The new Scottish ALBA party - led by Salmond announced just now. Wowzer ‼️

I would certainly not describe Scots as particularly dour, at least, not the ones I have met. It is more making a judgement from afar on how the leaders and members of the SNP come across in the media and in interviews.

It is worth remembering that many a person of impeccable rectitude in public has been found to have a private life that is anything but.

No one could reasonably describe Salmond as being holier than thou if they have followed his career. However, I will add seeming to be self satisfied and virtuous to the list of undesirable qualities in a politician. Now who to vote for?

I'm not sure what your comment to me means M0nica so apologies if I have misinterpreted it. You are entitled to say you think all SNP representatives are smugly self satisfied and I am entitled to say that I don't agree with you that they are.

As for John Knox and Presbyterianism. Well John Knox hasn't been around for 450 years or so, so I think we've moved on a bit. I'm also wondering if there are any Presbyterians on GN that would like to comment on whether they consider themselves to have the monopoly of virtue?

It does tar every inhabitant of the country with the "dour Scot" epithet so I'm going to disagree with you there as well. Or is it just the SNP ones who are displaying these Holy Willie tendencies?

To be honest I have little interest in Scottish politics, but despite this, these are the feelings I get when they do heave into my vision.

Surely a reference to John Knox and presbyterianism would be seen as a reference to Scottish culture and will affect anyone living in the country.

mollygo No, I stick by every sentence in my last post.

Alegrias just because someone accuses you of something doesn't mean that they are, or are anywhere near correct and may be expressing an opion shared by no one or very few. It is the tyranny of the minority.

M0nica, much better to stick with your first sentence.
As Alegrias1 says, we’re all free to like or dislike politicians; that’s unarguable or I’d actually say, inarguable.

We're all free to like or dislike politicians M0nica so I won't argue with you, of course.

But I do take a bit of issue with the comment that all SNP MPs and MSPs seem to emanate it. Two that spring to mid that certainly don't are Phillipa Whitford and Pete Wishart. Known as "Angry Pete" in our house. On any other thread the reference to Presbyterianism might get you a warning for racism. I got told off for saying the Auld Alliance made the English nervous

Petra I think it is her air of smug self-satisfaction and belief that she has a monopoly of virtue. It seems to be a general SNP problem, All their MPs and such few SMPs as I have seen all seem to emanate it. Perhaps the long hand of John Knox and Scottish presbyterianism still influences them.

There are some charmers there. not.

Someone once told me she didn't like NS or AS because of their accents.
A great example of political reasoning.

While we're waiting to find out why people dislike Nicola, here's a brief interlude.

Alex Arthur, Alba candidate for Lothian, tweeted last year that Romanian beggars in Edinburgh were like "big juicy over fed pigs!" (his exclamation mark) . Later he tweeted he doesn't need the vaccine because he's only 40 and not fat or unhealthy.

Dr Jim Walker, candidate for Central Scotland, had to apologise after calling Nicola Sturgeon a "cow" on Twitter.

Oh, its all going so well.

M0nica

Whoever did what to who, I am not that bothered, but watching two of the holiest of the holier than thou in the SNP
falling off their pedestals and scrapping in the gutter helps to cheer up a very dull news world.

This is a genuine question M0nica as I am, and have been for some time, puzzled by the reactions to Nicola Sturgeon.

You are not alone in disliking her but any time I ask people why they dislike her I can't get a clear answer, so - what is about her you dislike? It seems to go beyond her politics.

An interesting and detailed report, Alegrias but I suspect that those whose minds are already made up will not read it right through.

Whoever did what to who, I am not that bothered, but watching two of the holiest of the holier than thou in the SNP
falling off their pedestals and scrapping in the gutter helps to cheer up a very dull news world.

Like I said, repeating it doesn't make it true.

www.gov.scot/publications/independent-report-by-james-hamilton-on-the-first-ministers-self-referral-under-the-scottish-ministerial-code/

The independent Hamilton report didn't clear Nicola. He wrote that if any parts were redacted then it would not be true and accurate. Guess what? Parts were redacted.
I'm not going to bother writing more on this. It already feels like yesterday's dirty washing. Meanwhile she's making all sorts of promises to do things that she had the chance to do over the past 14 years but didn't. Last elections promises not kept so why believe this lot.

Right then....

Nicola cleared of breaking the ministerial code by independent lawyer so no, she didn't mislead parliament and keeping on repeating it doesn't make it true.

If you vote for Alba you are not voting SNP. They are different parties. Its really not that hard to understand.

Supporting independence is not the same as voting SNP.

I think Nicola knows her fan base is shrinking. Not for independence but because she misled parliament. Or didn’t, depending on who you listen to. The Alba Party gives Scots the opportunity to vote SNP still whilst giving a snub to Nicola I think.

Sorry, but why do we think Nicola was out to get Salmond? Given that he had resigned as FM in 2014, and lost his parliamentary seat in 2017? And that he was hosting a tawdry talk show on RT?

I suppose she might have been thinking that he wanted to come back into politics because he thinks nobody can do it like him. So we think that she was frightened of him taking over the SNP again? So much so that she was willing to make unfounded claims about him and get him framed?

I say again, jeezy peeps.....

Sturgeon was out to get Salmond

Jeezy peeps, as they say up here.

Wrong way round M0nica

But not in the circumstances covered in Petra's post. Sturgeon was out to get Salmond, Why I do not know, I am not that interested in Scottish politics.

His libidinous behaviour played into her hands. But she was out to get him whether he had behaved in this reprehensible way or not.

I am afraid that Salmonds sex is very relevant in the discussion.

Petera women do lose their jobs quite justifiably, whether their opponent is a man or not.

In this case I think both are unpleasant people, who will sink to any level to do a rival down and who ever wins or loses, and who can tell the difference, the gender of the protagionist will be irrelevant.

As Sturgeon's memory seems to have come back re Salmond there are jokes running that the committee should be reconvened.
Scotland: downhill all the way with SNP!

"They are both very dodgy and best avoided"

I'm sorry Aveline, but until we see any evidence that Sturgeon knew and did not act we cannot act that way.

It would be a further tragedy if we saw a woman, once more, taking responsibility and losing her job because of a man's bad behaviour.

FarNorth

^Choice of Alba is interesting, associations with "whiteness" of course.^
I don't think anyone in Scotland would make that association - it's the Gaelic name for Scotland.

And if anyone objects they should, also object to Albion for exactly the same reason.

Squiffy

Alegrias1

Crossed post Petera . But mine has a video

That could go on the Oneupmanship thread!

Not at all, I'm just an amateur here. Listen to Alegrias1