Not at all. My former headmaster went on to be headmaster of Eton.Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceman123
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Not at all. My former headmaster went on to be headmaster of Eton.Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceman123
All boys school by any chance?
Fortunately it was right next door to an All Girls school.Quote:
Originally Posted by dirk diggler
I'm one of the few people that thoroughly enjoyed my education.
:bananaman:
Former SNP leader Alex Salmond has announced the creation of a new pro-independence party which will contest the Scottish Parliament election.
The former first minister said he would be among the candidates who will stand for the Alba Party on regional lists.
Mr Salmond said the aim was to build "a supermajority for independence" at Holyrood after the election in May.
Other parties described Mr Salmond as "discredited" and questioned his suitability for public office.
The announcement came at the end of a dramatic week at Holyrood.
What does Salmond's new party mean for the election?
What is the Salmond and Sturgeon row all about?
On Wednesday, Mr Salmond said he would take fresh legal action over the conduct of the Scottish government's top civil servant.
A report by MSPs on Tuesday described the government's handling of harassment complaints against Mr Salmond as "seriously flawed".
The previous day, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was cleared of breaching the ministerial code over her involvement in the Alex Salmond saga.
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Analysis box by Glenn Campbell, BBC Scotland political editor
Alex Salmond is no stranger to making a political comeback - he was twice elected leader of the SNP and served for two separate spells as an MSP.
On the day he stood down from Holyrood for the second time, he told me he would consider returning if Scotland became independent.
Five years later, he's decided to attempt a comeback anyway - on the basis that the SNP and Greens need his help to make independence happen.
The SNP has questioned the appropriateness of his return to public life given the controversy over his personal conduct in recent years.
When I asked him today if he owed an apology to any or all of the women who have complained about his behaviour, Mr Salmond said he accepted the outcomes of the two court cases and three inquiries and wanted to move on.
Mr Salmond was acquitted of all charges in a criminal trial and successfully challenged the Scottish government's process for handling harassment complaints against him in the civil court.
That his reputation has suffered damage along the way would come as no surprise. But it will now be for voters to decide whether or not they want one of the biggest figures in modern Scottish politics back in the frontline.
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Mr Salmond said that under his leadership, the Alba Party was seeking to "build a supermajority for independence in the Scottish parliament".
"The party's strategic aims are clear and unambiguous - to achieve a successful, socially just and environmentally responsible independent country," he said.
"We intend to contribute policy ideas to assist Scotland's economic recovery and to help build an independence platform to face the new political realities."
It plans to field at least four candidates on the regional lists in every part of the country.
People have two votes in Holyrood elections - one for a constituency MSP, and another in a regional ballot designed to make the overall result more proportional.
Mr Salmond claimed that if Alba won regional list seats, this could lead to there being 90 or more MSPs at Holyrood who support independence.
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SCOTLAND'S ELECTION: THE BASICS
What elections are happening? On 6 May, people across Scotland will vote to elect 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). The party that wins the most seats will form the Scottish government. Find out more here.
What powers does the Scottish Parliament have? MSPs pass laws on most aspects of day-to-day life in Scotland, such as health, education and transport. They also have control over some taxes and welfare benefits. Defence, foreign policy and immigration are decided by the UK Parliament.
How do I vote? Anyone who lives in Scotland and is registered to vote is eligible, so long as they are aged 16 or over on the day of the election. You can register to vote online.
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He said Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has already dismissed the SNP's request for a second independence referendum, would "find it much more difficult to say no to a parliament and a country."
The SNP said there were "real questions" about Mr Salmond's suitability to return to public office.
A spokesperson said: "This is perhaps the most predictable development in Scottish politics for quite some time.
"At this time of crisis, the interests of the country must come first and should not be obscured by the self interest of someone who shows no sign whatsoever of reflecting on serious concerns about his own conduct."
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Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said: "Alex Salmond is a discredited figure who admitted appalling behaviour towards women during his time as SNP first minister and right-thinking people will want nothing to do with him or his new party."
He added that his party would do "everything possible" to block another independence referendum and "ensure the Scottish Parliament works towards rebuilding and recovery after the pandemic".
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the people of Scotland deserved more than "score settling" and "old politics".
He said: "We are still in the midst of a pandemic. Lives and livelihoods are still at risk.
"This election must be about our national recovery and the people of Scotland's priorities, not the old arguments between personalities who believe their interest matters more than the national interest."
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BASICS: A really simple guide to the election
POLICIES: Who should I vote for?
POLLS: 'Intense battle' for every vote
PODLITICAL: Updates from the campaign
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The Scottish Liberal Democrats chair Alistair Carmichael MP said the move was evidence of a feuding within the Nationalist movement.
He said: "There are no questions about Scotland's future to which Alex Salmond is the answer.
"This astonishing announcement shows just how divided the SNP are. A few years ago no one could have imagined that the former first minister and his protege would be at one another's throats."
The Scottish Greens' Ross Greer told the BBC News Channel: "This is the very public meltdown of a thoroughly disgraced individual."
He said the election should be about the future and described Mr Salmond as "a man from Scotland's past who is obsessively pursuing personal vendettas".
"Alex Salmond is less popular in Scotland than Boris Johnson. I'm quite sure that very quickly after today we can go back to ignoring what is a very sad sideshow."
And Jimmy Krankie is?Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe 90
They're all waging a character assassination campaign against slimey salmond because they know he'll take votes off all of them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pragmatic
No link to the source of that drivel either.
Alex Salmond has insisted that his Alba Party is the only one taking Scottish independence seriously as he launched its election manifesto.
The former first minister and SNP leader launched the party last month with the aim of helping to secure a pro-independence "supermajority".
He said Alba had a "proper plan to deliver independence".
But he said it was not a one-issue party, with the manifesto setting out policies in other key areas.
In his foreword to the manifesto, Mr Salmond said it contained "the most ambitious and profound economic recovery agenda revealed by a political party in Scotland so far".
He added: "It certainly represents the strongest commitment to women's rights.
So women also get to vote in IndyRef2? Smart.
One of Nicola Sturgeon’s advisers has ridiculed the economic plans for independence for a “complete lack of specificity” and said that it would take decades to restabilise the economy after a “yes” vote.
Mark Blyth, professor of international economics at the Watson Institute of Brown University in Rhode Island, also rejected the assumption often pushed by some members of the SNP that an independent Scotland would automatically operate in a similar manner to Scandinavian countries.
Nicola Sturgeon adviser Mark Blyth ridicules plans for independence | Scotland | The Times
The Krankie Karen doesn't care about that. She just wants to be the first President of (less than half) the People' Republic of Scotlandstan.
That’s a different vote…
An ambitious female politician - still scary for some TD posters.
Even ones with shrines to Maggie.
If by "ambitious" you mean "self-serving" then yes.Quote:
Originally Posted by cyrille
Then again they all fucking are.
True enough, especially that fat cvnt Salmond.Quote:
Originally Posted by harrybarracuda
Scotland's first minister has proposed 19 October 2023 as the date for another referendum on independence.
Nicola Sturgeon said the question would be the same as in the last referendum in 2014: "Should Scotland be an independent country?".
Ms Sturgeon said had written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to ask for formal consent for the vote to be held.
She said she would press on with her plan if this was not granted by the UK government.
But she stressed that any referendum would need to be "indisputably lawful" and constitutional - with the Supreme Court to be asked to rule on the potential legal issues around holding a vote without UK government approval.
Downing Street said it would examine the first minister's proposals, but stressed that its position that "now is not the time" for another referendum had not changed.
A UK government spokesman said: "People across Scotland want to see both of their governments working together on the issues that matter to them.
"That includes tackling the cost of living, ensuring energy security, leading the international response against Russia's invasion of Ukraine and growing our economy. That remains our priority."
Live reaction to the first minister's statement
Is there a mandate for an independence referendum?
Will there be another Scottish independence referendum?
Ms Sturgeon said Scotland's top law officer, the Lord Advocate, has now referred the case to the UK's highest court, with court papers being served on UK government law officers on Tuesday afternoon.
The first minister said she hoped the court would be able to "deliver clarity and legal certainty in a timely manner" instead of passing the bill and then facing a legal challenge from opponents.
If the court rules that Holyrood does not have the power to hold a referendum, she said the next general election would become a "de facto referendum" with the SNP standing on a single issue of independence.
However, if the court rules in the Scottish government's favour, Ms Sturgeon said it would move quickly to pass its Referendum Bill, which was published while she was speaking.
She said that the lawfulness of the referendum "must be established as a matter of fact, not just opinion".
Otherwise, she said, opposition parties would cast doubt on the legitimacy of the process, "so that they can avoid the substantive debate on independence".
She is a massive charlatan and probably has some sort of sick twisted links to the IRA to bring the whole show down. Besides all of that, she isn't really Scottish and bears no family ties to a clan.Quote:
Originally Posted by cyrille
Once again, the vote is not for Nicola or the SNP. That comes later.
Is Billy going to pay for all you expat nationalists to return to the motherland to cast your vote DD or is she going to allow you all to vote from afar, even those that carked it over the last 10 years or affiliated Scots like Mel Gibson ......you'll never take our freedom....:)Quote:
Originally Posted by dirk diggler
I don’t get to vote.
I'm sure the Krankie Karen would do anything to be the first El Presidente of the republic of Scotlandia.Quote:
Originally Posted by malmomike77
Even if they lost yet another referendum, she'd keep banging on for another one.