The Herald

The Herald | Politics


Pro?Palestine protesters unfurl giant flag on Trump?s Turnberry beach
by donald.erskine@newsquest.co.uk | Donald Erskine
31 May 2026 at 4:39pm
Protestors have taken to the golf course and beach outside Donald Trump?s Turnberry hotel.


Help requested after 100 homes evacuated in former mining village
by jody.harrison@heraldandtimes.co.uk | Jody Harrison
31 May 2026 at 10:41am
Clackmannanshire Council leader Ellen Forson said it continues to be ?an extremely difficult and distressing time for everyone affected?


Nicola Sturgeon: I'm determined Murrell scandal won't 'wreck my life'
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
31 May 2026 at 8:40am
Nicola Sturgeon has refused to apologise for the Peter Murrell embezzlement scandal, saying she feels she is "serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit" as she defends her role as SNP leader.


Criminals like Peter Murrell truly flourish under the Groundhog Day of indy t...
31 May 2026 at 6:15am
No-one wants to know how much Murrell?s betrayal upset Nicola Sturgeon, writes our award-winning columnist Dani Garavelli - what they want to know is how this act of 'gross dishonesty could have been perpetrated for 16 years under her roof'


Recipe for disaster: The shunning of the 'awkward squad' who dared to ask que...
31 May 2026 at 5:01am
For many years senior figures in the SNP - including Alex Salmond - raised concerns with Nicola Sturgeon but they found themselves closed out, shunned and berated.


Nicola Sturgeon's interview was moving - but her answers raised eyebrows
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
31 May 2026 at 4:00pm
Nicola Sturgeon's account of betrayal was compelling, but questions remain about leadership, accountability and concerns raised over SNP finances.


John Swinney admits 'fundamental flaw' in having Sturgeon and Murrell at top ...
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
31 May 2026 at 11:09am
John Swinney has admitted there was a "fundamental flaw" in having Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell leading the SNP, as the former first minister acknowledged she should have listened to Alex Salmond's warning about the arrangement.


Bosnian war refugee recounts persecution that led to White Armband Day
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
31 May 2026 at 5:00am
Ahead of White Armband Day, Bosnian refugee Sabina Kadic-Mackenzie reflects on her family's experience of the Prijedor atrocities and the importance of remembrance.


I have been left feeling old and very worried about university education in S...
31 May 2026 at 6:15am
Professor Murray Pittock is the leading expert on liberal arts education. He shocks our Writer at Large who can?t believe how times have changed since his student days


Can Cuba survive as the US closes in for the ?kill??
by david.pratt@heraldandtimes.co.uk | David Pratt
31 May 2026 at 6:15am
Threatened and rejected ever since its revolutionary birth, Havana?s communist government has faced many a stern test, but never one like this writes, Foreign Editor David Pratt


Watch: John Swinney insists Scots have ?trust? in SNP after Murrell plea
by Lucinda Cameron
30 May 2026 at 3:41pm
Peter Murrell is set to be sentenced in June, the same month the SNP faces by-election contests in Aberdeen South and in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry


Stephen Flynn reveals hopes for his sons - and what Tesco taught him
by ian.mcconnell@heraldandtimes.co.uk | Ian McConnell
30 May 2026 at 4:35am
Stephen Flynn talked about his footballing hopes for his young sons and an ability developed during his time on the checkouts at Tesco


Bookshop refuses to say if Sturgeon still to speak after pull out reports
29 May 2026 at 3:03pm
A bookshop has refused to ssay if Nicola Sturgeon is still planning to to interview columnist Kirsty Lockwood about her debut novel, We Know What You Did, in Edinburgh next week.


BBC Radio Scotland? Something here just doesn't smell right
by alison.rowat@theherald.co.uk | Alison Rowat
29 May 2026 at 12:00pm
The revolving door at BBC Scotland HQ has been working overtime with familiar names and faces leaving the building. In their place, writes Alison Rowat, is an ever-lengthening line of executives and others from the world of commercial radio. Why is this unofficial takeover of a publicly funded station being allowed to pass?

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


Five key takeaways from Nicola Sturgeon's BBC Laura Kuenssberg interview
31 May 2026 at 10:31am

The former first minister spoke to BBC?s Laura Kuenssberg in an interview broadcast on Sunday morning.

The former first minister told a TV interview she was ?not going to apologise for somebody else?s crimes?

Experts put forward theories as to the enigmatic figure at the heart of the SNP embezzlement scandal

Campaigners have blamed ?irresponsible? policies from the Scottish government for the forecast costs for local authorities.

Wings over Scotland

The View From Row Z
31 May 2026 at 3:11pm
Sadly, this turned out to be prescient this morning. Laura Kuenssberg did give Nicola Sturgeon an uncomfortable time in their interview on her Sunday programme on BBC News, but when confronted with the one gaping open goal that Sturgeon has no answer for – and even when Sturgeon TWICE set it up on a plate …

Nicola?s Summer Reading List
30 May 2026 at 4:16pm
Now that Nicola Sturgeon is finally free of her gruelling MSP workload, which could give her anything up to two extra hours of spare time a week, she might like to start making a proper dent in the contents of her fully-loaded bookshelves. (At least until they’re seized and sold under the Proceeds Of Crime …

Marvola The Memory Woman
29 May 2026 at 7:53am
The multi-statement meltdown that has been the unravelling of Nicola Sturgeon this week has been quite something to behold. Last night, for example, we swear our Twitter feed presented these two tweets one after the other. But then we read something even more extraordinary. Firstly, as Conor Matchett of the Scottish Sun noted, that is …

Friends Without Benefits
28 May 2026 at 1:16pm
We’ll be honest with you, readers, if we were in a situation where a lawyer was issuing statements for us, this isn’t what we’d want to hear. “If my client had been charged, she’d be in prison right now” is a worrying distance short of a vote of confidence in your client’s innocence. But the …

All The Dirt From My Eyes
27 May 2026 at 12:21pm
So, having made a statement on Monday morning which asserted that she wouldn’t make any further statements, then making another statement on Monday afternoon, Nicola Sturgeon and her solicitor issued a third statement in 36 hours last night. And while we acknowledge that this is a very high bar to clear, it contained one of …

No Money Back, No Guarantee
26 May 2026 at 9:39am
Peter Murrell wasn’t even locked up in his cell at Saughton (we hope it’s the same one as Craig Murray’s) when the chump-suckering resumed. And as the Nicola Sturgeon Loyal, led by her most faithful of lieutenants, set out to try to take control of the post-conviction narrative, let’s take a look at just what …

The Final Robbery
25 May 2026 at 1:09pm
So there it is. We did tell you so. There will be no trial, no cross-examination, no explanation. The people of Scotland, the members and supporters of the SNP, the wider Yes movement, none of us will ever know what really happened. Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated? We’ll never find out how this …

Only An Excuse
21 May 2026 at 7:45pm
Despite what you or we might think, in the eyes of the Scottish Football Association this ISN’T a pitch invasion. This is simply what a football match in progress looks like. Because according to the absolutely extraordinary statement they’ve released this evening, that was game time. The clock was still running, nothing was being added …

The Queer Parliament
20 May 2026 at 1:36pm
We were excited to discover this old footage of a very young John Swinney. ? How thrilled he must be that he’s managed to make his dream come true. Because in the Scottish Parliament at least, there are now no men and no women, and indeed pretty much only wankers. Just days into its five-year …

The Land Of No Laws
17 May 2026 at 2:20am
This game of football is not over. Except for viewers in Scotland, where no laws apply. Don’t get us wrong, readers. In the (minimum of) 32 seconds that were left to play, it was highly unlikely that Hearts were going to score the two goals they needed to win the league. It is improbable that …

Craig Murray

The Power of the UK State Over Scotland
28 May 2026 at 7:50am

I went through yesterday’s preliminary hearing in the Scottish judicial review of the proscription of Palestine Action with a sense of mounting horror. We had the same judge as at the permission hearing, Lord Young. We had exactly the same arguments and the same case law being deployed again by the UK government as at …

The Power of the UK State Over Scotland

Palestine Action Scottish Judicial Review ? Stitch-Up Incoming?
27 May 2026 at 12:58am

The proscription of Palestine Action was sold to MPs and the media on the basis of a deliberate campaign of lies, fronted by Yvette Cooper, then Home Secretary, and Mark Rowley, Commissioner of the Metropolitan police. Both have deep commitment to Israel. Cooper is owned by the Israel lobby. What is worse, they then attempted …

Palestine Action Scottish Judicial Review – Stitch-Up Incoming?

Dr Manivannan
14 May 2026 at 6:00pm

The furore around the election of Dr Manivannan to the Scottish Parliament is deeply troubling. There is no argument whatsoever that they were eligible to stand for election. The law was changed specifically in order for those on temporary visas to be able to stand in Scottish parliamentary elections. I confess I am not sure …

Dr Manivannan

URGENT FILTON TRIAL UPDATE
13 May 2026 at 6:03am

While the Court of Appeal has now stopped the High Court contempt of court action against Rajiv Menon KC for defending his client, this is purely on procedural grounds. They ruled that Judge Johnson had to go via the Attorney General to the High Court, not direct. It is now referred back to Johnson who …

URGENT FILTON TRIAL UPDATE

Zionism Has Poisoned the UK?s Central Nervous System
11 May 2026 at 7:32pm

Unquestioning Zionism has for decades been the entry ticket to the British political and media Establishment. Anybody who was not a fully certified and compliant zionist would find their career limited – as Jeremy Corbyn, Alan Duncan, Robin Cook and David Mellor all found. Most others, of course, were never allowed to progress that far. …

Zionism Has Poisoned the UK’s Central Nervous System

The 2026 Scottish Elections
6 May 2026 at 5:40pm

We get so trapped inside the logic of the UK’s crazy electoral systems we often do not see what is really happening. Two thirds of active voters, voted against Starmer’s Labour at the last general election. He was always highly unpopular. Just as Starmer’s landslide victory in the 2024 general election was based on only …

The 2026 Scottish Elections

BBC Scotland

Sturgeon tells BBC: I'm serving a sentence for crime I didn't commit
31 May 2026 at 1:13pm
Scotland's former first minister is challenged by Laura Kuenssberg over the SNP embezzlement scandal, and at times struggles to hold back tears.

Sturgeon's personal life and politics collide in BBC interview
31 May 2026 at 2:15pm
BBC Scotland's political editor Glenn Campbell gives his take on Nicola Sturgeon's first media interview since her estranged husband admitted embezzling £400,000 from the SNP.

Watch: Key moments from Nicola Sturgeon's interview with Laura Kuenssberg
31 May 2026 at 9:17am
Former First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon speaks to the BBC in her first interview since her estranged husband Peter Murrell pled guilty to embezzling £400,000 from the SNP

Social media ban 'won't keep children safe', commissioner warns
29 May 2026 at 6:28pm
Scotland's children's commissioner has warned a social media ban could drive children to less regulated or riskier parts of the internet.

Sturgeon wishes she had not kept Murrell on as SNP chief executive
29 May 2026 at 6:49pm
The former first minister says she didn't think it was fair that Murrell - who embezzled more than £400,000 from the SNP - should lose his job when she became SNP leader.

Swinney rejects call for Holyrood inquiry into Murrell
28 May 2026 at 1:36pm
Peter Murrell, the former SNP chief executive, has admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from the party.

Organised crime and historic sex abuse cases driving trial backlog
28 May 2026 at 6:26am
The number of high court cases awaiting trial has nearly tripled since the Covid pandemic due to a backlog in complex cases.

Sturgeon says she was deceived and betrayed over Murrell embezzlement
28 May 2026 at 6:56pm
The former first minister said she was "coming to terms with being married to someone she did not know" after Peter Murrell's guilty plea.

First-time buyers offered up to £10,000 interest-free loans from next month
27 May 2026 at 4:15pm
The Scottish government has launched the First Homes Fund for those looking to get on the property ladder.

Scottish Parliament endorses SNP call for independence referendum
26 May 2026 at 6:10pm
The demand was the Scottish government's first item of business in the new parliament.

John Swinney denies 'sweeping Murrell scandal under carpet'
26 May 2026 at 6:12pm
Opposition MSPs have criticised the first minister and ex-SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon following Peter Murrell's guilty plea.

Sturgeon showed 'remarkable lack of curiosity' over SNP finances, Cherry says
26 May 2026 at 2:01pm
The former SNP MP has called for an independent inquiry into how Peter Murrell was able to embezzle more than £400,000.

Scot Goes Pop

ASTOUNDING surge for SNP in new Norstat poll: how Stew's "Accidental Clouseau...
31 May 2026 at 3:27am
An audio podcast version of the above video can be heard HERE. Other recent videos: More polling reassurance for SNP as by-elections approach, while Greens reclaim second place GB-wideGreens almost...

More polling reassurance for SNP as by-elections approach, while Greens recla...
30 May 2026 at 2:21am
In view of recent requests, I've also uploaded a podcast version of the above video on Soundcloud as a trial run, just to see if there's any interest in the audio-only format.  It's on Spotify too....

Unveiling the new funding model for Scot Goes Pop
28 May 2026 at 7:26pm
Click here to visit my new Ko-Fi page.On Sunday I published a blogpost explaining that my experiment of using YouTube as a more sustainable funding model for Scot Goes Pop wasn't really working out...

Greens almost draw level with Labour in GB-wide YouGov poll, SNP have double-...
28 May 2026 at 8:00am
In view of recent requests, I've also uploaded a podcast version of the above video on Soundcloud as a trial run, just to see if there's any interest in the audio-only format.  It's on Spotify as w...

DEMOCRACY IN ACTION: Newly-elected Scottish Parliament decides by 72 votes to...
27 May 2026 at 8:36am
Other recent videos: Is Scottish independence "closer now than on the day before the 2014 referendum"?What was the REAL vote share for pro-independence parties at the 2026 Holyrood election?First M...

As "Self-determination Tuesday" dawns, is Andy Maciver right to say independe...
26 May 2026 at 2:05pm
For anyone who would like to help support my YouTube channel, I've set up a new Ko-Fi page HERE, which offers the options of either a small recurring monthly subscription, or a one-off donation.  (...

Let's examine the evidence: does RevStew's "brave" Ba'athist propagandist com...
25 May 2026 at 11:02pm
The controversial far-right blogger "Stew" has done yet another of his tweets about me without mentioning me by name - he does this regularly so that he can later do his schtick of "look! search fo...

Some thoughts on Peter Murrell's betrayal of SNP members
25 May 2026 at 2:20pm
So just some miscellaneous thoughts about today's news that Peter Murrell has pleaded guilty to embezzling a six-figure amount from the SNP - * Speaking as someone who is used to living on a shoest...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

Nicola Sturgeon says Murrell has never explained his embezzlement crimes to her
31 May 2026 at 3:43pm
Murrell pleaded guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh this week to embezzling the sum from the SNP between 2010 and 2022

Nicola Sturgeon: ?I feel I am serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit?
31 May 2026 at 10:15am
Murrell pleaded guilty this week to embezzling the sum of £400,000 from the SNP between 2010 and 2022.

Sturgeon: I didn?t shut down people raising concerns about SNP finances
29 May 2026 at 8:45pm
Scotland?s former first minister said critics were saying things about her that were ?not true?.

Sturgeon ?learned of items bought by husband with SNP money in the papers?
29 May 2026 at 6:12pm
The former first minister spoke to audiences at a book festival in Wales on Friday as the fallout from her estranged husband's conviction continues

Nicola Sturgeon begins giving her account of husband?s embezzlement
29 May 2026 at 10:38am
The former first minister is appearing at book festivals just days after her husband Peter Murrell pled guilty to stealing £400,000

Nicola Sturgeon: ?This has been worst week of my life? after husband jailed
28 May 2026 at 5:03pm
The former first minister of Scotland said the revelations of her husband's crimes showed she 'didn't know him at all'

John Swinney to face FMQs amid mounting pressure for Peter Murrell probe
28 May 2026 at 11:56am
The First Minister has rejected calls for an independent probe into Peter Murrell's crimes

First-time buyers offered up to £10,000 interest-free loans from next month
27 May 2026 at 3:57pm
The First Homes Fund will provide successful applicants with a £10,000 contribution towards a deposit

Sturgeon says ?no comment? answers during arrest standard legal advice
26 May 2026 at 9:18pm
The former first minister?s lawyer said it was standard legal advice.

MSPs back John Swinney?s independence motion but Westminster rejects referendum
26 May 2026 at 7:48pm
The Scottish Parliament has voted for Westminster to transfer powers to Holyrood to allow a second independence referendum to be held.

How long will Peter Murrell be jailed for after admitting he embezzled £400,0...
26 May 2026 at 1:21pm
Murrell, the estranged husband of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, pled guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday

Holyrood set to back Swinney on second independence referendum
26 May 2026 at 6:59am
Swinney has tabled a motion calling on the UK Government to make a Section 30 order

Sturgeon ?had no suspicion? personal items were purchased with SNP funds
25 May 2026 at 5:37pm
The former first minister of Scotland said she was not aware of many of the items being purchased by Peter Murrell.

Length of SNP finances investigation was ?crucial?, senior officer says
25 May 2026 at 2:47pm
Operation Branchform, which cost more than £2m, is now 'complete', according to Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Nicola Sturgeon's BBC interview over Peter Murrell scandal - 5 key moments
31 May 2026 at 5:00pm
The former first minister refused to accept responsibility or say sorry after the party she led was fleeced for a decade by her estranged husband, Peter Murrell. But what did we learn from Sturgeon...

Defiant Nicola Sturgeon refuses to apologise for Peter Murrell scandal as Lab...
31 May 2026 at 12:41pm
Scottish Labour warned the Peter Murrell scandal was "not story of domestic deception that can be brushed under the carpet".

SNP 'surrounded itself with control and secrecy' as calls grow for inquiry in...
31 May 2026 at 11:50am
Labour's Pat McFadden has called on MSPs at the Scottish Parliament to "step up to the plate and show that it can do this".

John Swinney admits he hasn't spoken to SNP whistleblowers since Peter Murrel...
31 May 2026 at 10:46am
The First Minister said he had not called former MPs Douglas Chapman and Joanna Cherry - both of whom resigned from the SNP's governing body in 2021.

Nicola Sturgeon 'never saw motorhome as it was parked round the side of house'
31 May 2026 at 10:00am
The former SNP leader flatly refused to accept whistleblowers were blocked from trying to raise issues with the party's accounts.

Nicola Sturgeon: ?I feel I am serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit?
31 May 2026 at 8:37am
The former First Minister's estranged husband Peter Murrell pleaded guilty this week to embezzling from the SNP.

Dirty Business star raps 'secretive' Scottish Water over 'hundreds of illegal...
31 May 2026 at 4:30am
Retired Oxford academic and 'sewage sleuth' Peter Hammond, subject of hit Channel 4 drama, warned Scotland faces its own sewage scandal.

Scots cops should declare if they are Freemasons says veteran ex-Labour minister
31 May 2026 at 4:30am
Former MP Chris Mullin campaigned in the 1990s for public servants to disclose if they are part of secret societies.

SNP party donors 'could seek private prosecution' of Nicola Sturgeon
31 May 2026 at 4:30am
Activists responsible for the initial police complaints that brought down Peter Murrell will demand an official Crown Office review of the decision not to charge the former First Minister.

Ignorance is no excuse as Sturgeon claims she knew nothing about Murrell crimes
31 May 2026 at 4:30am
Mail Opinion saysIf Sturgeon really did know nothing, she patently obviously should have done and had a duty to find out.

The National

The National | Politics

Peter Murrell?s crimes have nothing whatsoever to do with Westminster
31 May 2026 at 7:30pm

I AM not a fan of Nicola Sturgeon but I have to say that the vitriol being lumped on her by the English media is disgusting. While it is a live story, I have to ask you all this, whether you are a supporter of Nicola or not: just what is it to do with anyone else other than the SNP?

Green MP taking a break due to burn-out gave me pause for thought
31 May 2026 at 7:30pm

CARLA Denyer, the Bristol Green MP (pictured), recently announced she would take a few weeks off because she was burnt out.

Campaigners stage protest at Trump's golf course saying 'he has no place in S...
31 May 2026 at 5:00pm

PRO-PALESTINE protesters have held a demonstration at the United States president's Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire golf courses, claiming that Donald Trump?s ?legacy of warmongering? has ?no place in Scotland? ...

Report finds Russia 'unequivocally' responsible for attack, says Romanian pre...
31 May 2026 at 4:54pm

A report has found that Russia is "unequivocally" responsible for the drone attack on Romania, the country's president has said

Unionists 'lashing out' at Nicola Sturgeon over election defeat, former SNP M...
31 May 2026 at 4:49pm

UNIONISTS are ?licking their wounds and lashing out? at Nicola Sturgeon in response to their "catastrophic? election results, a former SNP MP has claimed.

'Humiliating': Tory MP clashes with LBC host over benefits 'ration card' plan
31 May 2026 at 3:35pm

A SENIOR Tory MP clashed with a radio presenter over his party?s plans to bring in ration cards for people on benefits.

Donations to SNP 'up' amid Peter Murrell embezzlement outrage
31 May 2026 at 1:26pm

DONATIONS to the SNP increased in the week Peter Murrell admitted embezzling more than £400,000 of members? cash, the party has said.

'Fundamental flaw' in Sturgeon and Murrell having top SNP roles, says John Sw...
31 May 2026 at 1:10pm

THERE was a ?fundamental flaw? in having Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrell in top positions in the SNP, Scotland?s First Minister John Swinney has said ...

EU agrees to sanction Israeli settler featured in Louis Theroux documentary
31 May 2026 at 1:02pm

THE European Council have adopted additional 'restrictive' measures against extremist Israeli settlers ? including Daniella Weiss, who was featured in a Louis Theroux documentary

7 key things we learnt from Nicola Sturgeon's interview on SNP embezzlement
31 May 2026 at 12:14pm

NICOLA Sturgeon has revealed the deep pain her estranged husband Peter Murrell?s crimes caused her in her first TV interview since he pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from the SNP.

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

Sturgeon says she?s ?serving a sentence for a crime I did not commit?
31 May 2026 at 3:15pm
The former first minister spoke to Laura Kuenssberg following the guilty plea from her estranged husband Peter Murrell

Social media ban ?won?t keep children safe?, children commissioner warns
29 May 2026 at 5:23pm
Nicola Killean has said that a ban would not currently be a proportionate, effective, or enforceable way to protect children?s rights, and that it could inadvertently push children to less regulated or riskier parts of the internet

Scottish Affairs Committee urged to carry out inquiry into Peter Murrell
29 May 2026 at 12:48pm
Tory MP Andrew Bowie, the shadow Scottish Secretary, has called for the probe following First Minister John Swinney?s rejection of a parliamentary inquiry at Holyrood

John Swinney: Beastie House horror reveals Scottish child protection failures
28 May 2026 at 2:46pm
FM issues apology to children harmed by Glasgow abuse ring

John Swinney: No new inquiry over Peter Murrell scandal
28 May 2026 at 2:21pm
Electoral Commission says it has 'no evidence' of misuse of public funds

Scotland?s only cybersecurity social enterprise reinvests ?3m to combat threa...
27 May 2026 at 4:11pm
Vulnerability testing, cyber MOTs and executive education programmes have been provided to charities and SMEs

Nicola Sturgeon?s solicitor defends ?no comment? police interview after arrest
27 May 2026 at 1:20pm
Nicola Sturgeon's solicitor Aamer Anwar said the response was ?standard advice offered on a regular basis in our jurisdiction?

Lack of humanoid robotics regulation risks ?misuse?
27 May 2026 at 11:48am
The rapid growth of such technology is outpacing lawmakers and public understanding

Net zero sector worth over ?10bn to economy, report finds
27 May 2026 at 4:00am
But some in the sector warn delays to infrastructure and policy uncertainty is creating a ?transition gap? amid efforts to move away from fossil fuels

Scottish Parliament backs plans for route to second independence referendum
26 May 2026 at 9:00pm
The vote followed a statement from First Minister John Swinney, who also led a debate titled ?Ambitious for Scotland?, in which he outlined his plans for the session of parliament

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

The Guardian view on the Aberdeen South byelection: the politics of energy ta...
31 May 2026 at 5:30pm
While Westminster?s attention is focused on Andy Burnham and Makerfield, another pivotal byelection is taking place in Scotland?s north-eastThe coming byelection in Makerfield, from where Andy Burnham aspires to make rapid progress towards Downing Street, is perhaps the most consequential in Brit...

Nicola?s only crime was to love too much. And to not notice the Jaguar on the...
31 May 2026 at 5:27pm
Rather than being one of the shrewdest operators in British politics for a decade, it turns out Sturgeon was just too trustingYou know how it is. You wake up and look out the bedroom window. You see a brand new Jaguar worth £81,000 parked in the driveway. You smile to yourself. That?s what you lo...

Nicola Sturgeon: I feel as if I?m serving a sentence for a crime I did not co...
31 May 2026 at 3:47pm
Former Scottish first minister says she will not apologise for actions of her ex-husband found guilty of embezzlementNicola Sturgeon has said she feels as if she is serving a sentence for a crime she did not commit, as she denied ever ?consciously? seeing the motor home bought by her estranged hu...

Nicola Sturgeon: ?I should not be held responsible for the wrongdoing of men?
29 May 2026 at 7:41pm
Ex-SNP leader says she appeared on more front pages than her husband this week, adding: ?I don?t think that?s right?Nicola Sturgeon said she ?should not be held responsible for the wrongdoing of men? after Peter Murrell, her estranged husband, admitted to embezzling hundreds of thousands of pound...

We know what former SNP chief Peter Murrell bought with £400,000 of embezzled...
29 May 2026 at 6:00am
His guilty plea means motive will for ever be a mystery. It just proves that the world can look as hard as it likes at someone?s marriage and never know what?s going onIt sounds like the haul of an unhappy trophy wife, filling her empty days with retail therapy. Three Fortnum & Mason advent calen...

Sturgeon says she was ?deceived, misled and betrayed? by ex-husband Murrell
28 May 2026 at 9:54pm
Murrell has been remanded in custody after pleading guilty to embezzling more than £400,00 from SNPNicola Sturgeon said she was ?deceived, betrayed and lied to? by her estranged husband, Peter Murrell, as he embezzled hundreds of thousands of pounds from the SNP.The former first minister told an ...

Much of what Blair said in essay criticising Labour was wrong, says Starmer ?...
28 May 2026 at 6:06pm
This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story herePat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary, is introducing Alan Milburn.He says Milburn?s report is ?really important and powerful?.I could see in the first few weeks after being appointed as the secretary of state what was happening...

Humza Yousaf says Peter Murrell deserves ?hefty? sentence for embezzlement
27 May 2026 at 11:09am
Former first minister speaks out after SNP?s ex-chief executive pleaded guilty to stealing £400,000 from party UK politics live ? latest updatesHumza Yousaf, Scotland?s former first minister, has called for Peter Murrell to get a ?hefty? jail sentence after he admitted stealing £400,000 from the ...

Labour says Reform UK ?in chaos? as Zia Yusuf publicly tells Jenrick he?s got...
26 May 2026 at 5:40pm
?Robert?s answer is not Reform policy?, Yusuf said about an answer that Jenrick gave to journalists days earlierKeir Starmer has said that SNP leaders need to explain why they did not realise that Peter Murrell was stealing more than £400,000 from the party.Asked about yesterday?s court proceedin...

SNP accused of ?embezzling? voters over Peter Murrell?s theft of party funds
26 May 2026 at 4:51pm
Scottish National party?s attempt to focus on call for independence referendum overshadowed by embezzlement scandalThe Scottish National party was accused of ?embezzling? voters after opposition leaders highlighted the crisis over Peter Murrell?s misuse of £400,000 from party funds.The scandal ov...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

Seeing the path ahead clearly
31 May 2026 at 2:45pm
I’m not going to be blogging so much over the next couple of weeks. For the past year or so I’ve had a cataract in my right eye, which has rapidly worsened over recent months such that at an eye test at the opticians last week I found to my horror that I could not …

The first salvos have been fired in the latest stage of the independence camp...
27 May 2026 at 4:20pm
On Tuesday, the first working day of a new Scottish Parliament, with a record pro-independence majority, the fourth such majority in a row, MSPs voted by 72 to 55, a majority of 17 to adopt a motion calling on the Westminster government “to make a Section 30 order under the Scotland Act 1998 to devolve …

Explaining a parliamentary mandate for the staunch of hearing
26 May 2026 at 3:16pm
Today Holyrood gets the ball rolling on putting into action the pro-independence mandate given to it by the people of Scotland at the recent election, which as we all know by now resulted in the largest ever majority of pro-independence MSPs in the history of the Scottish Parliament. I’ll blog about the debate and vote …

Branchform?s over and the SNP is still standing
25 May 2026 at 1:41pm
Well, after five long years, murder tents, and over £2 million in police costs, it’s all over bar the inevitable shouting, and of course the not insignificant matter of what is likely to be a substantial custodial sentence. Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than £400,000 from the party. …

The supposed ?Once in a generation? pledge is a Westminster myth
23 May 2026 at 12:31pm
On Thursday evening’s edition of BBC Reform Time, Fiona Bruce, the completely unbiased and neutral right wing unionist host, editorialised in aid of Tory MP Harriet Cross who had insisted that the question of independence had been “settled” in 2014 and attempts to revisit the matter “have to end, they have to end.” Bruce interjected …

John Swinney fires the starting gun on independence push
22 May 2026 at 1:30pm
He’s not mucking about. On the back of Holyrood’s record pro-independence majority, John Swinney has announced that there will be a debate and vote in the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday on securing a Section 30 order for an independence referendum. With 72 pro-independence MSPs in the chamber, the motion will pass easily despite the predictable …

The British media is hiding Holyrood?s independence majorities
20 May 2026 at 5:01pm
Something interesting, and entirely predictable, has been happening in the British media since the SNP comprehensively defeated the parties of Westminster rule in this month’s Holyrood elections, being returned for a fifth term in office in a Scottish Parliament which has its largest ever pro-independence majority, making this the fourth Scottish Parliament in a row …

Something wicked this way comes
17 May 2026 at 1:27pm
We are rightly concerned about Reform UK, which has now gained representation in the Scottish Parliament, although as I had hoped, it performed more poorly than most polls forecast and failed to win a single constituency seat, narrowly missing out to the SNP in the Banffshire and Buchan Coast constituency which had been widely tipped …

The Celtic Alliance can break Westminter?s constitutional logjam
15 May 2026 at 6:33pm
One of the biggest developments in British political history came to pass after the recent parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales, yet it predictably went all but unnoticed by a British media which struggles to comprehend England outwith the M25 and for which Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are terra incognita marked “here be dragons” …

Labour?s rigged electoral system has bitten it on the bum
13 May 2026 at 3:51pm
Ever since the Holyrood election last week in which the SNP won a crushing victory over the dependency parties, those parties and their client media have been crowing that John Swinney must drop his “obsession” with independence because the SNP “failed” in the election and did not win an outright majority for the SNP. Alex …

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

Talking-up Scotland?s reporting has increased 56% since 2024 but Arty Hetty ...
31 May 2026 at 2:20pm
We have many friends here and they are all deeply appreciated but I feel sure that no one will be surprised to see that, over the years, Arty Hetty has often been there, and quickest there, to back us up. The above figures seem huge but bear in mind they only represent the period from around mid 2019, when perhaps in reaction to my recovery from arthritis-triggered opioid painkiller addiction, ...

Two polls confirm SNP support increasing AFTER Murrell verdict and Sturgeon w...
31 May 2026 at 12:10pm
There have been two polls since Peter Murrell was found guilty, on May 25th 2026, and media went into slavering overdrive, accusing his wife of lying and calling for an inquiry. They’ll be disappointed. YouGov 25-26 May In the sample for Scotland – SNP 34, Reform UK 21, Labour 12, Greens 10, others less than 10. Find Out Now 27 May In the sample for Scotland – SNP 38, Reform UK 19, Labour 11, G...

The Herald?s ?senior academic? wheeled in to savage Scottish schools again is...
31 May 2026 at 9:57am
The Herald today has: I’ve lost track of how often I’ve felt the need to deal with Prof Paterson, Scotland’s only regular rentagobprof across Scottish and English MSM, always ready to tell everyone that education in Scotland is in decline and worse than elsewhere and, to my knowledge, only fan of Pisa data. He is, to my knowledge, the only serious educationist publishing in peer-review journals...

Huge increase in farm income in Scotland, above that in England due in part t...
31 May 2026 at 8:57am
BBC Breakfast this morning had an extended piece on likely problems for farmers due to the Iran war. BBC Scotland including BBC Scotland Business has no related story. In March, they had avoided this : From Farm income rises in 2024-25 published 26 March 2026 09:30 Farm incomes rose in 2024-25, after sharp declines in 2023-24. Increases in income are largely driven by high livestock prices, whi...

The Milburn report on the ?UK?s ?lost generation? does look north, does spot ...
30 May 2026 at 3:23pm
By stewartb The interim report from the Milburn review examining the issues around NEETs gained a lot of MSM attention. See Milburn, A. (May 28, 2026) Independent report: Young people and work: interim report. Report for the Department for Work & Pensions. Its stated geographic scope is clear from the outset: it?s the whole of the UK. The report does acknowledge that certain germane policy area...

Alleged witness in Nicola Sturgeon?s alleged camper van denial was 14 at the ...
30 May 2026 at 10:54am
Above, the young man in the Daily Mail‘s: Local resident doubts Sturgeon’s claim she knew nothing about campervan bought with embezzled funds because he met her, he did, he said so, four years ago, when he was presumably 14. According to his own blog My name is Ryan-Thomas Quinn, I am 18, a journalism student, activist and avid enjoyer of wine (preferably rosé). My views are mine and mine alone...

Tory donor who will fund lawsuit to help SNP victims get money embezzled by P...
30 May 2026 at 8:57am
Four Seasons Health Care was a British provider of health and social care services. It also owned The Huntercombe Group, a provider of inpatient mental healthcare and brain injury rehabilitation as well as care home operator brighterkind. Four Seasons, as it is today, was created both organically and by the buying out of smaller chains of care homes and rebranding them, as evidenced by the take...

Never mind the Dutch what can the Scots teach the ?UK? about how to tackle th...
30 May 2026 at 7:47am
Over the years, I’ve noticed that no matter the issue, experts and journalists will never dream of looking north for a solution. Yesterday, in the Guardian: A shock government-backed report this week warned of the danger of a ?lost generation? of young people in Britain, as the number of 16- to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training (Neets) rose to more than 1 million. According ...

Sky TV?s maternity survey is not just massive it?s massively useless and stag...
29 May 2026 at 6:47pm
From Ipsos today, funded by Sky TV News, its massive 378 000 ‘survey’ of social media comment on maternity services ‘across the UK‘, appears to suggest (above) that discontent is greatest in Scotland: The prevalence of predominantly negative sentiment signifies an existing tension in society about the experience of maternity care in the UK, with little difference in the pattern by nations (Scot...

Soaring Covid infections ? the real campervan from England worry in Scotland ...
29 May 2026 at 4:00pm
In late 2020, Peter Murrell bought a campervan from a dealer in Staffordshire before apparently leaving it sitting two years on his mother’s drive in Dunfermline. If only that had been a typical use of campervans from England into Scotland in the following year. On the 20th June, the Sunday Post, reported: Scotland faces an influx of 6.4 million visitors this summer as UK staycationers head her...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

Scottish Parliament endorses SNP call for independence referendum - BBC
26 May 2026 at 6:10pm
Scottish Parliament endorses SNP call for independence referendum  BBC

Nationalist Governments Now in Both: The 2026 Parliamentary Elections in Scot...
31 May 2026 at 7:14pm
Nationalist Governments Now in Both: The 2026 Parliamentary Elections in Scotland and Wales  Open Canada

Is Scotland still divided on independence? - The Week
28 May 2026 at 1:34pm
Is Scotland still divided on independence?  The Week

There?s little love for the SNP ? so why does the party look set to win in Sc...
6 May 2026 at 8:00am
There?s little love for the SNP ? so why does the party look set to win in Scotland?  The Conversation

'Scotland is locked in the Union' claim is harming independence cause - The N...
31 May 2026 at 10:22am
'Scotland is locked in the Union' claim is harming independence cause  The National Scot

Scottish Parliament backs move for new independence vote - CTV News
26 May 2026 at 8:01pm
Scottish Parliament backs move for new independence vote  CTV News

Scottish Nationalists Hang On to Power, Without Authority - Jacobin
29 May 2026 at 1:42pm
Scottish Nationalists Hang On to Power, Without Authority  Jacobin

A Greek tragedy in three acts: Nicola Sturgeon, Peter Murrell, and the SNP's ...
30 May 2026 at 8:24am
A Greek tragedy in three acts: Nicola Sturgeon, Peter Murrell, and the SNP's ruin  The Herald

Democratic mandate reached for independence referendum - Scottish Greens
26 May 2026 at 8:41am
Democratic mandate reached for independence referendum  Scottish Greens

The next Scottish and Welsh governments are likely to put constitutional chan...
6 May 2026 at 8:00am
The next Scottish and Welsh governments are likely to put constitutional change back on the agenda  Institute for Government

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

The cosy SNP culture behind Peter Murrell?s ?30 years of theft? - The Times
31 May 2026 at 7:35am
The cosy SNP culture behind Peter Murrell?s ?30 years of theft?  The TimesSturgeon tells BBC: I'm serving a sentence for crime I didn't commit  BBCWe know what former SNP chief Peter Murrell bought with £400,000 of embezzled funds. What I?d like to know is why  The GuardianSturgeon: I won?t apologise for husband?s crimes  The TelegraphWatch: Key moments from Nicola Sturgeon's interview with Lau...

Nicola Sturgeon denies any knowledge of items husband Peter Murrell bought wi...
25 May 2026 at 6:59pm
Nicola Sturgeon denies any knowledge of items husband Peter Murrell bought with embezzled £400,000  Sky News

Final YouGov MRP of the 2026 Holyrood election shows the SNP falling short of...
6 May 2026 at 8:00am
Final YouGov MRP of the 2026 Holyrood election shows the SNP falling short of a majority  YouGov

Former Scottish National Party chief pleads guilty to embezzling $540,000 - R...
25 May 2026 at 2:42pm
Former Scottish National Party chief pleads guilty to embezzling $540,000  Reuters

Sturgeon says she was deceived and betrayed over Murrell embezzlement - BBC
28 May 2026 at 6:56pm
Sturgeon says she was deceived and betrayed over Murrell embezzlement  BBC

Peter Murrell embezzled SNP donations ? why do so many voters stay loyal to t...
29 May 2026 at 2:11pm
Peter Murrell embezzled SNP donations ? why do so many voters stay loyal to the party?  The Conversation

Former Scottish National Party chief Peter Murrell pleads guilty to embezzlin...
25 May 2026 at 8:22pm
Former Scottish National Party chief Peter Murrell pleads guilty to embezzling $920,000  RNZ

The very British banality of the SNP?s shopping scandal - Financial Times
30 May 2026 at 5:02am
The very British banality of the SNP?s shopping scandal  Financial Times

Scotland's papers: SNP donors' 'court threat' and Sturgeon's 'England move' -...
31 May 2026 at 9:17am
Scotland's papers: SNP donors' 'court threat' and Sturgeon's 'England move'  BBC

?I?m a lifelong independence supporter ? but SNP are out of touch with realit...
31 May 2026 at 11:00am
?I?m a lifelong independence supporter ? but SNP are out of touch with reality?  John O'Groat Journal

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

Scottish Parliament endorses SNP call for independence referendum - BBC
26 May 2026 at 6:10pm
Scottish Parliament endorses SNP call for independence referendum  BBC

Scottish Parliament backs move for new independence vote - NZ Herald
26 May 2026 at 9:41pm
Scottish Parliament backs move for new independence vote  NZ Herald

Is Scotland still divided on independence? - The Week
28 May 2026 at 1:34pm
Is Scotland still divided on independence?  The Week

Scotland Renews Push for Independence With Labour in Turmoil - Bloomberg
26 May 2026 at 5:45pm
Scotland Renews Push for Independence With Labour in Turmoil  Bloomberg

The next Scottish and Welsh governments are likely to put constitutional chan...
6 May 2026 at 8:00am
The next Scottish and Welsh governments are likely to put constitutional change back on the agenda  Institute for Government

Downing Street rejects Holyrood call for independence referendum - The Nation...
26 May 2026 at 8:59pm
Downing Street rejects Holyrood call for independence referendum  The National Scot

Democratic mandate reached for independence referendum - Scottish Greens
26 May 2026 at 8:41am
Democratic mandate reached for independence referendum  Scottish Greens

Scottish Parliament backs plans for route to second independence referendum -...
26 May 2026 at 6:01pm
Scottish Parliament backs plans for route to second independence referendum  Holyrood Website

Scottish Parliament to move on new independence vote - RTE.ie
26 May 2026 at 5:30am
Scottish Parliament to move on new independence vote  RTE.ie

What do the May Election Results Mean for Devolution? - The Constitution Society
26 May 2026 at 10:31am
What do the May Election Results Mean for Devolution?  The Constitution Society