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Original poster

Can someone please explain to me in laymen terms what Nicola Sturgeon is supposed to have done?

87 replies

Loopylou6 · 04/03/2021 15:08

Smile
OP posts:
TheCraicDealer · 04/03/2021 15:11

Watching!

WindowsSmindows · 04/03/2021 15:11

Watching

TheDrsDocMartens · 04/03/2021 15:13

Lied in Parliament I think.

In Westminster it’s normal but it’s Scotland and she’s a woman so the news is calling for her to be burned at the stake or something.

There’s an election coming in Scotland too.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Politics
ohfourfoxache · 04/03/2021 15:14

Watching....

helpfulperson · 04/03/2021 15:14

Hopefully someone will be along with a explanation soon because I'm struggling to work it out.

PelvicFloorTrauma · 04/03/2021 15:16

Nice minimising DocMartens.

CayrolBaaaskin · 04/03/2021 15:19

Broadly said she found out about the Alex Salmond issue a few days later than she did.

MrsTerryPratchett · 04/03/2021 15:20

@PelvicFloorTrauma

Nice minimising DocMartens.
But don't bother explaining... Hmm
MythicalBiologicalFennel · 04/03/2021 15:23

Broadly said she found out about the Alex Salmond issue a few days later than she did

Oh right. Ok...

sashagabadon · 04/03/2021 15:24

My take is that whenNS found out about the women complaining about Alex salmon behaviour she had an unofficial pre meeting meeting with Alex and her husband to discuss strategy and at this meeting gave Alex the nod that she would try and make it go away. She has since denied this pre meeting meeting took place. At a subsequent official meeting 3 days later with Alex she said she could not / would not get involved and would let due process take place. Hence Alex thinks that he was thrown under the bus by Nicola and / or her husband who is CEO of the SNP.
The SNP then spent a fortune pursuing Alex through the courts which ultimately resulted in his aquittal and he claims the legal advice the SNP got was NOT to pursue him so he thinks Nicola has a vendetta against him for going against this legal advice.
I think that is it in a nutshell but happy to be corrected as I have been trying to figure it out myself Grin

springdale1 · 04/03/2021 15:28

She’s in trouble because she’s been accused of breaking ministerial code. She told parliament things in sworn statements that was proven to be false. She then changed a new policy regarding harassment to protect herself.

She’s also in trouble (with her husband and others) for putting pressure on the police to charge Alex Salmond with 13 criminal charges when there was no evidence wasting millions of pounds of tax payers money. There is evidence that people fabricated evidence against him and collided with witnesses.

The government also had to pay Alex Salmond’s costs as it broke its own guidelines when doing initial investigations. They were found to have acted unlawfully in a court case about it. In documents lawyers advise the government not to pursue the case but they decided to go against legal advice and do it anyway.

The cost of all of these different trials and enquiries is expected to hit tens of millions.

springdale1 · 04/03/2021 15:29

That should say colluded with witnesses!

QuentinWinters · 04/03/2021 15:32

The person investigating the harassment is alleged to have known one of the complainants so not objective.
The name of one of the complainants is alleged to have been given to Alec Salmonds chief of staff in a breach of confidentiality.
The case took a while to be dropped after the government was advised it was likely to lose.
Some are also saying the complaints were taken further than the components wanted.

Alec Salmond claims this is because the whole thing was set up to "get him" and it was a conspiracy

Nicola Sturgeon says it was a combination of cock ups and slow complicated government processes

Its all a bit playground TBH, as obviously the opposition will seize on an opportunity to make the government look stupid

dancemom · 04/03/2021 15:33

Several posts on this running in Scotsnet but she's being accused of breaking ministerial code on multiple counts.

She denies this.

AnneLovesGilbert · 04/03/2021 15:34

Thanks OP and thank you @springdale1 for that excellent and helpful post.

beguilingeyes · 04/03/2021 15:34

I am a receptionist and BBC News is on the TV opposite me all day. The coverage this has been given is ridiculous.

Where is the censure for Boris Johnson lying through his teeth to parliament on a regular basis, unlawfully proroguing Parliament and Matt Hancock giving millions to all of his mates?

MrsTerryPratchett · 04/03/2021 15:37

So basically a man is accused of harassing women and the only person who is likely to be punished is a woman? Is that right?

While her male colleagues to the South lie, cheat, steal and break the law with utter impunity.

I'm biased though, I like NS.

QuentinWinters · 04/03/2021 15:40

Where is the censure for Boris Johnson lying through his teeth to parliament on a regular basis, unlawfully proroguing Parliament and Matt Hancock giving millions to all of his mates?
Quite. Loads about whether or not NS broke the code, whether she should resign. While S of the border we have a government where the home Secretary was proven to have broken the ministerial code, but there's no issue. Its ridiculous.
And I agree mrstp the whole thing is dripping misogyny.

Mrstwiddle · 04/03/2021 15:40

Other posters have explained it better than I could.

I originally though it was a fairly innocuous possible mistake. Having spent hours reading upon it and watching Scottish parliament, I’m astounded she has not resigned/sacked.

Essentially, it seems that she was prepared to at the very least, allow an innocent man to be sent to prison.

PenguinIce · 04/03/2021 15:41

Totally off the point but you have to admire her work ethic. Fighting a pandemic; drumming up support for independence; allegedly plotting against ex-colleagues.....the woman doesn’t stop!

Mrstwiddle · 04/03/2021 15:43

And I would be in the same state of shock had it been a man who had acted in the same way :)

DareIask · 04/03/2021 15:49

That's useful @springdale1 thank you.

If it's been proved that she's done all that then she should go.

That Boris and Co are as corrupt isn't a defence imo... their wrong doesn't balance out hers. Plus they haven't been through a court process. Yet.

Graffitiqueen · 04/03/2021 15:52

@Mrstwiddle

Other posters have explained it better than I could.

I originally though it was a fairly innocuous possible mistake. Having spent hours reading upon it and watching Scottish parliament, I’m astounded she has not resigned/sacked.

Essentially, it seems that she was prepared to at the very least, allow an innocent man to be sent to prison.

Exactly. On the face of it folk are trying to dismiss this as just her mixing up/forgetting a date.

It's what happened in between those dates that's important.

Essentially they hurriedly set up an extremely flawed retrospective process designed to ensnare AS AFTER she knew about complaints. Hence AS won his judicial review in it being unfair.

Just to clarify, I think AS is a sleaze and behaved dreadfully inappropriately.

What NS did failed the women who complained and failed those who now will be less likely to feel comfortable complaining.

A shedload of money was also wasted against legal advice.

NS has repeatedly lied to parliament about all of this.

QuentinWinters · 04/03/2021 15:55

Great article hanah