[Youngian]

Prospective international stateswoman becomes Les Dawson in a fortnight. Like Brucie’s cards, politics can be cruel.

WTF is going on here? Murrel gambled his political career and country’s destiny to spend more time with Caravan Club members. Perhaps Margaret Beckett can enlighten us (a seasoned caravaner).

[Oboogie]

The Inbetweeners* has forever altered my reaction to the words "Caravan Club".

* a comedy show on the telly box about ten years ago m'lud, one of the characters made membership of The Caravan Club sound a lot more exciting than I believe it really is.

[Tubby Isaacs]

[Abernathy]

Are we really saying that Murrell & Sturgeon nicked about 600 grand from the SNP and spent a 110 grand chunk of it on a fucking camper van ? Then both quit their jobs in hopes of gettin’ away with it (if it weren’t for those meddlin’ kids)?

As Littlejohn would say, you could not make it up.

[Youngian]

Perhaps whatever wasn’t found in the shed is stashed in the campervan and Plod intend to take it to bits like the French Connection.

[Oboogie]

Are we really saying that Murrell & Sturgeon nicked about 600 grand from the SNP and spent a 110 grand chunk of it on a fucking camper van ? Then both quit their jobs in hopes of gettin’ away with it (if it weren’t for those meddlin’ kids)?

As Littlejohn would say, you could not make it up.

Old Ma Murrell is 92. The people I've known that age that were still driving favoured small vehicles, not sod off motorhomes.
Those motorhomes hold their value. Murrell will presumably inherit the vehicle when his mother shuffles of this mortal coil. Buying it and putting it in her name might have seemed a prudent way of laundering a large chunk of cash.

[Youngian]

Those motorhomes hold their value. Murrell will presumably inherit the vehicle when his mother shuffles of this mortal coil. Buying it and putting it in her name might have seemed a prudent way of laundering a large chunk of cash.

Or rather luxury motor home’s price will depreciate at a slower rate than a cheaper brand. A better investment is a house built for cash owned by a discreet Bahamas company rather than your mum.
I’m still finding it hard to believe this alleged flimsy scam took place.

[Oboogie]

Those motorhomes hold their value. Murrell will presumably inherit the vehicle when his mother shuffles of this mortal coil. Buying it and putting it in her name might have seemed a prudent way of laundering a large chunk of cash.

Or rather luxury motor home’s price will depreciate at a slower rate than a cheaper brand. A better investment is a house built for cash owned by a discreet Bahamas company rather than your mum.
I’m still finding it hard to believe this alleged flimsy scam took place.

I agree with all of that. There are far better investments and safer ways of laundering dodgy cash. However, the fact remains that the motorhome exists and is of interest to the police. I wasn't claiming it was a good idea when I said "might have seemed a prudent way", I was offering a possible explanation for Murrell's apparent behaviour.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Yousaf is going ahead with the s35 challenge. I think that's fair enough really.

[Tubby Isaacs]

This on the other hand is a complete lie. 97% of demand isn't met by renewables. The output is impressive but it's not constant, whereas demand is. To meet `100% of demand, you need much more renewables than exists now.

[Oboogie]

So the motorhome was going to be a campaign battlebus..but then it wasn't.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/ ... s-29689358

[Tubby Isaacs]

The BTL Brains Trust hitting on the real issue here. Like the party buying a fairly expensive caravan and sticking it on the driveway of the leader's elderly mother in law is completely normal behaviour.

I don't like the SNP, obviously, but I actually hope this works out OK for them given that the alternative is Alba, Craig Murray and Wings over Scotland crowing.

[The Weeping Angel]

This is not looking good for the SNP

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-65309791

SNP treasurer Colin Beattie has been arrested by police investigating the party's finances.

Mr Beattie, 71, has been taken into custody and is being questioned by Police Scotland detectives.

A spokesman for the force said the arrest was made in connection with the continuing investigation into the funding and finances of the SNP.

It comes two weeks after former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell - Nicola Sturgeon's husband - was also arrested.

Police Scotland launched its Operation Branchfoot investigation into the SNP's finances in July 2021 after receiving complaints about how donations were used.

[Tubby Isaacs]

"The cause of independence is much bigger than Nicola Sturgeon", per the Guardian BTL crowd. It is, and I'd expect it to rise again from this. But this isn't very good for the SNP, even it's about 35 times worse for Alba.

[Tubby Isaacs]

These figures look almost too good to be true for Labour in terms of the width of potential support. The SNP will likely recover, but in the meantime they can at least have a good laugh at Alba.

[Youngian]

Not a huge media queue seeking Alec’s take

[Bones McCoy]

Not a huge media queue seeking Alec’s take

The Proclaimers have let themselves go...

[Tubby Isaacs]

Big Dan Neidle has a thread about the SNP’s new auditors pushing what looks like a very obvious avoidance scheme on their website.

I’m sure other parties have auditors who do stuff like it, but probably not so blatantly (and the big boys push stuff that works). It’s guilt by association, but equally adds to the sense at the moment that the SNP are all over the shop. Not an impression the SNP will want to keep going.

[Youngian]

Just who is in charge of SNP finances?

*If you’re not familiar with Brian Cox as dodgy cheapskate councilor Bob Servant, enjoy.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articl ... ghty-ferry

[Tubby Isaacs]

A charmer here. The MP is leading a campaign to cut VAT from sun cream. Dan Neidle and others suggest that this will just lead to the producer pocketing the VAT...

She does, to her credit, have experience of being a nurse in a hospice, so knows what she's talking about on melonomas. But still well out of order.