The Herald

The Herald | Politics


Scottish Government to publish legal advice over Sturgeon and Salmond FOI req...
22 Oct 2024 at 4:01pm
The Scottish Government will publish legal advice it took in relation to a freedom of information request appeal after a ruling from the Information Commissioner


Save us, please, from that supercilious, smug, self-satisfied Tory Michael Gove
22 Oct 2024 at 4:00pm
Michael Gove has been appointed editor of The Spectator and now Radio 4 has given him his own radio show. We?re stuck with him.


Scottish Government could freeze tax thresholds to help December?s budget
22 Oct 2024 at 5:00am
The Scottish Government could freeze tax thresholds in a bid to generate more cash in December?s budget.


Date confirmed for Alex Salmond?s funeral
22 Oct 2024 at 11:39am
Mr Salmond?s family confirmed the private funeral will take place next Tuesday at Strichen Parish Church near his Aberdeenshire home.


John Swinney refuses to confirm attending Alex Salmond memorial service 
22 Oct 2024 at 4:51pm
The First Minister said he would be ?very happy to attend? the memorial service for Alex Salmond but wanted to ?judiciously follow? the wishes of his family.


First Minister backs calls for Glasgow 2026 games to be named after Sir Chris...
22 Oct 2024 at 3:47pm
John Swinney has said he would be ?very supportive? of the 2026 Commonwealth Games being known as the ?Chris Hoy Games.?


John Mason confirms he will not appeal SNP decision to expel him over Gaza co...
22 Oct 2024 at 12:11pm
John Mason has confirmed he will not appeal SNP decision to expel him over his controversial remarks on Gaza.


Kate Forbes ally 'glad' Humza Yousaf regrets ministerial 'job demotion'
22 Oct 2024 at 5:00am
Kate Forbes ally welcomes reflection of Former First Minister Humza Yousaf on job ?demotion? offer


John Swinney 'wrestling' with assisted dying vote as he outlines 'significant...
21 Oct 2024 at 1:19pm
Scotland?s First Minister has said he is still ?wrestling? with whether he believes in assisted dying


Schools in Swinney?s constituency to close due to strike
21 Oct 2024 at 6:35am
Schools in the constituency of First Minister John Swinney will be closed this week due to ongoing strike action.


JK Rowling reveals she turned down peerages twice after Kemi Badenoch offer
21 Oct 2024 at 6:27am
JK Rowling has revealed that she turned down two offers of a peerage following Kemi Badenoch publicly saying she would appoint the author to the House of Lords.


Labour minister says Scottish visa scheme would 'increase complexity'
21 Oct 2024 at 4:57pm
Business organisations were disappointed the Scottish visa proposal was not "on the table."


Why is there already controversy around the SNP interim chief executive appoi...
21 Oct 2024 at 3:10pm
Carol Beattie was appointed as chief executive of the SNP on an interim basis. However, it hasn't yet gone to plan, with controversy already emerging.


Keir Starmer won't engage on reparations but does Britain have a debt to pay?
20 Oct 2024 at 6:30am
Keir Starmer will meet with the heads of other Commonwealth nations next week but has made very clear he will not entertain the idea of paying reparations for Britain's colonial past

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


How victory for Donald Trump in US election would fundamentally change Scotti...
22 Oct 2024 at 6:00pm

A Donald Trump win in the US election on November 5 coupled with a failure at international talks on the global nature crisis could result in a bonfire of what remains of Scotland?s biodiversity

There?s plenty to be excited about when it comes to creating an NHS for the future, says Jackie Baillie

Calls have been made to rebrand the 2026 Commonwealth Games as the ?Chris Hoy Games? in recognition of the cycling legend.

Shettleston MSP will sit as an independent after sparking controversy with comment on Gaza conflict

Alex Cole-Hamilton is taking a week-long holiday to ?knock doors? in the city of Scranton

Details have emerged for the funeral of former first minister Alex Salmond

Cross-party working is vital, particularly on issues that last longer than the five-year election cycle

The First Minister said he would not comment on the Scottish Government?s tax and spending plans

Shona Robison says there is no more money to strike a pay deal, as schools across Perth and Kinross close for a fortnight

Wings over Scotland

The 24 Official Genders Of Scotland
21 Oct 2024 at 4:06pm
Are listed below: Click the pic to enlarge, if you want to lose the will to live. The list, updated last week, comes from the Scottish Government’s guidance on data collection and publication which we located here (it’s in the Excel document) after it was reported by Daniel Sanderson of the Telegraph, and it’s just …

In Times To Come
19 Oct 2024 at 6:59am

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

Craig Murray

Who Are the Terrorists?
18 Oct 2024 at 8:24am

I have a confession to make. When a journalist writes this it generally means they will proceed to reveal something they hope will actually show them in a good light or justified in some way. But I have a real confession to make, of something I did that was wrong. Somewhere in the UK, among …

Who Are the Terrorists?

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

BBC Scotland

Alex Salmond's funeral to be held on Tuesday 29 October
22 Oct 2024 at 10:48am
A public memorial is expected to be held for the former first minister and Alba leader at a later date.

Ex-SNP MSP to sit as independent after 'no genocide' row
22 Oct 2024 at 1:14pm
The Shettleston member has repeatedly stood by his claim that there is no genocide in Gaza.

Swinney calls for investment boost in UK budget
21 Oct 2024 at 12:37pm
The first minister has called for a change to Treasury fiscal rules to allow for more public spending.

10 years of the plastic bag charge in Scotland
20 Oct 2024 at 12:23pm
In 2014, shops started charging a minimum of 5p per bag in attempt to reduce waste.

Humza Yousaf says he should have offered Kate Forbes a better job
21 Oct 2024 at 6:18am
Scotland's former first minster told the BBC he regrets the way he dealt with his leadership rival.

SNP appoints former council boss as interim chief executive
19 Oct 2024 at 2:16pm
Carol Beattie, former chief executive of Stirling Council, will take over until a permanent appointment is made.

SNP chief executive Murray Foote to stand down
18 Oct 2024 at 5:37pm
Mr Foote said he could not make the "personal commitment" required to lead a reorganisation of the party.

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.

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.

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.

Scot Goes Pop

Is Green party activist Allan Faulds right to claim Alba is now finished?
20 Oct 2024 at 11:58am
My eye was caught by an article in the Herald entitled 'Salmond's death signals end for Alba, pollster predicts', because if the pollster in question had turned out to be someone like Martin Boon o...

All of the last six GB-wide polls have put Labour in the 20s - that's the sor...
19 Oct 2024 at 2:12pm
A new GB-wide poll from Techne shows that Labour's lead is down to just three points, which is the lowest that any firm with the exception of More in Common has shown since the Trussmageddon of aut...

So, Tory voters of Falkirk South: what was it that first attracted you to Kei...
18 Oct 2024 at 6:38pm
I'm slightly puzzled that one or two people are defending Labour's false claim to have "gained" the seat in yesterday's Falkirk South by-election.  It's true that it was one of those paradoxical si...

Find Out Now! Find Out How? Find Out WOW!!! Sensational MRP projection sugge...
18 Oct 2024 at 10:55am
There was a brief moment of hope for Robert Jenrick in the Tory leadership contest a couple of days ago when a Find Out Now MRP projection suggested he would win more seats in a general election th...

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...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

MSP John Mason will not appeal SNP expulsion over Gaza genocide comment and w...
22 Oct 2024 at 2:04pm
He said that if Israel was committing genocide 'they would have killed ten times as many'.

Former Scotland first minister Alex Salmond?s private funeral to be held next...
22 Oct 2024 at 11:29am
His body was repatriated ? on a flight paid for by businessman Sir Tom Hunter ? on Friday, landing in Aberdeen on a private plane.

First Minister John Swinney still ?wrestling? with view on assisted dying
21 Oct 2024 at 1:26pm
John Swinney said he had not come to a 'final view'.

Change rules to allow public sector investment borrowing, Swinney to tell Reeves
21 Oct 2024 at 7:44am
The UK Budget is due to be laid out on October 30.

Primary schools in Swinney?s constituency close amid strike action in Perth a...
21 Oct 2024 at 7:40am
Trade union Unison rejected a previous pay offer, which has since been imposed on staff.

Scottish Government appoints Japan trade envoy
21 Oct 2024 at 6:44am
Stephen Baker will take on the role after working as the global head of business development with Scottish Development International.

UK faces ?make or break moment? in Budget as Swinney calls for spending
20 Oct 2024 at 10:40am
The Chancellor will present the Budget on October 30.

Former Stirling Council boss appointed interim SNP chief executive
19 Oct 2024 at 2:18pm
The appointment comes after Murray Foote announces plans to stand down on Friday.

SNP chief executive Murray Foote to step down as John Swinney hails ?signific...
18 Oct 2024 at 9:19am
He said in a statement he could not make the 'necessary personal commitment' to delivering change in the party.

Sarwar: Scottish Labour government would ?work hand in hand? with EU
18 Oct 2024 at 7:00am
The party leader is in Germany, where he will meet with members of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) on Friday.

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.

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Chris Hoy should be commemorated at Glasgow Commonwealth Games, says Ian Murray
22 Oct 2024 at 3:48pm
The Scottish Secretary said there should be "a fitting tribute" to the six-time Olympic champion at the Games in two years' time.

John Swinney refuses to say if he will attend memorial service for Alex Salmond
22 Oct 2024 at 3:04pm
The First Minister said he would be happy to attend the event months after saying he felt "distant" from Salmond.

Veteran SNP MSP will not contest expulsion over Israel comments
22 Oct 2024 at 3:02pm
John Mason was suspended then expelled after he claimed on social media: "If Israel wanted to commit genocide, they would have killed 10 times as many?.

Scottish Labour MP warns Chinese Communist Party to keep 'hands off Hong Kong...
22 Oct 2024 at 1:50pm
Blair McDougall said many of his constituents "live in fear of repression" from China following the discovery of a 'secret police station' run by the Chinese state in a Glasgow restaurant.

Alex Salmond funeral date confirmed after sudden death of former First Minister
22 Oct 2024 at 10:54am
The private funeral for family members and friends will take place at the end of October.

Labour trade unionist in 'racist' tweets storm resigns from NHS board
22 Oct 2024 at 10:23am
A local branch of Unison said Wilma Brown had resigned from her role.

SNP by-election candidate called King Charles 'inbred' and 'intellectually ch...
22 Oct 2024 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: Marie Robertson, who is standing in the Kilmarnock West and Crosshouse ward of East Ayrshire Council, also called a Labour MP a "quisling" on her now deleted social media account.

Schools pay row is failing our children but it's only fair staff get bigger s...
22 Oct 2024 at 4:30am
Industrial action is on the cards.

John Swinney refuses to rule out freezing tax thresholds in Scottish Budget
21 Oct 2024 at 3:24pm
The First Minister said he would not comment on what would be in the Scottish budget ahead of time.

Humza Yousaf says he should have offered Kate Forbes a better job in cabinet
21 Oct 2024 at 2:15pm
Forbes rejected Yousaf's offer of the rural affairs brief because she saw it as a demotion.

The National

The National | Politics

Sexual harassment at work 'endemic' in Scotland, report finds
22 Oct 2024 at 5:24pm

SEXUAL harassment in the workplace is ?endemic? in Scotland, a new report has found ...

Outrage at firm?s leaked proposal to charge Scots to sail on the Clyde
22 Oct 2024 at 5:00pm

A PROPOSAL to charge Scots to sail on the Clyde has been met with outrage ...

Scottish Government commits to publishing legal advice after FOI ruling
22 Oct 2024 at 5:00pm

The Scottish Government will publish legal advice it took in relation to a freedom of information request appeal after a ruling from the Information Commissioner.

SNP bring forward Westminster bill to 'keep NHS in public hands'
22 Oct 2024 at 4:50pm

THE SNP have brought forward a bill in Westminster to ?keep the NHS in public hands?.

Pro-Palestine activist's ban from entering Glasgow overturned
22 Oct 2024 at 4:00pm

A PRO-PALESTINE group has said police attempts to ?silence? them have failed after an activist's ban from protesting in Scotland was reportedly overturned.

Ian Murray calls journalist 'miserable' for Commonwealth Games question
22 Oct 2024 at 4:06pm

THE Scottish Secretary has accused a journalist of being ?miserable? for asking if Glasgow was going to see any tangible benefit from hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2026.

Patrick Harvie: Australia's indigenous people deserve 'proper apology'
22 Oct 2024 at 3:38pm

SCOTTISH Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie has said the indigenous people of Australia deserve a ?proper apology? after King Charles was berated by a senator during his visit to the country...

Alex Salmond showed us how to stand tall and proud on the world stage
22 Oct 2024 at 3:00pm

I MET Alex Salmond once at the Edinburgh book festival and shook his hand out of respect. He seemed to thrive on the situation, when he chatted amicably with renowned Scots author Iain Banks. He was there for a photo shoot and to host a talk with Iain, as he did each year. He also attended the Edinburgh festival each year, often giving a series of interviews. He was clearly a man of robust inte...

SNP should not accept invitations to appear on Gove's BBC show
22 Oct 2024 at 3:00pm

I AM sure National readers will remember Michael Gove, once the leader of the Union Unit in No 10. He found time during the Covid crisis to write a paper stating that ?absent the pandemic? (his odd terminology), the greatest threat to the UK was the independence movement.

Labour push SNP to give Scots weight-loss jabs on NHS
22 Oct 2024 at 3:06pm

LABOUR are urging the SNP to mimic their plans to tackle obesity with weight-loss jabs.

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

Edinburgh fires up ambitions to become a sustainable smart city
22 Oct 2024 at 6:03pm
The council has adopted a new Digital and Smart City strategy, which aims to accelerate the city?s technological transformation.

John Mason MSP: I will not appeal expulsion from SNP
22 Oct 2024 at 3:22pm
The Glasgow Shettleston MSP had the whip removed in August when he said on X (formerly Twitter) there was ?no genocide? in Gaza

Alex Salmond?s private funeral to be held next week
22 Oct 2024 at 1:35pm
Alex Salmond?s private family funeral will take place on 29 October

UK faces economic and trade ?cliff-edge? if UK-EU data agreement is not reach...
22 Oct 2024 at 7:00am
The European Affairs Committee has urged the UK government to kickstart negotiations with the?European Commission?to avoid the 'harmful consequences' which could come if the UK loses its ?data adequacy? status

Families affected by adult patient deaths to be heard at Scottish Hospitals I...
22 Oct 2024 at 1:01am
The families say their evidence will ?demonstrate a pattern of denial, secrecy and cover up?

UK budget is ?make or break moment? ? John Swinney
21 Oct 2024 at 1:20pm
The first minister called for three per cent of UK GDP to be invested in public services

New law proposed to set maximum ticket prices after Oasis dynamic pricing bac...
21 Oct 2024 at 1:16pm
The new proposed UK law would require ticket sellers to notify fans of maximum prices at the beginning of the buying process, following Oasis dynamic pricing fiasco.

I got Kate Forbes job offer wrong, Humza Yousaf says
21 Oct 2024 at 8:41am
Yousaf tells Michael Gove he was surprised by personal attacks during leadership contest

Ofcom warns social media firms: ?The time for talk is over?
18 Oct 2024 at 4:49pm
With two months left until the the Online Safety Act comes into force, the watchdog has warned social media firms it will ?come down hard? on those who fail to comply with the bill

Alex Salmond?s body returns home
18 Oct 2024 at 4:04pm
The private charter flight landed in Aberdeen at 2pm after he suffered a heart attack and died shortly after giving a speech in North Macedonia on Saturday

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

Employment rights bill will cost firms £5bn per year but benefits will justif...
21 Oct 2024 at 5:44pm
Analysis from business and trade department says bill will significantly strengthen workers? right. This live blog is closedIn the past the weirdest budget tradition was the convention that the chancellor is allowed to drink alcohol while delivering the budget speech. But since no chancellor has ...

Arts sector in Scotland at risk of ?death by slow cuts?, leading figures warn
20 Oct 2024 at 4:57pm
Exclusive: Heads of organisations say lack of funding clarity and wider policy could cause temporary closures in monthsArts leaders in Scotland have warned that the sector is facing ?death by slow cuts? because of a lack of clarity over funding, with delays and funding shortfalls meaning some maj...

SNP chief executive Murray Foote quits after heavy general election defeat
18 Oct 2024 at 1:55pm
Former Daily Record editor says he could not make personal commitment to lead changes party requiresThe chief executive of the Scottish National party, Murray Foote, has unexpectedly quit ?in the best interests of the party? after it suffered its worst election defeat in nearly two decades.Foote,...

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...

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

Debate: Is it fair for school strikes to target John Swinney?s Perthshire con...
22 Oct 2024 at 1:09pm
Thousands of pupils in Perth & Kinross are being caught up in the targeted strike. Let us know if you think it's fair or not, in our comment section.

4 big challenges on ex-Stirling Council chief?s to-do list as SNP boss
22 Oct 2024 at 6:00am
Carol Beattie, who was until recently chief executive of Stirling Council, will take the helm of the SNP at a challenging time for the party.

?No money? to stop two-week Perth school strike, SNP finance chief Shona Robi...
21 Oct 2024 at 10:58am
Primary schools in First Minister John Swinney's constituency are expected to be closed for two weeks as staff walk out over a pay dispute.

Crieff piper ? whose talent Alex Salmond spotted aged 7 ? behind homecoming ...
21 Oct 2024 at 6:00am
Connor Sinclair was at Aberdeen Airport as Alex Salmond's body arrived on Friday - nearly two decades after the former first minister made him his official piper.

Storm Babet: One year on, Brechin residents living in ?ghost town? fear furth...
20 Oct 2024 at 6:00am
Angus locals question whether an eventual return to their homes will put them at risk of further flood damage in the coming years.

Former Stirling Council boss appointed interim SNP chief executive
19 Oct 2024 at 5:12pm
Carol Beattie was appointed by the party?s national executive committee on Saturday following the resignation of Dundee-born Murray Foote.

Alex Salmond?s body arrives back in Scotland after sudden death
18 Oct 2024 at 2:10pm
A private jet returned the former first minister to Scotland, landing in Aberdeen on Friday afternoon.

Dundee-born SNP chief executive Murray Foote quits
18 Oct 2024 at 9:40am
The former newspaper editor has said the time is right for him to stand down.

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.

Talking up Scotland

Talking-up Scotland

A tragic rail death in Wales is not linked to the Welsh or UK Government but ...
22 Oct 2024 at 12:44pm
By Professor John Robertson There’s not a mention of the Welsh Transport Secretary nor of the UK Transport minister in this BBC Wales account of a tragic death on the railways, they share responsibility for. But on BBC Scotland, in August 2020: On BBC Scotland?s The Nine last night, James Cook, repeatedly interrupted the Scottish Transport Secretary, Michael Matheson to say: Well, exactly! Well...

Not climate change this time ? Brechin?s flood misery in 2023 and the next ti...
22 Oct 2024 at 12:35pm
By Professor John Robertson BBC Reporting Scotland this morning and all day today are back on the October 2023 Storm Babet and the flood damage to Brechin, with locals complaining of a ‘ghost town‘ and an implied accusation of the Scottish Government not having done enough to prevent the floods in the first place or to help locals in the subsequent year. There is only a simple acceptance here o...

Attacks on emergency workers must be zero-level but we need to know the facts
22 Oct 2024 at 11:52am
By Professor John Robertson BBC Reporting Scotland is today, all day, reporting of attacks against emergency services staff. The only acceptable level is, of course, zero and campaigns to get there are important but so are trend data to enable us to see if we’re getting there or getting worse. They’re easily got but they don’t fit the agenda. First, for firefighters, from 2015/16 to 2023/24, in...

Glasgow hospital deaths inquiry ? research says most bacteria are already pre...
22 Oct 2024 at 11:09am
By Professor John Robertson BBC Reporting Scotland’s Lisa Summers is today, all day, milking the Glasgow hospital deaths being investigated by an inquiry, but then relying heavily on the concerns of relatives who understandably looking for answers they’d be more comfortable with and, dare I say, opportunities to take legal action against the NHS. As always, and across ‘our’ MSM, there is only p...

SNP critic in the Times hides the fact that she is on the Scottish Labour exe...
21 Oct 2024 at 11:03pm
In the Times today: Health workers ?driven out by SNP?s financial incompetence? – The Scottish government has left the NHS under severe strain by budgeting for unrealistically low pay settlements, says Louise Gilmour of the GMB union Not revealed, this: What has the SNP Scottish Government settled on? The Scottish Government’s pay settlement for NHS staff on Agenda for Change contracts for 2024...

Aberfan ? a warning from history of how the Labour betrayal of working commu...
21 Oct 2024 at 10:33pm
By Professor John Robertson Today, on the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan Disaster when 144 died in a mining tip landslide, Richie Venton of the Scottish Socialist Party has written: Starmer last week declared to the assembled profiteers at his Investment Conference that the Labour government will “rip up red tape” to “unleash growth”. As I’ve written elsewhere, so-called ‘red tape’ is better t...

£1.3 million in police funding to fight drug gangs frittered away on investig...
21 Oct 2024 at 6:29pm
From millsjames1949 today: Just a thought , but perhaps some of the many , many hours devoted to the SNP Financegate investigation could have been better spent on serious criminal activity. Just so. As of February 2024, Police Scotland had spent over an estimated £1.3 million on the investigation into SNP finances, according to a Freedom of Information release.1 Police Scotland serves a populat...

Ferries cannot be seen coping with high seas for immense £66 billion high pil...
21 Oct 2024 at 6:06pm
By Anonymous Breaking news from a broken media aka the BBC Website reporting on the Storm where they could just not stop themselves from including Ferries in the equation of impacted services cancelled because of the Storm. ?Ferry operator CalMac cancelled almost all of its Sunday sailings, cutting off services to the islands including Arran, Bute, Lewis and Harris? This obsession via the BBC i...

Research report ? ?One child having a gun held to their head ? gangs, coming ...
21 Oct 2024 at 3:17pm
By Professor John Robertson Man thanks to cuckooshoe for alerting me to this important report which I and, of course, BBC Scotland missed: From Understanding Child Criminal Exploitation in Scotland: A Scoping Review, commissioned by CYCJ, Action for Scotland and the Scottish Government and published in May 2023, these dramatic facts were totally ignored by Scottish media: When focusing on Scotl...

FT asks ?What can England learn from Scotland?s community land buyouts?? Incr...
21 Oct 2024 at 2:22pm
By Professor John Robertson Behind a paywall for me but already answered here, I hope, and by the Guardian in January 2024: In the Guardian today: Local communities, often in deprived neighbourhoods, are buying up derelict and unused property for village shops, play parks, community centres and, in one case, a film set for war movies, using buyout powers introduced by the Scottish parliament si...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

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

Politics class: Alex Salmond?s death leaves Scottish independence cause furth...
21 Oct 2024 at 1:17am
Politics class: Alex Salmond?s death leaves Scottish independence cause further adrift  Financial Times

Watch: High winds as Storm Ashley hits Scotland - BBC.com
20 Oct 2024 at 6:46pm
Watch: High winds as Storm Ashley hits Scotland  BBC.com

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

Karen Adam: Alex Salmond inspired millions in fight for independence - The Na...
22 Oct 2024 at 5:07am
Karen Adam: Alex Salmond inspired millions in fight for independence  The National

Body of Scottish independence champion Alex Salmond flown home from North Mac...
18 Oct 2024 at 2:36pm
Body of Scottish independence champion Alex Salmond flown home from North Macedonia  The Associated Press

Alex Salmond, leading figure in Scottish independence movement, dies at age 6...
12 Oct 2024 at 8:00am
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 8:00am
Alex Salmond: Scotland?s first nationalist leader and a tireless campaigner for independence  theconversation.com

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

Scottish independence is in stalemate and with Alex Salmond's death it is loo...
13 Oct 2024 at 8:00am
Scottish independence is in stalemate and with Alex Salmond's death it is looking for a new star  Sky News

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

Elon Musk and JK Rowling mock SNP over list of 24 official genders - The Tele...
21 Oct 2024 at 5:38pm
Elon Musk and JK Rowling mock SNP over list of 24 official genders  The Telegraph

SNP sparks outrage after listing 24 genders in official sex guidance: ?It?s b...
21 Oct 2024 at 7:20pm
SNP sparks outrage after listing 24 genders in official sex guidance: ?It?s bizarre!?  GB News

The SNP?s 24 genders - Spiked
21 Oct 2024 at 5:00pm
The SNP?s 24 genders  Spiked

SNP ridiculed by Elon Musk and JK Rowling over list of 24 genders - Express
21 Oct 2024 at 7:11pm
SNP ridiculed by Elon Musk and JK Rowling over list of 24 genders  Express

John Mason happy to repeat 'no genocide' claim after SNP expulsion - BBC.com
14 Oct 2024 at 9:52am
John Mason happy to repeat 'no genocide' claim after SNP expulsion  BBC.com

SNP chief executive Murray Foote quits after heavy general election defeat - ...
18 Oct 2024 at 10:45am
SNP chief executive Murray Foote quits after heavy general election defeat  The Guardian

Alex Salmond death ? latest: Nicola Sturgeon pays tribute to ?mentor? ex-Scot...
13 Oct 2024 at 8:00am
Alex Salmond death ? latest: Nicola Sturgeon pays tribute to ?mentor? ex-Scottish first minister  The Independent

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 8:00am
SNP expels MSP over ?utterly abhorrent? comments on Israel-Hamas conflict  The Guardian

John Mason expelled from SNP over 'unacceptable' Gaza posts - BBC.com
13 Oct 2024 at 8:00am
John Mason expelled from SNP over 'unacceptable' Gaza posts  BBC.com

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

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

Body of Scottish independence champion Alex Salmond flown home from North Mac...
18 Oct 2024 at 11:54am
Body of Scottish independence champion Alex Salmond flown home from North Macedonia  ABC News

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

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

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

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

Will Scotland ever become an Independent nation-state? - Forbes
19 Oct 2024 at 11:55am
Will Scotland ever become an Independent nation-state?  Forbes

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

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