The Herald

The Herald | Politics


Macron to arrive in UK with Starmer to press for help on small boats
8 Jul 2025 at 7:30am
French President Emmanuel Macron will arrive in the UK on Tuesday as Sir Keir Starmer presses for more help stopping small boats crossing the Channel.


Blackford: SNP must offer bold economic vision as UK suffers ?financial hango...
8 Jul 2025 at 5:00am
Ian Blackford warns of a looming UK "financial hangover" and urges the SNP to articulate a more ambitious economic vision ahead of the 2026 election.


Ian Blackford: ?Politics ought to be about hope ? the SNP must seize that?
8 Jul 2025 at 5:00am
The UK?s debt has reached record highs. With little fiscal headroom, Labour?s Rachel Reeves is preparing tax rises. Former SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford argues the real threat lies in the absence of a growth strategy.


SNP members demand National Secretary resign over 'flawed' Falkirk bullying p...
7 Jul 2025 at 6:30pm
Falkirk SNP activists call for a fresh Holyrood selection and the resignation of the National Secretary after Toni Giugliano's suspension was overturned.


Which Scots could jump to Corbyn?s new party? Here?s what insiders are saying
7 Jul 2025 at 4:35pm
Scottish Labour rebels and disillusioned councillors eye new left-wing party amid splits, speculation and a potential fight for Holyrood list votes.


Streeting calls Swinney an ?analogue politician in a digital age? in NHS app row
7 Jul 2025 at 12:01pm
Labour?s Health Secretary has described the First Minister as an ?analogue politician in a digital age? as he criticised the Scottish Government?s failure to develop an app for the NHS.


Ambulance waiting times for critically ill patients on rise in all 32 councils
7 Jul 2025 at 6:30am
The most critically ill patients, classified in the ?purple' category, are identified as likely to have a 10% or more chance of cardiac arrest.


'Public safety in jeopardy' - Fire service 999 response times are worst in 10...
7 Jul 2025 at 5:00am
The SNP has been blamed for ?savage and sustained budget cuts? as fire service response times to 999 calls surge in Scotland.


'Expensive sticking plaster': Almost £2 billion spent on temp nurses and midw...
7 Jul 2025 at 5:00am
The SNP has been accused of putting an ?expensive sticking plaster? over the NHS as nearly £2 billion spent on temporary nurses and midwives.


Peter Murrell news, interviews and updates on the former SNP chief executive
7 Jul 2025 at 11:00am
Peter Murrell is the SNP's former chief executive from 1999 to 2023.


Grangemouth Oil Refinery news, interviews and updates on the industrial site
7 Jul 2025 at 10:57am
All the latest news, interviews and updates from Grangemouth Oil Refinery.


John Swinney news, interviews and updates on the First Minister
7 Jul 2025 at 10:56am
John Swinney became Scotland's First Minister in May 2024.


Nicola Sturgeon news, interviews and updates on the former first minister
7 Jul 2025 at 10:54am
Nicola Sturgeon is a former first minister of Scotland who served from 2014 to 2023.


Calls for public inquiry into Alex Salmond 'conspiracy' after Herald interview
6 Jul 2025 at 1:54pm
Mr MacAskill had told The Herald on Sunday: "I will not forgive the behaviour of Nicola Sturgeon towards Alex Salmond. And indeed, the lies told by others.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


Scottish ministers accused of 'taking a wrecking ball' to North Sea oil and gas
7 Jul 2025 at 2:58pm

Opposition parties say the Scottish Government has ?squandered? its just transition fund.

CalMac is seeking compensation over the Caledonian Isles ferry, which remains out of service after 18 months of repairs.

UK ministers have hit out at Scotland?s ?second-rate? NHS app as it promises a ?supercharged? version south of the border.

Wings over Scotland

Too Tight To Mention
2 Jul 2025 at 11:30am
So this snuck out quietly at the bottom of page 2 of today’s Daily Record. And like, we suspect, most of Scotland, our response was “WHAT?” Peter Murrell has been very well paid for most of the last 20 years – somewhere in the ballpark of £100,000 a year – and there’s very little evidence …

The Con Merchant
28 Jun 2025 at 2:11pm
Back in the 1980s and 1990s, before the internet, scammers used to have to work a bit harder to cheat people than they do now. A popular method was to advertise a “clearance sale” in the press. You’d see an ad in the Daily Record or a local paper for an event in a High …

The Art Of Noise
27 Jun 2025 at 12:37pm
Genuinely, can anyone tell us what the heck this actually means? ? Because to us, it’s just meaningless quacking to fill a void. It’s very short, so let’s transcribe the whole thing. “I want to do spectacularly well in the 2026 election, that’s what my sights are on.” Well, duh. And there was us thinking …

And it?s goodnight from he/him
26 Jun 2025 at 11:18am
And now for tonight’s headlines. Police Scotland have nevertheless denied that prisoners in their custody are being excessively pampered, following reports that a man was hustled out of St Leonard’s station in Edinburgh with an electric blanket over his head. Meanwhile, following the Supreme Court ruling in the For Women Scotland case, the force’s HQ …

But Don?t Give Yourself Away
25 Jun 2025 at 2:51pm
Seamus Logan, an SNP MP of whom it has often been said “Seamus who?”, has an article in The National today categorically ruling out Scotland achieving independence via a democratic vote in an event fully recognised by the UK government. That in itself shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to Wings readers, as this …

Anatomy Of A Lunatic
23 Jun 2025 at 10:00pm
Honestly, folks, I don’t even want to do this because almost nothing is more tedious for anyone else to read than two people having an internet beef – a lesson that I learned, ironically, from reading the site this post concerns, which does little else – but as well as reacting on a basic human …

A different school
23 Jun 2025 at 11:51am
Tommy Sheppard knows a John Swinney you don’t know. And who, conveniently, you’re not allowed to see. Traditionally, this is the opposite order to how things are done in politics: Normally, you tell people what you’re asking them to vote for BEFORE they actually vote. You don’t explain your plans AFTER the election, especially when …

Holiday Relief
17 Jun 2025 at 10:27am
We’re thinking of just handing over Wings to Grok for the summer so we can spend all our time feeding the swans, readers. Here’s what the Twitter artificial intelligence bot said when we asked it to assess today’s National front page. Sounds about right to us. We’re off for a walk.

Let?s Not Make Some Plans
13 Jun 2025 at 12:17pm
At first, this merely sounds like the worst day out ever. But for supporters of independence, in fact it’s even grimmer than that. Because if the above line-up of insomnia cures weren’t bad enough, wait until you hear what it is they’re going to be droning on to an audience of God-knows-who about. We know …

The Grand Tour
10 Jun 2025 at 6:50pm
Lacking anything better to do on a grey and cloudy day in Bath, we thought it might be a lark to go through every Holyrood constituency in Scotland and contemplate where it might go in next year’s election, based on the current state of polling. And just to make things interesting, compared to our last …

Craig Murray

Lucy Connolly Should Be Released
3 Jul 2025 at 9:37am

The political Right throughout the Western world is baying to lock up all opponents of genocide. The very notion of free speech is under fundamental attack. We need to take a long hard look at the question of imprisoning people for saying things. Lucy Connolly, a 41-year-old mother of a 12-year-old, was imprisoned for 31 …

Lucy Connolly Should Be Released

Dystopia UK: Genocidal RAF Squadron Targeted by Palestine Action is Owned by ...
25 Jun 2025 at 6:58pm

If you thought RAF jets were owned by the RAF, think again. The RAF squadron targeted for a repaint by Palestine Action due to its involvement in supplying Israel’s genocide, does not in fact belong to the RAF at all. It belongs ultimately to Polygon Global Partners LLP, a Hedge Fund. Through a chain of …

Dystopia UK: Genocidal RAF Squadron Targeted by Palestine Action is Owned by a Hedge Fund

The Phantom Ceasefire
24 Jun 2025 at 10:58am

The Phantom Ceasefire is simply Trump’s off ramp. He announces a ceasefire and bows out, having been advised that regime change would only be achievable with extreme military commitment and massive cost in lives and treasure. You can never trust the Israelis – or indeed the Americans – with either a ceasefire or a negotiation. …

The Phantom Ceasefire

You Cannot Negotiate with the Zionist West
23 Jun 2025 at 12:40am

Israel and the USA have each attacked Iran in the middle of negotiations. Iran must not fall for it a third time. Negotiation is dead. Israel attacked Iran during negotiations between Iran and the US, with the next scheduled meeting just three days away – including assassinating the lead negotiator. Trump then gave Iran a …

You Cannot Negotiate with the Zionist West

War With Iran
20 Jun 2025 at 7:56pm

For 18 years, the Iranian nuclear programme has been one of the top 10 targeting objectives of the US intelligence services. In 2007 they first conducted a formal inter-agency review. It is done every year. This is not a minor process. A great deal of input is received from dozens of Washington stakeholders, led by …

War With Iran

Starmer and Lammy are Terrified
15 Jun 2025 at 3:37pm

Western governments’ abandonment of the very system of international law which they created was embodied in a tweet from the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which sought to justify the illegal Israeli attack on Iran as “Targeted strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities”. The former Director General of the International Atomic Energy Authority, Mohamed ElBaradei, was …

Starmer and Lammy are Terrified

BBC Scotland

Shipyard needs urgent investment to survive, MSPs warn
4 Jul 2025 at 11:31am
A Holyrood committee says a lack of orders and reputational damage need to be overcome for the Ferguson Marine yard to prosper.

How does Starmer's NHS plan compare to Scotland's?
3 Jul 2025 at 3:58pm
The prime minister and John Swinney both have ambitions to reform health services, but there are many difficult challenges to overcome.

Welfare system will 'explode' without reform, says Murray
3 Jul 2025 at 6:03pm
The Labour minister has defended his government's benefits bill after backbenchers forces a major climbdown.

Peter Murrell granted legal aid over embezzlement charge
2 Jul 2025 at 10:38am
The husband of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon was charged in a police investigation into SNP finances.

Starmer's approach to welfare reform 'appalling' - Swinney
2 Jul 2025 at 5:36pm
The first minister says the UK government has "preyed" on vulnerable claimants after a dramatic Commons U-turn.

Who are the welfare bill rebels? Find out how your MP voted
1 Jul 2025 at 8:06pm
Check whether your MP voted for or against the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill

Future of delayed NHS surgery centres is unclear
30 Jun 2025 at 11:16am
The future of five already delayed NHS treatment centres to deal with a backlog of operations will not be known until December.

New SQA chief named months before exams body scrapped
27 Jun 2025 at 4:24pm
The news comes less than 48 hours after the Scottish government passed legislation to replace the SQA.

David Murray says sorry over disaster of Rangers sale
27 Jun 2025 at 12:37pm
The former Rangers owner says he regrets what happened to the club's staff and fans as he publishes his memoirs.

GPs in 'formal dispute' with ministers over funding
26 Jun 2025 at 6:50pm
BMA Scotland has told the Scottish government the next step would be to ballot doctors on disruptive action.

Tommy Sheridan loses social work job legal challenge
26 Jun 2025 at 5:33pm
Glasgow City Council said there was an "unacceptable level of risk" in hiring him as a social worker.

'Incompetent' former university boss considers returning £150,000 payout
26 Jun 2025 at 2:50pm
Prof Iain Gillespie was giving evidence to MSPs over the financial crisis at Dundee University

Scot Goes Pop

Munificent MRP poll shows the SNP on course to win almost THREE-QUARTERS of S...
7 Jul 2025 at 4:07pm
I thought I'd take a belated look at the new MRP seats projection from More In Common, which I believe was published yesterday or possibly the day before.Seats projection (More In Common MRP poll, ...

The last days in the bunker: Alba's leader channels Comical Ali as he insists...
6 Jul 2025 at 2:45pm
Kenny MacAskill is one of the few people in the upper echelons of the Alba Party who I still have respect for.  Even he has far too authoritarian a mindset (he once told someone that new people wer...

What exactly is "real Yes" when it's at home?
5 Jul 2025 at 1:44pm
I still intend to take pre-moderation back off at some point, because it's a right pain in the neck for all of us, but at the moment it's not possible because the levels of abuse in some of the sub...

Will Corbyn and Sultana be spoilers for the SNP, or will they pave the way to...
4 Jul 2025 at 9:57pm
My attitude to the prospect of a new Corbyn-led or Corbyn-founded or Corbyn-backed party of the left has been "I'll believe it when I see it", and in a strange way that hasn't changed as a result o...

Was Rachel Reeves weeping for the failure of her political project, or for th...
3 Jul 2025 at 12:24pm
It now appears (although we'll have to wait for people's memoirs to know for sure) that Rachel Reeves' tears at PMQs yesterday may have been triggered by something that loveable ol' Lindsay Hoyle s...

Ipsos poll confirms that the end is nigh for Alba
2 Jul 2025 at 10:19am
I didn't get around to giving you the party political voting intentions numbers from the Ipsos poll yesterday, so here they are...Scottish Parliament constituency ballot:SNP 34%Labour 23%Reform UK ...

More analysis of the Ipsos poll showing a pro-independence majority
1 Jul 2025 at 6:21pm
Just a quick note to let you know that I have an analysis piece at The National about the new Ipsos poll, which shows Yes in the lead by 52% to 48%, and a substantial SNP lead in both Westminster a...

Ipsos abandon a decades-long tradition of phone polling in Scotland - but con...
1 Jul 2025 at 5:56pm
As you'll remember from a few days ago, there was a GB-wide poll from Ipsos which used a new methodology.  Ipsos announced they were moving away from telephone polling in favour of using an online ...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

Tory grandee Norman Tebbit dies aged 94
8 Jul 2025 at 9:04am
The Conservative grandee was one of Margaret Thatcher?s closest political allies and played a key role in Tory politics for a generation.

Almost £2bn spent on temporary nurses and midwives over five years
7 Jul 2025 at 7:20am
Scottish Labour health spokeswoman Dame Jackie Baillie called for a long-term solution.

SNP urges Starmer not to ?punish? children by keeping benefit cap
6 Jul 2025 at 1:11pm
The party made the plea following reports that Labour?s welfare U-turn will see it keep the two-child benefit cap.

Reform MP James McMurdock removes whip ?from himself? pending investigation
5 Jul 2025 at 2:21pm
The move was made 'pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations that are likely to be published by a national newspaper'.

Campaigners from Sex Matters demand action from Scottish Government over sing...
4 Jul 2025 at 2:36pm
Sex Matters wants Scottish ministers to make a statement that facilities designated as male or female mean biological sex.

UN expert Reem Alsalem backs Ash Regan?s proposed Bill to criminalise the buy...
4 Jul 2025 at 1:40pm
The Alba MSP says the proposals would help women ?trapped? in prostitution, which she described as a form of male violence.

SNP attacks ?disastrous? year of Starmer ?U-turns, scandals and failure?
4 Jul 2025 at 8:26am
Stephen Flynn said Labour had failed on the economy and ?removed optimism from a public who were so desperate for change?.

Urgent investment needed to secure future of Ferguson Marine, MSPs warn
4 Jul 2025 at 8:12am
Holyrood?s Public Audit Committee highlighted repeated failings at the state-owned shipyard, including in its leadership, board and oversight.

Issues near drug consumption room ?already there? before opening, says minister
3 Jul 2025 at 7:19pm
Maree Todd visited The Thistle drug consumption facility in Glasgow on Thursday.

Rachel Reeves appears with Keir Starmer day after tears at PMQs
3 Jul 2025 at 12:05pm
Reeves appeared in public smiling and laughing with Keir Starmer in a public show of unity on Thursday.

Alexander Dennis extends redundancy deadline to explore options to save jobs
2 Jul 2025 at 5:42pm
Alexander Dennis has put about 400 jobs at its Falkirk and Larbert factories at risk.

No 10 says Starmer backs Rachel Reeves after Chancellor?s tears in Commons
2 Jul 2025 at 1:30pm
Downing Street said the Prime Minister supported his Chancellor after Sir Keir Starmer declined to commit to her future in the Commons.

Keir Starmer to face PMQs after watered-down welfare reforms vote
2 Jul 2025 at 10:11am
Starmer's government was forced to backtrack not once but twice before the crucial vote on Tuesday.

Peter Murrell granted legal aid after embezzlement charge
2 Jul 2025 at 9:40am
Nicola Sturgeon?s estranged husband was arrested in April 2023 in a police probe into the SNP?s finances.

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Less than third of electric buses funded by SNP scheme built in Scotland as 4...
8 Jul 2025 at 4:30am
Only 162 of the 523 - 31 per cent - buses ordered under the Scottish Zero Emission Bus challenge fund were made in the country.

Write off millions of pounds of council tax debt, say Scottish Greens
7 Jul 2025 at 12:58pm
The party has tabled an amendment to the housing bill which would reduce the time limit for council tax arrears.

John Swinney branded 'analogue politician' by Wes Streeting in NHS app row
7 Jul 2025 at 10:27am
It comes as England is expanding its NHS app before Scotland has even managed to get its version off the ground.

SNP Government accused of 'dereliction of duty' over nuclear power snub
7 Jul 2025 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: The GMB union is urging SNP ministers to reconsider a ban on new nuclear power plants to help create thousands of well-paid jobs in Scotland.

Scots cannot afford a third decade of SNP Government at Holyrood
7 Jul 2025 at 4:30am
In his regular column for the Record, the Scottish Labour leader said Scots urgently need a government that will do right by the next generation and create opportunities for all.

John Swinney challenged to fix Scots NHS and schools with £5.8bn cash boost f...
7 Jul 2025 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: Rachel Reeves' recent Spending Review will hand SNP ministers billions more in funding by the end of the decade.

Nicola Sturgeon was involved in 'political conspiracy' against Alex Salmond, ...
6 Jul 2025 at 2:28pm
Kenny MacAskill renewed his calls for a public inquiry into the events surrounding an investigation into the late Alex Salmond.

Jeremy Corbyn breakaway party should be named 'Farage assistance group', clai...
6 Jul 2025 at 12:19pm
A former Scottish Labour MSP claimed "people need an alternative to the establishment parties who have failed us for years".

SNP MSPs call for Israeli Defense Forces to be proscribed as a terrorist orga...
6 Jul 2025 at 10:58am
A motion attacking Israel's military was signed by several MSPs from the SNP and Scottish Greens.

Reform MP suspends himself from party over allegations around business affairs
5 Jul 2025 at 2:21pm
James McMurdock MP wrote to Reform's Lee Anderson saying that allegations were likely to be published by a national newspaper.

The National

The National | Politics

Israeli plan to force Palestinians into camps 'blueprint for crimes against h...
8 Jul 2025 at 9:06am

PLANS by Israel?s defence minister to force all Palestinians in Gaza into a camp has been condemned by legal experts and academics who described the scheme as a blueprint for ?crimes against humanity? ...

One year in, Labour has made betrayal its political brand
8 Jul 2025 at 5:00am

I WONDER sometimes about the reasons why some people get into politics. The optimist in me hopes that, for most, it?s for the same reason I became politically active: because I see injustice in the world, and I want to make it better

Jonathon Shafi: What they call chaos is a new left demanding justice
8 Jul 2025 at 5:00am

THE mere thought of a ?new party of the left? sent many into a kind of meltdown

The best way to defeat Reform UK? Expose the gaping holes in their politics
8 Jul 2025 at 5:00am

IS it really a year since Keir Starmer was elected? How time flies. Yet one stubborn fact remains. Winning an election by ?not being the Tories? was never going to be enough to govern.

'What do they stand for?': What we learned about Labour from new poll of 7000...
8 Jul 2025 at 5:00am

LABOUR are losing their ?loyal, long-term voters? amid a series of broken promises, U-turns and a perceived lack of respect for the public from Keir Starmer?s Government, extensive new polling has found ...

UK Government-subsidised restaurant to be launched in Scotland
8 Jul 2025 at 5:00am

A state-subsidised restaurant is to open in Scotland to provide ?universal access? to nutritious and sustainably-produced food in social settings

Keir Starmer?s Donald Trump pandering proves the UK?s global influence is fading
7 Jul 2025 at 6:41pm

PRIME Minister Keir Starmer has become a cringing embarrassment in his pathetic attempts to ingratiate himself with US president Donald Trump

Lisa Nandy aide 'drafted note saying BBC is institutionally antisemitic'
7 Jul 2025 at 6:12pm

AN aide to Lisa Nandy drafted a memo for the Culture Secretary saying that the BBC is ?institutionally antisemitic?.

Freedom Flotilla Coalition to launch new aid ship to Gaza
7 Jul 2025 at 5:39pm

THE Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) is preparing to launch another civilian aid boat to Gaza after their last attempt was halted by Israeli military forces.

How small Scottish parties are reacting to news of a new Corbyn project
7 Jul 2025 at 5:00pm

SMALLER pro-independence parties in Scotland have reacted with some scepticism to the potential emergence of a new project from Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana ...

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

Desire for change greater than during the 2024 general election campaign, res...
8 Jul 2025 at 1:01am
Asked about what has changed in the first year of Labour in government, the most popular response was ?nothing?

Technology secretary demands national AI institute focus on defence
7 Jul 2025 at 1:31pm
Peter Kyle has written to the Alan Turing?Institute, calling for the body to ?prioritise?defence" with new leadership team

Scottish Greens: Who will lead the party into the 2026 Holyrood election?
7 Jul 2025 at 11:11am
Nominations for candidates opened last week and members will start voting in August

Nature groups hail success as government-backed connectivity project massivel...
4 Jul 2025 at 2:50pm
The revised plan marks an 83 per cent drop on the number of 4G masts initially planned for instalments across rural Scotland

Urgent investment needed for state-owned shipyard, MSPs say
4 Jul 2025 at 2:00am
The audit committee said cost overruns associated with the building of two new ferries, the Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa, had caused 'significant reputational damage to the yard'

Scottish growth forecasts downgraded as Trump tariffs and National Insurance ...
4 Jul 2025 at 1:00am
Optimism waning, according to analysts

Call for UK firms to bid to lead a ?75m-worth pioneering space mission
3 Jul 2025 at 4:55pm
UK firms have been invited to bid for a ?75.6m contract, which will be a first-of-its-kind mission to crackdown on space debris

Creative Crossroads: Will AI kill the arts?
2 Jul 2025 at 1:01am
Copyright is the backbone of the creative industries and many fear the ongoing push for innovation could soon leave the sector without a foundation

UK Government welfare bill passes after major concessions
1 Jul 2025 at 9:00pm
335 MPs voted in favour of the legislation on Tuesday night

Tech companies set to transform the public sector announced
1 Jul 2025 at 4:41pm
A group of 13 companies will have access to multi-million-pound?funding to prepare their products for public sector challenges, following the conclusion of of the CivTech10 challenge

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

Starmer dismisses welfare cuts revolt as ?noises off? and defends his leaders...
25 Jun 2025 at 5:15pm
This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereKemi Badenoch has said it would be ?pathetic? for Keir Starmer to postpone the vote on the UC and Pip bill. She posted this on social media, as a comment on the tweet from Kitty Donaldson. (See 11.22am.)This is pathetic. Starmer mu...

Peter Krykant obituary
20 Jun 2025 at 12:04pm
Drugs policy campaigner whose commitment to harm reduction led him to set up an overdose prevention serviceThe drugs policy campaigner Peter Krykant, who has died suddenly aged 48, advanced the cause of the harm reduction movement through a transformative act of civil disobedience.Fitting out a v...

DWP says transitional payments scheme for those losing Pip ?one of most gener...
18 Jun 2025 at 6:02pm
Department for Work and Pensions publishes text of bill cutting benefits and claims three-month transitional period is ?one of most generous ever?Angela Rayner, the deputy PM, will be taking PMQs shortly. And she will be up against Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary.When Kemi Badenoch became ...

MPs back bill to end criminal penalties for abortion in key vote ? as it happ...
17 Jun 2025 at 8:24pm
Parliament votes on biggest shake-up to reproductive rights in England and Wales in 60 yearsCasey says in the past government has talked relentlessly about the need for better data sharing between departments.But she says there is a need to consider making this mandatory.I was there when the trag...

Cooper says law on rape being tightened so adults cannot use consent as defen...
16 Jun 2025 at 6:01pm
Yvette Cooper tells parliament that Louise Casey audit found some cases were downgraded from rape to lesser charges ?because 13- to 15-year-old is perceived to have consented?Starmer launches new grooming gangs investigationIn his interview on the Sky News this morning Chris Philp, the shadow hom...

For Women Scotland group mulls more legal action after UK supreme court gende...
14 Jun 2025 at 1:36pm
Campaigners say they have spoken to Scottish government about lack of action on prisons and schools guidance amid focus on toiletsFor Women Scotland, the group responsible for April?s landmark supreme court ruling on biological sex, is considering further legal action against the Scottish governm...

?Disastrous?: John Swinney facing SNP backlash after Hamilton byelection loss
12 Jun 2025 at 9:45am
Leader hears demands for a clearer vision focused on independence ahead of next year?s Holyrood electionsSNP activists and senior figures have vented their frustrations at their leader, John Swinney, after a ?disastrous? byelection campaign that saw the party lose a pivotal Holyrood seat to Scott...

Winter fuel payments U-turn likely to lead to higher taxes or other welfare c...
9 Jun 2025 at 6:22pm
Treasury says move to restore the funding for most pensioners will cost around £1.25bnWinter fuel payments threshold to rise to £35,000The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats are both trying to take credit for the winter fuel payments U-turn by the government.This is from Kemi Badenoch, the T...

The Guardian view on Scottish politics: Labour wins the seat but not ? yet ? ...
6 Jun 2025 at 5:44pm
A Tory collapse, the SNP?s slump and Reform?s rise signal a volatile shift ? and the return to deal-making after the next Holyrood electionLabour?s victory in the Holyrood byelection offers the UK government a rare political comfort but not, perhaps, the strategic breakthrough it might like to im...

Tory proposal to leave ECHR would put peace in Northern Ireland at risk, Labo...
6 Jun 2025 at 3:57pm
Labour dismisses Kemi Badenoch speech on European convention on human rights as an attempt to appease Reform UK and Robert Jenrick. This live blog is closedAs Jessica Elgot and Amelia Gentleman report, Downing Street is exploring new proposals for a digital ID card to crack down on illegal migrat...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

Starmer?s year of lies and betrayals
4 Jul 2025 at 3:43pm
It’s exactly a year since the Labour party under Keir Starmer swept to power in the Westminster general election and won a landslide majority of over 170 seats in the Commons, albeit on a mere 34% of votes cast, such is the distorting effect of the first past the post system. In fact, fewer people …

The importance of wording: ?nationalism? vs ?unionism? and ?welfare? vs ?soci...
30 Jun 2025 at 8:33pm
Language is important, and the choices we make with words can have an important and even decisive influence on how we understand and perceive a topic. As a linguist and a lover of words and language I am acutely aware of how important it is to choose the correct words when discussing an issue, although …

Some good news for a change
27 Jun 2025 at 11:54am
In an increasingly dangerous and uncertain world in which the far right is on the rise, and war and death stalk increasingly large parts of the globe, it’s nice to be able to report a hopeful development for a change. God knows we need it. Democratic primaries in an American mayoral contest are not generally …

My mum
21 Jun 2025 at 2:45am
The inevitable has happened. On Friday evening my mum lost her battle with cancer. The past three weeks have been really tough on her and on my whole family. As I sit here trying to wrap my head around the new reality in which I find myself, with my mother, confidante, and biggest fan and …

The Scottish languages bill
19 Jun 2025 at 5:03pm
The Scottish Parliament has unanimously passed the Scottish Languages Bill. The bill will pass into law once it receives the formality of royal consent. The bill makes Gaelic and Scots official languages in Scotland and also introduces measures aimed at boosting the use and development of both languages. Making Gaelic and Scots legally the official …

My mum, an update
15 Jun 2025 at 4:33pm
I thought I should give an update on my mum. It’s fair to say that this past week has been the hardest our family has faced. My mum wasn’t just mother to myself and my brother and sisters, she also stepped in to look after her brother and sisters after her own mother died tragically …

Thoughts on that by election
8 Jun 2025 at 12:23pm
My mum is not doing any better. She’s not really conscious any more. They are giving her strong painkillers and sedatives to keep her comfortable but are no longer giving her any other treatment. We are going to see her this afternoon. I fear it’s only a matter of time now until she passes away. …

Making plans for Nigel
2 Jun 2025 at 5:38pm
I’ve been preoccupied with a family emergency involving my mother’s health, which has taken a sharp turn for the worse, so I’ve been too distracted to sit down and write a piece about recent political developments. However, on the basis that the best thing to do right now is find something else to focus on, …

A case for independence to break through the lies of the far right
29 May 2025 at 6:07pm
We are facing a serious political crisis. The next Westminster general election is four years away, given the size of Starmer’s majority in the Commons it would require a rebellion of unprecedented magnitude to unseat him. Despite the rumblings of discontent from Labour’s left wing old guard, there is little likelihood of there being enough …

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 [Collective]

News you won?t see ? Scottish Government funding for playparks to promote chi...
8 Jul 2025 at 9:39am
Professor John Robertson OBA From: Funding to upgrade children’s playparks: FOI release Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 published yesterday: Question 1 – How much of this money has been allocated (not to be confused with the £25,000,000 announced recently)? The Scottish Government has allocated and committed the following sums since May 2021...

Scottish Government regulations mean sewage sludge spread on Scottish farmlan...
8 Jul 2025 at 8:45am
Professor John Robertson OBA In the Guardian today, the above, and: Millions of tonnes of treated sewage sludge is spread on farmland across the UK every year despite containing forever chemicals, microplastics and toxic waste, and experts say the outdated current regulations are not fit for purpose. An investigation by the Guardian and Watershed has identified England?s sludge-spreading hotspo...

Arran ferry?s troubles started when the contract to build it was awarded by S...
7 Jul 2025 at 8:04pm
Professor John Robertson OBA Readers will already know that the MV Caledonian Isles is back in dock for repairs following botched work by Cammell Laird in Liverpool. Readers will also be aware of the regular and longstanding Scottish media reports describing the vessel as ‘troubled’ and ‘fault prone.’ While such accounts have been often exaggerated and ill-informed, it may be that the vessel ha...

English shipyard botches repairs of young Scottish ferry built by another str...
7 Jul 2025 at 4:15pm
Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Scotland has, today, been working oh so hard to turn this story around so that it reflects badly on CalMac and, by association, the Scottish Government, with this sort of comment: Ferry operator CalMac is trying to recover millions of pounds of repair costs for a ship that has been out of action for 18 months – and is still not fixed. CalMac is now seeking compe...

?No current investigations in Scotland involving offences against children wh...
7 Jul 2025 at 12:41pm
Professor John Robertson OBA Readers will be aware no doubt of new Labour MP Joani Reid’s shameless u-turn on national inquiries into grooming gangs – no in England where they are many, to save her boss a red face, but yes in Scotland, where there are none, proving that as Jimmy Reid’s granddaughter, the apple can fall pretty far from the tree at times. Reid also wrote to FM Swinney, demanding ...

Alex Cole Hamilton reveals CalMac to be more than 97% reliable with his secon...
7 Jul 2025 at 11:50am
Professor John Robertson OBA Here we have another of those Freedom of Information requests by the opposition parties stored up to try to maintain the SNPbad narrative through the holidays. You’ve already seen the Tory ones on ambulance and fire statistics. Here we have the Lib Dems reporting: More than 10,000 ferry sailings cancelled due to faults – Freedom of information data obtained by the S...

One Canadian city with 50% more GDP than the whole of Scotland gets round to ...
7 Jul 2025 at 11:26am
Professor John Robertson OBA From NSAUGA ONTARIO LOCAL NEWS, two days ago, The above image and: Anyone who regularly travels to the Toronto Islands to enjoy a day at Centreville, the beach or the adorable (and hidden-ish) Franklin the Turtle Children?s Garden knows that the ferry (even if delayed) is part of the fun. Now, the city is working to replace its aging ferry fleet with sleek, new elec...

To save an English oil refinery so that it can replace a Scottish oil refiner...
6 Jul 2025 at 12:54pm
Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to rtpscott for alerting me to this: From Daily Business two days ago, the above and: British taxpayers could be on the hook for more than £1 billion following the collapse of the Lindsey oil refinery in North Lincolnshire. HMRC is said to be owed £250m in unpaid taxes, while the facility?s decomissioning costs could be up to £3bn. The refinery is at risk aft...

?How much difference does it make to the results of political opinion polling...
6 Jul 2025 at 12:45pm
stewartb The ease of asking questions of these AI tools is ?interesting?! My question: ?How much difference does it make to the results of political opinion polling in Scotland if the polling company does or does not apply a 2014 weighting to its survey findings?? ChatGPT said:?Applying or not applying a 2014 independence referendum weighting to political opinion polls in Scotland can significa...

?When a polling company reports a survey of political opinion in Scotland wei...
6 Jul 2025 at 12:37pm
stewartb: I asked the question of Chat GPT (for free) as a place to start ? other AI tools are available. From Chat GPT ? (see https://chatgpt.com ) My question: ?When a polling company reports a survey of political opinion in Scotland weighted to 2014 what does it mean?? ChatGPT said in response: ?When a polling company reports a survey of political opinion in Scotland ?weighted to 2014,? it u...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

What has and hasn't changed in Scotland since 2014 - Alba Party
8 Jul 2025 at 6:01am
What has and hasn't changed in Scotland since 2014  Alba Party

Scotland among seven countries to sign landmark independence declaration - Th...
5 Jul 2025 at 7:13pm
Scotland among seven countries to sign landmark independence declaration  TheNational.scot

In the UK, Scottish independence and Irish reunification have lost their appe...
10 Jan 2025 at 8:00am
In the UK, Scottish independence and Irish reunification have lost their appeal  Le Monde.fr

Why Alberta?s push for independence pales in comparison to Scotland?s in 2014...
27 May 2025 at 8:00am
Why Alberta?s push for independence pales in comparison to Scotland?s in 2014  The Conversation

In the United Kingdom, prime minister rejects possibility of Scotland indepen...
3 Jun 2025 at 8:00am
In the United Kingdom, prime minister rejects possibility of Scotland independence referendum  ConstitutionNet

Why is John Swinney talking about independence now? - BBC
17 Jun 2025 at 8:00am
Why is John Swinney talking about independence now?  BBC

Is Scottish independence inevitable? The relationship between birth cohort an...
18 Apr 2025 at 8:00am
Is Scottish independence inevitable? The relationship between birth cohort and secessionism in Scotland.  Centre on Constitutional Change

The rise of Nigel McFarage - The Economist
18 Jun 2025 at 8:00am
The rise of Nigel McFarage  The Economist

SNP out in front in Scotland as Starmer?s satisfaction ratings fall - Ipsos
1 Jul 2025 at 8:25am
SNP out in front in Scotland as Starmer?s satisfaction ratings fall  Ipsos

Beyond isolationism: the moral path for Scottish independence - The Times
3 Jul 2025 at 9:05pm
Beyond isolationism: the moral path for Scottish independence  The Times

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

SNP shambles as 10,000 ferry trips to Scotland's islands scrapped - MSN
5 Jul 2025 at 11:01pm
SNP shambles as 10,000 ferry trips to Scotland's islands scrapped  MSN

SNP accused of taking ?wrecking ball? to North Sea oil and gas - The Telegraph
8 Jul 2025 at 8:30am
SNP accused of taking ?wrecking ball? to North Sea oil and gas  The Telegraph

Blackford: SNP must offer bold economic vision as UK suffers ?financial hango...
8 Jul 2025 at 5:02am
Blackford: SNP must offer bold economic vision as UK suffers ?financial hangover?  The Herald

SNP transition fund spends £43m on just 110 jobs for oil workers - The Times
7 Jul 2025 at 7:47pm
SNP transition fund spends £43m on just 110 jobs for oil workers  The Times

SNP selection candidate wins appeal after 'stitch up' - TheNational.scot
7 Jul 2025 at 2:52pm
SNP selection candidate wins appeal after 'stitch up'  TheNational.scot

How SNP incompetence over energy industry 'just transition' will cost Scotlan...
8 Jul 2025 at 6:00am
How SNP incompetence over energy industry 'just transition' will cost Scotland dear  The Scotsman

SNP out in front in Scotland as Starmer?s satisfaction ratings fall - Ipsos
1 Jul 2025 at 8:25am
SNP out in front in Scotland as Starmer?s satisfaction ratings fall  Ipsos

Multi-omics analysis identifies SNP-associated immune-related signatures by i...
4 Jul 2025 at 6:18pm
Multi-omics analysis identifies SNP-associated immune-related signatures by integrating Mendelian randomization and machine learning in hepatocellular carcinoma | Scientific Reports  Nature

Less than third of electric buses funded by SNP scheme built in Scotland as 4...
8 Jul 2025 at 4:30am
Less than third of electric buses funded by SNP scheme built in Scotland as 400 workers lose jobs  Daily Record

?Disastrous?: John Swinney facing SNP backlash after Hamilton byelection loss...
12 Jun 2025 at 8:00am
?Disastrous?: John Swinney facing SNP backlash after Hamilton byelection loss  The Guardian

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

Scottish independence poll 2025 - Statista
23 Jun 2025 at 8:00am
Scottish independence poll 2025  Statista

In the United Kingdom, prime minister rejects possibility of Scotland indepen...
3 Jun 2025 at 8:00am
In the United Kingdom, prime minister rejects possibility of Scotland independence referendum  ConstitutionNet

Why is John Swinney talking about independence now? - BBC
17 Jun 2025 at 8:00am
Why is John Swinney talking about independence now?  BBC

Starmer says no independence referendum while he is prime minister - BBC
3 Jun 2025 at 8:00am
Starmer says no independence referendum while he is prime minister  BBC

Why Alberta?s push for independence pales in comparison to Scotland?s in 2014...
27 May 2025 at 8:00am
Why Alberta?s push for independence pales in comparison to Scotland?s in 2014  The Conversation

In the UK, Scottish independence and Irish reunification have lost their appe...
10 Jan 2025 at 8:00am
In the UK, Scottish independence and Irish reunification have lost their appeal  Le Monde.fr

The rise of Nigel McFarage - The Economist
18 Jun 2025 at 8:00am
The rise of Nigel McFarage  The Economist

SNP out in front in Scotland as Starmer?s satisfaction ratings fall - Ipsos
1 Jul 2025 at 8:25am
SNP out in front in Scotland as Starmer?s satisfaction ratings fall  Ipsos

Scotland's independence campaign gets boost with new banners delivered nation...
3 Jul 2025 at 5:13pm
Scotland's independence campaign gets boost with new banners delivered nationwide  TheNational.scot

Is Scottish independence inevitable? The relationship between birth cohort an...
18 Apr 2025 at 8:00am
Is Scottish independence inevitable? The relationship between birth cohort and secessionism in Scotland.  Centre on Constitutional Change