need to come off and stop being the excuse?
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Steve, As party leader Sturgeon shared responsibility for monitoring the SNP's accounts. Even Sturgeon herself understands how people are sceptical, you can be as blind as you want, but at some point when people are raising concerns about the Party’s finances, the dark glasses need to come off and stop being the excuse?
No, she doesn't. That's the job of the auditors and I assume the national treasurer, who signs off the accounts. If the professionals charged with monitoring the accounts can't decipher the false invoices one can hardly expect Nicola to do so.
From what I gather there was confusion as to legitimate expenditure on electioneering for the second independence referendum, and Peter Murrell's criminality.
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Concerns was raised about finances for years, when enough people start asking questions you expect it to generate curiosity, especially when a brand new jaguar rolls up and (disputed if she knew) a 24’ motorhome appears at the ma in laws and been sitting there for two years?
Well he was earning 100k but this was reduced to 80k no idea why. She was earning 165k. I don't know if either or both were entitled to a car allowance and other benefits. According to NS they rarely socialised or took hols. No children. The house looks like a typical 4 bed/2 bath detached on a modern housing estate in Scotland so unlikely they had a big mortgage if any. So a new Jag on a 265k household income is not out of the ordinary.
I would say she didn't know. To my mind the lifestyle seemed unhealthy. No children, socialising, hols. Plenty of others have demanding roles and manage to have a 'life'. Maybe she didn't have time for her husband either so he thought he would help himself to SNP funds and buy a few goodies to compensate.
I'm not sure about her: the clothes, hairstyle, obsession imo with trans rights.
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A woman trusted to run the Scottish Parliament, didn’t know her husband was a crook 😂😂. She turns the waterworks on and “oh she gave a good account of herself” Three members of the Audit finance committee quit because they were denied access to the accounts. The motorhome Steve…. Sturgeon continued: ‘My mother and father-in-law’s house has a driveway in front of their house where we parked the car, then we’d go into the house.
‘Where the motorhome was, was round the side of the house which is not immediately visible in the way we went into the house, and it’s between their house and the next-door neighbour’s house.
‘I genuinely, genuinely don’t have any conscious memory of seeing that motorhome – if I saw it, I probably would have assumed it was a neighbour’s.’
So she never seen it and the mother in law and father in law never mentioned it, she couldn’t lie straight in bed this woman! She also forgot to add, the driveway that the motorhome was parked on, is next to a window.
Is there any evidence of her ever being in it? Media images?
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Steve, As party leader Sturgeon shared responsibility for monitoring the SNP's accounts. Even Sturgeon herself understands how people are sceptical, you can be as blind as you want, but at some point when people are raising concerns about the Party’s finances, the dark glasses need to come off and stop being the excuse?
I think she was too obsessed with SI and trans rights to be concerned with much else.
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No, she doesn't. That's the job of the auditors and I assume the national treasurer, who signs off the accounts. If the professionals charged with monitoring the accounts can't decipher the false invoices one can hardly expect Nicola to do so.
From what I gather there was confusion as to legitimate expenditure on electioneering for the second independence referendum, and Peter Murrell's criminality.
As SNP leader, Sturgeon was “ultimately responsible for signing off the party accounts in which Peter Murrell concealed his vast embezzlement”, Baillie claimed.
Joanna Cherry, a former SNP MP, claimed Sturgeon had frustrated legitimate scrutiny of the party’s finances
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Well he was earning 100k but this was reduced to 80k no idea why. She was earning 165k. I don't know if either or both were entitled to a car allowance and other benefits. According to NS they rarely socialised or took hols. No children. The house looks like a typical 4 bed/2 bath detached on a modern housing estate in Scotland so unlikely they had a big mortgage if any. So a new Jag on a 265k household income is not out of the ordinary.
I would say she didn't know. To my mind the lifestyle seemed unhealthy. No children, socialising, hols. Plenty of others have demanding roles and manage to have a 'life'. Maybe she didn't have time for her husband either so he thought he would help himself to SNP funds and buy a few goodies to compensate.
I'm not sure about her: the clothes, hairstyle, obsession imo with trans rights.
She has insisted that she was unaware many of the purchased items even existed before prosecutors exposed them. Just 7 per cent of Scots are certain she is telling the truth and even among SNP voters, only 15 per cent are totally convinced she is being honest.
I'm not sure her hairstyle, clothes or having children tells us much about the SNP finances. The question is why concerns about the finances were being raised for years and yet she was publicly saying they had never been stronger. You’ve got members from the Audit and finance committee resigning over access to accounts yet scrutiny was avoided? Either way, it’s not exactly a glowing reference for someone running a political party, or Scottish Parliament.
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I think she was too obsessed with SI and trans rights to be concerned with much else.
I think that’s where Sturgeon and Joanna clashed, as well as SNP accounts. Joanna was in my opinion the best of a bad bunch, her views on Trans rights and free speech put her at odds with the Party, she’s the one I warmed to most.
I think you’ve missed Sturgeon’s obsession to bring Salmond Down, in the end, The government had to pay out more than £500,000 in legal expenses to Mr Salmond after admitting its probe had been "unlawful" due to a procedural flaw.
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Is there any evidence of her ever being in it? Media images?
I don’t know Cutie, maybe not? When she discusses the motorhome she’s very clever with her words, she admits she visited the home while it was there, but has no conscious memory of seeing it? That’s not denying seeing it, it gives her room if she’s found out? that’s going to invite more Questions for her? It’s the prince Andrew strategy with no recollection of the Photo with his Arm around Virginia Giuffre at Ghislaine Maxwell’s London home.
I have her different to you Cutie, this is a woman who micro managed, she was a trained Lawyer with eye for detail, I accept she had a busy Schedule, but people like her don’t switch off that easy.
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As SNP leader, Sturgeon was “ultimately responsible for signing off the party accounts in which Peter Murrell concealed his vast embezzlement”, Baillie claimed.
Joanna Cherry, a former SNP MP, claimed Sturgeon had frustrated legitimate scrutiny of the party’s finances
I think Joanna Cherry is getting a bit above herself. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UXVxvcXQApw?t=3&feature=share
Do you remember the Ken Dodd tax evasion case, defended by George Carman QC?
Some accountants are comedians, but comedians are never accountants.
Dodd was as guilty as sin.
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I think that’s where Sturgeon and Joanna clashed, as well as SNP accounts. Joanna was in my opinion the best of a bad bunch, her views on Trans rights and free speech put her at odds with the Party, she’s the one I warmed to most.
I think you’ve missed Sturgeon’s obsession to bring Salmond Down, in the end, The government had to pay out more than £500,000 in legal expenses to Mr Salmond after admitting its probe had been "unlawful" due to a procedural flaw.
Salmond brought himself down, by his own lascivious behaviour.
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I don’t know Cutie, maybe not? When she discusses the motorhome she’s very clever with her words, she admits she visited the home while it was there, but has no conscious memory of seeing it? That’s not denying seeing it, it gives her room if she’s found out? that’s going to invite more Questions for her? It’s the prince Andrew strategy with no recollection of the Photo with his Arm around Virginia Giuffre at Ghislaine Maxwell’s London home.
I have her different to you Cutie, this is a woman who micro managed, she was a trained Lawyer with eye for detail, I accept she had a busy Schedule, but people like her don’t switch off that easy.
She could have been a woman in love. Isn't she allowed to shed a tear now and then..
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I think Joanna Cherry is getting a bit above herself. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UXVxvcXQApw?t=3&feature=share
Do you remember the Ken Dodd tax evasion case, defended by George Carman QC?
Some accountants are comedians, but comedians are never accountants.
Dodd was as guilty as sin.
Although I totally oppose Scottish independence I have a lot of respect for Joanna Cherry KC. She was treated dreadfully by corrupt Nicola and her gang of acolytes. She will now be a very dangerous foe for Sturgeon and I hope she succeeeds in her mission to expose the truth.
I am not sure I understand the Ken Dodd reference. I agree he was guilty of tax evasion despite his lucky acquittal.
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Salmond brought himself down, by his own lascivious behaviour.
I totally disagree. There was a wicked and corrupt conspiracy by Sturgeon, Murrell and their gang (including the "alphabetties") to destroy Alex Salmond with perjured evidence and unlawful collusion. I really hope to ongoing attempts to uncover and expose the full truth will be successful. Sturgeeon and her corrupt accomplices may yet find themselves in the dock where they belong.
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I totally disagree. There was a wicked and corrupt conspiracy by Sturgeon, Murrell and their gang (including the "alphabetties") to destroy Alex Salmond with perjured evidence and unlawful collusion. I really hope to ongoing attempts to uncover and expose the full truth will be successful. Sturgeeon and her corrupt accomplices may yet find themselves in the dock where they belong.
Any male professional in a position of trust knows full well not to put themself in a position where he could be compromised: a teacher would always leave the door open if having to discuss with a pupil, or more sensibly have a couple of pupils at a distance within the same classroom so as to avoid any misconstruction when talking to a pupil on a one-to-one basis.
Alex Salmond took advantage of his position as the most powerful politician in Scotland to put women in his employ where they could have felt exposed or intimidated. It's the same old story of the pretext of working late to initiate a sexual advance.
I simply cannot believe than all ten women simply fabricated a story. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c754rel2nyno
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Although I totally oppose Scottish independence I have a lot of respect for Joanna Cherry KC. She was treated dreadfully by corrupt Nicola and her gang of acolytes. She will now be a very dangerous foe for Sturgeon and I hope she succeeeds in her mission to expose the truth.
I am not sure I understand the Ken Dodd reference. I agree he was guilty of tax evasion despite his lucky acquittal.
Well, Nicola Sturgeon was the leader of the SNP; she was not an accountant. Sir Keir Starmer does not examine the accounts of the Labour party.
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Any male professional in a position of trust knows full well not to put themself in a position where he could be compromised: a teacher would always leave the door open if having to discuss with a pupil, or more sensibly have a couple of pupils at a distance within the same classroom so as to avoid any misconstruction when talking to a pupil on a one-to-one basis.
Alex Salmond took advantage of his position as the most powerful politician in Scotland to put women in his employ where they could have felt exposed or intimidated. It's the same old story of the pretext of working late to initiate a sexual advance.
I simply cannot believe than all ten women simply fabricated a story. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c754rel2nyno
I followed the story from the outset and have kept up to date with developments. Craig Murray in particular gave a lot of information and was imprisoned for contempt of court for his troubles. The awful trial judge Lady Dorian withheld from the jury a lot of relevant information proving the existence of a criminal conspiracy against Alex Salmond. Despite this he was acquitted on all charges. Perjury was proven, yet all alleged "victims" continue to have their anonymity preserved. I believe the truth will come out eventually and you may then modify your view of the case.
It is worth watching this short clip with Craig Murray.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfE2zs81OZY
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Well, Nicola Sturgeon was the leader of the SNP; she was not an accountant. Sir Keir Starmer does not examine the accounts of the Labour party.
Nicola Sturgeon was one of the three people signing off the SNP accounts. She fought tooth and nail to conceal all evidence of wrongdoing. She attacked those complaining that they had not been given access to source documents. She was up to her neck in it.
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Well, Nicola Sturgeon was the leader of the SNP; she was not an accountant. Sir Keir Starmer does not examine the accounts of the Labour Party.
You keep bringing others into it Steve, Sturgeon, as party leader, co-signed off the annual accounts.
She claimed she had no reason to question the tens of thousands of pounds spent on motor vehicles, which included the notorious campervan.
Maybe Starmer has no reason to sign off the Labour Party accounts, after all, his wife isn’t embezzling money out of the Labour Party.
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Nicola Sturgeonwas one of the three people signing off the SNP accounts. She fought tooth and nail to conceal all evidence of wrongdoing. She attacked those complaining that they had not been given access to source documents. She was up to her neck in it.
As far as I'm aware her husband had forged invoices (which would back up Nicola's story that she was ignorant of the situation) and the chartered accountants Johnstone Carmichael were also charged with authentication.
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I followed the story from the outset and have kept up to date with developments. Craig Murray in particular gave a lot of information and was imprisoned for contempt of court for his troubles. The awful trial judge Lady Dorian withheld from the jury a lot of relevant information proving the existence of a criminal conspiracy against Alex Salmond. Despite this he was acquitted on all charges. Perjury was proven, yet all alleged "victims" continue to have their anonymity preserved. I believe the truth will come out eventually and you may then modify your view of the case.
It is worth watching this short clip with Craig Murray.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfE2zs81OZY
I agree NGB, his family are still fighting to clear his name.
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I followed the story from the outset and have kept up to date with developments. Craig Murray in particular gave a lot of information and was imprisoned for contempt of court for his troubles. The awful trial judge Lady Dorian withheld from the jury a lot of relevant information proving the existence of a criminal conspiracy against Alex Salmond. Despite this he was acquitted on all charges. Perjury was proven, yet all alleged "victims" continue to have their anonymity preserved. I believe the truth will come out eventually and you may then modify your view of the case.
It is worth watching this short clip with Craig Murray.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfE2zs81OZY
Well, I'm not sure what to say. Police Scotland are independent though, not within the remit of the First Minister. As far as the trial is concerned, what did Alex Salmond mean when he stated he "could have been more careful with people's personal space"? Even Gordon Jackson, his defence barrister, admitted his client's behaviour was "inappropriate" and "touchy-feely." I think most women would understand that was code for.
Plus there was the "not proven" verdict on one charge of sexual assault with intent to rape.
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Any male professional in a position of trust knows full well not to put themself in a position where he could be compromised: a teacher would always leave the door open if having to discuss with a pupil, or more sensibly have a couple of pupils at a distance within the same classroom so as to avoid any misconstruction when talking to a pupil on a one-to-one basis.
Alex Salmond took advantage of his position as the most powerful politician in Scotland to put women in his employ where they could have felt exposed or intimidated. It's the same old story of the pretext of working late to initiate a sexual advance.
I simply cannot believe than all ten women simply fabricated a story. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c754rel2nyno
By that logic, every man who’s ever worked late with a female colleague was automatically up to no good. Being in the same workplace after hours isn’t evidence of anything by itself.
Women demand equality. Ow days and rightly so, either men and women can work together professionally or they can’t, you can’t have it both ways Steve, even if it means working late at night.
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By that logic, every man who’s ever worked late with a female colleague was automatically up to no good. Being in the same workplace after hours isn’t evidence of anything by itself.
Women demand equality. Ow days and rightly so, either men and women can work together professionally or they can’t, you can’t have it both ways Steve, even if it means working late at night.
I don't understand why the women falsified allegations if they were in the same room as another woman. Surely they would be likely to be exposed? I think Salmond took his chance when they were away from prying eyes for a moment or two.
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I don't understand why the women falsified allegations if they were in the same room as another woman. Surely they would be likely to be exposed? I think Salmond took his chance when they were away from prying eyes for a moment or two.
I thought Salmond was a great politician, I didn’t agree with his fight for Independence but as a speaker he was outstanding. He took SNP from nowhere to the top in Scottish politics. I think back to all the women’s rights and equal rights etc, and wonder what it would be like working the night shift down the Coal mines with women employed, we had to crawl over each other at times in low conditions, I worked in seams less than a metre in height? We travelled the pit cage (shaft elevator) pressed firmly together to load as many men at a time to travel underground.
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She could have been a woman in love. Isn't she allowed to shed a tear now and then..
She may well have been or was it a convenience marriage, seems a strange set up and a set up that did set alarm bells off? Murrell was warned by Salmond about the arrangement and he’s been proved right.
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I don't understand why the women falsified allegations if they were in the same room as another woman. Surely they would be likely to be exposed? I think Salmond took his chance when they were away from prying eyes for a moment or two.
At a pre-trial hearing, Salmond's lawyer Gordon Jackson QC told Lady Dorrian there had been text messages between complainants, government officials and SNP members, which he believed represented "a concerted effort made by people in the government to influence the process, to get it as best they could in terms of criminal prosecution". These text messages were ultimately not introduced as evidence and did not become public knowledge until 2026.[27]
The first witness was "Woman H", who gave an account of how Salmond allegedly tried to rape her in Bute House after a private dinner in June 2014. She had not mentioned this incident when she first talked to police in 2018, and the defence suggested that she fabricated the allegations, which the witness rejected.[31][32] Another witness, Samantha Barber, who was present at the dinner, gave later evidence stating that "Woman H" was not even present at Bute House on the night in question.[33]
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At a pre-trial hearing, Salmond's lawyer Gordon Jackson QC told Lady Dorrian there had been text messages between complainants, government officials and SNP members, which he believed represented "a concerted effort made by people in the government to influence the process, to get it as best they could in terms of criminal prosecution". These text messages were ultimately not introduced as evidence and did not become public knowledge until 2026.[27]
The first witness was "Woman H", who gave an account of how Salmond allegedly tried to rape her in Bute House after a private dinner in June 2014. She had not mentioned this incident when she first talked to police in 2018, and the defence suggested that she fabricated the allegations, which the witness rejected.[31][32] Another witness, Samantha Barber, who was present at the dinner, gave later evidence stating that "Woman H" was not even present at Bute House on the night in question.[33]
Salmond's lawyer, Gordon Jackson, claimed during the trial that "Woman A", a senior Scottish Government official, had been in contact with some of the other complainants before Salmond was charged, telling the jury, "That stinks. It absolutely stinks".[35] Salmond said he wished he had been "more careful" around others' personal space.[36]
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Salmond's lawyer, Gordon Jackson, claimed during the trial that "Woman A", a senior Scottish Government official, had been in contact with some of the other complainants before Salmond was charged, telling the jury, "That stinks. It absolutely stinks".[35] Salmond said he wished he had been "more careful" around others' personal space.[36]
In other words, he made unwanted advances, which the women felt were inappropriate, but by dint of the instigator's office they remained silent, until one of them confided in another, and so the genesis of the trial arose.
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Adam and David1819 might wake up to a new neighbour tomorrow: https://youtu.be/RZjxz7Igx-s
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In other words, he made unwanted advances, which the women felt were inappropriate, but by dint of the instigator's office they remained silent, until one of them confided in another, and so the genesis of the trial arose.
Your assuming the conclusion Steve, Saying the women spoke to each other doesn’t tell us whether the allegations were true or false. It only tells us they discussed them. Not everyone interprets the same behaviour in the same way. Some people are naturally hands-on and tactile, others are very sensitive about personal space, as a driving instructor I had a strict no contact code, it was hard to enforce when quick take over of gears or steering were needed, so sometimes contact did happen even though I had that code, I had to go hands on?
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Your assuming the conclusion Steve, Saying the women spoke to each other doesn’t tell us whether the allegations were true or false. It only tells us they discussed them. Not everyone interprets the same behaviour in the same way. Some people are naturally hands-on and tactile, others are very sensitive about personal space, as a driving instructor I had a strict no contact code, it was hard to enforce when quick take over of gears or steering were needed, so sometimes contact did happen even though I had that code, I had to go hands on?
But did you lift up your client's skirt..https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-51853134
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Adam and David1819 might wake up to a new neighbour tomorrow: https://youtu.be/RZjxz7Igx-s
Thats right, ditched her husband and ditched Scotland, runaway to the Country she tried her hardest to break from. After all those years arguing Scotland would be better off apart from England, England suddenly seems a perfectly acceptable refuge.
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But did you lift up your client's skirt..https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-51853134
My point was that human interaction isn’t always as black and white as people pretend
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Thats right, ditched her husband and ditched Scotland, runaway to the Country she tried her hardest to break from. After all those years arguing Scotland would be better off apart from England, England suddenly seems a perfectly acceptable refuge.
History is going to judge this dreadful woman very harshly in my view. She does not realise how she is viewed by most. Her loyal pack of acolytes is diminishing.
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History is going to judge this dreadful woman very harshly in my view. She does not realise how she is viewed by most. Her loyal pack of acolytes is diminishing.
Shes an awful woman NGB, I think her and her husband were up to their neck in it, with finances and with Salmond. At some point people stop believing in coincidences and start questioning judgment, I think there’s more to come yet?
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107 pages detailing the booty. I am only up to page 27. Such a bizarre mix. The whole thing seems really bizarre to me.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yenx535keo
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107 pages detailing the booty. I am only up to page 27. Such a bizarre mix. The whole thing seems really bizarre to me.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yenx535keo
I thought that as well, Cutie. The forensic accountants must have had a job with that lot.
The answer Nicola likes to give is, “they were both high earners, so she wouldn’t have noticed anyway”. Correct in one sense, they were both high earners, but Peter’s take-home pay was around the £60,000 mark. The “they were both high earners” defence only works if you’re treating both salaries as one combined pot paying for these goods.
Sturgeon’s position is that they had separate finances, separate bank accounts and that she knew nothing about many of these purchases. If that’s true, then her income isn’t really relevant to explaining the spending.
Like I say, if your money isn’t funding the Jaguar, the motorhome, the watches and the endless stream of purchases, surely the obvious question in any household is: “How are you paying for all this, Peter?” So she’s using a defence that isn’t actually a defence
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I thought that as well, Cutie. The forensic accountants must have had a job with that lot.
The answer Nicola likes to give is, “they were both high earners, so she wouldn’t have noticed anyway”. Correct in one sense, they were both high earners, but Peter’s take-home pay was around the £60,000 mark. The “they were both high earners” defence only works if you’re treating both salaries as one combined pot paying for these goods.
Sturgeon’s position is that they had separate finances, separate bank accounts and that she knew nothing about many of these purchases. If that’s true, then her income isn’t really relevant to explaining the spending.
Like I say, if your money isn’t funding the Jaguar, the motorhome, the watches and the endless stream of purchases, surely the obvious question in any household is: “How are you paying for all this, Peter?” So she’s using a defence that isn’t actually a defence
I haven't seen anything about his net pay only that his gross earning were around 100k and then reduced to 80k. Any ideas about the gross 20% pay cut?
He may have had capital by way of savings and investments elsewhere?
NS said he dealt with all the household finances and she passed him a monthly sum each month for her share but didn't give any indication of the amount.
I saw a beer he bought which I hadn't heard of so I will give that a try. Its called Jupiler.
It seems very strange to me that NS appeared to give her all for SI and then she has her nose in the trough allowing donations from many, who will undoubtedly have much lower financial resources than PM and NS, pilfered on items such as cup warmers!?
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Apparently the motorhome had just 4 miles on the clock.
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Apparently the motorhome had just 4 miles on the clock.
I bought one from Kings Lynn in 2007 with 4,000 on the clock, I know you say “ Just” and rightly so it’s not a lot of mileage, but for a motorhome, which isn’t an everyday used vehicle used for running errands to the shops, work or appointments, that motorhome bought brand new has covered two complete return trips of GREAT Britain and more, which is 3,496 miles and add another 504 miles. Motorhomes don’t usually have high mileage of that size, unless they’ve been travelling abroad.
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I bought one from Kings Lynn in 2007 with 4,000 on the clock, I know you say “ Just” and rightly so it’s not a lot of mileage, but for a motorhome, which isn’t an everyday used vehicle used for running errands to the shops, work or appointments, that motorhome bought brand new has covered two complete return trips of GREAT Britain and more, which is 3,496 miles and add another 504 miles. Motorhomes don’t usually have high mileage of that size, unless they’ve been travelling abroad.
4 miles on the clock, the inclusion of numerous bottles of unopened Molton and Brown toiletries and guides to motorhome tours of parts of UK and Eire that obviously don't have any bearing on SNP business, along with all the other purchases using SNP funds, suggest to me PM had/has emotional and psychological problems and there were problems in the marriage. It seems to me to go beyond greed and a sense of entitlement. I don't think NS knew about any of it.
It would be good to see what psychiatrist Raj Persuad makes of it in his 'Shrinking The World' podcast!
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4 miles on the clock, the inclusion of numerous bottles of unopened Molton and Brown toiletries and guides to motorhome tours of parts of UK and Eire that obviously don't have any bearing on SNP business, along with all the other purchases using SNP funds, suggest to me PM had/has emotional and psychological problems and there were problems in the marriage. It seems to me to go beyond greed and a sense of entitlement. I don't think NS knew about any of it.
It would be good to see what psychiatrist Raj Persuad makes of it in his 'Shrinking The World' podcast!
Sorry I read it wrong Cutie 🙈
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Thats right, ditched her husband and ditched Scotland, runaway to the Country she tried her hardest to break from. After all those years arguing Scotland would be better off apart from England, England suddenly seems a perfectly acceptable refuge.
You have to consider the position she's now in. She can't really go anywhere socially being so high profile and tainted with guilt by association. Scotland is a small country with a small population.
Of course, I'm not by any stretch of the imagination as famous as Nicola. But sometimes one needs a fresh start, a new place to make new friends, or just walk around town in comparative anonymity without being approached by figures one may once have known professionally or socially.
More muckraking on the way. Nicola's lawyer confirms she "settled bills for charges incurred", and also interrupted the trip to conduct SNP business. https://www.eriska-hotel.co.uk/
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Peter Murrell legal aid shocker: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/insight/murrell-sold-algarve-villa-months-after-legal-aid-approval/gm-GM7C1E9F79?gemSnapshotKey=GM7C1E9F79-snapshot-1&uxmode=ruby&ctsrc=dgst&ocid=edgntpruby&pc=U531&cvid=6a258b079ff9432bb67b0c9990155da3&ei=8
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You have to consider the position she's now in. She can't really go anywhere socially being so high profile and tainted with guilt by association. Scotland is a small country with a small population.
Of course, I'm not by any stretch of the imagination as famous as Nicola. But sometimes one needs a fresh start, a new place to make new friends, or just walk around town in comparative anonymity without being approached by figures one may once have known professionally or socially.
More muckraking on the way. Nicola's lawyer confirms she "settled bills for charges incurred", and also interrupted the trip to conduct SNP business. https://www.eriska-hotel.co.uk/
I understand wanting a fresh start, Steve. I just find it amusing that after spending years trying to persuade Scotland it would be better off separate from England, England suddenly becomes the ideal place to disappear to when you want a bit of peace and quiet 😂😂.
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I understand wanting a fresh start, Steve. I just find it amusing that after spending years trying to persuade Scotland it would be better off separate from England, England suddenly becomes the ideal place to disappear to when you want a bit of peace and quiet 😂😂.
You do have a point. Remember Scotland is a nation with its own history dating back centuries. I have nothing against Scots who wish to claim independence. When they look at the map of Europe post-the fall of the Berlin wall or the break up of the former Yugoslavia I'm sure they think they could make a go of it.
Plus, they were taken out of the European Union against their will. They look across the Irish Sea to the status of Northern Ireland and may think there's different treatment for the constituent parts of the United Kingdom. All three devolved authorities now have nationalists in power, which doesn't augur well for a Westminster government with nothing to offer save austerity.
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I understand wanting a fresh start, Steve. I just find it amusing that after spending years trying to persuade Scotland it would be better off separate from England, England suddenly becomes the ideal place to disappear to when you want a bit of peace and quiet 😂😂.
Peter Murrell to be sentenced today, I wonder if his Loyal wife Nicola will be there to support him?
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Peter Murrell to be sentenced today, I wonder if his Loyal wife Nicola will be there to support him?
I wouldn't mind betting he gets a lighter sentence based on some mental health issue. I think he had about 9 vacuum cleaners over a 4 year period. All good brands. Dyson I believe. So would have long guarantees. And I can't see either of them doing their own cleaning. Probably had a cleaner in. 9 vacs over 4 years? That's not normal! Or was he buying items with SNP money then selling them on and using what was effectively laundered cash for some other purpose?
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I wouldn't mind betting he gets a lighter sentence based on some mental health issue. I think he had about 9 vacuum cleaners over a 4 year period. All good brands. Dyson I believe. So would have long guarantees. And I can't see either of them doing their own cleaning. Probably had a cleaner in. 9 vacs over 4 years? That's not normal! Or was he buying items with SNP money then selling them on and using what was effectively laundered cash for some other purpose?
5 years and 3 months, yet she’s got off Scott (pardon the pun) free.
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Probably bought a gold plated dildo Sturgeon.
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I wouldn't mind betting he gets a lighter sentence based on some mental health issue. I think he had about 9 vacuum cleaners over a 4 year period. All good brands. Dyson I believe. So would have long guarantees. And I can't see either of them doing their own cleaning. Probably had a cleaner in. 9 vacs over 4 years? That's not normal! Or was he buying items with SNP money then selling them on and using what was effectively laundered cash for some other purpose?
I think you're on to something there, Cambridgecutie. He reminds me of kleptomaniacs, who steal for no purpose. Perhaps he was trying to impress his wife with some of the stuff. I do wonder about the Motorhome, though. If it was meant to be a battlebus to fight elections why conceal the address of the purchaser? Plus, it's not something he could hide.