The blog formerly known as "Angus Nicolson - an incredulous eye on the isles" this was the blog of an ordinary, boring, former Councillor in the Western Isles of Scotland.
Angus is taking a sabbatical to be with his young family
Debate strengthens democracy, except inside the SNP, as he has discovered. If you want balance then get some scales. This is opinion - our opinion.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Election
Is there actually an election going on somewhere???
It's oh so quiet, apart from Calum MacDonald pressing the flesh on Cromwell St.
The SNP have postered the road between the airport and town, so Alex Salmond can see just how busy they have been. Nowhere else seems to have been done, but I suspect Alex will have other matters on his mind when he comes here tomorrow.
Tut, tut Mr. MacNeil and with you accusing so many other people of so many other things.
At least he's lucky that he isn't a teacher anymore as that would have made it a sex offenders register issue, being a politician does have some advantages.
How do you know that no-one had their kit off anon no 6?? Were you there or are you "close" to Mr. MacNeil and he's bragged about the incident to you?? The girls themselves have said that Angus M was being suggestive and that he took some of his clothes off. The poor kids are trying to protect themselves under very difficult circumstances. This is another politician taking advantage of his position of power hoping that poor young girls wouldn't have the gut to expose him. Let's get it right, he was married at the time with two young children and another on the way AND he had been elected into a position of responsibility. He has always gone about with a holier than thou attitude about everyone else, he should know better. He has no integrity and has used and abused his position. The guy should resign, no questions asked.
Anon 6:It is well seen you have no sympathy for this sleasballs family or for the girls or their families. If you think that a married man romping in bed with 2 teenagers who he got drunk(one underage)is proper conduct, I hope you are not married. If you are then if I was your wife I would have no trust in you. I would not be surprised if the Sun and the News of the World start digging that more startiling revelations will be uncovered. He should do the hounorable think as he was asking Blair to do and resign. "Sorry is not a man of honour"
I could not agree more - the man should resign. He's been spouting moral issues this, moral issues that - did he think he was untouchable. Locally he is known as incredibly arrogant and this behaviour just proves that! I'll enjoy watching the fall-out but feel sorry for his wife and family.
Have some respect anon 6. Does that make it okay if they didn't actually have penetrative sex??!! Think about the families involved and the shame that these people have to live with. Think about Angus MacNeil's poor wife and his 3 children, one of whom is less than 2 years old. These Islands pride themselves on their high moral values. Can you imagine the headlines that this will attract and ensure that our Islands are remembered for a sleazeball MP who couldn't keep his equipment in his trousers. Great publicity for the tourists eh? Maybe we could have him stuffed and exhibit him in the middle of town.
Let he who is without blame cast the first stone. Aimed both regarding Mr MacNeil and AT Mr MacNeil. It's election time, folks. Dirty stories will out. A.B. should have realised that this skeleton was bound to come tumbling out of his cupboard. He should have said NO when Alex Salmond asked him to carry the can for the Cash for Honours inquiry. He should have said "Listen, Alex, been a naughty boy, can't do this". A.B.'s career is at best damaged, and at worst kaputt.
Touches of Clinton "I did not have a sexual relationship with that woman". Lets wait and see if anything else comes out of this. Oh by the way do you think the police should question him for purchasing drink for someone who was not 18 at the time.
Do you think the Gazette will have enough staff to run with this story Angus. This is the reason they were giving for not running the story of you being expelled from your party.
Or staff with more interesting stories to cover than the rantings of a disgruntled councillor. A man who said too much and now has more chips than McCain on his shoulder.
Machaseo, I was wondering when you would come out of the woodwork on this one. 1. Do you really think that Mr MacNeil would divulge this gruesome incident to someone that he didn't even have the courtesy to speak to about Western Isles issues for the last 2 years? 2. I think you will find that the SNP / Angus MacNeil have screwed up themselves on this one with no help from anyone including Angus.
Maybe you could start a conspiracy theory placing Angus in Shetland in July 2005 and plying Angus M with viagra... When will you ever just admit that Angus M is wrong
Hey Macho Man Politics is politics and it doesn't really matter who revealed this little gem of a story, there is still a guilty party out there who up until now proclaimed to be the second coming. No pun intended
my, what a lot of un christian sceptics you are (i would have put synichs - but as you can see i am unsure of the spelling!) no one giving anyone the benefit of 1) the doubt or 2) the fact that he might have repented and the blood of Jesus Christ wipes out sin!
i advise anyone reading this to press anonymous6's link for the full story! Interesting that most of the typers are signing themselves anonymous this time... surely not a dirty tricks campaign by labour?
Mach0, I so disappointed that we won't be getting the benefit of your wisdom for some time.My life is a void.
MacNeil gets teenagers drunk and trys to hump them and you blame Angus Nicolson?Ever considered any of the few hundred others from Lewis who were actually there and didn't get shitfaced?
Since you ask, NO I did not have anything to do with this.
I first heard the story about 6 weeks ago from a journalist who fingered the source as being the Labour Party. I understand it may have been circulating for some time before then.
In mid-March I tried to give advice to Mr MacNeil through one of his closest political associates as to how to deal with this.
About three weeks ago it was being actively repeated in the Members lounge at the Comhairle, but I was not getting the story directly, as I was still an SNP Councillor at that time.
I repeated the story to no-one and didn't know it was (1) true, and (2) going to be carried by any papers, until Sunday lunchtime.
I don't know why you bother Angus, Macho will undoubtedly call you a liar anyway. I have to say, I wish he didn't bother posting on this forum at all. Tedium, fingerpointing and defensiveness in the extreme.
Machaseo, If you truly believe that the fact our MP plied two young girls with alcohol, one under the legal drinking limit, invited them to his room and then made suggestive comments and engaged in heavy petting is going to work in the SNPs favour, I really don't know what planet you are on. As a woman with a young family, I find Mr. MacNeil's actions disgraceful and unforgiveable and I am an SNP supporter. I am just very glad that my own children haven't had to have any involvement with him and I hope that when his political career fails he is not allowed to return to work as a teacher.
Regardless of inaccurate reporting, Angus MacNeil has admitted that the story is true in his apology for his actions. And the fact remains that it was disgraceful behaviour, especially for someone who trumpeted his own integrity and family values so loudly in the run-up to the 2005 elections and since.
It's not the story that does for politicians, it's the cover-up. It wasn't Shetland (?) so where was it? And why does MacNeil admit to being in the wrong place with unspecified people for an unspecified event? Too pissed to remember?
It's not the girls who were hurt by this story, but Angus MacNeil. Anyway, this has made no waves beyond the Highlands and Islands, until Parliament returns from recess. The Honourable Member for Na h-Eileanan Siar isn't going to have a nice time.
The people who suffer most from this will be the people of the Western Isles (and, hopefully, the Sunday Mail if the girls' families decide to sue them). It's sad when this level of 'journalism' is sunk to in what is purely a revenge attack on Mr. Macneil by New Labour, one of the most morally and ethically bankrupt governments this country has ever had. How much lower can they go? Let's wait and see over the next 3 weeks.
I think this could well backfire badly on Labour - in fact, from what I heard in Stornoway this morning, it already has.
With respect to the families unfortunately involved in this mess, the people's atention has not and should not be diverted from what has been going on in Lewis over the last five years, i.e. the windfarms fiasco, and in the wider world the incredible suffering wreaked on Iraq through Blair's and Bush's illegal war, (plus ID cards, 24-hour drinking, supercasinos,etc. etc.)
Having been fooled by these chancers in 1997, I for one will never vote New Labour again.
'Macneil should be locked up and the key should be thrown far away from underage girls'
I see the anonymous nutter is back.
'underage girls' - you've just got to laugh really. there seems to be no limit to the foolishness (and vindictiveness) of those whose only aim is revenge.
I sincerely hope that voters in this island who have watched the ways things have been done in this island (hint: industrial-scale wind farms) will not let the malice and pettiness of some posters on this blog influence their voting choice on May 3rd.
I've a feeling though that this time around, people are a bit more savvy about what's going on.
Anonomous 3 seems to confuse the issue of underage 'heavy petting' with one where outright dishonesty by successive governments was practiced - what exactly is the link? Or has anonymous 3 forgotten it?
it is interesting that this has not - as far as i am aware - made national news. I heard the source of the story was a falling out between two lots of girls the second lot said - yes we'll confirm it but only if you don't mention our names - ah journalism... the only job more dishonest than politics.
It is indeed interesting that this story barely made a ripple anywhere except the local press in Lewis, a few blogs and of course the Sunday Mail itself, that bastion of truth, fairness and political balance.
I'd expected it to make the news on scottish tv for days on end, but nope, hardly anything...
Maybe it's been carefully managed to keep the effect intensely local, that was after all where the damage was aimed at, and not at Westminster??
"It's time to keep healthcare local The "SNP" will protect vital local health services, give the public a "say" in decisions on the future of local hospitals and do "more" to give young Scots the healthiest start in life."
Goes to show the GREAT gulf between socialists and the SNP if they were like us the above would have said this...
It's time to keep healthcare local The "socialist" will protect vital local health services, give the public "the" decisions on the future of local hospitals and do "everything" to give young Scots the healthiest start in life.
It shows the mindset of the SNP and what is to come. You just know that you are on a loser with the SNP.
Was it really Labour who 'outed' Mr MacNeil? Ah hae ma doots. The timing seems to suit the SNP more. Knowing the story's about to break, it's released on Easter weekend where news bulletins are shorter and more irregular than normal, people aren't working - and talking, and you've got your most experienced national politician on hand a day later to clean up the mess. And of course you give it to a Labour supporting newspaper when there's enough time for the story to be at least half-forgotten before the election.
There are things we know we know. We also know There are known unknowns. That is to say We know there are some things We do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, The ones we don't know We don't know. But will know on May 4th.
Perhaps it's machaseo who's the unintentional comedian!
This idea is quoted in a number of sources - including the Liberal Review website etc. And anyone aware of how SNP used to brief against, say, Margo MacDonald when she was an MSP for that very party would not dismiss the idea out of hand.
It's the ideal way of managing 'bad news' - practised by politicians for many generations. As anyone whose brains were not 'machaseo' would know!
The SNP have postered the road between the airport and town, so Alex Salmond can see just how busy they have been. Nowhere else seems to have been done, but I suspect Alex will have other matters on his mind when he comes here tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteIt’s not so quiet anymore…………
ReplyDeleteTut, tut Mr. MacNeil and with you accusing so many other people of so many other things.
At least he's lucky that he isn't a teacher anymore as that would have made it a sex offenders register issue, being a politician does have some advantages.
Two Early Day Motions signed by the now former MP are particularly relevant Warnings on alcoholic drinks and Teenage pregnancies.
ReplyDeleteHis concern about Untouchables should have been about his constituents not old enough to vote.
http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1259699,00.html
ReplyDeleteDear Labour sycophants,
ReplyDeleteWhy has a two year old "story" come out a few weeks before an election?
Nobody even got their kit off or had it off. I'd like our current MSP to swear on the bible that he hasn't been naughtier; that'd be interesting...
How do you know that no-one had their kit off anon no 6?? Were you there or are you "close" to Mr. MacNeil and he's bragged about the incident to you??
ReplyDeleteThe girls themselves have said that Angus M was being suggestive and that he took some of his clothes off. The poor kids are trying to protect themselves under very difficult circumstances. This is another politician taking advantage of his position of power hoping that poor young girls wouldn't have the gut to expose him.
Let's get it right, he was married at the time with two young children and another on the way AND he had been elected into a position of responsibility. He has always gone about with a holier than thou attitude about everyone else, he should know better. He has no integrity and has used and abused his position. The guy should resign, no questions asked.
Anon 6:It is well seen you have no sympathy for this sleasballs family or for the girls or their families. If you think that a married man romping in bed with 2 teenagers who he got drunk(one underage)is proper conduct, I hope you are not married. If you are then if I was your wife I would have no trust in you. I would not be surprised if the Sun and the News of the World start digging that more startiling revelations will be uncovered. He should do the hounorable think as he was asking Blair to do and resign. "Sorry is not a man of honour"
ReplyDeleteI could not agree more - the man should resign. He's been spouting moral issues this, moral issues that - did he think he was untouchable. Locally he is known as incredibly arrogant and this behaviour just proves that! I'll enjoy watching the fall-out but feel sorry for his wife and family.
ReplyDeleteHave some respect anon 6. Does that make it okay if they didn't actually have penetrative sex??!! Think about the families involved and the shame that these people have to live with. Think about Angus MacNeil's poor wife and his 3 children, one of whom is less than 2 years old.
ReplyDeleteThese Islands pride themselves on their high moral values. Can you imagine the headlines that this will attract and ensure that our Islands are remembered for a sleazeball MP who couldn't keep his equipment in his trousers. Great publicity for the tourists eh? Maybe we could have him stuffed and exhibit him in the middle of town.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteLet he who is without blame cast the first stone. Aimed both regarding Mr MacNeil and AT Mr MacNeil.
ReplyDeleteIt's election time, folks. Dirty stories will out. A.B. should have realised that this skeleton was bound to come tumbling out of his cupboard. He should have said NO when Alex Salmond asked him to carry the can for the Cash for Honours inquiry. He should have said "Listen, Alex, been a naughty boy, can't do this". A.B.'s career is at best damaged, and at worst kaputt.
Touches of Clinton "I did not have a sexual relationship with that woman". Lets wait and see if anything else comes out of this. Oh by the way do you think the police should question him for purchasing drink for someone who was not 18 at the time.
ReplyDeleteDo you think the Gazette will have enough staff to run with this story Angus. This is the reason they were giving for not running the story of you being expelled from your party.
ReplyDeleteLack of staff, or staff too closely related to the SNP campaign. The Gazette's Chief Reporter's wife is the SNP Chairwoman for the Western Isles.
ReplyDeleteOr staff with more interesting stories to cover than the rantings of a disgruntled councillor. A man who said too much and now has more chips than McCain on his shoulder.
ReplyDeleteMachaseo,
ReplyDeleteI was wondering when you would come out of the woodwork on this one.
1. Do you really think that Mr MacNeil would divulge this gruesome incident to someone that he didn't even have the courtesy to speak to about Western Isles issues for the last 2 years?
2. I think you will find that the SNP / Angus MacNeil have screwed up themselves on this one with no help from anyone including Angus.
Maybe you could start a conspiracy theory placing Angus in Shetland in July 2005 and plying Angus M with viagra... When will you ever just admit that Angus M is wrong
Anon chips: a councillor who is prepared to speak out and take the abuse. I hope he runs again and become Convener.
ReplyDeleteAngus, you timed your expulsion perfectly. I bet you are glad to be disassociated from that bunch!
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work.
Mach0, knew you'd come running along with a lame excuse. Why does Angus allow you to continue to post such drivel?
ReplyDeleteHey Macho Man
ReplyDeletePolitics is politics and it doesn't really matter who revealed this little gem of a story, there is still a guilty party out there who up until now proclaimed to be the second coming.
No pun intended
my, what a lot of un christian sceptics you are (i would have put synichs - but as you can see i am unsure of the spelling!) no one giving anyone the benefit of 1) the doubt or 2) the fact that he might have repented and the blood of Jesus Christ wipes out sin!
ReplyDeletei advise anyone reading this to press anonymous6's link for the full story! Interesting that most of the typers are signing themselves anonymous this time... surely not a dirty tricks campaign by labour?
ReplyDeleteMach0, I so disappointed that we won't be getting the benefit of your wisdom for some time.My life is a void.
ReplyDeleteMacNeil gets teenagers drunk and trys to hump them and you blame Angus Nicolson?Ever considered any of the few hundred others from Lewis who were actually there and didn't get shitfaced?
Since you ask, NO I did not have anything to do with this.
ReplyDeleteI first heard the story about 6 weeks ago from a journalist who fingered the source as being the Labour Party. I understand it may have been circulating for some time before then.
In mid-March I tried to give advice to Mr MacNeil through one of his closest political associates as to how to deal with this.
About three weeks ago it was being actively repeated in the Members lounge at the Comhairle, but I was not getting the story directly, as I was still an SNP Councillor at that time.
I repeated the story to no-one and didn't know it was (1) true, and (2) going to be carried by any papers, until Sunday lunchtime.
I don't know why you bother Angus, Macho will undoubtedly call you a liar anyway.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, I wish he didn't bother posting on this forum at all. Tedium, fingerpointing and defensiveness in the extreme.
Machaseo,
ReplyDeleteIf you truly believe that the fact our MP plied two young girls with alcohol, one under the legal drinking limit, invited them to his room and then made suggestive comments and engaged in heavy petting is going to work in the SNPs favour, I really don't know what planet you are on.
As a woman with a young family, I find Mr. MacNeil's actions disgraceful and unforgiveable and I am an SNP supporter.
I am just very glad that my own children haven't had to have any involvement with him and I hope that when his political career fails he is not allowed to return to work as a teacher.
In other news...
ReplyDeleteAlasdair Allan today discovered second gear in his car.
Unfortunately, this happened at the same moment that Mr Salmond and several other members of the SNP were trying desperately to get into Mr Allans car, as it sped towards the next destination on the whistle-stop tour of the Outer Hebrides.
Mr Salmond and others received minor treatment for burns to their feet in Balivanich hospital before catching the flight home.
anon3.13 'As a woman with a young family....I am just very glad that my own children haven't had to have any involvement with him'
ReplyDeleteWith respect Angus, it is very questionable indeed to allow comments like that on a blog.
Abair blog inntinneach a tha seo!
ReplyDeleteTell me more, tell me more, tell me more.
Regardless of inaccurate reporting, Angus MacNeil has admitted that the story is true in his apology for his actions. And the fact remains that it was disgraceful behaviour, especially for someone who trumpeted his own integrity and family values so loudly in the run-up to the 2005 elections and since.
ReplyDeleteIt's not the story that does for politicians, it's the cover-up. It wasn't Shetland (?) so where was it? And why does MacNeil admit to being in the wrong place with unspecified people for an unspecified event? Too pissed to remember?
ReplyDeleteAngus, were you at this freebie. Any idea who was?
ReplyDeleteNo. I was invited and declined.
ReplyDeleteYour hints are unnecessary; I've already worked out where, when and the likely mole's identity.
The "errors" in the story appear to be very clever obfuscation to protect his identity.
Article on Gazette website:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.stornowaygazette.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=2682380&SectionID=2629
It looks like the girls were misled by the reporter
Girls misled by reporter? Shock, horror. Girls deny story? No.
ReplyDeleteIt's not the girls who were hurt by this story, but Angus MacNeil. Anyway, this has made no waves beyond the Highlands and Islands, until Parliament returns from recess. The Honourable Member for Na h-Eileanan Siar isn't going to have a nice time.
ReplyDeleteThe people who suffer most from this will be the people of the Western Isles (and, hopefully, the Sunday Mail if the girls' families decide to sue them). It's sad when this level of 'journalism' is sunk to in what is purely a revenge attack on Mr. Macneil by New Labour, one of the most morally and ethically bankrupt governments this country has ever had. How much lower can they go? Let's wait and see over the next 3 weeks.
ReplyDeleteI think this could well backfire badly on Labour - in fact, from what I heard in Stornoway this morning, it already has.
With respect to the families unfortunately involved in this mess, the people's atention has not and should not be diverted from what has been going on in Lewis over the last five years, i.e. the windfarms fiasco, and in the wider world the incredible suffering wreaked on Iraq through Blair's and Bush's illegal war, (plus ID cards, 24-hour drinking, supercasinos,etc. etc.)
Having been fooled by these chancers in 1997, I for one will never vote New Labour again.
love the Skating Saudis
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteNow why did you remove that seemingly harmless rhona martin post (1:06 pm)?
ReplyDeleteMacneil should be locked up and the key should be thrown far away from underage girls
ReplyDelete'Macneil should be locked up and the key should be thrown far away from underage girls'
ReplyDeleteI see the anonymous nutter is back.
'underage girls' - you've just got to laugh really. there seems to be no limit to the foolishness (and vindictiveness) of those whose only aim is revenge.
Alcohol is such a blight on our communities, and it is excellent that the SNP want to clamp down on supplies to underagers.
ReplyDeletePerhaps MacNeil should read the SNP press releases.
I sincerely hope that voters in this island who have watched the ways things have been done in this island (hint: industrial-scale wind farms) will not let the malice and pettiness of some posters on this blog influence their voting choice on May 3rd.
ReplyDeleteI've a feeling though that this time around, people are a bit more savvy about what's going on.
Anonomous 3 seems to confuse the issue of underage 'heavy petting' with one where outright dishonesty by successive governments was practiced - what exactly is the link? Or has anonymous 3 forgotten it?
ReplyDeleteit is interesting that this has not - as far as i am aware - made national news. I heard the source of the story was a falling out between two lots of girls the second lot said - yes we'll confirm it but only if you don't mention our names - ah journalism... the only job more dishonest than politics.
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed interesting that this story barely made a ripple anywhere except the local press in Lewis, a few blogs and of course the Sunday Mail itself, that bastion of truth, fairness and political balance.
ReplyDeleteI'd expected it to make the news on scottish tv for days on end, but nope, hardly anything...
Maybe it's been carefully managed to keep the effect intensely local, that was after all where the damage was aimed at, and not at Westminster??
"Barely made a ripple," thuirt Machaseo. What about Sky News? Also, check out the BBC website - top of the 'most read' news stories last Monday.
ReplyDeleteTaken from the SNP web site...
ReplyDelete"It's time to keep healthcare local
The "SNP" will protect vital local health services, give the public a "say" in decisions on the future of local hospitals and do "more" to give young Scots the healthiest start in life."
Goes to show the GREAT gulf between socialists and the SNP if they were like us the above would have said this...
It's time to keep healthcare local
The "socialist" will protect vital local health services, give the public "the" decisions on the future of local hospitals and do "everything" to give young Scots the healthiest start in life.
It shows the mindset of the SNP and what is to come.
You just know that you are on a loser with the SNP.
Was it really Labour who 'outed' Mr MacNeil? Ah hae ma doots. The timing seems to suit the SNP more. Knowing the story's about to break, it's released on Easter weekend where news bulletins are shorter and more irregular than normal, people aren't working - and talking, and you've got your most experienced national politician on hand a day later to clean up the mess. And of course you give it to a Labour supporting newspaper when there's enough time for the story to be at least half-forgotten before the election.
ReplyDeleteVery convenient, isn't it?
Too convenient perhaps.
There are things we know we know.
ReplyDeleteWe also know
There are known unknowns.
That is to say
We know there are some things
We do not know.
But there are also unknown unknowns,
The ones we don't know
We don't know.
But will know on May 4th.
bodach, that is one of the best unintentionally funny comments on this blog.
ReplyDeletePerhaps it's machaseo who's the unintentional comedian!
ReplyDeleteThis idea is quoted in a number of sources - including the Liberal Review website etc. And anyone aware of how SNP used to brief against, say, Margo MacDonald when she was an MSP for that very party would not dismiss the idea out of hand.
It's the ideal way of managing 'bad news' - practised by politicians for many generations. As anyone whose brains were not 'machaseo' would know!