The Herald

The Herald | Politics


The incredible life of Mohamed Salah - the world?s best-known Muslim player
20 Nov 2024 at 4:00pm
Not just for fans of Liverpool FC, this biography of the Egyptian superstar Mohamed Salah offers an insight into a player who inhabits two worlds: Europe on one side, and Egypt, Africa and the Middle East on the other. Named African Footballer of the Year on two occasions, and a Champions League and Premier League winner, Salah is an inspirational figure, yet little is known about his off-the-pitch life. Sports journalist Simon Hughes attempts to fathom the personality and motives of the world?s best-known Muslim player.


John Swinney refutes Trump claims that Scotland is bad for business
20 Nov 2024 at 1:11pm
First Minister John Swinney has hit back at Eric Trump's suggestion that Scotland is difficult to do business in, stating "the evidence speaks for itself"


Scottish Government in talks to deport criminals to home countries
20 Nov 2024 at 12:23pm
The Scottish Government is in talks with UK ministers over the deportation of criminals to serve sentences in their home countries to ease prison overcrowding


Independence emerges as most popular choice in poll on constitutional future
20 Nov 2024 at 9:36am
A new survey has shown that independence within Europe is the most popular choice for Scotland's constitutional future


Beyond Breaking Point: Scotland's Legal Aid Crisis ? find all articles here
20 Nov 2024 at 6:30am
Find all articles in our Beyond Breaking Point: Scotland's Legal Aid Crisis series here.


Activists shut down Edinburgh weapons manufacturer in new Gaza protest
20 Nov 2024 at 6:07am
Protestors have once again shut down a factory in Edinburgh which produces components used by the Israel Defence Forces in Gaza


Legal aid crisis leaving domestic abuse survivors without lawyers
20 Nov 2024 at 5:00am
Four out of five Glasgow lawyers say they will no longer take on protective order cases?used to safeguard victims of domestic abuse and stalking?unless legal aid pay rates are increased. The Glasgow Bar Association warns this could have a significant impact on victims' access to justice.


I spent a day in Europe?s busiest court ? Here?s what I learned
20 Nov 2024 at 5:00am
I spent a day inside Europe?s busiest court and saw firsthand the immense challenges facing Scotland?s legal aid system. It?s clear the cracks in our justice system are impacting the most vulnerable. Read about my experience and what it reveals about the state of access to justice in Scotland.


'It's a tragedy' The human cost of Scotland?s legal aid crisis: one mother?s ...
20 Nov 2024 at 5:00am
A mother has told The Herald about the 'brutal' experience she has had with legal aid and access to justice as she fights to gain custody of her son.


Explainer: Why are so many of Scotland's towns 'legal aid deserts'?
20 Nov 2024 at 5:00am
"Over recent years there has been a marked drop in the availability of criminal legal aid. Those who continue to undertake legal aid work are having to cover an ever-larger area. All of this has the potential to harm some of the most vulnerable members of our communities."


Poll: Most Scots want National Insurance to be devolved to Scottish Government
20 Nov 2024 at 5:00am
Most Scots want National Insurance devolved to Scotland, a new poll has suggested.


Woman in ?debilitating? pain demands Scottish Government tackle gynaecology w...
20 Nov 2024 at 5:00am
A woman who has waited over five years for care and a diagnosis for her ?debilitating? pain is urging the Scottish Government to prioritise reducing gynaecology waiting times.


Kate Forbes: Do not underestimate the threat of a successful woman
20 Nov 2024 at 1:17pm
At age 34, she?s Scotland?s Deputy First Minister. If I were the other guys, I?d be worried.


Unforgettable reporting from the front line of BBC man's cancer battle
20 Nov 2024 at 12:01am
Glenn Campbell has done countless pieces to camera in the two decades-plus he has been reporting on politics for BBC Scotland. Political births, deaths, the occasional marriage, he has looked directly into the lens and told viewers what?s what. Nothing, however, will ever have as much impact as the reports he delivers in a new documentary showing tonight on BBC1. My Brain Tumour and Me is a first-rate dispatch from the front line of the cancer battle, and contains some of the most extraordinary scenes you are likely to see on television this year.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


Scottish hospitality ?on its knees? without tax cuts after 'catastrophic' Budget
21 Nov 2024 at 12:01am

The hospitality industry in Scotland has been described as ?down on its knees?

Fettes College and George Watson?s College are latest to announce increases

Voters and protesters are threatening to derail global efforts on decarbonisation

?Significant doubt? was raised over future of the ancient institution earlier this year

Cosla, the local authority body, said councils are facing ?unprecedented financial pressures?

Sue Gray left her post as envoy for the nations and regions last week - now it has been confirmed the UK Government is not looking to replace her.

The announcement follows fee rises at four major Edinburgh private schools

The Scottish Affairs Committee was told ?double jobbing should be confined to the past?

Talks have been held by a Scottish Government minister over the deportation of criminals

Evelyn Tweed appeared to be referencing the recent row over Stephen Flynn?s Holyrood bid

The Glen Sannox ferry is set to enter service in January after years of controversy and delay

A number of universities have announced redundancies in recent weeks

The West has no choice but to rely on the terrifying logic of nuclear deterrence ? ?mutually assured destruction?, or MAD ? to keep us safe

Wings over Scotland

The Long Unravelling
18 Nov 2024 at 6:19pm
You’ve got to admit, that’s a zinger. Craig Whyte is a man who knows all about financial doom looming on the horizon of a once-powerful institution. But it doesn’t take an expert with lived experience to spot what’s coming down the line for the SNP. There are nine months still to go before the party’s …

The Way Forward
17 Nov 2024 at 1:02pm
As a lifelong political geek and former SNP and Alba Party member, I?ve spent years supporting Scotland?s independence movement. However, over the last few years, I’ve watched the campaign (as opposed to support for independence) wither away. Being a Scottish nationalist has become increasingly disheartening, like watching someone you love succumb to a slow, debilitating …

The People You Most Suspected
12 Nov 2024 at 2:02pm
We’ll give you three guesses as to the highly controversial and extravagantly taxpayer-funded organisation that has its rainbow fingerprints all over this story, readers. But you’re going to have two to spare. Because, y’know, duh. Who else would it have been? LGBT Youth Scotland is a law unto itself under the current Scottish Government. It …

The Show Goes On
9 Nov 2024 at 6:59am

How it happened
6 Nov 2024 at 8:59am
So it looks like the USA has elected a mad orange rapist convicted of 34 felonies who could yet be in jail by the time of his inauguration. (He would remain President even if that happened, which would be really funny.) And we can’t even blame them for it, because the alternative they were offered …

The Mandalorian Candidate
4 Nov 2024 at 2:23pm
To be honest, readers, the peculiar events of yesterday continued to nag at us all day as every news broadcaster in Scotland and beyond leapt eagerly on the ludicrous non-story from the Herald On Sunday’s front page. (It was even the #2 item on BBC Radio Wales, inexplicably). ? For such an absolute nothingball of …

Bespoilers Of Graves
3 Nov 2024 at 12:04pm
From here, the top of the barrel is so far away that you can’t see so much as a pinprick of daylight through the most powerful pair of binoculars. In a moving epitaph a few days ago, the widely-respected Professor James Mitchell of the University Of Glasgow noted of Alex Salmond that: “He could be …

The Skeleton Dance
2 Nov 2024 at 6:59am

That worth remembering
29 Oct 2024 at 8:14am
Alex Salmond will be laid to rest in the green turf of Aberdeenshire today in a quiet and dignified private ceremony. (A public celebration of his life will take place next month.) Most of Scotland’s press and commentariat beclowned itself shamefully after his death just as it did during his life, but below is a …

A Delicate Art
26 Oct 2024 at 2:32pm
Redaction is a tricky business, and comes with numerous pitfalls even if you’re being careful, which not everyone is. If you’re involved in creating a document you know will have to be redacted, there are a variety of safeguarding approaches you can adopt. When I worked on a videogames magazine called Amiga Power in the …

Craig Murray

The Effects of Israeli Barbarity
20 Nov 2024 at 9:13am

I could not tell the easy, comforting lie. “No”, I told the woman, her traumatised children clinging to her legs, “I can’t say you are safe here; not one of us is safe. The Israelis are genocidal. But in Lebanon so far, I don’t think they have bombed a school”. I was with one of …

The Effects of Israeli Barbarity

USA Tries to Pound Lebanon Into Submission
17 Nov 2024 at 7:25pm

Israel has intensified its air strikes on Lebanon and in particular on Beirut, ahead of a visit on Tuesday or Wednesday by US envoy Hochstein, at which he will press Lebanon to accept a US/Israeli ceasefire plan. This plan is touted as being based on UNSCR 1701, but in fact represents its abnegation. You may …

USA Tries to Pound Lebanon Into Submission

Two Weeks In Beirut
13 Nov 2024 at 2:19pm

Apologies, in setting up Patreon as an alternative subscription method some had requested, I accidentally blocked non Patreon subscribers. Fixed now. I have also started a gofundme to cover costs of operating in Beirut. Flying from Rome on a bright Sunday morning, the MEA Airbus was configured for about 300 people. About 20 of us …

Two Weeks In Beirut

Online Media Banned in Lebanon
10 Nov 2024 at 9:04am

It is illegal to report from Lebanon without prior accreditation by the Ministry of Information. On the day Niels and I arrived in the country, a new rule was introduced by the Ministry specifically excluding online media from accreditation, which is now limited to print newspapers and broadcast TV stations only. All freelance journalists and …

Online Media Banned in Lebanon

Beirut Problems
1 Nov 2024 at 4:10am

On Wednesday we were arrested and held awhile by General Security in Lebanon and told not to report from here until we receive the proper permits. This is a frustrating delay but I hope will soon resolve.

Beirut Problems

Setting Up In Beirut
30 Oct 2024 at 7:32am

I apologise for the break, I have been setting up in Beirut to cover the Israeli assault from here. This has been quite a logistic challenge. I am accompanied by Niels Ladefoged, the cinematographer with Wikileaks who was with Julian Assange on his flight to Australia. Readers of this blog know Niels as the cinematographer …

Setting Up In Beirut

BBC Scotland

When is the Scottish Budget and what will be in it?
20 Nov 2024 at 6:18am
From income tax to winter fuel payments, the Scottish government is due to set out its financial plans.

GB Energy could bring 300 jobs to Aberdeen - boss
20 Nov 2024 at 5:17pm
Juergen Maier said the state-owned energy firm would not begin making investments until next year.

New plans unveiled for early prisoner release
19 Nov 2024 at 3:08pm
The Scottish government is proposing to lower the minimum term served by prisoners who are on short sentences.

Sarwar pledges to expand winter fuel payment
19 Nov 2024 at 3:44pm
The Scottish Labour leader says his party will expand eligibility if they form the next government at Holyrood.

Amnesty criticises ministers for arms firm funding
19 Nov 2024 at 6:16am
Amnesty International accuses ministers of turning ?a blind eye? to the risk of being part of the supply chain of arms which could be used in the war in Gaza.

Will more SNP MSPs face challenges from within their own party?
19 Nov 2024 at 6:17am
It follows Stephen Flynn's announcement that he wants to be the SNP candidate for a seat held by a party colleague.

Grangemouth owner turns down new buyout offer
18 Nov 2024 at 6:21pm
Grangemouth oil refinery's owner turns down a further bid to buy out the site ahead of its closure

Opposition MSPs back move to ban 'double jobbing'
18 Nov 2024 at 5:10pm
MPs would have to give up their seat at Westminster if elected to Holyrood under Tory proposals.

SNP plans to cut staff at party headquarters
16 Nov 2024 at 4:45pm
The SNP's ruling body has proposed cutting staff the number of staff at its headquarters from 26 to 16.

Billions at stake in court battle over North Sea oil
16 Nov 2024 at 8:04am
Lawyers and campaigners have made their arguments before Lord Ericht in Edinburgh this week.

MSP to stand down in 2026 due to cancer diagnosis
16 Nov 2024 at 1:39pm
The SNP's Ruth Maguire will not seek re-election as she is to undergo treatment for cancer.

Minister refuses to rule out ditching care service
15 Nov 2024 at 12:52pm
Maree Todd says the Scottish government remains "absolutely committed" to the plan despite the announcement of a further delay.

Scot Goes Pop

The Empire Flops Back: 61% of the Scottish public demand powers are transferr...
20 Nov 2024 at 9:20am
This morning brings word of a new Survation poll for Angus Robertson's Progress Scotland organisation, which goes 1990s retro by asking a multi-option question on Scotland's constitutional future, ...

A response to some 'feedback'
16 Nov 2024 at 6:56pm
Even by normal standards there has been a truly industrial scale of trolling on the last three threads, and I've had a bit of it on Twitter as well.  Lesson: if you really want to upset the unionis...

SNP return to gold medal position: latest batch of by-elections suggest they ...
15 Nov 2024 at 5:24pm
First things first: I have an analysis piece at The National about yesterday's crop of four by-elections, and you can read it HERE.The results were certainly a mixed bag. Labour's vote was well up ...

Anas Sarwar caught fibbing about the swing in Ayrshire by-election?
15 Nov 2024 at 12:51pm
I've had to go old school on this one and calculate the percentages manually from the raw results published on the East Ayrshire Council website, but I'm fairly sure I haven't made any mistakes - a...

Whatever else happens, the SNP *must* avoid triggering an unnecessary by-elec...
14 Nov 2024 at 11:12pm
I agree with a lot of the comments that have been made about Stephen Flynn's attempt to get a seat at Holyrood.  There's an obvious double standard in forbidding dual mandates simply to put a spann...

Keir Starmer, genocide denier
13 Nov 2024 at 5:41pm
Although Keir Starmer going out to bat for the genocidal Netanyahu regime (and giving it feminine pronouns) is very much the established norm, on some level I'm puzzled by his decision today to dou...

Do Brit Nats *really* think they can sell Prime Minister Badenoch as acceptab...
13 Nov 2024 at 12:02am
During the Tory leadership contest, I suggested that a Robert Jenrick victory might open up a potential new path by which independence could happen, because he was using withdrawal from the Europea...

Alba's internal democracy suffers another severe blow
9 Nov 2024 at 12:01pm
Just over a year ago, I was one of four candidates who took part in the internal election for the Alba Party's Membership Support Convener. The other three were the incumbent Jacqueline Bijster, th...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

Scottish Government turning ?blind eye? to supply chain of arms used in Gaza,...
20 Nov 2024 at 4:05pm
Amnesty International is calling for a full review of how due diligence is conducted on arms companies in receipt of grants from Scottish Enterprise.

Government will not have certainty on ?huge? £500m sum when budget set ? Swinney
20 Nov 2024 at 2:14pm
The First Minister called on the Treasury to provide more clarity on how public services will be compensated for NIC rises.

Angela Rayner to face PMQs as inflation rises sharply
20 Nov 2024 at 11:08am
The deputy prime minister will face Alex Burghart - a shadow cabinet office minister at PMQs.

Scottish Government in talks with Westminster over deportation of prisoners
20 Nov 2024 at 10:03am
The move would see inmates returned to their home countries to serve the rest of their sentence.

Social media ban for under-16s ?on the table?, says technology secretary
20 Nov 2024 at 8:47am
Peter Kyle signalled he had been speaking to politicians from Australia where social media restrictions for under-16s have been considered.

Rumours of Musk and Trump?s friendship breakdown are ?lies?, Eric Trump says
19 Nov 2024 at 8:56pm
Eric Trump has dismissed reports of a potential breakdown in the relationship between his father?s incoming...

Donald Trump to visit Scotland to open new golf course, says son Eric
19 Nov 2024 at 7:33pm
Eric Trump suggested that it was only his family?s 'love' for the country that kept them investing.

Years late and millions over-budget ferry given go-ahead to carry passengers
19 Nov 2024 at 5:31pm
The MV Glen Sannox is another step closed to entering CalMac's service.

Liam McArthur MSP says ministers should not lobby behind the scenes on assist...
19 Nov 2024 at 5:02pm
The Prime Minister has said it is 'very important' pressure is not put on MPs to vote a certain way.

Scottish Labour pledge means-tested winter fuel payment ahead of Holyrood ele...
19 Nov 2024 at 11:52am
The party said it would create a devolved payment if they were successful in the 2026 election.

Plan to release hundreds of prisoners to curb ?critical? overcrowding revealed
19 Nov 2024 at 10:47am
The Scottish Government is proposing to reduce the length of time criminals must spend in prison before they can be let out.

Former first minister Humza Yousaf to give evidence at Covid-19 Inquiry
19 Nov 2024 at 10:39am
Scotland's former health secretary Jeane Freeman will also appear before the Inquiry.

Energy price cap predicted to rise in January, raising household bills by 1%
18 Nov 2024 at 7:38pm
Energy consultancy Cornwall Insight said it expects Ofgem to announce a rise in the typical household's energy bill by £19, to £1736 from £1717 on January 1.

Holyrood could vote to ban MSPs sitting as MPs amid Stephen Flynn row
18 Nov 2024 at 10:44am
Flynn previously criticised former Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross for holding seats in both parliaments.

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Calls for "Booze and Fags" tax on supermarkets as health groups make plea to ...
21 Nov 2024 at 4:30am
Health campaigners have united to demand a ?public health supplement? on retailers selling ?health harming products? like alcohol and tobacco.

Labour MSPs 'failed to engage' with UK Government ahead of Budget and Winter ...
21 Nov 2024 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: Rachel Reeves has held no formal meetings with MSPs since Labour was returned to power at the general election in July.

Investment in public services across Scotland is desperately needed to revers...
21 Nov 2024 at 4:29am
Stephen Boyd, head of the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) in Scotland, predicts tax rises will be a 'stark reality' in coming years.

Ian Murray piles pressure on Stephen Flynn by backing double jobbing ban
20 Nov 2024 at 1:53pm
The Scottish Secretary weighed in amid a backlash against the plan by the SNP Westminster leader

Donald Trump visit to Scotland should be met with 'mass protests', claims MSP
20 Nov 2024 at 1:34pm
Patrick Harvie insisted the next US president would not be welcomed by locals if he flew in to open a new golf course in Aberdeenshire next year

Grangemouth refinery closure will put Scotland's energy security 'in jeopardy...
20 Nov 2024 at 11:44am
Scotland's last remaining oil refinery is due to close in spring 2025 to be converted into a fuels import and export terminal, with the loss of 400 jobs.

Scots living in poverty seven times more likely to end up in hospital fightin...
20 Nov 2024 at 4:30am
Analysis of NHS Scotland data reveals the massive gap between richest and poorest among people who suffer the common lung condition COPD.

Most Scots choose independence as first choice for constitutional change, pol...
20 Nov 2024 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: The survey by Progress Scotland is a boost for the independence campaign after the SNP suffered a drubbing at the general election.

John Swinney insists SNP remains 'financially strong' despite plan to cut sta...
19 Nov 2024 at 6:10pm
The First Minister said the party had to go through a ?difficult process? on its staff numbers.

Winter Fuel Payment cut to increase pensioner poverty by around 100,000 as ba...
19 Nov 2024 at 4:30pm
Labour has dipped in the opinion polls as a result of the WFP cuts.

The National

The National | Politics

Who is Captain Tom Moore?s daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore?
21 Nov 2024 at 1:00am

When her fundraising father Captain Sir Tom Moore hit the headlines for his pandemic efforts, his daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore was never far from the spotlight.

Stephen Flynn calls out GB Energy boss after estimated job numbers tumble
20 Nov 2024 at 7:59pm

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has questioned the UK Government?s promises on GB Energy after reports showed a massive fall in the projected number of jobs it will create ...

Contrast in weather shows why one policy does not fit all of the UK
20 Nov 2024 at 7:15pm

WE opened the curtains on Thursday morning to about three inches of snow. For the last few days it been sub-zero at night (minus eight on Monday) and scarcely above zero during the day. It?s worse west and north of here, and this spell is forecast to go on for a week or more. But when we see the UK forecast, things are different ?in the south?.

No SNP MSP should take their seat for granted ahead of 2026 election
20 Nov 2024 at 7:00pm

STEPHEN Flynn?s decision to seek to be elected as the SNP candidate for the Aberdeen South and North Kincardine constituency at the next Scottish election has caused much debate, not all of it edifying. For a start, should he be successful and also decide to continue to represent Aberdeen South as an MSP, it would be misleading to describe that as ?double-jobbing? as much of his constituency wo...

Fears for ?target? Trident as Vladimir Putin lowers threshold for nuclear wea...
20 Nov 2024 at 5:43pm

HOSTING nuclear submarines in the Clyde isn?t a deterrent but makes Scotland a ?target? amid escalating tension between Russia and the UK, campaigners have stressed ...

Wee Ginger Dug: Beware of poll showing SNP lead. It contains a warning
20 Nov 2024 at 5:41pm

LABOUR?S popularity continues to drop with voters in Scotland. A new opinion poll by Survation ...

Ian Murray backs Tory block on Scottish gender bill ? despite Labour voting f...
20 Nov 2024 at 4:43pm

IAN Murray has been accused of perpetrating an ?affront to devolution? after he refused to lift the veto on Scottish gender reform ? despite the blocked bill having the support the Scottish Labour ...

Former Navy flagships to be decommissioned in MoD cuts push
20 Nov 2024 at 2:32pm

Two former Royal Navy flagships, a frigate and a pair of support tankers will be decommissioned in cost-saving measures announced by Defence Secretary John Healey.

Will voters buy Scottish Labour's screeching U-turn on winter fuel?
20 Nov 2024 at 2:25pm

SINCE Labour regained power of the UK Government in the summer, how Scottish Labour handle their relationship with their London counterparts has been something of a conundrum for leader Anas Sarwar.

?We?ve all moved on?: John Swinney reacts as Eric Trump brands Harris support...
20 Nov 2024 at 1:42pm

JOHN Swinney has said ?we?ve all moved on? from the US presidential election, as he responded to Eric Trump?s comments about the First Minister?s support for Kamala Harris.

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

Universities ask Scottish Government for more money over National Insurance rise
20 Nov 2024 at 5:14pm
Higher education bosses take 'unprecedented step'

Angela Rayner: SNP has no more excuses for inflicting austerity
20 Nov 2024 at 3:49pm
Deputy prime minister comments

Ian Murray: We won?t lift block on Scottish gender reform laws
20 Nov 2024 at 2:27pm
The Scottish secretary said the courts had ruled the former government?s use of a section 35 order on the Gender Recognition Reform Act was lawful

UK Government ramps up efforts to boost online safety
20 Nov 2024 at 11:15am
The government has launched new research and set out strategic priorities to 'keep pace with technology'

UK Government must ?fully reimburse? NI rise on public sector, says Neil Gray
20 Nov 2024 at 7:38am
The health secretary has said the increase could cost the public sector in excess of ?500m

Scottish council launches ?ground-breaking? initiative to fix the connectivit...
19 Nov 2024 at 4:25pm
Argyll and Bute Council launch initiative which will bring ?unparalleled insight? into mobile network performance

AI to fuel UK?s ambition to become a clean energy superpower
19 Nov 2024 at 3:16pm
The UK Government will award ?2m in funding to solutions which could help decarbonise the energy grid and boost the UK?s energy security

Anas Sarwar: Scottish Labour government will bring back Winter Fuel Payment
19 Nov 2024 at 3:00pm
Vow to "take back this devolved power from the DWP"

SNP ex-minister becomes Scottish Government special adviser
19 Nov 2024 at 1:47pm
Marco Biagi quits council for move

Ombudsman raises concerns over fairness of Scottish Welfare Fund
19 Nov 2024 at 2:03am
In a new report published today, the SPSO has highlighted issues with the distribution of the fund, which provides grants to those in crisis

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

Scottish bus drivers say death of colleague part of rising trend in abuse
20 Nov 2024 at 4:00pm
Keith Rollinson died in February after being attacked by a drunk 15-year-old he had refused to let on his busAfter the bus driver Keith Rollinson died at Elgin bus station after a violent assault by a teenage passenger, friends and colleagues held a candlelit vigil to remember the man described b...

Starmer says most farmers won?t be affected by inheritance tax change as Clar...
19 Nov 2024 at 6:01pm
Jeremy Clarkson tells Westminster protest that government should admit plans weren?t ?thought out and are a mistake?In an interview with the BBC, Steve Reed, the environment secretary, defended imposing inheritance tax on some farms when Labour said in opposition that it was not planning to do th...

?Daft? for Streeting to suggest assisted dying law would cost NHS, says forme...
14 Nov 2024 at 5:45pm
Margaret Hodge, the ex-Labour minister who now sits in the Lords, has criticised Wes Streeting on the BBCA minister has criticised her Tory shadow for talking about ?joy? in the health sector about the funding it received.Karin Smyth, a health minister, said it was a strange word to use given the...

Scottish conservation agency accused of undermining law to protect birds of prey
14 Nov 2024 at 12:34pm
NatureScot to allow shooting estates to greatly reduce area of grouse moors affected by licensing regimeWildlife charities have condemned a decision by Scotland?s nature conservation agency to dilute a new law designed to combat the illegal killing of birds of prey.NatureScot, a government agenc...

Green party says Starmer must do more to cut energy use to meet net zero targ...
12 Nov 2024 at 6:00pm
This live blog is closedLeadbeater introduces the next speaker, Nat Dye, who has terminal cancer. She says she thinks his views are the most important for people to hear at this press conference.He says he has known ?positive? experiences of death. His fiance and his mother both had relatively pe...

Scottish sex work strategy ?a mess? as charity ditched after ?occult? claim
11 Nov 2024 at 7:00am
Scottish government drops proposed partnership with charity after backlash from violence against women sectorThe Scottish government?s strategy to support women working in the sex industry has been cast into disarray after it was forced to ditch a proposed partnership with a charity whose founder...

Anas Sarwar aide Kate Watson becomes Scottish Labour?s general secretary
9 Nov 2024 at 6:16pm
Former general election candidate will oversee party?s administration and sit on governing executive committeeAnas Sarwar?s chief of staff has been named as Scottish Labour?s new general secretary.Kate Watson will be in charge of the party?s administration and sit on the governing Scottish execut...

UK government could miss chance to protect children, says ex-inquiry chair
8 Nov 2024 at 6:00am
Alexis Jay says she is still pressing ministers to introduce mandatory reporting of allegations in England and WalesA ?once-in-a-lifetime? chance to protect children is at risk of being squandered by the UK government, a leading expert has warned.Prof Alexis Jay, the former chair of the independe...

Angela Rayner says she discussed enhancing UK-US special relationship in call...
7 Nov 2024 at 5:47pm
Deputy prime minister says she spoke with vice president-elect about ?plans for the future and working together?Yesterday Ed Balls, the former Labour shadow chancellor, said Donald Trump?s victory in the US showed that, if Labour did not improve living standards by the end of this parliament, it ...

UK politics: Starmer insists pro-growth policies on way after OBR?s budget wa...
31 Oct 2024 at 5:34pm
PM says budget just ?first step? after watchdog said measures would make no difference to growth over five yearsRachel Reeves is now being interview on ITV?s Good Morning Britain.She is being interviewed by Ed Balls, the former Labour shadow chancellor who is now a TV presenter. He asks her to co...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

Sarwar?s U turn is not what it seems
19 Nov 2024 at 6:34pm
When is a promise not a promise? When it’s a promise made by the Labour party in Scotland. Then it’s not a promise, it’s a lie. Right now on BBC Scotland there’s a programme about exposing scammers who call people making fake promises and end up ripping them off. It would be nice if BBC …

The X-odus to BlueSky: a dug in a blue sky
15 Nov 2024 at 6:31pm
Last week the Guardian newspaper announced that it would no longer be posting on Twitter. I refuse to call it X. You tweet on Twitter – what do you do on X? You excrete of course, and since the platform was taken over by the world’s biggest attention seeker Elon Musk, Twitter has become a …

The far right could come to Scotland too
12 Nov 2024 at 12:06pm
With the decisive victory of Donald Trump in the US presidential elections and his MAGA Republicans taking the Senate and edging towards a majority in the lower chamber, the House of Representatives, far right post-truth populist nationalism has scored its greatest achievement ever. The American Government is now in the hands of climate change denying …

Moving to Scotland from the USA
7 Nov 2024 at 11:44am
The National newspaper in Scotland has reported that since Donald Trump won the American presidential election there has been a surge in Google searches originating in the USA for “how to move to Scotland” and “Scottish citizenship”. I have been contacted by two American friends the day after the election asking for advice about moving …

Counting the cost of royal greed
5 Nov 2024 at 11:49am
Over the weekend Channel 4’s Dispatches programme revealed the extent to which the public is being milked by the greedy and money grabbing Windsor family. Or rather, at least the extent to which the programme and the investigative reporters of the Sunday Times were able to uncover. The Windsors go to great lengths to keep …

Trump, Scotland, America and the world
1 Nov 2024 at 11:02am
Donald Trump has weighed into the Scottish independence debate in his typically incoherent and ill-informed way. Earlier this month Trump appeared on the podcast of comedian Andrew Schulz. No, I’d never heard of him either. Schulz has been criticised for his right wing takes, racist stereotyping, and his tendency to punch down, characteristics which define …

The revolving door
28 Oct 2024 at 11:35am
?The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.? George Orwell, Animal Farm. Two council by elections are due in Glasgow. This is not in itself earth shattering political news, council by elections happen all …

Scotland?s severed tongues
24 Oct 2024 at 11:16am
The Scottish languages bill is currently winding its way through the Scottish Parliament. The Bill gives the Gaelic and Scots languages official status in Scotland and makes improvement to the support for the Gaelic and Scots languages in Scotland. This also includes changes in relation to Gaelic and Scots in Scotland’s education system aimed at …

Family visit
14 Oct 2024 at 4:21pm
Just a quick note to let everyone know that I am not going to be about this week as we have family visiting from the USA. Normal blogging service will be resumed next week. While we are doing our best tour guide impression with our American guests – “Look, there’s a castle!” – “Look! There’s …

Alex Salmond R.I.P.
12 Oct 2024 at 8:43pm
In news which has shocked all of Scotland, Alex Salmond has suddenly passed away while on a trip to North Macedonia. Whether you support Scottish independence or not, he was without doubt a giant of Scottish politics who transformed the Scottish political landscape for good, a truly monumental individual, and as such he leaves a …

The Courier

Scottish Politics News From Holyrood and Westminster | The Courier

Fife MP says ?loud mouth? Jeremy Clarkson drowning out local farmers? death d...
19 Nov 2024 at 5:12pm
Labour MP Graeme Downie says he is listening to concerns among local farmers about changes to inheritance tax rules - but pointed to Treasury figures suggesting the vast majority will be unaffected.

Dundee University principal misses staff question time after announcing job l...
19 Nov 2024 at 2:41pm
Professor Iain Gillespie was scheduled to take part in a regular "Principal's Question Time" with staff on Monday but pulled out due to a personal commitment.

Ex-Stirling MP Alyn Smith eyes Holyrood comeback
19 Nov 2024 at 11:45am
The SNP politician is the latest former MP to keep options open for a switch to Holyrood at the 2026 election.

EXCLUSIVE: Anger as Dundee University chief?s pay hits £305k months before jo...
19 Nov 2024 at 6:00am
Dundee University is grappling with a £30 million budget shortfall, but staff say bosses should look at their own salaries as they attempt to make savings.

How Unison?s ?gamble? put children in the middle of a Perthshire stand-off
18 Nov 2024 at 6:00am
Insiders said the decision to strike in one area led to a loss of public support.

How Dundonian Stephen Flynn?s election plan caused SNP chaos
15 Nov 2024 at 4:05pm
Members on both sides of the party divide spoke to us about the MP?s plan to stand against his SNP colleague for a seat in Holyrood AND Westminster.

ANDREW LIDDLE: Humza Yousaf may have Dundee option in 2026 ? but he could hav...
15 Nov 2024 at 2:16pm
'The process of selecting the SNP?s candidates for the 2026 Scottish Parliament election was always going to be amusing.'

Tayside Eljamel campaigners lifts lid on talks with UK government over extrad...
15 Nov 2024 at 10:22am
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray met campaigner Jules Rose on Friday, two months after The Courier revealed he would discuss possible extradition.

PAUL MALIK: Without NHS Tayside sleep clinic I?d be dead
15 Nov 2024 at 6:00am
Paul Malik shares his experience with the NHS Tayside sleep clinic, which has limited the number of referrals it will accept to save money.

Humza Yousaf accuses Elon Musk of ?scouring? his private messages
14 Nov 2024 at 11:45am
The Dundee-based former first minister said he was "certain" the entrepreneur had access to his private messages on X.

Talking up Scotland

Talking-up Scotland

Bomb Squad called to three locations in Glasgow City Centre is most unusual
20 Nov 2024 at 10:56pm
The current UK Government National Threat Level is: ‘substantial – an attack is likely.’ Why do I say this is unusual? As with IRA terror in the 70s to the 90s, Scotland has seen little of the Islamic terror which struck England in the first decade of the 21st Century after the Iraq invasion. In 2017, I could write: Scotland and Terrorism: Are we safer? ?????????? ???????????? I?m still not sur...

Reverse Trojan Horse ? Why the SNP and Labour should do a coalition deal in 2...
20 Nov 2024 at 1:58pm
When I first saw the above, my first reaction was: ‘DAFT, DAFT and…….DAFT.’ Then something flashed from the nether regions into the front of my brain, while walking the dog. First, some facts you’ll need: From a FindOutNow poll for the Alba Party on 16-23 October, 25% of Labour voters would vote YES in a second independence referendum. From a YouGov poll on 29 August to 3 September a majority o...

Yet another reason why British Labour Party leaders hope Scotland?s voters wi...
20 Nov 2024 at 7:55am
Since 2007/08, poverty rates among children in England, Scotland and Wales have been consistently lowest in Scotland and often highest in Labour-run Wales according to the Social Metrics Commission. By stewartb This blog post is a follow on from the recent TuS blog post – ?Eradicating child poverty costs nothing in the long term because everything depends on it? – prompted by the Guardian?s cov...

Failing to tell us that the early prison release scheme in Scotland has alrea...
20 Nov 2024 at 7:28am
By Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland this morning telling us that MSPs will debate legislation to cut the minimum term served by short term sentence prisoners from 50% to 40% to relieve overcrowding. Wouldn’t be interesting to know if previous early release schemes have been successful? Imagine they had caused a surge in crime? BBC Scotland don’t inform on this despite it being their da...

Liz Kendall reveals 40 000 more Scots pensioners predicted to suffer fuel pov...
20 Nov 2024 at 7:10am
Liz Kendall, UK Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, wrote today to reveal this, for the UK as a whole: An extra 450 000 UK pensioners pushed into poverty by 2030 means around 40 000 in Scotland. From the Herald on 1 August 2024, only one month after the General Election: From the National Records of Scotland in 2019: The association between mortality and low indoor temperature observed by...

See anything you don?t like here? See anything these folk wouldn?t like?
19 Nov 2024 at 7:54pm
By Professor John Robertson OBA Some folk I know say: ?We will champion measures like: I’ve seen opinion polls showing that a majority, some sometimes a big majority, of ‘us’ not to mention quite a few Conservatives too, are all for many, maybe all, of the above. Who are the ‘we?’ Certainly not the Cons, Lib Dems nor Labour, but who? Click here to find out: https://scottishsocialistparty.org/4-...

Domestic abuse TWICE as common in England and Wales as in Scotland
19 Nov 2024 at 5:01pm
By Professor John Robertson OBA I remember in 2014, Frankie Boyle suggesting that Scotland become an Islamic Republic but that to do so it would have to treat its women better. From the Scottish Government’s Safer Communities Directorate today, the above graph and: The police recorded 63,867 incidents of domestic abuse in 2023-24, an increase of 3% compared to the previous year. This is the fir...

As Motherwell man becomes first [vulnerable?] Scot to be named as member of a...
19 Nov 2024 at 10:02am
BBC Scotland (above) today, have no space for this hot story: A man from North Lanarkshire has been charged after over £6m worth of cannabis was seized during a massive multi-agency taskforce operation. Craig Tomlinson from Motherwell was charged with the supply of Class B drugs after British Transport Police officers targeted key stations across Manchester on Monday and Tuesday last week while...

22 degrees of difference in temperature but one means-tested winter fuel allo...
19 Nov 2024 at 6:51am
As I watched BBC Breakfast at around 7am this morning, it was minus 10 in Tulloch Bridge just south of Fort William and plus 12 at St Mary’s in the Scilly Isles yet it’s the same means tested winter fuel allowance for pensioners in both places. Still months away from the real Scottish winter, we see the first signs of how different Scotland is from the southern parts of the UK and how important...

Eradicating child poverty costs nothing in the long term because everything d...
19 Nov 2024 at 5:42am
By Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian today: The news that more than one in three children in the UK are now living in poverty should shock everyone but surprise no one. Nearly three years into the cost of living crisis, we know that young families and disabled people have been among those hit hardest by the biggest fall in UK living standards in half a century. The latest estimates, ...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

Independence most popular choice in poll on constitutional future - HeraldSco...
20 Nov 2024 at 9:51am
Independence most popular choice in poll on constitutional future  HeraldScotland

Scottish independence campaign group announces new co-conveners - The National
20 Nov 2024 at 11:34am
Scottish independence campaign group announces new co-conveners  The National

Sturgeon predicts independence and united Ireland in UK 'shake-up' - BBC.com
17 Sep 2024 at 8:00am
Sturgeon predicts independence and united Ireland in UK 'shake-up'  BBC.com

Will Scotland ever become an Independent nation-state? - Forbes
19 Oct 2024 at 8:00am
Will Scotland ever become an Independent nation-state?  Forbes

Scottish independence poll 2024 - Statista
9 Oct 2024 at 8:00am
Scottish independence poll 2024  Statista

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

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 Greens demand SNP continues independence spending as the price for b...
18 Nov 2024 at 4:40pm
Scottish Greens demand SNP continues independence spending as the price for backing the Budget  Morning Star Online

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

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

Will more SNP MSPs face internal challenges? - BBC.com
19 Nov 2024 at 3:15pm
Will more SNP MSPs face internal challenges?  BBC.com

Alan Cochrane: Few Scots will argue with Eric Trump?s attack on SNP after Swi...
20 Nov 2024 at 6:01pm
Alan Cochrane: Few Scots will argue with Eric Trump?s attack on SNP after Swinney?s foolish meddling  The Telegraph

SNP to remain largest party at Holyrood as Scottish Labour fall further behin...
20 Nov 2024 at 10:50am
SNP to remain largest party at Holyrood as Scottish Labour fall further behind  The National

SNP HQ redundancies ahead of Christmas 'tough but necessary' says Stephen Fly...
17 Nov 2024 at 12:09pm
SNP HQ redundancies ahead of Christmas 'tough but necessary' says Stephen Flynn  HeraldScotland

Who is Stephen Flynn, the SNP Westminster leader? - The Times
21 Nov 2024 at 12:01am
Who is Stephen Flynn, the SNP Westminster leader?  The Times

Delivering progress: 100 top achievements of the SNP in government - SNP
15 Nov 2024 at 9:00am
Delivering progress: 100 top achievements of the SNP in government  SNP

SNP in new civil war over double jobs - The Spectator
18 Nov 2024 at 3:03pm
SNP in new civil war over double jobs  The Spectator

SNP plans to cut staff at party headquarters - BBC.com
16 Nov 2024 at 4:49pm
SNP plans to cut staff at party headquarters  BBC.com

SNP in talks with UK Government over deporting criminals to ease prison overc...
20 Nov 2024 at 6:27pm
SNP in talks with UK Government over deporting criminals to ease prison overcrowding  The Telegraph

Stephen Flynn calls out GB Energy boss after estimated job numbers tumble - T...
20 Nov 2024 at 8:02pm
Stephen Flynn calls out GB Energy boss after estimated job numbers tumble  The National

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

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

The agony and ecstasy of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum - BBC.com
17 Sep 2024 at 8:00am
The agony and ecstasy of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum  BBC.com

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

Alex Salmond: Scotland?s first nationalist leader and a tireless campaigner f...
12 Oct 2024 at 8:00am
Alex Salmond: Scotland?s first nationalist leader and a tireless campaigner for independence  The Conversation

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

Scottish independence poll 2024 - Statista
9 Oct 2024 at 8:00am
Scottish independence poll 2024  Statista

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

Most Scots choose independence as first choice for constitutional change, pol...
20 Nov 2024 at 12:10pm
Most Scots choose independence as first choice for constitutional change, poll finds  Daily Record

Alex Salmond, former Scottish first minister who nearly got Scotland?s indepe...
12 Oct 2024 at 8:00am
Alex Salmond, former Scottish first minister who nearly got Scotland?s independence from UK, dies at 69  PBS NewsHour

Will Scotland ever become an Independent nation-state? - Forbes
19 Oct 2024 at 8:00am
Will Scotland ever become an Independent nation-state?  Forbes