The Peter Murrell affair: unanswered questions and a party under strain |
Peter Murrell, I thought, was a diligent, innovative, perceptive servant of the SNP and their wider cause. He is now an incarcerated criminal who betrayed the trust placed in him. Just one of many contradictions and conflicts in this remarkable affair.
As I knew him, Murrell was a quietly spoken, insightful participant in Scotland’s political drama. Witty, verging on sardonic, he seemed to me to be a cautious, controlled backstage manager – rather than a passionate, upfront advocate of independence.
But then what did I know? What did anyone know? As it happens, rather a good tagline for the turmoil which is now assailing the SNP, distracting John Swinney from setting the direction for his newly mandated government.
The first conflict to consider lies within Peter Murrell himself. What motivated him? All too easy to say greed. Yet his lengthy list of purchases ranges from the mundane to the absurd. To pointless pens and a dormant motor home parked in his mum’s drive.
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This was self-aggrandisement, not self-enrichment. He spent seemingly without reason or control, rather than directing his criminal gains to shares or property. Driven by a sense of entitlement or inadequacy? Perhaps we will learn more from next week’s court hearing.
Then the conflicting views surrounding his estranged wife, Nicola Sturgeon. Surely she must have known something, say partisan critics and puzzled observers. She is adamant that she did........