Sturgeon deleted ALL WhatsApp messages

[GintyMcGinty]

I don’t know why but even after everything I am actually still shocked by Sturgeon

It’s the holier than thou whilst all along she was just plain lying (and maybe thriving). She’s right up there with Boris on pure scummerry .

UK Covid inquiry: Nicola Sturgeon's Covid WhatsApp messages 'all deleted' www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-68032233

It is insane that you are allowed to conduct government business over non-government comms channels. THAT’S the scandal.

You conduct government business, you do it on channels where your messages are kept. You want secrecy or discretion? Meet in person.

These are the exact conditions governments impose on industries like banking.

It is NOT OK to conduct official government comms over informal channels. They are making life and death decisions, if governments and regulators insist that it is right and proper that all comms are recoverable for other industries it is SURELY the same for them?

Perhaps it might have been helpful to read her statement before commenting:

Statement re UK Covid Inquiry:

I do not intend to give a running commentary on the ongoing Inquiry. Instead, out of respect to all those impacted by the pandemic, I will answer questions directly and openly when I give evidence at the end of this month

However, in light of recent coverage, there are certain points I feel it important to make clear.

Contrary to the impression given in some coverage, the Inquiry does have messages between me and those I most regularly communicated with through informal means.

Although these had not been retained on my own device, I was able to obtain copies which I submitted to the Inquiry last year.

To be clear, I conducted the Covid response through formal processes from my office in St Andrews House, not through WhatsApp or any other informal messaging platform. I was not a member of any WhatsApp groups. The number of people I communicated with through informal messaging at all was limited.

Also, any handwritten notes made by me were passed to my private office to be dealt with and recorded as appropriate.

Throughout the entire process, I acted in line with Scottish Government policy.

I did my level best to lead Scotland through the pandemic as safely as possible - and shared my thinking with the country on a daily basis. I did not get every decision right - far from it - but I was motivated only, and at all times, by the determination to keep people as safe as possible.

So, it would seem that although her WhatsApp was cleared there was a centralised collection of data which was shared with the Inquiry team. The devil, as they say, is in the detail.

Her statement means nothing obviously. It’s not for her to decide what messages the inquiry ought to see, it’s got the inquiry. She knew that but deleted them anyway, like the vile, corrupt person she is. Her words mean nothing when she lies, lies and lies again.

But she has still admitted to deleting all her messages and has obtained some messages from other accounts which will suit her agenda…no doubt a chosen selection which will show her in a good light and also nothing embarrassing.

Knowing the fall out and flack she would face for deleting messages and not keeping minutes, she did so anyway. So deleting them must have been “less incriminating” than what was in them. If I had to hazard a guess I’d say lots of chat about being different from London/ Tories and making political capital off the pandemic.

Nicola Sturgeon ,on Sky News with Sophy Ridge, October 11 th 2020 , read messages between herself and Alex Salmond so she does / did use WhatsApp for Government business . And also these ones were not routinely deleted !

She just lies. It's all lies. The rest of the SNP are no better.

It will be interesting to see the chat and info regarding the time being advised
to test people coming from hospitals into care homes and it being implemented. I understand several weeks .
Snp politicised the epidemic , don’t forget Nicola had to be kept out of Cobra meetings as she couldn’t keep her mouth shut .

To be fair, I sort of know one of the people whose name came up in the WhatsApp reporting yesterday, asking about whether messages were "FOI able". He's not a nationalist. However, the comments made it clear that they did not want their chat to be seen by the public.

Also messages can be kept. DH works in transport, when there's any sort of incident which might lead to an enquiry or similar all people involved in decision making have to keep all their messages on whatsapp, imessage, teams. In case they are needed by the people doing the review into who knew what when, and why decisions were made. This is standard practice.

It is clear that the Scottish government team did not want ANYONE to be able to follow this chain of decision making around Covid. The clear conclusion is that they have something to hide.

I wiped WhatsApps, Sturgeon admits.
Ms Sturgeon admitted in person for the first time that she wiped all of her WhatsApp messages from the pandemic, meaning they could not be provided to the inquiry.

The former First Minister had to be pushed into giving a clear admission by Jamie Dawson KC, counsel to the inquiry.

She had previously deflected by claiming that all relevant information had been recorded through proper channels and that she had been advised to delete exchanges.

“I didn’t retain them in line with the procedure I’ve already talked about,” she told Mr Dawson. “I think deletion, forgive me sounds as if it was a sort of, you know, not bothering to check any information was being retained.

“I was very thorough in not just in the pandemic but in all my work in government to ensure that things were appropriately recorded.”

Mr Dawson then asked: “But did you delete them?”

“Yes,” she replied.

When questioned in the salmond investigation she was able to quickly locate WhatsApp's from 3 years previous.

So deletion or 'not retaining' as she prefers is a new thing for her.

Oh it’s such obvious control - have discussions on WhatsApp, delete and record a wiped version of the palatable bits of the debate and the decision.

I’ve been watching clips today via Twitter-her body and facial language says an awful lot-mainly that she’s absolutely raging to be questioned so forensically. Long may it continue

What about the WhatsApps where here and liz Lloyd are discussing what restrictions to bring in? Is that not covid decision making over WhatsApp?

Ive never deleted a WhatsApp in my life. Wouldn’t know how to.

Sturgeon and other SNP politicians are so sanctimonious that it drives me mad. People on the left really do think they're morally superior. And because of that, they seem to think they can do no wrong. You see the same attitude in left-wing comedians. Frankie Boyle has said, and Russell Brand has actually done, some utterly vile things, but because they're left-wing somehow it's OK and doesn't count.

It’s not an accident. The psychology of what attracts (some) people to the left is the very idea of its moral virtue and the currency it gives them to occupy the bully pulpit.

300 years ago the same people would have been hyper religious, the enforcer / zealot caste for the local church.

The right obviously has its own pathologies but the left is really blind to its own brand of zealotry.

Just checked my management team WA - they start 19/03/2020 and no-one has left the group or deleted any comments. No real business decisions made on there but still form company records and need to be retained until our data protection and retention of information policy advises they should be deleted.

I’m English (living in England). During Covid it felt like such a contrast of the shitshow that was BJ and cabinet and the calm in Scotland. Not sure how to feel now. that I know same WhatsApp back of a fag packet was happening there as well.

Even though it doesn’t affect me it feels more of a let down i had some hope that at least politics in part of the UK was doing and had done their best (possibly hampered by BJ lot). Maybe Wales or NI?

Interesting email from Swinney who was concerned about putting Spain on the “ not safe “ destination in case it jeopardised an independent Scotland rejoining the EU .

Sorry - slight detour from WhatsApp

Scotland faired no better in terms of Covid cases and deaths, and in fact should have done a lot better as it's much less densely populated.
It was only the oratory which was better.

Electio7899

"the fact that the tories and their advisors didn’t have a pre bedtime ‘delete all’ routine shows their lack of communications expertise, it’s been to the inquiry’s benefit - all we’ll get from the Scotland part is whatever the SNP think the public want to hear now."

That's probably because they were too pissed from all the parties to remember!

@JadeandGreen quite true - choosing between a bunch of slapdash and arrogant drunkards or a party so cynical that control of the presentation is the whole game…choices, choices 😂

Definitely not Wales. I await our enquiry with interest. Our FM Mark Drakeford ordered the cordoning off off books in supermarkets during the pandemic. He's a big fan of Sturgeon and he must be quaking in his boots now. He's stepping down next month, no wonder, someone else will be taking the flak.

This is how Nicola fools everyone. You need to look at the deeds, not the words she wants you to hear.

Behind the consummate politician facade the reality is somewhat different.