The Herald

The Herald | Politics


Should Holyrood impose 'accountability with teeth' on Scottish football?
17 Oct 2024 at 4:00pm
The Scottish Government aren?t keen to be seen following the example of either the last Westminster government or the current one ? but what about when it comes to football?


Scotland's chief entrepreneur quits, citing 'draining' right wing attacks
17 Oct 2024 at 10:30am
Mark Logan says there are no 'musical differences' with Scottish Government


Fears UK Government could re-open asylum hotels as backlog grows
17 Oct 2024 at 7:49am
 


UK Government speeding up 'skills passport' to help with North Sea jobs trans...
17 Oct 2024 at 7:24am
The Government is speeding up the delivery of a ?skills passport? to support oil and gas workers to move into jobs in renewables such as offshore wind, it has said


CalMac reappointments have caused 'real anger' among frustrated islanders
17 Oct 2024 at 5:30am
Transport secretary Fiona Hyslop has been told that her decision to re-appoint the Danish chair and other absentee directors  of Caledonian MacBrayne has caused ?real anger? in the islands.


Fury from business bosses as Home Office snubs pleas for Scottish visa
17 Oct 2024 at 5:00am
"Nobody expected anything like this to happen quickly but to see it taken off the table altogether will be a blow to the sector."


Organisation withdraws from leadership group over Swinney's 'apathy' on human...
17 Oct 2024 at 5:00am
A third sector organisation has withdrawn from a government leadership group as a scathing letter warns John Swinney of failing to listen to leading human rights groups


Inflation reprieve but nerves still on edge as Budget approaches
17 Oct 2024 at 4:30am
Inflation has fallen by more than expected but this month's Budget still has business nerves on edge


Scottish and UK Government's offer 'bespoke support' to Grangemouth workers
17 Oct 2024 at 3:42pm
 Government funding will allow workers affected by the closure of Grangemouth refinery to reskill and train and at Forth Valley College.


Explainer: Full details: When will Alex Salmond's body arrive in Scotland?
17 Oct 2024 at 3:06pm
The flight is scheduled to land at Aberdeen Airport at about 1.45pm and will be shown on TV.


Sir Tom Hunter revealed as donor who paid for Alex Salmond's repatriation flight
17 Oct 2024 at 2:05pm
The mystery private donor who has paid for the repatriation of Alex Salmond?s body can be revealed as the billionaire philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter.


Salmond's body to be repatriated on Friday as early details of funeral revealed
17 Oct 2024 at 11:10am
It is understood a private family funeral will be held later this month or early November in Strichen, in Aberdeenshire, where he lived with his wife Moira.


Human Rights Bill: What is it and why has it been stalled in Holyrood?
17 Oct 2024 at 5:00am
Campaigners are angry the Human Rights Bill, which they have said is crucial, has been shelved.


Sarwar on visit to Germany to meet with publicly-owned energy giant
17 Oct 2024 at 12:04am
?To make sure that GB Energy is the success that we all want it to be, it is important to meet with other leading companies in the sector and learn from their successes."

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


How supermarkets help the spread of deadly antibiotic-resistant diseases
17 Oct 2024 at 6:00pm

Some supermarkets are failing to check whether imported food they sell has been produced with routine antibiotic use ? a major factor in the growing global crisis of antibiotic-resistant superbugs

Labour ministers appear not to see the problem with jabbing the overweight unemployed with expensive chemicals in order to reconnect them with an economy that has so clearly failed them

The SNP?s attempt to portray itself as a defender of local government is at odds with its centralising instincts

Tory MP says he will back rival Robert Jenrick because ?you can?t spend all your time with your family?

As inflation hits lowest level for more than three years, an interest rate cut that would boost investment looms

The Scottish Government is warming to Labour?s energy strategy - but a key part of the SNP?s vision is still missing.

Labour is under pressure to keep a pledge to end the use of hotels for asylum seekers .

Wings over Scotland

The fleas on the ticks on the midgets
16 Oct 2024 at 3:12pm
Wherever you find giants, you also find parasites, bottom-feeders and carrion. When a mighty lion dies in the jungle, tiny creeping crawling maggots and insects and bacteria feast gleefully on its corpse for many days. Which naturally brings us to the Scottish media. The above paragraphs of cowardly innuendo and baseless speculative smearing were penned …

The Giant
13 Oct 2024 at 1:38pm
It’s hard to write an obituary for someone you can’t quite believe is dead. But we must look the truth in the eyes, and it is so. Alex Salmond would have wished to die, some decades from now, in the country he fought for all his days, and preferably not before it had recovered its …

The King And Queen Of Cringe
11 Oct 2024 at 5:40pm
Honestly not sure which of these is the most nauseating. Click the pic to enlarge, if you can stomach it. Swinney was grinning like a yokel at the first meeting of the “Council Of The Nations And Regions”, held in Edinburgh but where he was the only Scot around a table of 18, placing him …

Two Spaces
10 Oct 2024 at 2:31pm
Everyone even remotely connected to Scottish politics has known for months that the below is the case. It’s an open secret. But what’s playing out right now is something much bigger than the fate of one or two or three individuals. It’s the entire future of the credibility of Scotland’s justice system. Like Robin McAlpine …

Coping with change
7 Oct 2024 at 3:19pm
Just a quick bit of housekeeping here with regard to the new Wings comments section, which offers far more functionality but has also attracted a few complaints because it’s no longer a straight chronology of oldest-to-newest tweets. (We could actually change that back, but the cost would be losing the ability to reply directly to …

Things happen slowly
6 Oct 2024 at 11:52am
When times are quiet in Scottish politics, as they currently are, our favourite genre of story is “mainstream press belatedly catches up with Wings Over Scotland”. And so to this morning’s front page splash in the Sunday Mail. The rumour mill has been grinding about Operation Branchform developments again in the last few days, although …

The whole caboodle
5 Oct 2024 at 11:13am
While we get on with some tinkering behind the scenes in the absence of any Scottish political news – we have an exciting new comment system and the Contact form finally works again! – readers may wish to enjoy the full marathon three-and-a-quarter hours of last month’s fun indyref anniversary event at the Glasgow Science …

Mistaken identity
28 Sep 2024 at 6:59am

To Save Your Time
26 Sep 2024 at 1:23pm
Let us not be ungracious about the use of the term “leading figures” here. But equally, let’s not waste too much attention. The University Of Glasgow’s Centre For Public Policy yesterday put out a 56-page report discussing Scotland’s constitutional future. It purports, reasonably enough, to address the glaring democratic weakness in the Unionist policy position …

Dear Sandy
24 Sep 2024 at 3:18pm
The below is an open letter from a rape survivor, Paula, to Sandy Brindley, CEO of Rape Crisis Scotland. It is reproduced unedited, with Paula’s permission. Dear Sandy, I’m writing to implore you to stop doing press interviews. Each time you do, it feels like yet another slap in the face from Edinburgh Rape Crisis …

Craig Murray

The Notional Health Service
17 Oct 2024 at 2:01am

Today is my 66th birthday, so I am hoping that you will forgive an article that is at core the anecdotal ramblings of an old man. It was inspired by horror at Wes Streeting (I could end the sentence there but I shall continue it) ‘s plan to give weight loss jabs to the unemployed. …

The Notional Health Service

The Salisbury Festival of Russophobia Opens Today
14 Oct 2024 at 12:04pm

Today is the grand opening of the Salisbury Festival of Russophobia, otherwise known as the Public Inquiry into the death of Dawn Sturgess, an unfortunate victim of imperialist spy games. Do not be fooled. This is not in any sense a genuine public inquiry, supposed to get at the truth. This is an inquiry like …

The Salisbury Festival of Russophobia Opens Today

Alex Salmond. Always My Hero.
13 Oct 2024 at 10:53am

Before Alex Salmond, Scottish Independence was an impossible dream, a romantic aspiration, outside the realm of practical politics. After Alex Salmond, it is the dominant question in Scottish politics and by far the biggest threat to the UK state. I would argue that, with every poll for a decade showing overwhelming support for Independence among …

Alex Salmond. Always My Hero.

Simply No Red Lines At All
11 Oct 2024 at 2:03pm

There is literally no act so vile that the UK, US and Germany will not support if perpetrated by the terrorist state of Israel. Yesterday Israel: deliberately attacked UN peacekeepers in three separate bases; bombed residential central Beirut killing and maiming hundreds; abducted, beat up and held an American journalist; slaughtered 30 Palestinian refugees in …

Simply No Red Lines At All

In Praise of Civil Disobedience
9 Oct 2024 at 4:37pm

Western governments are deeply involved, strongly against the will of the majority of their population, in committing a colonial genocide of indigenous people. This happens because the political class have been bought by the Zionist lobby. The causes may run deeper, but that is the mechanism. Democracy has therefore failed, having been fatally corrupted. In …

In Praise of Civil Disobedience

A Very Peculiar Triumph
5 Oct 2024 at 9:30am

At the end of Julian Assange’s testimony before the Judicial Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, 95% of the entire room of 220 people rose in a standing ovation. The audience consisted of members of the Parliamentary Assembly, who are delegated members of their national parliaments, from all over Europe. Furthermore …

A Very Peculiar Triumph

BBC Scotland

Tom Hunter pays for plane to bring Alex Salmond's body home
17 Oct 2024 at 2:43pm
The businessman has been revealed as the private donor funding the former first minister's repatriation.

Miliband denies avoiding oil and gas sector
17 Oct 2024 at 5:07pm
In his first visit to the north east since taking office, the minister vowed support for North Sea workers.

Salmond's body to be brought home on private flight
16 Oct 2024 at 2:38pm
The former first minister died at a conference in North Macedonia on Saturday at the age of 69.

UK government not considering Scottish visa to attract migrants
16 Oct 2024 at 3:58pm
Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to transfer powers to the Scottish government to help address labour shortages.

Salmond was a 'man of the people' - conference organiser
16 Oct 2024 at 2:08pm
The former first minister, 69, collapsed at an event in North Macedonia on Saturday after suffering a heart attack.

'Sorrow' Salmond did not live to see an independent Scotland - Flynn
14 Oct 2024 at 6:23pm
MPs from across the political spectrum paid tribute to Alex Salmond at Westminster, where he served for 25 years.

Salmond ally hopes family will continue legal action
14 Oct 2024 at 9:41pm
The former first minister was in the process of suing the Scottish government when he died on Saturday.

Ferry fares in Scotland to increase by 10% next year
14 Oct 2024 at 6:46pm
Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop says last year's fare freeze cannot be continued.

Mason happy to repeat 'no genocide' claim after SNP expulsion
14 Oct 2024 at 12:36pm
The veteran SNP politician has been expelled from the party after claiming there is no genocide in Gaza.

Gilruth keeps £145m from councils over teacher numbers row
11 Oct 2024 at 6:27am
Government says the money has been earmarked to maintain teacher jobs, but Cosla disagrees with it being ringfenced.

'Time stopped' after Salmond collapsed at conference
13 Oct 2024 at 7:14pm
Organisers say the former first minister fell backwards in his chair after suffering a massive heart attack.

Alex Salmond 'left footprint on Scottish politics', says Swinney
13 Oct 2024 at 3:57pm
Scotland's first minister says the late SNP leader took the party from the fringes of politics to the heart of government.

Scot Goes Pop

The Gaza genocide could be a watershed moment in the relationship between the...
17 Oct 2024 at 1:20pm
With the recent 'generation anniversary' marking the passing of exactly one generation since the independence referendum was held in 2014, I was thinking back to the day after the referendum, when ...

The Famous Hypocrisy of the Grouse
16 Oct 2024 at 1:08am
So it's a curious thing - as you may have seen on Twitter, I've been receiving some totally unprovoked abusive DMs from Grouse Beater of all people. I did have problems with him many years ago, but...

So where does the independence movement go from here?
15 Oct 2024 at 11:33am
Robin McAlpine's latest piece presents the independence movement as having been "orphaned" by Alex Salmond's death, with a sudden realisation that "we're going to have to do it on our own", and wit...

Alex Salmond's appearance on the Scot Goes Popcast, 6th April 2021
14 Oct 2024 at 9:51pm
A couple of you have asked for the link to Alex Salmond's appearance on the Scot Goes Popcast at the time of Alba's founding.  You can watch the video version below.  I was one of umpteen alternati...

John Mason's ridiculous expulsion suggests the SNP have learned absolutely no...
13 Oct 2024 at 10:32pm
The SNP's decision to suspend the whip from John Mason a couple of months ago was interesting. They did it on the grounds that he had denied Israel was committing genocide in Gaza, which suggested ...

Simply astounding: just three months after their "loveless landslide", Labour...
13 Oct 2024 at 1:30pm
I said a few days ago that crossover seemed to be approaching, and although we still haven't quite hit that point yet, a major landmark has today been reached with the first GB-wide poll from any f...

Alex Salmond, 1954-2024
12 Oct 2024 at 6:17pm
Hopefully it goes without saying that my earlier blogpost today, which briefly mentioned Alex Salmond, was written before I heard the awful news.  I went out for a walk a few minutes ago, and my ph...

While I take a few days off to prepare properly for my Alba "disciplinary" he...
12 Oct 2024 at 3:43pm
I may not be blogging much over the next few days, because I've still got to compile my written submission for my Alba disciplinary hearing, and the deadline is fast approaching.  I still find it h...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

NHS Lothians patient forced to wait up to two days for an ambulance, Scottish...
17 Oct 2024 at 6:44am
Figures obtained by the party show a yellow category patient waited 48 hours for an ambulance in May 2024.

Scottish Government to pledge £12.5m for African education
16 Oct 2024 at 3:49pm
The funding will need to be confirmed through the budget process.

Alex Salmond?s body to be repatriated to Scotland by Friday at the earliest o...
16 Oct 2024 at 1:35pm
The former first minister died after suffering a heart attack in North Macedonia on Saturday.

Prime Minister pays tribute ?monumental figure? Alex Salmond at PMQs
16 Oct 2024 at 12:40pm
The former first minister died after suffering a heart attack in North Macedonia on Saturday.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer to hold first PMQs since death of former Scottish...
16 Oct 2024 at 11:55am
The Prime Minister will take questions from MPs and is expected to pay tribute to the former first minister.

UK Government must assess impact of potential national insurance hike, says SNP
16 Oct 2024 at 6:33am
The letter to chancellor Rachel Reeves urges Labour to 'tread very carefully' over tax hike for businesses.

?We will keep manifesto promise on tax,? says Starmer amid Budget speculation
15 Oct 2024 at 4:34pm
Sir Keir Starmer warned again that October 30 would bring a 'tough' Budget.

Minute?s applause to be held at Hampden prior to Scotland game following deat...
15 Oct 2024 at 1:38pm
The former first minister died after suffering a massive heart attack in North Macedonia around 3.40pm local time on Saturday.

Chancellor urged to go easy on windfall tax amid low confidence in oil and gas
14 Oct 2024 at 8:01pm
Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce urged the Chancellor to scrap the Energy Profits Levy that it said is putting 100,000 jobs at risk.

Scottish Government in talks with Foreign Office over plans to bring Alex Sal...
14 Oct 2024 at 3:30pm
The 69-year-old was in North Macedonia taking part in a youth cultural and diplomatic event when he suffered a heart attack.

Alba Party will continue Alex Salmond?s legacy, says acting leader
14 Oct 2024 at 12:31pm
The former first minister died suddenly on Saturday at a conference in North Macedonia.

John Swinney: Growing investment in Scotland would help tackle child poverty
14 Oct 2024 at 11:58am
John Swinney will seek to boost Scotland?s private investment at the event convened by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Scottish Government ?floundering? on fisheries plans, says marine charity Ope...
14 Oct 2024 at 10:53am
Open Seas said the failure to meet a 2024 target for the delivery of fisheries management plans was undermining efforts to ensure long-term sustainability and biodiversity in Scotland?s seas.

SNP MSP John Mason expelled from party over Israel comments considering appeal
14 Oct 2024 at 8:53am
In a post on X on Sunday, Mason revealed he had been expelled by the party over his comments and was 'very disappointed'.

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Grangemouth oil refinery will not be nationalised to protect its future, says...
17 Oct 2024 at 4:58pm
Ian Murray, the Scottish Secretary, said it would not make economic sense for the taxpayer to support a loss-making business.

Scots billionaire Sir Tom Hunter paid to repatriate Alex Salmond's body
17 Oct 2024 at 2:18pm
The former first minister died suddenly on Saturday after suffering from a heart attack in North Macedonia.

Alex Salmond's body to be flown home to Scotland on Friday as funeral plannin...
17 Oct 2024 at 11:48am
The former first minister will be flown to Aberdeen, near to the home he shared with wife Moria for 30 years.

Angela Rayner among Cabinet ministers protesting spending cuts in letter to K...
17 Oct 2024 at 11:27am
The Deputy Prime Minister is one of multiple senior members of the Labour Government who are worried about plans to cut spending.

SNP urges Labour to 'get grip of car insurance costs' after 82% rise in three...
17 Oct 2024 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: SNP-commissioned analysis found that between May 2021 and July 2024 UK car insurance premiums rose by a total of 82 per cent.

Labour Government to speed up energy 'skills passport' as Ed Miliband visits ...
17 Oct 2024 at 4:30am
The digital tool will "allow offshore workers to move flexibly back and forth between both industries in the years and decades to come.?

Scottish Government should have stepped in to pay to send Alex Salmond's body...
17 Oct 2024 at 4:30am
Record View says it?s legitimate to ask why Holyrood officials did not offer at the outset to pay for the repatriation of a former first minister.

Keir Starmer pays tribute to 'monumental figure' Alex Salmond during PMQs
16 Oct 2024 at 2:21pm
The Labour PM said that the former first minister was "a monumental figure in Scottish and UK politics".

Alex Salmond's body set to be flown home in private plane following Scottish ...
16 Oct 2024 at 12:07pm
Calls for the RAF to become involved have been rejected due to existing UK Government protocols.

UK Government slaps down Labour MP over separate Scottish immigration visa
16 Oct 2024 at 10:09am
Labour MP John Grady said in a debate on Tuesday that Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is "determined" to set up an independent Scottish system.

The National

The National | Politics

Family invite people to join Alex Salmond on 'one last journey' as bikers lea...
17 Oct 2024 at 10:02pm

PEOPLE have been invited to ?welcome? Alex Salmond back to Scotland by his family and have been encouraged to join the former first minister on ?one last journey? led by Yes Bikers ...

All 8.3 billion human lives are not seen as equal in global politics
17 Oct 2024 at 7:45pm

THERE are 8.3 billion human beings in the world but only a minority count in global politics. This inequality is unsustainable and has to change. If it does not change peacefully, ie if the US, UK, European former colonialists will not accept reduced influence with grace, then major conflict will follow.

Labour plans will make Big Pharma happy but ignore problem?s roots
17 Oct 2024 at 7:35pm

PRIVATE healthcare errand boy Wes Streeting has hit the streets running. His magic bullet for getting overweight people back to work is to shoot them with Zepbound, an Eli Lilly weight loss drug costing $1000 per month.

First Sue Gray, now Angela Rayner ? is Keir Starmer a nightmare to work for?
17 Oct 2024 at 6:00pm

IT hasn?t been a good month ? nay, a good first 100 days ? for Keir Starmer ...

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar killed in Gaza, says Israel?s foreign minister
17 Oct 2024 at 5:41pm

ISRAEL'S foreign minister has confirmed that Israeli troops in Gaza have killed Hamas?s top leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of last year?s attack on Israel that sparked the war ...

Ian Murray: UK Government 'can't guarantee new job for every Grangemouth worker'
17 Oct 2024 at 5:43pm

THE UK Government cannot guarantee a new job for every worker who could be laid off when the Grangemouth refinery closes next year, the Scottish Secretary has said

In Common: Alex Salmond reminds us of the need for strong leaders
17 Oct 2024 at 5:45pm

It was my first time voting. My first opportunity to have my say on the direction of the country. The referendum made me sit up and take note of our politics with more urgency than before because like many 16-year-olds, this time I was participating.

Richard Walker: How Alex Salmond helped The National in its early days
17 Oct 2024 at 5:03pm

ALEX Salmond was a complicated man, as the torrent of tributes which followed his shocking and unexpected death at the weekend made clear.

I no longer recognise the Labour Party in Scotland I once voted for
17 Oct 2024 at 5:00pm

LAST week Octopus Energy chiefs reiterated that there?s no reason why Britain should not introduce ?zonal pricing? for energy, with Scotland being a zone in its own right and where, as the lowest-cost producer, we?d enjoy the lowest prices for electricity in all of Europe. In that same week a majority of Labour MSPs in Holyrood voted against condemning the Westminster vote to dump the Winter Fu...

'What is austerity?': Labour MP struggles to defend planned budget cuts
17 Oct 2024 at 4:58pm

A LABOUR MP has struggled to defend proposed budget cuts from the UK Government saying Rachel Reeves has ?absolutely got this? despite being unable to define what austerity means ...

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

Sir Tom Hunter revealed as individual who paid for Alex Salmond?s repatriation
17 Oct 2024 at 3:46pm
Hunter said Salmond and his family ?deserved the dignity and privacy? of a private return to Scotland because of the devotion he showed to?his homeland

Grangemouth: New cash for local college to support refinery workers
17 Oct 2024 at 1:45pm
Forth Valley College has received funding to build a package of support, including tailored help to access new jobs and support to identify skills gaps

New GB Energy deal struck to support clean energy projects
17 Oct 2024 at 7:00am
The government also said it was speeding up the delivery of a ?skills passport? to support oil and gas workers to move into offshore wind

Associate feature: Well-trained net-zero workforce essential to UK government...
17 Oct 2024 at 7:00am
Achieving the UK government?s economic growth and clean energy missions needs a workforce that can deliver net-zero. Shell UK is stepping up efforts to help make this a reality, including rolling out new energy transition skills hubs, says its Country Cha

Alex Salmond?s body to be repatriated by private charter
16 Oct 2024 at 6:00pm
The flight cost from North Macedonia to Aberdeen will be paid by a private individual

Mark Logan resigns as chief entrepreneur blaming ?right-wing? politicians
16 Oct 2024 at 5:33pm
Logan accused??right-wing? politicians?and ?supporting? journalists of pushing him to resign, saying their attacks had become ?draining?.

Home Office not considering Scottish visa
16 Oct 2024 at 3:21pm
An SNP MP will lodge a bill for the power to be devolved

Rachel Reeves mulling ?40bn in tax rises and spending cuts
16 Oct 2024 at 9:19am
The chancellor will deliver her first budget on 30 October

Valued added: How dynamic pricing shows we all have a price
16 Oct 2024 at 7:05am
In an era where our every online interaction creates a digital footprint, technology has exposed that we all do have a price

Associate feature: NESO to deliver for Scotland
16 Oct 2024 at 7:00am
Less than 24 hours after the closure of Britain?s last coal power station (Ratcliffe on Soar) a new independent, public corporation was established and entrusted with the responsibility of delivering the reliable, clean, and affordable energy needed for a

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

Sir Tom Hunter confirms he paid for Alex Salmond?s body to be flown home
17 Oct 2024 at 3:25pm
Scottish multimillionaire said the former first minister had ?devoted his life to Scotland?Sir Tom Hunter, one of Scotland?s wealthiest men, has confirmed he has paid for Alex Salmond?s body to be flown home from the Balkans.Hunter, a multimillionaire investor and philanthropist, was ambivalent a...

Private donor to pay for Alex Salmond?s body to be flown home
16 Oct 2024 at 3:56pm
Move comes after Foreign Office rejected calls for RAF to arrange flight following Salmond?s death in North MacedoniaUK politics live ? latest updatesA private donor has paid for a charter flight to repatriate Alex Salmond?s body from North Macedonia, after the Foreign Office rejected calls for t...

Ministers will have to comply with tougher rules on declaring gifts, MPs told...
14 Oct 2024 at 6:18pm
Cabinet Office minister Ellie Reeves says Labour is closing ?Tory freebies loophole? over declaring hospitalityBadenoch criticised for pamphlet?s ?stigmatising? remarks on autismThe Autism Centre of Excellence at Cambridge, a charity that works with Cambridge University?s Autism Research Centre, ...

SNP expels MSP over ?utterly abhorrent? comments on Israel-Hamas conflict
13 Oct 2024 at 7:56pm
John Mason posted ?if Israel wanted to commit genocide, they would have killed 10 times as many?An MSP has been expelled from the SNP over comments about the Israel-Hamas conflict, which his party described as ?utterly abhorrent?.The Glasgow Shettleston MSP, John Mason, posted on social media in ...

Alex Salmond obituary
13 Oct 2024 at 5:39pm
A commanding figure in Scottish politics who came close to breaking up the United KingdomThe Scottish politician Alex Salmond, who has died suddenly at the age of 69, was a commanding figure who came close to breaking up the United Kingdom in the 55.3 to 44.7% independence referendum of 2014.The ...

Ella Baron on the death of Alex Salmond ? cartoon
13 Oct 2024 at 5:19pm
Continue reading...

Alex Salmond normalised concept of Scottish independence as he led SNP to power
13 Oct 2024 at 5:12pm
Former first minister established party as a political force but questions later emerged about influence he wieldedTributes paid to Alex Salmond?s ?colossal contribution? to Scottish and UK politicsAlex Salmond cemented his place in British political history in May 2011 when he and the Scottish N...

Tributes paid to Alex Salmond?s ?colossal contribution? to Scottish and UK po...
13 Oct 2024 at 4:25pm
First minister John Swinney says predecessor, who died on Saturday, ?had a huge impact on our public life?John Swinney has paid tribute to Alex Salmond?s ?colossal contribution? to Scottish and UK politics, as allies of the former first minister mourned his sudden death on Saturday.Swinney, the i...

Alex Salmond?s political star had long faded. Yet his death has sent shock wa...
13 Oct 2024 at 1:22pm
While the Alba leader?s final years were dominated by controversy, his vision for independence changed Scottish politics for everThree years ago, he was Scotland?s most unpopular politician. More unpopular even than Boris Johnson. And north of the border, that?s really saying something.Three mont...

?Incomparable? Alex Salmond made Scottish nationalism soar before he and SNP ...
12 Oct 2024 at 10:33pm
Late SNP leader drove party to power and country to brink of independence but left a fractured legacyAlex Salmond, former first minister of Scotland, dies aged 69Alex Salmond ? a life in picturesThe flags on the Scottish parliament building were lowered on Saturday evening to mark the passing of ...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

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 …

Defending the Scots language from the Tory MSP for Mordor
10 Oct 2024 at 4:20pm
Yet again Scotland’s languages are making the news, following on from Andrew Marr’s factually incorrect and ignorantly dismissive comments about Gaelic, for which he eventually apologised, this time it’s Scots which is the object of British nationalist ignorance. The graciousness free zone which is the Scottish Tory MSP for Mordor Stephen Kerr has taken to …

Starmer?s colonial office mentality
8 Oct 2024 at 2:35pm
Keir Starmer’s government has not been in power for three months, but it is already shaping up to be as vile and corrupt as the Conservatives it replaced. A new poll has found that Starmer is now viewed as more sleazy than his predecessor Rishi Sunak. A YouGov poll asking people to compare the two …

100 days of Starmer, lies, hypocrisy, and freebies
3 Oct 2024 at 2:25pm
Keir Starmer’s hypocrisy is off the charts, over 43,000 Palestinians and Lebanese have died, the great majority innocent civilians, in Israeli attacks since October 7 last year, none of which have elicited much in the way of sympathy or concern from Keir Starmer, yet when Iran launched its missile attack on Israel yesterday, Starmer took …

Andrew Marr, Gaelic and Scots
28 Sep 2024 at 8:27pm
This is an expanded version of a piece I wrote for The National a few days ago. I’m reposting it here with some additions in the light of Marr’s apology for his insulting and ignorant comments about the Gaelic language and its place in Scottish culture. It’s the sad and ignorant old trope that never …

Starmer?s honeymoon is well and truly over
25 Sep 2024 at 11:14am
Before Labour’s inevitable victory in July’s Westminster general election, I predicted that Starmer’s government would soon become very unpopular as voters realised that the ‘change’ which he had promised was no real change at all, it was simply the continuation of the same old damaging Tory neoliberal nostrums, delivered somewhat less chaotically and corruptly. What …

Ten years on
17 Sep 2024 at 11:39am
On Wednesday it will be the tenth anniversary of the independence referendum. This is always a poignant time of year for me, not only because of the what might have been had Scotland grasped the thistle and chosen independence on that fateful day, but because this time of year is also the anniversary of the …

Vote Labour: freeze your granny to help the rich
11 Sep 2024 at 11:13am
It’s only been nine weeks but we already have resounding answer to the question of how much influence Labour’s Scottish branch office has over policy making in Keir Starmer’s government. The answer to that question is none at all. Prior to July’s Westminster general election Anas Sarwar loudly proclaimed that he and his Tory-lite party …

Only with independence can Scotland escape the rise of the right
4 Sep 2024 at 11:14am
Last weekend, there were elections in the Germans states of Thuringia and Saxony. In both these states the far right Alternative für Deutschland party, which favours the ‘repatriation’ of immigrants and even of some naturalised German citizens – the ones who are muslim or not white of course – performed alarmingly well, coming top of …

The Courier

Scottish Politics News From Holyrood and Westminster | The Courier

ALASDAIR CLARK: School strikes in John Swinney?s Perthshire backyard will pro...
17 Oct 2024 at 6:00am
Primary schools in John Swinney's Perthshire North constituency are set to close for around two weeks due to strike action.

Alex Salmond?s body to be flown back to Scotland in jet paid for by private i...
16 Oct 2024 at 2:43pm
The former first minister body will return to Scotland from North Macedonia, where he died suddenly on Saturday.

Debate: Should internet consent age be raised to 16?
16 Oct 2024 at 12:43pm
Have your say in the comments below on a proposed new law to lift the age of data consent for the internet in the UK from 13 to 16.

Kirkcaldy MP backs new law that would raise social media consent age to 16
16 Oct 2024 at 6:00am
The proposals would make it harder for social media companies to push addictive content to children using their data.

Perth entrepreneur Dame Ann Gloag ?betrayed and humiliated? after ?malicious?...
16 Oct 2024 at 6:00am
Friends of Dame Ann told The Courier she was left in limbo as a result of the "absurd" charges which took nearly two years to investigate.

John Swinney says ?no justification? for Perthshire strike set to close schoo...
15 Oct 2024 at 3:24pm
First Minister John Swinney - whose constituency is being targeted - said he was deeply disappointed by the action over pay.

Dundee economics expert slates Labour?s winter fuel payment cuts
15 Oct 2024 at 6:00am
The verdict comes as Labour insiders assess the backlash to the controversial policy days after two by-election setbacks in the city.

Alex Salmond in pictures across Dundee, Perth, Fife and Angus
14 Oct 2024 at 2:25pm
The former first minister, who died on Saturday aged 69, was a regular visitor to Tayside and Fife throughout his political career.

EXCLUSIVE: ?I?m a Dundee nurse who worked with Eljamel ? then he botched my o...
14 Oct 2024 at 6:00am
Pam Woodfield lifts the lid on working as a student nurse with the butcher surgeon who harmed hundreds of patients at NHS Tayside, including herself.

Dundee?s Brian Cox reveals how Alex Salmond changed his mind on politics and ...
13 Oct 2024 at 10:47am
The TV legend was good friends with the former SNP leader, who died on Saturday.

Talking up Scotland

Talking-up Scotland

NHS Scotland performance likely to be even further ahead as five examples of ...
17 Oct 2024 at 4:54pm
By Professor John Robertson: We already know that, based on trusting the current published NHS England data, NHS Scotland’s A&E service is around 3 times better on the crucial 12 hour waits1 and twice as effective on cancer treatment waits.2 However, after decades of rampant managerialism, there have been a number of scandals where these managers, more concerned with image than truth, have intr...

Scottish NHS dentist access ? 95% registered and shocking 21% better than UK ...
17 Oct 2024 at 9:00am
By Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland today, all day: Six Scottish council areas are ?dental deserts? with no practices able to take on new adult NHS patients within three months, BBC News research has found. Just one in every four dental practices in Scotland said they could offer NHS appointments to new patients within that timeframe. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gd9023018o Th...

England facing the ?Jaws of Death? as water runs out in only 25 years and Sco...
16 Oct 2024 at 11:42pm
From @ArchbishopStua1 (Who could he be teasing there?) today, this: Without significant action, the National Audit Office (NAO) forecasts that the total water demand will start to exceed supply in England no later than 2034. Be under no illusion English Privatised Water Companies need access to the water in Scotland. https://x.com/ArchbishopStua1/status/1846584824129298790 and from the Guardian...

Scotland v Portugal ? Guardian and BBC Scotland see two different games
16 Oct 2024 at 10:59pm
Thanks to @Kokotxas1 for alerting me to this: The Guardian‘s Ewan Murray sees an even game (above) and reports: Scotland delivered a resolute defensive display to hold Portugal to a goalless draw and secure the first point of their Nations League A campaign. The Scots passed up a glorious chance in the opening minutes through Scott McTominay and were then starved of possession as the visitors s...

A&E ? Scottish Daily Express front page is a disgraceful example of misreprese...
16 Oct 2024 at 6:13pm
stewartb The Scottish Daily Express front page article ? by its Scottish Political Reporter ? is a disgraceful example of misrepresentation. It seeks to link excess deaths following a visit to A&E with NHS Scotland missing its four hour standard of 95% of patients being discharged, transferred or admitted within four hours. ulated causal link between an increase in excess deaths and A&E...

Evidence reveals justice system tough on crime under SNP as absolute discharg...
16 Oct 2024 at 11:16am
By Professor John Robertson OBA The Scottish Cons have been drooling at the above but it’s, no surprise, based on the inability to understand, or a nasty tendency to lie about, statistics. From official data reported today: and, crucially: Comparing recent public service data – crime, health, whatever – with those in the pandemic period 2020/2021, is frankly stupid, maybe dishonest, but many of...

Why is only the Scottish Government accused by ?environmental groups?? Any id...
16 Oct 2024 at 10:38am
Try searching for ‘BBC Scotland an environmental group has’, and find, straight off: Change that to ‘BBC UK an environmental group has’, and find only: BBC Wales? Again, just the one: This is not random. Editors set guidelines for reporters so that they know what to spend their time on and decide what will be broadcast.

THREE times as many wait more than 12 hours in English and Welsh A&E departments
16 Oct 2024 at 7:51am
By Professor John Robertson: Today, the Express is headlining – Scots dying as A&E crisis worsens every day based on the weekly 4 hour waits for week ending 6 October. A simple look at the above graph is clear – post-pandemic with increasing numbers (122 000 in April 2022 to 143 000 in May 2024) attending, a dramatic increase in those waiting beyond target times but since January 2022, a clear ...

72 year-old coal-fired ferry still serving in one of wealthiest countries in ...
15 Oct 2024 at 1:59pm
As the Express goes on about CalMac’s ‘aging’ ferries again, a bit of perspective: When you think of travel on Lake Michigan, you likely think of the S.S. Badger. It has been an iconic mode of transportation connecting communities and enhancing travel experiences for decades. As the last operating coal-fired passenger steamship in the United States, the S.S. Badger carries a rich history that r...

Wow!
15 Oct 2024 at 1:46pm
After reading James Kelly’s comments on the sacking of John Mason, I wrote the above. Cheeky I know but, wow, the response. He was defending Mason who might be seen as defending Netanyahu. How did I become a genocide supporter? Doctor?

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

Former Scottish leader Alex Salmond dies, aged 69 - RNZ
12 Oct 2024 at 7:24pm
Former Scottish leader Alex Salmond dies, aged 69  RNZ

Alex Salmond, a Nationalist in the Age of Globalization - Jacobin magazine
17 Oct 2024 at 3:10pm
Alex Salmond, a Nationalist in the Age of Globalization  Jacobin magazine

Scottish independence is in stalemate and with Alex Salmond's death it is loo...
13 Oct 2024 at 3:47pm
Scottish independence is in stalemate and with Alex Salmond's death it is looking for a new star  Sky News

Alex Salmond, champion of Scottish independence, dies at 69 - The Washington ...
13 Oct 2024 at 4:20am
Alex Salmond, champion of Scottish independence, dies at 69  The Washington Post

Alex Salmond, leading figure in Scottish independence movement, dies at age 6...
12 Oct 2024 at 11:29pm
Alex Salmond, leading figure in Scottish independence movement, dies at age 69  CNN

Alex Salmond: Scotland?s first nationalist leader and a tireless campaigner f...
12 Oct 2024 at 10:15pm
Alex Salmond: Scotland?s first nationalist leader and a tireless campaigner for independence  The Conversation

Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, Who Sought Scotland?s Independen...
12 Oct 2024 at 6:20pm
Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, Who Sought Scotland?s Independence, Dies at 69  TIME

Body of Scottish independence champion Alex Salmond soon to be flown home fro...
14 Oct 2024 at 2:57pm
Body of Scottish independence champion Alex Salmond soon to be flown home from North Macedonia  The Associated Press

Scottish MP defiant after party sacks him over ?abhorrent? Gaza remark - Al J...
14 Oct 2024 at 12:15pm
Scottish MP defiant after party sacks him over ?abhorrent? Gaza remark  Al Jazeera English

Are the SNP about independence, or social engineering? - The National
17 Oct 2024 at 4:39pm
Are the SNP about independence, or social engineering?  The National

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

Alex Salmond died as he opened bottle of ketchup, witness claims - The Indepe...
15 Oct 2024 at 2:25pm
Alex Salmond died as he opened bottle of ketchup, witness claims  The Independent

The SNP will regret expelling John Mason - The Spectator
16 Oct 2024 at 1:53pm
The SNP will regret expelling John Mason  The Spectator

John Mason expelled from SNP over 'unacceptable' Gaza posts - BBC.com
13 Oct 2024 at 4:50pm
John Mason expelled from SNP over 'unacceptable' Gaza posts  BBC.com

Alex Salmond normalised concept of Scottish independence as he led SNP to pow...
13 Oct 2024 at 8:35pm
Alex Salmond normalised concept of Scottish independence as he led SNP to power  The Guardian

SNP finances probe 'delays' threaten independence movement, whistleblower say...
5 Oct 2024 at 8:00am
SNP finances probe 'delays' threaten independence movement, whistleblower says  Sky News

SNP expels MSP over ?utterly abhorrent? comments on Israel-Hamas conflict - T...
13 Oct 2024 at 7:59pm
SNP expels MSP over ?utterly abhorrent? comments on Israel-Hamas conflict  The Guardian

Alex Salmond: Scotland?s first nationalist leader and a tireless campaigner f...
12 Oct 2024 at 10:15pm
Alex Salmond: Scotland?s first nationalist leader and a tireless campaigner for independence  The Conversation

Alex Salmond dead: Tributes after ex-first minister dies aged 69 - BBC.com
12 Oct 2024 at 5:49pm
Alex Salmond dead: Tributes after ex-first minister dies aged 69  BBC.com

Alex Salmond death ? latest: Nicola Sturgeon pays tribute to ?mentor? ex-Scot...
13 Oct 2024 at 11:38pm
Alex Salmond death ? latest: Nicola Sturgeon pays tribute to ?mentor? ex-Scottish first minister  The Independent

?Incomparable? Alex Salmond made Scottish nationalism soar before he and SNP ...
12 Oct 2024 at 11:24pm
?Incomparable? Alex Salmond made Scottish nationalism soar before he and SNP soured  The Guardian

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

Former Scottish leader Alex Salmond dies, aged 69 - RNZ
12 Oct 2024 at 7:24pm
Former Scottish leader Alex Salmond dies, aged 69  RNZ

Alex Salmond: Scotland?s first nationalist leader and a tireless campaigner f...
12 Oct 2024 at 10:15pm
Alex Salmond: Scotland?s first nationalist leader and a tireless campaigner for independence  The Conversation

Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, Who Sought Scotland?s Independen...
12 Oct 2024 at 6:20pm
Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, Who Sought Scotland?s Independence, Dies at 69  TIME

Alex Salmond, former Scottish first minister who nearly got Scotland?s indepe...
12 Oct 2024 at 10:21pm
Alex Salmond, former Scottish first minister who nearly got Scotland?s independence from UK, dies at 69  PBS NewsHour

Alex Salmond, champion of Scottish independence, dies at 69 - The Washington ...
13 Oct 2024 at 4:20am
Alex Salmond, champion of Scottish independence, dies at 69  The Washington Post

Alex Salmond, leading figure in Scottish independence movement, dies at age 6...
12 Oct 2024 at 11:29pm
Alex Salmond, leading figure in Scottish independence movement, dies at age 69  CNN

Scottish independence is in stalemate and with Alex Salmond's death it is loo...
13 Oct 2024 at 3:47pm
Scottish independence is in stalemate and with Alex Salmond's death it is looking for a new star  Sky News

Alex Salmond, Scottish first minister and independence champion, 1954-2024 - ...
13 Oct 2024 at 5:22pm
Alex Salmond, Scottish first minister and independence champion, 1954-2024  Financial Times

Body of Scottish independence champion Alex Salmond soon to be flown home fro...
14 Oct 2024 at 2:57pm
Body of Scottish independence champion Alex Salmond soon to be flown home from North Macedonia  The Associated Press

Alex Salmond: Champion of independence leaves a fractured political legacy - ...
13 Oct 2024 at 12:44pm
Alex Salmond: Champion of independence leaves a fractured political legacy  BBC.com