The Herald

The Herald | Politics


??Unspun: Election Briefing ? 10 days to go
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
27 Apr 2026 at 8:00am
With 10 days to go, John Swinney is setting out his plan for his first 100 days in government. He'll accuse political opponents of trying to block key pledges. But what do the experts say?


Energy bills 'intolerable' as tens of thousands of Scots seek help
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
27 Apr 2026 at 5:30am
Rising energy bills have become ?intolerable? as tens of thousands of Scots regularly seek support, a Scottish MP has said.


'Systematic failures': More than 5,000 women waiting over a year for gynaecol...
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
27 Apr 2026 at 12:01am
Anas Sarwar has condemned ?systematic failures? in women?s healthcare as figures show that more than 5,000 women have spent over a year on an NHS waiting list for gynaecology treatment.


King to go ahead with US state visit after Trump 'assassination attempt'
by donald.erskine@newsquest.co.uk | Donald Erskine
26 Apr 2026 at 7:57pm
The King?s US state visit programme will ?proceed as planned? following discussions on both sides of the Atlantic after what the White House has called the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump.


Scottish Greens want to ban private jets from publicly-owned airports
by Lucinda Cameron
26 Apr 2026 at 9:56am
Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer said the party believes public airports should serve the public good


Watch: ?Lone wolf whack job? fires shots at Donald Trump White House dinner
by Associated Press Reporters
26 Apr 2026 at 8:06am
The President was evacuated unharmed - and later praised the Secret Service


'Maybe we shouldn't have an election' Could Trump's chicanery mar the midterms?
by david.pratt@heraldandtimes.co.uk | David Pratt
26 Apr 2026 at 6:15am
Seven months out from elections, Democrats have the momentum giving rise to concerns over what the president?s response might be. Foreign Editor David Pratt examines his options


Young people in Scotland do not trust the adult world - and have good reason ...
26 Apr 2026 at 6:15am
An image from my schooldays still haunts me. It?s around Christmas time and the girls in my class are standing in line waiting for a stampede of boys from the other side of the gym-hall


Are SNP's hopes for indyref2 in the hands of Nigel Farage?
26 Apr 2026 at 5:00am
At a lunch in Edinburgh attended by politicians, academics, business leader and diplomats back the talk in the room was about Donald Trump and his quest to take over Greenland.


Starmer warned Scots voters could switch to SNP over overseas aid cut
26 Apr 2026 at 5:00am
UK Labour ministers have been warned moving away from a commitment to support international development could see voters north of the Border switch to the SNP.


'Radicalised by Reform': Inside Malcolm Offord?s project to remake Scottish p...
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
26 Apr 2026 at 5:00am
Former Tory peer Malcolm Offord says Reform UK has forced Scotland?s political class to face uncomfortable questions on immigration, homelessness and public spending even as critics accuse the party of stoking division.


?Biased, London-centric branch office?: Scotland?s top media academic on BBC ...
26 Apr 2026 at 6:15am
Professor Catherine Happer leads Glasgow University?s acclaimed Media Group. She talks to our Writer at Large about why the national broadcaster is haemorrhaging public trust


John Swinney: 'Late-night talk with wife led to becoming FM'
by Nick Forbes
25 Apr 2026 at 9:53am
The First Minister said he expected his wife to be asleep - not ready for politics


Medics call for GP walk-in clinic plan to be scrapped as hefty waiting times ...
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
25 Apr 2026 at 5:30am
Doctors have criticised the GP walk-in clinics in Scotland as new figures reveal staggering waiting times.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


Warning costs could soar further as Iran conflict sends UK prices higher than...
27 Apr 2026 at 6:01am

Costs could continue to rise as the conflect in the Middle East continues, a UK government minister has warned.

Scottish Labour leader says: ?We have the strongest ground operation of any political party in this election campaign?

KC insists there should be an internal SNP probe

The senior SNP minister has been told to be ?honest? with voters after moving out of his Edinburgh Central constituency

Joanna Cherry was clear she is no fan of Reform - but said the party may be the ?kick up the backside? Holyrood needs

Wings over Scotland

Push The Button
25 Apr 2026 at 12:43pm
We’ve been thinking about this all morning, readers. To the point where we’d vote for any party pledging to implement it at once. It’s the best such moral-dilemma question we’ve ever seen, and the absolute key to the state of humankind as a species. It’s a near-perfect practical illustration of the concept of “suicidal empathy”, …

How To Get Away With Crimes
22 Apr 2026 at 6:03pm
After many years of vindictively, vexatiously and maliciously plaguing innocent people, it seemed in February this year that disgraced and deranged former policeman Lynsay Watson‘s campaign of terror might be finally beginning to draw to a close. ? Attending the Civic Justice Centre in Manchester as part of an ongoing attempt to persecute the feminist …

The Pit Of Vipers
19 Apr 2026 at 2:50pm
It’s hard to know where to start with the Sunday Mail’s lead story today. Especially if one doesn’t want sent to prison. So we hope you’ll forgive us if we’re extra-careful. The article contains things even we’d never read before. The Mail has redacted some of the names, but – well, we’re not going to …

The Narcissism Of No Differences
17 Apr 2026 at 3:29pm
So that’s the full set of manifestos in. You can download them all here in a oner, if you’re REALLY bored. But we don’t advise it, because we can just tell you what they say in a couple of minutes. SNP: “If you’re even reading this we know you’re absolute idiots, so here are a …

Happy Anniversary
16 Apr 2026 at 10:56am
It was exactly one year ago today that the Supreme Court delivered its judgment in the case of For Women Scotland Vs The Scottish Ministers, a judgment which has still not been implemented by the Scottish or UK governments, so it was quite bold of the SNP to choose it as the launch date for …

Do You Believe In The Westwood?
10 Apr 2026 at 12:27pm
As all alert readers will know, this site likes to keep a watchful eye on the shady and disturbing activities of paedophilia-plagued charity LGBT Youth Scotland. So we were naturally intrigued to hear that they’d hired a new convenor last month. And if you’re sitting there thinking, “Blimey, AI Christopher Walken looks very very ill”, …

Not So Octopus
9 Apr 2026 at 1:48pm
Alert readers will have noticed something of a minor furore in recent days around a boneheaded Scottish Greens candidate (as if there were any other kind) calling for the complete abolition of prisons. So far Kate Nevens – who on the latest polling has a very reasonable chance of being elected on the list – …

The quality of mercy
3 Apr 2026 at 1:09pm
Let’s just deal with this quickly. Because the truth is that we should all be quietly sending BBC Scotland bouquets in appreciation for doing the independence movement a favour for once. Belief in an independent Scotland IS as strong as ever, which is to say it’s pretty much where it’s been since 2014 – two …

Clocks And Calendars
30 Mar 2026 at 1:06pm
We think the lads at The Scotsman might have gotten a bit confused and/or carried away when it came to putting the clocks forward at the weekend. At 6am on Sunday morning they tweeted this: But the link was a 404. We checked the print edition of Scotland On Sunday but there was nothing there …

Sicknote Slippers
29 Mar 2026 at 6:09pm
The turnout at the “independence march and rally” yesterday was so abysmally poor that it seems almost unfair to pick on any of the scores of SNP elected representatives who didn’t bother to show up. But dear old Cosy Feet Pete Wishart had the most chef’s-kiss excuse of all. The reason he didn’t fancy getting …

Craig Murray

An Inspiring Story
21 Apr 2026 at 7:54am

In 2018, at the height of the economic crisis in Venezuela through crippling sanctions, Kellogg’s announced the overnight closure of their Maracay factory with hundreds of redundancies – and massive knock-on effects in the local community. The workers refused to accept the closure and, with government assistance, restarted the factory. It is still running eight …

An Inspiring Story

Vote for the Alliance to Liberate Scotland
15 Apr 2026 at 12:48pm

It was not my intention to run for election to the Scottish parliament from a hospital bed in Caracas, but sometimes we have to take what life gives us. I went to a clinic a week ago feeling dizzy and was immediately rushed to hospital. My heart rate was fluttering and below 20 bpm. I …

Vote for the Alliance to Liberate Scotland

The Strait of Hormuz
8 Apr 2026 at 5:02pm

In international law, Tehran has every right to close the strait of Hormuz to nations with which it is in armed conflict. Two vital points: 1) States who permit attacks on Iran to be launched from their territory can be blocked 2) Iran can block neutral ships from trading with states with which it is …

The Strait of Hormuz

The Weight on Delcy Rodriguez
31 Mar 2026 at 1:16pm

As I was leaving the University of the Communes in Tocuyito, after a joyful and uplifting visit, an earnest young Professor came up to me and pulled me aside. Very quietly, he asked me what was going to happen. A number of the students were terrified there would be regime change and they, picked as …

The Weight on Delcy Rodriguez

The Caracas Metro
26 Mar 2026 at 6:46am

The extreme nature of sanctions against Venezuela made it very challenging to keep economic activity going. One example is Caracas’s impressive five-line Metro system, where for almost twenty years they had to keep things running with no spares or maintenance support from the train manufacturers. Yet resilience and ingenuity kicked in, and Venezuela actually reverse …

The Caracas Metro

The London Ambulances Attack: Of Course It Was A False Flag
24 Mar 2026 at 12:04pm

The notion that the Iranian state would discredit itself by choosing to attack an ambulance service in London is crazy. Iran has not even attacked any hospitals or ambulances in Israel. Iran has absolutely zero record of attacks on healthcare facilities. That is of course in stark contrast to Israel which specifically targets them in …

The London Ambulances Attack: Of Course It Was A False Flag

BBC Scotland

Too few migrants are coming to Scotland, say SNP
26 Apr 2026 at 2:54pm
The SNP say more migrants are needed to support the economy, but Reform claim immigration has pushed the system to breaking point.

Scotland's population is shifting - could it affect the election outcome?
24 Apr 2026 at 11:08pm
Changing populations mean that Scotland's electoral map has been redrawn - which could influence how parties campaign, and how the election plays out.

Zack Polanski calls for Trump to be 'kicked out' of his Scottish golf courses
24 Apr 2026 at 7:22pm
Trump International responded calling the Greens leader an "imbecile" after he shared his personal opinion on the Holyrood campaign trail.

SNP's McAllan supports more 'evidence-led' drilling in North Sea
23 Apr 2026 at 9:45pm
The main political parties were asked their views on oil and gas extraction during the BBC's Question Time held in Aberdeen.

Are parties being upfront about Scotland's finances?
23 Apr 2026 at 11:11pm
Can Holyrood afford to pay for the spending promises being outlined in the election campaign?

State-owned shipyard 'blocked' from bidding for new CalMac ferry
23 Apr 2026 at 11:08pm
Ferguson Marine said it was unable to bid to build a replacement for MV Lord of the Isles because of eligibility criteria.

Lib Dem leader signals party could back Sarwar as first minister
22 Apr 2026 at 10:08am
Alex Cole-Hamilton says he would have an "obligation" to remove the SNP from power if the opportunity arose.

STV staff to strike on Scottish election results day
22 Apr 2026 at 2:06pm
Members of both the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Bectu are set to walk out on Friday 8 May.

Starmer admits No 10 asked about job for aide Matthew Doyle
22 Apr 2026 at 2:13pm
The prime minister was questioned at PMQs about allegations that Downing Street had asked about a diplomat role for the then-communications chief.

MSPs need to work together to reform council tax - SNP
19 Apr 2026 at 3:39pm
Representatives from six Scottish political parties agree that the council tax needs to be reformed, but how exactly is a contentious issue.

Starmer accused of 'skulking' and shunning Sarwar in Scotland
18 Apr 2026 at 4:46pm
It is the first time the prime minister has been north of the border since the Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar called for him to step down in February.

Ex-Scottish Labour leader Dugdale appointed as Stonewall chairwoman
19 Apr 2026 at 12:58pm
Dugdale, who is currently chairwoman of Shelter in Scotland, said she was "thrilled and honoured" to secure the post.

Scot Goes Pop

Join me on YouTube at NOON as Wes "they're not having one!" Streeting faces h...
27 Apr 2026 at 10:06am
If you join the waiting zone, the video should automatically start playing when the clock strikes 12 for Streeting's HIGH NOON.  While you're waiting for the results, please check out the new Scot ...

It will soon be HIGH NOON for Wes Streeting in the Scot Goes Pop / Find Out N...
27 Apr 2026 at 8:30am
My latest constituency profile for The National is John Swinney's seat of Perthshire North.*  *  *If you've finding Scot Goes Pop poll useful, please consider donating to our new polling fundraiser...

Hammerblow for Brit Nat propaganda outfit "Scotland In Union" as their regula...
26 Apr 2026 at 9:38pm
As I said the other day, there's still more to come from the new Scot Goes Pop / Find Out Now poll - I had been planning to release another result on Friday, and then that slipped to yesterday, and...

More thoughts on the prospects for an SNP overall majority in the light of th...
24 Apr 2026 at 10:07am
Just to allow you to make up your own minds, I thought I'd draw your attention to the fact that the Stats for Lefties account picked up on the Scot Goes Pop / Find Out Now poll yesterday, and produ...

Atlas-branded leaflets are being distributed in the Cumbernauld & Kilsyth con...
23 Apr 2026 at 9:19pm
I was astounded at the leaflet I received through the door of my Cumbernauld home yesterday from the notorious Dr Alan McManus, who has regularly spoken at far-right rallies organised by the holoca...

EXCLUSIVE SCOT GOES POP / FIND OUT NOW POLL: SNP and Greens on course to win ...
23 Apr 2026 at 12:58am
A little earlier tonight, I revealed the Scottish Parliament voting intention results from the new Scot Goes Pop / Find Out Now poll in a video on my YouTube channel, but as promised, here are the ...

EXCLUSIVE SCOT GOES POP / FIND OUT NOW POLL: Join me at 11.50pm on YouTube to...
22 Apr 2026 at 11:22pm
If you join the waiting zone, the video above should automatically start playing at 11.50pm.  Just like last night, I'll be posting the poll results on this blog in text form later on for the video...

It's GO! The Scottish Parliament voting intention numbers from the new Scot G...
22 Apr 2026 at 7:35pm
 While you're waiting for the thrills and spills of later tonight, please check out the new Scot Goes Pop polling fundraiser HERE.

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

Parties make policy promises with less than two weeks to election day
26 Apr 2026 at 10:48am
The vote on May 7 is a crucial test at the ballot box.

Polanski branded ?imbecile? after calls for Trump to be stripped of Scottish ...
25 Apr 2026 at 9:46am
The Green leader said the US president is ?enabling a genocide in Gaza?

Scotland Tonight: Non-violent criminals should not be sent to prison, says Gr...
24 Apr 2026 at 12:59pm
Ross Greer said he believes the current prison system doesn't work and community sentences would reduce reoffending

No 10 considered giving spin doctor diplomatic job despite paedophile council...
23 Apr 2026 at 8:25am
Lord Doyle campaigned for Sean Morton in 2017 after he had been charged over indecent images of children

Restrict ?forever chemicals? that hurt people and planet, MPs urge
23 Apr 2026 at 5:47am
The Environmental Audit Committee has released a report calling on the government to phase out PFAs from non-essential items.

Starmer to face PMQs amid pressure over Mandelson vetting scandal
22 Apr 2026 at 12:00pm
It comes after former Foreign Office chief Sir Olly Robbins said there was a ?dismissive approach? on vetting from No 10

UK inflation rises to 3.3% after Iran war pushes up fuel prices
22 Apr 2026 at 6:06am
The Office for National Statistics said inflation had risen to 3.3% in March, up from 3% in Februrary.

Smoking ban for people born after 2008 agreed
21 Apr 2026 at 11:13am
The Commons and Lords have settled on a final draft of the legislation

Politicians urged to consider ?restrictions? on larger vehicles in cities
21 Apr 2026 at 7:28am
Transform Scotland is also urging councils to consider making parking charges higher for sports utility vehicles (SUVs).

Starmer to face second bruising day as Trump weighs in on Mandelson affair
21 Apr 2026 at 6:20am
The sacked head of the foreign office, Sir Olly Robbins, will give his version of events on Tuesday.

Swinney ?politely? turns down Trump invitation to White House banquet
20 Apr 2026 at 9:22pm
The banquet is being held as part of the King and Queen?s forthcoming state visit to the US.

Deadline day to register to vote in May 7 Scottish elections
20 Apr 2026 at 3:40pm
There are only a few hours left to apply

Prime Minister to face MPs over Mandelson scandal
20 Apr 2026 at 2:17pm
Lord Mandelson was sacked seven months after his appointment over his friendship with Epstein

Scotland?s ?dangerous? pothole problem revealed
17 Apr 2026 at 3:29pm
STV News reveals pothole capital as Scotland's roads are compared to the surface of the moon

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

SNP Government spends £11,000 fighting villagers trying to take community con...
27 Apr 2026 at 9:48am
EXCLUSIVE: A UK Government minister questioned the SNP's "lack of judgement" after ministers spent £11,000 fighting a community's attempt to reopen a landmark hotel after years of closure.

SNP candidate criticises party manifesto on education as he challenges John S...
27 Apr 2026 at 9:36am
EXCLUSIVE: Fulton MacGregor said he did not know why the SNP failed to include a commitment for kindergarten in their manifesto.

Ambulance turnaround times soar by over 600% under SNP Government
27 Apr 2026 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: The figures were criticised by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.

Anas Sarwar: Election is chance for voters to deliver their verdict on SNP's ...
27 Apr 2026 at 4:30am
In his Daily Record column, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar says Labour will turn around the NHS.

Kids deserve better life chances and failure is not an option after Holyrood ...
27 Apr 2026 at 4:30am
Record View says the response to poverty requires income top-ups and a focus on the structural issues that plunge people into hardship.

Top charity blasts Holyrood parties over manifesto promises on child poverty
27 Apr 2026 at 4:30am
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is unimpressed with the commitments made during the Holyrood election.

Scottish politics today: John Swinney criticised over hospital delay fears
26 Apr 2026 at 5:00pm
The Record brings you its regular 5pm round-up of the day's best Scottish politics stories.

Perjury claims at Alex Salmond's trial still under investigation by Crown Office
26 Apr 2026 at 4:30am
The allegations were made after the former first minister?s 2020 trial, when he was cleared of 14 charges of sexual assault.

Labour candidate spends five hours at hospital for crucial op cancelled at la...
26 Apr 2026 at 4:30am
Monica Lennon was minutes from being taken into theatre to have an ovarian cyst removed before it was cancelled due to staff shortages.

Lecturers and secretaries left homeless in Scotland as politicians told 'get ...
26 Apr 2026 at 4:30am
Recently homeless Scots and frontline workers warn nation faces 'huge reckoning with broken system' as rough sleeping becomes 'new norm'.

The National

The National | Politics

Scotland's parties all 'well short' of meeting child poverty targets, charity...
27 Apr 2026 at 5:00am

Pledges by Scotland?s political parties ahead of the upcoming Holyrood election fall 'well short' of what is needed to meet child poverty targets, a charity has said

Greens pledge to implement 'banker tax' on £1 million properties
27 Apr 2026 at 10:01am

THE Scottish Greens have pledged to introduce a new "banker tax" on business properties worth more than a £1 million in a bid to raise cash for schools and care services.

Donald Trump snaps at reporter over 'paedophile, rapist, and traitor' question
27 Apr 2026 at 8:35am

US president Donald Trump called a CBS journalist a "disgrace" after being asked about the contents of the Washington hotel gunman's manifesto

Labour MPs launch barrage of criticism at Green MP who called out on-the-job ...
27 Apr 2026 at 8:09am

A GREEN MP has been criticised after appearing to call out the drinking habits of her Westminster peers.

Shooting shows need for $400m White House ballroom, claims Donald Trump
27 Apr 2026 at 7:42am

A shooting at an event attended by Donald Trump is proof that a $400 million ballroom should go ahead on the grounds of the White House, the president has claimed

Will ?leader bonus? see John Swinney beat Murdo Fraser in this seat for seven...
27 Apr 2026 at 5:00am

It's unclear how many more years or decades Murdo Fraser would need to keep losing to John Swinney in Perthshire North to earn a place in the Guinness Book of Records

The solution may be at hand to the problem of how to secure an indyref
27 Apr 2026 at 5:00am

I'm looking forward to the Holyrood election with both enthusiasm and with trepidation. My trepidation relates to the continuing economic crisis that is coming Scotland?s way

'It's clearly wrong': King Charles blasted over US visit and Donald Trump mee...
27 Apr 2026 at 5:00am

KING Charles has been condemned over his visit to the US including a meeting with president Donald Trump ...

John Swinney to set out SNP's plan for first 100 days after election
27 Apr 2026 at 5:00am

John Swinney will lay out a plan for the first 100 days of a new SNP administration on Monday, the party has said

Westminster will not care about total vote share won by the SNP
26 Apr 2026 at 6:30pm

LABOUR gave our devolved parliament a very strange D?Hondt voting system ? to result in a straitjacket harness for indy voters. Its supposedly a proportional representation (PR) voting system, with first-past-the-post in the constituency vote and supposedly PR on the list.

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

To finally end Scotland's drugs deaths, we need to plan now for 2036
27 Apr 2026 at 7:00am
This is one area where we simply must work together to build the Scotland we all want in the future.

Former New Labour spin doctor compares Keir Starmer to George W Bush
27 Apr 2026 at 1:01am
Alastair Campbell also warned the UK would end up in "pretty dark place" if Labour did not turn things around

Former HIV Scotland chief and SNP adviser admits embezzlement
24 Apr 2026 at 4:33pm
Sentencing will take place in May

Zack Polanski: ?Outrageous? that pro-independence parliament would not secure...
24 Apr 2026 at 2:25pm
The GPEW leader put down his party's surge to ?resentment and anger at the Labour government?

JK Rowling offers to pay for woman prisoner to sue Scottish Government after ...
24 Apr 2026 at 1:03pm
A transgender inmate was arrested after an alleged incident at HMP Greenock

National Robotarium chief quits over grant funding row
23 Apr 2026 at 5:52pm
Heriot-Watt University has pushed back against Stewart Miller's characterisation of events

UK Biobank members health data listed for sale online, government confirms
23 Apr 2026 at 3:17pm
The health data of half a million members of the UK?s health data project, UK Biobank, was?for sale online in China, the UK Government has confirmed

Poll: SNP remains on course for victory but support ?bleeding?
23 Apr 2026 at 11:12am
A third of voters said Reform was the party they would least like to be in government

Stephen Flynn urges Keir Starmer to ?come clean? over Matthew Doyle job hunt
22 Apr 2026 at 6:18pm
Pressure on prime minister continues after Olly Robbins evidence

Russia moving cyber threats ?beyond the battlefield?
22 Apr 2026 at 1:30pm
Head of National Cyber Centre warns UK is facing period of ?tumultuous uncertainty?

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

?This election is all to play for?: Can the Scottish Labour leader defy polit...
24 Apr 2026 at 6:00am
Anas Sarwar speaks to the Guardian about why he thinks the polls are wrong and how he hopes to end the SNP?s near 20-year dominance at HolyroodAnas Sarwar says he is certain he can pull off one of the greatest escape acts of modern British politics. It is 14 days until the Holyrood election, and ...

Global Counsel, lobbying firm set up by Mandelson, went bust owing £4.5m just...
23 Apr 2026 at 5:48pm
Firm went bust in February amid fallout from the scandal over Mandelson?s links to Jeffrey EpsteinLittle says in March she had a meeting when she asked to see the Foreign Office?s documentation about the decision to grant Mandelson vetting. She said she was asking because this was documentation c...

How Reform is exposing the reality of Scotland?s views on immigration and ide...
19 Apr 2026 at 11:00am
Once a progressive outlier, Scotland is facing a political reckoning as Reform benefits from growing social divisionIt?s Monday evening in Aberdeen, and George Preston is wearing his union flag suit to the Reform UK rally. He joined the party in 2024 as it gained ground in the north-east of Scotl...

?Things could go backwards?: Kezia Dugdale on safety, LGBTQ+ rights and the f...
19 Apr 2026 at 7:00am
Exclusive: Former Scottish Labour leader says she feels more scared as a lesbian today and calls for a kinder debate on transgender issuesKezia Dugdale, the former leader of Scottish Labour, says she is now ?quite scared? as a lesbian in Britain and has started to feel nervous holding her wife?s ...

Badenoch calls Farage an ?opportunist? after he urges Scottish nationalists t...
16 Apr 2026 at 7:17pm
Tory leader criticises Farage for saying that holding another independence vote ?probably quite reasonable?Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative party, has accused Nigel Farage of being an opportunist who does not believe in unionism after he urged Scottish nationalists to back Reform.Far...

No 10 claims Starmer did not know Mandelson failed security vetting until thi...
16 Apr 2026 at 6:54pm
The prime minister was not aware that the former US ambassador had failed the vetting process, according to Downing StreetSwinney says this is a manifesto for the whole of Scotland.He confirms that the SNP would argue for the Scottish power to have more control over energy policy (still largely r...

SNP pledges to cap bread and milk prices if it wins Scotland?s parliamentary ...
16 Apr 2026 at 3:38pm
John Swinney unveils his party?s manifesto, saying cost of living is the ?defining issue? for voters on 7 MayThe SNP will cap supermarket prices for essential goods such as bread and milk if it retains power, John Swinney has pledged, after describing the cost of living as ?the defining issue of ...

Scottish Labour leader says claim he tried to do Reform deal is ?desperate lie?
15 Apr 2026 at 5:42pm
Anas Sarwar says there have been ?no stitch-ups, no deals, no backroom chats with Reform? over Holyrood electionsAnas Sarwar has dismissed as ?a desperate lie from a desperate man? a claim by Reform UK?s Scotland leader, Malcolm Offord, that he offered to do a deal with the rightwing party to kee...

Reeves condemns Trump?s decision to launch war against Iran as ?folly?? as it...
14 Apr 2026 at 5:32pm
Chancellor ?frustrated and angry? at the effect on UK firms and families and says US went into war without a clear exit plan Q: Why are you calling for an inquiry into Nigel Farage?s investment in a bitcoin firm?Davey said that, in investing in crypto, Farage, the Reform UK leader, seemed to be c...

Scottish Greens pledge free bus travel and basic income in election manifesto
14 Apr 2026 at 3:13pm
Party says plan for ?radical change? will be funded in part through higher taxes on aviation, gambling and landlordsUK politics live ? latest updatesThe Scottish Greens have called for free bus travel, thousands of extra teachers and doctors and a universal basic income among hundreds of uncosted...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

A tale of three polls which give hope for a pro-indy majority in May
26 Apr 2026 at 3:29pm
Three opinion polls came out over the weekend which were not asking about voting intention in the Holyrood election which is now only a week and a half away. Nevertheless, all these polls are instructive about the kind of country Scotland could be, and their trust in the various parties contesting the election, and that …

The anti-independence hysteria of Alex Cole-Hamilton
23 Apr 2026 at 8:30pm
I don’t normally blog about Alex Cole-Hamilton, partly that’s because in Scotland the Lib Dems are a minor regional party who only win representation because their support is concentrated in a few areas and whose importance in Scotland is boosted far beyond their true relevance as they are the Scottish branch of the UK party …

Sarwar and Starmer are on borrowed time
22 Apr 2026 at 8:20pm
When Labour came to power in Westminster in 2024, the party promised to put an end to the cronyism, chaos, sleaze, and corruption which characterised the last fourteen years of Conservative rule. How’s that working out then. Labour has continued all of them and added an unhealthy dose of lies and deceit. This week, Keir …

Labour?s Holyrood campaign lurches from one crisis to another
19 Apr 2026 at 2:26pm
There’s less than three weeks to go until the Holyrood election and the wheels have well and truly come off the Labour campaign. With the headlines being dominated by the Mandelson story – Anas Sarwar’s erstwhile old friend – and mounting speculation about how long Starmer can survive as Prime Minister, Sarwar, talking to the …

We can win an SNP majority despite the moral bankruptcy of the media
17 Apr 2026 at 3:21pm
The Scottish Parliament election campaign is now well underway. Yesterday (Thursday) saw the launch of the SNP manifesto. The response of the British media in Scotland to this, and to a defining event of the campaign earlier this week Reform’s Malcolm Offord blurting out that Anas Sarwar had bounced up to him and spoke of …

The overwhelming evidence that Labour is willing to do a deal with Reform
15 Apr 2026 at 3:12pm
Sometimes events happen which define an entire election campaign, last night Reform’s Malcolm Offord responded to Anas Sarwar’s assertion that he’d never do a deal with Reform because it fields racists by saying: ?This does not square with you coming up to me at the start of this campaign, bouncing up to me at Paisley …

Labour can?t be trusted not to do a deal with Reform
14 Apr 2026 at 9:43pm
I don’t usually pay too much attention to leaders’ debates in the run up to elections. They are invariably too shouty with the leaders vying to talk over the top of each other. Anas Sarwar is invariably the worst offender. On both the leaders’ debates so far, his behaviour has bordered on the offensive, he’s …

Labour?s Scottish manifesto launch, not a campaign, a damage limitation exercise
13 Apr 2026 at 2:22pm
On Monday, Anas Sarwar launches Labour’s manifesto for the Holyrood election and attempts to reboot his party’s faltering campaign, a campaign which was holed below the waterline yesterday, firstly with Wes Streeting’s arrogantly colonialist dismissal of an independence referendum, and secondly by Sarwar’s rude and entitled performance in Sunday evening’s party leader debate, in which …

Wes Streeting?s attack on Scottish democracy will backfire
12 Apr 2026 at 9:50pm
Just when Anas Sarwar thought that the Labour campaign in the Holyrood election couldn’t get any worse, along comes Wes Streeting. Labour’s oleaginous answer to Michael Gove, the private healthcare loving health secretary in the Labour Government in Westminster, who is currently presiding over an NHS England in chaos due to a junior doctor strike …

Anas Sarwar, the Wile E Coyote of Scottish politics
10 Apr 2026 at 9:34pm
You can smell the desperation from Scottish Tory Holyrood leader Russell Findlay. At a campaign event, the soon to be sacked Findlay, pulled out the anti-English racism card against the SNP, accusing them of basing many of their policies on “a pretty bitter streak of anglophobia.” That’s rich, coming from a man who has doubled …

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

Reposted as ?Families of domestic abuse victims driven to suicide criticise ?...
26 Apr 2026 at 10:59am

Health Secretary for England, Wes Streeting wants to decide what NHS Scotland...
26 Apr 2026 at 10:48am
In the Guardian today: Dozens of MPs are opposing Wes Streeting?s decision to award himself power to dictate what the NHS pays for drugs amid growing concern the move may be illegal. Thirty-one MPs have signed a House of Commons motion voicing their disapproval of the health secretary being handed the power to override the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence?s (Nice) judgment on h...

There is no reliable evidence that patients die in A&E units ?due? to care sho...
26 Apr 2026 at 9:56am
On the front page of the Sunday Post, the above, aimed at its elderly audience to provoke another ‘That SNP!’ reaction, days before an election is from Geriatrician, Professor Andrew Elder (sic) of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. You see those ‘reports’? Indeed, no figures, no sources. These ‘reports‘ are associations, not direct proof of causation. The ?excess deaths? method from...

On the 40th Anniversary of Chernobyl, how a Labour First Minister?s ?day one?...
26 Apr 2026 at 9:28am
On the 40th anniversary of Chernobyl, today, BBC Breakfast visit the site and remind us that while the official death toll was just 31, according to ‘studies’, the wider health impact was likely to be much wider. Studies? Well, here’s just one. According to the UN Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation The most significant wider impact was a sharp rise in thyroid cancer among c...

Scots visiting Canada this summer can expect to pay nearly three times compar...
25 Apr 2026 at 7:27pm
Some time ago, a Mull ferry-user rep urged CalMac to get out in the world and learn from other ferry services. This summer travellers to Arran from Ardrossan (19nm) can expect to pay £10.60 return on foot and, in a car, £53, regardless of the time of day or day of the week. Islanders can plan ahead knowing they will not be hit by sharp hikes if they must travel at peak times. Travellers to Cana...

First GP Walk-in clinic ? Herald evaluation is too quick, asks wrong question...
25 Apr 2026 at 1:41pm
The Herald today has: Doctors have told the SNP to drop its plans to expand walk-in GP clinics after new figures showed patients waited up to six hours to be seen at the first facility in Scotland. The clinic at Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre in Edinburgh, opened in February and was the first of around 30 walk-in clinics promised by the Scottish Government, currently led by the SNP. and So...

The new Welsh government, of whatever party or coalition, has a particularly ...
25 Apr 2026 at 12:59pm
By stewartb The Nuffield Trust has published a companion to the Scottish briefing , for the NHS in Wales. It concludes (with my emphasis): ?The new Welsh government, of whatever party or coalition, has a particularly difficult inheritance in health and social care. Waiting times are poor and the public deeply unhappy. ?Wales?s older, more deprived population means that needs for care are elevat...

BBC report a sepsis survivor in Scotland but fail to tell you how the SNP Gov...
25 Apr 2026 at 8:04am
From BBC Scotland today, the above and: Less than two years ago Katie Bain almost died when she went in septic shock after her appendix ruptured. The swimmer, who was just 24 at the time, spent three weeks in an induced coma as doctors fought to save her life. There is, of course, no fuller explanation of the situation with regard to sepsis, in Scotland, just the one wee story. Here it is: Not ...

More than 50 times (5 per head) wait more than 24 hours in England?s A&E ? sho...
24 Apr 2026 at 3:15pm
Sources: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/04/23/nhs-scotlands-ae-waits-of-over-24-hours-still-fewer-than-a-fifth-of-those-in-nhs-england-contrary-to-anas-sarwars-claims-in-2024/ https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/04/23/englands-ae-crisis-as-patients-say-theyd-rather-die-at-home-but-bbc-uk-dont-mention-it/

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

The pros and cons of Scottish independence - The Week
22 Apr 2026 at 4:08pm
The pros and cons of Scottish independence  The Week

Keir Starmer Has Given Scottish Nationalism a Booster Shot - Jacobin
25 Apr 2026 at 2:03pm
Keir Starmer Has Given Scottish Nationalism a Booster Shot  Jacobin

Swinney says Scottish independence referendum could be held in 2028 - BBC
12 Apr 2026 at 8:00am
Swinney says Scottish independence referendum could be held in 2028  BBC

Scotland political snapshot, Spring 2026 - YouGov
8 Apr 2026 at 8:00am
Scotland political snapshot, Spring 2026  YouGov

Pro-independence parties bank on rethink of UK ?status quo? after May 7 - Fin...
25 Apr 2026 at 5:01am
Pro-independence parties bank on rethink of UK ?status quo? after May 7  Financial Times

POLL: Would you vote for Scottish independence? - Shetland Times
24 Apr 2026 at 1:26pm
POLL: Would you vote for Scottish independence?  Shetland Times

Scottish and Welsh Elections Could Set the Stage for Irish Border Poll - Iris...
27 Apr 2026 at 7:11am
Scottish and Welsh Elections Could Set the Stage for Irish Border Poll  Irish Border Poll

Could John Swinney's 'SNP majority' plan create a dead-end for independence? ...
24 Apr 2026 at 4:31pm
Could John Swinney's 'SNP majority' plan create a dead-end for independence?  The National Scot

Zack Polanski is repeating the fiction of Scottish victimhood - UnHerd
26 Apr 2026 at 8:37am
Zack Polanski is repeating the fiction of Scottish victimhood  UnHerd

Zack Polanski: ?Outrageous? that pro-independence parliament would not secure...
24 Apr 2026 at 1:25pm
Zack Polanski: ?Outrageous? that pro-independence parliament would not secure referendum  Holyrood Website

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

Swinney to outline 100-day plan for SNP government if re-elected - The Nation...
27 Apr 2026 at 12:13am
Swinney to outline 100-day plan for SNP government if re-elected  The National Scot

SNP accused of neglecting women?s health as Labour vows care ?fit for purpose...
27 Apr 2026 at 12:13am
SNP accused of neglecting women?s health as Labour vows care ?fit for purpose?  The National Scot

First YouGov MRP of the 2026 Holyrood election suggests the SNP could win a m...
10 Apr 2026 at 8:00am
First YouGov MRP of the 2026 Holyrood election suggests the SNP could win a majority  YouGov

SNP's McAllan supports more 'evidence-led' drilling in North Sea - BBC
23 Apr 2026 at 9:45pm
SNP's McAllan supports more 'evidence-led' drilling in North Sea  BBC

SNP on track for majority ? and fresh referendum on breaking up the UK - The ...
15 Apr 2026 at 8:00am
SNP on track for majority ? and fresh referendum on breaking up the UK  The Telegraph

John Swinney predicts SNP majority at Holyrood election - BBC
17 Apr 2026 at 8:00am
John Swinney predicts SNP majority at Holyrood election  BBC

Bombshell Salmond text messages reveal high ranking SNP figures ?conspiring? ...
19 Apr 2026 at 8:00am
Bombshell Salmond text messages reveal high ranking SNP figures ?conspiring? against ex-leader  Daily Record

SNP will hold vote to hold indyref2 on first day of Holyrood term, says John ...
27 Apr 2026 at 11:14am
SNP will hold vote to hold indyref2 on first day of Holyrood term, says John Swinney  The National Scot

What Joanna Cherry's memoir says about the SNP and Scottish culture - The Sco...
27 Apr 2026 at 6:00am
What Joanna Cherry's memoir says about the SNP and Scottish culture  The Scotsman

SNP tracking to fall short of a Holyrood majority as voting intention remains...
23 Apr 2026 at 5:46pm
SNP tracking to fall short of a Holyrood majority as voting intention remains stable  Survation

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

Swinney says Scottish independence referendum could be held in 2028 - BBC
12 Apr 2026 at 8:00am
Swinney says Scottish independence referendum could be held in 2028  BBC

The pros and cons of Scottish independence - The Week
22 Apr 2026 at 4:08pm
The pros and cons of Scottish independence  The Week

Zack Polanski: ?Outrageous? that pro-independence parliament would not secure...
24 Apr 2026 at 1:25pm
Zack Polanski: ?Outrageous? that pro-independence parliament would not secure referendum  Holyrood Website

Scotland political snapshot, Spring 2026 - YouGov
8 Apr 2026 at 8:00am
Scotland political snapshot, Spring 2026  YouGov

Green surge to cement landslide pro-independence majority at Holyrood, poll s...
23 Apr 2026 at 5:07am
Green surge to cement landslide pro-independence majority at Holyrood, poll says  The National Scot

Greens' Polanski says Scotland 'treated like children' over second independen...
23 Apr 2026 at 10:33pm
Greens' Polanski says Scotland 'treated like children' over second independence vote  The Herald

Zack Polanski would back independence as Scotland ?screwed over? by Westminst...
23 Apr 2026 at 9:48pm
Zack Polanski would back independence as Scotland ?screwed over? by Westminster  London Evening Standard

Scottish independence - Institute for Government
26 Jan 2026 at 8:00am
Scottish independence  Institute for Government

Scottish Lib Dem leader likened indyref2 to referendum on capital punishment ...
23 Apr 2026 at 11:30am
Scottish Lib Dem leader likened indyref2 to referendum on capital punishment  Daily Record

Scottish first minister says a May majority means new independence push - Reu...
18 Jan 2026 at 8:00am
Scottish first minister says a May majority means new independence push  Reuters