The Herald

The Herald | Politics


Starmer to condemn Reform UK?s ?dangerous right-wing politics?
22 Feb 2025 at 10:30pm
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused ?letting down? Scotland by one of his own MPs as he prepares to address Scottish Labour conference.


Scottish Labour MP warns Sarwar has 'let down Scotland' on Grangemouth refinery
22 Feb 2025 at 7:00pm
Scottish Labour MP Brian Leishman has accused Sir Keir Starmer of 'letting down Scotland' as he warns his party ahead of Holyrood 2026.


Pro-Palestinian protesters hold demo outside Scottish Labour conference
22 Feb 2025 at 6:00pm
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters have targeted the Scottish Labour conference on Saturday, accusing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of supporting a genocide in Gaza.


Jackie Baillie: Labour to buy 300 care home beds to cut delayed discharge
22 Feb 2025 at 4:04pm
Labour is vowing to tackle ?undignified corridor care? with plans to buy hundreds of beds in care homes and create 1,000 new care at home packages.


Schools could face Sandie Peggie-style legal dispute, group warns Swinney
22 Feb 2025 at 1:34pm
John Swinney has been warned schools could face a Sandie Peggie-style legal dispute over gender self-ID policies.


Firms move to cut staff after Labour Government move
22 Feb 2025 at 4:35am
The spotlight on the key Labour policy has intensified


I visited the thrifting capital of Scotland - and found a vintage shopping pa...
22 Feb 2025 at 7:35am
At first glance, this historic town looks like many other high streets across Scotland. There are the big chains ? Boots, Greggs, Specsavers and Poundland ? and banks, butchers, bakers, real estate agents, bookies, pubs, cafes and takeaways. Yet, take a wander and you will see what makes it so special: Welcome to Lanark, the charity shop capital of Scotland Yet, take a short wander around and you will soon see what makes it so special: Welcome to Lanark, the charity shop capital of Scotland.


Holyrood election 'once in a generation' chance for Scottish Labour
21 Feb 2025 at 5:18pm
Labour has a 'once-in-a-generation opportunity' to govern at Holyrood and Westminster, the campaign chief behind the party?s general election victory has said


Bereaved families call Boris Johnson's Usher Hall show 'betrayal'
21 Feb 2025 at 3:37pm
Families bereaved by Covid say they are ?disgusted? that a major venue in Scotland is to host an ?evening with Boris Johnson? event.


SQA 'warning system' to catch marking issues after Higher History row
21 Feb 2025 at 1:45pm
Shirley Rogers, chair of the SQA Board, said that a ?re-examination? of the exams marking process has taken place


Scottish Labour rejects single sex space motion after conference debate
21 Feb 2025 at 12:49pm
A motion at the Scottish Labour conference which backed guidance on single sex space in schools based on biology has been rejected.


Scotland urged to follow Wales' lead with greyhound racing ban
21 Feb 2025 at 11:07am
The Scottish Government has been urged to follow Wales? lead and ban greyhound racing when a member?s bill is introduced in April.


Protesters accuse Sarwar and Starmer of betrayal at Scottish Labour conference
21 Feb 2025 at 11:14am
Anas Sarwar will address Scottish Labour conference this afternoon, but the weekend event has kicked off with protests.


Alex Salmond planned new Scottish town called 'Independence' with Alba collea...
21 Feb 2025 at 10:42am
A candidate for the Alba Party?s deputy leadership has said he and Alex Salmond planned a new Scottish town called Independence.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


Reform not as big an issue for Labour as people think, say pollsters
23 Feb 2025 at 12:01am

Reform are predicted to do well in the 2026 Holyrood election - while the latest polling predicts Labour is on course for its worst result since devolution.

The Prime Minister will urge voters to back a Labour government in Holyrood when he comes to Glasgow.

Pro-Palestinian protestors shouted: ?Keir Starmer you can?t hide, you support the genocide.?

Scottish Labour say their plans will end the SNP?s ?reckless financial mismanagement?

For Women Scotland have accused the First Minister of trying to ?ride two horses? over his position on sex and gender self-ID.

Labour say they would end bed blocking by buying up care home beds.

?Both governments are failing these workers?.

Debate Night audiences were angry with the Conservatives about Brexit, then the SNP over its achievements in government and now Labour

Emergency service personal and other public sector workers do difficult jobs for relatively low levels of pay and save countless lives

Instead of championing fellow democracies and the rule of law, the White House now backs those who are the enemies of democracy and the rule of law

Wings over Scotland

The thickness of blood
15 Feb 2025 at 2:02pm
Much of Scotland, and indeed the rest of the UK and beyond (the story below ran in the London Standard), has been grimly gripped this week by the ongoing and scarcely believable trainwreck that is Sandie Peggie Vs NHS Fife. The tribunal has now overrun the time allotted to it, and will reconvene for another …

For Mridul And Sandy
12 Feb 2025 at 1:20pm
This site hasn’t had much nice to say about the former CEO of Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre, Mridul Wadhwa, or the (incredibly) still-CEO of Rape Crisis Scotland, Sandy Brindley. But we’re going to thank them today, because it’s hard to see how anyone else could have been chiefly responsible for this. Just four and a …

Bricked-up windows
11 Feb 2025 at 7:28pm
Readers may have noticed recent speculation in the media (based on the wording of a press release) that Police Scotland had ended their investigations regarding Operation Branchform. As it happened we’d already submitted a Freedom Of Information request aimed at finding that out, and the response arrived this evening. You can read it below. It’s …

The Front On The Volga
11 Feb 2025 at 3:45pm
As alert Wings readers will know, we’re fond of a WW2 analogy from time to time. The conflict is so extensively documented, and so deeply embedded in British culture (for both good and ill), that it’s a reliable tool for getting points across concisely and clearly. (It’s also one of the last major wars in …

The End Of The Reich
10 Feb 2025 at 12:43pm
For 10 years in Germany between 1935 and 1945, Jewish people were not legally human. The Nuremberg Laws, drafted in large part by Wilhelm Stuckart, established the principle in law that Jews were to be denied any rights on the basis that they were untermensch, a German word literally meaning “subhuman”. It would be, to …

The Joker
8 Feb 2025 at 9:45am

The smirking scorpion
7 Feb 2025 at 9:04am
Let’s take a passing moment just to reflect on how grotesque this is. When she was leader, Sturgeon forced MPs and MSPs like Michelle Thomson and Mark McDonald – neither of whom were even spoken to by police, let alone arrested or questioned or charged – out of the SNP lest even the mere suggestion of …

Seeding the briar patch
5 Feb 2025 at 11:22am
This is the SNP’s latest messaging. Ministers, MSPs, payroll drones and the central party account were all tweeting the graphic and variations on the line yesterday. And it’s quite difficult even just to count the number of different ways in which it’s not just mind-bogglingly offensive, but also clatteringly, jaw-droppingly stupid. We’re not going to …

Closer To Home
3 Feb 2025 at 1:35pm
It’s a well-known truism that if a newspaper headline is phrased as a question, the answer to that question is always “No”. And nothing’s changed here. It’s a little too early to be writing Anas Sarwar’s political epitaph. It remains this site’s view that the most likely outcome of the 2026 Holyrood election is a …

Freedom of choice
29 Jan 2025 at 1:42am
It’s worth remembering that they didn’t have to do this. Labour had already announced their intention to abstain. There was no danger of the budget being defeated. So the SNP could have allocated however much money they wanted from their increased funding to the pursuit of independence. And maybe they did.

Craig Murray

UN Peacekeepers Watch Civilians Massacred
12 Feb 2025 at 8:52pm

On 26 January, 26 unarmed civilians were shot dead by Israel and 147 wounded in a massacre observed by heavily armed UN Peacekeepers who did not intervene. I asked the UN the very hard questions which nobody else is asking them. The civilians were simply attempting to return to their homes in accordance with both …

UN Peacekeepers Watch Civilians Massacred

United Nations Censures UK Over Abuse of Terrorism Act Against Journalists an...
6 Feb 2025 at 5:39am

Four UN Special Rapporteurs have written jointly to the UK government demanding explanation of its inappropriate persecution of journalists and political activists under the Terrorism Act. They state that those persecuted: appear to have no credible connection to “terrorist” or “hostile” activity The cases taken up by the United Nations are those of Johanna Ross …

United Nations Censures UK Over Abuse of Terrorism Act Against Journalists and Activists

Israel Slaughters and Destroys in Southern Lebanon
31 Jan 2025 at 1:24pm

We could very easily – in fact more easily – have made these mini-documentaries featuring the bodies of children slaughtered by Israel and the hideous aspect of the maiming of tens of thousands, or focusing on the tears of the bereaved and orphaned. We chose to go a different way and make that unavoidably implicit, …

Israel Slaughters and Destroys in Southern Lebanon

Israeli Atrocities in Lebanon
27 Jan 2025 at 12:24pm

Yesterday, not only did Israel fail to evacuate its army from Southern Lebanon as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement, Israel also shot over 130 Lebanese civilians attempting to return home in accordance with the deal, killing 23 and wounding 109 (of whom some are in critical condition). This included a 12 year old boy wounded …

Israeli Atrocities in Lebanon

Real Reporting Appeal
18 Jan 2025 at 4:36pm

Our new mini-documentary from the Middle East shows again the kind of reporting that no Western media either can or will do. We hope to visit Damascus where Western media is giving entirely sycophantic and false coverage to the new HTS regime, praising the return of Pringles to the shops while ignoring massacres. But we …

Real Reporting Appeal

A Ceasefire is Not an End
16 Jan 2025 at 1:21pm

The Genocide of the Palestinian people began 76 years ago. What may be drawing to a close is merely a particularly intense phase in the Genocide. Gaza is destroyed. 92% of its housing has gone. Its water treatment and sanitation, electricity generation, food processing, farming, and fishing are all now incapable of sustaining much life. …

A Ceasefire is Not an End

BBC Scotland

Sarwar pledges 'biggest reform of NHS in decades'
21 Feb 2025 at 4:57pm
The Labour leader called for an end to a 'culture of bureaucracy' and a reduction in Scottish health boards.

Salmond planned Independence town - Alba candidate
21 Feb 2025 at 11:27am
Chris McEleny said he and Alex Salmond planned a new Scottish town called Independence.

Scotch makers condemn English single malt whisky proposal
21 Feb 2025 at 1:53pm
Scottish distilleries and MPs claim England's methods would damage the reputation of single malt.

Regulator sends equality 'reminder' to NHS Fife
21 Feb 2025 at 8:07pm
The Equality and Human Rights Commission also wrote to the Scottish government amid the row over single-sex facilities.

Biggest council tax rises in 20 years confirmed
20 Feb 2025 at 6:30pm
Bills will go up by 10% in North Lanarkshire and the Borders while Glasgow, Edinburgh and Fife have also backed big rises.

Sarwar calls for clear guidance on single-sex rule
20 Feb 2025 at 5:38pm
The Scottish Labour leader refused to say if transwomen should be automatically excluded from female-only spaces.

New graves mark a lost generation in tourist town ravaged by drugs
20 Feb 2025 at 6:05am
In just a year and a half, at least eight victims of drug misuse have been buried in Oban's Pennyfuir cemetery.

Is there a lack of clarity around UK's gender laws?
20 Feb 2025 at 6:05am
Debate around single-sex spaces has made headlines after a nurse took a health board and a trans colleague to tribunal.

Why are we seeing inflation busting council tax rises?
20 Feb 2025 at 11:47am
Authorities are no longer bound by a council tax freeze and most look set to confirm big increases.

Woman, 74, charged under abortion protest law
19 Feb 2025 at 5:32pm
The new law prevents any protests or vigils taking place within 200m (656ft) of clinics offering abortion services in Scotland.

Child psychiatric units to get extra inspections
20 Feb 2025 at 3:17pm
Teenage patients told BBC Disclosure about a culture of cruelty among nursing staff at an NHS unit.

Should teacher numbers drop as school rolls fall?
14 Feb 2025 at 12:10pm
Pupil numbers are set to fall by 90,000 by 2040, but ministers want to maintain school staffing.

Scot Goes Pop

THE ALBA FILES, Part 9: The Tasmina Emails - a lengthy correspondence which r...
22 Feb 2025 at 3:38pm
A while back, the vaguest of vague rumours reached me (and being so vague I had no idea whether it was true) that what worried the Alba leadership most after expelling me from the party was that I ...

Reform hit another record high with another polling firm - this time Techne
22 Feb 2025 at 9:51am
GB-wide voting intentions (19th-20th February 2025):Reform UK 26% (+1)Labour 25% (-1)Conservatives 22% (-)Liberal Democrats 12% (-)Greens 7% (-1)SNP 3% (+1)This is another landmark for Reform UK - ...

My full reply to the Twitter attack from Alba's disgraced former General Secr...
21 Feb 2025 at 4:27pm
People that put themselves forward for political office, even position within political parties, are fair game to even the worst of social media obsession. However, your harassment of family member...

Fears mount that uber-authoritarian Christina Hendry may have to expel her ow...
21 Feb 2025 at 12:16pm
There was a tweet the other day claiming that Ukraine was very close in 2023 to agreeing a peace deal with Russia that would have involved them becoming a neutral country - but they were supposedly...

SNP back in the by-election groove as they win comfortably in Kilmarnock
21 Feb 2025 at 9:35am
After last week's very poor (and slightly strange) result in Kirkintilloch, the SNP would have been happy to squeeze out any sort of win, and it was therefore fortunate that their next task was to ...

Farquharson wants John Swinney to give Starmer political cover for cutting fu...
20 Feb 2025 at 1:01pm
Kenny "Devo or Death" Farquharson, aka "Jurassic Farq", has penned a column this week framing the choice for John Swinney on Ukraine as one consisting of three options - 1) Concede the hardline uni...

Reform UK double their GB-wide lead and hit a new all-time record high vote s...
19 Feb 2025 at 2:23am
I had wondered after the last batch of polls whether the Reform UK vote might finally have plateaued, but that theory seems to have gone out of the window.  As I've mentioned a few times before, Yo...

This is, apparently, not a practical joke - Chris McEleny is genuinely standi...
18 Feb 2025 at 4:49pm
Thrilling news for Alba members this afternoon: if you don't think Chris "Disgruntled Employee" McEleny, aka "Dzhugashvili", has done quite enough to destroy your party so far, you now have a golde...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

Labour to buy 300 care home beds to cut delayed discharge, says Baillie
22 Feb 2025 at 1:23pm
Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie said with patients currently 'stranded' in hospital under the current system, it would act.

Labour plans will tackle the ?scandal? of hospital corridor care, says Baillie
22 Feb 2025 at 11:28am
She vowed the party would also create 1,000 more packages for Scots to receive care at home.

Sarwar vows to ?defy the odds? and become Scottish first minister
21 Feb 2025 at 6:04pm
The Scottish Labour leader has declared his ambition ahead of the Holyrood election next year.

What do you think of SNP?s ?flagship? plan to end two-child benefit cap?
21 Feb 2025 at 3:19pm
SNP ministers have pledged to mitigate the effects of the cap from April 2026, with some suggestions the policy could begin earlier if possible.

?Alex Salmond and I planned new Scottish town called Independence?
21 Feb 2025 at 10:08am
The candidate for the Alba Party?s deputy leadership has emphasised his close links with the late former first minister.

Sabhal Mor Ostaig to become home of Scotland?s Gaelic teaching hub
21 Feb 2025 at 7:56am
The Education Secretary made the announcement while on a visit to the college on Skye on Thursday.

Anas Sarwar ?will declare waiting times emergency? if he becomes first minister
21 Feb 2025 at 6:56am
The Scottish Labour leader said he would do ?whatever it takes? to reduce waiting times for patients in the NHS.

Unite the Union to protest Grangemouth ?catastrophe? at Scottish Labour confe...
21 Feb 2025 at 6:44am
Unite's general secretary will say the UK and Scottish governments have failed workers at the oil refinery.

Shooting organisation warns new Bill could halve number of deer stalkers
20 Feb 2025 at 5:46pm
The British Association for Shooting and Conservation raised concerns about measures in the new Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill.

Why are councils hiking taxes and cutting frontline services?
20 Feb 2025 at 3:47pm
Local authorities across the country have multi-million black holes in their budgets.

Swinney accuses Tories of ?sowing division? after call to ditch ?gender ideol...
20 Feb 2025 at 2:20pm
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay made the plea amid an employment tribunal brought by nurse Sandie Peggie.

John Swinney to face MSPs at FMQs amid ongoing changing room row
20 Feb 2025 at 10:56am
The First Minister will take questions from noon on Thursday at First Minister's Questions.

Health spending plans for next year ?represent real-terms freeze?
20 Feb 2025 at 8:18am
The Institute for Fiscal Studies analysed the Scottish Government?s spending plans for the 2025/26 year.

Murray to ?sell Scotland to the world? on trade trips to America and Asia
20 Feb 2025 at 7:37am
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray will lead the delegations promoting Scottish produce to overseas markets.

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Foreign oil giants to share in £22bn state handout for 'unproven' carbon capture
23 Feb 2025 at 4:30am
Fuel poverty campaigners last night branded the plan a 'greenwashing con' that will add hundreds of pounds to people's energy bills.

Scottish Labour MP flew to Donald Trump inauguration and held secret talks wi...
23 Feb 2025 at 4:30am
SUNDAY MAIL EXCLUSIVE: Central Ayrshire MP Alan Gemmell claims he was invited out to the US capital by an mystery Texan company.

Scots families risk being plunged into poverty over council tax debt
22 Feb 2025 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: The Aberlour charity warned Scotland was in "the grip of a debt and child poverty crisis" at a time council tax bills are set to rise above inflation.

Scottish Labour pledges to tackle corridor care with more social care packages
22 Feb 2025 at 4:30am
The party proposes buying hundreds of temporary care home places so that patients who are medically fit can leave hospital while waiting for permanent support.

Top trade unionist warns Anas Sarwar of an 'absence of ambition' ahead of Hol...
22 Feb 2025 at 4:30am
STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer issued the call during the Scottish Labour conference.

Anas Sarwar's speech marks the new direction Scottish Labour has been waiting...
21 Feb 2025 at 4:36pm
Political Editor Paul Hutcheon says the Scottish Labour's leader conference speech saw him put forward a positive agenda to the SNP.

Anas Sarwar echoes Donald Trump and Elon Musk by announcing Scottish Labour D...
21 Feb 2025 at 3:29pm
The Scottish Labour leader said that he would create the department because of "the SNP's wasteful incompetence".

Mobile phones to be banned in Scots schools if Labour wins next Holyrood elec...
21 Feb 2025 at 3:18pm
Anas Sarwar used his keynote speech at the Scottish Labour conference to promise he would make schools "safe, calm places for learning again"

Council tax rises in Scotland - SNP-run council to defy John Swinney with 13....
21 Feb 2025 at 3:03pm
Falkirk Council has suggested a bigger hike than any other local authority despite the First Minister pleading for rises to be limited.

Blow for Anas Sarwar after Scottish Labour rejects motion on single sex space...
21 Feb 2025 at 12:28pm
Delegates went against the leadership after critics accused the motion of "misinformation".

The National

The National | Politics

Keir Starmer to warn of 'dangerous right-wing politics' in Glasgow conference...
22 Feb 2025 at 10:30pm

PRIME Minister Keir Starmer will warn of ?dangerous right-wing politics? taking hold in the UK as he addresses the Scottish Labour conference on Sunday ...

Use Glasgow visit to apologise to people of Scotland, SNP tell Keir Starmer
22 Feb 2025 at 10:30pm

KEIR Starmer must use his visit to Glasgow to ?apologise to the people of Scotland?, the SNP have said ...

Scottish Labour refuse to rule out benefit cuts if they win 2026 Holyrood ele...
22 Feb 2025 at 3:26pm

LABOUR have refused to rule out making cuts to devolved benefits if the party wins power at next May?s Holyrood elections ...

Thousands march on Scottish Labour conference to demand action on Palestine
22 Feb 2025 at 2:54pm

THOUSANDS of people have marched on the Scottish Labour conference to call for the UK Government to take action against Israel over its illegal actions in Palestine ...

Recognise Palestinian statehood now, nation's UK ambassador tells Labour
22 Feb 2025 at 12:11pm

THE Labour Government has a ?moral and historical responsibility? to recognise the state of Palestine ? and must do so now, the nation?s UK ambassador has told the Scottish Labour conference ...

Jackie Baillie quotes nurse in England to depict 'reality of NHS in Scotland'
22 Feb 2025 at 11:25am

JACKIE Baillie has quoted a nurse working in the south east of England to depict what she described as the ?gut-wrenching reality? of Scotland?s NHS ...

Nigel Farage and Liz Truss 'taking far-right Reichsmark', Humza Yousaf says
22 Feb 2025 at 10:49am

NIGEL Farage and Liz Truss are accepting the far-right "Reichsmark?, Humza Yousaf has said ...

Scottish Government to face vote on state funding for arms companies
22 Feb 2025 at 5:00am

THE Scottish Government will face a vote on suspending its support for arms companies in the wake of a weapons giant posting record profits, The National can reveal.

Mhairi Black: The UK's rightward shift is accelerating ? thanks to Russia
22 Feb 2025 at 5:00am

THE swing to the far right is not only an American threat, it is a worldwide one. We have watched the political centre of the UK drift to the right over the last few decades, and that drift is undoubtedly picking up pace.

'Pro-UK, no ifs no buts': Reform rule out Scottish independence referendum
21 Feb 2025 at 8:56pm

REFORM UK have ruled out supporting a Scottish independence referendum after social media rumours suggested Nigel Farage would consider granting one ...

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

Jackie Baillie: Labour will prioritise NHS workforce
22 Feb 2025 at 10:15pm
The Scottish Labour deputy leader said said consolidating the current workforce is crucial for her party?s plans to deliver the?reforms to?the health and care sector after the Scottish Parliament elections next year

Monica Lennon: DRS a really depressing example of devolution breaking down
22 Feb 2025 at 2:30pm
The MSP criticised the Scottish and UK governments for 'not being able to get their act together' and deliver the scheme

Jackie Baillie: Labour to deliver a thousand new social care packages
22 Feb 2025 at 12:27pm
Scottish Labour?s deputy leader said her party will deliver the 'most meaningful NHS reform in decades'

Anas Sarwar must set ?red lines? for post-2026 coalition negotiations, says f...
22 Feb 2025 at 8:27am
Speaking at Scottish Labour conference Wendy Alexander said that given the electoral system in Scotland it was important to think now about ?non-negotiables"

?Move aside?, Anas Sarwar tells John Swinney
21 Feb 2025 at 3:19pm
Sarwar said Labour was the ?only party that can replace? the SNP

'Scotland needs Anas Sarwar as first minister,' Ian Murray claims
21 Feb 2025 at 12:33pm
In his speech at Scottish Labour conference, Murray told delegates Scotland needs 'a new direction'

Thousands in rural Scotland to get ?lightning-fast? broadband
20 Feb 2025 at 10:01pm
The new ?26m contract, awarded to Scottish internet provider GoFibre, marks a 'crucial step forward' in ending the digital divide, Scotland minister Kirsty McNeill?said

John Swinney: NHS must ?balance needs? of all staff on single-sex spaces
20 Feb 2025 at 1:16pm
The case of Sandie Peggie was repeatedly raised at First Minister's Questions

SNP will ?shut the door? on Reform, first minister says
19 Feb 2025 at 2:58pm
John Swinney warned other parties are prepared to kowtow to the right-wing party

Swinney: I do not regret support for gender reform legislation
19 Feb 2025 at 2:29pm
The first minister said the bill was an attempt to improve the circumstances of a 'very small minority'

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

The Guardian view on Scottish Labour: a defining moment for Anas Sarwar | Edi...
20 Feb 2025 at 6:41pm
After a spectacular general election win, Keir Starmer?s party is struggling to repeat its success in the approaching Holyrood contest?Only a few months ago, Labour won the most votes and a majority of seats in Scotland for the first time since 2010. A 16-point swing from the Scottish National pa...

Scottish Labour faces ?challenge? to win next Holyrood elections, Sarwar admits
19 Feb 2025 at 6:00am
Exclusive: Increases in support for Reform UK and Scottish Greens suggest a comfortable win for the SNP in 2026Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, has admitted his party faces a significant challenge to win the next Holyrood elections after its popularity slumped in the polls.His party?s sup...

SNP avoids early election as it wins backing for budget at Holyrood
4 Feb 2025 at 8:06pm
Scottish parliament supports minority government?s tax and spending plans after intensive negotiations The SNP minority government has passed its budget and avoided triggering an early election after securing a coalition of support across the constitutional divide at HolyroodThe tax and spending ...

Exasperated Swinney forced to deny he plans to ban cat ownership in Scotland
3 Feb 2025 at 5:56pm
Keir Starmer?s spokesperson also rejects idea of UK ban after online misinformation prompted outrageScotland?s first minister and the UK prime minister?s spokesperson have been forced to deny there are plans to ban cat ownership in Scotland after media interest in feline welfare proposals prompte...

Reeves?s growth plans ?exactly what economy needs? say UK business groups ? a...
29 Jan 2025 at 5:01pm
This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereReeves says the supply side of the economy has been held back.Politicians have lacked the courage to confront the factors holding back growth.They have accepted the status quo. They have been the barrier, not the enablers, of chang...

Ex-Tory Brexit minister Lord Frost rejects party?s claims over Europe-wide cu...
28 Jan 2025 at 6:00pm
This blog is now closed, you can read more of our UK political coverage hereQ: Are doctors able to recognise depression? And can they decide if that affects someone?s capacity to make a decision about their health?Whitty says doctors can identify depression. But he says it is harder for them to a...

UK politics: Miliband tells MPs UK needs to ?speed up, not slow down? in net ...
27 Jan 2025 at 6:10pm
Energy secretary insists there is ?no contradiction between net zero and economic growth? in hearing at Commons committeeThe hearing has stopped for a short break. Heather Hallett, the chair, tells Badenoch that her evidence will be finished by lunchtime.Keith is now asking Badenoch about the fou...

Scottish secretary becomes first cabinet minister to take full paternity leave
24 Jan 2025 at 2:50pm
Move by Ian Murray comes as Labour prepares introduction of new workplace rights for parentsIan Murray, the Scottish secretary, is to become the first cabinet minister to take full paternity leave as Labour prepares to roll out new workplace rights for parents.Murray and his wife, Mariam, are exp...

?We are resting on our laurels?: Scotland faces significant challenge to prot...
19 Jan 2025 at 8:00am
Francesca Osowska, the outgoing chief executive of NatureScot, says more needs to be done for Scotland to hit target of restoring 30% of natural environment by 2030Scotland faces a significant challenge to meet its pledges on protecting nature without more funding and a shift in attitudes, a seni...

UK politics: Kemi Badenoch describes Rachel Reeves as a ?woman problem? for K...
16 Jan 2025 at 6:24pm
Opposition leader says PM?s ?woman problem is not my concern? when asked jokingly if she would back Starmer if he sacked the chancellorRichard Adams is the Guardian?s education editor.Thirty-two sixth form colleges across England will be hit by more strikes over a pay disparity between staff empl...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

Starmer?s greatest betrayal, pandering to the far right
21 Feb 2025 at 5:04pm
This weekend sees the Labour party’s Scottish conference in Glasgow, when it was planned, it was going to be a triumphal occasion when Labour gloated about the destruction of the SNP, Labour’s impending return to power in Holyrood with Anas Sarwar as the next First Minister, and the final putting to bed of the independence …

The Thelma and Louise of Scottish politics
16 Feb 2025 at 6:55pm
Yet another Scottish opinion poll, this time by Norstat (formerly known as Panelbase) for the Sunday Times has confirmed the picture that is becoming clear from other recent opinion polling, Anas Sarwar and the Labour party in Scotland are in deep, deep trouble and unless there is some miracle between now and May 2026, Labour …

The nastification of British politics
14 Feb 2025 at 12:37pm
This week, yet another UK- wide opinion poll put Nigel Farage’s hard right anti-immigrant fan club Reform UK ltd. in poll position in Westminster voting intention. The poll, by YouGov, gave the Faragistes 26%, Labour 25% and the Tories 21%. This was shortly followed by another poll, this time carried out by Find Out Now, …

No jam tomorrow for Grangemouth with Labour
10 Feb 2025 at 12:16pm
We have become so used to the lies and betrayals of the Labour party that a term for them has entered the language, ‘jam tomorrow’. The term was first used in the Lewis Caroll novel Alice Through the Looking-Glass, published in 1871, but by the latter half of the 20th century it had come to …

Starmer?s moral cowardice on Gaza
5 Feb 2025 at 8:03pm
You could be forgiven for forgetting that Keir Starmer used to be a human rights lawyer, after all, Keir Starmer seems to have forgotten too. The world was in shock on Wednesday morning after Donald Trump announced that he had unilaterally torn up the two state solution to the Israel-Palestine problem and intended to remove …

John Swinney ate my cat
4 Feb 2025 at 5:28pm
The British nationalist media is really scraping the bottom of the SNPbad scare story barrel now that it’s looking as though Anas Sarwar’s tenure as Saviour of the Union has been more short lived than most, with the implosion of support for Labour in Scotland. Labour’s chances of forming the next Scottish Government, so widely …

Labour?s Scottish implosion is an opportunity for independence
2 Feb 2025 at 4:22pm
Yet another opinion poll has confirmed what is now an indisputable pattern. The Labour vote in Scotland is imploding. Just a few short months ago, Labour MSPs were triumphantly striding about the corridors of Holyrood like they owned the place, arrogantly expecting that come the next Scottish elections they would repeat their win in the …

Scotland has no future in Farage?s English nationalist UK
26 Jan 2025 at 4:43pm
Given the way in which support for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Ltd was rising in opinion polling, and gaining uncritical publicity in the media, particularly from a Scottish media which sees the hard right as a bulwark against independence and ‘proof’ that Scotland is not politically so different from England, there was bound to be …

The Turd Reich and what it means for Scotland
22 Jan 2025 at 4:19pm
Over in America it’s week one of the Turd Reich. Amongst the lowlights of Monday’s inauguration of Donald Trump as American president was the sight of an overly energetic Elon Musk excitedly making what was looked very like a Nazi salute to a crowd of Trump supporters at an inauguration event. The gesture, which Musk …

Turning things around for the SNP
17 Jan 2025 at 3:03pm
There’s good news and not so good news from recent opinion polling. The good news is that the SNP should easily remain the largest party in Holyrood by quite some margin on current showing, while support for Labour in Scotland is in freefall, the not so good news is that the SNP needs to pick …

The Courier

Scottish Politics News From Holyrood and Westminster | The Courier

Tayside and Fife health boards face axe under Labour plan to ?fix? NHS
21 Feb 2025 at 6:12pm
Anas Sarwar has set out plans to fold Scotland's 14 regional health boards into just three.

Equalities watchdog intervenes in NHS Fife transgender row
21 Feb 2025 at 5:31pm
The Equality and Human Rights Commission asked for policies on changing rooms after a row involving nurse Sandie Peggie and Dr Beth Upton.

Anas Sarwar applies to become first minister ? but faces an uphill battle in ...
21 Feb 2025 at 3:50pm
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar will know there is no route to Bute House that doesn't go through Dundee and Fife.

EXCLUSIVE: NHS Tayside chief executive offers personal apology to data breach...
21 Feb 2025 at 6:00am
The recently-appointed head of the health board, who trained as a nurse, was asked about the incidents in an interview with The Courier.

John Swinney quizzed on Sandie Peggie case as he defends trans changing room ...
20 Feb 2025 at 1:42pm
First Minister John Swinney faced questions about women's access to single-sex spaces in Holyrood.

Stirling adult autism diagnosis service axed despite huge waiting list
20 Feb 2025 at 6:00am
NHS Forth Valley has joined others in scrapping its adult service due to a lack of funding.

SNP health chief Neil Gray backs NHS Fife leadership in trans row
19 Feb 2025 at 3:28pm
Questions over the Sandie Peggie tribunal were put to the senior politician during a visit to Dunfermline.

Dundee survivor of killer Robbie McIntosh slates prison early release scheme
19 Feb 2025 at 11:09am
Linda McDonald was left for dead by McIntosh in August 2017 while the convicted murderer was on home leave from Castle Huntly prison.

NHS Tayside noted ?confrontation? with Humza Yousaf on patient?s medical records
19 Feb 2025 at 6:01am
Theresa Mallet only found out her intervention with the former first minister had been recorded after the health board apologised for leaking her data.

Anger as Dunfermline and Perth lose out on levelling-up millions
18 Feb 2025 at 4:24pm
The two cities were each in line to receive £5 million until the cash was put under review by the new Labour government.

Talking up Scotland

Talking-up Scotland

Why I blocked James Cook ? Losing an argument, he suggests that those who cri...
23 Feb 2025 at 12:54am
My post three days ago – BBC Scotland?s James Cook wallows in one town?s drug deaths but does not tell you what is really happening there ? the trend is down, the treatment is there and the new powerful drugs are pushed by English gangs – prompted a response from James Cook, BBC Scotland News Editor. Leaving aside his frankly astonishing understanding of what a statistical trend might, he notes...

Sarwar will soon face public and political ridicule on his First Minster claim
22 Feb 2025 at 7:21pm
The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser, finishing in 6 days, to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me 74 in June and tiring and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Liz S Anas Sarwar announced...

How the SNP Government tackled a crisis in hospital-acquired infections inher...
22 Feb 2025 at 4:40pm
The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser, finishing in 6 days, to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me 74 in June and tiring and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Anonymous Since the SNP too...

Why Scottish police officers have good reason to be annoyed when lumped in wi...
22 Feb 2025 at 3:34pm
The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser, finishing in 6 days, to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me 74 in June and tiring and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OB...

If elected Jackie Baillie promises to increase social care packages by less t...
22 Feb 2025 at 3:04pm
The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser, finishing in 6 days, to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me 74 in June and tiring and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OB...

Labour fail to run NHS properly ? NHS Scotland now treating many anorexia pat...
22 Feb 2025 at 1:06pm
The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser, finishing in 6 days, to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me 74 in June and tiring and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OB...

Despite reduced support, SNP seem likely to win across the country
22 Feb 2025 at 9:54am
The Talking-up Scotland fund raise, finishing in 6 days, to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me 74 in June and tiring and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA...

?Cuckooing? becomes new offence in England and Wales, ?Gangland violence spil...
22 Feb 2025 at 8:17am
The Talking-up Scotland fund raise, finishing in 6 days, to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me 74 in June and tiring and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA...

Chaos for drivers and passengers as both of Isle of Wight privatised ferry se...
21 Feb 2025 at 7:20pm
The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily, finishing in 7 days, to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me 74 in June and tiring and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Ro...

The most heinous if not criminal failure of the Scottish media in general and...
21 Feb 2025 at 12:01pm
The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily, finishing in 7 days, to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me 74 in June and tiring and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson Professor John Rober...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

In the UK, Scottish independence and Irish reunification have lost their appe...
10 Jan 2025 at 8:00am
In the UK, Scottish independence and Irish reunification have lost their appeal  Le Monde

Salmond planned Independence town - Alba Party candidate - BBC.com
21 Feb 2025 at 11:27am
Salmond planned Independence town - Alba Party candidate  BBC.com

Scottish independence campaigners to take case to UN decolonisation group - T...
21 Feb 2025 at 3:05pm
Scottish independence campaigners to take case to UN decolonisation group  The National

'Shameful' Nicola Sturgeon kickstarted work on Scottish independence in middl...
23 Feb 2025 at 12:01am
'Shameful' Nicola Sturgeon kickstarted work on Scottish independence in middle of Covid pandemic  Scottish Daily Express

Will Scotland Ever Become Independent? - Forbes
19 Oct 2024 at 8:00am
Will Scotland Ever Become Independent?  Forbes

Scottish independence referendum: legal issues - Commons Library
16 Sep 2024 at 8:00am
Scottish independence referendum: legal issues  Commons Library

Is the dream of Scottish independence over? - POLITICO Europe
1 May 2024 at 8:00am
Is the dream of Scottish independence over?  POLITICO Europe

Scottish independence: 10 years on - YouGov
17 Sep 2024 at 8:00am
Scottish independence: 10 years on  YouGov

10th anniversary of the Scottish independence referendum - Sky News
18 Sep 2024 at 8:00am
10th anniversary of the Scottish independence referendum  Sky News

Election 2024: Scotland headed for huge change with SNP set to lose dozens of...
31 May 2024 at 8:00am
Election 2024: Scotland headed for huge change with SNP set to lose dozens of seats to Labour  The Conversation

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

Labour ?have ignored two-child cap data request for two months?, SNP minister...
23 Feb 2025 at 5:05am
Labour ?have ignored two-child cap data request for two months?, SNP minister says  The National

Scottish Labour faces ?challenge? to win next Holyrood elections, Sarwar admi...
20 Feb 2025 at 2:39pm
Scottish Labour faces ?challenge? to win next Holyrood elections, Sarwar admits  The Guardian

SNP-led Falkirk could raise council tax bills by 'eye-watering' 14% - MSN
21 Feb 2025 at 8:55pm
SNP-led Falkirk could raise council tax bills by 'eye-watering' 14%  MSN

SNP MSP Audrey Nicoll to stand down at Holyrood 2026 election - BBC.com
9 Feb 2025 at 8:00am
SNP MSP Audrey Nicoll to stand down at Holyrood 2026 election  BBC.com

Groaning about your council tax bill? Blame 18 years of the SNP - HeraldScotland
22 Feb 2025 at 6:33am
Groaning about your council tax bill? Blame 18 years of the SNP  HeraldScotland

Why the SNP can?t lose - The Spectator
21 Feb 2025 at 8:05pm
Why the SNP can?t lose  The Spectator

SNP Government criticised for lack of action on Rural Delivery Plan - The Sco...
19 Feb 2025 at 9:30pm
SNP Government criticised for lack of action on Rural Delivery Plan  The Scotsman

The SNP are tying themselves into knots on trans issues again - The Telegraph
21 Feb 2025 at 4:09pm
The SNP are tying themselves into knots on trans issues again  The Telegraph

Anas Sarwar admits Keir Starmer's time in power has been tough - but he's con...
19 Feb 2025 at 8:46pm
Anas Sarwar admits Keir Starmer's time in power has been tough - but he's confident Scottish Labour will oust SNP  Sky News

A PSA SNP associates with cellular function and clinical outcome in men with ...
6 Nov 2024 at 8:00am
A PSA SNP associates with cellular function and clinical outcome in men with prostate cancer  Nature.com

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

Salmond planned Independence town - Alba Party candidate - BBC.com
21 Feb 2025 at 11:27am
Salmond planned Independence town - Alba Party candidate  BBC.com

'Pro-UK, no ifs no buts': Reform rule out Scottish independence referendum - ...
21 Feb 2025 at 9:00pm
'Pro-UK, no ifs no buts': Reform rule out Scottish independence referendum  The National

In the UK, Scottish independence and Irish reunification have lost their appe...
10 Jan 2025 at 8:00am
In the UK, Scottish independence and Irish reunification have lost their appeal  Le Monde

Holyrood 2026 should not be used as referendum on Keir Starmer, Labour MP war...
19 Feb 2025 at 5:00am
Holyrood 2026 should not be used as referendum on Keir Starmer, Labour MP warns  HeraldScotland

Election 2024: Scotland headed for huge change with SNP set to lose dozens of...
31 May 2024 at 8:00am
Election 2024: Scotland headed for huge change with SNP set to lose dozens of seats to Labour  The Conversation

Is the dream of Scottish independence over? - POLITICO Europe
1 May 2024 at 8:00am
Is the dream of Scottish independence over?  POLITICO Europe

10th anniversary of the Scottish independence referendum - Sky News
18 Sep 2024 at 8:00am
10th anniversary of the Scottish independence referendum  Sky News

Ten years on from Scotland?s independence referendum - The Economist
18 Sep 2024 at 8:00am
Ten years on from Scotland?s independence referendum  The Economist

Scottish independence: 10 years on - YouGov
17 Sep 2024 at 8:00am
Scottish independence: 10 years on  YouGov

How Brexit has changed Scotland?s constitutional debate - National Centre for...
18 Sep 2024 at 8:00am
How Brexit has changed Scotland?s constitutional debate  National Centre for Social Research