Salmond v Sturgeon round 4. What next?

[Cismyfatarse]

New thread.

@StatisticallyChallenged

I get the sense, from the legal docs, of two very experienced lawyers just being given the utter runaround

Presumably lawyers that we they were paying to give them advice?

So lets employ mushroom management tactics on the people we are paying to help...

Just as well we have money to burn.

The "plough on regardless" advice was on 17th, 2 days before the commission & diligence process started & was perhaps the point where the ministerial code really should have kicked in, in earnest - not least given the absolutely ridiculous cost involved in that one action alone. The advice was targeted to the law officers specifically to try and get them to get the FM & her government to see sense. But they allowed that to go ahead knowing their case was absolutely screwed & had been for some time.

This is I think where the committee can absolutely nail her on the ministerial code breach, and I'd also expect the separate ministerial code investigation to cover that as well. She signed off on a pointless exercise costing £££££s which could have been avoided. On that basis alone, she should resign.

There is no way, even if she is found to have breached the code, that she is going to resign. I think that was clear from FMQs.

@WaxOnFeckOff

There is no way, even if she is found to have breached the code, that she is going to resign. I think that was clear from FMQs.

Concur. She's decided she's taking it to the people - that was very apparent from her responses in FMQ

yeah she knows the faithful will vote SNP no matter what cause all that matters is our freeeeedom

So basically no intergrity then.

If she is still in post come the election and if they get the most votes, whether it's a majority or not, she will take that as a mandate for staying on and brushing all the shite under the carpet. That carpet has been named as a new Munro as it is now over 3000 feet high.

We can’t have any government in the Scottish Parliament no matter whether SNP , Tory whatever operating in this fashion . I can’t believe people are defending the actions of Nicola Sturgeon.

Damn. Have confused myself, will ask for that post to be deleted.

Good point @Happinessisawarmcervix. It can be hard to read around the redactions as you have no idea how long they are so you might be right about it being Ms B not JM.

I think the original incident being reopened was actually one of the issues raised either in the judicial review or at least by Salmond at an earlier stage. Easy to lose track, the man complained a lot!

Ah, I think I had a penny drop moment. Think I'll get that post deleted.

😬

I agree that she should resign but won't.

I think her 'team' are calculating that there just isn't enough time for any real action to be taken at this point, and she'll get to scrape through & claim approval off the back of the election victory.

The stalling, obstruction & obfuscation tactics have just about got her over the line.

Why so sure there will be an election victory?

.

(Parking here and will try note to disturb you all but fascinating reading. Not least the odd person desperate to deflect from what NS has done. Blinkered voter or what!)

Place marking in anticipation of Novembers documentation being released. Especially the 13th November.

@noego

Place marking in anticipation of Novembers documentation being released. Especially the 13th November.

Well they've at least found the 11th month now - was beginning to the think ScotGov had some magic calendar where 2018 just skipped it entirely!

I'm wondering how long it'll be before Roddy Dunlop QC loses it on twitter & posts up the minutes from the 13th Nov meeting. 😁 unlikely I know!

It must be driving him & his co-counsel nuts to have this all dragged out to this extent.

Short sharp shock is what's needed!

Roddy Dunlop comes out this pretty well, I think. He did his duty to his client and warned them of the risks. As a lawyer you always want your client to have the best outcome and you have to steer them to reality rather than have them in a bad position publicly.

That email of his showed his attempt to force the issue, politely. Best outcome in law is often very far best outcome politically. You can't posh courts like you can the electorate because judges are obliged to scrutinise.

I agree, I think the legal team are the only ones in this farce that actually seem to have done their job to the best of their ability without shadiness.

A lawyer in Roddy Dunlop's position and with his sagacity would have known that he had be very careful. If you earn your bread on your integrity, you must do it. Next week he could get a brief that said act against the Scottish Government!

Sturgeon can be vindicated by the electorate. But Dunlop, if he had been foolish enough not to do his duty, could have found his reputation seriously damaged - though that problem would seem to be hanging around the Lord Advocate....

I agree, he dealt with what must've been a deeply frustrating & professionally embarrassing situation with the utmost professionalism.

Most clients don't have the weighty legal expertise of the Lord Advocate to help steer them through matters. It does beg the question, why he allowed matters to proceed. The QC sent him a separate, specific note, appealing to him to get the government (of which he's part & supposed to ensure doesn't act unlawfully) to see sense.

The legal communications are amazing. Very unusual. What a waste of public money.

Watching here to see what happens next.

Oh dear

It just gets worse!