First Minister Salmond & Justice Secretary MacAskill keeping complaints oversight within the establishment. IT will come as little surprise to anyone that political appointments to positions of oversight of complaints of the judiciary, and complaints against the First Minister himself, attract questions over how the appointments came to be made, along with the types of people who would rush to fill such controversial vacancies. So it is with the weekend announcements of the appointment of an SNP leafleteer, Moi Ali, to the position of Judicial Complaints Reviewer on a recession busting salary of £209 a day, and the appointment of former Lord Advocates Lord Fraser of Carmyllie & Dame Elish Angiolini to the roles of advisers to the Ministerial code, to deal with complaints against the First Minister himself.
Let’s be honest now. Does anyone really think a job, paid for by taxpayers at the rate of £209 a day which has the duty of investigating whether complaints against Scottish judges fit in with the Complaints about the Judiciary (Scotland) Rules 2011, will do anything other than agree with the findings or rulings of the Lord President in complaints about members of Scotland’s judiciary ?
After all, to suggest the Lord President has not complied with the Judiciary's own rules would surely go against the grain of Judicial Infallibility, a principle which senior members of the judiciary seem to have awarded themselves in all things relating to regulation of their peers.
Equally, Does anyone really think the two former Lord Advocates, as controversial as both figures have been, will rule that a complaint against the Ministerial Code might be well founded enough for something other than even the possibility of a slap on some part of the anatomy ? No. If they do, they will break with the fine tradition of their predecessors, Lord Steel & George Reid who closed without action all three complaints made against the First Minister since 2008.
Scottish Law Reporter covered the two stories very well yesterday, so lets meet the new complaints team, one for judges, and one for Scottish Ministers. Readers can decide whether this latest example of complaints appointments is in keeping with the past, and is a good indication of why the legal establishment is allowed to maintain its notoriously corrupt regime of pat-on-the-back self regulation :
Judicial complaints oversight without powers, the latest window dressing exercise from Kenny MacAskill. Scotland’s Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill has announced the appointment of Moi Ali, an author & communications consultant & leafleteer to SNP MSP Angela Constance & SNP PPC Liz Bardell at the last election, to the role of the newly created Judicial Complaints Reviewer, who will review the handling of a complaints investigation into members of the judiciary to ensure that complaints have been dealt with in accordance with the Complaints about the Judiciary (Scotland) Rules 2011, rules which were written by the judiciary itself, waved through by Scottish Ministers & the Scottish Parliament.
The Judicial Complaints Reviewer has no powers whatsoever to consider the merits of any complaint or the disposal of the complaint. The appointment will be for a period of three years from 1 September 2011 to 31 August 2014, and will be paid a daily fee of £209. The appointment has been made with the approval of the Lord President.
MacAskill announces powerless Judicial Complaints Reviewer @ £209 a day
Cabinet Secretary for Justice Kenny MacAskill today announced the appointment of the first Judicial Complaints Reviewer.
Moi Ali is an author and Communications Consultant who has written a number of best selling books on public relations and marketing. She spent seven years on the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the world's largest healthcare regulator, where latterly she was Vice President and has also served two terms on the Board of Postwatch. Currently Moi is a member of the Lord Chancellor's review bodies, which investigates complaints about judges and magistrates and a member of the management board of Education Scotland.
Moi is a Governor at Edinburgh Napier University and a Public Appointments Ambassador for the Cabinet Office, which involves encouraging a more diverse range of applicants for public appointments. She is also a member of the Scottish Ambulance Service Board with a remuneration of £8,008 per annum. Moi brings a strong background in complaints handling and commitment to improving standards in public life to the post of Judicial Complaints Reviewer.
This is a new appointment, established by the Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Act 2008 to review, when asked, the handling of a complaints investigation into members of the judiciary, to ensure that it has been dealt with in accordance with the Complaints about the Judiciary (Scotland) Rules 2011. The Reviewer has no powers to consider the merits of any complaint or the disposal of the complaint. The appointment will be for a period of three years from 1 September 2011 to 31 August 2014, and will be paid a daily fee of £209. The appointment has been made with the approval of the Lord President.
All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees' political activity within the last 5 years (if there is one to be declared) to be made public. Ms Ali has helped to deliver leaflets for SNP MSP Angela Constance in the run up to Scottish elections and SNP PPC Liz Bardell during the last general election.
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, more on whom can be read here 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 :
TORY LORD IN AIR RAGE ARREST
By Brian McCartney December 21 2006
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.
Scottish Law Reporter’s coverage of former Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini can be read here : Elish Angiolini
First Minister Alex Salmond announces his new independent advisers for the Scottish Government’s Ministerial Code : Ministerial Code
Dame Elish Angiolini joins Lord Fraser in First Minister complaints role. 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."
However, First Minister Alex Salmond’s Press Release forgot to reveal that Lord David Steel and George Reid apparently resigned in protest over comments the First Minister had made with regard to the Supreme Court debate surrounding its rulings on the very poor application of Human Rights law by Scottish courts.
Regrettably however, the events surrounding the resignation of Lord Steel from the advisory role to the Ministerial code are shrouded in a murky debate as Lord Steel had apparently resigned three weeks ago, in protest over the First Minister’s ‘use of language’ critical of the Supreme Court, yet had agreed to say nothing until the First Minister had found replacements in ‘media critic’ Dame Angiolini & ‘frequent flyer’ Lord Fraser.
It is somewhat difficult to reconcile a three week old resignation made supposedly on grounds of principle & shock, horror over FM Salmond’s verbal attacks on the Supreme Court with an agreement to say nothing until later, although such a way of going about things may fit in with donations from the Countryside Alliance, which, as Hansard reports, is another story completely : Complaint against Sir David Steel (now Lord Steel)
Fiddling complaints must a a political disease or something like that.Its everywhere!
ReplyDeleteHmm
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the Hansard on the complaint about David Steel I wonder,was he really a good choice for first speaker of the Scottish Parliament and all his other posts including the one Salmond gave him in 2008?
As you say very murky and very much another example of the old pals act keeping the jobs within circles of power.
Keep up the good work!
So more jobs for 'the in crowd', but just what qualifications has Ms. Moi Ali to undertake this work - none that I can see.
ReplyDeleteStill all three have demonstrated by accepting these posts that even if they recognize 'the king is wearing no clothes' they are prepared to keep quiet while lining their pockets.
Hey Alex I'll hand out your leaflets too if you give me (and thousands more) a £209 a day job!
ReplyDeleteThe appointment will be for a period of three years from 1 September 2011 to 31 August 2014, and will be paid a daily fee of £209. The appointment has been made with the approval of the Lord President.
ReplyDeleteApproved by the Lord President to do as ordered and at yet more expense to taxpayers.
Its about time Scots got off their behinds and questioned all these jobs for the boys and girls to keep everything as its aye been!
They all sound and look like they deserve each other although none of it good for transparency
ReplyDeleteGiven your investigation of the Crown Office under Angiolini where all the lawyers who defrauded the legal aid board were let off this apportionment smacks of much the same.As for Fraser I'm sure they have a huge list of stuff on him to prevent any unforeseen outbursts such as in the case of the plane.
ReplyDeletedont focus too much on Salmond - he's so important Shell didnt need to tell his Scottish Govt they had an oil leak!
ReplyDeletePlease sign our Petition... to stop the Law Society shutting down the Solicitors from Hell web site
ReplyDeletesee
http://www.solicitorsfromhell.co.uk/private/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&Itemid=19
http://www.intmensorg.info/rogues.htm
ReplyDeleteAS EVER THE LEGAL MAFIA LOOK AFTER THEIR OWN NO MATTER HOW VILE THE CRIMES . THE VERY BASTARDS CHARGED WITH ENFORCING THE LAW ARE THE BIGGEST ABUSERS OF THOSE LAWS.
Lawyer caught with almost 6,000 child porn pictures 'fantasised on MSN chat about underage sex'
A former council boss caught with almost 6,000 child pornography images fantasised with adults on internet chatrooms about having sex with children, a court has heard. Lawyer Andrew Laycock, the former Head of Legal Services at Hertfordshire County Council, chatted with other paedophiles on MSN messenger. But yesterday the 59-year-old escaped jail after a judge heard that he had been attending courses to help him overcome his long-term perversion.
Professor Noam Chomsky on Government states that
ReplyDelete... “if we adopt the principle of universality: if an action is right (or wrong) for others, it is right (or wrong) for us. Those who do not rise to the minimal moral level of applying to themselves the standards they apply to others—more stringent ones, in fact—plainly cannot be taken seriously when they speak of appropriateness of response; or of right and wrong, good and evil.
In fact, one of the, maybe the most, elementary of moral principles is that of universality, that is, If something's right for me, it's right for you; if it's wrong for you, it's wrong for me. Any moral code that is even worth looking at has that at its core somehow”.
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Clearly the Law Society of Scotland, SLCC rejects this principle due the fact they are bias in favour of Scottish Solicitors. So do the Catholic Church who lecture everyone on morality when they have covered up child sexual abuse by clergy for decades. I know many decent Catholics who are outraged at this scandal. Is there any honesty among those in positions of trust and power? Lawyers made a lot of money protecting the church, but those kids grew up and the truth came out. Those who abuse people in any form reap what they sow when the number of victims reaches a point where the abusers cannot defend their reputations.
The clergy are not afraid of God because they have demonstrated by their actions they do not believe they will be punished, but if the flock believe those in the Church keep their jobs.
I live in the real world where I realise it is all about money, and the protection of reputations. If god is there (I doubt it) I do not worry about being judged because I have nothing to fear. Scripture does state, “those who think they will be first will be last”. The story of Jesus is not a nice story. If I could publicly execute a person who has done no wrong today by crucifixion how would that be perceived? He was a threat to the establishment of his time. It is a story created by a powerful minority to control economic ends. Power without legitimacy ceases to be power, and lawyers and clergy reject the principle of universality as is demonstrated by their conduct.
Their idea of justice is self protection and they self regulate. When humans self regulate it is only a matter of time until their victims fight back because self regulation is the antithesis of justice. It is in fact a form of theocratic and legal dictatorship.
What lawyer said “Clients were stupid”? Peter Cherbi is making a mockery of you all. Good man Peter. Scotland owes a great debt to campaigners such as Peter Cherbi. We trust you Peter.
http://politics.standard.co.uk/2011/08/ids-and-ed-m-sing-from-the-same-hymn-sheet.html
ReplyDelete15 August 2011 2:11 PM
IDS and Ed M sing from the same hymn sheet
As the fallout from last week’s riots continues, much of the attention has rightly been focused on the head-to-head between David Cameron and Ed Miliband today.
But before the party leaders set out their explanations of what went wrong and how to put it right, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith was touring the media studios. And while he did so, I was struck by how close his words were to Ed Miliband’s.
For much of last week the Labour leader linked the riots to bank bonuses, phone hacking and MPs’ expenses. And today, IDS was at it.
Here’s what he said on the Today programme:
“We all have to recognise, I have to say, we all have to put our hands in the air, those of us who are in leadership positions, and recognise what has happened in the last 15-20 years what has happened to us is that many of us have just decided that life is about what you take out of it, not what you put back into it.
“And you know, stiffing someone on a debt in the city or you know, raiding someone’s telephone for messages or claiming expenses that you shouldn’t have claimed. These are issues that all of us have to recognise you have to put your own house in order at the same time and try and change that.”
And compare it with what Ed said, just hours later:
“It’s not the first time we’ve seen this kind of me-first, take what you can culture.
The bankers who took millions while destroying people’s savings: greedy, selfish, and immoral. The MPs who fiddled their expenses: greedy, selfish, and immoral. The people who hacked phones to get stories to make money for themselves: greedy, selfish and immoral.
“People who talk about the sick behaviour of those without power, should talk equally about the sick behaviour of those with power. Let’s not pretend that the crisis of values in our society is confined to a minority only at the bottom when we see the morality of millions of hardworking, decent people under siege from the top as well.”
Maybe there’s some consensus out there after all.
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Yes those at the top are the worst criminals who do not give a damn about anyone but themselves.
As a regular reader of your diary Peter I sometimes think it should be called A Diary of Oppression, because at the end of the day the teflon criminals you put under the microscope are fit for imprisonment.
ReplyDeleteThe MP's MSP's Lawyers, Bankers, Doctors to name a few are so corrupt because they police themselves and are only wary when the trouble in England flares up. I do not agree with violence and looting but the people at the top with their expenses, bonuses and the like are criminals too. The difference is in perception. It is morally repugnant like the damage and deaths caused by rioters but the criminals at the top are above the law.
A looter steals three bottles of water and he gets more time in prison than an MP who steals £8,000.00. Perhaps out judges and sheriffs will give up their £585,000.00 expenses to help the victims of the riots? Fat chance.
Joke politicians looking to cover their backs at every turn.Who the heck would believe they created this advice role to do anything other than putting complaints to bed which Steel and Reid did very well.More of the same to follow I suspect.
ReplyDeleteSolicitors Ffom Hell Editorial - July 2011
ReplyDeleteMany thanks to our supporters.
On 14th July 2011 Rick Kordowski was in the High Court in London before Mr Justice Tugendhat against the firm of Gabbitas Robins Solicitors. Judgment was reserved on one aspect of the case relating to damages. We await with interest the full judgment.
For the first time in all his many hearings Rick Kordowski was legally represented by senior counsel Jonathan Crystal who has acted for the likes of Jenson Button, Brian Lara and Amir Khan. It is a mark of the significance of the issues involving freedom of speech on the Solicitors From HELL facility that caught the interest of Jonathan Crystal who is acting pro bono for Kordowski. Court 14 was full and as expected the Law Society were present - furiously typing every word uttered by Jonathan Crystal. The Law Society, of course, have promised major action against Kordowski to close down the Solicitors From HELL website. They will be up against the formidable talents of Jonathan Crystal should a claim materialise.
The Times newspaper were also at court represented by journalist James Dean (formerly of the Law Society Gazette) who wasted no time in publishing an article the same day subtitled: ‘The legal profession has been wrongfooted by Rick Kordowski’s website, which is a thorn in its side’. It would be fair to say that we have a supporter in the Times newspaper. Indeed, thus far, the Independent, the Guardian, the Evening Standard, the Law Society Gazette and the Lawyer have all given positive reviews on Kordowski’s raison d’être. More to the point the public have shown tremendous interest by reason of the vast number of complaints posted on Solicitors From HELL as well as ample commentary on internet blogs. A heartfelt thanks to you all for your support which is very much appreciated.
And a heartfelt thanks to Mr Peter Cherbi too.
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/free-wwii-veteran-norman-scarth-from-leeds-prison.html
ReplyDeleteNorman Scarth, born 1925, is a World War II navy and arctic convoy veteran. After he experienced imprisonment and even a psychiatric clinic in his 70s, he became a human rights activist - as many other Victims of White Collar Crimes.
As such he supported a defendant in Bradford Crown Court on 25 July 2011 and switched his audio recording device on, before he could get round to ask the Judge. Previously, such requests were granted to him by Lord Woolf due to him being hard of hearing.
A support worker reported him and he was taken away with very tight handcuffs. After the hearing he issued an apology via the court-appointed barrister and was sentenced the next day: six months and one year ban from entering court premises. A detailed report from a co-supporter is here.
However, the punishment does not fit the crime or the person, and the law enforcement agencies are inappropriately harsh without even following their own rules:
* he is in a prison for serious offenders
* his complaints are not actioned upon
* he does not receive his prescribed medication
* he is in solitary confinement that he defines as hell
* he has great difficulty in getting a sheet of paper
* he has difficulty in receiving visitors and making calls.
A demo took place outside Leeds Prison and moved to the War Memorial on Saturday 13 August. Justice for Norman Scarth is the campaign blog to free Prisoner A1903CF.
You can email Norman's MP Marsha Singh and ask that he writes to the Lord Chancellor to release Norman on compassionate grounds.
You can send use Email a Prisoner quoting that number and you can phone the Prison Governor Rob Kellett on 0113 203 2600.
You can use this online press release and twitter @FreeNorman, #FreeNorman and #FreeNormanScarth to make Norman Scarth a household name that stands for justice and human rights in courts.
http://www.walletpop.co.uk/2011/08/16/106-000-benefits-cheat-caught-by-neighbours/
ReplyDeleteMichael Corrie, from Epsom, Surrey, was a hard-working businessman. He ran a building business, doing jobs for his neighbours, and driving round in his company van (with his address and phone number on the side). Meanwhile, his wife earned money selling on eBay. So far so normal.
It's just that at the same time Corrie was claiming benefits to the tune of £106,000 over a period of three and a half years - until he was shopped by his neighbours. So who exactly is going to clamp down on the cheats in your neighbourhood?
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Well he should be jailed but so should Legal Aid fraudster lawyers, this guy was simply not one of the countries legal mafia.
Just disgusting really the whole thing.I dont know how any of you can stand to live under this kind of MOB RULE by crooked Scottish politicians who say independence is best (for them)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thelawyer.com/law-soc-loses-patience-with-solicitors-from-hell-website/1008957.article
ReplyDeleteThe Law Society has given Solicitors from Hell owner Rick Kordowski until 2 September to remove his website from the internet otherwise it will take High Court action against him for defamation, harassment and breach of the Data Protection Act. HERE AGAIN WE SEE LAWYERS PROTECTING LAWYERS, AND USING THE SYSTEM TO PROTECT THEIR VESTED INTERESTS.
Kordowski, who has been on the losing side of several High Court defamation cases from solicitors named on his site, said he is committed to his cause.
The Law Society first mooted legal action against Kordowski in May (11 May 2011) after High Court judge Mr Justice Henrique said that both the Law Society and Bar Council should investigate defamation complaints about the website (18 April 2010).
The website claims to give consumers a forum to publicly name and shame solicitors who they feel have provided a poor service.
The legal body has now instructed Brett Wilson to lead action against Kordowski on behalf of the entire legal profession. Its aim is to have the site taken down and stop Kordowski from relaunching it in another guise.
In a letter of claim sent to Kordowski the firm states: “You’ve forced a number of firms and lawyers to resort to costly litigation in order to protect their reputations. (YES LAWYERS CAN WIN LITIGATION BUT CLIENTS ARE TREATED LIKE S**T). The irrecoverable cost of such litigation is prohibitive for many firms and lawyers.”
It continues: “It’s fair to say that the website in its current form serves no legitimate purpose and simply provides individuals who have ’axes to grind’ a means to seek to damage the reputation of lawyers (and other individuals) against whom they hold grudges, and for you to attempt to generate revenue.” LAWYERS WILL NEVER LEARN, I URGE ALL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TRUST NO LAWYER.
Should Kordowski refuse to take the site down, the letter states, the Law Society will attempt to secure a High Court injunction forcing him to. I HOPE MANY OTHERS SET UP WEBSITES AGAINST THESE LAWYER CRIMINALS, GOOD ON YOU RICK, I COULD NOT GET LEGAL REPRESENTATION AGAINST MY CROOKED LAWYER.
In a statement Kordowksi said: “I deny all the allegations set out. I find it outrageous that, on the one hand, The Law Society are taking action against me on behalf of all 150,000 solicitors in England and Wales. A CLASS ACTION 150,000 TO 1, THEY WANT IT SHUT DOWN BECAUSE THEY ARE CORRUPT AND THE SITE IS WARNING THE PUBLIC.
“And on the other hand, they’re funding the Legal Ombudsman to the tune of over £20m per year who in the last six months received 38,155 complaints, of which a massive 90 per cent were rejected.
“Does the profession really have that much to hide? THEY ARE RUTHLESS CRIMINALS RICK AND WE APPLAUD YOUR TENACITY.
“These costs are ultimately paid for by solicitors in the form of practising certificates. Yet the Law Society totally ’rejected’ my suggestion to work together to expose wrongdoing, where it exists, for the sake of decent lawyers in the profession.”
THAT IS BECAUSE THERE ARE NO DECENT LAWYERS RICK.
Kordowski has instructed Cloisters’ Jonathan Crystal to represent him on a pro-bono basis.
Good ending Peter about Steel and the Countryside Alliance scandal.
ReplyDeleteThey obviously knew all this about him so why give him a complaints role anyway?
Shameful!
"Moi is a Governor at Edinburgh Napier University and a Public Appointments Ambassador for the Cabinet Office, which involves encouraging a more diverse range of applicants for public appointments. She is also a member of the Scottish Ambulance Service Board with a remuneration of £8,008 per annum. Moi brings a strong background in complaints handling and commitment to improving standards in public life to the post of Judicial Complaints Reviewer."
ReplyDeleteNever heard of her before now.
So on top of all those jobs she already has MacAskill gives her another one at £209 a day to sift through complaints about judges.
And they say we are better off under the SNP?Get a fugging life Kenny instead of leeching off the rest of us for your schemes to give jobs to your buddies.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteWith reference to the lady who was stopped in the street by two lawyers touting for busines in Hamilton. The same thing was going on in Dundee where my mother and father were stopped and the very same thing happened have you heard of Diary of injustice in scotland and just like the lady said no was the answer but the body language said yes. Absolutely brilliant keep up the good work.
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Yes Peter you are doing a brilliant job, and make no mistake they all know about your blog, the Law Society SLCC will have seen to that.
Incidently the lady in question said they told her they did not know any dishonest lawyers. These people just cannot be reached they are as blinkered as hell.
Are there any other members of the public been stopped by lawyers in other towns? The word is getting out how rotten and evil this profession are.
If I see them in the street I will be warning people they talk to, that would be a wonderful pastime telling people about all the internet sites the legal profession don't know about. We believe them dont we?
The whole system is corrupt it doesnt matter which political party is in charge.Salmond MacAskill are just like the rest only have their own interests in mind and bugger the rest of us as you can see here.
ReplyDeleteThe "S" in SNP must stand for "Selfish" and not "Scotland".
ReplyDeleteAlso your friend John Swinney was squirming on Newsnight Scotland tonight trying to wriggle out of admitting to a 60,000 gain for selling a property funded by mortgage payments from taxpayers.Yes,Mr Swinney was finally at a loss for words and had to rely on the same old same old excuses it was all down to the Scottish Parliament deciding to allow msps to buy properties in Edinburgh at taxpayer expense.
I dont believe anyone any more from that horrible Holyrood they are all the same all in it for themselves and stuff the rest of us.
I have no believe in any politician now they are all the same.No one can claim the SNP are better than anyone else.Worse maybe with the pretence of Scotland plastered all over them.
ReplyDeleteAll these appointments appear heavily compromised which is why they probably got the jobs.Who vetted them other than Salmond & MacAskill?
ReplyDeleteBoth positions (Ministerial code and Judicial Complaints) offer no transparency to the public whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteThe Ministerial Code is nothing but a joke.Ask any free thinking uncivil serpent if you can find one!
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember lots of idiots saying under the SNP all this jobs for the boys and complaints corruption would be stopped.It has only got worse.Much worse.Nothing has changed and I doubt anything will ever change.Is it any wonder people find ways to bypass crooked complaints regimes and deal with their issues as they see fit?
ReplyDelete"Judicial Complaints Reviewer"
ReplyDeleteWhat does this job entail?
Wash the dishes for Lord Hamilton and [wannabe]Lord MacAskill?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
You scratch my back...
ReplyDelete5 jobs for someone isnt enough these days they need more (paid for by taxpayers)
ReplyDeleteDisgusting
With their famous backgrounds all over the internet I wont be expecting any dissent on complaints against Salmond!
ReplyDeleteVery good Peter I saw this in the news and hoped you would be writing about it.
ReplyDeleteI for one am very happy to see the SNP are now just as crooked as the rest of the political parties in who they shove into these kind of pat on the back posts.What hope I had their new membership would sweep away the control freakery of the gang at the top is fast ebbing away!
I also liked the one about the SNP leafleteer getting the justice job.I know someone who leafleted for an SNP MSP and she was told there wasnt enough money to pay for her petrol expenses delivering the leaflets so it just goes to show its who you know not what you do.
Yes washing the dirt for Lord Hamilton and Salmond is all this stuff is good for and we all end up paying for it.
ReplyDeleteIsnt it a bit like paying to be abused or something weird like that?Horrible really!
It was £75k for Swinney not 60!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.heraldscotland.com/news/politics/swinney-makes-75k-out-of-home-sell-off-1.1117785
Swinney makes £75k out of home sell-off
Tom Gordon and Paul Hutcheon EXCLUSIVE
16 Aug 2011
FINANCE Secretary John Swinney is at the centre of a row over MSP perks after making a £75,000 gain from the sale of his taxpayer-funded second home.
Swinney, who is cutting spending and imposing a two-year pay freeze in the public sector, recently sold his Edinburgh residence for £430,000, according to official records.
He bought the four-bedroom apartment on one of the capital’s most desirable streets for £355,000 in December 2003 while SNP leader.
At the time, the two-storey terraced property was the most expensive second home ever bought by an MSP.
Mr Swinney, who earns £100,000 a year, used parliamentary allowances to pay the interest on his RBS mortgage, ultimately claiming more than £60,000 from the public purse.
He also claimed around £10,000 to pay council tax for the Band G property on Morningside’s Hermitage Terrace.
Only former Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Tavish Scott used Holyrood expenses to maintain a more expensive second home after buying a £380,000 house in 2005.
Mr Swinney, whose main home is in his North Tayside constituency, put the Edinburgh property on the market in June for “offers over £395,000”.
The prospectus praised its “magnificent” 23-foot drawing room, private front garden, “delightful leafy outlook” over Blackford Hill to the rear. It was under offer within weeks.
An application to record the final sale at £430,000 was made to Registers of Scotland on August 1. After capital gains tax, Mr Swinney made a profit of around £57,000.
Announcing a Treasury-imposed £1.3 billion cut in public spending in February, the Cabinet Minister said he wanted to “help households facing pay restraint and ... increases in VAT and fuel prices”.
However, he has also warned the public: “Hard choices must be made.”
Mr Swinney’s gain on the property is one of the largest ever recorded by an MSP.
The largest was made by fellow SNP minister Alex Neil, who made £105,505 before tax when he sold up last year, after billing taxpayers for more than £87,000 for mortgage interest, security, utilities, council tax, factoring and insurance on a two-bedroom flat over a decade.
Mr Neil’s ministerial responsib-ilities at the time included affordable housing and homelessness.
He and his wife had stumped up just £4720 for a deposit on the property.
Look on the bright side Peter.
ReplyDeleteWhoever gets these kinds of jobs the public perception is they cannot be trusted to do whatever it is in the public interest.Its all about protecting the people they are there to look at.Am I right folks?
The charges were dropped against Fraser but not against Jandoo who as I see you have already written about was convicted.
ReplyDeletehttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4273555.stm
The court also heard on Thursday from Mr Morrison's wife Margaret, who was with him on the flight from Edinburgh to Stornoway.
She said that while on the plane, Dr Jandoo, who was speaking into his mobile phone, said in a loud voice: "These bloody repressed people up here, they are not used to seeing coloured people and they think I am a terrorist going to bomb their plane."
During her evidence, Mrs Morrison said she would describe Dr Jandoo as being "coloured".
Defence counsel Donald Findlay QC said to her: "I know that you did not mean it, but in saying that Raj Jandoo is coloured, do you realise that you have profoundly and deeply offended him and countless others?"
"But I did not say it at the time," she replied.
Mr Findlay said: "Raj Jandoo is not coloured, Raj Jandoo is black - he regards himself as a black man.
"Raj Jandoo would no more describe himself as a nigger as he would as being coloured."
Mrs Morrison then told the court that when she heard Dr Jandoo speaking on his mobile phone he could have used the word "black" as opposed to "coloured".
Just another case of one law for some and one for another with an element of racism thrown in.Ironic he wrote up a report saying the Crown Office was not racist when we all know it is.
Interesting.
ReplyDeleteNot the kind of people I'd want to be associated with although well I'm not into fiddling my expenses or lying my ass off to get votes.
I've been meaning to post a comment for the past week so here goes.
ReplyDeleteMoi Ali has been in the newspapers a few times over the subject of whistleblowing in the nhs.There was even a debate at Westminster over the issue she was involved in.
She was apparenrly forced out of her job after doing the whistleblowing.
My question is.What could a whistleblower hope to do in a position such as judicial complaints which is obviously a pat on the back exercise for the Scottish judges and their pals?
Have a read of the following.It would be interesting to find out what some of these whistleblowers think of whistleblowers in the legal system but I kind of wonder if whistleblowing is fine for some but not fine for others if you get what I am saying..
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2008/06/29/nhs-whistleblower-moi-ali-forced-to-quit-over-nurse-row-78057-20624687/
NHS whistleblower Moi Ali forced to quit over nurse row
Jun 29 2008 By Marion Scott, Sunday Mail
A WHISTLEBLOWER who exposed how paedophile nurses escape punishment has been forced out of two top jobs.
Moi Ali last week resigned as a board member of NHS Lothian and vice president of nurses' regulatory body the Nursing & Midwifery Council.
She was pressured to quit after revealing NMC's failure to strike off paedophile nurses in last week's Sunday Mail.
Mum-of-two, Moi, 44, quit NHS Lothian after a meeting with chair Charles Winstanley - who is also "whistleblower contact" for postal watchdog Postwatch. Moi, of West Calder, West Lothian, said: "After my story appeared in the Sunday Mail, I was asked to meetMr Winstanley on Monday and he made it clearmy whistleblowing at theNMC impacted on my position.
"Although he wasn't critical of my performance on the Lothian board, it was made clear there was no alternative but for me to tender my resignation."
NMC spokesman Craig Turton said Moi's resignation decision "was entirely her own".
The Westminster debate on Moi Ali's whistleblowing was started by now convicted criminal expenses thief Jim Devine.You can read all about that one here : http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmhansrd/cm080716/halltext/80716h0009.htm
ReplyDeleteI'd also like to ask why Westminster can debate paedo nurses in the nhs but they cant do anything about crooked lawyers or crooked judges..
Hmm
ReplyDeleteVery interesting about Moi Ali's campaign to out perverts in the nhs.
I wonder how she would fair up against the perverts in the judiciary?
You know there is a journalist in Thailand who has pictures of a Scottish judge with a very young lad.Apparently this judge is well known for it.How about a headline?
# Anonymous @ 23 August 2011 20:54
ReplyDeleteSounds like a story deserving of a headline ... although you might be better approaching a newspaper and one with a decent circulation which is not afraid of the legal establishment ...