Tiresome things, words. And it is even more tiresome when people insist they retain their traditional meanings. Thus I suppose one may sympathise with Peter Murrell, chief executive of the SNP and — for this is not irrelevant to the subject being discussed here — husband to Nicola Sturgeon.
In January 2019, Alex Salmond was arrested by Scottish police officers and charged with 14 offences, chiefly of a sexual nature. Salmond was later, as we all know by now, acquitted on all counts that eventually made it to court (though one of those, a charge of sexual assault with intent to rape, was found not proven). But on the day Salmond was arrested, Murrell sent a brace of text messages to — it is believed — another SNP official. The first of these reads:
Totally agree folk should be asking the police questions. Report now with the PF [Procurator Fiscal] on charges which leaves police twiddling their thumbs.
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