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A subtle point that might be missed is that Murray's reports of the Alex Salmond trial and Salmond's innocence lend weight to the theory that Salmond's accusers

A subtle point that might be missed is that Murray's reports of the Alex Salmond trial and Salmond's innocence lend weight to the theory that Salmond's accusers may have been part of a coordinated political attack. The big government machine is striking back.

new_realist 5y ago
If someone is found innocent at trial, it is therefore a coordinated political attack? That’s a stretch.
- LatteLazy 5y ago
  Depends if months of bad press and accusations damaged his political standing. I don't like Salmon, but a smear is a smear even if no one goes to prison...
- pessimizer 5y ago
  > If someone is found innocent at trial, it is therefore a coordinated political attack? You surely didn't read that claim or any related claim in the comment you're replying to.
hogFeast 5y ago
I am 100% in the camp that someone should have resigned but to say that there was a "coordinated political attack" makes no sense. Salmond had already made himself totally irrelevant. He was lobbing grenades from the sidelines through Cherry and McAskill but he wasn't very effective (Salmond had electoral success but was personally never popular, with women in particular). And all this ignores the fact that the person who put Salmond in jeopardy was Salmond by acting like a massive creep. What happened in the case was largely a function of total incompetence by the Scottish Civil Service/govt. If you are familiar with Scotland, that is standard. Several people from the Civil Service should have resigned, they didn't. Sturgeon's testimony was obviously inconsistent at several points. This isn't the same thing as a "political attack" (again, be totally clear, Salmond has no political role...he isn't a politician, he is someone who used to be a politician). Also, there is no "big government machine" in Scotland, and it most certainly does not control the courts if it did exists. That just isn't how the law works in Scotland or the UK (if you needed evidence of this, both govts have had run ins with the courts...if this was true then why was Salmond found innocent).

new_realist 5y ago

If someone is found innocent at trial, it is therefore a coordinated political attack? That’s a stretch.

LatteLazy 5y ago
Depends if months of bad press and accusations damaged his political standing. I don't like Salmon, but a smear is a smear even if no one goes to prison...
pessimizer 5y ago
> If someone is found innocent at trial, it is therefore a coordinated political attack? You surely didn't read that claim or any related claim in the comment you're replying to.

hogFeast 5y ago

I am 100% in the camp that someone should have resigned but to say that there was a "coordinated political attack" makes no sense. Salmond had already made himself totally irrelevant. He was lobbing grenades from the sidelines through Cherry and McAskill but he wasn't very effective (Salmond had electoral success but was personally never popular, with women in particular). And all this ignores the fact that the person who put Salmond in jeopardy was Salmond by acting like a massive creep. What happened in the case was largely a function of total incompetence by the Scottish Civil Service/govt. If you are familiar with Scotland, that is standard. Several people from the Civil Service should have resigned, they didn't. Sturgeon's testimony was obviously inconsistent at several points. This isn't the same thing as a "political attack" (again, be totally clear, Salmond has no political role...he isn't a politician, he is someone who used to be a politician). Also, there is no "big government machine" in Scotland, and it most certainly does not control the courts if it did exists. That just isn't how the law works in Scotland or the UK (if you needed evidence of this, both govts have had run ins with the courts...if this was true then why was Salmond found innocent).