Getting Inside the Scotland Office

Butterfly Rebellion
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Suspicions have been raised in recent weeks and months that the Scotland Office – the centre of the British administration in Scotland – is gearing up for something big. It is no secret that since the Conservatives came back to power in May 2010 the budget and staffing numbers of the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland have been on the rise. Since the 2014 referendum the influx of people and cash into David Mundell’s department has been accelerating, with staffing and budget now at a level capable of governing Scotland without Holyrood. They’re up to something.

We want to know what it is they’re up to. The entire imposition of a Brexit isolationism Scotland rejected, the nature of the repatriation of EU laws power grab, and the facts of what happened last year in Catalunya give us cause for concern. The campaign for Scottish independence poses a serious threat to the British state. In the aftermath of Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union, without friends, and lacking anything approaching a beneficial international trade agreement, the prospect of losing access to Scottish oil – the world’s most important geopolitical and strategic resource – is something London is not prepared to consider.

Despite the London government’s historical track record for honesty and fair play (ahem), it is not at all inconceivable that it would take steps to secure Scotland. This is very much a zero sum game for Westminster, and the rules of Game Theory are pretty clear on how such games should be played out. If this were a strategy game and I was playing Britain my eyes would be on Scotland, and – more specifically – on the devolution settlement. Only a political novice would now fail to see the extreme danger the Scottish parliament poses to the security of Britain.

We can safely say that the future of devolution – and independence through devolution – is uncertain, and this goes a long way to explaining the reinforcement of the Scotland Office. If London isn’t thinking what I’m thinking, it’s not doing its job right.

So we want eyes and ears inside the Scotland Office. We are reaching out to employees – from cleaning staff to the highest grades of the civil service – of the Scotland Office to act as informers and whistleblowers. We’re interested in everything from rumours and overheard insider conversations, to documents, correspondences, and digital files.

Of course, people in the employ of the Scotland Office have signed the Official Secrets Act. Their decision to pass information to us – to anyone – comes with some level of risk. However, we are appealing to people’s consciences. Scotland and the security of our parliament are more important than the law with regards to keeping secrets that may now pose a serious threat to our country. This hierarchy of importance is well established in international law; people do not need to obey unjust laws or laws that threaten the lives of people and nations.

The Butterfly Rebellion is committed to protecting all of our sources. Under no circumstances will we divulge names or details that might identify those who pass us information. Your secret is safe with us. Here’s how to do it:

You can mail information to butterflyrebellion@protonmail.ch

This email address is fully encrypted. It has been registered in Switzerland to protect it – owing to Swiss law – from British and US state interference and third-party government pressure to compromise our privacy.

DO NOT use your workplace computer or device to contact us.

Use your own computer or device, or – better – a public computer in an internet café or library (one you do not usually frequent).

If you use a memory card to transport electronic files delete everything on it immediately after you have sent its contents to us. Put it in a microwave oven for 60 seconds and dispose of it away from your home. DO NOT put it in your domestic rubbish.

Please share this appeal for information widely. If we are to enlist the help of willing people inside the Scotland Office then we must get this message to them. Our safety is best secured by the prompt publication of whatever information comes our way. Anything we receive we will look over, seek legal advice on, and publish as soon as possible. Remember, if they have nothing to hide – if nothing is going on – then we’ll get nothing. They have nothing to fear. If on the other hand reliable information comes our way we will put the interests of Scotland first.

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The Butterfly Rebellion
Glasgow, Scotland
Follow @Butterfly_Reb