The Herald

The Herald | Politics


Murrell conviction shows Police Scotland free from political interference, ch...
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
8 Nov 2026 at 10:16am
Police Scotland chief Jo Farrell says Peter Murrell?s conviction proves the force is free from political interference after his £400,000 SNP embezzlement.


US electoral ?ass-kicking? has shattered Donald Trump?s grip on 2028
by david.pratt@heraldandtimes.co.uk | David Pratt
8 Nov 2026 at 6:15am
As the blame game for the midterms disaster plays out among Republicans, it?s already shaping the presidential contest in two years? time writes Foreign Editor David Pratt


The Great Renewables Rip-Off? Green energy ?con? costing Scotland billions ex...
by Neil Mackay
8 Nov 2026 at 6:15am
The STUC is investigating the renewables industry. Our Writer at Large hears how the SNP is allowing money which should stay in Scotland to go to private and foreign investors


Ex-Muslim who called for niqab ban: I would never back Reform?s plan
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
8 Nov 2026 at 5:00am
Maryam Namazie, the Iranian-born founder of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, has long campaigned against the veil ? but she says Reform UK, with its record on women and minorities, is the last party she would trust to champion that cause.


Scotland's overcrowded prisons hit by backlog of serious maintenance defects
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
8 Nov 2026 at 5:00am
Scotland's overcrowded prisons have 1,525 outstanding maintenance defects as the jail population runs hundreds above design capacity.


Greens demand Spanish firm axed from ScotRail train bid over Israeli settleme...
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
7 Nov 2026 at 1:36pm
Scottish Greens urge John Swinney to exclude Spanish train manufacturer CAF from a ScotRail contract bid over alleged links to Israeli settlements.


Almost 600 deaths linked to lengthy A&E waits in Scotland, new analysis claims
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
7 Nov 2026 at 10:54am
New Scottish Liberal Democrat analysis estimates 597 excess deaths associated with lengthy A&E waits in Scotland during the first eight months of 2026.


SNP demand emergency cost of living plan from PM as energy bills and rates rise
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
7 Nov 2026 at 5:00am
The SNP has demanded an emergency winter plan from Prime Minister Andy Burnham as the Bank of England raised rates to 4%, forecast inflation nearing 5%, and energy bills look set to rise by almost 29% in January.


Scottish Government urged to devolve business rates to new regional authorities
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
7 Nov 2026 at 5:00am
An SNP MSP and renewables industry figures are urging the Scottish Government to let new regional councils keep business rates from onshore wind farms, with analysis suggesting the move could channel £78 million a year to rural communities.


Dalzell £7m taxpayer loan repaid as FOI reveals ministers feared official rec...
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
7 Nov 2026 at 5:00am
Scottish Enterprise has confirmed Sanjeev Gupta's Dalzell steelworks repaid a £7m loan in full, but FOI documents reveal ministers feared the Motherwell plant faced the official receiver just weeks before.


Public have ?role to play? in keeping transport running this winter, Flynn says
by Nick Forbes
6 Nov 2026 at 5:37pm
Stephen Flynn has said the public have ?an important role to play? in ensuring Scotland?s transport network operates smoothly through the winter months.


Scottish Government staff to vote on potential strike action over home working
by Craig Paton
6 Nov 2026 at 2:17pm
Staff at the Scottish Government and four of its agencies are being balloted on potential strike action in a row over a mandatory level of office working.


Reform MSP Graham Simpson responds to rumours he could defect to Lib Dems
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
6 Nov 2026 at 2:01pm
Reform MSP Graham Simpson has broken his silence on rumours of a second defection amid SNP claims of secret talks with the Scottish Lib Dems.


Edinburgh council leader 'angry and disappointed' after Bonfire Night disorder
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
6 Nov 2026 at 12:43pm
Councillor Meagher hit out at ?isolated incidents of disorder? caused by troublemakers ?seemingly intent on causing fear and alarm in our communities".

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


'Insufficient evidence of wrongdoing' in Kenny Gibson bullying complaints, sa...
8 Nov 2026 at 11:45am

The Nationalists said that ?concerns were raised with the party? about Holyrood?s presiding officer and these were ?thoroughly investigated? - but ?no disciplinary action was taken.?

Jo Farrell said the case of the former SNP chief executive and Nicola Sturgeon?s estranged husband showed that no one was beyond the law.

The Crown is facing a funding cut from SNP ministers - putting a host of frontline justice services, including support for unsolved crimes, at risk.

Wings over Scotland

Vibecoding A Better World
28 Oct 2026 at 3:13pm
AI may very well kill us all in the coming weeks and months, but in the meantime it’s a magical tool that enables even near-idiots to perform near-miracles. While the Scottish Parliament has been off for the October half-term and nothing’s been happening in politics, I’ve been occupying myself with modifying some very old computer …

Faces In Sand
17 Oct 2026 at 3:53pm
Ladies and gentlemen, the next leader of the SNP. ? To be scrupulously fair to the huffing dolt-child, we suppose in grey, chilly Aberdeen there could be some confusion on the matter. But remarkably, the above isn’t even nearly the dumbest thing that’s happened (so far) at this year’s SNP conference. It’s probably not even …

The fight about to come
14 Oct 2026 at 3:20pm
The obvious question is “Why haven’t you made a bigger one in all that time?” Did it not seem important until now? Was there nothing significant going on? Or were they just a little short of cash for some unknowable reason? Still, Keith’s going to make a “launch” speech. He makes it every year. It’ll …

Still Time To Save Her
9 Oct 2026 at 2:32pm
We’ve just had an extraordinary email from Police Scotland, readers. Here it is. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the real-life Timecops. Operation Branchform was closed on 20 March 2025. Nicola Sturgeon gave her infamous interview to Laura Kuenssberg – stating that she would not be handing back any of the items gifted to her by Peter …

There May Be Justice
5 Oct 2026 at 12:40pm
In a little under three days, Phase 1 complete. Wings readers: still the best. But what now? A couple of people have asked about the “stretch target” on the website. That was something CrowdJustice asked for and the reason it’s so high is that that figure was our lawyers’ estimate of the total cost of …

The Love Of Big Brother
3 Oct 2026 at 1:24pm
We were trying to work out what this reminded us of. And the answer was in the same place it usually is. It all checks out. The SNP spend their time grooming your children and trying to make basic parenting a crime. They endorse “gender-affirming care” that sterilises them and will stop them ever having …

In The Eyes Of The Law
1 Oct 2026 at 2:15pm
Our fundraiser to bring a judicial review of Police Scotland’s decision not to charge anyone with embezzlement in the case of the SNP’s missing £700,000 indyref fund is now live, and can be reached by clicking on this image, or here. The target of £30,000 represents the cost of the initial application (with contingency for …

Whatever Can Have Happened?
30 Sep 2026 at 1:50pm
Yesterday afternoon John Swinney announced an independent review into the dual roles of Scotland’s main law officers, the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General, which have been a subject of great controversy since the Scottish Parliament was re-convened in 1999. Wings welcomes this development unequivocally, albeit we’re slightly concerned that the former judge leading the …

The Turning Point
28 Sep 2026 at 1:10pm
We don’t have much to say about this graph that it doesn’t say for itself. The arrest of Peter Murrell on 5 April 2023, just a couple of weeks after his wife had realised the game was up and walked away before the cops came round and put a big blue tent up on their …

Cowering From Destiny
24 Sep 2026 at 11:29am
Alert readers will recall that last year the SNP convened a summit in Glasgow for the sole purpose of uniting the nation in preventing Nigel Farage becoming Prime Minister. The party also regularly tells us that to actually achieve independence, support would have to build to an overwhelming consensus into the 60-65% range, rather than …

Craig Murray

Palestine Action Supreme Court Hearing Day 1
5 Nov 2026 at 7:59am

UPDATE: this article is now complete; I published just the start yesterday. It was a remarkably mild early November morning at 6am as I left the Chelsea Cloisters hotel to get the tube to Westminster and the Supreme Court. I had been worried because I had forgotten to pack my thermal underwear. I had queued …

Palestine Action Supreme Court Hearing Day 1

To The Supreme Court
3 Nov 2026 at 11:57pm

I am in London at the UK Supreme Court for Huda Ammori’s appeal against the proscription of Palestine Action. Three Jewish groups have been granted intervention rights by the Court (two of them pro-Genocide) but no Palestinian group. One of the strongest grounds to contest the proscription was that it entails discrimination against Palestinians. That …

To The Supreme Court

The Crisis In Poland
2 Nov 2026 at 11:58am

I was First Secretary at the British Embassy in Warsaw 1994-98. While that was a long time ago, I knew personally many of the people at the heart of the current crisis, such as Donald Tusk and Radek Sikorski. 1) The first thing to say about Poland is that the current crisis is unlikely to …

The Crisis In Poland

This Cannot Last
29 Oct 2026 at 3:06pm

Netanyahu is seeking to build a new coalition with Jewish “opposition” parties to ensure the continued exclusion of Arabs from government in Israel. It will be a long and convoluted process but I expect he will eventually succeed. In the meantime he remains in power. Next week Trump will lose control of both Houses in …

This Cannot Last

The Epidemic of Billionaires
21 Oct 2026 at 11:54am

It takes a lot to get tens of thousands of people to riot. For it to happen simultaneously across several countries points to a supranational underlying cause, as opposed to local grievance at an egregious state injustice. That the temporary collapse of authority and restraint will allow some opportunists to loot is an inevitable concomitant. …

The Epidemic of Billionaires

The Unjust State
15 Oct 2026 at 2:06pm

“Forget justice, it’s much too expensive and time consuming. Plus if you take the government to court, you will have to spend your own money, and we are saving you from that”. That is a fair summary of the judgement by Lords Pentland and Troy and Lady Wise in our appeal against the suspension of …

The Unjust State

BBC Scotland

Bonfire Night violence: We can't accept this as normal, says Police Federation
6 Nov 2026 at 5:18pm
Seven people were arrested and a police van set alight during Bonfire Night violence in parts of Scotland.

Scottish grooming gangs inquiry to start next week
5 Nov 2026 at 3:34pm
The independent investigation will look into group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Swinney criticises UK move to ban new North Sea drilling
5 Nov 2026 at 4:43pm
The first minister has told Holyrood fossil fuels will be required "for some years to come".

Holyrood committee conveners set for £15,000 pay rise
5 Nov 2026 at 4:46pm
The change is expected to cost the taxpayer £342,000 a year, based on this year's pay levels.

Woman who waited nine days for miscarriage assessment 'fighting against system'
5 Nov 2026 at 12:37pm
A petition calling for improved maternity care has been presented to parliament after attracting 900 signatures.

UK government to outlaw new North Sea drilling
4 Nov 2026 at 4:28pm
Labour ministers have published legislation that would end the granting of new oil and gas licences.

Scottish colleges need £2.5bn investment boost by 2037, report warns
4 Nov 2026 at 6:18am
A new report has laid bare the financial challenges facing Scotland's college sector.

New strategy launched to transform Scottish women's football over 10 years
4 Nov 2026 at 7:03am
The strategy aims to double the number of registered female players in Scotland, while also quadrupling attendances and audiences for matches.

MSPs 'unable to say' if Scottish government spending plans are affordable
3 Nov 2026 at 10:32am
Holyrood's finance committee has called for greater transparency from the government ahead of the Budget.

Election rules for foreign nationals should be reconsidered, MSPs say
3 Nov 2026 at 12:30pm
A Holyrood committee has raised concerns about rules that allowed Q Manivannan to be elected as a Green MSP while on a student visa.

Scotland needs to embrace AI for its potential to be realised, minister says
3 Nov 2026 at 1:20pm
The Scottish government has said AI could generate an additional £23bn in annual GDP for Scotland by 2035 with the right investment and leadership.

A thousand job applications, five interviews and still no job
3 Nov 2026 at 12:12pm
Annual Scottish figures on young people not in education, employment or training are due later - one young woman shares her struggle.

Scot Goes Pop

I've been elected to the SNP's Conduct Appeals Committee
4 Nov 2026 at 8:25pm
An audio podcast version of the above video can be heard HERE, and will soon be available on Apple Podcasts HERE.

If nuclear war is to be averted, RevStew's unbroken run of inaccurate predict...
3 Nov 2026 at 9:30pm
An audio podcast version of the above video can be heard HERE, and will soon be available on Apple Podcasts HERE.*  *  *If you'd like to help Scot Goes Pop to continue, please check out my Ko-Fi pa...

Debunking the so-called "Refnation poll on Scottish independence for the Dail...
2 Nov 2026 at 8:11pm
An audio podcast version of the above video can be heard HERE, and will soon be available on Apple Podcasts HERE.*  *  *If you'd like to help Scot Goes Pop to continue, please check out my Ko-Fi pa...

SNP's "astonishingly commanding" victory in the Mid Argyll by-election, as Ru...
31 Oct 2026 at 3:42pm
As mentioned in the video, I also have an analysis piece in The National about the Mid Argyll by-election result, which can be read HERE.

Was the SPUC's attempted fringe meeting in Aberdeen a "classic McEleny politi...
28 Oct 2026 at 2:59pm
Also in the video below - SHE'S BACK!!!  Corri Wilson, matriarch of the "Corri Nostra" faction of the defunct Alba Party, has emerged from hibernation, and this time she wants to "explain democracy...

I'm sensing a pattern here...
28 Oct 2026 at 8:06am
My YouTube channel has reached two new milestones over the last few days - it's hit 2000 subscribers, and for the first time one of the individual videos has exceeded 10,000 views.  That prompted m...

Majority of Scots want independence, says ELEVENTH Norstat poll IN A ROW - ev...
25 Oct 2026 at 6:38pm
An audio podcast version of the above video can be heard HERE, and will soon be available on Apple Podcasts HERE.*  *  *If you'd like to help Scot Goes Pop to continue, please check out my Ko-Fi pa...

Mounting evidence that the SNP leadership would be serious about using a hung...
24 Oct 2026 at 3:31am
Over the last few days, several people have been asking how I fared in the SNP internal elections.  As I explain in the video above, I'm pretty much certain that I've been elected to one of the fou...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

Long waits at emergency departments ?linked to 600 extra deaths?
7 Nov 2026 at 6:20pm
The Lib Dems said there has been a steep rise in the figures compared with 10 years ago.

Scottish Government staff to vote on potential strike action over home working
6 Nov 2026 at 7:22pm
The Scottish Government imposed a 40% target for staff to work from the office.

Government urged to include funding to cut teachers? classroom time in budget
6 Nov 2026 at 8:40am
MSPs on Holyrood?s Education Committee want costings for a cut in teacher?s classroom time to be set out, with funding in next month?s budget.

MSPs who preside over committees to receive £15,500 salary boost after unanim...
5 Nov 2026 at 5:06pm
Sixteen MSPs are set for a salary increase of 20% for taking on additional responsibilities

Inquiry into Scottish grooming gangs to begin next week
5 Nov 2026 at 3:53pm
Professor Alexis Jay will examine the scale, extent and prevalence of grooming gangs based in Scotland.

Data centre ?misinformation? has overblown concerns, MSPs told
5 Nov 2026 at 2:07pm
Holyrood?s Climate Action Committee was also told that Scotland?s cooler climate could make it a natural home for the facilities

Scottish Parliament votes against Reform push for burka ban
4 Nov 2026 at 7:20pm
MSPs voted overwhelmingly against the Reform motion which was described as ?racist? and ?hatemongering?.

Bus fare cap in greater Glasgow could cost ScotRail £20m, MSPs told
4 Nov 2026 at 4:33pm
The £2 bus fare cap was extended to include a vast area of west central Scotland in September, including Glasgow, Lanarkshire and Ayrshire

Ministers urged to set target to almost treble Scotland?s onshore wind power
4 Nov 2026 at 7:12am
It comes as concerns were raised about the 'low ambition' for onshore wind beyond 2030

Report unable to say if SNP spending is affordable ?due to lack of transparency?
3 Nov 2026 at 7:12am
MSPs must provide 'much greater transparency' on its progress in closing a near-£5bn financial black hole.

Ministers challenged to ?intervene urgently? to protect Scotland?s wild salmon
2 Nov 2026 at 8:41pm
Campaigners at the charity WildFish are concerned about the impact of sea lice from the salmon farming sector on wild salmon.

UK Government wants Acorn carbon capture and storage project success, says mi...
2 Nov 2026 at 7:58am
The project was due to receive £200 million in grant funding from the UK Government.

Streeting condemns Swinney?s ?irresponsible and unfounded? comments on defence
30 Oct 2026 at 7:36pm
The First Minister has claimed the UK Government is ?failing to keep Scotland secure?.

Swinney ?deeply concerned? by Acorn carbon capture decision
30 Oct 2026 at 4:30pm
The funding mechanism for the project was changed in the Chancellor?s Budget this week

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

SNP 'failed to act' on over a dozen bullying claims against Presiding Officer...
8 Nov 2026 at 4:30am
An explosive dossier passed to the Sunday Mail reveals complaints of 'misogynistic' behaviour and bullying against Kenny Gibson sent to party HQ by independent solicitors.

Glasgow is not in decline and won't go bust, insists new council leader Ricky...
7 Nov 2026 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: Ricky Bell dismissed some of the criticism shared on social media over the condition of Glasgow city centre as "nonsense".

MSPs branded 'tone deaf' after handing Holyrood committee chiefs 20% pay rise...
6 Nov 2026 at 11:55am
EXCLUSIVE: One former committee convener blasted the massive pay award and warned it would

Reform MSP blasted for using 'far right anthem' on video calling for burka ban
6 Nov 2026 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: Thomas Kerr shared an Instagram clip of him discussing a burka ban while controversial dance hit L'Amour Toujours plays in the background.

Scottish grooming gangs inquiry date set with probe to 'ensure abuse cannot h...
5 Nov 2026 at 4:56pm
Education Secretary Mairi McAllan said the review will issue recommendations to strengthen child protections but added it would not determine criminality.

MSPs who chair Holyrood committees to be handed massive 20% pay rise despite ...
5 Nov 2026 at 3:56pm
Presiding Officer Kenny Gibson said "our committees really are at the heart of what we as a Parliament do".

SNP £2 bus fare cap punches 'significant hole' in ScotRail budget as passenge...
5 Nov 2026 at 2:42pm
MSPs have been warned the policy could cost the publicly-owned rail network as much as £20m a year in lost revenues.

John Swinney chose to 'withhold' Alexander Dennis announcement until after Ho...
5 Nov 2026 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: The First Minister was told by officials just days before voters went to the polls that ADL would not be receiving taxpayer-funded support.

JD Vance turns on Donald Trump's Iran war as he fights for political future
4 Nov 2026 at 7:48pm
JD Vance has said the Iran war is the reason behind the Republican midterm election disaster as he considers his own political future

John Swinney 'terrified' of upsetting Greens in row over foreign nationals st...
4 Nov 2026 at 2:01pm
EXCLUSIVE: A veteran nationalist said it was "absurd" that candidates without permanent residency should be allowed to stand in Scottish elections.

The National

The National | Politics

Palestine Action 'branded terrorists for trying to save lives', co-founder says
8 Nov 2026 at 12:43pm

THE co-founder of Palestine Action has said that the "main reason" the group was proscribed as a terrorist organisation is that they were trying "to save lives in Palestine" ...

SNP respond to bullying allegations against presiding officer Kenneth Gibson
8 Nov 2026 at 12:04pm

THE SNP will have fully investigated allegations of bullying made against Holyrood?s presiding officer, a Cabinet minister has said ...

Nigel Farage laughs at his own excuse in Reform UK 'unlawful donations' probe
8 Nov 2026 at 10:33am

NIGEL Farage has laughed at his own excuse as to why he is not implicated in allegations of unlawful donations to Reform UK ? and suggested that he expects to be found guilty of breaching Westminster rules ...

Whistleblowers claim sexual abuse 'happening at BBC,' Culture Secretary says
8 Nov 2026 at 10:07am

WHISTLEBLOWERS have come forward to say that sexual abuse is happening at the BBC, the Culture Secretary has claimed ...

An electoral ?ass-kicking' that has shattered Trump?s grip on 2028
8 Nov 2026 at 5:00am

IT was all so very different barely a few weeks ago. Admittedly, it wasn?t exactly business as usual within the Trump administration and Republican Party, for they knew fine well that the coming midterm elections posed a serious challenge.

Westminster palace dedicated to keeping one political class in control
8 Nov 2026 at 5:00am

WHEN he first visited the Palace of Westminster as a younger man, Tony Blair records in his memoir that he ?had a complete presentiment: here I was going to be. This was my destiny. This was my political home?. Much to Cherie?s surprise, Blair ?was literally pacing up and down the place, drinking in its atmosphere, studying its architecture as if by looking at the building I would discover the ...

It was a chastening defeat but unlikely to mean the end of MAGA
8 Nov 2026 at 5:00am

THERE is no good time to lose your job, but it?s particularly tough in the run-up to Christmas, when workers at Poundland face mass redundancy and shoppers who rely on their low prices lose another retail outlet.

Inside the Scottish groups already mobilising against LGBT+ conversion ban
8 Nov 2026 at 5:00am

AT the SNP's annual conference in Aberdeen last month, party members sent an unequivocal message to the Scottish Government ? it?s time to ban LGBT+ conversion practices ...

Dozens of House of Lords peers have ties to AI giants and data centre firms
8 Nov 2026 at 5:00am

DOZENS of members of the House of Lords have financial interests in major tech firms involved in the AI boom, including companies developing and supplying data centres, an investigation by The Sunday National has revealed ...

Fears Duke-linked £2 billion AI data centre could emit as much CO2 as Dundee
8 Nov 2026 at 5:00am

A HUGE £2 billion AI data centre backed by one of Scotland's wealthiest landowners could eventually turn to gas-fired electricity generation, campaigners have warned ...

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

Scottish Public Service Awards recognised by MSPs
6 Nov 2026 at 2:14pm
Annual event returns on 9 December

MSPs running Holyrood committees in line for 20 per cent pay rise
5 Nov 2026 at 4:28pm
Uplift to reflect 'additional demands'

Start date confirmed for Scottish grooming gangs inquiry
5 Nov 2026 at 3:35pm
McAllan: Abusers have 'nowhere to hide'

John Swinney opposes UK Government move to ban new oil and gas licences
5 Nov 2026 at 3:16pm
The Energy Independence Bill was introduced to Westminster on Wednesday

MSPs raise doubts over teachers pledge
5 Nov 2026 at 7:00am
'Considerable challenges' over reduced classroom contact time policy

Government will not reconsider candidacy rights of foreign nationals ? John S...
4 Nov 2026 at 12:33pm
The standards committee said it was no longer convinced that those with limited leave to remain should be eligible to stand

Public trust in Scottish Government drops
4 Nov 2026 at 11:04am
The Scottish Household Survey for 2025 saw trust drop across seven institutions

Shortlist announced for Scottish Public Service Awards 2026
4 Nov 2026 at 10:10am
The awards will take place in the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday 9 December and will be hosted by journalist and TV presenter Emma Cameron.

Who?s advising you? How to choose your AI and automation advice.
4 Nov 2026 at 6:00am
Suppliers, consultancies, platform teams and the colleague who went on a course last month all have differing views. It can feel pretty confusing, and if you?re the one deciding where public money goes, the hard part is knowing whose advice to trust.

Scottish Government should reconsider candidacy rights of non-UK citizens, MS...
3 Nov 2026 at 3:05pm
The standards committee is questioning a change in law agreed just last year

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

UK politics: Burnham says US midterm results have created ?opportunity? for w...
4 Nov 2026 at 5:01pm
?I think people want to see the world coming together and focusing on the things that matter to people,? PM saysLouise Haigh starts by saying she is standing in for Andy Burnham.She says this weekend the whole country will fall silent to mark Remembrance Sunday. Continue reading...

Why Scottish nationalists should see Burnham as a real threat ? and an opport...
1 Nov 2026 at 9:00am
The PM?s goals may spell bad news for the SNP. But his EU bridge-building could also resurrect its dreams of independenceFifty years ago this month, a group of leftwing Scots gathered in the Golden Lion hotel in Stirling for the inaugural conference of a new political party. The ?Scottish Labour ...

Local devolution decisions rest solely with Scotland and Wales, first ministe...
30 Oct 2026 at 5:53pm
John Swinney and Rhun ap Iorwerth say devolving power further is up to Holyrood and Senedd ? not WestminsterScotland and Wales?s first ministers have told Andy Burnham that decisions on local devolution rest solely with their parliaments, in response to the prime minister?s push to extend English...

Business secretary says UK needs to understand direction of EU before signing...
30 Oct 2026 at 4:21pm
This blog is now closedDowning Street has paid tribute to Patrick Stewart following the actor?s death. At the daily lobby briefing, the PM?s spokesperson gave a comment that was a bit more extensive than the usual No 10 contribution when a great British celebrity dies. The spokesperson said that ...

No 10: Hegseth ?wrong? to say most non-US Nato soldiers didn?t fight in Afgha...
19 Oct 2026 at 5:18pm
Downing Street delivered a rare rebuke to a senior member of Donald Trump?s administrationAsked why the Lib Dems were opposed to a third runway at Heathrow when they professed to be in favour of growth, Cooper said she did not accept that a third runway would produce all the benefits its supporte...

SNP says campaign for next referendum on independence ?has already begun?
17 Oct 2026 at 4:45pm
John Swinney tells party conference SNP will use ?six-figure war chest? to renew argument for leaving UKJohn Swinney has said that the second referendum campaign for Scottish independence ?has already begun?, revealing a nationwide effort to renew the argument for leaving the UK in his keynote ad...

Burnham v Swinney: will the UK PM overshadow the SNP?s conference?
15 Oct 2026 at 7:00am
Prime minister presents new kind of challenge for SNP, and his Scottish visit will loom large over its big eventThis year, even Andy Burnham is invited to the Scottish National party conference. But by the time John Swinney stands up to address members on Saturday afternoon in Aberdeen to reinvig...

Burnham tells Zelenskyy?s UK?s support for Ukraine ?will not change? ? as it ...
14 Oct 2026 at 6:06pm
Zelenskyy says he will be discussing intelligence sharing ?difficulties? and Starlink access with BurnhamPMQs is about to start.Here is the list of MPs down to ask a question.After @genevieve_holl reported this last night, various sources in the Trump administration who are supportive of Farage s...

MI5 chief Ken McCallum confirms Russia did interfere in Brexit referendum but...
13 Oct 2026 at 5:23pm
He argued there was no evidence to suggest the result of the Brexit vote had been swayed as a result of the effortAndy Burnham promises ?serious dialogue? over UK?s relationship with EUZia Yusuf, Reform UK?s home affairs spokesperson, has said he does not agree with his colleague Suella Braverman...

UK politics live: Pat McFadden tells Labour activists they should not defend ...
27 Sep 2026 at 6:11pm
Work and pensions secretary says the current system is flawed because it consigns too many people to a life on benefits when they would be better off working?I can deliver?: Burnham pledges radical change on eve of Labour conferenceKuenssberg puts it to Burnham that, according to the Health Found...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

Scotland bad, the constant refrain of the media in Scotland
7 Nov 2026 at 3:20pm
In a speech on Friday, Sir Mark Rowney, the head of the Metropolitan Police and the most senior police officer in England and Wales, called for “urgent reform” of the police forces in England and Wales, saying that the existing system was “heading for failure”. Rowney has suggested the merger of the existing 43 police …

The national scolding
5 Nov 2026 at 3:33pm
The complete rinsing delivered to the deeply corrupt and authoritarian MAGA Republicans by American voters in this week’s midterm elections was a beacon of hope and joy in a bleak geopolitical landscape. The Trump cultist Republicans got their public execution, just not the one they had wanted. The Democrats had been forecast to do well, …

The moral bankruptcy of the right can be defeated
4 Nov 2026 at 8:46am
The writer and journalist John Harris has written an interesting and important article, published in The Guardian about the moral collapse of the political right. You can read it here.https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/nov/03/us-midterms-hard-right-britain-empathy-politics The right used to claim it held the moral high ground and assert – hypocritically – that the cruelty which resu...

Healey?s meh-dget is bad for Scotland
2 Nov 2026 at 4:37pm
For all the hype from the British media about how we now supposedly have a “left wing” government – you’ve got to laugh – Chancellor John Healey’s meh-dget last week was not merely underwhelming, it didn’t manage to achieve any variety of whelming at all. After all the excited media hype about Burnham being a …

Blog break
30 Oct 2026 at 1:07pm
I’m currently struggling with a nasty cold so will be taking a few days away from blogging until I feel better. I had planned to write about the underwhelming budget, or rather meh-dget, and how it shows that for all the hype around Burnham, he’s very much continuity Labour centrism and is already falling very …

These Islands? dishonest best out of three indyref plan
28 Oct 2026 at 11:44am
In an interview with The Herald, marking a significant shifting of the previous intransigence of a die-hard Unionist campaign group, Professor Colin Kidd, a historian who is a member of the advisory board of the anti-independence campaign organisation These Islands has acknowledged that opponents of independence “can’t keep on saying no indefinitely to a second …

The paramilitary far right must be nipped in the bud
27 Oct 2026 at 2:01pm
We have now had another fascist military style parade consisting of men dressed all in black, often wearing black ski masks or balaclavas and scarves to hide their faces, parading in formation in public spaces in Scotland, in what is clearly an attempt to intimidate and sow fear. On Friday, around 100 men dressed in …

Newly independent countries can quickly establish a currency
25 Oct 2026 at 2:06pm
One of the biggest mistakes the Yes campaign made during the 2014 referendum campaign was Alex Salmond’s declaration that a newly independent Scotland would enter a currency union with the remnant UK and continue to use pound sterling as its currency. This gave the Better Together parties the opportunity, which they immediately took, to assert …

BBC Scotland?s useful idiots
24 Oct 2026 at 11:34am
Police Scotland has announced that it will make no further investigations into the finances of Yes Scotland, having found no evidence of criminality. Headed by Blair Jenkins, Yes Scotland was the organisation which represented the official Yes campaign in the 2014 referendum. It handed over its full accounts to Police Scotland after a complaint was …

The £1 trillion cost of the Union to Scotland
23 Oct 2026 at 1:46pm
Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey has admitted that if the UK had in set up a sovereign wealth fund on the basis of income generated from North Sea oil and gas as Norway did in the 1980s, it would currently be worth in excess of the eye watering sum of £1 trillion pounds. That …

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

Burnham not doing politics differently as he bins opinion polls supporting in...
8 Nov 2026 at 2:16pm
By Liz S The National reports ?The UK Government has been carrying out secret taxpayer-funded Scottish independence polls and are refusing to release the results?. Apparently ?Since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister, the Cabinet Office has conducted a secret Scottish independence polling operation? Now this reminds me of the time when Michael Gove, when he was a part of a former Tory UK govern...

Reposted
8 Nov 2026 at 10:47am

Women?s right to have a midwife oversee their baby?s birth is protected in Sc...
8 Nov 2026 at 10:29am
From the Guardian yesterday: NHS officials are shutting growing numbers of birth centres in a ?shocking? denial of a woman?s right to have a midwife rather than a doctor oversee their baby?s birth, say campaigners. Twelve birth centres ? midwife-led maternity units ? have closed in England since 2019. Birth centres play a key role in ensuring that women can choose whether to have their baby at ...

Multinational study of 308 297 nuclear workers finds a SIGNIFICANT associatio...
7 Nov 2026 at 4:42pm
From: first published in 2016 but for some reason beyond me, included in a Google alert for me today: The International Nuclear Workers Study (Inworks): A Collaborative Epidemiological Study to Improve Knowledge About Health Effects of Protracted Low-Dose Exposure INWORKS is a multinational cohort study, gathering 308 297 workers in the nuclear industry in France, the United Kingdom and the Uni...

The Scottish Lib Dems are gathering disaffected right-wingers
7 Nov 2026 at 2:16pm
By Liz S Well here?s something else worthy of our contempt in that there is a constant demonising of the SNP from a certain party and their party branch office manager, while they (and he) acts as if they (and he), among all parties and all party leaders in Scotland, were the only true political moral crusaders at Holyrood. To whom do I refer ? The Lib Dems and Alex Cole-Hamilton. Firstly we ha...

BBC Scotland?s editorial agenda means Turkish ultras ?bottling? Glasgow cops ...
7 Nov 2026 at 10:36am
Did BBC Scotland cover the above? I can find not a mention in their reports in the last few days. Many did: On 1 April 2026, they did mention them: This year?s Bonfire Night will see police coping with two further challenges ? both in Scotland?s biggest city. Celtic will take on Turkish side Beskitas in a Uefa Europa League match at Celtic Park. Officers say they are also aware of images circul...

A simple BBC Scotland lie ? ?1,700 police officers were on the streets to dea...
7 Nov 2026 at 10:19am
From BBC Scotland yesterday: Deploying 1,700 police officers on the streets to deal with Bonfire Night violence cannot be accepted as normal, the Scottish Police Federation has said. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5wyrr3wwlzvo This is frankly dishonest and BBC Scotland could easily have corrected it in a report of more than 1 000 words. From a BBC Scotland report on 1 November 2026: Scotl...

Demonising Glasgow and Scotland ? Despite overall picture being ?better than ...
7 Nov 2026 at 10:05am
Despite several pockets of disorder, the overall picture was better than in recent years. We saw this yesterday, the foregrounding of bonfire night violence in Glasgow as an example when there was a more notable one to be had in England. From BBC Tyne yesterday: Six people, including three teenage boys, have been arrested after a night of violence saw fireworks and bricks launched at emergency ...

Neil Oliver in the limelight with Russell Brand reminds me of his cancerous p...
6 Nov 2026 at 9:37pm
Neil Oliver today, siding with Russell Brand in the wake of the latter’s multiple guilty verdicts. Here he is in 20215: and in 2021: and in 2023:

Grooming readers and viewers to believe there are mass rape grooming gangs in...
6 Nov 2026 at 2:47pm
They all use the term ‘grooming gangs’ so what’s wrong with that? Well, the inquiry terms of reference do not, ever, use either word: Child sexual abuse and exploitation: Jay Inquiry: The aim of this inquiry, established under the Inquiries Act 2005, is to make recommendations to better protect children from group-based sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE) both now and in the future. These will...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

UK Government admits to ?extensive? secret Scottish independence polling oper...
8 Nov 2026 at 10:19am
UK Government admits to ?extensive? secret Scottish independence polling operation  The National Scot

Why polls on Scottish independence are all over the place - The Times
6 Nov 2026 at 4:56pm
Why polls on Scottish independence are all over the place  The Times

The Debate: What?s the best route to Scottish independence? - Bella Caledonia
6 Nov 2026 at 8:35pm
The Debate: What?s the best route to Scottish independence?  Bella Caledonia

Three of the UK?s four nations are led by parties advocating a split. Which i...
8 Oct 2026 at 8:00am
Three of the UK?s four nations are led by parties advocating a split. Which is most likely to go?  The Conversation

'Bring it on': Flynn challenges Burnham on independence referendum - BBC
15 Oct 2026 at 8:00am
'Bring it on': Flynn challenges Burnham on independence referendum  BBC

Leaders of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland unite for self-determination - A...
14 Sep 2026 at 8:00am
Leaders of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland unite for self-determination  Al Jazeera

Reform MSPs walk out of parliament in protest against independence debate - BBC
22 Sep 2026 at 8:00am
Reform MSPs walk out of parliament in protest against independence debate  BBC

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland leaders unite behind independence push f...
14 Sep 2026 at 8:18pm
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland leaders unite behind independence push from UK  Courthouse News

Scottish independence - Politics.co.uk
24 Sep 2026 at 12:55am
Scottish independence  Politics.co.uk

Labour ?making the case? for Scottish independence referendum after Brexit ad...
2 Nov 2026 at 10:21am
Labour ?making the case? for Scottish independence referendum after Brexit admission  The National Scot

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

SNP decry 'public-funded propaganda' as UK Government's social media spend re...
8 Nov 2026 at 2:42pm
SNP decry 'public-funded propaganda' as UK Government's social media spend revealed  The National Scot

'Insufficient evidence of wrongdoing' in Kenny Gibson bullying complaints, sa...
8 Nov 2026 at 11:45am
'Insufficient evidence of wrongdoing' in Kenny Gibson bullying complaints, says SNP  The Scotsman

Dog attacks soar to record highs despite SNP?s XL bully ban - The Times
7 Nov 2026 at 6:00pm
Dog attacks soar to record highs despite SNP?s XL bully ban  The Times

Scotland's papers: Predator Brand faces jail and SNP 'U-turn' on North Sea dr...
6 Nov 2026 at 6:30am
Scotland's papers: Predator Brand faces jail and SNP 'U-turn' on North Sea drilling  BBC

SNP quietly paused work on climate education scheme - Scottish Greens
7 Nov 2026 at 9:01am
SNP quietly paused work on climate education scheme  Scottish Greens

SNP backs new North Sea drilling as Burnham plans ban - The Telegraph
6 Nov 2026 at 5:00pm
SNP backs new North Sea drilling as Burnham plans ban  The Telegraph

The Scottish National Party turns to the right - The Economist
19 Oct 2026 at 8:00am
The Scottish National Party turns to the right  The Economist

Murrell conviction shows Police Scotland free from political interference, ch...
8 Nov 2026 at 10:28am
Murrell conviction shows Police Scotland free from political interference, chief says  The Herald

Burnham v Swinney: will the UK PM overshadow the SNP?s conference? - The Guar...
16 Oct 2026 at 8:00am
Burnham v Swinney: will the UK PM overshadow the SNP?s conference?  The Guardian

SNP minister addresses bullying allegations against presiding officer - The N...
8 Nov 2026 at 12:20pm
SNP minister addresses bullying allegations against presiding officer  The National Scot

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

UK Government admits to ?extensive? secret Scottish independence polling oper...
8 Nov 2026 at 10:19am
UK Government admits to ?extensive? secret Scottish independence polling operation  The National Scot

John Swinney aiming for independence referendum by 2031 - BBC
14 Sep 2026 at 8:00am
John Swinney aiming for independence referendum by 2031  BBC

Three of the UK?s four nations are led by parties advocating a split. Which i...
8 Oct 2026 at 8:00am
Three of the UK?s four nations are led by parties advocating a split. Which is most likely to go?  The Conversation

'Bring it on': Flynn challenges Burnham on independence referendum - BBC
15 Oct 2026 at 8:00am
'Bring it on': Flynn challenges Burnham on independence referendum  BBC

Leaders of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland unite for self-determination - A...
14 Sep 2026 at 8:00am
Leaders of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland unite for self-determination  Al Jazeera

US midterms: Trump's grip on Congress faces biggest test since returning to p...
3 Nov 2026 at 6:27pm
US midterms: Trump's grip on Congress faces biggest test since returning to power  The Herald

Labour ?making the case? for Scottish independence referendum after Brexit ad...
2 Nov 2026 at 10:21am
Labour ?making the case? for Scottish independence referendum after Brexit admission  The National Scot

Scottish independence - Institute for Government
29 May 2026 at 8:00am
Scottish independence  Institute for Government

Reform MSPs walk out of parliament in protest against independence debate - BBC
22 Sep 2026 at 8:00am
Reform MSPs walk out of parliament in protest against independence debate  BBC

UK?s Burnham tells Scotland new independence vote is off limits - Al Jazeera
23 Jul 2026 at 8:00am
UK?s Burnham tells Scotland new independence vote is off limits  Al Jazeera