Isles left with MP of questionable integrity, says Skene
Jim Tait
The SNP General Election candidate for the Northern Isles says the people of Shetland and Orkney have been left with “an MP of questionable integrity”.
Danus Skene’s comments came after the revelations that Alistair Carmichael lied about his involvement in the release of a memo attempting to smear Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Mr Skene, who slashed Mr Carmichael’s majority to 817, said: “It is now established that Alistair Carmichael at the beginning of April authorised the release of an unverified memo allegedly reporting that Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister, was privately keen that David Cameron should be the next Prime Minister.
“Mr Carmichael’s authorisation has been revealed after he had claimed at the time that the first he had heard of the memo’s release was from a journalist. The purpose of the release was clearly to discredit the First Minister during the election campaign.
“Mr Carmichael has now admitted responsibility for the authorisation. This amounts to an admission that he lied. He could and should have come clean at the time. This would have been before the election, and before the expenditure of time and money pursuing an enquiry to establish the truth.
“As it is, the people of Orkney and Shetland were kept in the dark by a cover-up, and find themselves to have elected an MP of questionable integrity whose standing in the Commons is fatally undermined. We in the isles cannot consider ourselves to be effectively or honourably represented.”
Mr Skene said it was “appropriate” that Mr Carmichael should be pressed by so many of his constituents to consider whether his career as MP was over.
He added: “Orkney and Shetland need and deserve effective representation. We have an extensive and distinctive agenda concerning fisheries issues, the future of renewables, transport links and the future of the oil and gas industry.
“We must also address the challenges faced across the country concerning the need to end the UK government’s failed austerity programme.
“The SNP in the isles stands ready to contest any new election to select an appropriately focussed MP of integrity.
“We will present a prospectus that seeks to promote prosperity, fairness, and good government. The isles would be most effectively represented by an MP who is part of the SNP’s dynamic new bloc of representatives at Westminster.”
iantinkler
Isles left with MP of questionable integrity, says Skene, Just think, a closet old Etonian questions integrity, I have heard it all now.
Alec Macpherson
I have no inherent problem with Old Etonians or minor aristocrats. I do have a problem with those who omit it from the SNP.org profile. Just as I do with those who try every party around, then claim to be channeling the shade of Jo Grimmond.
Skene compared to Carmichael? A molehill beside a mountain.
John Tulloch
Well, this one from Danus Skene surely takes the biscuit:
“He added: “Orkney and Shetland need and deserve effective representation. We have an extensive and distinctive agenda concerning fisheries issues, the future of renewables, transport links and the future of the oil and gas industry”
Well, Danus, if you think you’re the man to provide it, why the heck won’t you talk about some of these issues, you were challenged often enough during your campaign – education funding, for example?
How about making a start by explaining how education funding is allocated across Scotland? Once that’s out of the way, we can move on to other issues.
Suzy Jolly
” We in the isles cannot consider ourselves to be effectively or honourably represented.”
I do so hate it when a politician for whom I did not vote seems to think they represent everyone here. The SNP might be under the illusion that they have the right to speak and think for all us when the truth remains that they do not.
David Howell
Presumably you’re happy to be represented by a proven liar, in Parliament.
Perhaps many others who voted for Mr Carmichael would not be quite so “comfortable” with the deceit.
There must now be a by-election or democracy is meaningless.
Suzy Jolly
Presume much? I never said I voted for Carmichael. I don’t recall Skene ever asking me my opinion or that of every other person with voting rights in Shetland & Orkney so he has no right to use the word “we”. Now if I was as presumptious as you, then I might assume that you were deflecting away from the fact that Skene is misrepresenting the truth; had he said “I am aware of some people holding the opinion …” but he didn’t. Gosh, could one possibly presume that Skene lied too?
Helen Ilitha
“There must now be a by-election or democracy is meaningless.”
Goodness what utter hyperbole!
Sandra Bennett
Everyone is and has a Democratic right to Vote for whomever they see as fit to represent them, SNP is only one such Party. No one person can force you to vote for someone to whom you feel is not for you but when someone standing for re election has blatantly lied about a circumstance he was most decidedly involved in then has the brass neck to waste taxpayers money on a phoney enquiry, then after admitting it tells all he has forgone his severance pay. Please, £1.4 million probably a drop in the ocean for someone like him. I know given his record , he would be the last person I would want representing me .
David Gillan
You happy with a liar then? Someone who has cost us £1.4 million unessasarily! Hoping against hope to get away with this! You prefer that do you? You need to look at yourself thinking that way as you are part of the problem! Carmichael deserves the jail for this as does anyone who commits a crime!
Suzy Jolly
I don’t think the prison system could cope with ’em all, do you? Shall we start with the lies and spins put forward by politicians backing Viking Energy?
Drew leask
That £1,500,000 could have been spent quite nicely keeping a few schools in Shetland open….. Shame Alastair didn’t have the strength or honesty to save this money being wasted… Oh well as Alastair Carmichael says “these things will happen”
Gordon Harmer
Mr Skene said it was “appropriate” that Mr Carmichael should be pressed by so many of his constituents to consider whether his career as MP was over.
On this website and the Shetland News website the majority of people pressing Carmichael are not from this constituency they are residents of mainland Scotland. If by chance he means the mob who demonstrated outside an empty constituency office, if you subtract the coerced children there were 30ish some 0.005555% of the electorate.
Mr Skene goes on to say ““As it is, the people of Orkney and Shetland were kept in the dark by a cover-up”. Mr Skene the people of Shetland knew where the leak came from at the time, there were numerous commentators on this very web site laying the blame at Carmichael’s door. Another statement from an SNP candidate insinuating the electorate are stupid; far from it Mr Skene we were wise to what went on we just did not want to be represented by a party who told greater lies during the referendum campaign.
David Horton
Though not an islander I have known Danus for a number of years and have no axe to grind in affirming his integrity, his desire to work for his Community, and his willingness to put honest principles before political dogma.
John Tulloch
David Horton,
That’s what we were all led to believe when Danus Skene took on the SNP candidacy.
I initially treated Danus Skene and Mike MacKenzie with great respect however as the campaign played out the more I became aware that they were hiding something – the scandal of education under-funding in the isles.
Danus has completely evaded discussing this and Mike MacKenzie purported to be helping rural parents halt the school closures, while knowing fine well that the crisis had been precipitated by ‘systematic’ (not recognising the high cost of service provision in remote islands) under-funding of, at least, £10Mpa (25 percent of spend) under an arrangement the SNP set up with COSLA in 2008.
I’m sure you will be as disappointed to read this as I am to have to write it.
Colin Hunter
It would appear, from what we have heard, that somebody, somewhere, has been telling porkies. And that somebody has been caught bang to rights! Now, far be it from me to name names, or point fingers, as others seem fond of doing, but shall we just sit back, and contemplate in wonder and amazement, what possible good (or otherwise) could ever come out of attempting to smear somebody else, during an election campaign, when that particular somebody else, (who had already proved beyond doubt on a live tv debate was 100X smarter than somebody, somewhere) wasn’t even a candidate! And then, wasting a shed load of public money, authorising an enquiry into who did it, when somebody, somewhere, knew aready!
JK Couldn’t have made it up!
Neil Mackay
Concerning indeed that contributors choose to ridicule the man making valid comments in the article yet making no mention of the money Mr Carmichael has cost the country by refusing to admit at the beginning of the enquiry that he lied. 1.4 million pounds which could have been used elsewhere. The man clearly has no credibility yet we are expected to allow him to continue to represent us. He is a disgrace to politics.
iantinkler
The usual Cult of the SNP zealots leap, headlong, onto the bandwagon with the crusade to destroy the wicked liar. Strange is it not that they ignore the established fact that Salmond and Sturgeon are proven liars also? Come now children your hypocrisy is stunning!! why so silent when Salmond and Sturgeon lied? NB:
The French, Spanish and Belgian governments have rejected Mr Salmond’s claim in a TV interview that he has held talks with them over EU membership
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scottish-independence/11100406/Alex-Salmond-accused-of-lying-over-EU-talks.html
Salmond’s NHS claims have been shredded by the IFS http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/09/salmonds-nhs-claims-have-been-shredded-ifs
Nicola Sturgeons Lies about Naval procurement in an Independent Scotland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tSD_EpdafQ
http://www.thinkscotland.org/thinkliving/articles.html?read_full=11806
(Two minutes on google wrobin!)
David Howell
The fact that you begin your rant with the tired old mantra of “the SNP is a Cult”, rather precludes taking anything you say seriously.
The “evidence” you cite is hardly an objective viewpoint, now is it.
No doubt, to you, I will be ” just another cybernat”, however, it appears that 53% of the Scottish electorate would appear to also belong to this “cult”, as you like to disparagingly refer to them.
I merely suggest that the good people of the Orkney & Shetland Islands deserve better than to be represented by a proven liar and someone willing to indulge in dirty tricks to achieve a political aim.
Perhaps, like some others commenting here . . . your quite comfortable with a whiff of corruption. I doubt many Of Mr Carmichael’s constituents feel the same . . . particularly the ones with a conscience who voted for him BEFORE they knew about his underhand dealings and his wasting of £1.4 million.
How many schools on the Islands could that sum of money have helped?
Colin Hunter
I spent some time during the election campaign, delivering SNP leaflets around the houses in Muckle roe, Busta, and part of Brae. I would say that the reception I got, from the people who were in at the time, was largely favourable, and was reflected in the Shetland vote. It was said to me, by someone who was present at the count, that Carmichael only came ahead after the Orkney boxes were received.
Make of that what you will, but I find it odd in the extreme, that someone who once openly admitted to campaigning with Screaming Lord Sutch, and the Monster Raving Loony party, should even dare to attempt to take the moral high ground and name call Scotland’s most popular party and it’s supporters!
Johan Adamson
If we have a bi-election then we can vote for another lib dem if we want to. Presumably someone will be parachuted in?
John Tulloch
I’m not sure somebody else would be “parachuted in” for a bye election, Johan, unless Alistair Carmichael actually refused to stand again.
If he makes a ‘clean breast of it’, no justifications,mand places himself before the judgement of the electorate, he will be seen to have acted honourably, taking full responsibility for his actions by resigning, so the SNP would have nowhere to vent their faux outrage.
He could then fall back on his outstanding track record as an MP and his many achievements, most notably, the official recognition by Westminster of the very high cost of providing services in remote islands and contrast it with the SNP’s abysmal track record and the disingenuous campaign run by Danus Skene and Mike MacKenzie.
Make no mistake, Skene and MacKenzie are stuck fast on the ‘tar baby’ of education funding. They got away with it last time but they will get a real ‘kicking’ in the event of another election campaign.
Robin Stevenson
John, your comments on Danus Skene and Mike MacKenzie:
“They got away with it last time but they will get a real ‘kicking’ in the event of another election campaign”.
Erm…Ali Carmichael goes from over a 10,000 majority to just over 800?…Are you serious?…Another election? Yes please.. Put it to the people of S&O Bring it on?… 🙂
John Tulloch
Robin,
Skene and MacKenzie got clean away with it last time because Alistair Carmichael was campaigning nationally and getting himself into all kinds of ill-advised ventures and the rest were too feeble to even read the blogs and pick up the opportunity.
Education under-funding is the ‘Dynamic Duo’s ‘tar baby’. They can’t shake it off and they won’t get away scot free again, if I have to take a month to go round all the country schools myself to explain to the folk what’s been going on.
So, yes Robin, bring it on – “make my day!” 🙂
Mark Ryan Smith
Smears and leaks no doubt happen all the time in politics, but what’s so depressing about this is the fact that bad-mouthing Nicola Sturgeon was the best Carmichael could come up with. If he had a slew of great ideas about how to make a difference to people’s lives, he should have spent his time speaking about them. Instead he chose to denigrate a politician who wasn’t even standing in the election. Is that really the best he could do?
Commentators on this website laying into the SNP is never much of a surprise, but folk should keep in mind that the SNP did nothing whatsoever to provoke Carmichael’s behaviour. Tens of thousands of people voted for them because they advocated moderate alternatives to ruinous austerity policies. If the Liberals or Labour showed some evidence of similar thinking, they might not have suffered the apocalypse they did.
In a letter on the Shetland News website Jonathan Wills makes the sensible point that the standards for Secretary of State and for being an MP are the same. Carmichael says that, were he still Secretary of State, then he would step down. If he thinks his actions debar him from holding his former office, then it is logical they do the same with regards to his position as a constituency MP.
Peter Buchanan
So if I have it right , the defence offered by Alistairs supporters is that ‘the SNP have done bad things too’
Oh well , that’s ok then!
Isn’t the point that libdems are MEANT to be above such behaviour? That the reason Orkney and Shetland have a libdem tradition is because they are a FAIR people?
I simply cannot grasp that they are happy to spend the next five years being represented by a walking laughing stock.
Nor does anyone seem to understand the damage this will do to Tavish Scott next May.
What the SNP May or may not have done at any time has zero relevance to the issue at hand. That is deflection politics of the worst kind.
Alistair smeared , Alistair lied , are the people of Orkney and Shetland NOT appalled because plenty other politicians have told lies too?
Not much of a fair argument really
Your mp will spend five years as a pariah at Westminster.as a lawyer he is also in breach of the law society’s code of conduct and repercussions may ensue on that front.
iantinkler
No defense has been offered by myself, for this conduct. I am just pointing out the childish hypocrisy of the SNP et al. In the grand scheme of things it is a mater of utmost trivia, now children rant all you want. It makes not one iota of difference one way all the other. The simple fact is we have Cameron in Downing st. Salmond, Nicola and comical Ali are all disingenuous politicians and have been shown to be so. So what, the sheep will still follow, protest , rant and rave, (All animals are equal, but some lie more than others) Those sheep howling the loudest are behaving just like a religious cult, march around the Street waving your banners and flags if you must, paint your faces blue, I could do with a good laugh!!
Henry Condy
Just read this today,and I think what ever happened to honesty, Gordon goes on with his boring statistics which can be manipulated to suit any situation, Gordon Shetland is part of Scotland as is Lewis, you play both ends against the middle as regarding Shetland and Scotland, he goes on about a mob outside an empty office, this is democracy, maybe he would do away with a free press, human rights, as Cameron does, Ian the reason there was a gubbing in Scotland was all the other parties were void of any sound policies , simple as that , Cameron should never have got in, the three Amigos during the referendum, destroyed by Cameron ( they never saw it coming ) paid the price in the GE, The Snp not once mentioned a Referendum during the campaign, now I see Ian treating all the electorate as idiots, talking down to them as if they are thick, the whole point of this issue is Alistair did Wrong , He cost the electorate £1,500,000. I do not know what will happen to him, this is up to him and the powers that be. the sad thing is a good Mp, has dirtied a name he worked so hard for, a reputation amongst his constituents, respect , all gone in a moment of madness . The injured party is Truth, Trust, and Honesty
Colin Hunter
Lord Sutch indeed has an able deputy!
Susan Martin
Is comical Ali your pet name for Mr. Carmichael?
I’m afraid ,Mr. Tinkler, that the only one sounding like. a hysterical zealot in this exchange is you.
Colin Hunter
100% on that one!
Brian Smith
There’s a fox-hunting atmosphere about the campaign against Carmichael. His was a foolish ploy that was doomed to failure, no doubt the result of general election frenzy. But it is hardly by-election material. I have nothing at all against the SNP, but an election victory in these circumstances wouldn’t be much cop. The national press has already got fed up with the subject, and I recommend that local fox-hunters do so too.
Johan Adamson
General election frenzy? You mean he got a bit carried away and instead of maintaining his integrity, decided to tell a stupid lie (and be like everyone else)? Or is he just the fall guy, because they believe we will never get rid of him? Either way, how can we continue to trust this party or this man? The liberals cant be trusted in government to stick to their own policies or their ethics. I believe everyone deserves a fair trial but I think he’s already had that.
Brian Smith
It’s hardly the Zinovev letter. Calm doon.
Johan Adamson
Ive never seen so many letters and comments on here re something
Robin Stevenson
Unlike Alistair Carmichael, the fox is innocent and didn’t cost us a fortune to prove it? Along with being unelected and spectacularly failing to abide by it’s own code of conduct. 🙂
Rosa Steppanova
“The national press has already got fed up with the subject…” I guess Brian isn’t a Guardian reader:
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/may/25/pressure-grows-on-alistair-carmichael-over-anti-sturgeon-leak
Bill Adams
I take it that “the national press” you refer to is the right-wing Fleet Street media such as eg. “The Daily Telegraph” , Brian. No surprise then that they are backing off this subject, now that Camichael has been exposed for the liar that he is by the Whitehall investigation.
Brian Smith
Do you really think this stuff is politics, Bill? It isn’t, it’s kindergarten games.
Alex McKay
It’s OK, though, Mr Carmichael is entitled to lie to his constituents because he has secured them a better rate of fuel duty and a coastguard tug. Is this man serious?! He has to go.
John Tulloch
Alex,
Don’t forget Alistair Carmichael’s big achievement; official Westminster recognition of the very high costs of living and providing services faced by island councils.
If the SNP did the same, education funding and RET would cease to be issues.
And if constituents want honesty, they won’t be turning to Skene and MacKenzie for it.
Hamish Boyd
John Tulloch,
Knowing the result, surely both Orkney and Shetland would be better, more effectively represented by a Party of 57 MPs (third largest in the UK), who have a Majority Government in Hollyrood than a party of 8 MPs and only manages list MSPs….sounds like the population of the UK disagree with your choice….there is likely a good reason for this!
The lib dems record on education speaks for itself….was this not a key reason their support almost evaporated just 2-3 weeks ago?
What were the education commitments the liar Carmichael and his party were promising this time round that seems to grasped your attention? ….and with just 8 MPs what chance did he have in delivering them?
Anyway as education is devolved your question on education would be better directed at your MSP, who will be involved in influencing education policy.
I sincerely hope you end up with the best person for the job….whoever it may be.
John Tulloch
No, Hamish. Absolutely not!
What Shetland MUST RETAIN is somebody willing to negotiate an ‘opt-out’ clause, in the event of Shetlanders returning a No vote in another referendum whose overall outcome is Yes.
Jo Grimond did that in the past and Alistair Carmichael will do it again, if necessary.
Will Danus Skene do that? No, he has to do exactly as he’s told and the SNP will do everything they can to prevent such an ‘opt-out’.
That’s why they’re so desperate to win the representation in Shetland and Orkney, both.
Hamish Boyd
My mistake….The way you were banging on about education…. I’d thought you had a specific favouring of a lib dem policy!
An opt out??? …..that would be like Scotland not recognising a Tory government as we only have 1 MP. Regardless of who your MP is no one will deliver an opt out. a majority one way or the other will decide. Next time will be yes by that time Scotland will hopefully already be more fiscally autonomous, demonstrating it is more capable or governing in the interests of 99% of the population.
John Tulloch
Dream on, Hamish.
Westminster will deliver the ‘opt-out’ but only if there’s somebody from Shetland willing to accept it. That’s why Shetland and Orkney MUST maintain non-SNP representation, at all levels, from council to MSP to MP.
Shetlanders may wish to join an independent Scotland, that’s fine by me. However, until then I shall continue to argue for a ‘safety first’ approach. Given the SNP’s track record in the isles, Shetland needs to retain some leverage for negotiating back some of what has been taken away during the last 7 years, in the event of another referendum.
Ali Inkster
So hamish you think that the SSnp are wrong to demand another Scottish independence referendum should the UK vote to leave the EU but Scotland votes to remain?
Hamish Boyd
Well considering you have had a Liberal democrat MPs since 1950 and MSPs since 1999….other than them passing the buck I am unsure how you come to the conclusion that the SNPs track record has anything to do with problems in the Isles. They have only had a majority government in Scotland since 2011? Prior to which they relied on co-operation/consent from their Hollyrood colleagues.
Your MSPs in both Shetland and Orkney are good guys, who don’t seem to have sunk to the levels of AC or Willie Rennie….both seem to have followed the lead of Scottish Labour and the Scottish Tories….fixated on demonising the SNP with spin and smear tactics at every opportunity to the determent and neglect of doing anything positive or progressive. FMQs all three opposition parties asking contrived questions of the same theme, incapable of independent thought! The electorate in Scotland are a bit long in the tooth for that nonsense and deserve better.
Alistair Carmichael, caught up in a Westminster spin almost certainly talked into it by his coalition partners, possibly thought his role in this latest illegal activity was a masterstroke, sadly he has been played for a fool and will almost certainly pay a heavy price…..he’d be better resigning with a sliver of integrity than be pushed by the electorate he has disrespected when breaking the ministerial code!
When a member of parliament has admitted stooping to these levels….you can be sure there’s far worse we’ll never know about! He’s disgraced himself.
John Tulloch
Hamish,
If your conspiracy theory is right, don’t you think Carmichael’s tracks would have been covered a lot better than they were?
They were found out because Roddin used a government mobile to phone the Press – talk about leaving footprints in the snow!
Isn’t it more likely that he was out electioneering somewhere, probably tired, and was called up about this and advised by his adviser that it was the thing to do and he simply made a wrong call. Roddin must have thought it was pretty routine, too, or he would, surely, have used some other means to communicate the leak.
And if it was the UK government ‘wot done it’ to damage the SNP, don’t you think it backfired and played very much to the SNP’s advantage – look at the impact on Labour?
I mean, as it stands, this was hardly a “Francis Urquhart”-style operation, was it?
Hamish Boyd
Ali,
As far as I know the SNP haven’t said they will…but have suggested it could be a trigger for another referendum, which is understandable!
I don’t think it is right, and it will hopefully be changed prior to the vote, that if Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales vote to stay in the EU but if enough people in England vote to leave then the other three nations will be forced out….this leads us to believe there is little point in voting in it at all? Same happened at the general election only England voted conservative, yet the other 3 countries get lumbered with them. This is a major problem which demonstrates clearly the nations of the UK are very different and if the UK is to remain an entity each country requires far greater autonomy.
This EU vote is ultimately being forced on us as a result of media manipulation and a desire to pander to a political party who have grown through positive media coverage which until recently never had a single MP (but now have 1 out of 650) and no Westminster representation in Scotland, Wales or N.I. The Tories will find it difficult to reign in the bandwagonesque anti-EU sentiment their media have helped perpetuate over the last 5 years in the unthinking electorate. I think if the Tories really do want to stay their only way of making this happen will be for them to implement a rule for majorities in all 4 countries.
John Tulloch
Hamish,
The EU is extremely damaging for Shetland’s fishing industry.
What if the UK and Shetland vote against the EU but Scotland votes for it? Orkney? Western Isles? Argyll?
Shouldn’t there be majorities in every county?
Ali Inkster
So you think one part of the country voting a different way from another part of the country is reason to split the country up. Well Orkney and Shetland have consistently voted differently to the Scots so it seems it has been nice knowing you (not) but goodbye.
Hamish Boyd
The fictitious memo was designed to damage Ed Milliband’s PM chances with a kick back of discrediting the most popular party leader in the UK…..which also seems to have had an unintended consequence for AC.
I’d said above their should be majorities in all countries, the FM said the same earlier today….makes sense.
All main UK parties want to stay in the EU. You guys seem to want Independence from Scotland, remain in the UK and exit the EU and seem determined to be represented by a self confessed liar…..good luck! The fishing quotas have been used as a trade off for more desirable things to Westminster….that is what you are up against, they won’t allow Scottish government representation fighting for these quotas!
Ali, wants the one Labour part of Edinburgh, one Lib dem Orkney and Shetland and the one Tory constituency to be Independent as he seems to insinuate they are countries….the debate has officially fallen apart.
Is there really that much of a desire to be Independent from Scotland and remain a northern outpost of England?….I’ve always been led to believe there’s no real desire!
John Tulloch
Hamish,
If the SNP don’t change their attitude to and dealings with, Shetland, they will succeed in completely alienating the majority of the population i.e. the ones who voted by 62 percent to 38 percent to stay in the union and they will lose the place, forever.
The arrangement I have consistently pitched for is Faroese-style status, linked to either Scotland or the UK. The UK has forged ahead as the most willing to accommodate the concerns expressed by Our Islands, Our Future so I’m leaning to them now and the more I see of the SNP, I’m afraid, the less inclined I feel to recommend Shetland should join an independent Scotland.
The SNP is too arrogant, they think they’re the ‘streetwise’ crowd, able to ‘pull the wool’ past the Shetland ‘teuchters’ but they couldn’t be more wrong. Islanders can spot a ‘carpetbagger’ a mile off.
Robin Stevenson
Utter bunkum [as ever John], Jo Grimond was given his wish simply to encourage the relationship between Westminster and S&O, People [like yourself] have been led to believe that there is some kind of magical relationship between both, sadly you naively miss the whole Westminster reasoning for such a deal? To exclude Scotland in the cosy relationship you [and others] will look towards your good good [and sincere] friends in Westminster, WHY?….Simple, they gave you what they refused to give Scotland, an oil fund.
You are now grateful and beholden to Westminster, win win, and when it comes to any future possibility of an independent Scotland, who do you think the [grateful S&O will vote for? …The Evil Scottish government, OR yer best pals in London?…Played like an old fiddle springs to mind. 🙂
John Tulloch
Robin,
As I have explained many times, the SNP have made their own bed of nails in the islands and thereon you must now repose.
Robin Stevenson
Did it ever occur you John, as Hamish points out, that the SNP Scottish government have only had a majority government for the last 4 years, and yet, you hold them responsible for EVERY problem throughout S&O [including the historic £40 Million since 1971]?…. You’d have thought, having voted in the Lib Dems for the last 65 years, they’d have at least managed to have sorted some if not ALL of S&Os problems by now? especially having been in power in Westminster for the last 5 years?
John Tulloch
Nice try, Robin, but the readers have seen the answers to your silly point before so I’ll spare them from having to endure it again. If you’re that interested you can always look back at my previous replies.
iatinkler
Now which Muppet started the story the inquiry cost £1.4 million, was that an SNP smear or a Tories issuing a leak. Someone tell me who made that figure up.
Gordon Harmer
The video of Salmond making his claim about David Mundell, before Robin contradicts me.
https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/589812/video-people-voted-carmichael-false-pretences-hes-deep-trouble-says-salmond/
Robin Tremmel
Forgive me for commenting as a mainlander-
A comment was made that the story was now forgotten about in the Scottish Press-that’s wishful thinking-This story is just warming up.I would eat my hat if there was not a bye election soon 🙂 Heard that before somewhere..
Robin Stevenson
Indeed you did Robin, Ole Paddy when he was presented with the Exit poll results, as ever [like most Lib/Dems] he failed to keep his promise. Even when presented with a chocolate hat, did he actually eat it all? Not that I saw??
Helen Erwood
What a disappointing collection of absolute claptrap from the Skene Camp!
As a grown-up, I find it staggering that so-called intelligent individuals are baying for the blood of an MP who has served these isles very well for the last 14 years.
The man has apologised – he made a stupid mistake: This is more than I would expect Danus Skene to do under the same circumstances. This is just sour grapes and childish stirring from the SNP camp.
I have voted SNP in the past – for the wonderful Winnie Ewing, when she was an excellent constituency MP. Alistair Carmichael is in the same mould – an excellent representative of our constituency.
It’s time everyone shut up and let him do his job.
Marjorie McCance
I don’t live in this constituency and all my life I have voted Labour until now when I voted SNP mainly due to the amount of proven lies of the Labour party in Scotland. I am also a Christian and the Good Book says “Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbour”. So for that reason and that alone I could not have voted for Mr Carmichael. Had I, and then found out he had borne false witness I would in all Christian conscious have expected the right to a re-vote.
I know Scotland is becoming more secular and perhsps so to Shetland and Orkney. I recall that I was overjoyed when they held out so long against working on the Sabbath. By some of the replies on here the islands have indeed become more secular. That really saddens me as a Christian but whether he is or is not your MP is really only your business and the other constituency voters shoukd respect your rights to decide.