The Herald

The Herald | Politics


Scotland's population hits record high amid 'unprecedented demographic shifts'
2 Dec 2025 at 10:35am
For the ninth year in a row, according to the figures, the number of deaths in 2024 exceeded the number of births.


Scottish Greens unveil free bus travel for under-30s as key budget demand
2 Dec 2025 at 9:13am
They want the upcoming budget to include the pledge, which would build on the current regime of free bus travel for under-22s.


Rachel Reeves told to step down as Chancellor following 'black hole' comments
2 Dec 2025 at 7:35am
First Minister John Swinney made similar claims on Monday, telling the BBC: ?Rachel Reeves has quite clearly misled the public and the financial markets."


Say Nothing review: Drama spanning Troubles homes in on a shocking crime
2 Dec 2025 at 5:53am
Alison Rowat reviews Say Nothing, a new drama that charts one woman's commitment to the cause of the IRA - and the price she and others paid.


Why the Scot pushing for secret Sturgeon files is not 'hopeful' of release
2 Dec 2025 at 5:02am
A Scot battling the Scottish Government to release secret evidence to an inquiry into Nicola Sturgeon is "not hopeful" SNP ministers will make the files public.


The death of community policing? 180 police stations have closed since 2013
2 Dec 2025 at 8:01am
The organisation, which represents rank and file officers, said 180 stations had closed since Police Scotland was formed in 2013.


So will SNP ministers now release secret evidence to Sturgeon probe?
1 Dec 2025 at 4:12pm
SNP ministers were ordered last week to release secret files given to a major investigation into whether Nicola Sturgeon broke the ministerial code.


OBR chairman quits after scathing report slates leadership over forecast leak
1 Dec 2025 at 2:59pm
The inadvertent release of the Office for Budget Responsibility?s forecasts last week has ?inflicted heavy damage? on the watchdog?s reputation.


NHS Fife admits outgoing chief signed off on controversial Sandie Peggie stat...
1 Dec 2025 at 2:06pm
NHS Fife has confirmed outgoing chief executive Carol Potter approved a disputed statement issued during the Sandie Peggie tribunal, now subject to further legal action.


Energy firm blames Labour windfall tax as a hundred more jobs lost
1 Dec 2025 at 12:17pm
Harbour Energy will cut a further 100 offshore jobs in Aberdeen, blaming lower prices and the Energy Profits Levy, amid growing industry anger.


From Islay to Nato: The noble journey of a statesman who proved nothing is im...
1 Dec 2025 at 12:00pm
This is the full speech delivered at The Herald?s Scottish Politician of the Year Awards, where Lord George Robertson received the Lifetime Achievement Award.


Scottish Labour MPs leadership fears as Starmer denies 'misleading' public on...
1 Dec 2025 at 11:59am
Scottish Labour MPs fear the party could be 'slaughtered' at the Holyrood elections despite Keir Starmer insisting there was 'no misleading' over the budget.


Susan Aitken tells how Glasgow would create jobs and housing with devolved power
1 Dec 2025 at 7:07am
Glasgow would be able to create more jobs, build more housing and public transport with greater devolution of power.


Genital mutilation law unimplemented five years on as Glasgow treats 1,200 women
1 Dec 2025 at 5:30am
Laws to protect women and girls from female genital mutilation have not been implemented after five years, with more than 1,200 treated in Glasgow since.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


As Rachel Reeves battles to survive, Labour needs to stop the self-inflicted ...
2 Dec 2025 at 6:00am
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has further damaged Labour?s credibility by making an avoidable mistake


After disappointing Budget, here's what North Sea oil industry needs from Labour
1 Dec 2025 at 5:59pm
The North Sea has powered this country for decades and can underpin the next chapter of our energy transition too ? if governments make the right decisions


Now Keir Starmer is telling porkies in vain attempt to defend Rachel Reeves
1 Dec 2025 at 5:58pm
This Budget was all about keeping Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves in power, argues Brian Monteith


Sandie Peggie to take further action against health board as it is confirmed ...
1 Dec 2025 at 4:08pm

Sandie Peggie?s legal team has confirmed she will take further action against NHS Fife as it is confirmed the health board?s CEO signed off controversial statement

John Swinney has suggested Rachel Reeves? future as Chancellor was ?untenable?.

Wings over Scotland

Wishing for swans
1 Dec 2025 at 1:58pm
For lack of anything more interesting to write about, we thought we might do a monthly rundown of polling in the leadup to next year’s Holyrood election, with seat projections from a neutral source, in the shape of the newish Devolved Elections website. And very quickly, things got a bit weird. Our original thought was …

The Groomers? Friends
27 Nov 2025 at 12:59pm
We’re just putting this here for the record, really. It’s a “debate” from the Scottish Parliament last night, on a motion from Patrick Harvie complaining that vulnerable children aren’t being pushed into a programme of lifelong medicalisation, sterilisation and mutilation quickly enough. The motion completely ignored both the findings of the Cass Review and the …

Searching And Looking
22 Nov 2025 at 9:44pm
Disgraced ex-policeman and notorious vexatious serial complainant Lynsay Watson is having quite the meltdown on the groomer-and-paedophile haven Bluesky tonight. Let’s listen in. The trigger is that Watson has been asked to attend a voluntary police interview in connection with allegations of harassment against him – something that’s happened before, and which he’s managed to …

Reach For The Stars (And Stripes)
19 Nov 2025 at 8:49am
To be honest, we’re mainly putting these here so you don’t have to keep looking at that picture of Alan Cumming. But they also show what you can achieve, whether in football or politics, if you actually attack rather than being content to endlessly shuttle it all sideways and backwards until you get beaten without …

Over The Hill And Down The Slope
14 Nov 2025 at 1:15pm
We’ve just been leaked the SNP’s first poster roughs for Holyrood 2026. One more push, everyone!

Grift Away
8 Nov 2025 at 2:31pm
Oh good, another plan. Just three and a half years to wait. Should we, what’s the phrase, “Save The Date”? Rhetorical question, obviously. If you’re in a hurry, folks, just scroll down to the video and start there, because Believe In Scotland’s latest wheeze to get hold of your folding money and stash it in …

Rise Of The Machine
7 Nov 2025 at 11:49am
It’s Wings’ 14th birthday today, and to be entirely honest with you, readers, like a lot of teenagers we’re having a bit of an existential crisis. It’s quite difficult to see any point in being a Scottish political journalist for the next five years, because it’s just going to be one depressing Groundhog Day after …

How To Create Racists
29 Oct 2025 at 2:36pm
This really is an extraordinary headline, for multiple reasons. Because what actually IS “the rise of Reform”? ? The only thing “the rise of Reform” can possibly mean here is “more and more people choosing to vote for, or express their support for, a particular lawful political party in a democracy”. Why are we supposed …

Great news, everyone!
27 Oct 2025 at 11:04am
We?re important! Something to look forward to there, then.

The Music That Nobody Likes
24 Oct 2025 at 12:42pm
Perhaps the key graphic from last night’s by-election in Caerphilly is this one (green means Plaid Cymru in the context of Wales): In the end, Plaid won pretty comfortably in what had been predicted to be a very tight contest between them and Reform, with a majority of almost 4,000. But Plaid aren’t going to …

Craig Murray

The Terrifying Case of Natalie Strecker
2 Dec 2025 at 8:30am

I am confident that over 2 million people in the UK have shared thoughts on the Genocide in Gaza that are stronger than anything Natalie Strecker has expressed. I am quite certain that I am one of those 2 million. Yet Natalie Strecker, an avowed pacifist and mother of young children, today faces up to …

The Terrifying Case of Natalie Strecker

Resisting Authoritarianism
28 Nov 2025 at 8:34am

In the last three days I have been in London at the judicial review of Palestine Action and today I am in Jersey for the terrorist trial of Natalie Strecker. I made a brief impromptu speech outside the High Court, in intervening to try and stop some people in wheelchairs from being arrested as “terrorists”, …

Resisting Authoritarianism

Judicial Malfeasance and Palestine Action
26 Nov 2025 at 2:56am

The Scottish judicial review of the proscription of Palestine Action – funded so far by readers of this blog – has been simply shelved by delay tactics that plainly break the Scottish legal system’s own rules. Our case was ruled competent for us to serve the petition on the UK government. They replied in the …

Judicial Malfeasance and Palestine Action

The Beat of the War Drums
20 Nov 2025 at 6:34am

In fascist lockstep, the entire British media, broadcast and print, corporate and state, is leading with a Ministry of Defence press release about a “Russian spy ship” inside “British waters”. No British media appears to have been able to speak to anybody who knows the first thing about the Law of the Sea. Here are …

The Beat of the War Drums

UN Reform and Scottish Independence
14 Nov 2025 at 11:06am

Scottish Independence is an extremely attractive prospect to states at the United Nations, and for reasons that you might not expect. Every state knows that the current UN structure is outdated and indefensible, with five states – US, China, Russia, UK and France – having a permanent seat and a total veto on the Security …

UN Reform and Scottish Independence

The Four Mentors of King Charles
6 Nov 2025 at 3:40pm

As Godfather to Prince William, heir to the British throne, Prince Charles chose his close friend and adviser Laurens van der Post. A paedophile. Van der Post raped a 14 year old girl who had been given into his care for the sea voyage from South Africa to London. He then installed her in a …

The Four Mentors of King Charles

BBC Scotland

The SQA has been scrapped. Why and what now?
2 Dec 2025 at 6:12am
Qualifications Scotland comes into being on Tuesday but is it any more than a rebranding of the existing exams agency?

Reeves should resign for misleading public, says Swinney
1 Dec 2025 at 12:53pm
The first minister has called for the chancellor to step down due to comments she made ahead of the Budget.

Should football fans be banned from games for using pyrotechnics?
30 Nov 2025 at 1:10pm
The Scottish government is seeking views on whether banning orders should be given out for the use of flares or fireworks at matches.

Cameron barracks asylum plans 'made up on back of an envelope' - Swinney
30 Nov 2025 at 1:31pm
John Swinney made the remarks the day after plans to place 300 men in Cameron Barracks in Inverness by early December were delayed.

Ministers ordered to publish Sturgeon inquiry evidence
28 Nov 2025 at 3:39pm
The Scottish government has been ordered to publish some of the written evidence from an investigation into whether Nicola Sturgeon broke the ministerial code.

Scotland's former Ukip leader denies taking pro-Russian payments
28 Nov 2025 at 12:08pm
A prominent former MEP for Nigel Farage's old party denies taking bribes in a pro-Russian campaign.

Sandie Peggie lawyer says Scottish government is in denial
27 Nov 2025 at 1:08pm
Lawyer Naomi Cunningham says the Supreme Court judgment is "a model of clarity and simplicity".

MSPs pass emergency bill to fix business rates blunder
27 Nov 2025 at 6:56pm
The government is seeking to correct a legislative error in a bid to avoid a £400m bill to refund taxpayers.

No changes to Scottish income tax plan, Robison says
27 Nov 2025 at 12:53pm
The finance secretary says rates will not rise and no new bands will be introduced in January's Budget.

No independence referendum if SNP wins majority, Reeves says
27 Nov 2025 at 12:08pm
The chancellor has refused to support a second vote if the SNP wins a majority of seats in May.

Prestwick Airport remains in public hands as bidder pulls out
27 Nov 2025 at 6:00pm
Prestwick Airport has been owned by the Scottish government since 2013.

Tax, benefits and minimum wage: What does the Budget mean for Scotland?
26 Nov 2025 at 6:01pm
Rachel Reeves has outlined her tax and spending plans but how do they impact on Scotland?

Scot Goes Pop

Scot Goes Pop: The Final Fundraiser (plus an update about the video blogging ...
1 Dec 2025 at 6:37am
Click here to go straight to the fundraiser page.Scot Goes Pop's annual fundraiser for 2025 ended up getting much, much closer to its target figure than I ever thought was possible, so a million th...

STUNNING YouGov polling confirms SNP are far more popular with voters in Scot...
30 Nov 2025 at 5:59am
* .* .*With just over one month of the year left to go, the 2025 Scot Goes Pop fundraiser is still short of its target figure.  If you'd like to help keep the lights on during the several months it...

IT'S OFFICIAL: Rachel Reeves confirms Scotland is in a FORCED union with Engl...
28 Nov 2025 at 11:17am
* .* .*With just over one month of the year left to go, the 2025 Scot Goes Pop fundraiser is still short of its target figure.  If you'd like to help keep the lights on during the several months it...

Does the Alba Party's "princess" Shannon Cullen regret her ill-judged associa...
27 Nov 2025 at 1:12pm
In a way it's ironic that the Alba Party have become so vehemently anti-monarchy, because they certainly believe in the principle of Royal Families within their own ranks.  Famously, Christina Hend...

Landmark YouGov poll shows how SNP could win independence by holding the bala...
26 Nov 2025 at 6:08am
* .* .*With just over one month of the year left to go, the 2025 Scot Goes Pop fundraiser is still short of its target figure.  If you'd like to help keep the lights on during the several months it...

Scotland becoming a "YouGov democracy" is not the road to independence
25 Nov 2025 at 6:19am
* .* .*With just over one month of the year left to go, the 2025 Scot Goes Pop fundraiser is still short of its target figure.  If you'd like to help keep the lights on during the several months it...

Nothing succeeds like secession
24 Nov 2025 at 4:45pm
Just a quick note to let you know I am one of the interviewees in Dani Garavelli's Radio 4 documentary If At First You Don't Secede..., which is about the epic saga of the ever-elusive Indyref 2.  ...

"War is not a Hollywood movie. Living, breathing people are the ones who mus...
23 Nov 2025 at 6:23pm
Iuliia Mendel on Twitter: "Every subsequent deal for Ukraine will only be worse ? because we are losing. We are losing people, territory, and the economy.The EU (which by the way has paid Russia mo...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

Twelve prisoners accidentally released since November, Lammy says
2 Dec 2025 at 9:11am
The Justice Secretary David Lammy also confirmed that two of those prisoners are still at large.

Head of OBR resigns after Budget publishing error
1 Dec 2025 at 5:02pm
Richard Hughes announced his resignation on Monday to allow the watchdog to 'quickly move on' from the leak of the Budget.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves ?very clearly? misled the public ahead of the Budget...
1 Dec 2025 at 12:57pm
Labour ministers have denied any suggestion that the chancellor misled voters.

Labour MP Tulip Siddiq given jail sentence in Bangladesh after corruption trial
1 Dec 2025 at 6:54am
Tulip Siddiq did not attend the trial in Bangladesh and has previously said it was full of "fabricated accusations and driven by a clear political vendetta."

Swinney ?not being fully candid? about Cameron Barracks notification
30 Nov 2025 at 7:48pm
The Government has paused plans to house 300 asylum seekers at the site in Inverness.

Football banning orders could be extended to crack down on pyrotechnics and o...
30 Nov 2025 at 11:51am
Football Banning Orders are court orders that prevent individuals from attending all regulated matches in the UK.

Reeves: Investigation into ?black hole? Budget claims ?not necessary?
30 Nov 2025 at 12:01am
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has defended her Budget measures following a row over her claim that she faced a £20 million gap in meeting her fiscal rules.

Cameron Barracks asylum seeker plans ?made up on back of an envelope? ? Swinney
29 Nov 2025 at 6:49pm
Concerns had been raised about the impact on the community in Inverness.

Asylum hotel protests ?racist?, says Swinney
29 Nov 2025 at 6:11pm
The First Minister said far-right prejudice is 'contaminating our politics' and called on Scots to work to create a cohesive society

Flynn warns foundations of UK ?can?t and won?t be fixed? as SNP eyes indyref2
29 Nov 2025 at 10:45am
The SNP Westminster leader has urged Scots to back his party at next year?s election.

Scottish Ministers ordered to publish wrongly withheld Sturgeon inquiry evidence
28 Nov 2025 at 6:57pm
The Information Commissioner said ministers failed to disclose some information requested under FOI rules.

Scottish Government update on grooming gangs inquiry to be set out ?before Ch...
27 Nov 2025 at 2:23pm
John Swinney was once again challenged to agree to establish a national inquiry at First Minister's Questions on Thursday.

John Swinney to face FMQs following chancellor?s UK Budget announcement
27 Nov 2025 at 11:45am
The chancellor scrapped the two-child benefit cap among a raft of tax and spending changes on Wednesday.

Net migration falls to lowest in years but number in asylum hotels surges
27 Nov 2025 at 10:02am
Net migration to the UK was estimated at 204,000 in the 12 months to June 2025.

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Everything you need to know about free bus travel for every Scot under 30
2 Dec 2025 at 4:45am
The policy will be central to the Greens' Budget negotiations with the SNP.

SNP Government urged to consider asylum hotel protest curbs by abortion buffe...
2 Dec 2025 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: Gillian Mackay was responsible for safe access zones for women outside clinics and said asylum seekers may need similar protections.

Free bus travel for everyone under 30 is top Budget demand for Scottish Greens
2 Dec 2025 at 4:30am
John Swinney's SNP Government will announce its Budget next month.

OBR chairman resigns after leak of Budget and 'worst mishap' in body's history
1 Dec 2025 at 5:06pm
Richard Hughes said he was resigning to allow the OBR to ?quickly move on from this regrettable incident?.

'Absolute and total bollocks' - Scottish Labour MP reacts to claims Keir Star...
1 Dec 2025 at 4:08pm
EXCLUSIVE: The senior party figure dismissed the idea of a contest ahead of the Holyrood election.

Number of asylum seekers in Scottish hotels - everything you need to know
1 Dec 2025 at 1:09pm
New figures provide a breakdown of the number of asylum seekers in hotels north of the border

Rachel Reeves urged to quit over Budget 'lying' as Keir Starmer denies mislea...
1 Dec 2025 at 12:30pm
Keir Starmer backed his Chancellor over claims she knew about a rosier economic outlook when she made a gloomy speech about the Budget.

Labour MP sentenced to two years in prison by Bangladeshi court after corrupt...
1 Dec 2025 at 8:27am
Labour MP Tulip Siddiq has been sentenced by a court in Bangladesh to two years in prison for corruption involving a government land project. Her aunt, ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, was sent...

Scots could get £300 off their electricity bills if they have storage heaters
1 Dec 2025 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: Scottish Labour Minister Martin McCluskey revealed the saving amid a war of words over the Budget.

The UK Labour Budget was a 'shambles' and let down Scotland
1 Dec 2025 at 4:30am
In his Daily Record column, First Minister John Swinney criticised the Chancellor's Budget for its impact on Scots.

The National

The National | Politics

CalMac ferry being built in Turkey faces another delay
2 Dec 2025 at 10:25am

A FERRY being built in Turkey for CalMac is facing a further delay, with officials saying it will be a ?challenge? to have it arrive in Scotland before Christmas ...

Rachel Reeves's opinion on independence 'doesn't carry much weight' ? Stephen...
2 Dec 2025 at 10:07am

CHANCELLOR Rachel Reeves?s opinion on another independence referendum does not carry much weight, according to SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn ...

Calls for MSPs to back free bus travel for everyone under 30
2 Dec 2025 at 9:06am

MSPs are being called on to extend free bus travel to everyone under 30 at the upcoming Scottish Budget

Karen Adam: The North East and the windfall wrecking ball
2 Dec 2025 at 5:00am

There's a conversation I?ve been having more and more often lately when I?m out on the doors or speaking to workers across the North East, and it usually begins with the same question: 'Why is the UK Government doing this to us?'

Transphobia is just the first step in removing rights from all women and girls
2 Dec 2025 at 5:00am

There's something familiar in the far right?s mounting attacks on abortion rights here in the UK

'Far more harm than good': Scottish Government slams fresh Labour welfare cra...
1 Dec 2025 at 8:04pm

The Scottish Government has strongly condemned Labour after the Prime Minister signalled a fresh crack down on welfare reforms

Politicians are taking journalists for a ride ? and they're sick of it
1 Dec 2025 at 7:00pm

There is a dangerous cycle of mistrust going on ? politicians don?t trust journalists and journalists don?t trust politicians

Current political crisis can be traced back to the pandemic years
1 Dec 2025 at 6:45pm

IT is obvious, from the tragic findings of the covid report, that the years 2020-2023 are pivotal in understanding the political crisis that is now unfolding in the UK.

Does Rachel Reeves think we're too stupid to know we're being conned?
1 Dec 2025 at 6:54pm

WITH Keir Starmer insisting that Rachel Reeves did not mislead the public and the Budget was a moment of personal pride to him, shouldn?t he have sealed both his political fate and that of his erstwhile Chancellor?

BBC 'chose not to cover' St Andrews Day service celebrating Saltire
1 Dec 2025 at 6:00pm

THE BBC has been slammed after "choosing not to cover" a St Andrew?s Day service where politicians and faith leaders united behind the Saltire.

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

UK Government promises clarity over Scotland?s space sector
2 Dec 2025 at 11:05am
The UK Government has pledged to set out a strategic approach to supporting the Scottish space sector in 2026

OBR chair resigns over Budget leak
1 Dec 2025 at 11:01pm
Richard Hughes announced his resignation after an investigation into the leak described it as the ?worst failure? in the OBR?s 15-year history

OBR calls in cyber expert over leaked budget analysis
27 Nov 2025 at 4:40pm
The Office for Budget Responsibility has said it will be taking advice from a cybersecurity expert after it leaked an analysis of the budget ?in error? on its website

Rachel Reeves: There won?t be another referendum
27 Nov 2025 at 3:40pm
Shona Robison accused the chancellor of an ?astonishing level of arrogance?

Scottish Government urged to cut income tax
27 Nov 2025 at 2:20pm
Russell Findlay said the decision by the UK Government to abolish the two-child cap on benefits freed up money earmarked to mitigate that policy

Help ban purchase of sex in Scotland, John Swinney is urged
27 Nov 2025 at 1:46pm
Move would 'finally make good on a policy position that we have held for decades', Scottish Parliament hears

Is John Swinney?s new age verification app the first step towards digital ID?
27 Nov 2025 at 10:06am
'The SNP loudly declared their opposition to the UK Government?s Digital ID scheme, so it is very interesting that they seem to be ushering in a scheme of their own,' said Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton

Scots ?cooling? on immigration ? but voters still want workers
27 Nov 2025 at 7:01am
Change does not equate to 'outright hostility', think tank Migration Policy Scotland finds

Council had ?gaps in cybersecurity? before ransomware attack
27 Nov 2025 at 7:00am
A report into a cyberattack on a Scottish council has found the local authority had not properly prepared for such an event

Scottish scientists pioneer autism diagnosis video game
27 Nov 2025 at 6:00am
Scientists at the University of Strathclyde have developed a video game that could detect autism in children aged between two and six years old

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

Starmer says budget did not break manifesto tax pledge ? as it happened
27 Nov 2025 at 5:54pm
PM says: ?We kept to our manifesto in terms of what we?ve promised. But I accept the challenge that we?ve asked everybody to contribute?Ask the Guardian your budget questionsShare your views on the new ?mansion tax?Budget calculator: find out if you are better or worse offThe Conservative party i...

Uk politics: Streeting defends asylum policy, but says he?s not ?comfortable?...
19 Nov 2025 at 5:31pm
Health secretary still maintains that forced removals are ?right thing to do for the country?Healey is now taking questions.Q: How close are are we to war?It is Labour that is the party of defence. Continue reading...

Starmer stands by McSweeney and says he has been ?assured no briefings agains...
13 Nov 2025 at 6:06pm
This blog has now closed, you can read more on this story herePA Media has more on what the monthly performance figures from NHS England show. PA says:The data shows 180,329 people in England had been waiting more than a year to start routine hospital treatment at the end of September, down from ...

Scotland plans to issue £1.5bn of its own bonds ? ?kilts? rather than gilts
13 Nov 2025 at 12:48pm
Announcement by first minister John Swinney comes after Moody?s and S&P give country same credit rating as UKThe Scottish first minister John Swinney has said Edinburgh is on track to issue its own government bonds, nicknamed ?kilts?, after the country was given the same credit rating as the UK.T...

The Guardian view on Scottish land reform: vast estates remain feudal in scal...
9 Nov 2025 at 5:25pm
Half of the country?s privately owned countryside is held by just 421 owners. New legislation suggests democrats still fear powerful interestsNo other European country has such a narrow base of proprietorship as Scotland. Half of all privately owned rural land is held by 421 people or entities. T...

Nicola Sturgeon: I understand why people doubt my ignorance of alleged SNP em...
7 Nov 2025 at 3:20pm
?Trust me, I had no idea? about potential wrongdoing in Scottish National party, says former first ministerNicola Sturgeon on leadership, scandal and trolling the trolls ? podcastNicola Sturgeon has said she fully understands why many people find it hard to believe she had no idea about alleged e...

Nicola Sturgeon on leadership, scandal and trolling the trolls ? podcast
7 Nov 2025 at 5:00am
In a special, bonus episode of Politics Weekly, Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey sit down with Scotland?s former first minister Nicola Sturgeon for a frank conversation about her time in office and the future of nationalist politics.Nothing is off the table: her leadership, Covid, the gender row tha...

Lammy says he was not ?equipped with the details? when facing questions on mi...
6 Nov 2025 at 5:22pm
This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereDavid Lammy, the deputy PM and justice secretary, has welcomed the fact that Billy Smith is back in custody, but described the spike in release mistakes as ?unacceptable?.According to PA Media, Lammy said:William Smith is back in c...

Met police issue statement with more information about missing Algerian priso...
5 Nov 2025 at 6:18pm
This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereDavid Lammy starts by saying the PM is in Brazil.He says the thoughts of all MPs are still with the victims of the appalling attacks in Huntingdon and Peterborough, where, he says, he was at school for seven years. Continue reading...

Reeves says she should have checked rental licence had been obtained as letti...
30 Oct 2025 at 6:50pm
No 10 releases redacted emails between Reeves? husband and letting agentRachel Reeves? rental error: standards adviser looking at new informationRobert Peston, ITV?s political editor, says he thinks it is a mistake for the Conservatives to be saying Rachel Reeves should have to resign over the re...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

The Scottish Languages Act
1 Dec 2025 at 6:56pm
Scotland’s status as a multilingual country is now recognised in law with the Scottish Languages Act coming into force on St Andrew’s Day. The Act beefs up the legal protections previously given to Gaelic and elevates it to the status of an official language of Scotland. For the first time in history, official legal recognition …

I?m disabled, here?s the truth about the Motability scheme.
29 Nov 2025 at 4:06pm
The Labour party has capitulated to right wing demonisation of the most vulnerable minority group in the country, the disabled. I’ve pointed this out before but it bears repeating. The disabled are the only minority group that anyone can become a part of at any time. Anyone can become involved in a serious accident that …

The lie that protects the rich from tax rises
27 Nov 2025 at 3:30pm
Better late than never, Rachel Reeves finally followed the lead of the SNP Government in Holyrood and announced that the heinous two child cap on benefits will finally be abolished from May next year, cue a load of hypocritical Labour MPs trying to pretend that they supported this measure all along despite voting to keep …

Hope of a better Scotland can defeat the far right
25 Nov 2025 at 2:42pm
Racists complain that migrants don’t want to learn English and integrate, but when migrants do want to learn English and integrate, racists mount a protest outside the school where English language lessons are being given to the mothers of some of the pupils, insisting that they are “protecting our kids” from unvetted adults on school …

The Scottish media?s covid double standards
21 Nov 2025 at 1:37pm
Did Nicola Sturgeon get everything right during the Covid pandemic when she headed a devolved government limited powers at its disposal and she was faced with an anti-independence Scottish media that screamed she was politicising the pandemic in order to further the cause of independence whenever she sought to diverge from the line being taken …

A Labour vote in Scotland is a vote not to matter
19 Nov 2025 at 5:01pm
You’ve got to hand it to the Labour party, they are certainly consistent, consistent in their shafting of Scottish workers. It’s almost as though, despite Labour’s protestations to the contrary, Scottish votes don’t matter to the Labour party and its strategists. We’ve seen a party which campaigned on the slogan vote Labour to save Grangemouth …

Starmer?s Labour enables fascism
17 Nov 2025 at 6:58pm
When the race baiting far right criminal Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and the hard right Reform UK are praising Labour’s policies, you know that something has gone profoundly wrong in a party which purports to be on the centre-left. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced a set of measures which are aimed at making the lives of …

Just get your boots off our necks, Westminster
14 Nov 2025 at 3:23pm
In an interview with The National newspaper, the actor Alan Cumming, who currently hosts the US version of the popular show The Traitors and who is outspoken in his support for Scottish independence, demanded “Get just get your boots off our necks, Westminster.” He made the powerful call for Scottish self-determination in connection with the …

No, independence supporters? compaints about BBC bias are nothing like Trump
12 Nov 2025 at 3:01pm
There is certainly no love lost between supporters of Scottish independence and the BBC. It is however egregious I’m-not-a-nationalist-I’m-British bollocks to suggest, as former Labour party hack Carlos Alba writes in Wednesday’s Herald newspaper, that Yes supporters are now on the side of Donald Trump as he threatens the Corporation with a billion dollar lawsuit …

Believe in Scotland?s path to independence, the routemap we need
10 Nov 2025 at 7:25pm
I have previously blogged about my view that the UK is entering a terminal phase crisis which it is unlikely to survive in its current form. The pro-independence campaign group Believe in Scotland is of a similar opinion and believes that this crisis provides Scotland and Wales with a unique opportunity to seize independence and …

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 'Albatraz'

Scotland produces 5-6 times more gas than it consumes annually, making it a n...
2 Dec 2025 at 10:04am
In the Guardian today: Report detailing risk to UK gas security was not one to bury on budget day – In short, Neso found there is an ?emerging? risk of Britain running out of gas if an important piece of kit were to be out of action at a bad moment. It modelled five ?pathways? for gas demand out to 2030 and 2035 and tested against a prolonged spell of very cold weather. Here is the key sentence...

England and Europe?s hidden landfills at risk of leaking toxic waste into wat...
2 Dec 2025 at 9:41am
Professor John Robertson OBA The Guardian today has two big reports on leaking landfill sites in the UK (sic): UK and Europe?s hidden landfills at risk of leaking toxic waste into water supplies – Thousands of landfills across the UK and Europe sit in floodplains, posing a potential threat to drinking water and conservation areas if toxic waste is released into rivers, soils and ecosystems, it ...

Nearly £300 for carers only in Scotland in run-up to Christmas
2 Dec 2025 at 8:33am
Professor John Robertson OBA From December payment for thousands of Scots carers published yesterday: Carer?s Allowance Supplement will be paid to more than 96,000 carers across Scotland from 4 December. Carer’s Allowance Supplement is an extra payment, currently made twice a year, for people in Scotland who get Carer Support Payment or Carer?s Allowance on the qualifying dates. The payment of ...

UK Labour Health Minister seems unaware that US tech firm which supplies Isra...
2 Dec 2025 at 8:23am
Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Dorothy for this. From the FT yesterday: The UK should ?leverage? its new health data storage service for the ?benefit of the Treasury coffers?, a health minister has said, as well as accelerating the discovery of new treatments for NHS patients.  Zubir Ahmed said in an interview that the government?s new Health Data Research Service (HDRS) will give resea...

13 000 privately owned empty homes brought back into use by Scottish Governme...
2 Dec 2025 at 8:20am
Professor John Robertson OBA From Finding new owners for empty homes published yesterday: A new online portal has been launched to bring empty homeowners together with prospective buyers or developers with the aim of facilitating more properties to be used as homes again.  Covering the whole of Scotland, this builds on the success of local pilots, referred to as ?matchmaker schemes?, which allo...

SNP has planted nearly 20 times as many new trees as Labour Wales and more th...
1 Dec 2025 at 10:36am
Professor John Robertson OBA The Herald today, has: Leading scientists, land managers and environmental campaigners have set out what must be done to save Scotland?s ancient forest, saying, “we must not stand by and see them lost”. The group have published a paper outlining the steps required to overcome threats to Scotland’s “magnificent formations of nature”, Caledonian pinewoods. The risks i...

Sunday Mail makes dishonest use of an English hospitals-only survey to deceiv...
1 Dec 2025 at 10:07am
Professor John Robertson OBA Last week Jackie Baillie was trying to tell us ‘the SNP‘ was not preparing for winter infections despite evidence that Scotland leads the rest of the UK on winter preparations with more flu vaccines delivered, more GPs, more nurses and more beds. For more, see: Yesterday, the Sunday Mail had the above based on a survey by the RCN but entirely in English hospitals – ...

As worrying increases are reported in England, Scotland to be first country i...
1 Dec 2025 at 9:28am
Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC England today, the above and: Women aged in their 50s and 60s have been urged to practise safe sex after a rise in new cases of HIV in heterosexual groups. Remarkably, the BBC Report above seems unaware of this in October 2025, only two months ago, from the London-based European Aids treatment Group: New data shows Scotland could still be first country to e...

Submissive Ayr MP feeds English Health Secretary with lies about her own NHS ...
30 Nov 2025 at 7:40pm
Professor John Robertson OBA On 25 November, Elaine Stewart, MP for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock, joined the tragic trail of Scottish Labour MPs prepared misrepresent their own NHS boards in order to win favour with the UK Labour leadership. Here are the facts she dare not mention: From NHS waiting times ? stage of treatment published yesterday, the above impressive signs of progress. with increasi...

Memories of famous conservationist, Peter Scott, confirm heart-breaking aband...
30 Nov 2025 at 7:11pm
I’ve been getting more feedback than usual on my song and reporting on the the capture of and brutal treatment of the 51st Highland division in 1940. Some has been angry and disputatious. Reader Legerwood has written of three uncles: I have often wondered how many young men from the village, who had joined the TA, ended up being killed or captured at Dunkirk and, like my uncles, spending the re...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

Scottish political snapshot, November 2025 - YouGov
17 Nov 2025 at 8:00am
Scottish political snapshot, November 2025  YouGov

The new hero of Scottish independence? Nigel Farage - politico.eu
13 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
The new hero of Scottish independence? Nigel Farage  politico.eu

Swinney sets out latest plan for an independence referendum - BBC
4 Sep 2025 at 8:00am
Swinney sets out latest plan for an independence referendum  BBC

Scotland Wants to Issue Its Own Bonds. Last Time It Paid With Its Independenc...
30 Nov 2025 at 5:00pm
Scotland Wants to Issue Its Own Bonds. Last Time It Paid With Its Independence.  The Wall Street Journal

No independence referendum if SNP wins majority, Reeves says - BBC
27 Nov 2025 at 12:08pm
No independence referendum if SNP wins majority, Reeves says  BBC

Twenty-five years of data shows how link between identity and views on Scotti...
9 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
Twenty-five years of data shows how link between identity and views on Scottish independence has grown stronger  The Conversation

Scotland casts fresh eye on independence vote as UK's political landscape shi...
24 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
Scotland casts fresh eye on independence vote as UK's political landscape shifts  Courthouse News

A Fresh Start with Independence - The Scottish Government
8 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
A Fresh Start with Independence  The Scottish Government

Politics Candidates spell out different views on Scottish independence - Shet...
29 Nov 2025 at 12:13pm
Politics Candidates spell out different views on Scottish independence  Shetland News

This poll shows how Reform UK are riding high. It offers the Yes movement a l...
29 Nov 2025 at 5:06am
This poll shows how Reform UK are riding high. It offers the Yes movement a lesson  TheNational.scot

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

SNP: Reeves must follow the example of Tim Davie and resign - The Herald
2 Dec 2025 at 7:35am
SNP: Reeves must follow the example of Tim Davie and resign  The Herald

No independence referendum if SNP wins majority, Reeves says - BBC
27 Nov 2025 at 12:08pm
No independence referendum if SNP wins majority, Reeves says  BBC

End new oil and gas drilling - Scottish Greens
2 Dec 2025 at 11:12am
End new oil and gas drilling  Scottish Greens

SNP Government urged to consider asylum hotel protest curbs by abortion buffe...
2 Dec 2025 at 4:30am
SNP Government urged to consider asylum hotel protest curbs by abortion buffer zone law MSP  Daily Record

The SNP have crossed the line on abortion - The Spectator
18 Nov 2025 at 8:00am
The SNP have crossed the line on abortion  The Spectator

Chancellor ruling out another independence vote does not carry weight ? Flynn...
2 Dec 2025 at 9:41am
Chancellor ruling out another independence vote does not carry weight ? Flynn  The Independent

Full list of all 180 police stations closed since the SNP merged our forces i...
2 Dec 2025 at 9:53am
Full list of all 180 police stations closed since the SNP merged our forces into one  Scottish Daily Express

SNP urges watchdog to investigate Rachel Reeves's 'false' pre-Budget briefing...
29 Nov 2025 at 7:40pm
SNP urges watchdog to investigate Rachel Reeves's 'false' pre-Budget briefing claims  TheNational.scot

SNP calls for ?fresh start? at fifth term at Holyrood - Morning Star | The Pe...
29 Nov 2025 at 12:01am
SNP calls for ?fresh start? at fifth term at Holyrood  Morning Star | The People?s Daily

Nicola Sturgeon: I understand why people doubt my ignorance of alleged SNP em...
7 Nov 2025 at 8:00am
Nicola Sturgeon: I understand why people doubt my ignorance of alleged SNP embezzlement  The Guardian

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

No independence referendum if SNP wins majority, Reeves says - BBC
27 Nov 2025 at 12:08pm
No independence referendum if SNP wins majority, Reeves says  BBC

Ukraine Today: Russia slams ?flawed? Scotland referendum; Kremlin observers c...
30 Nov 2025 at 12:20pm
Ukraine Today: Russia slams ?flawed? Scotland referendum; Kremlin observers critical of independence vote (VIDEO)  Kyiv Post

Why Alberta?s push for independence pales in comparison to Scotland?s in 2014...
27 May 2025 at 8:00am
Why Alberta?s push for independence pales in comparison to Scotland?s in 2014  The Conversation

In the United Kingdom, prime minister rejects possibility of Scotland indepen...
3 Jun 2025 at 8:00am
In the United Kingdom, prime minister rejects possibility of Scotland independence referendum  ConstitutionNet

Scotland casts fresh eye on independence vote as UK's political landscape shi...
24 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
Scotland casts fresh eye on independence vote as UK's political landscape shifts  Courthouse News

The new hero of Scottish independence? Nigel Farage - politico.eu
13 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
The new hero of Scottish independence? Nigel Farage  politico.eu

Must Scotland consult Nostradamus to find out how we hold another referendum?...
28 Nov 2025 at 4:05pm
Must Scotland consult Nostradamus to find out how we hold another referendum?  The Herald

Swinney sets out latest plan for an independence referendum - BBC
4 Sep 2025 at 8:00am
Swinney sets out latest plan for an independence referendum  BBC

First Minister John Swinney sets out latest plan for independence referendum ...
4 Sep 2025 at 8:00am
First Minister John Swinney sets out latest plan for independence referendum  Sky News

Politics Candidates spell out different views on Scottish independence - Shet...
29 Nov 2025 at 12:13pm
Politics Candidates spell out different views on Scottish independence  Shetland News