The Herald

The Herald | Politics


John Swinney: 'Late-night talk with wife led to becoming FM'
by Nick Forbes
25 Apr 2026 at 9:53am
The First Minister said he expected his wife to be asleep - not ready for politics


Medics call for GP walk-in clinic plan to be scrapped as hefty waiting times ...
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
25 Apr 2026 at 5:30am
Doctors have criticised the GP walk-in clinics in Scotland as new figures reveal staggering waiting times.


I don?t think parties are levelling with voters about what?s ahead
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
25 Apr 2026 at 5:00am
David Phillips of the Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned Scotland?s parties are offering eye-catching ?goodies? to voters while sidestepping difficult truths about the country?s strained finances.


'Snowballing' inheritance tax set to rake in even more for Government
by Lee Halpin
25 Apr 2026 at 4:31am
Unused pension funds on death will soon form part of a person?s estate for inheritance tax purposes


Elisabeth Loose: A generation losing faith in jobs, housing and their future
by Elisabeth Loose
25 Apr 2026 at 5:00am
Only 36% of young people expect a better life than their parents. A new UK poll reveals growing frustration over jobs, housing and politics.


Scots court rejects challenge from Gaza mother and child over refugee bid
by gaby.mckay@newsquest.co.uk | Gabriel McKay
24 Apr 2026 at 2:49pm
A Palestinian mother and her teenage son have failed in a bid to force the Home Secretary to help them to leave Gaza to reunite with the boy's father in Glasgow


Swinney insists Ferguson Marine has 'secure future' despite CalMac snub
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
24 Apr 2026 at 1:34pm
John Swinney has insisted Ferguson Marine has a ?secure future? despite the yard being frozen out of bidding for a major CalMac ferry contract because of delays in getting the botched Glen Rosa into the water.


Kick Donald Trump out of his Scottish golf courses, Green's Zack Polanski says
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
24 Apr 2026 at 12:38pm
Zack Polanski has called for Donald Trump's golf courses in Scotland to be sanctioned over the Iran war and his power in NATO.


Trans prisoner at HMP Greenock charged after alleged sex assault on female in...
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
24 Apr 2026 at 11:05am
Alexandria Stewart, previously known as Alan Baker, is alleged to have carried out the assault at the hairdressing salon inside HMP Greenock.


??Unspun Election Briefing: Green fever
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
24 Apr 2026 at 8:00am
Read the latest Unspun: Election Briefing, the morning politics newsletter from The Herald's politics team on the Holyrood campaign.


Unpublished 'discrete' UK Government report says Scotland ?ripe? for new nuclear
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
24 Apr 2026 at 5:00am
A government-commissioned study suggests Scotland could host new nuclear power stations but the findings remain unpublished. The SNP has long been opposed to nuclear power.


So how are Scotland's political parties going to change key tax?
by scott.wright@heraldandtimes.co.uk | Scott Wright
24 Apr 2026 at 4:00pm
Main political parties offer range of suggestions to change business rates as issue features prominently in the Scottish Parliament election campaign


Green party leader says Scottish Greens can replace Labour ahead of Holyrood ...
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
24 Apr 2026 at 5:00am
Green Party of England and Wales leader Zack Polanski has said the Scottish Greens can replace labour and he ?hugely values? his ?sister party? as he joins the campaign trail in Scotland.


Swinney snubs Joanna Cherry's book and dismisses claims over Salmond 'spy' al...
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
24 Apr 2026 at 12:40pm
John Swinney rejects Joanna Cherry?s claims that SNP figures spied on Alex Salmond, saying he has no plans to read her new book.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


SNP walk-in GP clinics 'completely unaffordable' as experts call for evaluati...
25 Apr 2026 at 6:00am

As GPs face increasing pressure on services, experts say the SNP?s walk-in clinics will do nothing to ease the strain

Scottish Labour accused the Nationalists of ?shameless opportunism and empty promises?

The First Minister has appealed to Donald Trump not to follow through on a tariffs threat - warning it will wreck the Scottish and United States? economies.

Wings over Scotland

Push The Button
25 Apr 2026 at 12:43pm
We’ve been thinking about this all morning, readers. To the point where we’d vote for any party pledging to implement it at once. It’s the best such moral-dilemma question we’ve ever seen, and the absolute key to the state of humankind as a species. It’s a near-perfect practical illustration of the concept of “suicidal empathy”, …

How To Get Away With Crimes
22 Apr 2026 at 6:03pm
After many years of vindictively, vexatiously and maliciously plaguing innocent people, it seemed in February this year that disgraced and deranged former policeman Lynsay Watson‘s campaign of terror might be finally beginning to draw to a close. ? Attending the Civic Justice Centre in Manchester as part of an ongoing attempt to persecute the feminist …

The Pit Of Vipers
19 Apr 2026 at 2:50pm
It’s hard to know where to start with the Sunday Mail’s lead story today. Especially if one doesn’t want sent to prison. So we hope you’ll forgive us if we’re extra-careful. The article contains things even we’d never read before. The Mail has redacted some of the names, but – well, we’re not going to …

The Narcissism Of No Differences
17 Apr 2026 at 3:29pm
So that’s the full set of manifestos in. You can download them all here in a oner, if you’re REALLY bored. But we don’t advise it, because we can just tell you what they say in a couple of minutes. SNP: “If you’re even reading this we know you’re absolute idiots, so here are a …

Happy Anniversary
16 Apr 2026 at 10:56am
It was exactly one year ago today that the Supreme Court delivered its judgment in the case of For Women Scotland Vs The Scottish Ministers, a judgment which has still not been implemented by the Scottish or UK governments, so it was quite bold of the SNP to choose it as the launch date for …

Do You Believe In The Westwood?
10 Apr 2026 at 12:27pm
As all alert readers will know, this site likes to keep a watchful eye on the shady and disturbing activities of paedophilia-plagued charity LGBT Youth Scotland. So we were naturally intrigued to hear that they’d hired a new convenor last month. And if you’re sitting there thinking, “Blimey, AI Christopher Walken looks very very ill”, …

Not So Octopus
9 Apr 2026 at 1:48pm
Alert readers will have noticed something of a minor furore in recent days around a boneheaded Scottish Greens candidate (as if there were any other kind) calling for the complete abolition of prisons. So far Kate Nevens – who on the latest polling has a very reasonable chance of being elected on the list – …

The quality of mercy
3 Apr 2026 at 1:09pm
Let’s just deal with this quickly. Because the truth is that we should all be quietly sending BBC Scotland bouquets in appreciation for doing the independence movement a favour for once. Belief in an independent Scotland IS as strong as ever, which is to say it’s pretty much where it’s been since 2014 – two …

Clocks And Calendars
30 Mar 2026 at 1:06pm
We think the lads at The Scotsman might have gotten a bit confused and/or carried away when it came to putting the clocks forward at the weekend. At 6am on Sunday morning they tweeted this: But the link was a 404. We checked the print edition of Scotland On Sunday but there was nothing there …

Sicknote Slippers
29 Mar 2026 at 6:09pm
The turnout at the “independence march and rally” yesterday was so abysmally poor that it seems almost unfair to pick on any of the scores of SNP elected representatives who didn’t bother to show up. But dear old Cosy Feet Pete Wishart had the most chef’s-kiss excuse of all. The reason he didn’t fancy getting …

Craig Murray

An Inspiring Story
21 Apr 2026 at 7:54am

In 2018, at the height of the economic crisis in Venezuela through crippling sanctions, Kellogg’s announced the overnight closure of their Maracay factory with hundreds of redundancies – and massive knock-on effects in the local community. The workers refused to accept the closure and, with government assistance, restarted the factory. It is still running eight …

An Inspiring Story

Vote for the Alliance to Liberate Scotland
15 Apr 2026 at 12:48pm

It was not my intention to run for election to the Scottish parliament from a hospital bed in Caracas, but sometimes we have to take what life gives us. I went to a clinic a week ago feeling dizzy and was immediately rushed to hospital. My heart rate was fluttering and below 20 bpm. I …

Vote for the Alliance to Liberate Scotland

The Strait of Hormuz
8 Apr 2026 at 5:02pm

In international law, Tehran has every right to close the strait of Hormuz to nations with which it is in armed conflict. Two vital points: 1) States who permit attacks on Iran to be launched from their territory can be blocked 2) Iran can block neutral ships from trading with states with which it is …

The Strait of Hormuz

The Weight on Delcy Rodriguez
31 Mar 2026 at 1:16pm

As I was leaving the University of the Communes in Tocuyito, after a joyful and uplifting visit, an earnest young Professor came up to me and pulled me aside. Very quietly, he asked me what was going to happen. A number of the students were terrified there would be regime change and they, picked as …

The Weight on Delcy Rodriguez

The Caracas Metro
26 Mar 2026 at 6:46am

The extreme nature of sanctions against Venezuela made it very challenging to keep economic activity going. One example is Caracas’s impressive five-line Metro system, where for almost twenty years they had to keep things running with no spares or maintenance support from the train manufacturers. Yet resilience and ingenuity kicked in, and Venezuela actually reverse …

The Caracas Metro

The London Ambulances Attack: Of Course It Was A False Flag
24 Mar 2026 at 12:04pm

The notion that the Iranian state would discredit itself by choosing to attack an ambulance service in London is crazy. Iran has not even attacked any hospitals or ambulances in Israel. Iran has absolutely zero record of attacks on healthcare facilities. That is of course in stark contrast to Israel which specifically targets them in …

The London Ambulances Attack: Of Course It Was A False Flag

BBC Scotland

Scotland's population is shifting - could it affect the election outcome?
24 Apr 2026 at 11:08pm
Changing populations mean that Scotland's electoral map has been redrawn - which could influence how parties campaign, and how the election plays out.

Zack Polanski calls for Trump to be 'kicked out' of his Scottish golf courses
24 Apr 2026 at 7:22pm
Trump International responded calling the Greens leader an "imbecile" after he shared his personal opinion on the Holyrood campaign trail.

SNP's McAllan supports more 'evidence-led' drilling in North Sea
23 Apr 2026 at 9:45pm
The main political parties were asked their views on oil and gas extraction during the BBC's Question Time held in Aberdeen.

Are parties being upfront about Scotland's finances?
23 Apr 2026 at 11:11pm
Can Holyrood afford to pay for the spending promises being outlined in the election campaign?

State-owned shipyard 'blocked' from bidding for new CalMac ferry
23 Apr 2026 at 11:08pm
Ferguson Marine said it was unable to bid to build a replacement for MV Lord of the Isles because of eligibility criteria.

Lib Dem leader signals party could back Sarwar as first minister
22 Apr 2026 at 10:08am
Alex Cole-Hamilton says he would have an "obligation" to remove the SNP from power if the opportunity arose.

STV staff to strike on Scottish election results day
22 Apr 2026 at 2:06pm
Members of both the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Bectu are set to walk out on Friday 8 May.

Starmer admits No 10 asked about job for aide Matthew Doyle
22 Apr 2026 at 2:13pm
The prime minister was questioned at PMQs about allegations that Downing Street had asked about a diplomat role for the then-communications chief.

MSPs need to work together to reform council tax - SNP
19 Apr 2026 at 3:39pm
Representatives from six Scottish political parties agree that the council tax needs to be reformed, but how exactly is a contentious issue.

Starmer accused of 'skulking' and shunning Sarwar in Scotland
18 Apr 2026 at 4:46pm
It is the first time the prime minister has been north of the border since the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar called for him to step down in February.

Ex-Scottish Labour leader Dugdale appointed as Stonewall chairwoman
19 Apr 2026 at 12:58pm
Dugdale, who is currently chairwoman of Shelter in Scotland, said she was "thrilled and honoured" to secure the post.

Swinney predicts SNP majority at Holyrood election
18 Apr 2026 at 6:00am
The first minister has told BBC News that his party will return at least 65 seats at next month's vote.

Scot Goes Pop

More thoughts on the prospects for an SNP overall majority in the light of th...
24 Apr 2026 at 10:07am
Just to allow you to make up your own minds, I thought I'd draw your attention to the fact that the Stats for Lefties account picked up on the Scot Goes Pop / Find Out Now poll yesterday, and produ...

Atlas-branded leaflets are being distributed in the Cumbernauld & Kilsyth con...
23 Apr 2026 at 9:19pm
I was astounded at the leaflet I received through the door of my Cumbernauld home yesterday from the notorious Dr Alan McManus, who has regularly spoken at far-right rallies organised by the holoca...

EXCLUSIVE SCOT GOES POP / FIND OUT NOW POLL: SNP and Greens on course to win ...
23 Apr 2026 at 12:58am
A little earlier tonight, I revealed the Scottish Parliament voting intention results from the new Scot Goes Pop / Find Out Now poll in a video on my YouTube channel, but as promised, here are the ...

EXCLUSIVE SCOT GOES POP / FIND OUT NOW POLL: Join me at 11.50pm on YouTube to...
22 Apr 2026 at 11:22pm
If you join the waiting zone, the video above should automatically start playing at 11.50pm.  Just like last night, I'll be posting the poll results on this blog in text form later on for the video...

It's GO! The Scottish Parliament voting intention numbers from the new Scot G...
22 Apr 2026 at 7:35pm
 While you're waiting for the thrills and spills of later tonight, please check out the new Scot Goes Pop polling fundraiser HERE.

EXCLUSIVE SCOT GOES POP / FIND OUT NOW POLL: A significant majority of voters...
21 Apr 2026 at 11:00pm
As promised for the video-phobic amongst you (although do watch the video version if you're not video-phobic!), here are the independence results in text form from the new Scot Goes Pop poll I comm...

Be the first to discover the INDEPENDENCE RESULTS from the exclusive new Scot...
21 Apr 2026 at 7:58pm
As far as I know, if you join the waiting zone, the video above should automatically start playing at 9pm, although you may have to endure a two-minute countdown clock.  If nothing appears after a ...

This is not a drill: the independence results from the new Scot Goes Pop poll...
21 Apr 2026 at 3:19pm
 I'll post the link to the video revealing the results once I've scheduled it.  (I'm trying to build up some suspense and anticipation here, but doubtless that's a forlorn hope.) Don't forget the n...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

Polanski branded ?imbecile? after calls for Trump to be stripped of Scottish ...
25 Apr 2026 at 9:46am
The Green leader said the US president is ?enabling a genocide in Gaza?

Scotland Tonight: Non-violent criminals should not be sent to prison, says Gr...
24 Apr 2026 at 12:59pm
Ross Greer said he believes the current prison system doesn't work and community sentences would reduce reoffending

No 10 considered giving spin doctor diplomatic job despite paedophile council...
23 Apr 2026 at 8:25am
Lord Doyle campaigned for Sean Morton in 2017 after he had been charged over indecent images of children

Restrict ?forever chemicals? that hurt people and planet, MPs urge
23 Apr 2026 at 5:47am
The Environmental Audit Committee has released a report calling on the government to phase out PFAs from non-essential items.

Starmer to face PMQs amid pressure over Mandelson vetting scandal
22 Apr 2026 at 12:00pm
It comes after former Foreign Office chief Sir Olly Robbins said there was a ?dismissive approach? on vetting from No 10

UK inflation rises to 3.3% after Iran war pushes up fuel prices
22 Apr 2026 at 6:06am
The Office for National Statistics said inflation had risen to 3.3% in March, up from 3% in Februrary.

Smoking ban for people born after 2008 agreed
21 Apr 2026 at 11:13am
The Commons and Lords have settled on a final draft of the legislation

Politicians urged to consider ?restrictions? on larger vehicles in cities
21 Apr 2026 at 7:28am
Transform Scotland is also urging councils to consider making parking charges higher for sports utility vehicles (SUVs).

Starmer to face second bruising day as Trump weighs in on Mandelson affair
21 Apr 2026 at 6:20am
The sacked head of the foreign office, Sir Olly Robbins, will give his version of events on Tuesday.

Swinney ?politely? turns down Trump invitation to White House banquet
20 Apr 2026 at 9:22pm
The banquet is being held as part of the King and Queen?s forthcoming state visit to the US.

Deadline day to register to vote in May 7 Scottish elections
20 Apr 2026 at 3:40pm
There are only a few hours left to apply

Prime Minister to face MPs over Mandelson scandal
20 Apr 2026 at 2:17pm
Lord Mandelson was sacked seven months after his appointment over his friendship with Epstein

Scotland?s ?dangerous? pothole problem revealed
17 Apr 2026 at 3:29pm
STV News reveals pothole capital as Scotland's roads are compared to the surface of the moon

Lib Dems launch manifesto with call for change ?with fairness at its heart?
17 Apr 2026 at 1:06pm
The party has set out its ?realistic? plan ?to get things done, focused on the things that matter most?

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Scotland is an 'energy superpower' and can take 'real action' with independen...
25 Apr 2026 at 3:05pm
The First Minister said that currently people filling up their cars with fuel are paying the price for Westminster's failure to take action as it ?simply refuses to act to help people.?

Reform UK candidate lost employment tribunal after 'unfairly' sacking care wo...
25 Apr 2026 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: Mike Collier sacked a carer who raised concerns that included theft, illegal drug use, and poor hygiene.

Zack Polanski wants to give Scots 'keys to their own front door' but his answ...
24 Apr 2026 at 5:00pm
The leader of the Green Party in England breezes through answers to questions on complex issues that will provide little reassurance to Scots working in defence jobs.

Zack Polanski calls for Donald Trump to be 'kicked out' his Scottish golf cou...
24 Apr 2026 at 12:40pm
The leader of the Green Party in England said "I don't think you should be able to start an illegal and unpopular wars and still have golf courses".

Election expert claims John Swinney's rivals have "less than 1% chance" of be...
24 Apr 2026 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: The expert claimed the chances of a non-SNP politician entering Bute House after May 7th are negligible.

How we scored the six politicians at the BBC Question Time Holyrood election ...
23 Apr 2026 at 8:42pm
Party leaders, with the exception of the SNP's John Swinney, took part in the BBC Question Time debate in Aberdeen. We gave them a mark out of five.

Anas Sarwar insists he wants Reform UK to get 'absolutely pumped' at Holyrood...
23 Apr 2026 at 8:28pm
The Labour leader warned there were many Scots families who are "fearful of the prospect of Reform politics".

Zack Polanski is a boost to the Greens and a worry to Scots with a defence job
23 Apr 2026 at 5:00pm
The charismatic leader of the Green Party of England and Wales is campaigning in Glasgow ahead of the Holyrood election - but his ambitions lie firmly in Westminster.

SNP vows energy bills support for terminally ill Scots in win for Sunday Mail...
23 Apr 2026 at 3:34pm
The Nats? manifesto pledge is a victory for the Sunday Mail?s Lifeline for the Dying campaign.

Scottish Lib Dem leader likened indyref2 to referendum on capital punishment
23 Apr 2026 at 11:27am
EXCLUSIVE: Alex Cole-Hamilton quickly rolled back and said it was not a "fair" comparison.

The National

The National | Politics

Independence supporters march through Glasgow city centre ? see all the pictures
25 Apr 2026 at 2:17pm

Independence activists have gathered for a major march in Glasgow city centre this weekend

Independence will 'help Scotland's energy work for us', John Swinney says
25 Apr 2026 at 1:25pm

Scotland is an ?energy superpower? and achieving independence could ?make that energy work" for the country, John Swinney has said

Most voters want Scotland to have own voice on international issues, new poll...
25 Apr 2026 at 12:43pm

A new poll has revealed that a majority of voters want Scotland to have its own voice on international issues

Palestinian films to be shown instead of Eurovision as countries pledge boycott
25 Apr 2026 at 11:43am

National broadcasters in Spain, Ireland and Slovenia are set to boycott Eurovision this year over the participation of Israel ? with Slovenia to show Palestinian films instead

How crisis in the Middle East has prompted an energy rethink in Europe
25 Apr 2026 at 11:14am

Over the last two months, the energy sector has borne some of the most severe consequences of the US-Israeli war on Iran

John Swinney launches SNP's Highlands and Islands Holyrood manifesto
25 Apr 2026 at 9:30am

First Minister John Swinney has launched the SNP's regional manifesto for the Highlands and Islands

The state of play in every Scottish constituency explained ? find yours here
25 Apr 2026 at 8:28am

The National is publishing a profile for every constituency in the upcoming Holyrood elections on May 7 ? here's how to find information about your area

Greens hit back as Nigel Farage calls party voters 'ethnic minorities who don...
25 Apr 2026 at 5:00am

THE Scottish Green co-leaders have hit back at Nigel Farage?s ?racism? after the Reform UK leader said that Green voters were ?ethnic minorities, many who don?t speak English? ...

Pat Kane: Wikipedia, encyclopaedias, and the dark art of 'wiki-laundering'
25 Apr 2026 at 5:00am

WHEN Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, speaks in Edinburgh at the end of May, he can ingratiate himself with his audience by citing the Encyclopaedia Britannica ...

Owen Jones: Keir Starmer's rise was built on deceit. Why is UK media just rea...
25 Apr 2026 at 5:00am

SO now they suddenly notice ...

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

Former HIV Scotland chief and SNP adviser admits embezzlement
24 Apr 2026 at 4:33pm
Sentencing will take place in May

Zack Polanski: ?Outrageous? that pro-independence parliament would not secure...
24 Apr 2026 at 2:25pm
The GPEW leader put down his party's surge to ?resentment and anger at the Labour government?

JK Rowling offers to pay for woman prisoner to sue Scottish Government after ...
24 Apr 2026 at 1:03pm
A transgender inmate was arrested after an alleged incident at HMP Greenock

National Robotarium chief quits over grant funding row
23 Apr 2026 at 5:52pm
Heriot-Watt University has pushed back against Stewart Miller's characterisation of events

UK Biobank members health data listed for sale online, government confirms
23 Apr 2026 at 3:17pm
The health data of half a million members of the UK?s health data project, UK Biobank, was?for sale online in China, the UK Government has confirmed

Poll: SNP remains on course for victory but support ?bleeding?
23 Apr 2026 at 11:12am
A third of voters said Reform was the party they would least like to be in government

Stephen Flynn urges Keir Starmer to ?come clean? over Matthew Doyle job hunt
22 Apr 2026 at 6:18pm
Pressure on prime minister continues after Olly Robbins evidence

Russia moving cyber threats ?beyond the battlefield?
22 Apr 2026 at 1:30pm
Head of National Cyber Centre warns UK is facing period of ?tumultuous uncertainty?

Local Authorities Guide: Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles)
22 Apr 2026 at 7:00am
Council leader Paul Steele answers questions about local authority

Olly Robbins: Mandelson row threatens UK national security
21 Apr 2026 at 1:14pm
Sacked civil servant says Cabinet Office did not want vetting for disgraced ex-peer

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

?This election is all to play for?: Can the Scottish Labour leader defy polit...
24 Apr 2026 at 6:00am
Anas Sarwar speaks to the Guardian about why he thinks the polls are wrong and how he hopes to end the SNP?s near 20-year dominance at HolyroodAnas Sarwar says he is certain he can pull off one of the greatest escape acts of modern British politics. It is 14 days until the Holyrood election, and ...

Global Counsel, lobbying firm set up by Mandelson, went bust owing £4.5m just...
23 Apr 2026 at 5:48pm
Firm went bust in February amid fallout from the scandal over Mandelson?s links to Jeffrey EpsteinLittle says in March she had a meeting when she asked to see the Foreign Office?s documentation about the decision to grant Mandelson vetting. She said she was asking because this was documentation c...

How Reform is exposing the reality of Scotland?s views on immigration and ide...
19 Apr 2026 at 11:00am
Once a progressive outlier, Scotland is facing a political reckoning as Reform benefits from growing social divisionIt?s Monday evening in Aberdeen, and George Preston is wearing his union flag suit to the Reform UK rally. He joined the party in 2024 as it gained ground in the north-east of Scotl...

?Things could go backwards?: Kezia Dugdale on safety, LGBTQ+ rights and the f...
19 Apr 2026 at 7:00am
Exclusive: Former Scottish Labour leader says she feels more scared as a lesbian today and calls for a kinder debate on transgender issuesKezia Dugdale, the former leader of Scottish Labour, says she is now ?quite scared? as a lesbian in Britain and has started to feel nervous holding her wife?s ...

Badenoch calls Farage an ?opportunist? after he urges Scottish nationalists t...
16 Apr 2026 at 7:17pm
Tory leader criticises Farage for saying that holding another independence vote ?probably quite reasonable?Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative party, has accused Nigel Farage of being an opportunist who does not believe in unionism after he urged Scottish nationalists to back Reform.Far...

No 10 claims Starmer did not know Mandelson failed security vetting until thi...
16 Apr 2026 at 6:54pm
The prime minister was not aware that the former US ambassador had failed the vetting process, according to Downing StreetSwinney says this is a manifesto for the whole of Scotland.He confirms that the SNP would argue for the Scottish power to have more control over energy policy (still largely r...

SNP pledges to cap bread and milk prices if it wins Scotland?s parliamentary ...
16 Apr 2026 at 3:38pm
John Swinney unveils his party?s manifesto, saying cost of living is the ?defining issue? for voters on 7 MayThe SNP will cap supermarket prices for essential goods such as bread and milk if it retains power, John Swinney has pledged, after describing the cost of living as ?the defining issue of ...

Scottish Labour leader says claim he tried to do Reform deal is ?desperate lie?
15 Apr 2026 at 5:42pm
Anas Sarwar says there have been ?no stitch-ups, no deals, no backroom chats with Reform? over Holyrood electionsAnas Sarwar has dismissed as ?a desperate lie from a desperate man? a claim by Reform UK?s Scotland leader, Malcolm Offord, that he offered to do a deal with the rightwing party to kee...

Reeves condemns Trump?s decision to launch war against Iran as ?folly?? as it...
14 Apr 2026 at 5:32pm
Chancellor ?frustrated and angry? at the effect on UK firms and families and says US went into war without a clear exit plan Q: Why are you calling for an inquiry into Nigel Farage?s investment in a bitcoin firm?Davey said that, in investing in crypto, Farage, the Reform UK leader, seemed to be c...

Scottish Greens pledge free bus travel and basic income in election manifesto
14 Apr 2026 at 3:13pm
Party says plan for ?radical change? will be funded in part through higher taxes on aviation, gambling and landlordsUK politics live ? latest updatesThe Scottish Greens have called for free bus travel, thousands of extra teachers and doctors and a universal basic income among hundreds of uncosted...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

The anti-independence hysteria of Alex Cole-Hamilton
23 Apr 2026 at 8:30pm
I don’t normally blog about Alex Cole-Hamilton, partly that’s because in Scotland the Lib Dems are a minor regional party who only win representation because their support is concentrated in a few areas and whose importance in Scotland is boosted far beyond their true relevance as they are the Scottish branch of the UK party …

Sarwar and Starmer are on borrowed time
22 Apr 2026 at 8:20pm
When Labour came to power in Westminster in 2024, the party promised to put an end to the cronyism, chaos, sleaze, and corruption which characterised the last fourteen years of Conservative rule. How’s that working out then. Labour has continued all of them and added an unhealthy dose of lies and deceit. This week, Keir …

Labour?s Holyrood campaign lurches from one crisis to another
19 Apr 2026 at 2:26pm
There’s less than three weeks to go until the Holyrood election and the wheels have well and truly come off the Labour campaign. With the headlines being dominated by the Mandelson story – Anas Sarwar’s erstwhile old friend – and mounting speculation about how long Starmer can survive as Prime Minister, Sarwar, talking to the …

We can win an SNP majority despite the moral bankruptcy of the media
17 Apr 2026 at 3:21pm
The Scottish Parliament election campaign is now well underway. Yesterday (Thursday) saw the launch of the SNP manifesto. The response of the British media in Scotland to this, and to a defining event of the campaign earlier this week Reform’s Malcolm Offord blurting out that Anas Sarwar had bounced up to him and spoke of …

The overwhelming evidence that Labour is willing to do a deal with Reform
15 Apr 2026 at 3:12pm
Sometimes events happen which define an entire election campaign, last night Reform’s Malcolm Offord responded to Anas Sarwar’s assertion that he’d never do a deal with Reform because it fields racists by saying: ?This does not square with you coming up to me at the start of this campaign, bouncing up to me at Paisley …

Labour can?t be trusted not to do a deal with Reform
14 Apr 2026 at 9:43pm
I don’t usually pay too much attention to leaders’ debates in the run up to elections. They are invariably too shouty with the leaders vying to talk over the top of each other. Anas Sarwar is invariably the worst offender. On both the leaders’ debates so far, his behaviour has bordered on the offensive, he’s …

Labour?s Scottish manifesto launch, not a campaign, a damage limitation exercise
13 Apr 2026 at 2:22pm
On Monday, Anas Sarwar launches Labour’s manifesto for the Holyrood election and attempts to reboot his party’s faltering campaign, a campaign which was holed below the waterline yesterday, firstly with Wes Streeting’s arrogantly colonialist dismissal of an independence referendum, and secondly by Sarwar’s rude and entitled performance in Sunday evening’s party leader debate, in which …

Wes Streeting?s attack on Scottish democracy will backfire
12 Apr 2026 at 9:50pm
Just when Anas Sarwar thought that the Labour campaign in the Holyrood election couldn’t get any worse, along comes Wes Streeting. Labour’s oleaginous answer to Michael Gove, the private healthcare loving health secretary in the Labour Government in Westminster, who is currently presiding over an NHS England in chaos due to a junior doctor strike …

Anas Sarwar, the Wile E Coyote of Scottish politics
10 Apr 2026 at 9:34pm
You can smell the desperation from Scottish Tory Holyrood leader Russell Findlay. At a campaign event, the soon to be sacked Findlay, pulled out the anti-English racism card against the SNP, accusing them of basing many of their policies on “a pretty bitter streak of anglophobia.” That’s rich, coming from a man who has doubled …

Daring to dream of an SNP majority
7 Apr 2026 at 11:35am
Yet another opinion poll has placed the SNP on track to win a majority in its own right in May’s Holyrood election, a majority which First Minister John Swinney has said would trigger a second independence referendum. The new poll, by Find Out Now for The National, projects the SNP to take 67 seats, giving …

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

First GP Walk-in clinic ? Herald evaluation is too quick, asks wrong question...
25 Apr 2026 at 1:41pm
The Herald today has: Doctors have told the SNP to drop its plans to expand walk-in GP clinics after new figures showed patients waited up to six hours to be seen at the first facility in Scotland. The clinic at Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre in Edinburgh, opened in February and was the first of around 30 walk-in clinics promised by the Scottish Government, currently led by the SNP. and So...

The new Welsh government, of whatever party or coalition, has a particularly ...
25 Apr 2026 at 12:59pm
By stewartb The Nuffield Trust has published a companion to the Scottish briefing , for the NHS in Wales. It concludes (with my emphasis): ?The new Welsh government, of whatever party or coalition, has a particularly difficult inheritance in health and social care. Waiting times are poor and the public deeply unhappy. ?Wales?s older, more deprived population means that needs for care are elevat...

BBC report a sepsis survivor in Scotland but fail to tell you how the SNP Gov...
25 Apr 2026 at 8:04am
From BBC Scotland today, the above and: Less than two years ago Katie Bain almost died when she went in septic shock after her appendix ruptured. The swimmer, who was just 24 at the time, spent three weeks in an induced coma as doctors fought to save her life. There is, of course, no fuller explanation of the situation with regard to sepsis, in Scotland, just the one wee story. Here it is: Not ...

More than 50 times (5 per head) wait more than 24 hours in England?s A&E ? sho...
24 Apr 2026 at 3:15pm
Sources: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/04/23/nhs-scotlands-ae-waits-of-over-24-hours-still-fewer-than-a-fifth-of-those-in-nhs-england-contrary-to-anas-sarwars-claims-in-2024/ https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/04/23/englands-ae-crisis-as-patients-say-theyd-rather-die-at-home-but-bbc-uk-dont-mention-it/

Only two days without a ?perishable food? delivery and island rep says they a...
24 Apr 2026 at 3:13pm
In the National today: Scottish islanders fume as ‘lifeline’ food delivery removed off CalMac ferry. CALMAC has been warned that island communities are at ?breaking point? after a hauler carrying needed perishable foods was ?bumped? off a ferry for passengers allegedly for the ?first time ever?. OMG was that the last ferry for weeks and they’d run out of food in the shop? Well, no, there’s a fe...

Starmer and Farage on St George?s Day ? ?Today, we fly OUR flag proudly? to ?...
24 Apr 2026 at 3:12pm
By Liz S Saint George's Day is the feast day of Saint George, celebrated by Christian churches, countries, regions, and cities from which he is the main patron saint, including England, Ethiopia, Georgia, Catalonia, Aragon, Palestine, Rio de Janeiro, Alcoi, and Genoa, and also where he is an important patron saint, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania, Portugal...

How the ?Scottish? Daily Express made up a quote not actually in the Nuffield...
24 Apr 2026 at 3:09pm
Neither the word ‘deadly’ nor the word ‘domino’ appear in Health and care performance and promises: the track record for Scotland?s 2026 election published by the Nuffield Trust, yesterday: https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/resource/health-and-care-performance-and-promises-the-track-record-for-scotland-s-2026-election While, I’d argue, with evidence, that there is much good about healthcare in S...

This latest media ferry feeding only serves to highlight the opposition parti...
24 Apr 2026 at 7:47am
Key ferry-flippers Neil Bibby (Lab) and Russell Findlay (Con There is no comment in the above top BBC Scotland story today from opposition parties, as they sail, rudderless, toward their extinction event in May. The reason is clear. They don’t want their historical hypocrisy in ferry flipping exposed. Early criticism: ?Don?t rig contracts to favour Ferguson.? Later flipped criticism: ?Why aren?...

More than 3 000 fewer operations NOT being cancelled ?at last minute? in NHS ...
24 Apr 2026 at 7:07am
BBC Breakfast this morning has peer-reviewed research on NHS England operations cancelled in the last 24hrs, often because patients could not be prepared for them in time. In February 2026, 10% of these operations were cancelled, around a third of those avoidably. This is, of course, wasteful of resources and potentially life-threatening for those patients. The media operating in Scotland are n...

Half a century after it started trying to find answers to to the problem of c...
23 Apr 2026 at 5:16pm
By Frances McKie It is now, in April 2026, exactly 40 years since the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor exploded. The explosion sent radioactive pollution vast distances across Europe; it devastated a large area near Kiev in the Ukraine-still too dangerous for human habitation; it has left a long-term legacy of thyroid and other cancers linked to radiation exposure and ingestion of isotopes like Iodine...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

Keir Starmer Has Given Scottish Nationalism a Booster Shot - Jacobin
25 Apr 2026 at 2:03pm
Keir Starmer Has Given Scottish Nationalism a Booster Shot  Jacobin

Pro-independence parties bank on rethink of UK ?status quo? after May 7 - Fin...
25 Apr 2026 at 5:01am
Pro-independence parties bank on rethink of UK ?status quo? after May 7  Financial Times

The pros and cons of Scottish independence - The Week
22 Apr 2026 at 4:08pm
The pros and cons of Scottish independence  The Week

Scotland political snapshot, Spring 2026 - YouGov
8 Apr 2026 at 8:00am
Scotland political snapshot, Spring 2026  YouGov

Could John Swinney's 'SNP majority' plan create a dead-end for independence? ...
24 Apr 2026 at 4:30pm
Could John Swinney's 'SNP majority' plan create a dead-end for independence?  The National Scot

Scotland is an 'energy superpower' and can take 'real action' with independen...
25 Apr 2026 at 3:05pm
Scotland is an 'energy superpower' and can take 'real action' with independence, says Swinney  Daily Record

POLL: Would you vote for Scottish independence? - Shetland Times
24 Apr 2026 at 1:26pm
POLL: Would you vote for Scottish independence?  Shetland Times

Zack Polanski: ?Outrageous? that pro-independence parliament would not secure...
24 Apr 2026 at 1:25pm
Zack Polanski: ?Outrageous? that pro-independence parliament would not secure referendum  Holyrood Website

Movement for Scottish independence ?unstoppable?, says Polanski - The Indepen...
24 Apr 2026 at 3:01pm
Movement for Scottish independence ?unstoppable?, says Polanski  The Independent

Scottish election 2026: Who should I vote for? Compare party policies - BBC
23 Apr 2026 at 11:47am
Scottish election 2026: Who should I vote for? Compare party policies  BBC

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

SNP's McAllan supports more 'evidence-led' drilling in North Sea - BBC
23 Apr 2026 at 9:45pm
SNP's McAllan supports more 'evidence-led' drilling in North Sea  BBC

Scots unimpressed by Holyrood campaigns, but give SNP the edge - Ipsos
23 Apr 2026 at 11:30am
Scots unimpressed by Holyrood campaigns, but give SNP the edge  Ipsos

Why the SNP is heading for a loveless landslide - The Week
25 Apr 2026 at 7:15am
Why the SNP is heading for a loveless landslide  The Week

Keir Starmer Has Given Scottish Nationalism a Booster Shot - Jacobin
25 Apr 2026 at 2:03pm
Keir Starmer Has Given Scottish Nationalism a Booster Shot  Jacobin

More SNP signs torn down in 'co-ordinated attack' in battleground constituenc...
25 Apr 2026 at 4:19pm
More SNP signs torn down in 'co-ordinated attack' in battleground constituency  The National Scot

Don?t bet against the SNP - The Critic Magazine
25 Apr 2026 at 2:00am
Don?t bet against the SNP  The Critic Magazine

First YouGov MRP of the 2026 Holyrood election suggests the SNP could win a m...
10 Apr 2026 at 8:00am
First YouGov MRP of the 2026 Holyrood election suggests the SNP could win a majority  YouGov

LETTERS: ?Voters should be wary of the promises the SNP?s candidate is making...
25 Apr 2026 at 12:00pm
LETTERS: ?Voters should be wary of the promises the SNP?s candidate is making about what she could achieve?  Shetland Times

SNP tracking to fall short of a Holyrood majority as voting intention remains...
23 Apr 2026 at 5:46pm
SNP tracking to fall short of a Holyrood majority as voting intention remains stable  Survation

Election SNP and Green signs pulled down from Sound Brae - Shetland News
25 Apr 2026 at 10:39am
Election SNP and Green signs pulled down from Sound Brae  Shetland News

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

The pros and cons of Scottish independence - The Week
22 Apr 2026 at 4:08pm
The pros and cons of Scottish independence  The Week

53 per cent of Scots would back independence, fresh poll suggests - The Natio...
22 Apr 2026 at 9:59am
53 per cent of Scots would back independence, fresh poll suggests  The National Scot

Why independence is still a political dividing line in Scotland - BBC
2 Mar 2026 at 8:00am
Why independence is still a political dividing line in Scotland  BBC

Zack Polanski: ?Outrageous? that pro-independence parliament would not secure...
24 Apr 2026 at 1:25pm
Zack Polanski: ?Outrageous? that pro-independence parliament would not secure referendum  Holyrood Website

Swinney says Scottish independence referendum could be held in 2028 - BBC
12 Apr 2026 at 8:00am
Swinney says Scottish independence referendum could be held in 2028  BBC

Scotland political snapshot, Spring 2026 - YouGov
8 Apr 2026 at 8:00am
Scotland political snapshot, Spring 2026  YouGov

Greens' Polanski says Scotland 'treated like children' over second independen...
23 Apr 2026 at 10:33pm
Greens' Polanski says Scotland 'treated like children' over second independence vote  The Herald

Movement for Scottish independence ?unstoppable?, says Polanski - London Even...
24 Apr 2026 at 4:03pm
Movement for Scottish independence ?unstoppable?, says Polanski  London Evening Standard

Scottish independence - Institute for Government
26 Jan 2026 at 8:00am
Scottish independence  Institute for Government

Scottish independence referendum won't happen in next five years, predicts SN...
22 Apr 2026 at 4:30am
Scottish independence referendum won't happen in next five years, predicts SNP veteran  Daily Record