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The truths they don't want you to read....

Monday, February 27, 2012

Marine Biopolymers Ltd

With £10m in public funding potentially going into Lochboisdale, it is vital that there is no perception of conflicts of interest, or possibilities for personal financial gain.

Sunlight is, as they say, the best disinfectant.

Project Fingal, the grandiosely named collaboration between HIE, CnES and Storas has led to the creation of Lochboisdale Development Ltd to take forward the marine and seaweed related plans.

In June, Marine Biopolymers confirmed that Angus MacMillan was an advisor to Marine Biopolymers Ltd.  Mr MacMillan is, as we all know, also the MD of Storas and one of the directors of Lochboisdale Development Ltd.

But, ooops, what is this that seems to have been omitted from the Register of Interest in Storas?

On 10 August 2011 Mr MacMillan became a director of Marine Biopolymers, and the most recent Annual Return shows that he owns 403,333 shares in Marine Biopolymers (or 16.67% of the company).  It is not clear when, or how, these shares were acquired.

With Minutes of Lochboisdale Development Ltd not being in the public domain, it is unclear if the new financial interest has ever been disclosed, as it doesn't seem to have been disclosed to Storas at subsequent meetings.

So we now have the position where £10m in public money is going to a "community project" that is being run by a person with a financial interest in the seaweed test site at Crooked River, and a financial interest in the company developing site, and the Chairman of the community company, and its subsidiaries.

If all the business was conducted openly and with publicly accessible minutes, then it would be a different matter, but with secrecy and obtuse answers to simple questions, it looks like there is something to hide.

Now, let me make it very clear for the benefits of the legal profession, that there is no suggestion of impropriety; and that the other directors were fully aware of the position, as required by the various Companies Acts; and there is no suggestion that the updating of the Register of Interest as anything but an oversight; and that there were no undisclosed conflicts arising at any meetings of Storas or Lochboisdale Development; and that both CnES and HIE were fully aware of the new business relationship.

However, going forward, there is an enormous question over the ability of Mr MacMillan to be in virtual control over almost every aspect of this investment, given that there are numerous potential conflicts which may impede the development going forward.


I think the other directors need to seek independent legal advice - to make sure they do not accidentally fall foul of the law should a Chairman's conflict of interest (accidentally) arise - and the funders need to review issues of probity and transparency, as a matter of urgency.

After all, we wouldn't want cries of "self interest" to delay the rejuvenation of Lochboisdale, or cast unnecessary aspersions on the work of Storas.

40 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is there anything about the situation down south which is transparent?

I mean - just one single thing?

Anonymous said...

Crumbs, or am I choking on my pieces?

The subsequent meetings link shows the Council providing funding 'which has geatly helped the office' and 'thanks' for the quicky payout.

How can the Leader of the Council justify paying out huge sums to a Landlord in the midst of a jobs and service cutting excercise. The Trust is also a landlord as is Aline, so can they get payouts aswell? and if not then why not

Dont recall seeing this item on any of the Agenda papers.

This has more questions than answers

Anonymous said...

All quiet in the Wee Pravda and The Grey Sheet on this one I suppose.

Too close to the wee man.

Anonymous said...

Five years of bullying and threats, not to mention raiding the public purse and political posturing. Now the grand paln is becoming clear.

The next move will be to declare that it would be damaging to 'the community' to have commercial loan rates applied to the £1million and... Lo! the loan gets converted to a grant.
Can't for the life of me recall which fishfarmer kept his business running with this stunt being played out regularly in a carefully choreagraphed ballet with WIE.

It does, however, rather open the doors for other community organisations to apply for their £1m.

Anonymous said...

How do they get the names down there?
The crooked RiverPilot plant.

Could they not have called it

The honest RiverPilot plant.

Its all in the name I suppose. The people down there can only blame themselves if they support a crooked scheme. Okay, so its fully supported by W/HIE which by definition requires the project title to include the word crooked.

Banner headline.
HIE gives £10M to Crooked Project. HIE is a nonaccountable rig but more should be expected of the turnips in the Whitehouse.

Thats like someone advertising

'Im Psyco, your safe with me'

Anonymous said...

Remember Sinclair&Macleod a few years ago. The honest man from Scalpay jumped off when he saw the way ahead going crooked.

Crooked tenders, payments rushed through, suppliers waiting for payments, big deals coming off next week, even bigger deals the weak after that.....

We all know how it ended and the glossy man in the fancy car with the dapper kegs is gone. Oh and the big house which we were all told would pay the outstanding bills, was, in the wife's name. How careless. Sorry but the big house cant be touched. Still havent seen the money Im due.

I was turned over for money but I wasnt s*****d, as I was never on my knees in the big black chair and didnt leave any bitemarks in the headrest. I suppose all the chancers in the Council and WIE are still there waiting for their next dose of used notes.

I do wonder if that big black chair was taken down to Uist because from the story the same tactics are amerging. Lies, shady deals, having access to information on the inside, being on both sides of the table at the same time, money for suppliers to pay wages.

Any connection between WIE S&M and MBP?.

No postings on the obvious please

Anonymous said...

I have just been shown the list of interests and Angus Macmillan has down that he has a contract relationship with SURE. Why is he saying this and not notising that he has got nearly half a million shares in Project Fingal for his factory. I am going to ask George what he knows about this. Why tell about his contact with the estate wind farm company. I think that his cousin was right and that is why he is taking him the the court of session in edinburgh.
What scam is he feeling for when he put this down. The other directors must know what scam is being pulled so are they just as crooked.

Crooked river, crooked factorys, crooked directors, crooked shares, crooked compays, crooked estate, crooked contracts, crooked lawyers, crooked council, and where is the counciler who was a director and what does he know, stands down as director but will he tell of his part in handing over a million of council money to the estate to bail them out. He had better start talking. Did one penny of the money go to SURE where Angus Macmillan is a director and where he has a contracted relationship.

Everybody who pays rates should be told about this cashback deal. Its owr money being used to keep flashharry afloat so that he can crook the island.

I am going to ask George and he will tell me about it or maybe like the waiter in faulty towers he knows nothing.

Anonymous said...

About the S&M post.

The difference between Ness and Newton is clear.
To my Niseach friend a few asterixs in line meant a word like a dark seabird similar to a cormorant but not a gannet even salted, and to me it was a rotational technique of attaching a M/F threaded rod and socket.

It has just been suggested that the teeth marks were cased by some cross threading.

All good fun and laughter is great even for the digestive system even at the lower end. More hoots of laughter from the corner !!!

We always wondered where the big chair went, so whoevers got it now - all true about the marks on the headrest (theyre falling about now)

The wonders of wifi and carry about (or even carry on) computers.

Anonymous said...

what is surprising is south uist folk have known "macmillan" never has done anything that thats not in HIS own interest. as for the sheep sorry i meant directors of storas they should be aware they are also accountable its no good saying "ANGUS" said its all o.k

what the people of south uist should be asking is am i better off? since storas appeared but they should be happy in the knowledge that people have prospered ,ANGUS & A CERTAIN LEGAL PRACTICE based on skye!!

Anonymous said...

There are rare instances when envy, averice and gluttony can be justified and I am of the opinion that this is such an instance.

The story here shows how the community leader doing his utmost for the community can overlook something as he works so tirelessly for that community. He forget to declare how some shares happened to come into his ownership and he forgot to declare how he happened to become a director of the company that will be located into the industrial site developed in LochBoisdale and he even forget his home address when becoming a director in the company that is going to have profits of thirty million pounds per year after HIE and Council have paid for the buildings, machinery and piers necessary to service the factory.

The Chairman is envious of the crofters and other voting fodder who have plenty of time on their hands. The Chairman is avericious of those who work for their own benefit rather than for the community benefit. The Chairman is a glutton for working lunches, planeflights and holidays and he is fully justified in having all of this paid for by his benefactor as he works so diligently. It such a small matter if he uses these lunches, travel and holidays for his own benefit and seeing his own lawyers and even having the same lawyer as his benefactor. Who pays for the the lawyers is a small matter of money and he is always so busy that he forgets that he should pay for his own lawyers in much the same way that he forgot his share issue, because he was so busy.

There are those who are envious of the Chairman and his averice for community development and his gluttony for work. It is right and proper that the Council should provide more money than they already have as it is not their money but our money and we should agree to have it expended in LochBoisdale or used in any other way that the Chairman chooses and whether this or how the money is used is unfit and impropoer is a matter for hisown good self to decide.

Anonymous said...

About S&M by the Newt and the Niseach.
There is a bird involved in this whole sorry mess. Very greedy with a sharp beak for ripping into things. Maybe he is a gannet but not salted and very hard boiled. Well fed with untidy plumage. Always in the sqabble and always trying to be on both sides getting everyone to fight it out and pecking at both sides.

His plumage is dark so he cant be a gannet therefor his must be a crow. Birds of a feather flock together so Angus Scopy, you must be a crow aswell.

We all know what happens to crows. The law says that crows can be removed at any time of the year. Our community assets and money are like new born lambs. Only fools would leave crows to look after new born lambs but that is what we have in Uist when we leave the fat faced crows in charge of our community assets and money.

Crows, crows, crooked crows.

The chief exectative at the council must say enough is enough. Too many lies and crooked deals.

Anonymous said...

My good pal in Uist was Poking fun at the way some people snooker themselves with spelling. He says that faulty towers are castles on clouds like those of Storas Uist but the Cybil and Basil towers are dysfunctional but not faulty. ;)

Anonymous said...

*single track mainroad
*street lighting falling over in strong breezes
*poor water pressure
*roadside ditches blocked
*no broadband
*worst ferry service
*etc,etc
All this can be found at Lochboisdale! what does that tell you...............?
At least Angus MacMillan is on a board that are trying to develop LB weather it is crooked or not work will be created so there will be employment. CROOKS, look no futher than your Bardoncouncil Hebrides and councillors!!!

Anonymous said...

In Ness it might mean the local delicacy
Soused & Marinaded
and in Uist its
Scopy & Marinebiopolymers,
but we really like the line
'its fine that he s a crook but he s our crook, so thats all fine then'

Atleast in Newton we can be proud of Sandy.

Anyway back to work.

Anonymous said...

Following on from my initial comment, it clear that the situation is transparently murky.

Oddly enough psyco is an anagram of scopy. Does anyone dare pick at that one or is the anagram enough?

Anonymous said...

Smoke & Mirrors

Anonymous said...

Well done to Storas for getting the wind project up. My friend from Ness is griping on about the Urras and how he has not signed anything to let there project start. He says his father only left him a good name, two and a quarter hectares and a now a share in a pot of gold and that no way is he going to go on his knees in the chair for anyone.

He claims that the big black spinning chair does the rounds between all the community estates and that the man in the big house in Uig decides who gets the chair this week.

He says that no order has been given by the court and that this is why the Urras wind project is on stop. They are just bunch of half baked politicans who brown nose the man in Uig all waiting to get there noses in the trough so he s signing f*** all (he means any papers).

Maybe its just that Storas is ahead of the curve and that the same thing is about to happen in the Urras.

Atleast nothing like this will happen at the Trust.

Anyway, Friday morning, so back to work.

Anonymous said...

A Brief's note,

A wind energy proposal based on an interposed lease still necessitates the crofters to sign agreements which reduce their rights. To date, and I'm prepared to check the roll if someone pays me, I am unaware of any that have been signed by the court.

Unless all the crofters agree, (Iran, Israel, etc) then the matter must be progressed as a contested motion. This would certainly make the headlines and even in a place as subjugated as the Uist, Galson and Uig Estate areas and where the press is so tightly contolled. There must be atleast one uppity crofter somewhere in these areas, or then again must there?

Various ammendments were made to the crofting legislation to allow the likes of LWP in and there was some stout backing to make it all happen. I shall not refer to him though a few sideways have been made above.

So crofters everywhere, all is not lost, and the people in the red faced building across the way should be ashamed at their various roles in the game.

So, unless you crofters sign away your 'pot of gold' then you still hold the cards.

Angus. How and who do I charge for this advice?

Anonymous said...

I have an aporshament in Siadar Hill grazings. The Hydro main line is right accross it.
Can I put a wind mill in there?
I want to keep my crofting rights and when it comes to the crofting estates I think that the Storas people are not the only crooks in town.

Anonymous said...

Brief replies,

Assuming your apporshament (sic) is still owned by the Landlord as it is unlikely that its been sold to you unless you've done some dirty dead for said Landlord. The sale of apporshaments (sic) are almost exclusively an underhand reward, so lets assume for the sake of probity that you're still the tenant.

Does your Landlord have an interposed lease in place? This is generally for the air above the land, or for some specified pertinant such as shooting and game.

If there is and the Landlord has agreed an interposed lease with a third party such as LWP then as a tenant you are still very much invoved in the process unless you relinquish your rights. It may be that you have had a proposal from your Landlord, as per the Point schemes which are being used to get the crofters to agree a whoesale reduction in their rights in exchange for getting the Point scheme agreed so LWP can roll in unimpeded. A bit like using a minnow to land a shark. This has to be done on a systematic grazings by grazings basis. This explains why the Point scheme is specific to a single grazings, at the moment. The rest will follow as a means of getting the other grazings to reduce their rights.

Getting back to the prospect in question, it is simply a matter of Landlords, and if its a 'community landlord' it means that, unless you're a political heavy hitter or are the Chairman (per the top story), then to quote previous contributees, you have reason to fear the spinning chair that revolves round these estates.

PS. No word of my fee yet. Must be into four figures by now.

Anonymous said...

Oops! The hand of wee Brian can be seen in the timing of the press release about the millions that are going to be generated by the 'community' wind farm in Uist.

I take it that the wee man and Storas have taken medical advice regarding the level of alzheimers that they assume plagues all of Uis, and how we have to be constantly reminded of The Good News We must therefore be grateful, lest it slips our mind, that they have made this announcement every year for the past five years, and on hearing the good news about the millions that are going to be generated for the 'community' we abandondon the daily toil and cheer unendingly at the way in which the Storas board selflessly toils bravely on our behalf.

Self interst by the chairman while he burns the midnight oil? Perish the thought.

Dr Evadne said...

To the learned person who is after a fee; where have I heard of the firm Gillespie Macandrew before? I see that the photo shoot for the three wise monkeys in the gerzette has a massive backdrop promoting said legal firm. Will we be hearing a lot more from them in the future?
Thank you m'lud.

Anonymous said...

Dear Angus,
My clear and brilliant mind was needed Monday past after you caught my Chairman of Storas Uibhist with his snout in the cookie barrel. The first problem was deafness. And he just can't understand that he has to keep his ears above the slop level. But a reheated, rehashed and reissued press release later we have a result. The Greysheet lapped the lot and advertised our lawyers. Palatial is the least that could be used to describe their offices but then I suppose the £150,00 and counting that we've given them to concoct my new Mugabe constitution to keep the Chairman in the cookie barrel habit to which he's become rather accustomed is well worth it. Its all a long term game so mopping up after him again is all just part of the job.

I'm now busy manipulating the Crofting Commission elections and telling all these ignorant crofters that they must vote for the candidates in the community estates. We must not allow an impartial commission to continue. The commission must do as the community estates want and neither the rules or some ignorant crofters will be allowed to stand in my way.

Must dash, manipulations to make.

Yours ever

Wee WoC

Anonymous said...

It shows how good the newshounds on FS corner are at sniffing out a real story. If half of AngusNic's story is true then the cove should face jail. The rozzers should earn there pay and do some proper work and take that place down there apart for taking ten millon so that some fatfaced conman can get the lot, same as the OBE Group.
I see that Brians bull sheet has the story hidden on page 10 with the leauge 8 shitey results, so how did that happen?

Anonymous said...

Re the apportionment thing in South Lochs and MacDigger.

If MacDigger the chairman of the 'connunity landlard' - (MacDigger with hat 1), finds that he agrees with the crofter with the apportionments - (MacDigger with hat 2). Agreeing with himself is so easy and 150 grand last week helps enormously. So, as soon as Brian has Lomax by the b***ax then he (Mac Digger and Brian are rolling in clover.

Anonymous said...

Anagrams.

Psycho is not an anagram of scopy.

So obvious when a redtop reader contributes.

Anonymous said...

Re anagrams or rather Hi Brian,

I see you denegrate RedTop readers but then I was reading JoinTheDots when I realised it was a BlueTop - MyLand, Your Language, Your Culture is how I think it goes. Pehaps I should add My Money for you.

Well now, perhaps
Psycho is an anagram of Shcopy or maybe it should be Chairman Telescope because he could see it all from so far away, even from before it all started. That brings it all back to you Brian, you had the inside from before it all started. You saw a big pot of other peoples gold and you wanted it all for yourself.

Mac a tSronaich has got nothing on you.

Sawbost and The Nhicholson.
I can drop and add aiches depending on location and language. ;)

Anonymous said...

Just red Jointhedots (good one that one) and the BeeBanker in Uig is going on about somebody geting a grid conection. LWP has the conection in Lewis. Brian is directing Amec who own LWP so why is he not giving up the conection in Lewis that LWP has. But no. He wont give us sh?t all. The LWP thing is the same as macdigger in the park estate and this guy scopy in uist.

Share the pot of gold. The crofters in Uist must be so stuipid, so stupid, if they sined the papers to give the pot of gold to them guys.

I have peat banks so do I get a share in the money from the windpower. Kick LWP out same as Brian and this Scopy guy are doing in Uist. Let us do our own thing. Share the cash you wee crook.

Anonymous said...

Getting back to the real and top story.

Any complicity by CnES staff in injecting public finance into a project for private benefit which was not declared is grounds for suspension, investigation and if kickbacks are found either political or financial then the people involved should be invited to take the short walk.

Anonymous said...

The illusion that the the Buyout Estates are invincible is a veneer that will be shattered when the disinfectant of sunlight is allowed to shine on the corrupt working practices of the individuals chosen, then promoted at community leaders. These community leaders are created to deliver the policy of the power behind the buyouts. Step forward 'WB'. (Oops)

By creating these leaders you are allowing them to be the symbolic rulers, but you operate not by command but by the power of compulsory suggestion, imperative request and mandatory hint.

The quite Amec ican. Dropped the are but its not that different from dropping an aich really. For one who protests so much about the Americans I do think you do protest to much, and by excusing you really does accuse and implicate yourself.

PTL, PCL, PRL, SSEG, Macdigger, BW, the end of the rainbow, the pot of gold, the golden semolas, el dorado, payday, .......

The Buyout Estates are the way in. Big time here we come. But the pieces aren't joining up quickly enough.

Macdigger found out.
Now
Scopy caught out.
Next
Wee Banker kicked out?

The Party is in dire trouble because of you and the forthcoming elections will see the decimation of the London Labour Independent councillors from Uist to Point and including Uig inbetween. All your fault and all because of your greed. :(

Anonymous said...

Dear Angus,
Circumstances alter cases and the exposure of the facade which underpins the community estates promts me to write again. There is no method by which my leaders can be removed. It is my form of democracy, my rules and soon it will be my money. But before you release the real dirt, bear in mind that if the crofters with a vote find out about it then it will result in my people for the crofting commission not getting elected. Their presence on the board is very necessary to remove the rights that these pseudo agricultural weekend smallholding squatters have, in favour of my estates.

Despite publicly attacking the man from Barra he still persisted in putting his name forward. He didn't even add blurb unlike the others. Imagine it, crofting background, IDP, long service here there or nowhere, etc. Thats a bit like me carping on about my role in CND or my Bresniev for Prime Minister campaign. None of that now though.

Imagine taking the line that the Crofting Commission should remain independent of my community estates. He says 'Keep the right of referal to an impartial commission' and 'Separate the powers so that the Landlords do not control crofting and tenancy issues'. Admitedly, these are things that I would have supported before I became a Landlord myself but, so the world goes.

Power to the Landlord. And more so if I'm the Landlord.

Yours ever

Wee WoC

Anonymous said...

Good point 9.03, I never percieved the the two faced nature of WeeB. Its fine and dandy for him to have the connection in Lewis but he's kicking lumps out of the guy in Uist who has the connection there.

Two faced or what. Dual standard.

Anonymous said...

Why is nobody from Uist adding to the comments? They must be so feared that they dont dare to say beeg. And how did this Scopy caracter get in charge anyway? And who is behind it all? The WeeB is mentioned, but surely?

BTW what is the meaning of PTL, PCL, PRL and SSEG. Almost as many front companys as living faces in South Lochs.

Anonymous said...

Brief's Note,

The interesting and essentially curious thing is that Angus Macmillan seems not to be a director of Lochboisdale Development Company but I assume that all the other directors of this company are the remaining elected directors.

These other directors should, and very quickly so, check their personal liabilities in respect of LDC incase there is responsibility for any of the reported ten million or any portion thereof or for any other liabilities incurred by LDC.

Trading whilst insolvent is caused by incurring debts, taking loans, undertaking works or purchasing stock when there is insufficient or no funds to pay or repay the liabilities so incurred. In such cases directors are liable for the debts of the company.

Confidential advice assured after my fee has been paid in full.

Anonymous said...

Oh dear, it looks like the offices which the WIE handed over to Storas as a nice wee modern facility did not stay in the hands of the community for very long. Have a wee peep at
StorasUibhist_FChargeblREX+0L0067-225447_2-07255911.pdf

Can't be much left in the cupboard now to sustain the gravy train.

This particular sequence of events is somewhat typical of both the Enterprise company and Storas. The total of public money which was involved in this particular building is circa £1m. Handed over to the community in a grand splash of press releases and given up to the bank within a couple of months.

Curiously, did not see a smiley photo opportunity in the Wee Pravda by the well fed face and the welsh babysitter when this particular transaction was signed over - must have been an administrative oversight by Ginger... blinded, no doubt, by devotion

Anonymous said...

Re 9.55 posting. Are you being serious?

Surely not! but then, these are interesting times.

In any case where is the information available?

As a retired civil servant I found it necessary to give the substance of your allegation what was at best a cursory assessment and dicovered that one the principal shareholders is the UK agent/rep for an incinerator manufacturer. Have a look on

www.smartcarbonenergysolutions.com

Even more interestingly is that this individual was involved with the incinerator originally proposed for Invergordon, which is a deep water port and more suited to such an operation, where the proposal was to ship the timber in from the South of Scotland.

Equally interesting is the fact that over half the Waste to Energy incinerators in Scotland are owned or sponsored by AMEC. Is there any possibility of a link here between the Marine Bio-polymers proposal and a certain BW that is referred to earlier.

Any possibility of confirming these rather tentative leads will be much appreciated.

Anonymous said...

Has anyone noticed that Angus Andrew MacMillan 11/53 has two entries in the Register of Directors in Companies House? Director ID : 915793414, 3 company director or secretary appointments and 900018764, 25 company director or secretary appointments.
How can this be?

Anonymous said...

It all gets worse.
At the very least Whyte wasnt undeclaredly benefiting personally from tax revenue.
Is this character Scopy an amaeoba?

Anonymous said...

1) A two tier spineless board

2) A CEO who is wholly and completely out of touch with the island.

3) Back room deals with WIE

4) A constitution that has been seriously altered.

5) A chairman who is little more than a self serving bully.

6) A west coast paper that has shamelessly abandoned its own motto.

7) Illegal (?) share deals.

8) Acommunity threatened with legal action on the whim of the chairman

9) The flag ship state of the art 'community owned' office now given up for a mortgage to pay the day to day running costs of the estate.

10) Grandstanding on 'community' concern to brown nose for the labour party.

Time for an EGM to be called and the rot cleared out before the island is completely sunk by the current batch of witless clowns and their ringmaster.

(The above list is only what springs immediately to mind and does not include the funny deals that were cooked up in the Bornish church house, some of which would make even a Cardinal blush.)

Anonymous said...

A memory test for the Directors of Storas;

1. Can you remember all the standard securities granted over the assets?

2. Do you recall who signed them?

3. Did your Chairman sign any of them?

No?

ok, final question;

4. How do you spell 'Personal
Liability'?