The Herald

The Herald | Politics


Pensioner care system at risk of 'breaking down' amid 'alarming' unmet needs
7 Jun 2025 at 5:00am
A leading charity has warned Scottish ministers the care system for pensioners is at risk of 'breaking down completely' amid unmet needs.


The Herald's Unspun Live heads to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
7 Jun 2025 at 5:00am
The Herald?s flagship podcast heads to Edinburgh Fringe with four nights of political insight in Summerhall's dissection room, with guests including John Swinney, Anas Sarwar, and Kate Forbes.


'Swinney should resign as SNP leader - disaster looms next year', warns grandee
7 Jun 2025 at 4:59am
John Swinney should step down with the SNP facing 'disaster' at the Holyrood election next year, according to party veteran Jim Sillars.


Reform UK is now a serious political force in Scotland but Scottish Tories in...
7 Jun 2025 at 10:00am
Narrow by-election win in Hamilton will give heart to Scottish Labour - but where do the Scottish Tories go from here?


The Battle for Jock?s Lodge: Can Edinburgh turn the tide against student flats?
7 Jun 2025 at 8:00am
A deep dive into the transformation of Jock?s Lodge in Edinburgh, where locals fear student housing developments and gentrification are eroding the area's historic identity and community character.


SNP veteran calls for Swinney to quit after Labour shock by-election victory
6 Jun 2025 at 1:50pm
Former senior Scottish Government minister Alex Neil has called for John Swinney to step down as SNP leader following the party's defeat at a crunch Holyrood by-election.


Starmer: Scots voted for change in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-elect...
6 Jun 2025 at 10:48am
Sir Keir Starmer has said Scotland 'voted for change' in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election following a shock Labour victory over the SNP.


UK Government HQ in Edinburgh 'targeted in vandalism attack'
6 Jun 2025 at 7:43am
Police have made one arrest following the incident at Queen Elizabeth House


Investors eye Scottish floating windfarm bonanza
6 Jun 2025 at 4:30am
Renewables entrepreneur Dan Jackson is leading a push to develop floating windfarms off Scotland which could see firms create thousands of jobs in the country


How disdained Davy Russell defied the political and media elites in remarkabl...
6 Jun 2025 at 6:00am
Disdained by the media and political elites, Davy Russell is a real politician who upset the SNP and Reform UK, writes Kevin McKenna


Labour wins Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election
6 Jun 2025 at 1:32am
Scottish Labour's Davy Russell has won the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election.


Sarwar: Swinney ran a 'disgraceful' campaign and is running down the clock as FM
6 Jun 2025 at 11:55am
John Swinney is 'running down the clock' as Scotland's First Minister after the SNP was defeated by Labour in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election, according to Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.


Swinney insists Hamilton by-election result shows SNP progress despite defeat
6 Jun 2025 at 12:19pm
John Swinney has insisted his claim the vote was a ?two-horse race? between the SNP and Reform was fair, despite Labour winning the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election.


Labour?s win in Hamilton by-rewrites the script for next year's Holyrood elec...
6 Jun 2025 at 2:42am
Labour stuns SNP and Reform in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election with a narrow win driven by local anger and a focused ground campaign.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics

Wings over Scotland

The Jokers
6 Jun 2025 at 2:46am
In the end, the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse made fools of us all. Because nobody, but nobody, saw that result coming. The bookies didn’t see it coming – they’d shifted Labour out from favourites at the start of the campaign to astronomical 11/1 outsiders by the close of books. The New Statesman’s experts …

Ball Of Confusion
5 Jun 2025 at 3:22pm
We must admit, we don’t quite get what the Daily Record is trying to achieve. Having already told its dwindling band of readers that voting for both the SNP and Labour is the only way to stop Reform in today’s Hamilton by-election, for the last two days it’s deployed some random loony in a hard …

Why genocide is brilliant
4 Jun 2025 at 1:54pm
Wait, not genocide. Biscuits. We’re thinking of biscuits. Sorry about that. As you were, everyone. Mmm, biscuits.

And No Great Mischief Should They Fall
3 Jun 2025 at 8:01am
A few weeks ago we had a thought. And it seemed quite an interesting thought, so we decided to commission a poll on it from our old pals at Norstat. 63-37? Well, there’s your clear and overwhelming support. There is not, in our lifetimes, going to be another independence referendum on the terms of the …

Here And There
2 Jun 2025 at 7:16pm
This is what Labour say in Scotland: And this is what they say elsewhere, when they think nobody in Scotland is looking: One day someone’s going to tell them about the internet, and our life’s going to get a lot more difficult. Until that day, though, let’s just enjoy the laughs.

A Butterfly On Absinthe
2 Jun 2025 at 7:37am
If you’ve been reading Scottish social media or the Scottish press for the last year and a half or so, the following graph is going to come as a bit of a shock to you. But there it is all the same. Activists, who are tiny in number but loud of voice, habitually like to …

The Flip
1 Jun 2025 at 12:53pm
We’ve just taken delivery of some REALLY interesting polling results, readers, but it’s going to take a while to fully analyse and write them up, so in the meantime let’s look at some slightly less interesting ones which came from the same poll – the Norstat one commissioned by the Sunday Times and published today, …

The Outsiders
31 May 2025 at 2:10pm
If you’re a fan of lazy, superficial political analysis from the mentally unwell, you might have read this week about John Swinney’s great strategic triumph of having “coaxed” an “endorsement” out of the Daily Record for Thursday’s by-election in Hamilton. And if so, you might be forgiven for thinking that that analysis looks pretty stupid …

The Blackout
30 May 2025 at 2:55pm
Alert readers will be familiar with this site’s ongoing quest for an explanation as to why controversy-plagued charity LGBT Youth Scotland continues to operate in dozens of Scottish primary and even nursery schools, pushing gender ideology onto children as young as four despite only having a remit to support 13-25-year-olds. Last month we were, to …

What Anas Actually Said
29 May 2025 at 1:27pm
The entire Scottish media and professional-politician community is currently in a self-righteous froth about a campaign ad being run by Reform for the Hamilton by-election targeting Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar. Obviously none of the acres of press coverage trusts voters to see the ad and decide for themselves, because that simply isn’t how journalism …

Craig Murray

The UK Rebukes the UN and Bows to the Israeli Embassy over ?Terrorism? Arrest...
28 May 2025 at 6:43am

There is a stunning contrast between the access given by the UK to the Israeli Embassy to influence prosecutions of anti-Genocide journalists and protestors, and the repudiation by the UK of United Nations querying such prosecutions. The UK has rebuked the UN for “outside interference”. I cannot state enough how unusual it is for the …

The UK Rebukes the UN and Bows to the Israeli Embassy over “Terrorism” Arrests of Journalists

MI5 Take Us For Fools
20 May 2025 at 10:33am

Imagine my hilarity when the front page headline new “Iranian plot”, trailed by MI5 as involving weapons stores, attacks on the Israeli Embassy and on Whitehall, turned out to be yet another faked “surveillance operation” against Iran International, the “media company” that is dodgier than Al Capone’s accountant. The BBC still made it the second …

MI5 Take Us For Fools

MI5?s Fake Terror Plots
10 May 2025 at 7:31pm

Back in the “War on Terror” days, the UK security services fabricated multiple fake terror plots. There was, for example, the 2009 Easter Bomb Plot in Manchester, taking entire front pages of newspapers. Gordon Brown as PM hyped it as a “very big terror plot”. It was a total fabrication, nobody was convicted and it …

MI5’s Fake Terror Plots

The Strange Death of Social Democratic Britain
5 May 2025 at 9:53am

The UK’s first-past-the-post electoral system can have some remarkable results and is capable of enacting extraordinarily quick political revolution, as in the triumph then rapid fall from power of the great Liberal Party in the first quarter of the twentieth century. We are in such a moment now. The Labour Party today has a Commons …

The Strange Death of Social Democratic Britain

Kashmir and the Indus
27 Apr 2025 at 1:31pm

India’s Hindutva President, Narendra Modi, has used the Kashmir terrorism incident to abrogate the 1960s Indus Waters Treaty – a longstanding goal of Modi. The Indian version of the “terrorist attack”, most of whose victims were Muslim, has largely been accepted by Western governments without evidence. False flags abound nowadays. You may recall that we …

Kashmir and the Indus

Syria to Recognise Israel By End 2026
14 Apr 2025 at 6:04pm

A British diplomatic source tells me that “President” al-Jolani aka al-Sharaa has assured the UK that Syria will “normalise relations” with Israel, recognise the State of Israel and exchange ambassadors, by the end of 2026. This is part of a deal in exchange for substantial Western financial support and the lifting of sanctions on Syria. …

Syria to Recognise Israel By End 2026

BBC Scotland

SNP to 'learn lessons' as Labour wins crucial by-election
6 Jun 2025 at 9:20pm
Labour's Davy Russell won with 8,559 votes, a majority of 602 over the SNP.

Why Reform was the other big winner in the Hamilton by-election
6 Jun 2025 at 5:04pm
Reform UK recorded their best ever parliamentary election result in Scotland - with a 26% share of the vote.

Hamilton by-election victory confounds expectations
6 Jun 2025 at 4:29am
The result in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election came as a surprise to many pundits.

The invisible man: Who is Labour's new MSP Davy Russell?
6 Jun 2025 at 9:29am
Davy Russell was branded the invisible man by opponents in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election campaign.

Up to £24m to be invested in west Highland port
4 Jun 2025 at 5:12pm
Kishorn, a former oil and gas industry yard, is being expanded to enhance its capacity to serve the renewables sector.

Edinburgh University staff announce strike dates
4 Jun 2025 at 3:22pm
Staff at the University of Edinburgh will take strike action on 20 June in a dispute over a £140m budget cut.

Cancer care 'time-bomb' warning over doctor shortage
5 Jun 2025 at 11:20am
The Royal College of Radiologists has warned that cancer patients could wait longer for treatment if recruitment does not improve.

Starmer says no independence referendum while he is PM
3 Jun 2025 at 3:20pm
The prime minister insists it is more important to focus on the economy than the constitution.

Teacher workload 'unfair and unhealthy', union says
3 Jun 2025 at 6:13am
EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley has called for action to reduce teachers' class contact time.

Defence plan will ensure UK is ready for war, minister says
2 Jun 2025 at 7:47pm
The Army needs to become "10 times more lethal" to face a "new era of threats", defence secretary says.

Defence spending review marks significant turning point
2 Jun 2025 at 2:51pm
The prime minister's plans mean significant changes in the way the UK funds and spends on defence.

Hamilton is a dead town - what will our new MSP do to save it?
4 Jun 2025 at 1:30pm
Voters speak ahead of a by-election to determine who replaces Christina McKelvie as MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse.

Scot Goes Pop

Campbell's claim, made only *four weeks ago*, that the SNP are guaranteed to ...
7 Jun 2025 at 1:17am
The usual suspects will of course groan at this point, but it is really important to take a few moments to mark the occasion whenever the Stew Fan Club allow yet another of the Great One's incorrec...

A vague thought about something positive we could consider doing
6 Jun 2025 at 2:04pm
It's been more than two years since Scot Goes Pop last commissioned an opinion poll (although there were two in quick succession in early 2023).  I've been reluctant to go down that road again sinc...

Unpicking the Hamilton result
6 Jun 2025 at 10:45am
Just a quick note to let you know that I have a new article at The National, about Labour's narrow win in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election.  You can read it HERE.

For the attention of the good people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse: yo...
5 Jun 2025 at 5:52pm

No, Stew, you can't count the war in Ukraine FOUR times. You can't say "the ...
5 Jun 2025 at 5:08pm
Yesterday, the controversial and increasingly far-right blogger Stuart "Stew" Campbell claimed that we shouldn't be paying much attention to horrific war crimes in Gaza, because much the same sort ...

OK, Stew, so what are these other fifty countries? Name them, please.
5 Jun 2025 at 1:28am
The controversial and increasingly far-right blogger Stuart "Stew" Campbell literally published a blogpost today with the title "Why genocide is brilliant", but an even better insight into his warp...

At least Campbell's propaganda poll is helpfully revealing what his current p...
4 Jun 2025 at 2:43am
A few weeks ago, the senior Alba Party member Mike Dailly made the extraordinary declaration that he thought there should be a referendum on abolishing the Scottish Parliament and reverting to dire...

Normal service is resumed as SNP bounce back to hold a commanding lead in lat...
3 Jun 2025 at 1:16pm
The full-scale Scottish poll from Norstat showing a decent SNP lead was already enough to say with a reasonable level of confidence that the recent weird string of Scottish subsample results from G...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

Unsafe building cladding could cost Scottish government £1.7bn over 15-year-p...
6 Jun 2025 at 5:04pm
New estimates from Holyrood suggest almost 1500 residential buildings may need repair work across Scotland.

More than 50,000 write to minister to oppose Flamingo Land plans
6 Jun 2025 at 2:53pm
Green MSP Ross Greer said Planning Minister Ivan McKee must ?listen to the Scottish public?.

John Swinney: ?SNP progress not nearly enough? 
6 Jun 2025 at 1:24pm
Scottish Labour stunned the SNP to win the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election by just 602 votes early Friday morning.

Anas Sarwar: ?Hamilton is leading the way for Scottish Labour government?
6 Jun 2025 at 12:28pm
Scottish Labour stunned the SNP to win the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election by just 602 votes early Friday morning.

Labour win shows how far SNP still has to go to rebuild trust with voters
6 Jun 2025 at 9:49am
Davy Russell was chapping doors all over Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse - next week he?ll be chapping on the door of Holyrood as the newest Member of the Scottish Parliament.    

Scots have ?voted for change?, says Starmer following Labour?s surprise win
6 Jun 2025 at 8:47am
The Prime Minister congratulated his winning candidate and looked ahead to next year?s Scottish Parliament election.

Scottish Labour?s ?invisible man? has last laugh at Hamilton by-election
6 Jun 2025 at 8:37am
Davy Russell was branded the 'invisible man' during the election campaign but the Labour candidate had the last laugh in the polls.

Scottish Labour stun SNP to win crucial Hamilton by-election
6 Jun 2025 at 1:32am
Davy Russell is the new MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse after Labour secure victory in tight contest by just 602 votes.

Reform UK chairman quits after calling question from party?s newest MP ?dumb?
5 Jun 2025 at 11:07pm
Yusuf said working to get the party elected was no longer 'a good use of my time'.

Polls close in crucial Hamilton, Larkhall, and Stonehouse by-election
5 Jun 2025 at 10:00pm
Result of the vote to elect Scotland's next MSP is expected in the early hours of Friday morning.

Ministers urged to give pensions to retired police dogs
5 Jun 2025 at 11:49am
Owners can face thousands in vet bills as the dogs often have medical conditions after their service, charity the Thin Blue Paw Foundation said.

John Swinney to face FMQs as doctors warn of cancer care ?ticking time bomb?
5 Jun 2025 at 11:42am
The Royal College of Radiologists said without action to boost staff numbers, patients will face lengthening waits for diagnosis and treatment.

Voters go to the polls in crucial Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election
5 Jun 2025 at 7:16am
The Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse seat was vacated after the death of SNP MSP Christina McKelvie.

UK Government ?won?t change law? for more drug consumption rooms like facilit...
4 Jun 2025 at 6:42pm
The Thistle in Glasgow is the first facility of its kind in the UK and aims to bring down Scotland's high number of drug deaths.

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Anas Sarwar should not expect to oust John Swinney yet, says polling guru
7 Jun 2025 at 4:30am
John Curtice said the battle for the South Lanarkshire seat always looked as if it would be a close affair and that?s how it turned out.

Donald Trump and Elon Musk feud is very dangerous for the President
7 Jun 2025 at 4:30am
Record View says it was only a matter of time before Trump and Musk fell out.

More than 50,000 write to SNP minister to oppose Flamingo Land plans, say Greens
6 Jun 2025 at 3:54pm
Green MSP Ross Greer said planning minister Ivan McKee must ?listen to the Scottish public? on the Lomond Banks proposals.

Former SNP Health Secretary calls for John Swinney to resign after Hamilton b...
6 Jun 2025 at 9:35am
Alex Neil said the current SNP leadership needs to be "replaced urgently".

SNP campaign in Hamilton branded 'embarrassing' as party faces 'wake-up call'
6 Jun 2025 at 9:04am
The Nationalists repeatedly claimed the battle to win the South Lanarkshire constituency was a "two horse race" between them and Reform UK.

Scottish Labour by-election win gives Anas Sarwar new hope of becoming First ...
6 Jun 2025 at 7:00am
Daily Record Political Editor Paul Hutcheon says the result confounded expectations but shows how weak the SNP is when defending their record in Government.

SNP minister brands Labour campaign 'dreadful' despite party winning Hamilton...
6 Jun 2025 at 2:49am
Mairi McAllan said the SNP would "do a bit of soul-searching" after it suffered a surprise defeat in South Lanarkshire.

Anas Sarwar hails 'incredible' Hamilton by-election victory and says Scots ha...
6 Jun 2025 at 2:27am
Labour were 11/1 outsiders to win the Hamilton by-election but pulled off a stunning victory that few pollsters saw coming.

BBC Question Time viewers fume over 'ridiculous' last-minute change amid Trum...
6 Jun 2025 at 1:34am
BBC Question Time was briefly pulled from airwaves this evening as the public fallout between Donald Trump and Elon Musk rages on

Scottish Labour win Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election after stunn...
6 Jun 2025 at 1:33am
The result comes after one of the most bitter by-elections in Scotland in decades.

The National

The National | Politics

Freedom Flotilla urges UK Government to 'protect' ship from Israel as it near...
7 Jun 2025 at 4:05pm

The Gaza Freedom Flotilla Coalition has called on the UK Government for "protection" against Israel as it prepares to arrive in Gaza

UK won't recognise Palestine at UN conference despite 'discussions', reports say
7 Jun 2025 at 10:04am

The UK will not recognise Palestine as a state at an upcoming UN conference, according to reports

Owen Jones: The UK media has ignored this hugely revealing scandal in Israel
7 Jun 2025 at 5:00am

SOMEONE suggesting that Israel is in cahoots with ISIS would normally be branded a crank and a deranged and hateful conspiracy theorist ...

Pat Kane: Why your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man gives you the ?ick? factor
7 Jun 2025 at 5:00am

HOLLYWOOD comes to use Glasgow as New York again this summer ...

Kate Forbes: Fresh investment in Gaelic will propel Scottish pupils to success
7 Jun 2025 at 5:00am

I?VE always been immensely proud of the opportunity I have, as Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic, to lead the Scottish Government?s efforts to safeguard and promote the Gaelic language and culture ...

The SNP must not be overheard complaining about Hamilton humbling
6 Jun 2025 at 7:00pm

It might not seem fair, but the SNP must pick themselves up and not be overheard complaining.

Don't believe the spin ? Davy Russell suffered no 'classism' in Hamilton race
6 Jun 2025 at 6:00pm

DAVY Russell came blinking into the sunlight, wiping soot from his sleeves on Friday morning.

'Ludicrous': BBC bias claims reignite as majority of panellists back Labour
6 Jun 2025 at 5:00pm

THE BBC is under fire for having a ?Labour-majority panel? for Debate Night on the eve of a crucial by-election ...

Scottish Labour minister leaves Government for health reasons
6 Jun 2025 at 4:38pm

A SCOTTISH Labour minister has left the government after just two weeks in post.

Human rights group loses bid to bring legal action against equalities watchdog
6 Jun 2025 at 4:05pm

Human rights group Liberty has lost a bid to bring legal action against the equalities watchdog over its consultation in the wake of the Supreme Court?s ruling on gender.

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

Scottish firm behind platform capable of detecting Alzheimer's twice as fast ...
6 Jun 2025 at 4:53pm
An Edinburgh firm has launched a platform that can pinpoint risk genes linked to life-limiting diseases such as Alzheimer?s and Parkinson?s 98 per cent faster than traditional industry tools

Hamilton shows some progress but ?not enough? for SNP says John Swinney
6 Jun 2025 at 1:52pm
Swinney said the by-election proved his party had ?got into the running again?

?John Swinney ran a campaign of misinformation?, Anas Sarwar says
6 Jun 2025 at 12:38pm
The Scottish Labour leader said pollsters were ?duped? by the SNP's 'shameful misinformation campaign' following his party?s surprise win?in?the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election.

Labour wins Hamilton by-election as Reform finishes third
6 Jun 2025 at 7:37am
Sarwar: 'We have laid the first stone in that path to a Scottish Labour government next year'

Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf resigns
5 Jun 2025 at 6:43pm
Nigel Farage 'genuinely sorry' as Scottish businessman bows out

Organised crime ?out of control?, Russell Findlay tells John Swinney
5 Jun 2025 at 6:20pm
The first minister said organised crime was ?intolerable and unacceptable? but insisted his government and the justice system ?have been successful? in tackling it

Scotrail ?fixing? controversial use of AI voiceover, Swinney says
5 Jun 2025 at 6:02pm
First Minister John Swinney has said Scotrail is ?fixing? its AI train announcement system after claims it used a Scottish artist?s voice without consent

UK information commissioner ramps up scrutiny of AI?s use of personal data??
5 Jun 2025 at 5:57pm
ICO is set to step up its scrutiny of AI and biometric technologies amid growing?concerns over?human rights and data protection

'Bully' Douglas Ross is an embarrassment to MSPs, John Mason claims
5 Jun 2025 at 12:06pm
Presiding Officer advice sought

Edinburgh University principal unable to confirm his salary to MSPs
4 Jun 2025 at 4:17pm
University staff plan to strike over proposed cuts to jobs

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

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...

Labour byelection win shows ?SNP?s balloon has burst?, says Anas Sarwar
6 Jun 2025 at 2:13pm
Scottish Labour leader accuses SNP of misinformation in its campaign and attacks Reform?s ?dirty? tacticsScottish Labour?s surprise byelection win proves ?the SNP?s balloon has burst?, a jubilant Anas Sarwar has said, after the popular local candidate, Davy Russell, defied predictions to beat the...

Scottish Labour celebrates 'incredible' byelection win and hits out at Reform...
6 Jun 2025 at 11:03am
Scottish Labour is celebrating an 'incredible' win in a pivotal Holyrood byelection, beating the incumbent SNP and fighting off Reform UK, whose campaign was condemned as racist, in a result that confounded predictions and will boost the party ahead of next year?s Scottish parliamentary elections...

Hamilton byelection win is vindication of Scottish Labour?s doorstep strategy
6 Jun 2025 at 10:12am
Victory over SNP and Reform sends strong signal to Scotland?s political parties before next May?s Holyrood electionsLabour?s victory in Hamilton is both a surprise and a vindication ? a demonstration that in a byelection, shocks can take different forms.It is a surprise to those of us in the outs...

Scottish Labour wins pivotal Holyrood byelection, beating SNP and Reform UK
6 Jun 2025 at 9:24am
Labour celebrates ?incredible? win in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse as voters rally around popular local candidateScottish Labour is celebrating an ?incredible? win in a pivotal Holyrood byelection, beating the incumbent Scottish National party and fighting off Reform UK?s ?racist? campaignin...

Badenoch challenges Starmer at PMQs over winter fuel payment U-turn, Chagos d...
4 Jun 2025 at 5:20pm
Tory leader says PM should apologise to pensioners and asks how U-turn will be fundedReeves says her changes to the fiscal rules last year will make more investment possible.The decisions that we made in October mean that, for the first time, the Treasury actually takes account of the benefits an...

UK politics: Yvette Cooper quizzed over immigration and prisons crisis ? as i...
3 Jun 2025 at 5:30pm
Home secretary appears to accept early release proposals will put more pressure on police as she is questioned at select committeeDefence sources believe that Britain will be forced to sign up to a target of lifting defence spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035 at this month?s Nato summit after a campa...

Defence review plans will make army ?10 times more lethal?, says John Healey ...
2 Jun 2025 at 6:02pm
Defence secretary says ?the world is more dangerous? as he addresses MPs about strategic defence reviewHere is the clip of Keir Starmer in his Today programme interview refusing to say when the government will raise defence spending to 3% of GDP.In an interview with the Times published on Saturda...

Scottish Labour councillor defects to Reform
2 Jun 2025 at 5:03pm
Switch comes as Nigel Farage defends advert attacking Scottish Labour leader that prompted accusations of racismA Scottish Labour councillor has defected to Reform UK on the eve of a pivotal Holyrood byelection, as the rightwing populist party?s leader, Nigel Farage, defended a controversial adve...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

My mum
6 Jun 2025 at 9:16am
I need to step away from the blog for a while. As regular readers may be aware, my mum is battling stage four cancer – ocular melanoma. My mum told me many months ago that she was happy for me to discuss her health on the blog. The latest news is not good. Despite having …

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 …

Boldness is needed to challenge the far right and deliver independence
26 May 2025 at 8:48pm
We need to brace ourselves for the very real and alarming prospect that the frothing über-yoons of Reform UK come in second in next week’s Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Holyrood by-election. I dislike the pejorative term yoon as a rule, but in the case of Reform UK it’s fully warranted. It’s less likely, but not …

Scottish child poverty can only be eliminated with independence
24 May 2025 at 4:58pm
The Guardian newspaper has reported that Labour’s “flagship child poverty policy” has been delayed until at least the autumn, pushing tens of thousands more children into poverty in the meantime. It was because this policy was supposed to be unveiled in a few months that the Labour party justified voting against an SNP motion in …

Reform lets its mask slip to reveal its true ugliness
22 May 2025 at 8:20pm
Readers of this blog will know that I am not in the business of defending Anas Sarwar, the Scottish branch manager of the Labour party. There is a multitude of reasons for legitimately criticising him, his frequent and many lies, his willingness to spin on a sixpence in order to justify the latest monstrous policy …

The difficulty of tactical voting in the Holyrood list vote
20 May 2025 at 11:04am
It is now less than a year to the next Scottish Parliament elections and once more social media screen space is being consumed with arguments about tactical voting in the regional list vote. Every time there’s a Scottish election this argument comes up, even though tactical voting on the regional list vote has never worked …

Starmer?s Enoch Powell moment
14 May 2025 at 7:08pm
The fall out continues over Keir Starmer’s gob-smacking speech on immigration on Monday in which he echoed the language of the notoriously racist “rivers of blood” speech delivered by Enoch Powell in 1968 to a meeting of the Conservative Political Centre in Birmingham. At the time Powell was the Shadow Secretary of State for Defence …

The right wing takeover of the Labour party is now complete
12 May 2025 at 1:47pm
The unpalatable truth for Labour supporters, that is those who adhere to the traditional values and beliefs of the Labour party as they were understood throughout the entire twentieth century, is that the Labour party they believed in is dead. It’s deader than the parrot in the famous Monty Python sketch and it’s every bit …

How polls turn a lead for Yes into a lead for No
8 May 2025 at 4:34pm
You may have seen that a poll on support for Scottish independence was published this week. The headline figures on the poll, carried out by Survation, put No ahead on 44%, with Yes on 43% and undecided on 12%. When the undecideds were stripped out, this gave a result of 50.57% (rounded up to 51%) …

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]

How the media ?play? Scotland?s voters
7 Jun 2025 at 2:37pm
stewartb How to ?play? Scotland?s voters ? how to attempt deceit or manipulation for political advantage? Is there a recurring mainstream news reporting pattern in Scotland? Step 1: mainstream media outlet/s make ?judicious? selection of a ?newsworthy? item about Scotland ? to qualify, it must be a negative story and ideally linked to a topic of natural concern to many; 2: report this on newspa...

Why is there a ?cancer ticking time bomb? only in Scotland where radiologist ...
7 Jun 2025 at 2:30pm
stewartb What of the ?cancer time bomb? that is headline news in several newspapers in Scotland and above the BBC News website?s ?Scotland?s papers? feature and also in a separate BBC Scotland article on the the same website? This has all been catalysed by the following Royal College of Radiology (RCR) reports: (i) ?Clinical Radiology ? Workforce Census 2024? and (ii) Clinical Oncology ? Workfo...

More than 300 published studies prove that safe drug injection facilities red...
6 Jun 2025 at 7:37pm
….about the number of discarded needles that are being left outside it. Now the council have introduced bins to try to address the problem Professor John Robertson OBA BBC Reporting Scotland tonight reporting for the area around the pilot safe injection facility in Calton in Glasgow, now six months in operation, are uncritically accepting a few local residents’ claims that it has increased drug...

?We remind everyone to vote for the Unionist party most likely to defeat the ...
6 Jun 2025 at 9:29am
Professor John Robertson OBA Last night’s Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election result: This result surprised everyone, including all the pollsters and the bookies. Labour were expected to come third as in all recent Scottish opinion polls. That tells you there was something particular, ‘local’, going on. What might that be? From Bylines Scotland in July 2024: The Orange Order is motiva...

LATEST ? ?Scotland and the largest underwater discovery IN HISTORY: The world...
5 Jun 2025 at 12:42pm
Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks once more to Dottie for this dramatic alert. From The Diary 24, the above and: A green technology company out of Scotland has come up with an industrial solution for offshore hydrogen bunkering and electric charging. The Oasis Marine technology has massive implications as it makes it far easier for marine vessels to switch from emissions-producing diesel syst...

So ?Scotland?s national security? is threatened by loss of a £2.5m grant!? T...
4 Jun 2025 at 5:18pm
By stewartb – a long read In recent days, British Labour Party politicians as well as journalists writing for ?patriotic? British media outlets have been trying to make mountains out of the molehill of Scottish Enterprise not awarding Rolls-Royce a £2.5 million grant. It?s tough competition but pellisonrhaps the prize for the ?best? headline – the most ridiculous –  goes to the ?Scottish? Daily...

Rap video lured children to carry drugs internally all the way to Aberdeen fr...
4 Jun 2025 at 4:32pm
Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Nottinghamshire yesterday, the above and: Twelve drug dealers have been jailed for running an “industrial” supply network that flooded heroin and crack cocaine into towns across the East Midlands and Aberdeen. The Nottingham-based ringleaders sprayed champagne from a white Rolls-Royce, in one of several “drill” music videos that boasted about their weapons ...

Would police investigating ?heart deaths? at a Scottish Hospital not then be...
4 Jun 2025 at 3:04pm
Liz S BBC has this story on their website in relation to the NHS in England?.It is on the main UK page , when you click on the story it then takes you onto the Health page, it is not on the UK Politics page: ?Police investigate heart deaths at NHS hospital? ?Police have launched an investigation into the deaths of patients following heart operations at an NHS hospital, the BBC has learned?. ?Do...

As NHS Scotland treats 91.6% of nearly 5 000 children and adolescents with me...
4 Jun 2025 at 11:10am
Professor John Robertson OBA Yesterday, I wrote: NHS Scotland beat a waiting times target for the second time in a row despite increased demand ? how will the media spin this to get SNPBad? I?m ahead of BBC Scotland, as I write at 11.02am, but I can smell them scurrying around, phoning someone who can be trusted to say the statistics, the same stats they trust when targets are missed, are not r...

Why is BBC Scotland?s scare story on the Spanish drug gang deaths leading to ...
4 Jun 2025 at 9:42am
…linked to an ongoing gangland feud in Central Scotland, with fire-bombings, assaults and shootings across Glasgow and Edinburgh, since March, but if that is the case, it would represent a massive escalation in violence compared to what’s gone before – and this is unprecedented – the murder of two senior figures from Scottish organised crime in a busy public place in a foreign country. Professo...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

Starmer says no independence referendum while he is prime minister - BBC
3 Jun 2025 at 3:20pm
Starmer says no independence referendum while he is prime minister  BBC

In the United Kingdom, prime minister rejects possibility of Scotland indepen...
3 Jun 2025 at 11:02pm
In the United Kingdom, prime minister rejects possibility of Scotland independence referendum  ConstitutionNet

New poll shows Scots overwhelmingly back indy over Westminster direct rule - ...
3 Jun 2025 at 6:31pm
New poll shows Scots overwhelmingly back indy over Westminster direct rule  TheNational.scot

Scottish independence support soars amid prospect of Nigel Farage in No 10 - ...
1 Jun 2025 at 9:27am
Scottish independence support soars amid prospect of Nigel Farage in No 10  The Herald

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

Medieval scholars believed Scottish independence was entirely compatible with...
4 Jun 2025 at 5:04pm
Medieval scholars believed Scottish independence was entirely compatible with being British  Phys.org

Scottish independence poll 2025 - Statista
2 Apr 2025 at 8:00am
Scottish independence poll 2025  Statista

Starmer rules out second Scottish independence referendum while PM - The Tele...
3 Jun 2025 at 9:45am
Starmer rules out second Scottish independence referendum while PM  The Telegraph

The dogs are no longer barking for Scottish independence - The Times
4 Jun 2025 at 6:00pm
The dogs are no longer barking for Scottish independence  The Times

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

SNP to "learn lessons" as Labour wins crucial by-election - BBC
6 Jun 2025 at 9:20pm
SNP to "learn lessons" as Labour wins crucial by-election  BBC

Hamilton by-election result: Live updates as Labour narrowly defeats SNP and ...
6 Jun 2025 at 1:11pm
Hamilton by-election result: Live updates as Labour narrowly defeats SNP and Reform  BBC

By-election shows Reform could stop Labour winning power in Scotland - The Te...
6 Jun 2025 at 4:23pm
By-election shows Reform could stop Labour winning power in Scotland  The Telegraph

Starmer hails 'fantastic' shock win in Scotland by-election as SNP fail to ho...
6 Jun 2025 at 8:18am
Starmer hails 'fantastic' shock win in Scotland by-election as SNP fail to hold seat after Reform surge  London Evening Standard

Labour relief at Hamilton by-election win ? but alarm bells over Reform?s ris...
6 Jun 2025 at 9:42am
Labour relief at Hamilton by-election win ? but alarm bells over Reform?s rise  MSN

Why Reform was the other big winner in the Hamilton by-election - BBC
6 Jun 2025 at 5:04pm
Why Reform was the other big winner in the Hamilton by-election  BBC

Michael Gove 'in agreement' with SNP leader John Swinney over independence - BBC
17 May 2025 at 8:00am
Michael Gove 'in agreement' with SNP leader John Swinney over independence  BBC

Labour byelection win shows ?SNP?s balloon has burst?, says Anas Sarwar - The...
6 Jun 2025 at 1:39pm
Labour byelection win shows ?SNP?s balloon has burst?, says Anas Sarwar  The Guardian

Starmer will be breathing a sigh of relief after clinching shock victory over...
6 Jun 2025 at 5:03am
Starmer will be breathing a sigh of relief after clinching shock victory over SNP and Reform UK  Sky News

So now you know, SNP: indy is not what people care about - The Herald
7 Jun 2025 at 6:30am
So now you know, SNP: indy is not what people care about  The Herald

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

Starmer says no independence referendum while he is prime minister - BBC
3 Jun 2025 at 3:20pm
Starmer says no independence referendum while he is prime minister  BBC

In the United Kingdom, prime minister rejects possibility of Scotland indepen...
3 Jun 2025 at 11:02pm
In the United Kingdom, prime minister rejects possibility of Scotland independence referendum  ConstitutionNet

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

New poll shows Scots overwhelmingly back indy over Westminster direct rule - ...
3 Jun 2025 at 6:31pm
New poll shows Scots overwhelmingly back indy over Westminster direct rule  TheNational.scot

Michael Gove 'in agreement' with SNP leader John Swinney over independence - BBC
17 May 2025 at 8:00am
Michael Gove 'in agreement' with SNP leader John Swinney over independence  BBC

Welsh Independence Is No Longer a Fringe Idea - Novara Media
4 Jun 2025 at 3:51pm
Welsh Independence Is No Longer a Fringe Idea  Novara Media

Keir Starmer: John Swinney hasn't asked me about independence referendum - Th...
3 Jun 2025 at 10:17am
Keir Starmer: John Swinney hasn't asked me about independence referendum  The Herald

Starmer's Block on Referendum Highlights the Only Path to Independence - Alba...
3 Jun 2025 at 3:52pm
Starmer's Block on Referendum Highlights the Only Path to Independence  Alba Party

Lord Gove: Westminster must bow to Scottish referendum clamour - The Times
18 May 2025 at 8:00am
Lord Gove: Westminster must bow to Scottish referendum clamour  The Times

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