By stewartb
On 13 July 2021, the BBC News website had the headline: ‘Police launch investigation over SNP donations’. The article also had this: ‘Police Scotland had previously been assessing complaints made by a member of the public. The force says that a full inquiry has now been launched.’
So an investigation had, at some level, been going on EVEN before 13 July 2021. In October 2023, c.26 months later, the PM of the UK October is able to state: “Nicola Sturgeon wanted to go down in the history books as the woman who broke up our country. Now it looks like she may go down for very different reasons!”
The link to an ongoing police investigation being implied here is clear in news coverage e.g. by the Daily Express on 4 October beneath the headline ‘Rishi Sunak slaps down Nicola Sturgeon with brutal legacy joke in conference speech’.
I’ve lost count of the number of political articles published (for example on the BBC News website) throughout the period since mid 2021 drawing attention to this police investigation. What is the intention beyond legitimate reporting of news when new information comes into the public domain – and there has been precious little of that? To sustain a ‘no smoke without fire’ sentiment?
On 26 September 2023 the Guardian published this: ‘Donald Trump case tracker: where does each investigation stand?’
Trump who was succeeded as US President in January 2021 has been CHARGED with 91 felony counts across criminal cases in New York, Florida, Washington and Georgia. There is also at least one additional civil case. The Guardian article sets out in detail the many charges – serious and, to say the least, ‘complex in character. Preliminary hearings on many have already been held and dates for full trial on some already been set. Added to this there has been congressional hearings.
All of this has been played out in the USA over a period not all that much longer than the term of the Police Scotland investigation into SNP’s (audited) finances – simple and tiny by comparison! let’s estimate this as c. 32 months in the USA against c.26 months in Scotland.
I suspect Mr Trump’s financial and other activities may be a wee bit more complex and his legal resources to slow the processes of justice may be a wee bit more powerful than anything associated with the SNP. And yet ….!
Talking-up Scotland 
In your comment.
“Nicola Sturgeon wanted to go down in the history books as the woman who broke up our country. Now it looks like she may go down for very different reasons!”
I emailed Sunak regarding this and asked if he would stand up and say the same about Trump needless to say no surprise he has not replied just shows the cowardly person he is.
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“Nicola Sturgeon wanted to go down in the history books as the woman who broke up our country. Now it looks like she may go down for very different reasons!”
Aye and a certain Tory Baroness wanted to go down in everybody’s estimation (and did too….that is with those of us that mattered ) as someone who publicly declared that she would leave Scotland if we voted YES in 2014…..and then did she no dae that very thing…..BUT she did it via the VERY opposite outcome happening in the independence Referendum ….that is packed her bags and LEFT Scotland when……the NO side won the vote……a right Diddy for sure….Bobby dancer another term that fits too.
Now it looks as if she may go down (alas not literally I think) in history as someone who was, and still is , under police investigation via the publicised involvement of her in the fast track PPE Tory scandal……and perhaps not “go down” (arrested and charged) “for VERY different reasons”….main one being she is a TORY and then that would also surely mean that OTHER Tories could or rather would have to be implicated in that same scandal too…..after all SHE was not THE one who awarded a PPE contract to a newly formed company was she ….she only recommended them….and it was someone else , as in another TORY, who made that ultimate decision……..but will it be yet another sweep sweep sweep…..as in another Tory related investigation via the MET police with the final outcome in their, Police investigation, concluding that we should all ‘Move along now nothing to see here’ …..as in another TORY scandal brushed under ‘the bulging with scandals’ TORY carpet….same carpet that Rishi Sunak currently walks on in NO 10 Downing Street……
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This propaganda has been relentless since the 2015 general election, Westminster was rocked after they thought they had put independence and the SNP to bed after the referendum.
To negate men it is fairly simple, a sex scandal is usually enough to remove their legitimacy. It’s more difficult with a women leader, they have to be more inventive and having a compliant police force helps here.
Now the story will be, the SNP id finished, you need to vote Labour to remove the Tories. The BBC have already started this line implying Labour can only win by taking Scotland, a line that is almost free of any historical fact, although I was impressed by the bright red tie he chose to wear.
Labour now also intend to role back devolution as this was supposed to ensconce them as the permanent party in Scotland. It didn’t work out as planned so will need to be effectively scrapped.
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Yes indeed, the witch hunt against Nicola Sturgeon is totally political.
Trump has so many charges against him it’s biazzare he still walks free, but I suspect it’s to avoid a GOP Maga revolt, for now. I follow the Trump stuff via ‘democracy now, indy news site and others on Youtube. The charges of fraud against Trump re his financial goings on are solid, they have the evidence, his empire has all but been frozen, and he is a not a happy guy. It could well lead him to being locked up and sooner rather than later, I hope so. The fact he has seriously threatened justices and their families etc is disgusting, and idiotic because er, you do not threaten the judges overseeing your case.
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Sorry for going off topic…
Please share before the next byelection… 😉
https://ifs.org.uk/news/growing-gap-school-spending-pupil-between-scotland-and-rest-uk
“In the most recent year (2022–23), school spending per pupil in Scotland was over £8,500. This is over 18% or £1,300 higher than the level seen in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, all around £7,200 per pupil. School spending per pupil in Scotland was already 6% higher than in England in 2010. Since then, the gap with the rest of the UK has significantly grown.”
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The Scottish media will link this to the ‘attainment gap’ and decry it as ‘throwing good money after bad.’
Her Dameness the Jaikie of Baillie will claim the money would be better spent sending middle-class people to private schools like she, Anas Sarwar and Richard Leonard were.
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And English school children will get a further reduction of £55 due to Westminster Department of Education bungling.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/oct/06/englands-schools-to-be-given-less-money-after-dfe-admits-bungling-figures
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Interesting part is the different policies between SNP in Scotland and Labour in Wales. SNP puts children first, Labour don’t think that are worth it
From the ifs report:
“. In Scotland, pupil numbers have only grown by 2% since 2009–10. This meant that growth in total spending in Scotland (15%) only had to be a bit higher than in England to deliver a much larger rise in spending per pupil in Scotland. In Wales, pupil numbers have barely changed at all since 2010. However, unlike Scotland, policymakers in Wales have not used this as an opportunity to deliver a big rise in spending per pupil. Instead, total spending and spending per pupil in Wales have both only grown by 3% in real terms since 2009–10.”
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The Scottish government’s Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill when enacted could be very lucrative for Edinburgh and Glasgow councils..
https://www.insider.co.uk/news/festivals-boost-scottish-hotel-sector-31121453
“Festivals boost Scottish hotel sector, bucking UK slowdown
Edinburgh experienced the highest revenue per room in the UK during August”
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I am surprised that Police Scotland have allowed themselves to be party to what is now viewed by many as just “Political Theatre” with an aim to deliberately blacken a popular politicians reputation. All they have done is to destroy their own reputation.
I mean a blue Tent in someone’s garden! Just what were they expecting to find? Magic beans. the end of a rainbow, a crock of gold?
When it comes to analysing accounts. Jesus, a second year accounting student could do this, but no it drags on as Police Scotland’s reputation goes down the stank.
Operation Branchform, really.. I am available for arrest and have space for a large blue tent should you require one.
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… but we have learnt that this ”investigation” was too complex for Police Scotland to handle on their own , so they brought in ”experts” from south of the border to hold their hands and show them how it was to be done .
Next it will be the Teenage Mutant Turtles being drafted in to help – no , I don’t mean Damn Jackie Baillie amd Sandy Gulhane !
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I’m not sure PS could avoid being perceived as to blame for this business being dragged out, they are trapped by procedures and protocols with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, only when they can decide the investigation is over is the CC told what may be said.
Reading between the lines of Iain Livingstone’s last public statement, I got the impression he was frustrated by PS being unable to draw a line under their role in it.
Even though I’ve every confidence in Dorothy Bain as Lord Advocate, she too can be trapped by information coming her way via channels which she cannot simply ignore.
Even if she suspects the purpose is to cause delay, every t must be crossed etc., to ensure nothing can be challenged later, so it’s essentially lawyers gaming the system.
I’ve read many a comment on English forums since this kicked off in the media, that all of it is an establishment stitch-up – NONE view it as other than mendacious political theatre, and they ain’t happy about it either.
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