Nicola & the french ambassador (revisited)

[vikingTON]

Willie Rennie showing his Liberal preference for giving people "a second chance", except of course if they're not Lib Dem MPs:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-19275201

http://www.libdemvoice.org/willie-rennies-letter-to-bill-walker-do-the-right-thing-and-resign-36022.html

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/justice-secretary-kenny-macaskill-faces-4368448

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/scotland/resignation-never-an-option-says-police-scotland-chief-sir-stephen-house-1.859672

A man so stupid that it literally takes one very straightforward Google search to dredge up his hypocrisy at every turn of his slithering existence as party leader. Bury him with his busted flush party.

[MassiveFanDan]

Excellent. Hope somebody tweets those stories to him as a wee reminder.

[Mr Rational]

Anyone in the libs on here?

Could we have a wee comment?

[1320Lichtie]

Anyone in the libs on here?

Could we have a wee comment?

Willie Rennie said he deserves a second chance

f**k off!!!!

Absolute joke

[~~~]

The civil servant admitted that he probably got it wrong, as in "unlikely" and "lost in translation". I know you find it hard to back up what you post, but do you have a link for this interview?

Unless the discussion was in french I fail to see how it could have been lost in translation.

Carmichael needs to go, but he won't. Just more ammo for the SNP though

[welshbairn]

Unless the discussion was in french I fail to see how it could have been lost in translation.

Carmichael needs to go, but he won't. Just more ammo for the SNP though

You have heard of the phrase before? It doesn't require different languages, just a bit of confusion or imprecise recollection.

[~~~]

You have heard of the phrase before? It doesn't require different languages, just a bit of confusion or lack of recollection.

More than a bit of confusion i'd say.

I've sat in more meetings than I care to remember, the vast majority of minutes are recorded on tape so these mistakes don't happen.

[welshbairn]

More than a bit of confusion i'd say.

I've sat in more meetings than I care to remember, the vast majority of minutes are recorded on tape so these mistakes don't happen.

The civil servant supposedly jotted the notes down during and after a phone call with the French Consul who present at the meeting and recollecting it. He was giving a gist of the conversation, not a detailed word for word account. I think we can accept that the civil servant thought he may have got the wrong stick, confirmed by the Consul and the Ambassador, and Sturgeon. Lost in translation is a common metaphor.

[vikingTON]

I don't think that we can, because the impartiality of the UK civil service is not beyond question when it comes to the only show in town.

[~~~]

I don't think that we can, because the impartiality of the UK civil service is not beyond question when it comes to the only show in town.

Yup, just remember what they're up against

[welshbairn]

I don't think that we can, because the impartiality of the UK civil service is not beyond question when it comes to the only show in town.

I don't doubt that possibility, I'm just amazed by people including journalists in national publications who don't understand that "lost in translation" isn't usually a literal term.

[saints1884]

yet when Sturgeon was pursued on what was actually said she clammed up and mumbled some unconvincing nonsense. The truth is surely she did intimate these sentiments and they were recorded correctly, just because the French ambassador guy has distanced himself to save face doesn't mean it didn't happen. Why should it be a surprise to anyone that Sturgeon wanted a Tory government? In her wee mind that means a proletariat revolt up here and more yes votes - and that's her bottom line: another ref vote.

Has this "Interview" grown arms and legs yet?

Did she say there would be another referendum? Did you hear this from the French? Maybe the civil servant? Or some other random that was taking notes over the phone?

[Ad Lib]

I've not spoken to him since a few days after the election but my instinct is Carmichael won't resign his seat. A lot of misdemeanours can be grounds, cause or justification for resigning your ministerial post but not your seat. This is one of them.

People saying he's deceived the electorate in Orkney and Shetland by previously denying any connection to the leak are slightly "at it". I strongly suspect most of them are SNP supporters not from the constituency or people who would have voted SNP anyway within it.

Very few voters in the constituency, let alone for Carmichael, could really give a toss who did or didn't leak what and then did or didn't deny any involvement in relation to a memo that itself amounted to a he said she said nothing story. His denial of involvement did not save him hundreds of votes. It wasn't the difference between him holding and not holding the seat.

There's no question he was stupid to permit his SpAd to leak this to the Telegraph. If for no other reason than even if the contents of the memo had held up it would have benefited Labour and not the Liberal Democrats, and could only harm him and the Lib Dems if it unravelled. Amateur hour.

[Granny Danger]

I've not spoken to him since a few days after the election but my instinct is Carmichael won't resign his seat. A lot of misdemeanours can be grounds, cause or justification for resigning your ministerial post but not your seat. This is one of them.

People saying he's deceived the electorate in Orkney and Shetland by previously denying any connection to the leak are slightly "at it". I strongly suspect most of them are SNP supporters not from the constituency or people who would have voted SNP anyway within it.

Very few voters in the constituency, let alone for Carmichael, could really give a toss who did or didn't leak what and then did or didn't deny any involvement in relation to a memo that itself amounted to a he said she said nothing story. His denial of involvement did not save him hundreds of votes. It wasn't the difference between him holding and not holding the seat.

There's no question he was stupid to permit his SpAd to leak this to the Telegraph. If for no other reason than even if the contents of the memo had held up it would have benefited Labour and not the Liberal Democrats, and could only harm him and the Lib Dems if it unravelled. Amateur hour.

Expected better of you.

[vikingTON]

Very few voters in the constituency, let alone for Carmichael, could really give a toss who did or didn't leak what and then did or didn't deny any involvement in relation to a memo that itself amounted to a he said she said nothing story. His denial of involvement did not save him hundreds of votes. It wasn't the difference between him holding and not holding the seat.

Evidence needed for these assertions.

[welshbairn]

I've not spoken to him since a few days after the election but my instinct is Carmichael won't resign his seat. A lot of misdemeanours can be grounds, cause or justification for resigning your ministerial post but not your seat. This is one of them.

People saying he's deceived the electorate in Orkney and Shetland by previously denying any connection to the leak are slightly "at it". I strongly suspect most of them are SNP supporters not from the constituency or people who would have voted SNP anyway within it.

Very few voters in the constituency, let alone for Carmichael, could really give a toss who did or didn't leak what and then did or didn't deny any involvement in relation to a memo that itself amounted to a he said she said nothing story. His denial of involvement did not save him hundreds of votes. It wasn't the difference between him holding and not holding the seat.

There's no question he was stupid to permit his SpAd to leak this to the Telegraph. If for no other reason than even if the contents of the memo had held up it would have benefited Labour and not the Liberal Democrats, and could only harm him and the Lib Dems if it unravelled. Amateur hour.

On the other hand he leaked a memo of a private meeting between the FM and a foreign diplomat, and lied about it. I'm a bit surprised it doesn't seem to be covered by the Official Secrets Act, it's the kind of stuff Chelsea Manning was leaking. Incredibly inept though, brings to mind the Lib Dem's campaign for AV. If you can't even leak to the press without getting caught you're in the wrong job. As for it not benefiting him, he was running directly against the SNP, if the smear worked it would have benefited him directly. If he had been honest and confessed before the election he may well have lost the seat.

[invergowrie arab]

Evidence needed for these assertions.

makes you wonder why he didnt just come out and say it was him at the time seeing as it would have no bearing on his electability

[Mr Rational]

I would expect Ad Lib to defend his man, we all would at some level.

But he's lied, he admitted it, he needs to go, even if it's for the sake of your party more than anything else.

If not, be prepared for oblivion at every level. Never mind tuition fees, we will use this at every single argument you will use in the next year. Class sizes, NHS, land reform the whole lot, every time you come at us, we will just say 'you lied over tuition fees and you lied to the electorate. You are as sleazy as the Tories under Major, no direction, no point to your existence and you protected your MP when he admitted he lied to save his skin'

Can your party survive being massacred at Holyrood as well?

No you won't survive it, we know this, you know this. So what's the better good? A lying MP or your soul?

[Granny Danger]

I would expect Ad Lib to defend his man, we all would at some level.

But he's lied, he admitted it, he needs to go, even if it's for the sake of your party more than anything else.

If not, be prepared for oblivion at every level. Never mind tuition fees, we will use this at every single argument you will use in the next year. Class sizes, NHS, land reform the whole lot, every time you come at us, we will just say 'you lied over tuition fees and you lied to the electorate. You are as sleazy as the Tories under Major, no direction, no point to your existence and you protected your MP when he admitted he lied to save his skin'

Can your party survive being massacred at Holyrood as well?

No you won't survive it, we know this, you know this. So what's the better good? A lying MP or your soul?

I disagree with this. I think there's a tipping point; you can defend some sort of actions up to some level and then there's a point where you just have to admit that some things are indefensible.

As every other right thinking person has said its not the authorising of the leak, it's the lying about it afterwards and authorising an investigation into the leak. That is indefensible.

[BFTD]

I've not spoken to him since a few days after the election but my instinct is Carmichael won't resign his seat. A lot of misdemeanours can be grounds, cause or justification for resigning your ministerial post but not your seat. This is one of them.

People saying he's deceived the electorate in Orkney and Shetland by previously denying any connection to the leak are slightly "at it". I strongly suspect most of them are SNP supporters not from the constituency or people who would have voted SNP anyway within it.

Very few voters in the constituency, let alone for Carmichael, could really give a toss who did or didn't leak what and then did or didn't deny any involvement in relation to a memo that itself amounted to a he said she said nothing story. His denial of involvement did not save him hundreds of votes. It wasn't the difference between him holding and not holding the seat.

There's no question he was stupid to permit his SpAd to leak this to the Telegraph. If for no other reason than even if the contents of the memo had held up it would have benefited Labour and not the Liberal Democrats, and could only harm him and the Lib Dems if it unravelled. Amateur hour.

Coming perilously close here to claiming that voters don't give a toss what MPs get up to.

Really quite worrying that you don't seem to see a problem here, especially as you're going down party lines by accusing SNP supporters of being 'at it'. There's no doubt you'd be singing a different tune if Carmichael was a member of a different party.