When will it go all wrong for the SNP?

[Darandio]

Can we assume almost as little time as she spent visiting the mother in law she will probably tell us was always very dear to her?

Is that where the motorhome was stored? Then i'd assume so. She was an extremely busy lady at the time though, no time for kitchens or relatives.

 

[Stathern Jc]

Is that where the motorhome was stored? Then i'd assume so. She was an extremely busy lady at the time though, no time for kitchens or relatives.

Is was there until moved into "secure storage". Though I can't remember now when that was, or how long it had been at the mother in laws.

 

[Gloster]

Sturgeon seems to be trying the Michelle Mone defence, “Ahm nae but a wee Scots lassie and I don’t understand all these great big numbers”.

 

[Harpo]

Sturgeon seems to be trying the Michelle Mone defence, “Ahm nae but a wee Scots lassie and I don’t understand all these great big numbers”.

Along with ‘It was him’ and ‘I didn’t benefit from this’?

 

[Falcon1200]

Will the items obtained by Murrell with embezzled SNP funds and given to Sturgeon now have to be sold to repay the debt? And as they are still a married couple, albeit estranged, will she be held jointly liable for the missing cash? She might have to do a few more autobiography-signing events.

 

[oldman]

Focussing on the embezzlement and the nature of their marriage is what Sturgeon and her PR man want - you can have a good laugh but in the end you can't prove that she knew. Better than focussing on the closeness of their relationship over many years as political and admin heads of the SNP. They may not have talked about kitchen utensils but they must surely have talked about politics and party finance.

The start of the story was the spending of the ring-fenced appeal money - supposedly around £600K. It is convenient to suggest that it was all embezzled by Murrell, and otherwise it would still be there, but that is not quite true. Quite a lot must have gone on 'legitimate' SNP spending. But best not to ask questions about that.

 

[brad465]

Focussing on the embezzlement and the nature of their marriage is what Sturgeon and her PR man want - you can have a good laugh but in the end you can't prove that she knew. Better than focussing on the closeness of their relationship over many years as political and admin heads of the SNP. They may not have talked about kitchen utensils but they must surely have talked about politics and party finance.

The start of the story was the spending of the ring-fenced appeal money - supposedly around £600K. It is convenient to suggest that it was all embezzled by Murrell, and otherwise it would still be there, but that is not quite true. Quite a lot must have gone on 'legitimate' SNP spending. But best not to ask questions about that.

I also think politicians and a number of other media commentators are wasting their time focusing on this issue; Sturgeon's political career is over, so there is almost no political value in going after her, all while there are plenty of actions the SNP are doing now in government that can genuinely be criticised. Just leave the police to investigate her as required; if anything all the noise being generated about her is more likely to prejudice a future trial.

 

[35B]

I also think politicians and a number of other media commentators are wasting their time focusing on this issue; Sturgeon's political career is over, so there is almost no political value in going after her, all while there are plenty of actions the SNP are doing now in government that can genuinely be criticised. Just leave the police to investigate her as required; if anything all the noise being generated about her is more likely to prejudice a future trial.

What future trial?

Meanwhile, one of the key players in the SNP at the time is now First Minister - and pleading "I know nowt".

 

[43096]

Sturgeon seems to be trying the Michelle Mone defence, “Ahm nae but a wee Scots lassie and I don’t understand all these great big numbers”.

That might explain why the Scottish Government's budget doesn't add up...

 

[Stathern Jc]

Sturgeon seems to be trying the Michelle Mone defence, “Ahm nae but a wee Scots lassie and I don’t understand all these great big numbers”.

Frankly, implausible.

 

[SargeNpton]

A certain irony in someone campaigning for Scottish independence from Westminster, moving to London...

Sturgeon Moves to London Amid Embezzlement Storm

Nicola Sturgeon moves to London after ex-husband Peter Murrell's embezzlement conviction, defends her record.

www.britbrief.co.uk

Under-fire Nicola Sturgeon has fled Scotland amid the political storm over her husband’s embezzlement of £400,000 from the SNP – and has now set up home in London. The former First Minister, who has spent her entire political career campaigning for Scotland to leave the UK, has now left the country herself and is renting a luxury house in Britain’s capital.

The move comes amid prosecutors’ attempts to claw back some of her estranged fraudster husband Peter Murrell’s stolen funds – which could see the couple’s family home sold off. Sources close to Ms Sturgeon said she has taken a property in London as she tries to start a new career in the literary world and hopes to avoid ‘the heat’ over Murrell’s crimes.

 

[GusB]

A certain irony in someone campaigning for Scottish independence from Westminster, moving to London...

Sturgeon Moves to London Amid Embezzlement Storm

Nicola Sturgeon moves to London after ex-husband Peter Murrell's embezzlement conviction, defends her record.

www.britbrief.co.uk

Are Scots not allowed to live anywhere other than Scotland if they believe in independence?

 

[gazthomas]

Are Scots not allowed to live anywhere other than Scotland if they believe in independence?

I hear she's going to open a Barbers or a Vape Shop

 

[GusB]

I hear she's going to open a Barbers or a Vape Shop

That's okay, as long as it isn't near a major railway station!

 

[Falcon1200]

Are Scots not allowed to live anywhere other than Scotland if they believe in independence?

Of course they are, but if her home address was in England she would not be able to vote in any future Indyref! So much for her commitment to the cause.....

 

[Tetchytyke]

Just leave the police to investigate her as required; if anything all the noise being generated about her is more likely to prejudice a future trial

The police have investigated her. They found nothing they could build into a case. I always get the impression they really tried too; the police are not natural bedfellows with the SNP.

I’m not sure how many people really care about this story though. He stole money from the SNP. The people he stole from will probably still support the SNP. We can all laugh about the £2,000 salt grinder but is there really a victim anyone actually cares about?

The big SNP donors would probably have just bought him the pepper grinder if only he’d asked; the big donors for the other parties have bought all sorts of random rubbish for their leaders and their leaders’ families.

 

[JamesT]

The police have investigated her. They found nothing they could build into a case. I always get the impression they really tried too; the police are not natural bedfellows with the SNP.

That's not quite correct. My understanding is the police passed a file to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). who then declined to take a prosecution forward. So the police did think they had something.
Which does lead to a suggested conflict of interest, as the head of COPFS is the Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain, appointed by Nicola Sturgeon. Whereas in Westminster the DPP and Attorney General are separate.

I’m not sure how many people really care about this story though. He stole money from the SNP. The people he stole from will probably still support the SNP. We can all laugh about the £2,000 salt grinder but is there really a victim anyone actually cares about? The big SNP donors would probably have just bought him the pepper grinder if he’d asked; the big donors for the other parties have bought all sorts of random rubbish for their leaders.

I imagine all the people who donated to the indyref2 fund which has all disappeared will be quite upset. As the SNP gets a fair chunk of its income from Short Money, it's the UK taxpayer that's been done over. Not to mention the £2m it's cost to investigate this already.

 

[cb a1]

I imagine all the people who donated to the indyref2 fund which has all disappeared will be quite upset. As the SNP gets a fair chunk of its income from Short Money, it's the UK taxpayer that's been done over. Not to mention the £2m it's cost to investigate this already.

My understanding is that Short Money is strictly for parliamentary business—such as policy research, frontbench duties, and shadowing government ministers. I would expect (but don't know) that the scrutiny on that spend will be far greater than the SNP were clearly not doing with the money they received from donors / members.

What's annoying me more now is Labour calling for a double inquiry. Now that really is throwing good public money away. The holding to account of the SNP should be by their own members for allowing someone to steal this sum of money from them over a decade.

 

[najaB]

What's annoying me more now is Labour calling for a double inquiry. Now that really is throwing good public money away. The holding to account of the SNP should be by their own members for allowing someone to steal this sum of money from them over a decade.

Agreed. Especially when there was literally billions of pounds of taxpayer money stolen... sorry, misspent during Covid, and comparatively little is being done to recover it or hold anyone to account.

 

[GusB]

Agreed. Especially when there was literally billions of pounds of taxpayer money stolen... sorry, misspent during Covid, and comparatively little is being done to recover it or hold anyone to account.

Ah, but SNPBaaaad - different standards apply.

Of course they are, but if her home address was in England she would not be able to vote in any future Indyref! So much for her commitment to the cause.....

Who says it's a permanent move?

To find out that your husband has embezzled a load of money and having your marriage break down is bound to be stressful. Whether or not you like Sturgeon, surely its not difficult to understand the desire to get away from it all for a while; I'd certainly want a bit of head-space after all that.

 

[43096]

Are Scots not allowed to live anywhere other than Scotland if they believe in independence?

It's more than a touch hypocritical. A "Scoxit" would have made it a lot more difficult to emigrate.

 

[MotCO]

To find out that your husband has embezzled a load of money and having your marriage break down is bound to be stressful. Whether or not you like Sturgeon, surely its not difficult to understand the desire to get away from it all for a while; I'd certainly want a bit of head-space after all that.

The marriage split was announced in January 2025, but they had separated before that; surely Nicola suspected her husband was guilty of embezzlement, because if it wasn't her, it was likely to be Murrell since he had been charged in March 2025. So she has had over a year to get over her marriage breakdown and the fact that her husband had embezzled.

 

[GusB]

The marriage split was announced in January 2025, but they had separated before that; surely Nicola suspected her husband was guilty of embezzlement, because if it wasn't her, it was likely to be Murrell since he had been charged in March 2025. So she has had over a year to get over her marriage breakdown and the fact that her husband had embezzled.

Where in the rules does it say that you have to get over a marriage in a year? I'm assuming that you've never had to deal with a traumatic life event, otherwise you'd know that it's not always that simple. Even if she did get over the split within that time, the police investigation and awaiting its outcome would still have caused a fair amount of stress, not to mention all the media attention after Murrell pleaded guilty.

 

[AlterEgo]

The marriage split was announced in January 2025, but they had separated before that; surely Nicola suspected her husband was guilty of embezzlement, because if it wasn't her, it was likely to be Murrell since he had been charged in March 2025. So she has had over a year to get over her marriage breakdown and the fact that her husband had embezzled.

Simple as that. Get over your husband's entire pyramid of lies and a sham marriage in a year. She'll be back on Tinder I suppose as well.

 

[35B]

Where in the rules does it say that you have to get over a marriage in a year? I'm assuming that you've never had to deal with a traumatic life event, otherwise you'd know that it's not always that simple. Even if she did get over the split within that time, the police investigation and awaiting its outcome would still have caused a fair amount of stress, not to mention all the media attention after Murrell pleaded guilty.

That’s fair. But it doesn’t deal with her culpability as party leader, where she’s frankly unimpressive in her her attempts to play the poor me card.

Two things can be simultaneously true. In this case, that Murrell stole the dosh and that she bears leadership accountability

 

[DelW]

I do think that Ms Sturgeon's "I knew nothing" defence is somewhat undermined by her having spent months (when suspicions first arose) claiming that there was nothing wrong with the party accounts or finances, and that she knew that they were all in order. Had she succeeded with her "move along, nothing to see here" line, the whole business might have stayed covered up to this day. Her tearful TV performance was, for me, just more of her media management, putting herself as the victim.

 

[oldman]

The BBC has a timeline here about the financial issues. They were known about five years ago. I also recommend the wonderful video of her talking at the NEC - classic Sturgeon, nearly two minutes of rage without a pause for breath. Maybe she wanted to protect him, maybe to protect herself, who knows, but 'I never knew' is not credible.

 

[Falcon1200]

I’m not sure how many people really care about this story though.

The people of Scotland, whether SNP supporters or not, care very much because the governing party in the Scottish Parliament has proven to be utterly incompetent when dealing with its own finances. And, as per Post#356 above, the former First Minister arrogantly dismissed concerns about the party's finances - On what grounds? Her disdain, if not contempt, for anyone who dared to disagree or question her is coming back to bite her.

Who says it's a permanent move?

One can but hope.....

 

[JamieL]

The people of Scotland, whether SNP supporters or not, care very much because the governing party in the Scottish Parliament has proven to be utterly incompetent when dealing with its own finances.

That wasn't the impression I took away from the recent elections where they were, once again, returned as the (by far) largest party.

 

[Buzby]

Whilst they’re not perfect, when you look at the alternatives perhaps the ‘devil you know’ is better - still, it adds to the entertainment.