The Official Stephen Flynn & Mhairi Black Thread

[Donathan]

Angus McNeil, who recently had the SNP whip suspended, is choosing to remain out of the party until at least October in order to focus on campaigning for independence. He will not rejoin unless he sees evidence that the party is furthering the independence cause and will stand at the next GE as an independent candidate if need be. 

[alta-pete]

I think that is to be applauded. A man of principle and with the courage of his conviction.

[DeeTillEhDeh]

5 hours ago, Donathan said:

Angus McNeil, who recently had the SNP whip suspended, is choosing to remain out of the party until at least October in order to focus on campaigning for independence. He will not rejoin unless he sees evidence that the party is furthering the independence cause and will stand at the next GE as an independent candidate if need be. 

He'd be more at home in Alba tbqh.

Edited July 12, 2023 by DeeTillEhDeh

[orfc]

5 hours ago, Donathan said:

Angus McNeil, who recently had the SNP whip suspended, is choosing to remain out of the party until at least October in order to focus on campaigning for independence. He will not rejoin unless he sees evidence that the party is furthering the independence cause and will stand at the next GE as an independent candidate if need be. 

Those pesky constituency boundary changes again

Another said they wouldn't stand for re-election the weekend, John McNally, but since he said it was down to age and he's 72, fair enough on that one

[Leith Green]

18 hours ago, Donathan said:

Angus McNeil, who recently had the SNP whip suspended, is choosing to remain out of the party until at least October in order to focus on campaigning for independence. He will not rejoin unless he sees evidence that the party is furthering the independence cause and will stand at the next GE as an independent candidate if need be. 

McNeil has been Salmonds bitch for months now, he was trotted out by BBC Scotland whenever they want a "split in the SNP" story. Frankly I would have removed the whip months ago.

He will be standing as an Alba candidate almost certainly.

[O'Kelly Isley III]

On 13/07/2023 at 08:04, Leith Green said:

McNeil has been Salmonds bitch for months now, he was trotted out by BBC Scotland whenever they want a "split in the SNP" story. Frankly I would have removed the whip months ago.

He will be standing as an Alba candidate almost certainly.

Right on cue he's denying it in this morning's National so you are probably spot-on.

[RH33]

On 12/07/2023 at 17:53, alta-pete said:

I think that is to be applauded. A man of principle and with the courage of his conviction.

He's an odeious, horrible, controling man.

[alta-pete]

13 minutes ago, RH33 said:

He's an odeious, horrible, controling man.

Don’t know him but equally don’t doubt you. But then not many at that level get there by being nice guys/guid c***s.

Just really pissed off now though that you were only a bawhair away from me being able to crack a joke about him and his maw. 

[betting competition]

Another good question from Stephen Flynn, shame there is a really good chance he could lose his seat in the next General election

 

[orfc]

Phillipa Whitford latest and 8th SNP MP to give up their seat, because of aggression and contempt for the snp (shurely boundary changes - Ed)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66235986

 

And just to show what she means here's an article from Joanna Cherry, to which so called fellow nationalists will undoubtedly respond with those very qualities

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/07/16/joanna-cherry-snp-mps-more-quit-unless-sturgeon-analysis/

[welshbairn]

1 hour ago, orfc said:

Phillipa Whitford latest and 8th SNP MP to give up their seat, because of aggression and contempt for the snp (shurely boundary changes - Ed)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66235986

 

And just to show what she means here's an article from Joanna Cherry, to which so called fellow nationalists will undoubtedly respond with those very qualities

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/07/16/joanna-cherry-snp-mps-more-quit-unless-sturgeon-analysis/

Hardly a shock, she'll be 65 by the next election. As far as Cherry goes, the article isn't by her, it only quotes a single tweet.

There can't be a full analysis of the Sturgeon era until the facts are known about the police investigation. 

[lichtgilphead]

1 hour ago, orfc said:

Phillipa Whitford latest and 8th SNP MP to give up their seat, because of aggression and contempt for the snp (shurely boundary changes - Ed)

Oh dear!

@orfcdoesn't let facts get in the way of his opinions!

In his hurry to get his cheap shot in, he forgot to check the boundary commission's recommendations. Central Ayrshire is one of the few seats with no boundary changes.

I also love the way that he implies that the aggression & contempt is an internal SNP matter. For the avoidance of doubt, here's what Phillipa actually said

"At the time of that election, I will have been an MP for nine years and, including my time as an NHS surgeon, spent 42 years in working in public service," Dr Whitford said.

"Working as an MP at Westminster has changed over the last eight years, especially after Boris Johnson became prime minister and aggression and contempt towards SNP MPs, and indeed Scotland, became the norm.

"While he has gone, his toxic legacy remains and on, time will tell if this changes after the next election."

The SNP MP thanked her colleagues for their "camaraderie and friendship"

Interestingly, despite Yoon implications, the SNP remain favourites to retain the seat according to Electoral Calculus

Party	2019 Votes	2019 Share	Pred Votes
SNP	21,486	46.2%	37.6%
CON	16,182	34.8%	28.2%
LAB	6,583	14.1%	26.4%
LIB	2,283	4.9%	3.7%
Green	0	0.0%	0.2%
OTH	0	0.0%	4.0%
SNP Majority	5,304	11.4%	9.4% Pred Maj

[Billy Jean King]

5 hours ago, orfc said:

Phillipa Whitford latest and 8th SNP MP to give up their seat, because of aggression and contempt for the snp (shurely boundary changes - Ed)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66235986

 

And just to show what she means here's an article from Joanna Cherry, to which so called fellow nationalists will undoubtedly respond with those very qualities

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2023/07/16/joanna-cherry-snp-mps-more-quit-unless-sturgeon-analysis/

Or politician of retiral age announces she is going to retire. Not quite the zinger you thought it was eh ?

[AyrshireTon]

Whitford is my MP. Always speaks well in the media.

Quite disappointed in this as I felt that she would have made a decent FM.

[D Angelo Barksdale]

 

[vikingTON]

Funnily enough I overheard a version of that exact story in a pub in Paisley early this evening. Perhaps it was repeated from media coverage, but from Holyrood Magazine? I'd say there's a pretty good chance of it being an independent source, given the locality too. 

This line's comedy gold though:

Quote

An SNP source said: "It's quite clear to a number of us that the process has not been followed."

As opposed to 'the process' that results in, err, a party campaign bus sitting on the front drive of the leader's mother in law and maw of the party chief executive.

I reckon the stable door has been fucking smashed open there tbh. 

[StellarHibee]

4 hours ago, virginton said:

As opposed to 'the process' that results in, err, a party campaign bus sitting on the front drive of the leader's mother in law and maw of the party chief executive.

Oh the humanity. A vehicle parked in a drive way is clearly deeply suspicious. Which would explain all of the evidence and convictions that have resulted so far....

[ICTChris]

What a strange story. How can a guy work for an MP a for years and then fail vetting? Is vetting some kind of background check or is it a test on how capable you are?

Mairi Black threatening to quit the entire party over it seems extreme. She’s surely got a big future in it, even though she’s stepping down from Westminster. What if the party had said “oh see us”. That’s her political career basically finished.

[Trogdor]

1 hour ago, ICTChris said:

What a strange story. How can a guy work for an MP a for years and then fail vetting? Is vetting some kind of background check or is it a test on how capable you are?

Mairi Black threatening to quit the entire party over it seems extreme. She’s surely got a big future in it, even though she’s stepping down from Westminster. What if the party had said “oh see us”. That’s her political career basically finished.

The party is so weakened at the moment if she walked it would cause an existential crisis. 

Party HQ are very much painting this as the right of the party like Fergus red face and the Alba das who are the problem. The reality is those on the left and the younger members are strafing to the Greens and those in the middle are getting totally disillusioned. The coalition is being held together by a thread by a leader who doesn't have a clue. Mhairi Black quitting the party would blow the lid off it. I can see why they would acquiesce to her demands rather than fight on another front.

It's for the local party members to decide anyway. He's not a shoe in by any stretch. 

[vikingTON]

4 hours ago, StellarHibee said:

Oh the humanity. A vehicle parked in a drive way is clearly deeply suspicious. Which would explain all of the evidence and convictions that have resulted so far....

Aye because which of us hasn't been privy to hundreds of thousands of pounds of people's money, which disappears from the books. And which of us haven't also put a vehicle on company books before handing it over to the mother in law's for safe keeping, honest.

They'll be arresting and investigating people for breathing next.