Latest news with #MaggieChapman
The National
3 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Man arrested for 'carrying a placard calling Trump an offensive word'
The man, aged 20, was arrested at Prestwick Airport, Ayrshire, where Air Force One landed, on Friday evening 'for abusive behaviour and refusing to stop', according to Police Scotland. The man allegedly was carrying a placard which called the US president Trump an 'offensive word', PA have reported. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'A 20-year-old man was arrested next to Prestwick Airport on Friday for abusive behaviour and refusing to stop. READ MORE: 'The welcome he deserves': TikToker goes viral praising National's Trump front page 'He was given a recorded police warning.' The force said on Saturday that no arrests had been made, although a 50-year-old woman was issued with a recorded police warning in connection with alleged threatening behaviour at a Stop Trump Scotland protest outside the US consulate in Edinburgh on Saturday. Hundreds of protesters gathered at two demonstrations held in Aberdeen and [[Edinburgh]] against the US president's visit to Scotland. Protesters were seen holding placards and banners against Trump, along with messages of support for Palestinians. Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman spoke at the demonstration in Aberdeen, where she criticised Trump's comments on the genocide in Gaza. 'We say 'no' to the genocide in Palestine, and we say 'no' to any politician who says that their politics has to be built on hate, has to be built on division, and has to be built on enriching the billionaires while the majority of the rest of the world starve', Chapman said. 'Not in our name. Never in our name. That is why we are here today.' Police Scotland is continuing to work on the assumption there will be protests in Ayrshire, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
BBC News
7 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Greens issue new Holyrood candidate list after 'software error'
The Scottish Greens have had to issue a revised set of candidate lists for next year's Holyrood election after an error was discovered in how selection votes were counted. The results, originally announced on Monday, sparked a row with members which saw the party's internal election officer resign. The new lists have the same candidates in the top positions, with most of the party's MSPs securing key places which give them an easier path to re-election. However there are changes further down the Edinburgh and Lothian East and South Scotland lists, with some members being moved up and down the rankings. Under the electoral system for Holyrood, the regional list vote involves parties ranking their higher an individual appears on the list, the better their chance is of becoming an had been raised by party members regarding a number of the internal include that of the Scottish Greens' current co-leader Patrick Harvie, and North East MSP Maggie Chapman who failed to secure top spot in her party has now blamed a "software error" at the external company used to process the has apologised for the "inconvenience and concern" caused by the third-party software it used to count votes. A Scottish Greens spokesperson party officials were assured on Monday afternoon that the counting "had been completed and confirmed to meet the standards requested under our internal party rules".But following further investigation the software error was detected in an external programme used to count votes. The party said was first made aware of this on Tuesday spokesperson added: "Party officials were not aware of this error at the time of previous statements, and had been reassured by the third-party provider on Monday afternoon that all counting had been completed and verified."Following a full revised count with oversight and verification from current party officials and those involved in previous Holyrood selections, we can confirm our full list of candidates for the Holyrood 2026 campaign. "All of the previously announced 15 lead candidates remain duly selected and will continue to lead the party's campaign to elect a record number of MSPs."The party acknowledged it had been a "stressful process" for candidates and members and thanked them for their "vigilance, patience and trust". Mi-Voice 'sincerely apologise' for anomalies Simon Thomson, director of Mi-Voice, said a review triggered by concerned party officials identified a "technical fault" with the vote counting Thomson said the party was notified at 10:00 on Tuesday and the issue was reported to the software also confirmed the updated candidate lists then underwent "additional manual validation" to ensure they represented "the final and accurate outcome". Mr Thomson said: "We acknowledge the concern this has raised for party members and candidates. "We understand the frustration and confusion, and we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience and concern it has caused." On Tuesday, Kate Joester, who was the party's internal elections officer, said she had not spotted the issue when the figures were first sent to initially endorsed a statement from the party reassuring campaigners that there were "no realistic doubts" about the after quitting her post Joester said she should not have given her backing amid concerns about how some votes were cast.
BBC News
22-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Scottish Greens official admits 'anomaly' in party election results
The Scottish Greens official who quit after overseeing the party's ranking of the candidates for the 2026 Scottish elections has said there was an "anomaly" in the Joester, who was the party's internal elections officer, said she had not spotted the issue when the figures were first sent to initially endorsed a statement from the party reassuring campaigners that there were "no realistic doubts" about the Joester now says she should not have given her backing amid concerns about how some votes were cast. Under the electoral system for Holyrood, the regional list vote involves parties ranking their higher an individual appears on the list, the better their chance is of becoming an have been raised by party members regarding a number of the internal include that of the Scottish Greens' current co-leader , and North East MSP Maggie Chapman who failed to secure top spot in her of the claims centre around how ballots were counted under the STV (single transferrable vote) system, where members rank candidates by a message to all party members, first reported by The Herald, Joester expressed regret at "going along with a statement yesterday reassuring people that there we no realistic doubts about the results when I was not sure that was the case".She also said that she had resigned from her position as she "hadn't done a good enough job".Joester insisted she did not know if there was a problem with the election results - and urged party members to wait until the external company that oversaw the elections had clarified their processes.A Scottish Greens spokesperson said "As said to members last night, we are speaking to the (election) provider to get more details about the approach used. These details will be shared with members in due course." In the Scottish Greens internal elections, Patrick Harvie, who is stepping down as co-leader, saw off a campaign to replace him as the party's top candidate in Glasgow at next year's Holyrood narrowly secured the top place on the Glasgow list, which is likely to deliver re-election to Holyrood.A slate of self-described "radical" Green members - who were critical of his time leading the party - had sought to replace other regional ballots, most sitting Green MSPs secured the top place on the candidates for the party's two co-leadership positions - Gillian Mackay, Ross Greer and Lorna Slater - all secured top spot in their three are defenders of the time the Greens spent in government with the North East MSP Maggie Chapman was ranked second, making re-election more has been placed behind activist Guy Ingerson - who stood against SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn in the Aberdeen South seat in last year's general came under fire earlier this year when she criticised the judiciary over the Supreme Court's ruling on the definition of a 2023, she expressed regret for a social media post claiming the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel was an act of "decolonisation", not "terrorism".
The National
22-07-2025
- Politics
- The National
Inside the Scottish Greens as key member quits in candidate row
The party shared their full list of candidates on Monday, which saw Maggie Chapman removed from the top spot of the North East list, meaning she is unlikely to win a seat in next year's election. She was replaced as the lead candidate by activist Guy Ingerson, who previously lodged a bullying complaint against Chapman. Maggie Chapman (Image: Christian Gamauf) Meanwhile, party co-leader Patrick Harvie saw off a challenge from a "radical" group of members to replace him as the lead candidate for Glasgow. Internal messages seen by The National show members raising concerns about the selection process for both lists, with some members demanding a recount. READ MORE: SNP minister calls on UK counterpart to retract 'misleading' Scottish water comments Speaking about the North East list, Shetland councillor Alex Armitage said: "Our integrity as a party is a hugely important aspect of our values and our identity as Greens. It is so important that we can trust and have confidence in our selection procedures. "I rarely speak out on internal issues but this just doesn't sit right with me at all. I'd like to move forward but before doing so I believe this should be properly scrutinised." The National understands concerns were also raised around the selection contest between Harvie and Ellie Gomersall – who placed second on the Glasgow list – particularly around the transferring of votes to Gomersall from candidates who were knocked out in previous voting rounds. Patrick Harvie The party had sought to reassure members on Monday evening, as a spokesperson was quoted saying in the media that the party's internal elections officer (IEO) "has confirmed that the process and the methodology used are compliant with our selections procedure, and the lists published are correct". However, shortly after that statement was published, the party's IEO, Kate Joester, announced she had quit the role and said she had no part in the statement. "To clarify regarding the statement in the press on members' concerns about counting irregularities; this did not come from me as Internal Elections Officer, and I am no longer in that post as of this evening", she told members. A Scottish Greens spokesperson went on to say that there had been a "misunderstanding about the sign-off that [the statement] received which we apologise for", but that the rest of the statement's content remained accurate. READ MORE: Police operation for Donald Trump visit will be 'biggest since Queen's death' And on Tuesday, Joester shared with members that she resigned from the role because "I hadn't done a good enough job", although clarifying that she did "not know whether or not there is a problem with the results". The party has since confirmed a review into the process is underway with the company which supplied the service, and that members will be updated in due course. Concerns have continued to be raised into Tuesday, although it is understood members are awaiting more detailed feedback from the party before taking further action, such as potentially tabling an emergency motion calling for the vote to be thrown out and re-run. Speaking to The National, one member put it simply: "It's all a bit of a clusterfuck." They added: "It's just spiralling more and more, and the party seem to want to try and ignore it, hoping it will blow over, but it won't." Another member said: 'This is an absolute mess. If someone like Kate Joester is stepping down, there must be something seriously wrong. "This isn't a factional issue, this is about basic fairness and democracy which is clearly not being applied. "The results could easily be very different, and the longer questions aren't answered, the more this looks like a cover-up to protect a chosen few." A Scottish Greens spokesperson said: 'As said to members last night, we are speaking to the provider to get more details about the approach used. These details will be shared with members in due course.'
Scotsman
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Row breaks out over Scottish Green selection contest as key figure quits
The party insisted the process was 'compliant with our selections procedure' Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A row has erupted in the Scottish Greens over the process of choosing candidates ahead of next year's Holyrood election. The party sought to reassure members the process was "compliant with our selections procedure" after questions were raised by concerned activists. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, shortly after this statement was released to the media, its internal elections officer, Kate Joester, announced she had quit. It comes after Maggie Chapman, a former co-convener of the Greens, failed to top the party's list for the North East region, meaning she is unlikely to be re-elected. Maggie Chapman | PA Ms Chapman sparked controversy earlier this year after accusing the Supreme Court of "bigotry, prejudice and hatred" following a landmark ruling on the legal definition of a woman. Elsewhere, Patrick Harvie, the Greens co-leader, saw off a bid from a 'radical' faction within the party to have him replaced as lead candidate in Glasgow. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The result of both selection contests had been questioned by some activists. A spokesman for the Greens told The Herald on Monday evening: "The party's internal elections officer [IEO] has confirmed that the process and the methodology used are compliant with our selections procedure, and the lists published are correct. "The IEO has verified that the count was conducted using iterative rounds of STV [single transferable vote], specifically the Weighted Inclusive Gregory method, and was done as a bottom-up process." But writing on the party's internal communications channel, Ms Joester said she had not authorised this statement. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "To clarify regarding the statement to the press on members' concerns about counting irregularities: this did not come from me as internal elections officer and I am no longer in that post as of this evening," she said. The Greens later told members there had been a "misunderstanding about the sign-off" but insisted the original statement defending the process was accurate. The party said it had been shared with Ms Joester in advance.
