SNP shenanigans continued…

[TheBelmont]

A follow on to…
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/scotsnet/4778465-sturgeons-husband-arrested

Thought I’d get a new thread going as we are perilously close to filling the last and I for one am enjoying watching events unfold in your good company!

buckle up…it’s gonna be a bumpy ride….😁

At 20.49 in particular!

The biggest disgrace in all this complete scandal is that the SNP seem to think it’s ok for them to still be in government!
If there was even a hint of decency among them there should be an election. After all, it would be the Will of the Scottish people to toss them out on their ears … she says hopefully!

Which came first; the chicken or the egg? If you want to centralise power you surround yourself with people unwilling and unable to challenge it.

Thanks for the new thread - sitting waiting on tomorrow's episode.

@LongWhiteCar that is a very good point.

wingsoverscotland.com/officially-missing-you/

Scotgov have finally admitted what we all know. No indyref2 in October. 🤭

Thanks for the new thread.

at first through this I was admittedly lolling at the state of it all but now I’m actually horrified

is there more to come?

Wait…what’s this? disagreement between the comrades? I didn’t think that was allowed…now chief mammy is out the way the kids are squabbling.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-65389829.amp

Do we think Sturgeon will be arrested?

Well her little public appearance yesterday was interesting. My gut reaction was that she’d been given the all clear and so thought it was safe to be out in public again…but…then I put on my “what would you do as a corrupt minister?” shoes on and concluded that it was an attempt to garner more support and sympathy before the inevitable arrest….getting in her side first “I wish I could tell my story but I’m not allowed” will lead gullible people to think there IS a perfectly acceptable story that the big bad police are not letting her share.
so in conclusion…I think it’s coming and I think it’s coming soon.

If she does go to jail, I hope to god there's a really butch transwoman or two, or three, in the same prison. Sadly, she may still get away with it.

her being arrested would just be brilliant. I bet revolting Salmond is feeling smug right now.

They really are all such revolting people.

I think her arrest will be early next week. Two weeks between the last two arrests.

My other though is its one thing taking them in for questioning and giving them a good grilling, are they actually going to press charges?

Is the whole thing going to end up in court? With all the details coming out?
That's when it will be fun to sit back with the popcorn 🍿

On the auditor question, I was surprised to find out that the Johnston Carmichael as the largest accountancy firm in Scotland doesn’t even hit the UK top 30.

https://www.accountancytoday.co.uk/top-30-accountancy-firms-uk-2021-2022/
Bodes well for an independent Scotland :/

I suspect the electoral commission will appoint one of the big 4 and then the game is a bogey. There is no way they would risk reputational damage by issuing anything other than a qualified opinion.

I don't know much about accounts or audits, but if the deadline of 31 May is reached somehow, will the accounts still be revealing? If the deadline is not met, what does that mean for the SNP's future, putting candidates forward etc? Its all a bit confusing re: the rules. Can someone explain?

I think it will come down to that too.
I can't imagine any Accountants wanting to take it on AND go through the books with a fine tooth comb while they are fighting the clock.

The accounts need to be submitted my end of May, realistically that's 4 weeks. That'd not a long time to be able to do it when you consider the police have had people working on the same books for months.

Just a mad parallel thought, NS seems to think everyone should get free stuff, baby boxes, bikes, etc is it an extension of an entitlement to free stuff?

@storminamooncup it means they loose £1.2m in funding.

That's means no chance of Murrell getting his loan repaid. But it also means no funding for their HQ or the staff that goes with it.
It will reduce their advertising ability ie where does the money come from to pay for it.

The MPs / MSPs get their salary from government and I think they pay a fee / subscription to their party and they fund their own offices.

I don't know how it affects putting candidates forward - but would you want to represent a party who's leaders are guilty of fraud?
I think a few of them are sitting tight, loyal to the core, can't really believe what they are seeing but getting ready to jump ship should charges be pressed.

Thanks for the explanation.
Jump ship to where though? The choices aren't that great.
Alba? Run by a slimy git but still independence focused.
Greens? Possibly - dependent on the MP/MSPs GRR position.
Labour? If they want a good chance of keeping their seat, getting re-elected, being part of the next government - yes - but no independence.
Lib Dem? again no independence
Conservative? Stranger things have happened grin
Independent? Risky, less likely to be elected.

Form a new party or Alba?
It's telling that lots of them have removed SNP logos from their twitter accounts.

They aren't stupid they'll be looking out for themselves.

I think the Westminster SNP block are separate? Not sure though. But the £1.2 million is short money at Westminster? It is not clear if the SNP had realised the implications of that until they were told by the Tories in the commons.

Yes there are two things requiring sign off by the auditors…one is the use of the short money for the Westminster SNP MPs….basically an auditor needs to say that money has been spent solely and directly in the pursuit of their role as opposition MPs…so technically this shouldn’t have anything to do with SNP MSPs. Without the short money, the Westminster mob are severely has strung. This is the auditor opinion that is due by the end of May.

The other auditor opinion required is on the SNP as a political party and how they represent their income and expenses, assets and liabilities and weather or any fraudulent activity has become apparent. This auditor opinion is due in July.

Now it makes sense for the same auditor to do both however there is a scramble going on at Westminster at the moment to find ANYONE willing to sign off the short money with an unqualified opinion as the deadline is looming and they are frankly, shitting themselves.

Sorry for the typos…you get the gist!

Thanks for that more detailed explanation 👍

Yes logically you'd use the same auditors. But who wants to take that job on.

I guess from the Auditors POV their are two risks.
1, Not being paid
2, Missing something and being blasted for missing it.

Thank you @TheBelmont it makes lots more sense now

Yes, also there is the high likelihood that it would be a qualified opinion….and that’s just a pain in the arse to deal with. Much better to be independently appointed (ie by electoral commission in which case you are working for them as opposed to the SNP and it should technically be easier to qualify the opinion).

PS I wonder if any MPs will jump ship in the run up to the end of May? If they do jump ship, does that make their job / salary safer? Will be interesting to see what people do.