Chris Musson Profile picture
Associate Editor @ScottishSun | politics, comment | chris.musson@news.co.uk
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Mar 28 7 tweets 2 min read
Police Scotland keep issuing variations of the line "Hate incidents are not recorded against alleged perpetrators" when asked about storing names of 'perpetrators' in non-crime incidents

This statement misleads the public. It *suggests* names aren't logged. The opposite is true We flagged this to Police Scotland the other day. They are still at it. With an issue that's proven to be explosive and on which people need clarity, they are choosing to equivocate and behave like political spin doctors, using misdirection
Jan 21 5 tweets 2 min read
Nicola Sturgeon’s excuse is she was deleting her messages under rules Nicola Sturgeon’s government put in place AFTER she said she’d hand over the messages

A perk of being in government. Don’t like the rules, or need new rules to get you out of a bind? Just make up new ones! And here are the lengths Nicola Sturgeon’s Scot Gov went to in order to bring in a policy to routinely delete messages. We revealed in December how top civil servant Leslie Evans was involved in the discussions around new rules




Jan 20 6 tweets 1 min read
Interesting statement. A thread with a few observations:

1. Sturgeon says messages “had not been retained”. Amounts to her first admission she deleted them, after publicly promising to hand them over. 2. The claim that some messages were later found on other devices and handed over does not mean inquiry has full picture of Sturgeon messages.
Nov 15, 2023 7 tweets 3 min read
Michael Matheson not seen again today at Holyrood. Talk he may make parliament statement tomorrow

A reminder: Mr Matheson told parliament officials and media that NONE of the iPad holiday use was personal. It was on that basis the £11k bill was originally paid by taxpayers A recap follows on what’s been said by Michael Matheson & parliament re how his 11k bill was for parly use only. It shd be stressed we have seen no evidence there was any personal use. But nor has Mr Matheson explained the use, which is now the issue,& he cd clear it up any time
Mar 30, 2023 5 tweets 1 min read
Woah... the SNP member of the Commons Standards Committee, Allan Dorans, joined with 3 Tory MPs to try to reduce the suspension of Margaret Ferrier from 30 days to 9 days - which would have allowed her to keep her seat and avoid a byelection

Minutes: Image Labour MP Ian Murray: "Just when you think the SNP could not get any lower, Allan Dorrans has closed ranks and voted with the Tories to protect Margaret Ferrier. This is a betrayal of the people of Rutherglen and Hamilton West who deserve and need a new MP."
Feb 24, 2023 5 tweets 2 min read
Interesting press Q&A with Humza Yousaf. He flatly denied deliberately arranging a meeting in order to miss Holyrood's same-sex marriage final vote in 2014. Asked for a Yes/No answer he said: "No, that was not done" I asked Humza Yousaf various Qs:
Q - "Can you answer just a really simple Yes/No question about what Alex Neil said. Did you deliberately arrange a meeting so you could miss the Stage 3 vote?"
Humza Yousaf - "No, that was not done. It was an unavoidable meeting that was arranged"
Feb 23, 2023 5 tweets 2 min read
BREAKING: Sir Iain Livingstone is to quit as Chief Constable of Police Scotland - after warning policing is "unsustainable" given cash shortfalls
thescottishsun.co.uk/news/10266148/… Sir Iain, 56, has been Police Scotland Chief Constable since 2018. In 2021, his term was extended to August 2025. A report he co-co-authored this week suggests policing in Scotland is "unsustainable" given the cash settlement from the Scottish Government
Jan 17, 2023 6 tweets 3 min read
The idea that Scot Gov didn't expect a challenge to gender self-ID bill from UK Gov on basis of impact on Equality Act operation in rUK is hard to believe.

eg, in Sept 22, @EHRC set out "potential cross-border implications of reform" incl impact on Equality Act operation in rUK .@EHRC, Sept 22: "The operation of other provisions relating to sex discrimination across Great Britain, including equal pay between women and men, gender pay gap reporting, and measures to address disadvantages experienced by women, will be affected by the proposed changes.."
Nov 1, 2022 12 tweets 5 min read
Turns out the Scottish Government's NHS Inform waiting times dashboard needs a health warning: "Could potentially mislead"

Patients searching for typical NHS wait times are fed stats that can underplay the reality, as calculations don't include those currently waiting Disappointing, or worse, that an NHS Scotland website which bills itself as providing "Health information that anyone living in or visiting Scotland can trust" has been pulled up by statistics watchdogs in this way.

Full details:
uksa.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/correspondence…
Jul 6, 2022 6 tweets 1 min read
As No10 went into meltdown today, SNP has been busy behind the scenes... threatening the victim (a party staffer) of sex pest MP Patrick Grady with misconduct action & having his work email account locked after he sent an email to MPs/staff criticising SNP response to the scandal I understand the staffer strongly criticised comments by Ian Blackford about the Grady affair and said he feels staff are not adequately protected. He was later sent a warning by SNP group deputy ldr Kirsten Oswald MP, explaining he could now be subject of disciplinary action
Feb 24, 2022 6 tweets 2 min read
Today on Alex Salmond's Russia Today show he welcomes, er, Vince Cable... Sir Vince Cable was on the Alex Salmond Show today on Kremlin-backed RT to promote his book. Looking forward to the Lib Dem response on this, given their condemnation of Salmond's RT show in recent days
Feb 23, 2022 4 tweets 2 min read
Police Scotland Chief Constable Iain Livingstone confirms to @ScotPolAuth that December 31 officer total of 17,117 (lowest since 2009) will drop further in next quarterly figures. He says there will be a return to a “full officer establishment” later in 2022 Chief Constable said there would be a "further drop" in officer numbers from 17,117 but did not say to what level. Sources have told us it could be as low as 16,800 (a level not seen since end 2008/09). He's now taking questions from @ScotPolAuth members..maybe someone will ask?
Jan 20, 2022 12 tweets 4 min read
Thread.
At #FMQs, Nicola Sturgeon said England's infection rate in new ONS stats is 20% higher than Scotland. This may come as a surprise, as ONS estimated infection rate at 1 in 20 for both nations yesterday.But FM has staff preparing soundbite stats. Here's where it comes from: This may be boring for some. But I think it's worth flagging a statistical sleight-of-hand regularly used by Scot Gov (not *just* Scot Gov - but that's what I'm exposed to most)

First, here's yesterday's ONS headline figures. "Around 1 in 20" people infected in both Scot & Eng
Jan 19, 2022 7 tweets 2 min read
Margaret Wilson, chair of the National Parent Forum of Scotland, tells Holyrood's education committee: “We don’t support the continued use of face masks…we have asked for evidence why they need to be used.”

No indication yet that mandatory masks for secondary pupils will end Margaret Wilson, chair of the National Parent Forum of Scotland: “I do believe that children are under stricter mitigations than any other area of society, and that is why it’s really important that everything is reviewed on a regular basis.”
Jan 18, 2022 10 tweets 2 min read
Nicola Sturgeon confirms "the remaining statutory measures introduced in response to Omicron... will be lifted from next Monday, 24 January", as well as "the guidance advising adults against non-professional indoor contact sports" Nicola Sturgeon: "From Monday we will also lift the guidance asking people to stick to a three household limit on indoor gatherings."
Jan 18, 2022 6 tweets 3 min read
Nicola Sturgeon will give latest Covid rules update at 2.20pm. Here's the "additional legal restrictions and guidance" in place due to Omicron. Also expect FM to speak re poss vaccine passport expansion, masks in secondary schools, & if/when self-isolation rules cd be phased out Image The extension of vaccine passports - now needed for access to large events, nightclubs (closed at moment), and late bars with dancing - was put back on the agenda last week by the First Minister. Scot Gov previously backed off expansion. There will be opposition from Tories/Libs Image
Dec 22, 2021 4 tweets 2 min read
Five days is a long time in politics...

A quick thread on pertinent/justified media questions and coverage.

1/4
Dec 17 - Nicola Sturgeon asked about cutting self-isolation time. Reply: “Yeah, that would really help because that would spread infection even further.”

Dec 22 - John Swinney says self-isolation changes being considered.

2/4
Dec 20, 2021 5 tweets 2 min read
Scotland's Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life savaged for "serious failings in the way it is run"

Auditor General: "It is disturbing to see so many failings in an organisation, not least because it deals directly with concerns raised by members of the public." Image .@AuditorGenScot: "The overarching risk is that there will be a loss of public trust in the ability of the Commissioner's Office to properly investigate and consider complaints made against individuals in public life in Scotland."
Dec 19, 2021 5 tweets 2 min read
Cobra meeting with devolved leaders expected around 5pm... BUT unclear if Prime Minister or Chancellor will attend. PM has not been at last two Cobra meetings with devolved leaders (though first of these was just after birth of daughter) Sounds like no Prime Minister or Chancellor at 5pm Cobra with devolved leaders. Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Steve Barclay to chair. This is not going to go down well with Scot Gov and @NicolaSturgeon , who are pushing hard for business support to allow further measures
Sep 9, 2021 9 tweets 4 min read
.@ScottishSun editorial today on the Scottish Government ditching Nicola Sturgeon's 2017 pledge for a state-owned energy company.

Nice for the private consultants paid hundreds of thousands of pounds — but zero help for Scots promised cheap energy bills by the First Minister We've followed this story closely since Ms Sturgeon's 2018 conference speech, after which spin doctors were unable to give any guidance on setup costs, but made bold claims about undercutting major suppliers and dragging down energy prices across the board thescottishsun.co.uk/news/1682956/n…
Jun 2, 2021 13 tweets 5 min read
Today, Health Sec @HumzaYousaf said 10 children age 0-9 were in hospital last week "because of Covid". A serious claim. We asked Scot Gov for
- The basis of the figures
- If any are seriously ill
- If Mr Yousaf was definitely correct

They came back with this, 7 hours later: The Health Sec also claimed if parents from a Level 2 area took kids to a soft play in a Level 1 area (where soft plays can open) it "could lead to hospitalisation of children".

Here's what Scot Gov said when asked about the lawfulness of such a scenario. (In short, it's legal)