Maureen Pickering

Devolution’s run out of road Stephen.

The only way forward is independence.

No ambiguity, no accommodation.

Just independence.

A secret Whitehall memo called out in the Welsh Senedd yesterday shows Labour embracing the Conservatives’ muscular unionism. Time for Westminster to abandon its over centralisation and show that they will respect the wishes of the electorate in Scotland & Wales.

OFFICIAL SENSITIVE Due diligence checklist Peter Mandelson HMA Washington Checks conducted on 4 December 2024. Checks should not be considered exhaustive. Key information Professional and Financial Relationships Public speaking and writing engagements: ● Frequent paid engagements, primarily to investment and banking sectors (Greenbrook, Santander, Rokos Capital Management, Citi Macro Investment Conference, Barclays, Citigroup, DP World, Barclays, etc.) ● Uses Wilbury Limited as a trading company for remuneration purposes ● To note - paid speaking engagements would have to cease if appointed HMA. Global Counsel, President ● Strategic advice consultancy founded by Mandelson, of which he remains "President and Chairman of International Advisory Board". He continues to have "significant control", although he resigned his directorship in May 2024. ● High profile clients include TikTok, Shell, Accenture, the Premier League, JP Morgan, Santander, BP, Sizewell C, and Shein. ○ Reputational risks could occur relating to any of these clients' dealings with the UK or USA government. Global Counsel did not declare any lobbying clients under the last quarter of the Sunak Administration, media reporting is noting the group's expansion since the election. ● A 20% share of the company was sold to the Messina Group in April 2024 valuing the company at £30mn. Jim Messina is a former Obama aide who also advised the Remain campaign, David Cameron and Theresa May. Messina Group clients include Uber, Google, AirBnb and Amazon Pharmacy. ● Global Counsel is currently under investigation by the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists for failing to disclose the Qatari Free Zones Authority as a client. ● To note - the retained role and interest in Global Counsel would have to cease if appointed HMA, while the live ORCL investigation is a reputational risk

Mandelson was appointed US ambassador despite there being a LIVE investigation into his firm Global Counsel by the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists, for failing to disclose the Qatari Free Zones Authority as a client. Pre-empted the investigation.

The due diligence report makes clear Government's knowledge of the 2019 JPMorgan report confirming a "particularly close relationship" that persisted between Mandelson and Epstein well after Epstein’s 2008 sex crime conviction

OFFICIAL SENSITIVE citizenship for Srichand Hinduja, who was also sponsoring the Millennium Dome. He was subsequently cleared of wrongdoing by an independent inquiry. ● Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, 1998. Resigned due to not declaring a £373,000 loan from Geoffrey Robinson, a Cabinet colleague, which was used to fund a property purchase. ● To note - general reputational risk around previous departures from the New Labour Government, both relating to financial matters, including high-profile donors to government. Relationship with Jeffrey Epstein ● A 2019 report commissioned by JPMorgan found that Epstein appeared to “maintain a particularly close relationship with Prince Andrew the Duke of York and Lord Peter Mandelson, a senior member of the British government”. ● The report cited Epstein's personal records which showed contact beginning in 2002 and continuing throughout the 2000s. ● After Epstein was first convicted of procuring an underage girl in 2008, their relationship continued across 2009-2011, beginning when Lord Mandelson was Business Minister and continuing after the end of the Labour government. Mandelson reportedly stayed in Epstein's House while he was in jail in June 2009. ● In 2014 Mandelson also agreed to be a "founding citizen" of an ocean conservation group founded by Ghislaine Maxwell, and funded by Epstein. ● On reporting of the JP Morgan report, Lord Mandelson's spokesperson said “Lord Mandelson very much regrets ever having been introduced to Epstein. This connection has been a matter of public record for some time. He never had any kind of professional or business relationship with Epstein in any form.” ● The Telegraph reported on these links extensively in January 2024 - https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/01/10/lord-mandelson-friendship-jeffr ey-epstein-keir-starmer/ ● A Labour Party spokesperson has previously commented saying “There are a whole range of people that Keir Starmer talks to. Obviously he talks to people who wer…

The due diligence report points out that in *2014*, Mandelson accepted a role as a "founding citizen" of an ocean conservation group alongside Ghislaine Maxwell, funded by Epstein

Mandelson served as a non-executive director of the Russian conglomerate Sistema until June 2017. I.e. After Russia's 2014 invasion and occupation of Crimea.

Sistema held a majority stake in RTI, a defense technology firm producing radar systems for Russia’s missile early warning system.

Oh "Nice" .. if this doesn't condemn Mandelson as a security risk and a threat to a rules based world order (never mind UK security) nothing will. Happily Ukraine seems be good at destroying russian radar systems.

Save this 👍

bsky.app/profile/gmac...

Stop press. The BBC almost went 24 hours without mentioning ferries. Now, shock/ horror money has to be spent on routine ship maintenance. The BBC, tory propaganda mouthpiece

Kneecap: Government loses appeal over terror charge Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, known as Mo Chara, had been accused of showing support for proscribed organisation Hezbollah following a gig in London in 2024.

BBC News - Government loses appeal over Kneecap terror charge
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

What’s good for the goose… if they can act unilaterally, so can #Scotland & #Cymru

Ireland declared #UDI

#IndyClan

Glen Sannox ferry needs £3.2m repairs after one year in service MSPs have been told the troubled CalMac vessel needs new propellors as part of multi-million pound repairs.

So BBC Shortbread absolutely delighted that they have a "SNP Bad Ferries" story to share within 2 months of the election. What they're on about has been known for some time, but BBS have decided it's a good one to wheel out.....
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Yes and even when they are Scots as Ian Livingstone is, the fact that he accepted a knighthood after retiring, tells us where his loyalty lies!

Watching STV News and Police Chief Constable...is English! Imperialists put their people in charge of all the institutions to retain control. These are the reasons Scotlabd remains suppressed and tents appear in FMs garden as though it is a murder and digging up the garden!

BREAKING: “unitetheunion members are coming to the end of the line as far @UKLabour is concerned” posts Sharon Graham

Keir Starmer and Morgan McSweeney Ignored Warnings About Peter Mandelson’s Epstein and Russia links Documents reveal Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US was rushed through despite warnings about the “reputational risks” of his financial and personal ties

Mandelson’s previous financial ties to Russia continued “long after” Putin’s annexation of Crimea.

Powell “raised concerns” about his appointment directly to McSweeney, saying it was being “weirdly rushed”.

McSweeney responded that the issues had been addressed

bylinetimes.com/2026/03/11/k...

Never stop talking about the Epstein Files.

Never stop talking about the Epstein Files.

Never stop talking about the Epstein Files.

Omission and censorship are indicative of serious propaganda at BBCScotland.

🇬🇧 ‘bbc Shortbread’ are fully engaged in an Information / Disinformation War on Scotland, and Scottish independence

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇪🇺😎

🇮🇷🇺🇸 The Iranian drone strike in Kuwait, which killed American service members, turned out to be more serious than previously thought, - CBS

Dozens were injured from head injuries, shrapnel wounds, and burns, with more than 30 people still hospitalized, including about 25 in Landstuhl, Germany.

two new facts from the files

1] Mandelson demanded compensation of er £547,201 for his dismissal

2] nearly half of the £75,000 he did get was discretionary, which will raise questions about Starmer's judgment

Trump's war should teach us all to become proactive in building better renewable energy networks. If the party you are thinking of voting for disagree with this, they are not on your side. They are grooming you in order to enrich themselves.

U.S. at Fault in Strike on School in Iran, Preliminary Inquiry Says

I guess all those people on X who claimed it was an Iranian missile and Bellingcat had lied about it being a Tomahawk are rushing to correct themselves - U.S. at Fault in Strike on School in Iran, Preliminary Inquiry Says
www.nytimes.com/2026/03/11/u...

U.S. at Fault in Strike on School in Iran, Preliminary Inquiry Says

The US slaughtered all of those Iranian schoolgirls.

Shame on all those who claimed it wasn't the aggressors responsible.

Composite photo of the Scottish saltire and people supporting Scottish independence

Back in #Glasgow. Inked an alliance in 🇳🇱 where 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🇨🇦 🇫🇷 will deliver tech enabled healthcare to the majority world with significant improvements in neonatal care.

This is 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Compassionate. Visionary. Helping the world's weans. And jobs - good jobs in our Alba.

I'm Scottish. It's what we do.

A BlueSky picture of Robert Reich post

#TrumpsAmerica

Say no to this shit, Donald Trump must be forced to stop.

Voting Sarwar anywhere near power over us would be equally as bad as voting Farage in to hold power over us.
The only leader answerable to the Scottish people and happy to be so is John Swinney.

US responsible for deadly missile strike on Iran school, preliminary inquiry says Strike that killed at least 175 people, most of them children, reportedly due to targeting mistake by US military planners * Minab school bombing: a visual guide A preliminary US military investigation has reportedly determined that Washington was responsible for a deadly Tomahawk missile strike on an Iranian elementary school in February that killed scores of children. According to the New York Times, quoting unnamed US officials and others familiar with the initial findings, the investigation has concluded that the strike on 28 February on the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school building was the result of a targeting mistake by the US military planners. Continue reading...

US responsible for deadly missile strike on Iran school, preliminary inquiry says

His decision making is poor. He has had two weeks to sort out protection for British citizens and sat on his hands. No leadership quality there or on Mandelson. He won't go though. Another failure in decision making.