Business for Scotland
Was first registered on 23 August 2012 by its sole director Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp. It was registered as a private, limited by guarantee, company, with no shareholdings.
It spent £143,027 campaigning at the independence referendum making it the largest spender of all the registered participant groups.
After the referendum, it was revealed that Business for Scotland received a £100,000 donation from Stagecoach founder Brain Souter.
Many people in Scotland believed that the “Business for Scotland ” group was an independent politically neutral organisation and could be trusted to publish unbiased articles. However, it was exposed by the media as a propaganda front for the SNP.
Gordon McIntyre Kemp, its chief executive and founder with a background in marketing was gifted with the ability to sell ice cream to the Eskimos, the hard sell, an ideal person to front the SNP campaign.
But he failed to inspire success and the SNP lost the 2014 independence referendum. (Intelligise Limited), his registered business was wound up in February 2016 when it became insolvent with net assets under £600 and liabilities well in excess of that figure.
The Herald commented: Gordon Macintyre-Kemp, who still calls himself @theintelligiser on Twitter, told The Herald:
“I decided to change my career from running Intelligise to becoming a full-time campaigner for independence, and as a direct result of that the business did not carry on. Asked if the Intelligise losses undermined his credibility to speak for business, he said: No. Had I not switched to Business for Scotland, I don’t believe there would have been any issues. I would probably still be running Intelligise, and it would still be trading just now. If I were to look at how much I lost, in terms of moving from being a consultant to running this, then it would be a significant amount of money, but I don’t regret it one little bit. We continue to be an influential and important business network and a key participant in the “Business for Scotland Indyref2 Crowdfunder campaign for a second referendum.
Afternote: The crowdfunding raised approximately £16000 but there was no second referendum. What happened to the finance collected for the specific purpose of a second Independence referendum?
Kevin Hague took a closer look at the enterprise’s management and membership. His article is revealing and worth a read. See here: (http://chokkablog.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/business-for-scotland-where-are-they-now.html)
More on Kemp here: http://rwbblog.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/hail-mary.html
Claims of impartiality and independence from other campaigning groups is nonsense – The SNP ran the show – A few members and their fate
Ian Blackford: became an MP in the 2015 GE, (http://ianblackford.com). He was criticised in the media after it emerged his financial Interests outside Westminster showed the then SNP Westminster leader received £270,735 from outside earnings since he was elected to Westminster.
A company he was linked with was monitored by the Information Commissioner’s Office after allegations of harassment.(https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/politics/815411/snp-mp-branded-a-hypocrite)
He was accused of hounding the late Charles Kennedy, MP. See: (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3112992/Hounded-SNP-hate-mob-weeks-lonely-death-Charles-Kennedy-endured-vile-campaign-bullying-abuse-separatist-fanatics-deeply-wounded-vulnerable-man.html)
When SNP Welfare Spokesman at Westminster he accepted a £3000 donation from a Tory Millionaire!! (http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13894423.SNP_welfare_spokesman_took_3000_donation_from_Tory_millionaire/?ref=ar)
Richard Arkless: became an MP in the 2015 GE. He lost his seat in the 2017 GE to Alistair Jack and failed to be elected, again running and failing against Jack in 2019. He then retired from politics. Of note was his action adding his wife, who was at the time a full-time director of a warehousing company, to the Westminster payroll as his Office assistant. Busy lady.
Michelle Thomson: became an MP in the 2015 GE. Her career stalled due to accusations of mortgage fraud being levelled against her. She was forced to operate at Westminster as an “independent” after losing the SNP whip. Of note was Thomson’s publically stated admiration for Margaret Thatcher and her “Right to Buy” policy which the SNP rejected. More here: (https://ahdinnaeken.wordpress.com/2015/10/02/sturgeon-sincere-or-sleekit-you-decide/
and here: ( http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/serious-crime-squad-knew-of-michelle-thomson-deals-1-3913060)
Ivan McKee: who was a senior post holder became an MSP in the Holyrood elections in May 2016.
Millionaire Tony Banks: who was a senior post holder, is chairman and founder of Balhousie Care Group, Scotland’s largest private residential care home provider.
What happened next?
Kemp, founded a new independence campaign group “Believe in Scotland” (BiS), and with the backing of the SNP Party and Government expanded its reach by recruiting SNP branch members and many LGBTQ activists.
Group executives arrange campaigns and public rallies on dates conflicting with arrangements put in place beforehand by other longer-established independence campaigning groups which weakens the efforts of all since division fosters failure. More on Kemp’s new group in my next blog.
A bit off-topic but the address of the Scottish Labour Party (Sycamore House, 290 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4JR) is also where Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp’s Believe in Scotland, Business for Scotland and several others are registered
caltonjock 