The Herald

The Herald | Politics


John Swinney: Dualling A9 ?remains a priority for this Government?
by jody.harrison@heraldandtimes.co.uk | Jody Harrison
9 Feb 2026 at 7:41am
The First Minister was speaking ahead of a visit to see work to dual a section of road between Tomatin and Moy


Scottish Government to develop formal partnership with third sector
by gaby.mckay@newsquest.co.uk | Gabriel McKay
9 Feb 2026 at 5:00am
The Scottish Government will develop a formal partnership with charities and voluntary organisations to protect the third sector


Scottish Labour MPs ramp up calls for Starmer to quit after McSweeney resigna...
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
9 Feb 2026 at 5:00am
Scottish Labour MPs have openly questioned Keir Starmer?s future after the dramatic resignation of his chief of staff Morgan McSweeney. With Holyrood elections looming and polls collapsing, insiders warn the damage may already be fatal.


Reform to tackle housing crisis by charging international students council tax
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
9 Feb 2026 at 12:01am
Ahead of May?s Holyrood election, Reform has pledged to ?prioritise Scottish people on housing lists? and charge international students council tax.


Renewed push to make forgotten St Andrew's Day a national holiday ahead of el...
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
8 Feb 2026 at 5:46pm
Former MSP and MP Dennis Canavan, who led efforts to declare November 30 as a bank holiday, said that parties should endorse the proposals.


'We deserve better': Corbyn and Sultana's new party to fight May's Scottish e...
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
8 Feb 2026 at 5:13pm
69.8 per cent of party members backed standing candidates during a vote at the first Your Party Scotland conference in Dundee.


?The only honourable course?: Morgan McSweeney quits as Keir Starmer's chief ...
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
8 Feb 2026 at 2:18pm
Morgan McSweeney has quit as Sir Keir Starmer?s Chief of Staff, admitting he was wrong to recommend appointing Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US.


Jeremy Corbyn says it is for Scotland to decide on independence referendum
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
8 Feb 2026 at 12:49pm
Jeremy Corbyn tells delegates in Dundee that Scotland?s constitutional future should be decided by the people, not Westminster.


?Scottish taxpayers will be disgusted?: Calls for Mandelson to repay 'golden ...
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
8 Feb 2026 at 11:09am
Lord Peter Mandelson is under pressure to return a five-figure taxpayer-funded payout after his abrupt removal as UK ambassador to Washington, reigniting anger over Keir Starmer?s judgment and plunging Labour into another bruising political crisis.


Celtic chairman quizzed about abuse scandal in awkward on-air exchange
by gaby.mckay@newsquest.co.uk | Gabriel McKay
8 Feb 2026 at 10:25am
Interim Celtic chairman Brian Wilson was quizzed about the abuse scandal at Celtic Boys Club in a tense television exchange


Glasgow Life fails to spend extra budget to improve swimming services
by gaby.mckay@newsquest.co.uk | Gabriel McKay
8 Feb 2026 at 6:30am
Calls have been made for Glasgow Life to be returned to local authority control after the organisation failed to spend almost half of a funding boost it was given to improve swimming services in the city


'It's discrimination': Legal action if pupils can't opt out of religious acti...
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
8 Feb 2026 at 6:30am
The HSS has warned that the current ?middle ground? approach could cause the government to run afoul of JR87 v Department for Education.


Yes, some men will blame not themselves but 'bitches and whores who had it co...
8 Feb 2026 at 6:15am
NOT so long ago Donald Trump ? at the behest of his then pal Elon Musk ? lashed out at Keir Starmer over the supposed cover-up of grooming gangs in UK cities. The hypocrisy was staggering. Trump with his history of sexual abuse and talk of ?grabbing [women] by the pussy?


Human rights watchdog urged to challenge prisons trans policy after court adm...
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
8 Feb 2026 at 5:00am
Scotland?s human rights watchdog faces calls to challenge the legality of the SPS transgender prisoners policy amid court action

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


Keir Starmer is no longer the master of his own destiny, so what happens next?
9 Feb 2026 at 8:46am

Morgan McSweeney has fallen on his sword to save the Prime Minister?s job - but is it enough?

Temporary accommodation described as ?important safety net?

Former Labour leader also says party faces ?enormous problems?

Wings over Scotland

Echoes of history
8 Feb 2026 at 5:26pm
The Sunday National’s front page today elicited a sigh of “So what?” from most. We’ve already GOT a “pro-indy” majority at Holyrood and have done for the last 10 years, for all it’s been worth. But to be fair there was a paragraph in the article that at least raised a quizzical eyebrow. Because, y’know, …

A Stitch In Timing
5 Feb 2026 at 4:09pm
Readers will probably be aware that literally as you read this, the Scottish Government is in court trying to defend its policy of letting male murderers be housed in women’s prisons by arguing that the Equality Act 2010 (as ruled on by the Supreme Court in the For Women Scotland case) is incompatible with the …

The Marshalling Plan
2 Feb 2026 at 1:25pm
Another month has passed, so we suppose it must be time for the third of our polling-analysis pieces for the Scottish Parliament election in May. (Last time round we assessed the grotesque rank idiocy of voting SNP on the list if you want a pro-indy majority, and the time before that we considered the possible …

Shield Of The Phantom
26 Jan 2026 at 1:02pm
Well, we gave it a go. It seems that it’s fine to farm important judgments out to mysterious shadowy figures who just make important chunks of them up out of thin air, and then issue them in your own name. Back in your boxes, plebs.

Yelling at the tide
21 Jan 2026 at 9:26am
We figured someone had to at least try. So in the light of this, we’ve sent a letter. - TO: Judge Susan Walker, President, Employment Tribunal (Scotland) Dear Madam President, I read with considerable dismay and alarm your response to a recent complaint from a Mr Ewan Kennedy regarding the conduct of Employment Judge Alexander …

The Secondhand Amendment
19 Jan 2026 at 12:04am
We’re really not sure this makes things any better with regard to the incredible tale that’s unfolded around the judgment in Sandie Peggie vs NHS Fife. In fact, on any interpretation we can think of, quite the reverse. But we’d better give you some context. The quote in the image above comes from the reply …

Learning Insanity
14 Jan 2026 at 4:29pm
This clip was broadcast on ITV News Wales this week. ? It’s a staggeringly obvious mess for a whole raft of reasons – a number of completely spurious, illogical and unsupported claims are accepted as facts without any sort of challenge or balancing voice (which has been standard practice on ITV News for a while …

Governing For Beginners
12 Jan 2026 at 2:31pm
My first ever real experience of politics was playing Dictator. Originally written by Don Priestley for the Sinclair ZX81 in 1982, it was a simple text-based game which subsequently came to other formats including the Commodore 64, BBC Micro, Elan Enterprise and the ZX Spectrum, which is where I encountered it. (Its legacy very much …

Grandpa John?s Nightmare
7 Jan 2026 at 12:17pm
It’s almost – almost – worth voting SNP in May because of this: ? Because it would be at least momentarily absolutely hilarious watching Swinney try to explain why his “100% guaranteed” second indyref didn’t happen if the SNP actually did get a majority on 30% of the vote (which is narrowly feasible on current …

Failure To Learn
5 Jan 2026 at 1:32pm
Scotland take on Haiti on Sunday 14 June (in the wee small hours of the morning), so this is nice, isn’t it? At least, it would be if incompetent idiots weren’t in charge. Firstly because the SNP – a party with a long and dismaying record of promising things it then doesn’t deliver – has …

Craig Murray

Is The USA Controlling Venezuela
7 Feb 2026 at 5:54pm

My first video report from Venezuela: My being here reporting is entirely possible due, as is all my journalism and activism, to your individual subscriptions and donations. We now have a Venezuela reporting crowdfunder. I have simply edited the Lebanese GoFundMe crowdfunder, because that took many weeks to be approved and I don’t want to …

Is The USA Controlling Venezuela

Filton Acquittals Demolish Starmer and Cooper Lies About Palestine Action
5 Feb 2026 at 6:49pm

As the trial finished at Woolwich Crown Court of the six Palestine Action activists who entered the Filton factory to destroy Israeli killer drones, Starmer, Cooper, Lammy and Mahmood are left bereft of a single guilty verdict in the case on which they relied heavily to label Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation. I could …

Filton Acquittals Demolish Starmer and Cooper Lies About Palestine Action

Trump, Pirate of the Caribbean
3 Feb 2026 at 11:14am

I have now been here a week and I think that I have absorbed enough to attempt a little analysis, as opposed to the simple impressions I gave shortly after arrival. Those impressions remain valid however: this is not a repressive state. I was on the Randy Credico show live on WBAI New York on …

Trump, Pirate of the Caribbean

Palestine Action Judicial Review
29 Jan 2026 at 6:59pm

I attach the full text of Lord Young’s decision granting the Scottish judicial review of the proscription of Palestine. A few points. Judicial Review can only be granted where the judge believes it has a realistic chance of success. Lord Young evidently believes that we have a realistic chance of success on our three grounds …

Palestine Action Judicial Review

Being There ? In Venezuela
26 Jan 2026 at 9:46am

I have now been in Caracas for 48 hours and the contrast between what I have seen, and what I had read in the mainstream media, could not be more stark. I drove right through Caracas, from the airport through the city centre and up to posh Las Mercedes. The next morning I walked all …

Being There – In Venezuela

Resisting the Respectable Opinion on Iran
15 Jan 2026 at 3:13pm

Iraq. Libya. Egypt. Syria. Gaza. Somalia. No CIA- and Mossad-constructed regime change operation in the Middle East has ever made life better for the ordinary people of the country, nor even delivered the promised increase in personal and political freedoms. The only limited improvement that might be gained comes from the lifting of Western sanction …

Resisting the Respectable Opinion on Iran

BBC Scotland

Mandelson appointment 'ignored warnings' - Brian Wilson
8 Feb 2026 at 1:41pm
The former Labour MP says evidence was disregarded in the decision to make Mandelson ambassador to the US.

Former Scottish health secretary Jeane Freeman dies aged 72
7 Feb 2026 at 12:46pm
The SNP politician was a key figure in the Scottish government's response to the Covid pandemic.

Ministers urged to rethink jail sentences of less than two years
6 Feb 2026 at 4:08pm
If recommendations go ahead, judges would have to provide reasons why jailing someone for two years or less was the only option.

NHS budget plans rely on ambitious efficiency savings, warns think tank
6 Feb 2026 at 3:01pm
Spending strategy assumes hospitals and the ambulance service can make efficiency savings, says the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Chief nurse's 'Disney trip' suggestion for bereaved families 'shameful' - Sarwar
5 Feb 2026 at 1:26pm
Scotland's ex-chief nursing officer has been criticised over remarks she allegedly made about bereaved families.

Asylum seeker barracks plans could face further delays
6 Feb 2026 at 6:16am
The Home Office may need planning permission before using Cameron Barracks as accommodation.

New rules for botox and Brazilian butt lifts backed by MSPs
5 Feb 2026 at 5:19pm
The Scottish Parliament has provisionally approved regulations for non-surgical cosmetic procedures.

Jeane Freeman: SNP politician who led Covid response
7 Feb 2026 at 8:52am
The former SNP politician spent her life in public service and inherited the health brief just before the global pandemic.

Suicide risk if trans prisoners are put in jails based on sex at birth, court...
5 Feb 2026 at 3:08pm
Lawyers for the Scottish government say moving trans woman prisoners to male-only jails would create an unacceptable safety risk.

Plan to jail bosses of major polluters passes Holyrood vote
5 Feb 2026 at 5:18pm
The ecocide bill would allow for people to be jailed for up to 20 years for damaging the environment.

MSP behind assisted dying bill backs change to eligibility rules
4 Feb 2026 at 2:42pm
The proposals would restrict assisted dying in Scotland to people with six months or less left to live.

Watchdogs raise concerns over transgender prisoners
4 Feb 2026 at 5:06pm
The government has argued having a "blanket rule" for where prisoners are housed could breach human rights law.

Scot Goes Pop

Nigel Farage, so long the favourite to be the next Prime Minister, has slumpe...
7 Feb 2026 at 1:54pm
This video also contains more information about the More In Common independence polling I mentioned yesterday.   There aren't many outlets that report Scottish polling accurately and without unioni...

"Well, they're certainly keeping quiet about THAT bit!": More In Common poll ...
6 Feb 2026 at 3:14pm
There aren't many outlets that report Scottish polling accurately and without unionist bias.  If you value the service Scot Goes Pop provides, you currently have a thrilling opportunity to help wit...

My appearance on the "Two Davies" show
5 Feb 2026 at 5:55pm
Earlier today, I took part in a live stream on the "Two Davies" YouTube channel, and we all answered viewers' questions about quite a wide variety of subjects, including the current polling situati...

Gosh, I wonder if Stew has ever demonstrated quite so unwittingly and vividly...
4 Feb 2026 at 1:17am
Quite a number of years ago now, I got into a mildly bizarre email debate with someone who shall remain nameless, but who is widely regarded in Scotland as bona fide journalistic royalty.  Basicall...

Why is YouGov under-representing Yes-voting Glaswegians in its independence p...
3 Feb 2026 at 4:06pm
Towards the end of this video, I also give my reaction to the Scottish Government's welcome announcement that they will not be supporting Ash Regan's private member's bill, which seeks to introduce...

Stew's "ten-year masterplan" nears its petty climax: how Somerset's most cont...
2 Feb 2026 at 4:47pm
Incidentally, I recorded this video before I saw Campbell's latest "I luv Nige" fanboy blogpost, so the similarity of titles is just a coincidence - albeit an extremely telling coincidence in the c...

Sizzling YouGov numbers put pro-independence parties on course for 53% of sea...
30 Jan 2026 at 5:11pm
There aren't many outlets that report Scottish polling accurately and without unionist bias.  If you value the service Scot Goes Pop provides, you currently have a thrilling opportunity to help wit...

Spectacular full-scale Scottish poll from YouGov shows the SNP and Greens on ...
29 Jan 2026 at 6:48pm
I will record a video about this poll at some point, but as I'm on a bus right now, I'll go retro and briefly give you the results in text form for the time being.Should Scotland be an independent ...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

Greenland to be presented with own tartan in MPs? visit
9 Feb 2026 at 6:38am
The visit follows months of threats from President Donald Trump?s administration on the country?s status

Your Party to stand in 2026 Holyrood election
8 Feb 2026 at 4:42pm
The announcement was made the Your Party Scotland conference in Dundee, where 69.8% of members voted in favour of the move

Morgan McSweeney steps down as Starmer?s chief of staff amid Mandelson row
8 Feb 2026 at 3:02pm
The Prime Minister?s right-hand man has been blamed for pushing the appointment of Mandelson as ambassador to the US

Anas Sarwar would push for NFL game in Scotland if elected
8 Feb 2026 at 11:46am
The NFL regularly plays games overseas, with nine due to take place this year

Holyrood parties urged to commit to St Andrew?s Day national holiday
8 Feb 2026 at 10:13am
St Andrew?s Day was named a bank holiday in 2007

Brown says Starmer leadership crisis is ?serious? but PM is ?man of integrity?
7 Feb 2026 at 2:33pm
Former prime minister Gordon Brown said he felt ?betrayed and let down? by Mandelson?s alleged actions

Former Scottish health secretary Jeane Freeman dies aged 72
7 Feb 2026 at 10:25am
Ms Freeman's partner announced in a statement that she had died after receiving a cancer diagnosis in January

Keir Starmer says ?significant volume of material? to be reviewed over Lord M...
6 Feb 2026 at 9:15pm
Parliament's security watchdog will assess which documents can be released

First Minister pledges to ?secure bright future? for Scotland?s farmers
6 Feb 2026 at 7:33am
Mr Swinney will deliver a keynote speech to the NFU Scotland Conference.

MSPs back plans to improve regulation of Botox and Brazilian butt lifts
5 Feb 2026 at 6:26pm
The Bill cleared its first hurdle in the Scottish Parliament after it was passed at stage one on Thursday

Starmer ?sorry for believing Mandelson?s lies? as vows to continue as Prime M...
5 Feb 2026 at 2:21pm
Sir Keir Starmer apologised to the victims of Jeffrey Epstein

Ban phones in schools to protect children from online dangers, parents urge
5 Feb 2026 at 1:21pm
Campaigners are meeting the education secretary at the Scottish Parliament on Thursday

John Swinney to face FMQs after calling for investigation into Mandelson
5 Feb 2026 at 12:00pm
John Swinney will face First Minister's Questions on the sixth anniversary of The Promise

MPs back release of files on Lord Peter Mandelson appointment as US ambassador
4 Feb 2026 at 7:32pm
The PM backed down from his original plans for Sir Chris Wormald to choose which files could be released

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Anas Sarwar urged by Scottish Labour figures to call for Keir Starmer to quit
9 Feb 2026 at 10:08am
EXCLUSIVE: The party figures want Sarwar to intervene as they believe Starmer's resignation is inevitable.

Scots Labour MP says Keir Starmer is like a boxer on his last legs after Pete...
9 Feb 2026 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: Brian Leishman also called for a "full public inquiry" into the scandal of Peter Mandelson's links to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

SNP being handed election victory 'on a plate' as Labour turmoil continues un...
8 Feb 2026 at 12:00pm
EXCLUSIVE: Professor John Curtice said it wasn't clear Scottish Labour would benefit from an immediate change in the party's leadership at Westminster.

Scottish Parliament going 'backwards' as MSPs busy 'sucking up' to party leaders
7 Feb 2026 at 12:00pm
EXCLUSIVE: A leading expert on devolution said Holyrood now lagged behind Westminster when it came to politicians willing to scrutinise the work of the government.

Scottish Labour spends nearly £80k promoting Anas Sarwar on social media ahea...
6 Feb 2026 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: A database shows Labour out-spending the SNP while also downplaying their own party brand.

John Swinney's independence majority strategy will damage the SNP
5 Feb 2026 at 8:00pm
Daily Record Political Editor Paul Hutcheon says the First Minister betting the house on an outright win in May is good for him, but not his party.

Queen Elizabeth University Hospital families offered 'trip to Disneyland' ins...
5 Feb 2026 at 2:49pm
The cases of seven patients who died at the QEUH following its botched opening in 2015 are currently being assessed by prosecutors.

Anas Sarwar gives cautious support to Keir Starmer to stay on as Prime Minist...
5 Feb 2026 at 1:28pm
The Scottish Labour leader said Mandelson was a "shame to our nation" after emails showed he leaked sensitive Government information to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Hollywood star Brian Cox calls for action to end Scotland's housing emergency
5 Feb 2026 at 11:02am
The Dundee-born star said "everyone deserves somewhere affordable, safe, and stable to call home".

Anas Sarwar told to apologise to WASPI campaigners in person after UK Governm...
5 Feb 2026 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: The SNP will host a delegation of WASPI campaigners at the Scottish Parliament and has challenged the Labour leader to meet them.

The National

The National | Politics

Keir Starmer 'could stand down at any time' as 'next 48 hours crucial'
9 Feb 2026 at 8:36am

SCOTLAND'S First Minister has said the Prime Minister?s position is one of ?complete weakness?, as Cabinet minister sources reportedly say the "next 48 hours are crucial"

Latest odds on Keir Starmer resignation amid Mandelson scandal
9 Feb 2026 at 8:30am

THE Prime Minister is facing a crisis amid the fall-out from the latest Epstein Files

Bad Bunny makes history with Super Bowl performance as Donald Trump fumes
9 Feb 2026 at 8:06am

BAD Bunny was joined by pop icon Lady Gaga for a star-studded Super Bowl half-time show, performed almost entirely in Spanish and carrying a message of unity

Keir Starmer is a dead man walking ? but we shouldn't forget the bigger picture
9 Feb 2026 at 5:00am

Peter Mandelson and his ilk represented the interests of the few ? the British elite and the moneyed interests they represent ? against those of the many, writes Kenny MacAskill

Don?t dismiss mayor idea just because it?d be ?copying England?
9 Feb 2026 at 5:00am

Instead of hoarding power in Holyrood, the Scottish Government should be taking the opportunity to deliver an ambitious programme of devolution to Glasgow City Region with an elected mayor at the helm

Peter Mandelson scandal shows how Westminster politics is rotten to the core
9 Feb 2026 at 5:00am

What we are witnessing is systemic, extremely serious and indicative of a much deeper collapse in both politics and economics, writes Richard Murphy

Greenland to be presented with its very own tartan by SNP MP
9 Feb 2026 at 5:00am

Greenland is to be presented with its own tartan as a cross-party group of MPs is set to visit Nuuk this week

Pete Wishart: Why SNP supporters should give the party both votes
9 Feb 2026 at 5:00am

For any political party to ask its supporters to vote for someone else is the strangest form of political suicide, writes Pete Wishart

Do Your Party have what it takes to turn words into deeds in May's election?
8 Feb 2026 at 7:19pm

Professor Gregor Gall reports from inside Your Party's founding Scottish conference, where both Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana spoke

Now Morgan McSweeney has quit, will the Labour train hit the buffers?
8 Feb 2026 at 6:46pm

NOW that the driver has left the train, we can move on to the really consequential stuff (Morgan McSweeney quits as Keir Starmer?s chief of staff amid Mandelson scandal, thenational.scot, Feb 8).

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

Morgan McSweeney quits as PM?s adviser amid Mandelson scandal
8 Feb 2026 at 4:49pm
McSweeney said he accepted ?full responsibility? for the appointment with police now investigating Mandelson over his links with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019.

Tributes paid following the death of Jeane Freeman
8 Feb 2026 at 10:30am
Tributes have been paid from across Scottish politics following the death of former health secretary Jeane Freeman at the age of 72.

Jack McConnell calls for ?complete reset? in Labour leadership
6 Feb 2026 at 2:53pm
The former first minister said somebody in Labour needed to 'step up' and take over

Scotland?s prisons approach needs fundamental reform, according to watchdog r...
6 Feb 2026 at 10:33am
The report has called for stronger rehabilitation in prison, earlier release with enhanced community supervision, and long-term planning to reduce Scotland?s prison population to around the European average

John Swinney accuses Anas Sarwar of ?shameful? interference in hospitals inquiry
5 Feb 2026 at 4:00pm
The Scottish Labour leader said the FM had told parliament a "blatant untruth"

John Swinney: I stayed with Mandelson on Trump trip to save money
5 Feb 2026 at 1:51pm
Starmer says no one in government knew 'depth and darkness' of former ambassador's Epstein friendship

Set out Mandelson links, SNP urges Scottish Labour
4 Feb 2026 at 5:22pm
SNP claims are 'morally bankrupt', Scottish Labour hits back

Edinburgh Council refuses planning permission for AI data centre
4 Feb 2026 at 3:35pm
Planning officers had recommended the project be approved

Anas Sarwar backs child social media ban
4 Feb 2026 at 1:00am
The UK Government announced last month it was consulting on such a measure

From shared services to smart government
4 Feb 2026 at 12:01am
With over 40 years of experience in the Scottish market, global technology firm TCS is well placed to play a leading role in the country?s public services reform

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

Wealthy use loophole to conceal value of £300m in Scottish land sales
7 Feb 2026 at 7:00am
Prices paid for large estates not being disclosed on official register, land reform advocates sayLand reform campaigners are alarmed at the increasing use of a legal loophole that allows landowners to conceal the price paid for Highland estates from the public register.Andy Wightman, a land refor...

Blanket rule on trans women in men?s prisons would deny their identity, says ...
5 Feb 2026 at 5:06pm
SNP?s lawyer argues the ?mental health and rehabilitation? of prisoners is more important than their biological sexA blanket rule to house transgender women in men?s prisons, even when they pose no risk to others, would be a ?fundamental denial? of their identity, the Scottish government has argu...

Starmer faces rising anger over Mandelson as MPs agree to release files to se...
4 Feb 2026 at 8:24pm
Starmer faces criticism from MPs on all sides of the CommonsThis liveblog is now closed. Read the politics team?s report on today?s developments herePMQs is starting soon. Here is the list of MPs down to ask a question.The Reform UK MP Lee Anderson has dismissed claims that his party?s plan to su...

Campaigners challenge Scottish policy on transgender inmates in female prisons
3 Feb 2026 at 2:45pm
For Women Scotland objects to use of individual risk assessments, saying it is contrary to supreme court rulingFemale prisoners are paying the price for an ?Orwellian? Scottish government policy that allows some transgender inmates to be housed in female prisons, Scotland?s highest civil court ha...

Lord Wallace of Tankerness obituary
1 Feb 2026 at 5:39pm
Influential Liberal and Lib Dem politician who served as Scotland?s deputy first minister from the outset of devolutionJim Wallace, Lord Wallace of Tankerness, who has died aged 71 following complications after surgery, was an influential Liberal figure who achieved the extremely rare distinction...

Starmer announces visa-free travel to China after talks with Xi in Beijing ? ...
29 Jan 2026 at 5:32pm
Downing Street gives no date for when the agreement of 30 days of visa-free travel will come into forceFor more context on today?s Starmer-Xi meeting, China is the world?s second-biggest economy and Britain?s third-largest trading partner ? to which it exports £45bn of goods and services a year ?...

Deacon Blue ?appalled? by Reform UK?s Scottish leader quoting their song lyrics
27 Jan 2026 at 11:04am
Exclusive: Band hit out at party?s ?poisonous rhetoric? after Malcolm Offord makes reference to Dignity during speechOne of Scotland?s most celebrated rock bands, Deacon Blue, say they are ?appalled? that one of their greatest hits is being used by Reform UK?s new Scottish leader to bolster his p...

Tories withdraw ?mental health? briefing about Suella Braverman after former ...
26 Jan 2026 at 6:10pm
Her defection means there are now eight Reform MPs in the CommonsKeir Starmer was being interview by Beth Rigby from Sky News this morning when he defended the decision not to let Andy Burnham be a byelection candidate.After Starmer delivered his first answer (see 10.15am), Rigby asked him to wha...

Reform says it would cut green policies to fund £2bn income tax cut in Scotland
26 Jan 2026 at 4:36pm
Party?s pitch to voters in May Holyrood elections dismissed as ?profoundly unserious, almost comically so? by head of IPPR ScotlandReform UK would slash what it calls ?highly dubious? environmental protection measures to help fund a £2bn cut to income tax in Scotland if it won May?s Holyrood elec...

Scottish health board admits hospital water system linked to fatal infections
19 Jan 2026 at 12:03pm
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde makes last-minute U-turn in submission to hospitals inquiryScotland?s largest health board has finally admitted that contaminated water at a Glasgow super-hospital caused serious infections in child cancer patients that were linked to four deaths.NHS Greater Glasgow ...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

it?s not John Swinney who must be held to account for Mandelson, it?s Starmer...
8 Feb 2026 at 1:56pm
Certain individuals such as the execrable Russell Findlay, the soon to be electorally humbled branch manager of the Tories in Scotland, and Mandy Rhodes, the editor of Holyrood Magazine, a publication with considerably fewer readers than this blog, are attempting to make political capital out of the fact that when on an official visit to …

YouGov?s independence polls are comfort blankets for Unionists
6 Feb 2026 at 12:28pm
This is an expanded and revised version of a piece I wrote for The National newspaper earlier this week. Since writing it further information has come to light which casts even greater doubt on the validity of a YouGov poll on Scottish independence which was published last week, a poll which was received with immense …

Mandelson, the sleazy heart of Starmer?s right wing Labour party
5 Feb 2026 at 3:13pm
Keir Starmer’s leadership of the Labour party and his position as Prime Minister have been on a shoogly peg for some time. After being elected in July 2024 with a landslide victory in the Commons, albeit on a mere one third of the popular vote, Labour MPs were looking forward to settling down to a …

The independence movement must commit to a Scottish republic
4 Feb 2026 at 2:02pm
It’s well known that people in Scotland are less enamoured with the self-promoting antics of the Windsor family than people in other parts of the UK. Large royal events with all their pomp and pageantry paid for at public expense are typically met in Scotland with widespread apathy, if not anger and ridicule. The street …

What happens in the Welsh election could be key to Scotland too
2 Feb 2026 at 4:27pm
The well known traditional curse, “May you live in interesting times” is often ascribed to an ancient Chinese text, although there is no evidence for this. Be that as it may, it cannot be denied that we are cursed with living through interesting times. Keir Starmer was elected to head a Labour government with a …

BBC Scotland?s look at nuclear through Labour Rose tinted glasses
31 Jan 2026 at 1:39pm
The bias of the BBC, particularly BBC Scotland, against the SNP Scottish Government in particular and the wider Scottish independence movement in general is well documented by pro-independence campaigners, but ignored by the Scottish media which is itself overwhelmingly biased against Scottish independence, the somewhat less than half of the Scottish population which opposes independence …

Wee Ginger Annual Fundraiser 2026 part 2
30 Jan 2026 at 6:08pm
Unfortunately when I published the previous post about this year’s fundraiser, I pressed publish too quickly and omitted the full details for donating via PayPal or Ko-fi. Here they are now and here is the link again to the GoFundMe fundraiser. Many thanks for supporting my work. It’s greatly appreciated.   https://www.gofundme.com/f/wee-ginger-dug-annual-fundraiser-2026   I?ve added …

Wee Ginger Annual Fundraiser 2026
30 Jan 2026 at 1:33pm
It’s that time of the year again, when I ask readers of this blog to make a contribution, big or small, to keeping this blog running for another year. As we approach the Holyrood elections, I have been increasing the frequency of new posts on the blog from theprevious two or three per week to …

Trump?s lawlessness comes to Scotland
29 Jan 2026 at 3:48pm
Donald Trump is infamously lawless. He is the first convicted criminal to be elected to the White House. That conviction alone, by no means the worst crime the oranged faced felon has allegedly committed, should have been enough to disqualify him from holding public office, but he was ushered into power by a corrupt Republican …

Reform UK?s authoritarian project for power
28 Jan 2026 at 2:55pm
The American author and poet Maya Anjelou famously wrote: “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” That has never been more true than where we are now in British politics with the rise of the far right, the performative cruelty it espouses and its dehumanisation of minority groups. Reform UK …

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

Assisted dying ? Rural hospice staff shortages for palliative care will be UK...
9 Feb 2026 at 10:45am
Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. In BBC Scotland‘s short insert in BBC Breakfast, several times this morning: Hospice leaders say Scotland must must address a severe shortage of end-of-life care for those living with terminal illnesses in rural communities. Next month MSPs face a final vote on assisted dying leg...

Why giving your second vote to a small pro-independence party will not increa...
9 Feb 2026 at 9:47am
Full version with working and sources – https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/02/09/why-giving-your-second-vote-to-a-small-pro-independence-party-will-not-increase-the-overall-number-of-pro-independence-parties-in-scotland-and-risks-even-increasing-number-of-unionist-msps-so-both-v/

Why giving your second vote to one of the small pro-independence parties will...
9 Feb 2026 at 9:27am
Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. This is an almost entirely AI report. I trust it more than I would any assessment by human beings with the unavoidable biases and predispositions we all possess me too and which, even unconsciously, direct what we think is our conscious thinking. Yes I know AI can be, and has b...

Charity says worst form of homelessness in Scotland is about half as high as ...
9 Feb 2026 at 8:34am
Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. The Daily Record‘s Dan Vevers has been out in the streets of Glasgow finding out what it’s like for rough-sleepers. Ironically, the story is part of a long-running Labour campaign. Why would Labour, the party of the better-off for a few years now, be interested in rough-sleepers?...

Social housing satisfaction levels 12% higher in Scotland as crisis strikes E...
9 Feb 2026 at 8:09am
a basic decent standard, and the pace of improving them is far too slow, according to a group of MPs…….The Government said it was taking action to drive up… Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. BBC Breakfast today, on the condition of social housing in England. They don’t mention any survey results on tenant satisfa...

?Intelligence would have briefed No. 10 on vulnerabilities? ? It?s not just S...
8 Feb 2026 at 4:32pm
Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. The Times in 2009 noting the closeness of PM Brown and his Business Minister. In comments reported by The Times, Brown stated: ?Peter is doing an excellent job. He has shown it was a good decision to invite him to come back from Brussels and join the Government.? He added: ?We ar...

Selective media reading of research report to hide Scotland?s stronger suppor...
8 Feb 2026 at 10:52am
Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. In the Guardian and other UK media today: UK?s ?unsung army? of full-time unpaid carers needs more support, report says – Resolution Foundation finds one in three carers from poorer families unable to work because of responsibilities. A growing ?unsung army? of 1 million people w...

Why there are no fly-tipping ?super-sites? for Scottish media to report ? mor...
8 Feb 2026 at 9:34am
Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. BBC UK have been reporting 517 incidents of fly tipping, 11 of them ‘super-sites’ like the one above, in England. BBC Scotland, Scottish Labour and other media, you can be sure, have been scouring the country for something they can use to confirm that things are just as bad here....

Reform UK is now under police investigation after admitting it distributed by...
7 Feb 2026 at 3:18pm
Please Support Talking-up Scotland at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. By Liz S ?Reform UK is now under police investigation after admitting it distributed by election material disguised as a private letter from a ?concerned neighbour?. Voters in Gorton and Denton received personalised letters urging them to back Reform, presented as the views of a...

Even in death Jeanne Freeman shamefully and wrongly blamed for care home deat...
7 Feb 2026 at 10:41am
Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotlandClick on the above. Evidence at: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/02/07/shamefully-even-now-bbc-scotland-still-conceal-how-jeanne-freemans-unique-in-the-uk-quick-action-on-vaccines-saved-thousands-of-lives-in-scottish-care-homes/

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

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

Your Party Scotland votes to officially become pro-independence party - TheNa...
8 Feb 2026 at 7:22pm
Your Party Scotland votes to officially become pro-independence party  TheNational.scot

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

No independence referendum if SNP wins majority, Reeves says - BBC
27 Nov 2025 at 8:00am
No independence referendum if SNP wins majority, Reeves says  BBC

Independence referendum is Scotland?s choice, says Jeremy Corbyn - London Eve...
8 Feb 2026 at 7:38pm
Independence referendum is Scotland?s choice, says Jeremy Corbyn  London Evening Standard

The new hero of Scottish independence? Nigel Farage - politico.eu
13 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
The new hero of Scottish independence? Nigel Farage  politico.eu

Scottish independence polls & surveys - YouGov
30 Jan 2026 at 8:00am
Scottish independence polls & surveys  YouGov

Jeremy Corbyn says it is for Scotland to decide on independence referendum - ...
8 Feb 2026 at 12:59pm
Jeremy Corbyn says it is for Scotland to decide on independence referendum  The Herald

Twenty-five years of data shows how link between identity and views on Scotti...
9 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
Twenty-five years of data shows how link between identity and views on Scottish independence has grown stronger  The Conversation

Your Party Scotland launches in Dundee - Bella Caledonia
6 Feb 2026 at 2:03pm
Your Party Scotland launches in Dundee  Bella Caledonia

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

Pete Wishart: Why SNP supporters should give the party both votes - TheNation...
9 Feb 2026 at 5:07am
Pete Wishart: Why SNP supporters should give the party both votes  TheNational.scot

Community gathers to celebrate life of Robert Burns - Peeblesshire News
9 Feb 2026 at 9:05am
Community gathers to celebrate life of Robert Burns  Peeblesshire News

SNP blamed for 'broken system' as nearly 11,000 upheld police complaints rock...
9 Feb 2026 at 11:05am
SNP blamed for 'broken system' as nearly 11,000 upheld police complaints rock force  Scottish Daily Express

Former Scottish health secretary Jeane Freeman dies aged 72 - BBC
7 Feb 2026 at 12:46pm
Former Scottish health secretary Jeane Freeman dies aged 72  BBC

Jeane Freeman: SNP politician who led Covid response - BBC
7 Feb 2026 at 8:52am
Jeane Freeman: SNP politician who led Covid response  BBC

Jeane Freeman, 1953-2026 - snp.org
7 Feb 2026 at 11:34am
Jeane Freeman, 1953-2026  snp.org

Poll: Gap between SNP and Reform UK narrows, but nationalists on track to win...
6 Feb 2026 at 9:30am
Poll: Gap between SNP and Reform UK narrows, but nationalists on track to win in Scotland  The Scotsman

Keir Starmer is toast ? and Labour pains mean SNP gains in Holyrood come May ...
8 Feb 2026 at 11:18pm
Keir Starmer is toast ? and Labour pains mean SNP gains in Holyrood come May  The Sun

Community gathers to celebrate life of Robert Burns - Border Telegraph
8 Feb 2026 at 3:05pm
Community gathers to celebrate life of Robert Burns  Border Telegraph

Repellent policy on trans inmates shows SNP chooses men over women - The Times
7 Feb 2026 at 6:10pm
Repellent policy on trans inmates shows SNP chooses men over women  The Times

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

Your Party Scotland votes to officially become pro-independence party - TheNa...
8 Feb 2026 at 7:22pm
Your Party Scotland votes to officially become pro-independence party  TheNational.scot

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

No independence referendum if SNP wins majority, Reeves says - BBC
27 Nov 2025 at 8:00am
No independence referendum if SNP wins majority, Reeves says  BBC

Independence referendum is Scotland?s choice, says Jeremy Corbyn - London Eve...
8 Feb 2026 at 7:38pm
Independence referendum is Scotland?s choice, says Jeremy Corbyn  London Evening Standard

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

David Cameron - Scottish Referendum, 2015 Election, Brexit - Britannica
27 Jan 2026 at 8:00am
David Cameron - Scottish Referendum, 2015 Election, Brexit  Britannica

Independence referendum is Scotland?s choice, says Jeremy Corbyn - The Indepe...
8 Feb 2026 at 11:50am
Independence referendum is Scotland?s choice, says Jeremy Corbyn  The Independent

Independence referendum is Scotland?s choice, says Jeremy Corbyn - Yahoo News UK
8 Feb 2026 at 10:38am
Independence referendum is Scotland?s choice, says Jeremy Corbyn  Yahoo News UK

Jeremy Corbyn says it is for Scotland to decide on independence referendum - ...
8 Feb 2026 at 12:59pm
Jeremy Corbyn says it is for Scotland to decide on independence referendum  The Herald

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