Kingsmills

I have taken some time to read and digest the very comprehensive report from James Hamilton running, as it does, to some 61 pages. What is surprising and very striking is just how completely he exonerates the First Minister from any wrong doing concluding that 'there is no evidence whatsoever that the First Minister acted inappropriately and did not breach the ministerial code' I doubt that many people expected the report to be so thoroughly conclusive in that regard. There is no doubt that the Scottish Conservatives will pursue their motion of no confidence tomorrow and there is equally no doubt that it will fail with the Greens already saying, in the light of this finding that there is no merit to it, in my view, Labour and the Lib Dems would be well advised to follow suit as most fair minded people would now see that as pursuing a vendetta for narrow political ends. I also expect Alec Salmond to convene a press conference either tomorrow or on Wednesday to try to throw a few more stones at the windows and to continue to do so between now and the election, and possibly beyond, but to increasingly little effect. We must not lose sight of the fact that there was a serious flaw in the way a procedure was carried out meaning that women who had made complaints about the conduct of the former First Minister were badly let down by the system and that still needs to be addressed although the separate report by Laura Dunlop QC which has quietly slipped under the radar amidst all the politically charged heat and light goes some way to addressing that for the future. So, where does all that leave Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP and the wider independence movement ? As I predicted in an earlier post, all slightly damaged but not nearly as badly as the Unionists had hoped and probably expected. Support for both the SNP and independence has dropped by 3 or 4 percentage points but, in each case, from historical highs and today's very significant development means it is unlikely to drop further between now and the election and may indeed recover at least some of the lost ground with the SNP all but certain to be, by far the largest party in the next parliament with probably a 50/50 chance of an absolute majority and the near certainly of a majority of independence supporting MSPs The SNP will have lost some support from amongst members, even as evidenced from this thread, very long standing members who have been loyal and very active in the past but my sense is that they are relatively small in numbers and certainly fewer in number than the near 13,000 new members who have joined since the First Minister gave her evidence to the committee who's own report, once it is published tomorrow, will have very little impact having been leaked in advance. A very interesting six weeks or so in prospect between now and 6th May.

HT; Buckie 0, ICT 2 FT; Buckie 0, ICT 4 ICT; Sutherland Buckie; Urquart Corners 11 Fouls; 29

Work that cannot be done from home is perfectly permissible and so is travel to and from that place of work. The man has done us a favour by stepping into the breach and, if the last week is anything to go by, is doing a decent job. Give him a break.

I agree almost entirely but, if we can maintain the standard of commitment shown yesterday I would delete the words 'other than Hearts'. They have been beaten three times already this season by teams no better than us when we play at our best. By the time we play them, the league title will be done and dusted and we will have, or at least ought to have, more reason to put in a shift than them.

No we haven't but what better time to start.

If I was their manager, I would be pasting this comment on the dressing room wall. They may not be match fit but they will be highly motivated and we have no room for complacency whoever we play.

Even better idea for a Caley THISTLE home strip.

For goodness sake, don't do it! You will get both Covid and cancer and Bill Gates will be able to fulfill his long standing ambition of monitoring your every move.

A thoroughly professional and utterly comprehensive win against Italy. With a bit more composure and a slightly more generous slice of luck, we could well have been going into the final match of the tournament vying for the grand slam. A bit of work to do yet but very encouraging signs.

Whilst relegation remains an arithmetical possibility and I am not usually in the least complacent, I think we can safely say that a team playing with this level of heart and commitment is not going down. Time to stop glancing over our shoulders and start concentrating on reeling in those ahead of us.

After such a busy and taxing schedule, what a fabulous team effort to gain maximum points away in Fife for the second time in less than a week. The rare goal from Dave Carson cements his already solid claim to player of the season.

In some respects, the most important game of the season so far. Win and our Hopes of a promotion play off place are looking a good deal brighter than they were just over a week ago and the fear of promotion fades further. On the other hand, lose and a relegation play off place becomes probably more likely than a promotion one. I appreciate that the squad is thin, beset by injury and minor knocks and extremely tired after the run of games of late. However, we have built up momentum, for what seems to have been the first time in months, with firstly a draw and then win against a good Raith Rovers side. Skill and ability may be somewhat limited in the team but if, over the full 90 minutes, we can show the passion, commitment and concentration that has been frustratingly evident only in patches this season, a late push for promotion could still be on.

HT Dunfermline 0, ICT 1 FT Dunfermline 1, ICT 2 ICT; Sutherland Dunfermline; O'Hara.

In the interest of balance I read that Celtic players will not be forming the conventional guard of honour to applaud the league winners on to the pitch. Having been critical of the blue side of Glasgow, I think it's only right that I say that that shows the other mob in a very poor light indeed. Utterly devoid of any sort of class.

Last night's 'news' was no great surprise. This very political committee was always going to divide on party lines. Although, somewhat ironically, the leaking of some selective sorts of the report is a clear breach of the code governing the conduct of MSPs. The crucial report will be that of James Hamilton who is non political, expert in forensic analysis of evidence, completely independent and, living and working in the Republic of Ireland, with no likely political affiliation in Scotland even undisclosed. He also has access to all of the evidence, even that that the criminal trial judge directed should not be made available to the political enquiry partly out of fear of just the sort of leak that occurred yesterday. I await that conclusion of that report with very great interest and woll reserve anything else I have to say until then.

Alloa play Dundee in the live TV match this evening. Interesting to view it in the context of being an ICT fan. Are you a pessimist, worried about relegation, hoping that Alloa get beaten to create some more breathing space between us and them ? Alternatively, are you an optimist, hoping for an Alloa victory, to enable us to close the gap on Dundee in the race for a play off place ? Personally, whilst I am aware that there is still the possibility of getting sucked into the relegation fight if we are not careful, I find myself very firmly in the latter camp.

As I alluded to earlier in this thread, I don't think it's appropriate to make any decisions now or probably until much closer to the end of the season and I give great credit to Robbo for his loyalty to the club which should, to a large extent, be reciprocated by the club and that fans. However, the future direction of the club is more important than one individual and I don't think it's correct to say that the current manager should automatically stay in place until he decides he has had enough. Depending on what happens between now and the end of the season, remember we are not entirely out of the woods regarding potential relegation yet, there may well have to be a conversation about who we want to be the manager for next season and beyond and whether or not that person should continue to be John Robertson.

Many congratulations on being the 1000th Hibs fan to visit this site with the same request. You may collect your reward on the way out. Sadly, it's unlikely to be the programme you are after.

A very big ask for what must be a tired squad nursing numerous knocks but if we can somehow best the Pars on Saturdsy we can just about stop looking anxiously over our shoulders and begin to look forward again. Things are looking just a little less gloomy.

Harder work than it should have been to take three points against a team playing almost the whole match with ten men but I will happily take it. Gives us a further cushion against the relegation battle and, especially with Dundee losing, preserves our outside chance of a promotion play off place. We have has far worse days this season.

HT; Raith Rovers 0, ICT 0 FT; Raith Rovers 0, ICT 1 ICT; Allerdice Raith Rovers; Duku

Still potentially a decent amount to be earned from sponsors, TV rights and live streaming. Right now, every penny counts and the confidence gained from a cup run could be priceless if it translates into league form.

Once again another thrilling and competitive game of rugby ends in ultimate disappointment. Seemingly the perennial fate of the Scotland supporter whatever the sport.

For a scoreless draw, it was probably the most entertaining game of the season.

Once again we are exposed by the fact that we currently have nobody with the skill or composure to convert gilt edged chances. Drawing games, at this stage of the season, may assist in avoiding the disaster that would come with relegation but does nothing at all for our ever diminishing chances of securing a promotion play off spot.