Latest news with #BillWalker
Channel 4
4 days ago
- Politics
- Channel 4
Debate: can Trump's meeting with Putin deliver peace to Ukraine?
We spoke to the 11th Governor of Alaska, Bill Walker, who travelled with President Trump to meet the Chinese Leader Xi Jinping in 2017. And from Germany by Roderich Kiesewetter – retired colonel and one of the most experienced foreign and security policy experts in the ruling centre-right CDU of Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Scottish Sun
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Wife-beater ex-SNP MSP blasted for blaming VICTIMS for ending his career
Disgraced Nat Bill Walker, 83, blamed the women he battered for ending his political career 'APPALLING' Wife-beater ex-SNP MSP blasted for blaming VICTIMS for ending his career A FORMER MSP who was jailed for domestic abuse has blamed his victims for ending his political career. Wife-beater Bill Walker, 83, also claims in his memoir he was the target of a 'vendetta'. 3 Disgraced former MSP Bill Walker leaves Dumfries Prison after serving half of his 12-month sentence for a catalogue of domestic abuse offences Credit: Danny Lawson/PA Wire 3 Domestic abuse campaigners rallied outside the Scottish Parliament after he refused to give up his seat Credit: Jeff3 Sneering Walker has blamed the victims of his violent crimes for ending his political career The ex-SNP member for Dunfermline was caged for 12 months in 2013 after being convicted of 23 charges spanning 30 years. They included battering three former spouses and a stepdaughter. But in his self-published book, the unrepentant brute says: 'My former wives succeeded in ending prematurely my political life.' He added that his victims had sought to 'discredit me and destroy the modest successes of my life'. He claimed he penned the book 'to set the record straight'. Danielle Secker bravely shares her story of horrific domestic abuse But Tory MSP Sharon Dowey hit out: 'These shameful comments are the worst type of victim-blaming. 'Walker alone ended his career through his dreadful criminal behaviour, not the poor women on the receiving end of his abuse.' A spokesman for the SNP, who expelled Walker in 2012, said last night: 'These are appalling comments. "He should apologise to all those he wronged.' Walker was contacted for comment.
The Herald Scotland
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Voters must be able to sack MSPs despite cost, says Simpson
His remarks came after legal academics warned the draft law could deliver 'the worst of all worlds'. READ MORE Currently, MSPs can only be removed from office if sentenced to more than 12 months in prison. Mr Simpson said the system was 'absurd'. 'If you contrast that to what happens in other workplaces, if an employee repeatedly or seriously breaches their company's code of conduct, they could be sacked. 'If an employee just did not attend their place of work without good reason, they could be removed. 'And you would expect that — and if an employee received a relatively short custodial sentence for a criminal offence, that could lead to their dismissal, especially if they are in a senior position. 'And for me, that contrast is quite jarring.' Mr Simpson raised the case of former Dunfermline MSP Bill Walker. He was convicted of a course of abusive behaviour against a series of his former partners and was handed a 12-month prison sentence — one day short of the threshold that would have seen him automatically barred from Holyrood. He initially refused to resign, raising the prospect of parliamentary authorities paying out salary to a politician spending six months in HMP Low Moss. Mr Simpson's Scottish Parliament (Recall and Removal of Members) Bill would allow voters to trigger a recall petition if an MSP receives a jail sentence of six months or more, fails to attend Parliament for six months without good reason, or is sanctioned for misconduct. If at least 10% of constituents sign the petition, the MSP would lose their job and a vote would be held. For a recalled constituency MSP, this would trigger a by-election. However, for a list MSP, a vote would only be held if they wished to stand again — to decide whether they return. If not, the seat would go to the next person on the party list or remain vacant for independents until the next election. In evidence to the committee, three Glasgow Caledonian University law lecturers warned that this model risks undermining democratic choice by holding a 'significant democratic event' with no opportunity for voters to select a new candidate. They suggested instead automatically removing MSPs who breach the thresholds and holding a full by-election open to all parties and candidates. READ MORE Mr Simpson said he had wrestled with how best to deal with regional MSPs and admitted parity with constituency members was difficult to achieve under Scotland's hybrid electoral system. 'Those of us who are elected on regional lists — if we are being honest — nobody really knows who they are going to get when they put the cross on that regional list. They just end up with who they end up with. 'Nobody voted for me individually. But if I was to be subject to a recall vote, people would have heard of me, because I have probably done something — and then it is about the individual and their behaviour, or alleged behaviour. So it is not about the party. 'I do not think it is about the individual MSP, and so that individual should, in my view, have the chance to make their case.' He rejected calls to simplify the process by automatically removing MSPs or skipping the petition stage, saying that 10% of a politician's constituents voting against them was not enough to 'kick somebody out of a Parliament'. Mr Simpson also rebuffed suggestions that MSPs who switch parties should face automatic re-election. 'I know it is controversial. I do not think it is a crime to switch parties. I am personally not in favour of having a recall in that situation.' He accepted the legislation would carry administrative and financial burdens, particularly for regional polls, but said: 'It is the price of democracy.' The legislation was first mooted after SNP MSP Derek Mackay resigned as Finance Secretary when it emerged he had contacted a teenage boy over social media — without knowing his age — and then bombarded him with more than 270 messages. He called the boy 'cute', invited him to dinner, and asked for their conversations to remain secret. The behaviour was described as 'predatory' and a textbook example of 'grooming'. Mr Mackay apologised 'unreservedly' to the boy. He was suspended by the SNP and a party investigation was launched into his behaviour. He then disappeared from public life on the eve of the Scottish Budget in 2020 and did not return to work at Holyrood after the scandal — but continued to draw a full salary of £64,700 while sitting as an independent MSP for more than a year. He was also paid an automatic grant of £11,945 for 'loss of ministerial office' and a further £53,725 'resettlement grant' when he left Parliament at the 2021 election. Financial estimates for Mr Simpson's Bill reckon a regional recall petition could cost more than £1 million, with a potential subsequent regional poll costing a further £1m. Discussing the financial implications, Mr Simpson said he had sought to reduce costs by keeping the length of the regional recall petition to four weeks rather than six. He said: 'We do need a recall system in Scotland, and that will come at a cost.'
CTV News
13-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Here comes the MPP: Ontario bill could let politicians perform weddings
MPP for Perth-Wellington Matthew Rae, and his wife Meghan Thomson pose for a photo on their wedding day with Bill Walker, right, former MPP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, who acted as their officiant, in a Sept. 21, 2024, handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Laurie Thomson TORONTO — Cut the red tape and cue the white dress. Two Ontario Progressive Conservative members of provincial parliament are proposing to remove a layer of bureaucracy and let MPPs such as themselves more easily officiate weddings. A private member's bill from Matthew Rae and Dave Smith would automatically grant an MPP the authority to solemnize marriages after they give written notice of their interest, without having to go through a municipality as with most non-religious officiants. 'Not every single municipality actually has their clerk do weddings, so if you want a civil marriage, you have to go through a justice of the peace or a judge,' Smith said. 'When you look at some of the more northern, more remote, more rural ridings, you don't have as easy access to a justice of the peace or a judge and I just saw this as one of those things that's almost a red tape thing. We have the ability to make that change. It really doesn't have a negative effect. So why not do it?' Rae said engaged couples sometimes reach out to elected officials – including himself – to request that they solemnize their marriage, thinking they're granted that ability automatically, like judges. 'Some are family and friends that live in my riding,' he said. 'Obviously, they think it would be kind of neat to have their local MPP perform the ceremony...(it's) just another provincial service that a local member can choose to offer their constituents if they choose to do so. And so it really is just having that little extra special component to your happy day.' Rae personally availed himself of that extra special component when he got married last year, using Bill Walker, the former member of provincial parliament for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, as his officiant. When it comes to politicians and weddings, Walker is the guy, both Smith and Rae said. Walker went through the whole regular process for becoming a civil marriage officiant, which includes a designation from a municipal clerk, and estimates he has done more than 70 weddings in just a few years. 'It's humbling, for anybody, to be part of their special day, but especially if you've worked with them, or my goddaughters,' Walker said. 'It was pretty hard to top those.' Walker's side gig as an officiant – he doesn't take any payment – began with a request from one of his goddaughters. '(She) thought that we had the right as an MPP to be able to do weddings, because Bill Murdoch, who was my predecessor (as the MPP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound), had done them up here forever, and I think she just thought it was one of those things you got to do,' he said. 'My other goddaughter said, 'Well, if you're marrying her, you've got to marry me.'' It snowballed from there – including other friends, family and Queen's Park staffers – and Walker has about a dozen weddings on tap for this year. The bill would allow provincial politicians who ask for the authority to perform marriages to keep that power for a full year after they leave office. That way, a snap election as the province saw earlier this year and an unexpected defeat doesn't leave an engaged couple with no officiant. Most private member's bills that get tabled come from opposition parties, and since this one is from within the government caucus it may be more likely than most to get through, but Rae and Smith said further discussions and debate are expected to be held in the fall. If the bill does become law, Rae said he isn't sure if he will set out to officiate weddings, but Smith is game. 'I'll probably reach out to the minister if this passes, and ask for permission to do it,' he said. 'Any time you can break down barriers for people who want to spend their life together, then why not do that?' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2025. Allison Jones, The Canadian Press
CTV News
13-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Here comes the MPP: Ontario bill could let politicians perform weddings
MPP for Perth-Wellington Matthew Rae, and his wife Meghan Thomson pose for a photo on their wedding day with Bill Walker, right, former MPP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, who acted as their officiant, in a Sept. 21, 2024, handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Laurie Thomson TORONTO — Cut the red tape and cue the white dress. Two Ontario Progressive Conservative members of provincial parliament are proposing to remove a layer of bureaucracy and let MPPs such as themselves more easily officiate weddings. A private member's bill from Matthew Rae and Dave Smith would automatically grant an MPP the authority to solemnize marriages after they give written notice of their interest, without having to go through a municipality as with most non-religious officiants. 'Not every single municipality actually has their clerk do weddings, so if you want a civil marriage, you have to go through a justice of the peace or a judge,' Smith said. 'When you look at some of the more northern, more remote, more rural ridings, you don't have as easy access to a justice of the peace or a judge and I just saw this as one of those things that's almost a red tape thing. We have the ability to make that change. It really doesn't have a negative effect. So why not do it?' Rae said engaged couples sometimes reach out to elected officials – including himself – to request that they solemnize their marriage, thinking they're granted that ability automatically, like judges. 'Some are family and friends that live in my riding,' he said. 'Obviously, they think it would be kind of neat to have their local MPP perform the ceremony...(it's) just another provincial service that a local member can choose to offer their constituents if they choose to do so. And so it really is just having that little extra special component to your happy day.' Rae personally availed himself of that extra special component when he got married last year, using Bill Walker, the former member of provincial parliament for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, as his officiant. When it comes to politicians and weddings, Walker is the guy, both Smith and Rae said. Walker went through the whole regular process for becoming a civil marriage officiant, which includes a designation from a municipal clerk, and estimates he has done more than 70 weddings in just a few years. 'It's humbling, for anybody, to be part of their special day, but especially if you've worked with them, or my goddaughters,' Walker said. 'It was pretty hard to top those.' Walker's side gig as an officiant – he doesn't take any payment – began with a request from one of his goddaughters. '(She) thought that we had the right as an MPP to be able to do weddings, because Bill Murdoch, who was my predecessor (as the MPP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound), had done them up here forever, and I think she just thought it was one of those things you got to do,' he said. 'My other goddaughter said, 'Well, if you're marrying her, you've got to marry me.'' It snowballed from there – including other friends, family and Queen's Park staffers – and Walker has about a dozen weddings on tap for this year. The bill would allow provincial politicians who ask for the authority to perform marriages to keep that power for a full year after they leave office. That way, a snap election as the province saw earlier this year and an unexpected defeat doesn't leave an engaged couple with no officiant. Most private member's bills that get tabled come from opposition parties, and since this one is from within the government caucus it may be more likely than most to get through, but Rae and Smith said further discussions and debate are expected to be held in the fall. If the bill does become law, Rae said he isn't sure if he will set out to officiate weddings, but Smith is game. 'I'll probably reach out to the minister if this passes, and ask for permission to do it,' he said. 'Any time you can break down barriers for people who want to spend their life together, then why not do that?' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2025. Allison Jones, The Canadian Press
