The camera never lies, yet inquiry & SNP spin campaign clears First Minister Salmond of TV lying over ‘legal advice’ for independent Scotland’s chances of remaining in EU

First Minister Alex Salmond claimed legal advice had been sought during tv interview. PROVING the worthlessness and indeed, damage to reality by party political media campaigns & a so called “independent inquiry” undertaken by persons appointed by those accused and under investigation, Scotland’s struggling First Minister Alex Salmond has yet again been cleard of a complaint lodged under the mysterious “Ministerial Code”, this time Mr Salmond being cleared of claiming on television he had legal advice to the effect that an independent Scotland could remain in the European Union, even though Mr Salmond actually said those very words in a BBC television interview with Andrew Neil.

You decide - First Minister Alex Salmond claimed he had legal advice an independent Scotland will remain in the EU

The full report on the ‘investigation’ into Mr Salmond can be viewed online HERE The Scottish Government’s version of the timeline of the events is available HERE

Predictably, the Scottish Government’s media machine has issued a long tirade (reprinted below) with quotes from the First Minister, congratulating himself upon his apparent exoneration from misinforming & misleading the public on the EU legal advice claims.

It is rumoured the entire PR driven incident along with the enquiry has cost the taxpayer around £50,000 to come up with an intense media campaign, supportive political appearances, snide media comments & speeches, supportive online media forum comments and a report to clear Mr Salmond of a a habit which the First Minister and the SNP will be remembered for in 2012, the year Scots finally found out the Nationalists are like all other political parties, and no different from the ones they castigate.

Political observers will also recall 2012 for being the year in which Mr Salmond was accused of being an “instinctive liar” by Scottish Labour, the party who along with the Scottish Conservatives & Liberal Democrats have made instinctive lying in public life a national sport, now joined in earnest by the SNP.

A political insider commented on the fiasco : “Clearly the European Union can do without another nationalistic leader who's Government clears him of lying on television, even when the camera suggests he did exactly that”

Scottish Govt Press Release : FM cleared by ministerial code report

The First Minister acted fully in accordance with the Scottish Ministerial Code in relation to the debate on the existence or content of legal advice on an independent Scotland’s continued membership of the European Union, an independent report has concluded.

The First Minister appointed Sir David Bell KCB – an independent adviser to the Scottish Government on the Ministerial Code – to conduct the investigation following a complaint by Catherine Stihler MEP.

The report, which has been published today, says: “I have not found you, or the Scottish Government, to have breached the Ministerial Code in respect of any complaints made by Ms Stihler. I have though recommended that the Scottish Government considers revising those parts of the code relating to legal advice.”

Sir David examined five separate grounds of complaint from Ms Stihler – and in each case he found that the First Minister and the Scottish Government had acted fully in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

The report also concludes that “the Edinburgh Agreement was the appropriate moment to seek specific legal advice from the Law Officers … it was only when the details of the referendum process became clear that you were in a position to seek such advice.”

Sir David also recommends that the Scottish Government considers whether the part of the Ministerial Code relating to legal advice could be redrafted in a clearer and more accessible form – a recommendation which the Government accepts.

First Minister Alex Salmond said: “I would like to thank Sir David for his very thorough and detailed report, the findings of which clearly demonstrate that there was no breach of the Ministerial Code on this matter.”

“I welcome the report which demonstrates that I and the rest of the Scottish Government acted entirely in accordance with the Scottish Ministerial Code. I also welcome his conclusion that the signing of the Edinburgh Agreement was the appropriate moment at which to seek specific legal advice on an independent Scotland’s continued membership of the European Union.”

“Sir David also recommends that the Scottish Government considers whether the section of its Ministerial Code relating to legal advice provided to Ministers should be redrafted to make it clearer. That is a recommendation I am happy to accept, and work will now be taken forward by Government officials with that aim in mind.

“This has been the sixth complaint to be referred to the independent panel of advisers I introduced in 2008 to rule on these matters.  I am delighted that each complaint has been dismissed and the advisers concluded my ministers and I have acted entirely properly at all times.”

Lottogate : First Minister Alex Salmond ‘refers himself to himself’, asks ex Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini to investigate ministerial code breach

First Minister in complaints lotto, asks ex Lord Advocate to investigate ministerial breach. SCOTLAND’S First Minister Alex Salmond has ‘referred himself to himself’ by asking a former Lord Advocate Dame Elish Angiolini DBE QC (born McPhilomy)  who is known to have used while acting as Lord Advocate, a law firm who are connected to the Cayman Islands offshore tax dodge haven & which also represented shamed cocaine addict politicians who avoided criminal prosecutions, to investigate allegations the First Minister breached the ministerial code, with regards to meetings between the First Minister & SNP donors including lotto winners Chris & Colin Weir at Bute House, Mr Salmond’s official residence.

The former Lord Advocate, made a dame upon the recommendation of the Scottish Government and who was personally appointed as Ministerial complaints adviser to Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond, is expected to clear the First Minister upon completion of any report.

Scottish Law Reporter recently published an investigation into the knighthood of Angiolini, apparently recommended by the Scottish Government. Dame Elish Angiolini’s involvement in OPERATION PLANET, a Lothian & Borders Police investigation to catch judges, lawyers & other ‘professionals’ who were trading favours in court for sex, resulting in no substantive prosecutions, was recently featured in the media HERE. Dame Angiolini (McPhilomy) was also identified in the Hollie Greig scandal which led to the arrest, £1/2 Million pound prosecution & jailing of anti abuse campaigner Robert Green for attempting to hand out leaflets in Aberdeen in February 2010. More recently, Dame Elish Angiolini was also appointed to the post of Principal of St Hugh’s College, Oxford.

BBC News reports :

Alex Salmond asks to be investigated over ministerial code

The Scottish first minister has asked independent advisors to investigate whether he has breached the ministerial code.

It was claimed last week that Alex Salmond had entertained two SNP donors and their wives at Bute House, his official residence. He was also said to have invited EuroMillions winners Chris and Colin Weir to tea. A spokesman for Mr Salmond said he had "total confidence" he would be cleared.

Mr Salmond said he had written to Dame Elish Angiolini, one of the independent advisers to the ministerial code and a former Lord Advocate, asking her to investigate whether a breach had occurred.

SNP ministers are also refusing a request under the Freedom of Information Act to release correspondence between them and Sir Brian Souter, the Stagecoach tycoon who has given the party more than £1m. Government officials refused to release letters and emails to and from the bus tycoon, who was nominated for a knighthood shortly after making a donation to the SNP. The government first claimed it was exempt as it supposedly related to the Queen, then because it was too vague, and they have now rejected it a third time claiming it is "too wide-ranging".

On Sunday, Labour parliamentary business manager Paul Martin accused Mr Salmond of a "cover up", saying "the longer Alex Salmond desperately tries to keep these documents secret, the more people will think he has got something to hide".

But a spokesman for the first minister said Mr Salmond had taken the decision to refer himself to the advisers because he had "total confidence in our position, in light of this entirely spurious and absurd complaint from Labour". The spokesman added: "No private dining for donors takes place at Bute House, never has under this administration, and never will. Labour, the party of cash for honours and the Ecclestone affair, are guilty of the most appalling hypocrisy.

"Government functions are all in the public domain because, unlike the last Labour-led administration, we publish details of everyone receiving Bute House hospitality at a reception, lunch or dinner. "No-one has ever suggested prior to this that individuals should be excluded from government events simply because they are donors. This is a totally ridiculous proposition." He added that hospitality costs at Bute House were significantly less for the SNP administration than under the previous Labour/Lib Dem executive.

Mr Salmond has also written to Mr Martin telling him he has referred the issue to Dame Angiolini. Mr Martin said: "This is a welcome u-turn from the first minister who only days ago was claiming there was nothing worth investigating. There are serious and growing concerns about the first minister entertaining wealthy SNP donors on public property. Allegations of dinner for donors needs to be thoroughly investigated."

Alex Salmond appoints ex-Lord Advocates Angiolini (threatened media in abuse case) & Fraser (arrested on plane) to Ministerial complaints team

 First Minister Salmond ‘delighted’ to welcome controversial ex Lord Advocates onto standards team. TWO highly controversial former Lord Advocates, one, Lord Fraser of Carmyllie, who was arrested at Dundee Airport in 2006 for a breach of Article 78 of the Air Navigation Order 2005, which related to "acting in a disruptive manner" and former Lord Advocate now Dame Elish Angiolini DBE QC, who threaded several media outlets with legal action over the reporting of allegations connoted with an abuse case involving downs syndrome victim Hollie Greig, have both been appointed by First Minister Alex Salmond as independent advisors to complaints made under the Ministerial code, the body which deals with complaints about the First Minister, which has seen three such complaints dealt with and closed with no action since 2008.

Profile : Lord Fraser of Carmyllie :

Lord Fraser led the inquiry in to the building of the Scottish Parliament, which saw no one held to account for the massive overspend to £500 MILLION on the hapless Holyrood building now in a constant state of disrepair and leaking more water than the Firth of Forth during rainstorms. Earlier in June after an Al Jazera documentary exposed major flaws some may say amount to corruption within the investigation into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in December 1988, Lord Fraser was featured in the documentary telling a film crew he accepted a key witness in the Pan Am 103 trial had been bribed by Scottish Police, yet nothing has been done about it. Lord Fraser also went onto attack the father of one of the victims of the Lockerbie bombing, Dr Jim Swire, accusing him of suffering from ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ with regard to Dr Swire’s campaign to find out the truth behind the Lockerbie bombing.

With regard to the in-flight incident, the Daily Record newspaper reported the arrest of Lord Fraser of Carmyle, saying :

A LORD who was Scotland's top lawman has been arrested over an alleged air rage incident. Lord Fraser of Carmyllie was escorted off a flight by police at Dundee Airport. The Tory peer was Lord Advocate from 1989 to 1992.

Witnesses claimed he smelled of drink and argued with a female steward on Tuesday night's delayed ScotAirways flight from London City Airport. A passenger said: "When he got on the later one, he had been hanging around for quite a few hours. He berated a female member of the cabin crew about the delay. He was smelling strongly of drink and requested more drink but was refused. When that happened he became disruptive again and the female crew member became alarmed as did some of the other passengers."

Last night, Tayside Police confirmed that a 61-year-old man had been charged and a report sent to the procurator fiscal. It is believed to be the first time that a former Lord Advocate has been charged with a criminal offence.

Lord Fraser, born Peter Fraser, was among passengers whose ScotAirways flight was delayed for more than three hours. Fog in London led to it being cancelled and travellers were put on to a later flight. The plane's pilot called ahead for police assistance after a stewardess complained Fraser was being disruptive. Officers were waiting for the flight when it touched down in Dundee at around 9.20pm. Fraser - a former Tory minister - was asked to stay in his seat until other passengers had cleared arrivals. He was arrested and taken to police HQ at Bell Street. The QC was not held overnight. Police refused to give details of the charges against the politician, who was MP for Angus South then Angus East. He was appointed Solicitor General, the No2 job in the prosecution service, under the Thatcher government in 1982.

The case was later dropped when the Crown Office said there was “insufficient evidence” to proceed, a now familiar claim from the Crown Office on just about every controversial case it receives.

Profile : Former Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini :

Former Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini now Dame Elish Angiolini issued interdicts, legal threats against media reporting of abuse case involving disabled child. Scots law publication “The Firm” were forced to apologise to the then Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini in 2009 after the Lord Advocate’s lawyers threatened the publication with legal action, more on the story was reported here : ‘The Firm’ censored, now apologise over Lord Advocate 'allegations' in Hollie Greig abuse scandal as Police investigate Aberdeen Paedophile ring. Complaints were also made to the Press Complaints Commission by Levy McRae which was reported here : Lord Advocate Angiolini made complaint to Press Complaints Commission over abuse claims report by Scots law title “The Firm”

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill worked at the same law firm used by then Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini to threaten media outlets. Levy McRae, the law firm used by former Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini to issue interdicts & threaten Scots law publication “The Firm” & other media outlets over their reporting of allegations stemming from the Hollie Greig abuse case, was itself linked back to Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill who had worked at Levy McRae some years ago, revealed in an earlier story here : Justice Secretary linked to Lord Advocate's lawyers after Police arrest journalist over reporting of Aberdeen Paedophile gang claims

The Crown Office & Scottish Government have deliberately obstructed Freedom of Information enquiries over how Levy McRae were paid for their services, and have failed to answer whether the law firm was paid privately or as many believe, with public funds. Scottish Law Reporter’s coverage on the case can be read HERE

First Minister Alex Salmond announces his new independent advisers for the Scottish Government’s Ministerial Code :

Ministerial Code

15/08/2011

Former Lord Advocates Lord Peter Fraser and Dame Elish Angiolini have agreed to serve as independent advisers to the Scottish Government's Ministerial Code, replacing Lord David Steel and George Reid who have demitted the post.

The Scottish Government established a system of independent advisers in 2008 to enable the First Minister to refer complaints made under the Ministerial Code. The former Presiding Officers Lord Steel and George Reid have discharged the role since 2008 - and during this time they considered three complaints against the First Minister, all of which were dismissed.In May George Reid was appointed as Her Majesty's Lord Lieutenant for Clackmannanshire, and Lord Steel indicated that he wished - after a term of three years - to demit the post of independent adviser.

First Minister Alex Salmond said : "This administration introduced independent advisers into the Ministerial Code for the very first time, and I wish to record my thanks to Lord Steel and George Reid for their service, and wish them extremely well."I am also delighted to welcome Dame Elish Angiolini and Lord Peter Fraser as new independent advisers, ensuring the continuation of the robust and transparent procedures that we have within Scotland's system of government."