SNP Treasurer quits over lack of transparency in party finances

[MiladyBerserko]

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/da748772-c0bd-11eb-975b-15a4f2dfe5d9?shareToken

The SNP also hold the purse strings to the entire Scottish Government budget. Am I being foolish to think that this might be of concern, and to wonder why it is not front page news in the Scottish press?

@ElephantOfRisk

Because they are the realistic alternative. They are the only thing close to an opposition in Scotland and are likely to be in power in the UK for the foreseeable.

Nonsense, there is far more likely to be a shift in the UK government before there is one in Scotland and the biggest impact on peoples' day to day lives is in the gift of the SNP and has been for 14 years.

No-one has any idea what a Tory rule in Scotland would look like and if fact, any shift from the SNP is likely to result in a coalition which is how the set up was expected to be. So no party other than the SNP would really have the same level of power.

What on earth makes you think there's likely to be a shift in the UK? The Tories are climbing in the polls literally no matter what they do or no matter what new sleaze and corruption transpires.

I think it's pretty clear what Tory governance in Scotland would look like given that they are a self proclaimed regional branch office of their Westminster counterparts.

What on earth makes you think there's likely to be a shift in the UK? The Tories are climbing in the polls literally no matter what they do or no matter what new sleaze and corruption transpires.

Did you really type that? Substitute Tories for SNP and you have it right on the money. The UK vote shifts more often.

Not sure what you are talking about a branch office, do the SNP MPs operate as a branch office of the SNP in Scotland or is it the other way round?

@forfucksakenett

I think it's a situation that is unravelling in front of us so I will wait to see what the actual story is. At this point there is a lot of speculation and very few facts. It's certainly of interest.

There are facts though, the money doesn't appear in their published accounts and people have resigned over it.

@ElephantOfRisk

What on earth makes you think there's likely to be a shift in the UK? The Tories are climbing in the polls literally no matter what they do or no matter what new sleaze and corruption transpires.

Did you really type that? Substitute Tories for SNP and you have it right on the money. The UK vote shifts more often.

Not sure what you are talking about a branch office, do the SNP MPs operate as a branch office of the SNP in Scotland or is it the other way round?

Yes I actually did just type that.

People have resigned. Nobody has actually said clearly why though have they?

Not sure what you are talking about a branch office, do the SNP MPs operate as a branch office of the SNP in Scotland or is it the other way round?

I think it's very clear what I'm talking about. The Tories in Scotland are an extension of the Tories in Westminster. They will do exactly as they are told so it isn't hard to see what Tory rule in Scotland would look like.

I would imagine the SNP MPs are a branch office of the SNP in Scotland given NS is the party leader and the ultimate aim is Scottish independence.

@forfucksakenett

People have resigned. Nobody has actually said clearly why though have they?

Well yes they have:

➡️ three members of SNP Finance & Audit committee citing lack of access to books
➡️ SNP national treasurer resigned citing inability to fulfil his fiduciary obligations amid lack of transparency
➡️ Joanna Cherry resigned from NEC of SNP citing opposition to greater transparency

I think it's very clear what I'm talking about. The Tories in Scotland are an extension of the Tories in Westminster. They will do exactly as they are told so it isn't hard to see what Tory rule in Scotland would look like

Well no it wouldn't, because the SNP are the only party ever to have had such a majority in the SP. Ultimately if the voting share switched away from the SNP it wouldn't deliver a tory party in charge and ruled by Westminster. It's nonsense to suggest it will and that that scenario is more likely than the Tories being out of power in Westminster.

We've been here before though haven't we. Lots of angry bitter people on these threads promising great scandal and lies about to revealed and then nothing but damp squibs.

I'm actually not saying the money isn't missing - i genuinely don't know - but I'm waiting for the full story. These people have other axes to grind that somewhat colours their resignations. We shall see soon enough.

What other axes?

@ElephantOfRisk

I think it's very clear what I'm talking about. The Tories in Scotland are an extension of the Tories in Westminster. They will do exactly as they are told so it isn't hard to see what Tory rule in Scotland would look like

Well no it wouldn't, because the SNP are the only party ever to have had such a majority in the SP. Ultimately if the voting share switched away from the SNP it wouldn't deliver a tory party in charge and ruled by Westminster. It's nonsense to suggest it will and that that scenario is more likely than the Tories being out of power in Westminster.

Eh?

So you're allowed to talk about hypothetical situations but I'm not? Feel free to let me know the rules for posting in advance next time 👍🏻

Well Joanna Cherry is fairly obvious.
Rumours that both Biagi and Chapman aren't generally happy with NS handling of independence. There was chat of Chapman defecting to Alba at one point. It's generally felt she isn't handling it well and isn't pushing for it strongly enough.

Their reasons for resignation are deliberately vague. As I've said, I'll be very interested to see what comes of it all.

@Babdoc

Makes you wonder what the SNP would actually have to do before their deluded supporters would finally ditch them? How much further do they need to sink? They’ve already made a mess of education, policing, the economy, health, drug deaths, the ferries, the care homes scandal, agricultural subsidies, business decisions re Prestwick airport and the steel fiasco, throwing women’s rights under the bus to allow male rapists into women’s prisons and threatening to arrest women for “hate crime” for saying we don’t want penises in female changing rooms. I suppose possible fraud, deception and lack of accountability are just par for the course with this vile party, whose only objective is to tear the UK apart.

^This As evidenced by @forfucksakenett

Nothing will come of it - everyone knows that.

@boobashka ditch them to support who? The Tories?

So you're allowed to talk about hypothetical situations but I'm not? Feel free to let me know the rules for posting in advance next time 👍🏻

You are allowed to talk about hypothetical situations, I'm not the thread police. But there is hypothetical and there is complete nonsense and I'm also allowed to call that out.

The reasons for their resignations aren't vague - they announced what they were - I agree there might be more to it but they have put on the public record what their issue is.

Makes you wonder what the SNP would actually have to do before their deluded supporters would finally ditch them?

As an independence supporter who is horrified by what has been going on, I think the die hards are prepared to overlook everything, or believe that it is lies, in their determination to get independence.
They don't seem to realise that they'll never persuade enough people to vote Yes, with the way things are going.

I don't believe those people would resign for reasons which they are choosing to hide.
If they are doing it because they believe progress towards independence should be speedier, they would say so.

@SengaMac

Makes you wonder what the SNP would actually have to do before their deluded supporters would finally ditch them?

As an independence supporter who is horrified by what has been going on, I think the die hards are prepared to overlook everything, or believe that it is lies, in their determination to get independence.
They don't seem to realise that they'll never persuade enough people to vote Yes, with the way things are going.

I think that there is definitely an element of this. I also think there is an element of comparison with our government down south. People find it hard to get worked up about corruption when it is so ubiquitous and so insidious. I'm not saying that that's right btw. The only party which seems to be doing everything right (recently) is Labour and nobody is interested. It's fucking bizarre.

@SengaMac

I don't believe those people would resign for reasons which they are choosing to hide. If they are doing it because they believe progress towards independence should be speedier, they would say so.

I didn't say that's why they resigned I said they had other axes to grind as well.

It’s not bizarre at all - it’s nationalist identity politics in full flow both north and south of the border.

Saw a tweet saying they’re going to refund money to people who claim it back? Sounds strange!

@WouldBeGood

Saw a tweet saying they’re going to refund money to people who claim it back? Sounds strange!

Do you have a link for that?

I struggle to link without linking it to my Twitter account @forfucksakenett but I’ll see if I can find it and post a pic

Here’s a screenshot. Some other chat about claiming donations back. I have no idea of the veracity of any of this, just more in the mix