A NEW Westminster probe will look into reports of Iranian influence on the Scottish independence debate, it has been confirmed.
But it has not yet been confirmed whether it will look into Israeli influence in UK politics – despite a watchdog recently confirming a Westminster group was “temporarily funded” by the Israeli state.
The independent review of foreign financial interference is being launched after former MEP and Reform UK politician Nathan Gill was jailed for taking Russian bribes.
Local government secretary Steve Reed said on Tuesday that digital cryptocurrency donations to political parties and Beijing’s influence would both be in scope of the review.
Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander, meanwhile, told reporters on Wednesday that it could also look at Iranian influence, after reports claimed an Iranian bot network had targeted social discourse around Scottish independence.
READ MORE: Westminster group was funded by Israeli government, investigation concludes
“There’s been a lot of research in recent years indicating that there was Iranian activity in relation to the constitutional future of Scotland,” Alexander said.
“When the Americans took their action that they did, we saw a significant reduction in the number of Iranian bots promoting Scottish independence on Scottish social media sites.
“So it is right and appropriate that the investigation that is being undertaken looks at all actors who are trying to influence democratic decisions being made here in the United Kingdom.”
It has not been confirmed whether the probe will look into Israeli influence, which comes a week after a report from Westminster’s standards committee found that a parliamentary group of MPs had been funded by the Israeli government.
It came after Declassified UK reported earlier this year on how the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Defence Technology took £1499 from RUK Advanced Systems Ltd, which is part of the Israeli state-owned defence firm Rafael.
an Iranian bot network had targeted social discourse around Scottish independence
ie a bunch of Iranians on the internet tweeted that the British suck and Scotland would be better off without them
‘bot network’, this is said about anyone who says anything positive of Russia or China that they’re a bot, anyone who says anything bad about America in relation to Russia or China is a bot, if you criticize someone for being sinophobic or russophobic you’re a bot
In regards to what Iranians are being accused of: making observations doesn’t mean you’re a bot, it means you believe your eyes and ears, and sometimes people will share their observations with others
Meanwhile there’s definitive evidence of Israeli influence, but let’s be more concerned with a bunch of Iranian twitter users and redditors
If Iran is pushing Scotland to be a more free, progressive, and internationally peaceful state…then thank you, Iran!
Hope you and an independent Scotland remain great friends.
In what universe would the Iranian state give a rat’s ass about Scottish independence? They can’t even rid their own society of pro-western brain worms, but somehow they’ve stumbled on bots as the sure fire way to dismantle the currently Great British Empire
The self-obsession of these English crackers is incredible
Everything is always bAd CoUnTrY’s fault in the brain of the deranged Westoid.
Sink England into the ocean.
And they’re not doing a lick of introspection on this development either.
: “Could my rapid Americanization? Enabling of neo-nazis? Bending over backwards to ungrateful multinational corporations? Austerity for austerity’s sake? And piss poor handling of EVERYTHING be the reason Scotland wants to go independent?”: “No, they’re all idiots and Iran is tricking them!”
Putting the Acchhhh in Achameinid
All these countries can do is investigate foreign influence, then crow about how they’ve found (or “found”) the foreign influence.
They won’t actually do anything about it. The only thing they – the United States or Britain or whomever really – could do is address the fact that they’re broadly considered untrustworthy institutions. But you can’t build trust, real trust, with a PR campaign. You gotta tell people you’re gonna improve their lives, and then actually act to improve their lives. It’s so far beyond our ruling classes, they refuse to even acknowledge that people are justified in finding them untrustworthy.
well, they then use pent up malice of their treatlerites to launch invasions of the bad country, who besmirch their pure body politik
Investigate the settlers in Scotland maybe they have some England influence
- Fear of difference. “The first appeal of a fascist or prematurely fascist movement is an appeal against the intruders. Thus Ur-Fascism is racist by definition.”
- The obsession with a plot. “Thus at the root of the Ur-Fascist psychology there is the obsession with a plot, possibly an international one. The followers must feel besieged.”
I’d say after everything the Brits did to Iran, they’ve earned a bit of election interference, yeah? It’s like when you gotta let the other kid punch you to even the score. You don’t gotta let them decide everything that happens, and they don’t get to loot all your natural resources, but surely they’ve at least earned a referendum or two, I mean, come on.
the headline says “to investigate” but the article says “could investigate” and those are different things.
Did anyone else find this hard to follow or am I getting illiterate today?
“There’s been a lot of research in recent years indicating that there was Iranian activity in relation to the constitutional future of Scotland,” Alexander said.
“When the Americans took their action that they did, we saw a significant reduction in the number of Iranian bots promoting Scottish independence on Scottish social media sites.
What does it mean?
took their action that they did
was this written by the Longnecki girl
edit: Fullnecki? who cares actually
Explodenecki
It reads to me like they had to add words to reach the minimun words count
