The Herald

The Herald | Politics


John Swinney?s BBC journalist wife Elizabeth Quigley resigns on health grounds
by jody.harrison@heraldandtimes.co.uk | Jody Harrison
28 Aug 2026 at 11:35am
Quigley was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2000


Bosnian backlash as Serbia says it will give war criminal Ratko Mladi? state ...
by gaby.mckay@newsquest.co.uk | Gabriel McKay
28 Aug 2026 at 11:20am
Serbia will bury convicted war criminal and génocidaire Ratko Mladi? with the highest state and military honours, the country's justice minister has confirmed


Council primed for no-confidence vote on standards watchdogs after Fiona Higg...
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
28 Aug 2026 at 6:30am
In a social media post, Ms Higgins accused a council official of "wilfully and cynically misleading councillors and the public? over proposed education cuts.


Pressure on Scottish Government over crisis heating oil scheme
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
28 Aug 2026 at 6:30am
Pressure is mounting on the Scottish Government to extend emergency heating oil support as households brace for higher winter energy bills.


Thousands of Scots could challenge home valuations under SNP?s new mansion tax
28 Aug 2026 at 5:00am
Thousands of Scottish households could challenge property valuations under the SNP?s planned mansion tax, ministers have been warned.


Scottish Government doesn't know if civil servants are meeting hybrid working...
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
28 Aug 2026 at 5:00am
The Scottish Government wants more staff back in the office but no longer measures whether civil servants are meeting existing targets.


Scottish Government faces questions over allocation of north east climate fund
by gaby.mckay@newsquest.co.uk | Gabriel McKay
28 Aug 2026 at 12:01am
The Scottish Government is facing renewed pressure to publish its Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan after significant under-allocation of a fund


Why owners of Princes Street fire building may be forced to sell site to city...
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
27 Aug 2026 at 9:04pm
Councillors have approved the exploration of a compulsory purchase of 109-112 Princes Street in order to avoid the building becoming a gap site.


Over 25,000 sign petition calling on MSPs to support historic Skye ferry
by craig.williams@newsquest.co.uk | Craig Williams
27 Aug 2026 at 4:45pm
A petition calling on politicians to support a community run, not-for-profit, ferry company has received huge support from near and far.


The civil servants aren't coming back. The SNP must rethink Victoria Quay
27 Aug 2026 at 3:35pm
Victoria Quay has cost taxpayers nearly £10m since 2021 while much of the building sits unused. Kevin McKenna says the SNP must act now.


First-ever Parent Strike protests in Edinburgh and Glasgow to demand more sup...
by Nick Forbes
27 Aug 2026 at 3:33pm
Parents, children and campaigners have held protests calling for more support for mothers and fathers juggling work and family life, with one attendee saying helping parents to spend more time with their children is an ?investment? in the country?s...


War criminal and génocidaire Ratko Mladi? dies in prison The Hague
by gaby.mckay@newsquest.co.uk | Gabriel McKay
27 Aug 2026 at 2:09pm
Ratko Mladi?, who was found guilty of committing genocide in the Yugoslav wars, has died at the age of 84 in The Hague.


Watchdog takes Scot Gov to Supreme Court over secret messages in Sturgeon FOI...
27 Aug 2026 at 1:00pm
The Information Commissioner is to take the Scottish Government to the Supreme Court for the first time amid a legal battle relating to the inquiry into whether Nicola Sturgeon breached the ministerial code.


MSPs' plea for exemption from 300 per cent second-home tax rejected by counci...
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
27 Aug 2026 at 12:40pm
The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) asked City of Edinburgh councillors to consider the 300 per cent tax break for parliamentarians.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


Donald Dewar would be 'very disappointed' with Holyrood today, says new biogr...
28 Aug 2026 at 6:00am

Mark Peel, whose new biography of Dewar is published this week, said the former first minister would be ?frustrated?

David Hamilton, the Scottish Information Commissioner, said the decision had not been taken lightly

The Prime Minister said he would discuss the idea of further spreading of power within Scotland and Wales when he meets with devolved leaders in the autumn.

Wings over Scotland

Spot The Problem
27 Aug 2026 at 12:19pm
See if you can identify why this isn’t an ideal way to run a justice system. We’ve put a couple of clues in for the slower folk. Answer below. Still, the Crown Office IS at least theoretically accountable to Parliament, so as long as the governing party is full of strong, independent, fair-minded MSPs willing …

This Other Earth
26 Aug 2026 at 2:22pm
We’ve had another email from the Crown Office. Stand by for a surprise! Well, that seems fair enough: other than the fact that almost £700,000 in “ringfenced” fundraiser money is (still) visibly missing, and the fact that the First Minister of the country and the leader of the party the money was entrusted to has …

You?ll Have Had Your Supper
24 Aug 2026 at 6:22pm
Great news, everyone – Scottish Labour has finally worked out how to talk to the people of Scotland. This video featuring the party’s MP Melanie Ward just appeared on the Scotland Office’s LinkedIn page, and it explains the complexities of the interlinked Scottish and UK economies in terms that the UK government hopes all of …

Before Action
20 Aug 2026 at 8:20pm
Our solicitors have today sent the letter below to Police Scotland. (Click pics to enlarge.) It’s worth remembering what this is about. – Peter Murrell was recently sentenced to over five years in prison for misappropriating approximately £400,000 from the SNP, which is the crime of embezzlement. – John Swinney recently admitted that the SNP …

The Land Of Do-As-You-Please
17 Aug 2026 at 12:15pm
The contempt for the Scottish public being openly shown by public servants paid from the public purse to answer to the public has at this point reached such endemic levels that we’re not sure an acceptable level of trust can ever be salvaged. The reply above is not just evasive, not even just pathetic, it’s …

Believers In The Ruins
13 Aug 2026 at 2:01pm
Not done with celebrating defeat in an imaginary UDI yesterday, The National has gone with another big polling-based front cover today, and the party’s woke young stormtrooper drones are beside themselves with malignant glee. Let’s just see what they’re cheering about. Oh. That 29% figure is actually one point DOWN on the SNP’s support in …

The Other Kind Of Winning
12 Aug 2026 at 12:28pm
The National runs headlines like this quite often. The sort-of newspaper doesn’t actually have a sports section – it just publishes The Herald’s – but if it did you have to wonder what it would look like. That IS the story, too. The actual figure in the poll The National reports is 35%, almost exactly …

The Party Of The Dead
6 Aug 2026 at 2:17pm
The SNP’s latest accounts are out. And the zombie shambles on for another year. The headline figures sound reasonable – the party has turned a 2024 deficit of nearly £400,000 into a surplus of just over £500,000. Unfortunately that’s only had the effect of increasing its bank balance by around £110,000 to £384,320. And that …

Anatomy Of A Grift
5 Aug 2026 at 2:48pm
It’s sometimes tempting to believe that transactivists, and in particular the extra-loud attention-seeking type, are simply mad and/or stupid. But that’s not always the case, because this sounds like some actually pretty cunning work. (Click pic to enlarge.) But let’s start at the beginning. In May this year, the former Scottish Greens candidate Euan “Sophie …

The Plague
4 Aug 2026 at 3:32pm
Ever-alert Wings readers will be aware that for the past three and a half years or so I’ve been the target of a campaign by disgraced former policeman Lynsay Watson, who over that period has relentlessly attempted to get me arrested, prosecuted and imprisoned for knowing – and saying – that human beings can’t change …

Craig Murray

Of Judges, Juries and Fascism
25 Aug 2026 at 5:50pm

We still don’t have a decision on whether the Scottish judicial review of Palestine Action can proceed. Lord Young is thinking about it. Last Thursday’s hearing went about as well as it could go. The UK government produced no written argument and barely seemed to be trying. They moved in court for the Scottish judicial …

Of Judges, Juries and Fascism

Scottish Judicial Review Hearing Tomorrow
19 Aug 2026 at 10:05pm

After eight months of obstructionism from the Labour Friends of Israel government of the UK, tomorrow is the day on which the Scottish Court of Session will finally decide whether to go ahead with the judicial review it granted in January, or kowtow to Downing St. I publish below two of the three main papers …

Scottish Judicial Review Hearing Tomorrow

A Tide in the Affairs of Men
7 Aug 2026 at 9:20pm

Between ten and five years ago, specifically in the light of Brexit, it was not in the least unusual for Scottish Independence supporters to discuss a declaration of Independence as the way forward. Debate more often centred on who should make the declaration – the Scottish parliament or some form of national convention or assembly. …

A Tide in the Affairs of Men

The Hard Right Packing of the UK Supreme Court
2 Aug 2026 at 7:00pm

Unlike the USA, where it is obsessively watched, the UK has no political culture of scrutinising the political composition of its Supreme Court. This is a big mistake. The UK Supreme Court has been deliberately and openly, even ostentatiously, packed with hard-right judges selected on the specific criterion that they will not oppose the will …

The Hard Right Packing of the UK Supreme Court

Scottish Independence: Set the Date!
29 Jul 2026 at 6:30pm

  The Scottish Government urgently needs a bold and radical approach to achieving Independence in spite of the firm London veto on a referendum. It is plain that there is no plan at present. The Scottish Parliament has a pro-Independence majority and government. This is how to achieve Independence consistent with international law and practice. …

Scottish Independence: Set the Date!

Narratives of Moral Conflict: Karim Khan and Delcy Rodriguez
26 Jul 2026 at 6:09am

Social media is not conducive to nuance. In the interest of reach, cut and dried positions are more effective and binary moral judgement expected. This leads to over-simplification of complex issues, and to skipping over facts inconvenient to your chosen narrative. There are issues affecting two high-profile people where it is worth considering the detail …

Narratives of Moral Conflict: Karim Khan and Delcy Rodriguez

BBC Scotland

FM calls for referendum powers as draft independence bill published
28 Aug 2026 at 12:48pm
The draft bill would be introduced into Parliament if the Scottish government secured the necessary powers from the UK government.

Scotland's universities face 'bleak' future as £200m funding gap revealed
28 Aug 2026 at 6:08am
A new report paints a 'bleak' picture of falling income from Scottish students and an over-reliance on international tuition fees.

IVF for single women to be considered in NHS review
28 Aug 2026 at 7:36am
The Scottish government's national review will consider extending eligibility for NHS-funded IVF.

Supreme Court asked to settle dispute over Sturgeon inquiry documents
27 Aug 2026 at 5:39pm
Scotland's information commissioner wants to challenge the Scottish government's use of exemptions to block the release of information.

Burnham calls summit of Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish first ministers
27 Aug 2026 at 4:21pm
The announcement came as the prime minister makes first official visit to Wales since taking office.

'I spent two years looking for work before I got a job'
27 Aug 2026 at 6:01am
Neala was one of growing number of young people classed as Neet, meaning they are not in education, employment or training.

More than £700m to be cut from Scottish Budget next year
25 Aug 2026 at 4:11pm
The Scottish Fiscal Commission said the reduction would correct the difference between forecast and actual income tax revenues.

Scottish National Investment Bank makes 'painful' £138m net loss
24 Aug 2026 at 3:06pm
The publicly-owned body, which operates independently, has invested in several firms that collapsed last year.

Swinney visits 'crisis' towns asking for help after 1,500 job losses
24 Aug 2026 at 4:40pm
Inverclyde has been hit hard with job losses after decades of deindustrialisation and population decline.

Bullying claim against deputy first minister Gilruth is 'baseless' - Swinney
24 Aug 2026 at 12:40pm
The first minister has denied that his deputy issued an email naming staff she wanted to be removed.

Free school bags for primary pupils to come in different colours
24 Aug 2026 at 4:13pm
Concerns had been raised about the chaos of multiple children owning the same schoolbag, but the government said pupils can personalise their bags.

Scottish government minister Ben Macpherson resigns
24 Aug 2026 at 3:05pm
Ben Macpherson, the minister for innovation, technology and tertiary education, has quit.

Scot Goes Pop

Another Scottish polling disaster for Burnham: a majority of voters want Scot...
27 Aug 2026 at 10:24pm
Someone asked on the previous comments thread whether it was true that a new Survation poll showed that Andy Burnham is the most popular politician among Scottish voters.  Yes, it is true (albeit w...

The BBC will ALWAYS be fearlessly neutral and even-handed and ask all the imp...
24 Aug 2026 at 10:06pm
*  *  *I'm still urgently trying to make progress towards my blogging and YouTube videos becoming financially sustainable.  If you'd like to help me continue to create content by becoming a support...

Warning - Danger - MASSIVE BLACK HOLE APPROACHING and Stew wants to chuck YOU...
22 Aug 2026 at 10:04pm
Probably because I grew up during the period in which the Guildford Four and the Birmingham Six were released, I've always been deeply troubled by the persistent recurrence of severe miscarriages o...

Concerns mount that the "Scottish Daily Express" may be written by clueless H...
22 Aug 2026 at 12:21pm
If it wasn't so outrageous, the latest anti-Gaelic rant from the Scottish Daily Express would be hysterically funny.  The paper reports that "one Holyrood source" (translation: an unspecified Tory ...

Douglas Alexander tacitly admits the choice for Labour is: a) change course o...
21 Aug 2026 at 12:26pm
My seven-day conventional text-blogging blitz to help promote my Ko-Fi fundraising page is now over, and it certainly wasn't a waste of time because it led to several new sign-ups as recurring mont...

YouGov poll suggests Andy Burnham is faring about as well in Scotland as the ...
19 Aug 2026 at 1:24pm
History doesn't record whether the Roman Emperor tried to win over the reluctant Caledonian tribes by setting up a "Senate North" somewhere really northern and close to them (like Milan), but even ...

Liberation Scotland's wish to disenfranchise one million "incomers" - isn't t...
17 Aug 2026 at 11:02pm
I was thinking of writing a blogpost tonight about the latest chapter in Stew's prolonged temper tantrum about the Crown Office and Police Scotland impertinently refusing to accept that he is their...

"Yeah, you know that John Major guy? The Council of Europe FORCED him to giv...
17 Aug 2026 at 1:02pm
As I said in a recent video, I've tried hard to remain open-minded about Salvo's approach to independence campaigning - not because I think there's the remotest chance of them achieving their state...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

John Swinney?s BBC journalist wife Elizabeth Quigley resigns on health grounds
28 Aug 2026 at 11:46am
She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2000 aged just 28

Single women and blended families could gain access to NHS-funded IVF under r...
28 Aug 2026 at 7:26am
The Scottish Government has commissioned a review which will examine access to fertility treatment and fertility preservation services

Why Andy Burnham?s trip to Ukraine matters
24 Aug 2026 at 3:59pm
Burnham has made his first foreign trip as Prime Minister, but it comes at a time of personal tumult for the Ukrainian leader

?Devil will be in the detail? of public sector reform, says watchdog
24 Aug 2026 at 3:28pm
The Scottish Government has put public service reform at the centre of its agenda

Junior education minister Ben Macpherson resigns
24 Aug 2026 at 3:21pm
The Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith MSP did not provide a specific reason for his resignation

Ferguson Marine ferries have taken an ?obscene amount of time?, Flynn says
23 Aug 2026 at 6:53pm
Transport secretary Stephen Flynn however said the Scottish Government had made a ?huge investment? in trying to improve CalMac?s fleet

Scottish Government denies deputy first minister ?bullying? claims
23 Aug 2026 at 3:32pm
The Scottish Sun on Sunday alleged that Gilruth wrote an email naming and shaming officials in her new department

Scottish minister urges more action on energy bills from UK Government
22 Aug 2026 at 5:20pm
Scottish households need ?real support?, energy minister Stephen Gethins has said

Scottish Greens call on SNP to guarantee free childcare from third birthday
22 Aug 2026 at 1:29pm
Gillian Mackay said it would end the burden for families who have to pay nursery fees until the next school term

Decision on Rosebank and Jackdaw fields needed as soon as possible ? Badenoch
21 Aug 2026 at 5:08pm
Consultations on both sites have closed in recent weeks, with the final decision now to be taken by the UK Government

Malcolm Offord diagnosed with prostate cancer on day of Holyrood election
20 Aug 2026 at 4:44pm
The Reform UK Scottish leader said he had surgery last week and is now 'raring to go'

Swinney defends £45,000 business class flights to World Cup
20 Aug 2026 at 4:30pm
The First Minister made the trip in June as the Scotland men?s national football team took part in its first World Cup in 28 years

Scottish Labour leadership candidates clash in lively STV debate
19 Aug 2026 at 9:44pm
Michael Marra and Joe Fagan went head to head in a special Scotland Tonight debate.

Scottish Labour leadership contenders to face off in Scotland Tonight hustings
19 Aug 2026 at 11:47am
STV political editor Colin Mackay will moderate debate between Michael Marra and Joe Fagan.

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

John Swinney?s BBC journalist wife Elizabeth Quigley resigns on health grounds
28 Aug 2026 at 12:07pm
Quigley, a respected journalist, said she has been struggling with a condition called trigeminal neuralgia.

Ethics watchdog refuses to reveal legal costs after court defeat to Glasgow c...
28 Aug 2026 at 11:59am
The Standards Commission said they would be exposed to ?public comment? if they revealed the legal bill in their court battle against Fiona Higgins.

Independence referendum bill published by John Swinney as standoff with Westm...
28 Aug 2026 at 9:58am
The Bill sets out the question and franchise for any referendum.

Almost 200 Police Scotland building need repairs with eye-watering £20m bill
28 Aug 2026 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: The figures were revealed in a freedom of information request from the Lib Dems to Police Scotland.

SNP council chief warns Scottish Government refugee housing crisis is ?untena...
28 Aug 2026 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: Susan Aitken wrote to the Deputy First Minister in May to express her deep concern.

Glasgow dubbed asylum seeker 'dumping ground' over Home Office housing policy
27 Aug 2026 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: New figures show the Home Office has not accommodated any asylum seekers in seven council areas, while Glasgow is home to over 3,000.

?Powder keg? Glasgow let down by Labour and the SNP over asylum seeker shambles
27 Aug 2026 at 4:30am
In an op-ed, Daily Record Political Editor Paul Hutcheon said decisions by the UK and Scottish Governments have created a crisis in the city.

Scottish Labour leadership hopeful against early general election amid MP cul...
26 Aug 2026 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: Speaking to the Record's Planet Holyrood podcast, Michael Marra said the focus should be on delivering in Government.

Trans rights vote dodge made my female allies unhappy, says Scottish Labour l...
25 Aug 2026 at 5:00pm
EXCLUSIVE: Michael Marra has provided more details of the day he skipped the vote on the SNP Government's controversial Bill on gender self-ID.

SNP Education Secretary ?fundamentally disagrees? no catastrophic failings in...
25 Aug 2026 at 1:07pm
Mairi McAllan hit out after an email exchange between her and Glasgow council's top official was published.

The National

The National | Politics

Protesters who graffitied Trump?s Scottish golf course face ?terror? sentencing
28 Aug 2026 at 10:14am

SEVEN protesters who have been charged with damaging Donald Trump?s Scottish golf course face being sentenced as terrorists, according to reports ...

Scottish Government publishes draft bill for second independence referendum
28 Aug 2026 at 10:01am

THE Scottish Government has published a draft bill aimed at holding a second independence referendum.

Scottish universities 'face £200m black hole' in funding crisis, expert repor...
28 Aug 2026 at 8:43am

SCOTLAND'S universities ?face an acute and growing financial crisis?, a leading expert has warned in a new report ...

Andy Burnham has 'no right' to deny Irish unity referendum, Sinn Fein leader ...
28 Aug 2026 at 8:18am

ANDY Burnham has ?no right? to deny the people of Ireland a referendum on reunification, the leader of Sinn Fein has said ...

Dozens of Scottish families' homes to be demolished after 'ground movements'
28 Aug 2026 at 8:08am

DOZENS of Scottish families? homes will have to be demolished after historic mining led to ground movements under their foundations, it is understood.

Andy Burnham cannot stop the rise in energy prices so Scots will continue to ...
28 Aug 2026 at 5:00am

THERE seems to be no end to the continual rises in our energy costs, despite the promises of our new Prime Minister, who has already proved himself no more trustworthy than his woeful predecessor.

We've watched Scotland's natural world worsen in our lifetimes, voters tell poll
28 Aug 2026 at 5:00am

SCOTS think that their country?s natural environment is worsening and that the Scottish Government isn?t doing enough to protect it, new polling has found ...

Labour MSPs join calls for Andy Burnham to apologise for war crimes in Palestine
28 Aug 2026 at 5:00am

SCOTTISH Labour MSPs have called on Andy Burnham to issue a formal apology for Britain's war crimes in Palestine between 1917 and 1948.

Over 50 organisations urge John Swinney to deliver 'long-promised' Human Righ...
28 Aug 2026 at 5:00am

OVER 50 organisations from across Scottish civil society have urged John Swinney to deliver the ?long-promised? Human Rights Bill ...

Dolly Parton would want us to support our unsung hero librarians
28 Aug 2026 at 5:00am

WHEN I think of a life well lived, a life of kindness, compassion, and endless empathy for others, I can think of no better example than Dolly Parton.

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

Scottish Government publishes new independence bill
28 Aug 2026 at 12:25pm
John Swinney pushes on after Andy Burnham rules out indyref2

?Bleak? and ?unsustainable?: Funding gap puts universities under significant ...
28 Aug 2026 at 1:02am
Institutions collectively recorded a ?200m deficit in 2023/24

Information commissioner asks Supreme Court to rule in Sturgeon document disc...
27 Aug 2026 at 6:38pm
The Court of Session had ruled some information was covered by legal privilege

Edinburgh councillors reject MSPs? calls for exemption from council tax premium
27 Aug 2026 at 4:08pm
Edinburgh councillors have rejected the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body?s request to exempt MSPs from a 300 per cent council tax premium for second homes in the city

Walk away from walk-in clinics, Scottish health bodies urge government
27 Aug 2026 at 4:00pm
System risks unintended consequences, ministers are told

No evidence of ?Burnham bounce? despite PM being most popular leader in Scotland
27 Aug 2026 at 2:00am
The number of people saying they would vote Scottish Labour in a UK general election remains largely the same as earlier in the year

To Nicola, Love Peter: Channel 5 announces Sturgeon-Murrell drama
26 Aug 2026 at 5:15pm
Drama announced at Edinburgh TV Festival

Rockstar Games issues statement over Grand Theft Auto 6 leaks
26 Aug 2026 at 5:07pm
Rockstar Games addressed the leaks, describing the situation as "heartbreaking" for its development team and "unfortunate" for fans

Meta agrees up to $17bn settlement over social media harms to children
26 Aug 2026 at 4:19pm
Meta was accused that the technology company's platforms were addictive and harmful to children, according to filings that were released today

Children and adults held in custody for longer than necessary, police inspect...
26 Aug 2026 at 3:00am
HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland has urged Police Scotland to move ?at pace? to improve custody services

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

Channel 5 drama to examine how Nicola Sturgeon?s estranged husband stole SNP ...
26 Aug 2026 at 2:00pm
To Nicola, Love Peter will focus on couple?s relationship during 12-year period of embezzlement and fallout of caseChannel 5 is reuniting with the producers of Power: the Downfall of Huw Edwards for a drama about how Nicola Sturgeon?s estranged husband embezzled £400,000 from the Scottish Nationa...

?Never seen this level of objection?: Scotland pushes back against datacentre...
25 Aug 2026 at 6:00am
Holyrood ?inching towards moratorium? amid concerns over massive proposed developments in Auchtertool and beyondIn a village 21 miles north of Edinburgh, a real estate consultancy plans to build a datacentre larger than the village itself ? 35 metres high, with an area larger than 100 football pi...

Police Scotland warns ?robust security? needed to stop attacks on AI datacentres
14 Aug 2026 at 5:05pm
?A great deal of public opposition is likely? to a proposed datacentre near Edinburgh, the force saysPolice in Scotland have issued a stark warning about the need for ?robust security measures? to stop proposed AI datacentres from being attacked by protesters.There has been mounting opposition to...

Polls open in Clacton, where Farage spent more than £10,000 in byelection aga...
13 Aug 2026 at 3:54pm
The Reform UK leader resigned as the MP for Clacton at the start of July and forced a byelectionThe number of patients in England being cared for in hospital corridors or makeshift areas has remained above 3,000 a day for the second month in a row, as the NHS experiences a ?summer surge?, the Pre...

UK politics: Burnham urges retailers to stop selling disposable barbecues aft...
12 Aug 2026 at 7:10pm
PM warns extreme heat conditions ?could be with us fo some time yet?Just 20 staff are working on climate adaptation within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the part of government tasked with protecting the environment and maintaining food security, a freedom of information ...

Amnesty International says Farage putting ?hate and inhumanity? over leadersh...
10 Aug 2026 at 5:03pm
A spokesperson for the human rights group likened the proposal to ?financial brutality with British taxpayers? money?Farage and Yusuf are now taking questions.Q: From Jack Fenwick from the BBC Are there other countries where you might send foreign offenders? And how much would this cost?We have...

Nicola Sturgeon ?has not spoken to? estranged husband, Peter Murrell, since h...
8 Aug 2026 at 3:50pm
Scotland?s former first minister says she will not visit Murrell in prison, where he is serving five-year sentence for embezzling SNP fundsNicola Surgeon has said she will not visit her estranged husband, Peter Murrell, in prison, has stopped speaking to him and views herself as a ?mug? for worry...

UK politics: Tories? Philp rejects French claim that shots fired from naval b...
28 Jul 2026 at 6:01pm
Shadow minister says there was no warning and ?it looked and sounded like deliberate intimidation?Conservative MP accuses French navy of firing shots near him in ChannelIt is not just the Russians firing on Brits in the English Channel; Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, has accused a French...

Poll shows Labour ahead of Reform UK for first time since Burnham became PM ?...
27 Jul 2026 at 5:45pm
New PM says he ?wouldn?t get carried away? by latest polling but says he is pleased if he has ?connected with people?I have already posted lines from Andy Burnham?s BBC interview on reforming social care (see 9.03am), making council tax fairer (see 10.03am), and ruling out an early election (see ...

Evacuated villagers in Cairngorms allowed home after wildfire threat lifts
25 Jul 2026 at 11:08pm
Scottish first minister thanks Nethy Bridge residents and aid workers after earlier requesting UK military aid to fight 10-day fireResidents of Nethy Bridge have been told they can return to their homes after a large fire broke out in the Cairngorms national park.Supt Judy Hill of Police Scotland...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

Meet the new boss, you know the rest
27 Aug 2026 at 5:04pm
As sure as night follows day or the Labour branch office in Scotland is unwilling to learn from its repeated electoral kickings, the Labour party at Westminster is equally unwilling to change, retreating to its comfort zone of corporate centre right politics just as soon as it had defenestrated Keir Starmer for being massively unpopular …

Wind turbines and threats to national security
25 Aug 2026 at 1:12pm
Scotland’s enormous potential for renewable energy could turn the country into a literal European powerhouse and generate immense revenues for an independent Scotland as well as giving Scotland some of the cheapest electricity in Europe, which in turn could generate huge inward investment as companies seek to build factories in Scotland, taking advantage of low …

Graham Grant?s glaikit attack on the Scots language
20 Aug 2026 at 1:48pm
You have probably never heard of Graham Grant, which is a great blessing. Grant is the home affairs editor of the Scottish Daily Mail, a far right rag which devotes itself to stories about celebs and royalty and informing its elderly readership of Tory and Reform UK supporters of all the many and myriad ways …

The BBC?s Glasgow hit piece says more about the BBC than Glasgow
19 Aug 2026 at 6:20pm
I’ve already briefly mentioned BBC Scotland’s disgraceful hit job on Glasgow which was broadcast earlier this week, but it’s worth exploring the issues around the programme in more detail, as the programme and its broadcast tell us far more about the priorities and concerns of the BBC in Scotland than they do about the state …

The BBC, the Reform UK Broadcasting corporation
17 Aug 2026 at 4:04pm
Although in recent weeks the Reform UK bandwagon looks as though it has hit a roadblock in the form of scandals about the party’s addiction to dodgy donations, the media in the UK continues to do its utmost to treat Farage’s party as the government in waiting. Reform has a mere eight MPs, it is …

Farage?s pyrrhic victory over a bin
14 Aug 2026 at 11:38am
Of course Farage won the by election in Clacton which he called in an attempt to pre-empt a Parliamentary investigation into his dodgy finances. And of course Farage is crowing about his “decisive victory against the “establishment” candidate, a vainglorious boast when that candidate was a man with a bin on his head and all …

GERSmas Day 2026
11 Aug 2026 at 8:22pm
It’s always welcome to have some good news for independence, but that’s especially true on GERSmas eve as the British media in Scotland and anti-independence campaigners gear themselves up for their annual orgy of too wee too poor too stupid in the form of GERS Figures which purport to demonstrate that Scotland is an economic …

The nasty party gets nastier
9 Aug 2026 at 3:04pm
The Tories are on a mission. Having had the title of the Nasty Party wrested away from them by Reform UK and by the even more unpleasant Restore Britain, Kemi Badenoch is determined to prove that the Conservatives are the original and best, or should that be worst, nasties of them all. Last week we …

Even good news is spun into SNPbad by the media in Scotland
5 Aug 2026 at 6:58pm
It’s often said there are two kinds of people in the world, those who say the glass is half full, and those who say it’s half empty. This is in fact inaccurate as there is a third kind, those who say: “Oh my God! That glass is about to shatter into a thousand jaggy shards, …

Burnham?s mini bounce
1 Aug 2026 at 1:39pm
Our visitors have left now. It was lovely to see them. As far as the blog is concerned I’m able to type again. There was a problem with the keyboard on my laptop which has now been repaired. Top tip, don’t spill tea on your laptop. So it’s back to blogging as usual. Andy Burnham …

The Courier

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Scottish Politics News From Holyrood and Westminster | The Courier

Could Rosyth-Europe ferry set sail thanks to Brexit reset?
27 May 2025 at 6:01am
Hopes have been raised for a simple solution to a cross-border problem.

Kirkcaldy MP demands pro-suicide forum is torn down
26 May 2025 at 6:01am
Around 100 suicides have been linked to the sickening forum which provides guidance to people on ending their life.

UHI Perth aviation students warn of ?unsettling times? after training firm?s ...
26 May 2025 at 6:00am
Worried Samuel Hughes, 19, is among students sharing their fears at a time of crisis for Perth College.

Fresh Dundee University strike begins over compulsory Levehulme Centre job cuts
26 May 2025 at 6:00am
University staff are taking five days of industrial action as the institution pushes ahead with plans to axe the forensic research hub.

NHS Fife nurse at centre of controversial trans tribunal suing her own trade ...
25 May 2025 at 2:32pm
A&E medic Sandie Peggie is now taking legal action against the Royal College of Nursing.

EXCLUSIVE: Dundee University still to strike rescue deal with government
23 May 2025 at 5:46pm
Opposition MSPs have expressed concern at the time taken to agree a deal almost a month after the fresh recovery plan was unveiled.

6 senior figures who left Dundee University during financial crisis
23 May 2025 at 5:10pm
Several university chiefs have moved on since £30m financial black hole emerged.

Dundee University activist artist leads degree show protest over financial cr...
23 May 2025 at 4:45pm
Duncan of Jordanstone student Finn Millar says he wants to play a part in "keeping the university alive".

John Swinney admits constituents have expressed Perth leisure concerns to him
23 May 2025 at 6:01am
The first minister wants further talks between both sides of Perth leisure debate.

EXCLUSIVE: Dundee University chief operating officer Jim McGeorge quits
22 May 2025 at 1:58pm
Dr Jim McGeorge ? who was responsible for good governance - had been on a period of extended leave.

Talking up Scotland

Talking-up Scotland

How can this one patient be the news when NHS Ayrshire & Arran treats 99% of...
28 Aug 2026 at 10:47am
This story is on all the Daily Record-owned sites today, typically ill-informed anti-Scotland excrement. Help Talking-up Scotland keep going Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code ? 08-91-04 Account ? 12266421 But from Audit Scotland, no friend of the Scottish Government, this real news: ...

As Iran successfully hacks a ?small? gas-fired power station how do Scottish ...
28 Aug 2026 at 10:06am
Help Talking-up Scotland keep going Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code ? 08-91-04 Account ? 12266421 From the Guardian today: Hundreds of Britain?s smallest power plants could remain at a higher risk to state-sponsored cyber-attacks until the 2030s despite a successful Iran-linked hac...

?Prof R misses enormity of the situation? as final five raw sewage settlement...
28 Aug 2026 at 9:37am
Help Talking-up Scotland keep going Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code ? 08-91-04 Account ? 12266421 From reader Anonymous, yesterday: I don?t think even Prof R can quite accept the enormity of the situation.  The QEUH site was chosen by NHSGGC despite considerable opposition in 2000 ...

It?s not the Superhospital health board that needs to learn from inquiry beca...
28 Aug 2026 at 9:17am
Help Talking-up Scotland keep going Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code ? 08-91-04 Account ? 12266421 A short video on this for the time-pressed: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/08/12/the-real-glasgow-hospital-scandal-is-labour-in-2008-deciding-to-put-it-next-to-tonnes-of-raw-sew...

Scotland?s IVF service ? target-busting for 11 years saving lives and reducin...
28 Aug 2026 at 8:42am
Help Talking-up Scotland keep going Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code ? 08-91-04 Account ? 12266421 BBC Scotland today has the above and within five paragraphs, this: Most single women are not currently eligible for IVF treatment on the NHS in Scotland. Maeve MacKinnon, from Glasgow,...

Watch out for media ?inappropriately? trying to blow this case up into a ?Way...
28 Aug 2026 at 8:28am
Help Talking-up Scotland keep going Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code ? 08-91-04 Account ? 12266421 For a short video account of this issue see: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/07/23/why-multiple-rapist-alan-greer-is-not-police-scotlands-wayne-couzens-moment-short-video/ As man...

Scotland?s drinking water is world class, with more than 99.9% of tests meeti...
27 Aug 2026 at 7:27pm
Help Talking-up Scotland keep going Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code ? 08-91-04 Account ? 12266421 From Drinking Water in Scotland 2025 Published27 August 2026 09:30 Water Quality Regulator says ?Scotland’s drinking water remains amongst the best in the world, but improvement is req...

Help Talking-up Scotland keep going
27 Aug 2026 at 5:32pm
Help Talking-up Scotland keep goinghttps://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-goingor by direct bank transfer to:JOHN WATSON ROBERTSONSort Code ? 08-91-04Account 12266421Many thanks to the 69 supporters so far.John

Leading academic welcomes dramatic fall in Oxbridge acceptances for Scots app...
27 Aug 2026 at 5:18pm
In the Herald education supplement today, the above, from a fee-paying school head, is titled – Alarm as Oxbridge places for Scots fall’ Help Talking-up Scotland keep going Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code ? 08-91-04 Account ? 12266421 Thanks to Ian McAnulla for alerting us to this:...

Second lowest murder rate in Europe, murder by minors and by knife plummet, o...
27 Aug 2026 at 4:22pm
Help Talking-up Scotland keep going Crowdfunder at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-talking-up-scotland-keep-going Or by direct bank transfer to: JOHN WATSON ROBERTSON Sort Code ? 08-91-04 Account ? 12266421 Police-recorded non-sexual crimes of violence did rise 7% in the year ending June 2026 (71,915 to 77,005) and 6% in 2025-26 (71,170 to 75,601). https://www.gov.scot/news/recorded-crime...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

Scottish Independence is a demand that Westminster cannot ignore - Scottish G...
28 Aug 2026 at 11:52am
Scottish Independence is a demand that Westminster cannot ignore  Scottish Greens

SNP publishes new Scottish independence referendum bill - The Scotsman
28 Aug 2026 at 10:33am
SNP publishes new Scottish independence referendum bill  The Scotsman

FM calls for referendum powers as draft independence bill published - BBC
28 Aug 2026 at 11:36am
FM calls for referendum powers as draft independence bill published  BBC

Scottish Government publishes draft bill for second independence referendum -...
28 Aug 2026 at 10:57am
Scottish Government publishes draft bill for second independence referendum  The National Scot

Draft Independence Referendum Bill published - Wired-Gov
28 Aug 2026 at 12:19pm
Draft Independence Referendum Bill published  Wired-Gov

Scottish Government publishes new independence bill - Holyrood Website
28 Aug 2026 at 11:31am
Scottish Government publishes new independence bill  Holyrood Website

UK?s Burnham tells Scotland new independence vote is off limits - Al Jazeera
23 Jul 2026 at 8:00am
UK?s Burnham tells Scotland new independence vote is off limits  Al Jazeera

Does the Scottish election result advance or hinder the independence cause? -...
4 Jun 2026 at 8:00am
Does the Scottish election result advance or hinder the independence cause?  The Conversation

Why are the SNP avoiding discussions about the future for Scottish independen...
28 Aug 2026 at 12:11am
Why are the SNP avoiding discussions about the future for Scottish independence?  The National Scot

A Voluntary Union? The Scottish Independence Movement at a Legal Impasse - mi...
20 Aug 2026 at 2:44pm
A Voluntary Union? The Scottish Independence Movement at a Legal Impasse  mironline.ca

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

A blueprint for I-SNP expansion: Move early and let the nurse practitioners l...
27 Aug 2026 at 11:25pm
A blueprint for I-SNP expansion: Move early and let the nurse practitioners lead  McKnight's Long-Term Care News

Channel 5 drama to examine how Nicola Sturgeon?s estranged husband stole SNP ...
26 Aug 2026 at 2:00pm
Channel 5 drama to examine how Nicola Sturgeon?s estranged husband stole SNP funds  The Guardian

SNP publishes new Scottish independence referendum bill - The Scotsman
28 Aug 2026 at 10:33am
SNP publishes new Scottish independence referendum bill  The Scotsman

SNP members' fury as party 'blocks independence strategy debate at conference...
28 Aug 2026 at 7:46am
SNP members' fury as party 'blocks independence strategy debate at conference'  The National Scot

SNP ups pressure as ?once again Grangemouth goes without? - Energy Voice
28 Aug 2026 at 12:47pm
SNP ups pressure as ?once again Grangemouth goes without?  Energy Voice

SNP councillor reinstated after probe into Jordan Linden complaints - BBC
23 Aug 2026 at 12:50pm
SNP councillor reinstated after probe into Jordan Linden complaints  BBC

Thousands of Scots could challenge home valuations under SNP?s new mansion ta...
28 Aug 2026 at 6:30am
Thousands of Scots could challenge home valuations under SNP?s new mansion tax  The Herald

SNP must deliver on promise for simpler ticketing - Scottish Greens
26 Aug 2026 at 10:27am
SNP must deliver on promise for simpler ticketing  Scottish Greens

SNP and Palantir Form Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Secure SAP Transfor...
7 Aug 2026 at 8:00am
SNP and Palantir Form Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Secure SAP Transformations  Palantir

Delivering equal pay justice in Glasgow ? Scottish National Party - snp.org
25 Aug 2026 at 4:39pm
Delivering equal pay justice in Glasgow ? Scottish National Party  snp.org

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

Draft Independence Referendum Bill published - Wired-Gov
28 Aug 2026 at 12:19pm
Draft Independence Referendum Bill published  Wired-Gov

SNP publishes new Scottish independence referendum bill - The Scotsman
28 Aug 2026 at 10:33am
SNP publishes new Scottish independence referendum bill  The Scotsman

Scottish Government publishes draft bill for second independence referendum -...
28 Aug 2026 at 10:57am
Scottish Government publishes draft bill for second independence referendum  The National Scot

FM calls for referendum powers as draft independence bill published - Yahoo
28 Aug 2026 at 12:17pm
FM calls for referendum powers as draft independence bill published  Yahoo

Scottish Government publishes draft Bill for second independence referendum -...
28 Aug 2026 at 10:52am
Scottish Government publishes draft Bill for second independence referendum  The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald

UK PM Andy Burnham rules out Irish unification referendum - Latest news from ...
27 Aug 2026 at 7:03pm
UK PM Andy Burnham rules out Irish unification referendum  Latest news from Azerbaijan

UK?s Burnham tells Scotland new independence vote is off limits - Al Jazeera
23 Jul 2026 at 8:00am
UK?s Burnham tells Scotland new independence vote is off limits  Al Jazeera

Scottish Parliament endorses SNP call for independence referendum - BBC
26 May 2026 at 8:00am
Scottish Parliament endorses SNP call for independence referendum  BBC

Does the Scottish election result advance or hinder the independence cause? -...
4 Jun 2026 at 8:00am
Does the Scottish election result advance or hinder the independence cause?  The Conversation

Scottish independence - Institute for Government
29 May 2026 at 8:00am
Scottish independence  Institute for Government