Nicola Sturgeon Arrested, Peter Murrell Charged

[StellarHibee]

2 hours ago, DeeTillEhDeh said:

2 weeks apart?

That can happen when there's multiple stations involved with different degrees of backlog.

[Stephen Malkmus]

This will be more well coordinated than the standard warrant issuing process. If you're a Unionist-minded official you're going to arrest the husband first to provide the initial jolt to the media and public, wait until things are dying down a little before arresting someone else to keep the story going, then a couple of weeks later you'll arrest the big fish. Impact maximised and as much damage inflicted as possible regardless of whether charges follow later on.

[Wee-Bey]

Aye, if there's no Sturgeon perp walk or no charges for anyone then it's all a bit of a waste of time.

[TONTROOPER]

1 hour ago, Stephen Malkmus said:

This will be more well coordinated than the standard warrant issuing process. If you're a Unionist-minded official you're going to arrest the husband first to provide the initial jolt to the media and public, wait until things are dying down a little before arresting someone else to keep the story going, then a couple of weeks later you'll arrest the big fish. Impact maximised and as much damage inflicted as possible regardless of whether charges follow later on.

^^^ Correct.

It wont matter a jot if (as I suspect) no one is charged.

The mud has been thrown......and no doubt the yoons will be hoping some of it sticks.

[Trogdor]

^^^^ Parallel universe stuff here. 

[Stephen Malkmus]

2 minutes ago, Trogdor said:

^^^^ Parallel universe stuff here. 

At no point has anyone said that they haven't done anything wrong, but you'd be naive to believe that their opponents aren't looking to capitalise as much as possible on the opening that has been presented.

[Trogdor]

I think the blame lies with the SNP. Not the Alba das or the Unionists. This is a self-inflicted mess perpetuated by the former FM and her inner circle. 

[BFTD]

12 hours ago, ScotiaNostra said:

Its all pretty confusing, we have 600K raised for an indy campaign. No campaign happens. People complain to police the money has been diverted where it shouldnt have e.g a General election campaign for the SNP. 

When did the Police actually start investigating this? was it in 2021? or later?

Then we have a strange loan for 110k from Murrell to SNP, nothing illegal at face value for that but seems unusual. 

Then we get the arrests  and a motor home is found that no one else claims to have known was bought and it was bought as a campaign bus but never used and is found on Murrells mums driveway

At same time we find out theres no auditors and they resigned in Sept but again no one else seems to have been aware of this apart from Murrell. 

We know the treasurer resigned and others over a lack of transparency a few years ago, We have some strange comments made by NS over last couple years.

Putting down any questioning of the accounts whenever asked and even more strange was the reply to the question about Murrells loan, where she said she wasnt aware of it, it was from his money and not hers and she had nothing to do with it. Which may be true but looks like someone clearing distancing themselves from something they are aware is dodgy, whether she knew in advance of loan or found out later who knows.

I agree theres no smoking gun yet and I still would be surprised Murrell did this for his own financial gain but its just so dodgy sounding now. I hope the Police investigation clears it up but I wouldnt be confident on that

Unless the polis have something bigger in mind, this is still feeling bizarrely low stakes. If it turns out that wee Nic and her husband had a masterplan to ride off into the sunset with a stolen motorhome, I'll be cringing at her lack of ambition. Like all of them, she'll have made enough contacts to accrue millions in "retirement", should she so desire.

Any word on why the polis were digging up the garden yet? Tip off that the French diplomat's buried under the rhododendrons?

3 minutes ago, Stephen Malkmus said:

At no point has anyone said that they haven't done anything wrong, but you'd be naive to believe that their opponents aren't looking to capitalise as much as possible on the opening that has been presented.

Despite everyone from the major parties (and Alex Cole-Hamilton) being lined up for quotes in front of an open goal every day, it's pretty remarkable how toothless they've all been so far. Dunno if it's the old "they're definitely finished now, no need for us to do anything" arrogance, or the opposition is just still so useless that they can't come across as genuinely concerned human beings with a legitimate point to make.

[Stephen Malkmus]

20 minutes ago, BTFD said:

Despite everyone from the major parties (and Alex Cole-Hamilton) being lined up for quotes in front of an open goal every day, it's pretty remarkable how toothless they've all been so far. Dunno if it's the old "they're definitely finished now, no need for us to do anything" arrogance, or the opposition is just still so useless that they can't come across as genuinely concerned human beings with a legitimate point to make.

They're just keeping their mouths shut as far as possible to avoid potentially prejudicing a future trial

[GTee]

Is the teams of police officers, forensic tent, arrests (released without charge), media frenzy really over an amount of money an English league Premiership football player can earn in a couple of weeks. Surely not..

[Benjamin_Nevis]

I do find it very hard to believe NS has set fire to her entire political career/reputation for a fucking motorhome. If she has though it's an absolutely zinger for the "Tinpot things in Scottish Politics" thread. That said, it's equally unlikely she would not know what catastrophically bald idiocy her husband was up to. It's such an utterly bizarre situation all round.

If the opposition (and yes i know I'm talking about ACH, DRoss and the Slum Landlord here) can't significantly capitalise on this in polling and do so in the medium to long term, then they'd be as well packing it in altogether. 

I have a feeling though that this is going to end up like the post-Salmond trial investigation:

"Haha she's fucked now. No way will she get through an investigation by an independent QC unscathed"

*Gets through independent investigation by QC unscathed*

"Aw f**k". 

Whatever the outcome though, the Indy movement is basically shagged short term at least. Literally no one is going to be inspired by Yousaf and there's no one else with enough charisma and political capital to lead it and potentially make the difference, certainly not in Holyrood at least. 

[Leith Green]

3 minutes ago, Benjamin_Nevis said:

I do find it very hard to believe NS has set fire to her entire political career/reputation for a fucking motorhome.

I said similar a few pages back - it just seems completely wierd behaviour for someone seemingly savvy.

Also, you can understand people like Michelle Mone and her husband trousering multiple £m in PPE cash and fucking off to some castle in the Bahamas forever, but Sturgeon lives in an Uddingston semi and the inquiry is about £600k and a fucking caravan...................

[houston_bud]

1 hour ago, Benjamin_Nevis said:

If the opposition (and yes i know I'm talking about ACH, DRoss and the Slum Landlord here) can't significantly capitalise on this in polling and do so in the medium to long term, then they'd be as well packing it in altogether. 

To be fair, you could make this same point about support for independence given the shambles we've seen in UK politics over the past decade.

[Michael W]

1 hour ago, Benjamin_Nevis said:

I do find it very hard to believe NS has set fire to her entire political career/reputation for a fucking motorhome. If she has though it's an absolutely zinger for the "Tinpot things in Scottish Politics" thread. That said, it's equally unlikely she would not know what catastrophically bald idiocy her husband was up to. It's such an utterly bizarre situation all round.

 

This is the part I can't get my head around. It might be the case she had indeed just had enough and was going to call it a day anyway, but the timing is just too coincidental. That the woman running the country was unaware of what was happening in her own house and/or with regards to the finances of the party she alongside her husband led, is implausible. You would also fancy that the actions taken had your career been destroyed by an idiot husband doing things on the hoof without your knowledge, would perhaps be more encompassing than just a resignation. 

An utterly perverse situation. 

[welshbairn]

"I assure you, the party finances have never been better.."

[Barry Ferguson's Hat]

Wouldn't surprise me if Peter Liewell's hidden hand has something to do this.

[Wee-Bey]

Opus Dei conspiracy led by the big man imo.

[ScotiaNostra]

The 600K missing its enough to investigate but that also begs the question, how fecking stupid is Murrell and whoever else in the SNP knew,  if that money was raised for an indy campaign to then go ahead and use it for SNP electioneering. Its the sort of casual misuse of funds that a local bowls club would struggle to be that stupid nowadays. None of it makes sense.

Though I always thought NS was massively overated as a politican, average at best. It was Brexit and Covid that hid just how average a leader she was and we can see now with this and how so many other policys were dropped quietly or just cant make it to implementation

[Jacksgranda]

2 hours ago, Benjamin_Nevis said:

I do find it very hard to believe NS has set fire to her entire political career/reputation for a fucking motorhome. If she has though it's an absolutely zinger for the "Tinpot things in Scottish Politics" thread. That said, it's equally unlikely she would not know what catastrophically bald idiocy her husband was up to. It's such an utterly bizarre situation all round.

If the opposition (and yes i know I'm talking about ACH, DRoss and the Slum Landlord here) can't significantly capitalise on this in polling and do so in the medium to long term, then they'd be as well packing it in altogether. 

I have a feeling though that this is going to end up like the post-Salmond trial investigation:

"Haha she's fucked now. No way will she get through an investigation by an independent QC unscathed"

*** *Gets through independent investigation by QC unscathed* ***

"Aw f**k". 

Whatever the outcome though, the Indy movement is basically shagged short term at least. Literally no one is going to be inspired by Yousaf and there's no one else with enough charisma and political capital to lead it and potentially make the difference, certainly not in Holyrood at least. 

*** Maybe he had a share in the motorhome...

[StellarHibee]

6 hours ago, ScotiaNostra said:

Though I always thought NS was massively overated as a politican, average at best.

"Average at best" would have still had her miles out in front of the rest.