The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily, finishing in 14 days, to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson

By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS

In the Guardian yesterday:

Elected politicians who deliberately lie could be forced from office under proposals designed to put Wales at the forefront of the “global challenge” to restore trust in politics. Radical changes suggested by the Welsh [Labour-led] parliament standards committee would also make candidates in elections liable to criminal prosecution for making any false statement to win votes.

The Welsh [Labour] government has committed to introduce “globally pioneering” legislation aimed at making lying in politics in Wales illegal by next year and asked the Senedd’s standards of conduct committee to investigate the best way of doing it. Committee members recommended strengthening the Senedd code of conduct, which applies to the behaviour of members inside and outside the parliament, and said it should explicitly state that members must not make deliberately misleading statements.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/feb/18/politicians-deliberately-lie-could-forced-from-office-wales

Where does Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour Branch, depute leader, come into this?

12 years ago:

JACKIE BAILLIE (to audience member): Now, Willie, you raised a very specific point about Council Tax. I come from a background in local government, I’ve said that already. I think the difference between Labour’s policy and the SNP’s is that we were suggesting [a freeze] for two years and that it would be fully funded-

VOICE FROM AUDIENCE: Five years!

BAILLIE: What you’ve had, what you’ve had –

VOICE: Five years!

BAILLIE: No, we said in the elec- (more shouting from audience) – trust me, I know my own manifesto (more shouting, “five in West Dunbarton”) well let me finish, Jim, let me, Jim (someone in audience says “It was two years”), Jim, you can shout at me all you like, but actually, Jim, I will be heard, just as I respect your right to be heard, but you don’t need to shout at me to do that.

VOICE: Well why don’t you tell the truth, Jackie?

BAILLIE: I always tell the truth, Jim (some laughter from audience), absolutely always tell the truth.

https://wingsoverscotland.com/jackie-baillie-is-a-liar/

3 years ago:

Jackie Baillie wheeled on to lie about boosters

Last year:

And that’s just the half of it!

Support Scots Independent, Scotland’s oldest pro-independence newspaper and host of the OBA (Oliver Brown Award) at: https://scotsindependent.scot/FWShop/shop/

The Oliver Brown Award for advancing the cause of Scotland’s self respect, previously awarded to Dr Philippa Whitford, Alex Salmond and Sean Connery: https://scotsindependent.scot/?page_id=116

About Oliver Brown, the first Scottish National Party candidate to save his deposit in a Parliamentary election: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Brow