The Herald

The Herald | Politics


UK and Norway sign defence pact to hunt Russian submarines off Scotland
4 Dec 2025 at 12:05am
The UK and Norway are to sign a defence pact that will see their navies operate a combined fleet of warships to hunt Russian submarines in the North Atlantic.


NHS 'financially unstable' despite additional funding, SNP ministers warned
4 Dec 2025 at 12:01am
Scotland's public sector watchdog has warned SNP ministers that the NHS is "financially unstable" despite additional funding.


Concerns over remit and independence of new Scottish Government grooming gang...
3 Dec 2025 at 6:06pm
The Scottish Government has announced a national review into how agencies handle allegations of group-based child sexual abuse,. Ministers say the findings will shape whether a full inquiry follows.


Nicola Sturgeon's remarks on female leaders - was it egotistical or fair?
3 Dec 2025 at 4:00pm
The 'classic Nicola Sturgeon ego' has been blamed for the former first minister's remarks about future female leadership in Holyrood.


Engineer who objected to trans women using female toilet loses tribunal case
3 Dec 2025 at 3:22pm
A female engineer who objected to trans women using female toilets has lost her discrimination case against Leonardo UK after a tribunal dismissed all claims.


Nigel Farage says Glasgow is being 'culturally smashed' over language barrier
3 Dec 2025 at 1:43pm
Farage has pledged to focus on the issue of migration ahead of a rally in Falkirk this weekend.


Tories accuse Constance of ?lying? as they weigh vote of no confidence in min...
3 Dec 2025 at 12:27pm
Angela Constance has been accused of 'lying' to Parliament with the Tories saying her position is a untenable.


'Zero tolerance' for threats to workers as Christmas lights go up
3 Dec 2025 at 7:05am
It has been reported that workers in the Kincorth area of the city were verbally threatened while taking down Saltires to make room for the lights.


Think tank says metro mayor needed to unlock Glasgow City Region?s potential
3 Dec 2025 at 5:00am
Glasgow is underperforming by £7.3bn a year, a new report warns, as it calls for a 2027 metro mayor to drive growth across the City Region.


Report warns devolution ?not working properly? under SNP as Scotland ?faces c...
3 Dec 2025 at 12:00am
A new report by Professor Jim Gallagher warns that devolved government in Scotland is ?in stasis? and faces a looming fiscal crisis after years of centralisation and weak delivery.


Cruel, isolating and retraumatising: Why bereaved families feel abandoned ove...
3 Dec 2025 at 12:00am
A new report on the experiences of the country?s Fatal Accident Inquiry system sheds light on why relatives of those who died in custody feel abandoned


Professor Jay urges urgent review into scale of child sexual exploitation in ...
2 Dec 2025 at 11:22pm
Professor Alexis Jay says Scotland lacks a clear picture of child sexual exploitation and urges an urgent multi-agency review that could lead to a full inquiry.


Labour MP accuses SNP councillor of spreading nuclear subs 'misinformation'
2 Dec 2025 at 8:28pm
"An SNP councillor is spreading misinformation and arguing against highly skilled nuclear jobs in the safe dismantlement of nuclear subs at Rosyth."


Scottish Government to spend £150k to take over Glasgow bar for major sportin...
2 Dec 2025 at 4:26pm
Health Secretary Neil Gray has outlined plans for the hub to help showcase Scotland and maximise the impact of the projected £150 million economic benefit.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


Fornethy Survivors hit out at 'unbelievable' historic child abuse sentencing
3 Dec 2025 at 7:20pm

Patricia Robertson was handed a community sentence - something the Fornethy Survivors say is ?absolutely devastating?

Nigel Farage made the comments ahead of a visit to Scotland this weekend,

The SNP?s Holyrood manifesto vowed to ?freeze income tax rates and bands? until 2026.

Russell Findlay has slammed comments made by Nicola Sturgeon on female politicians.

The Scottish Government has now confirmed it will launch an inquiry into child grooming gangs.

Council workers have been threatened after removing flags that had been put up over immigration concerns.

A new report has called for next year?s election to be a chance to reset how Scotland is governed

More than 450 consultants and doctors responded to a BMA Scotland survey

Charles McGarvey says cuts mean lifeline care services are being destroyed.

GMB Scotland said funding from the Scottish Government was not ?close to being enough?

Wings over Scotland

Ain?t Got Time To Bleed
3 Dec 2025 at 8:12pm
It is our solemn duty to inform you we’ve received another legal threat, readers. Should we cease and desist? Let’s see. The article in question is this one, and this is everything it said about Mr McNeil: Only one “statement” is attributed to him – the words “The authorities will be there so we need …

Ginger beer and fruit and nuts
3 Dec 2025 at 1:44pm
We miss the days when this was parody, not “progressive” ideology. ? But we are where we are. And hey, it’s great news that their adult roles are still open to all.

Wishing for swans
1 Dec 2025 at 1:58pm
For lack of anything more interesting to write about, we thought we might do a monthly rundown of polling in the leadup to next year’s Holyrood election, with seat projections from a neutral source, in the shape of the newish Devolved Elections website. And very quickly, things got a bit weird. Our original thought was …

The Groomers? Friends
27 Nov 2025 at 12:59pm
We’re just putting this here for the record, really. It’s a “debate” from the Scottish Parliament last night, on a motion from Patrick Harvie complaining that vulnerable children aren’t being pushed into a programme of lifelong medicalisation, sterilisation and mutilation quickly enough. The motion completely ignored both the findings of the Cass Review and the …

Searching And Looking
22 Nov 2025 at 9:44pm
Disgraced ex-policeman and notorious vexatious serial complainant Lynsay Watson is having quite the meltdown on the groomer-and-paedophile haven Bluesky tonight. Let’s listen in. The trigger is that Watson has been asked to attend a voluntary police interview in connection with allegations of harassment against him – something that’s happened before, and which he’s managed to …

Reach For The Stars (And Stripes)
19 Nov 2025 at 8:49am
To be honest, we’re mainly putting these here so you don’t have to keep looking at that picture of Alan Cumming. But they also show what you can achieve, whether in football or politics, if you actually attack rather than being content to endlessly shuttle it all sideways and backwards until you get beaten without …

Over The Hill And Down The Slope
14 Nov 2025 at 1:15pm
We’ve just been leaked the SNP’s first poster roughs for Holyrood 2026. One more push, everyone!

Grift Away
8 Nov 2025 at 2:31pm
Oh good, another plan. Just three and a half years to wait. Should we, what’s the phrase, “Save The Date”? Rhetorical question, obviously. If you’re in a hurry, folks, just scroll down to the video and start there, because Believe In Scotland’s latest wheeze to get hold of your folding money and stash it in …

Rise Of The Machine
7 Nov 2025 at 11:49am
It’s Wings’ 14th birthday today, and to be entirely honest with you, readers, like a lot of teenagers we’re having a bit of an existential crisis. It’s quite difficult to see any point in being a Scottish political journalist for the next five years, because it’s just going to be one depressing Groundhog Day after …

How To Create Racists
29 Oct 2025 at 2:36pm
This really is an extraordinary headline, for multiple reasons. Because what actually IS “the rise of Reform”? ? The only thing “the rise of Reform” can possibly mean here is “more and more people choosing to vote for, or express their support for, a particular lawful political party in a democracy”. Why are we supposed …

Craig Murray

The Terrifying Case of Natalie Strecker
2 Dec 2025 at 8:30am

I am confident that over 2 million people in the UK have shared thoughts on the Genocide in Gaza that are stronger than anything Natalie Strecker has expressed. I am quite certain that I am one of those 2 million. Yet Natalie Strecker, an avowed pacifist, today faces up to ten years in prison under …

The Terrifying Case of Natalie Strecker

Resisting Authoritarianism
28 Nov 2025 at 8:34am

In the last three days I have been in London at the judicial review of Palestine Action and today I am in Jersey for the terrorist trial of Natalie Strecker. I made a brief impromptu speech outside the High Court, in intervening to try and stop some people in wheelchairs from being arrested as “terrorists”, …

Resisting Authoritarianism

Judicial Malfeasance and Palestine Action
26 Nov 2025 at 2:56am

The Scottish judicial review of the proscription of Palestine Action – funded so far by readers of this blog – has been simply shelved by delay tactics that plainly break the Scottish legal system’s own rules. Our case was ruled competent for us to serve the petition on the UK government. They replied in the …

Judicial Malfeasance and Palestine Action

The Beat of the War Drums
20 Nov 2025 at 6:34am

In fascist lockstep, the entire British media, broadcast and print, corporate and state, is leading with a Ministry of Defence press release about a “Russian spy ship” inside “British waters”. No British media appears to have been able to speak to anybody who knows the first thing about the Law of the Sea. Here are …

The Beat of the War Drums

UN Reform and Scottish Independence
14 Nov 2025 at 11:06am

Scottish Independence is an extremely attractive prospect to states at the United Nations, and for reasons that you might not expect. Every state knows that the current UN structure is outdated and indefensible, with five states – US, China, Russia, UK and France – having a permanent seat and a total veto on the Security …

UN Reform and Scottish Independence

The Four Mentors of King Charles
6 Nov 2025 at 3:40pm

As Godfather to Prince William, heir to the British throne, Prince Charles chose his close friend and adviser Laurens van der Post. A paedophile. Van der Post raped a 14 year old girl who had been given into his care for the sea voyage from South Africa to London. He then installed her in a …

The Four Mentors of King Charles

BBC Scotland

Are Scottish Labour on the brink of Westminster revolt?
3 Dec 2025 at 10:57pm
The prime minister is set to visit Scotland this week, but there are murmurings of discontent among his MPs.

Scotland's health boards given £230m bailout loans
3 Dec 2025 at 10:59pm
Despite record levels of NHS funding, seven health boards needed government help to balance their books last year.

GB Energy plan to focus on historical oil and gas areas
3 Dec 2025 at 10:59pm
The new publicly-owned body says its investments will aim to support 10,000 jobs by 2030.

Scottish government orders review of grooming gangs evidence
3 Dec 2025 at 5:17pm
The review will inform a future decision on whether or not there should be a judge-led public inquiry.

Health secretary insists there is enough stock of flu vaccine
3 Dec 2025 at 12:28pm
Over a million adults and 400,000 children received the flu jab between September and November.

Reeves should resign for misleading public, says Swinney
1 Dec 2025 at 12:53pm
The first minister has called for the chancellor to step down due to comments she made ahead of the Budget.

Should football fans be banned from games for using pyrotechnics?
30 Nov 2025 at 1:10pm
The Scottish government is seeking views on whether banning orders should be given out for the use of flares or fireworks at matches.

Sandie Peggie lawyer says Scottish government is in denial
27 Nov 2025 at 1:08pm
Lawyer Naomi Cunningham says the Supreme Court judgment is "a model of clarity and simplicity".

MSPs pass emergency bill to fix business rates blunder
27 Nov 2025 at 6:56pm
The government is seeking to correct a legislative error in a bid to avoid a £400m bill to refund taxpayers.

No changes to Scottish income tax plan, Robison says
27 Nov 2025 at 12:53pm
The finance secretary says rates will not rise and no new bands will be introduced in January's Budget.

No independence referendum if SNP wins majority, Reeves says
27 Nov 2025 at 12:08pm
The chancellor has refused to support a second vote if the SNP wins a majority of seats in May.

Cameron barracks asylum plans 'made up on back of an envelope' - Swinney
30 Nov 2025 at 1:31pm
John Swinney made the remarks the day after plans to place 300 men in Cameron Barracks in Inverness by early December were delayed.

Scot Goes Pop

"Utterly dominant": SNP soar to almost 40% support in latest Scottish subsamp...
3 Dec 2025 at 5:52pm
*  *  *Scot Goes Pop: The Final Fundraiser is underway (you can read more about why I anticipate it being the final one HERE) and it's already pretty close to halfway to its target figure of £1700....

Scot Goes Pop: The Final Fundraiser (plus an update about the video blogging ...
1 Dec 2025 at 6:37am
Click here to go straight to the fundraiser page.Scot Goes Pop's annual fundraiser for 2025 ended up getting much, much closer to its target figure than I ever thought was possible, so a million th...

STUNNING YouGov polling confirms SNP are far more popular with voters in Scot...
30 Nov 2025 at 5:59am
* .* .*With just over one month of the year left to go, the 2025 Scot Goes Pop fundraiser is still short of its target figure.  If you'd like to help keep the lights on during the several months it...

IT'S OFFICIAL: Rachel Reeves confirms Scotland is in a FORCED union with Engl...
28 Nov 2025 at 11:17am
* .* .*With just over one month of the year left to go, the 2025 Scot Goes Pop fundraiser is still short of its target figure.  If you'd like to help keep the lights on during the several months it...

Does the Alba Party's "princess" Shannon Cullen regret her ill-judged associa...
27 Nov 2025 at 1:12pm
In a way it's ironic that the Alba Party have become so vehemently anti-monarchy, because they certainly believe in the principle of Royal Families within their own ranks.  Famously, Christina Hend...

Landmark YouGov poll shows how SNP could win independence by holding the bala...
26 Nov 2025 at 6:08am
* .* .*With just over one month of the year left to go, the 2025 Scot Goes Pop fundraiser is still short of its target figure.  If you'd like to help keep the lights on during the several months it...

Scotland becoming a "YouGov democracy" is not the road to independence
25 Nov 2025 at 6:19am
* .* .*With just over one month of the year left to go, the 2025 Scot Goes Pop fundraiser is still short of its target figure.  If you'd like to help keep the lights on during the several months it...

Nothing succeeds like secession
24 Nov 2025 at 4:45pm
Just a quick note to let you know I am one of the interviewees in Dani Garavelli's Radio 4 documentary If At First You Don't Secede..., which is about the epic saga of the ever-elusive Indyref 2.  ...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

?Read my lips: no pact?: Lee Anderson denies plans for Reform-Tory merger
3 Dec 2025 at 4:49pm
Reports suggest Nigel Farage told Reform donors a merger with the Tories was 'inevitable' to ensure victory at the next election.

Scottish Government orders review into handling of complaints against groomin...
3 Dec 2025 at 3:23pm
The review will be led by an independent expert and will inform any future decisions on whether a judge-led inquiry is necessary.

Starmer to help parents access baby formula ?at more affordable prices?
3 Dec 2025 at 1:04pm
Keir Starmer said he would issue clearer guidance for retailers.

Scottish Labour to blame SNP for fuelling ?crisis? in social care
3 Dec 2025 at 12:57pm
Scottish Labour is set to use a parliamentary debate to accuse the Scottish Government of 'pushing social care to the brink of collapse'.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces PMQs amid continued Budget questions
3 Dec 2025 at 11:54am
Labour ministers have denied any suggestion that the chancellor misled voters.

Ministers must ?urgently clarify? stance on grooming gangs inquiry, says Labour
3 Dec 2025 at 7:09am
The party will lead a parliamentary debate on Wednesday.

Twelve prisoners accidentally released since November, Lammy says
2 Dec 2025 at 9:11am
The Justice Secretary David Lammy also confirmed that two of those prisoners are still at large.

Head of OBR resigns after Budget publishing error
1 Dec 2025 at 5:02pm
Richard Hughes announced his resignation on Monday to allow the watchdog to 'quickly move on' from the leak of the Budget.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves ?very clearly? misled the public ahead of the Budget...
1 Dec 2025 at 12:57pm
Labour ministers have denied any suggestion that the chancellor misled voters.

Labour MP Tulip Siddiq given jail sentence in Bangladesh after corruption trial
1 Dec 2025 at 6:54am
Tulip Siddiq did not attend the trial in Bangladesh and has previously said it was full of "fabricated accusations and driven by a clear political vendetta."

Swinney ?not being fully candid? about Cameron Barracks notification
30 Nov 2025 at 7:48pm
The Government has paused plans to house 300 asylum seekers at the site in Inverness.

Football banning orders could be extended to crack down on pyrotechnics and o...
30 Nov 2025 at 11:51am
Football Banning Orders are court orders that prevent individuals from attending all regulated matches in the UK.

Reeves: Investigation into ?black hole? Budget claims ?not necessary?
30 Nov 2025 at 12:01am
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has defended her Budget measures following a row over her claim that she faced a £20 million gap in meeting her fiscal rules.

Cameron Barracks asylum seeker plans ?made up on back of an envelope? ? Swinney
29 Nov 2025 at 6:49pm
Concerns had been raised about the impact on the community in Inverness.

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Tackling this evil is taking too long as grooming gangs probe ordered by SNP ...
4 Dec 2025 at 4:30am
Record View says the concerns of victims must be central if this review is to command public support and reassurances have to be provided.

Grooming gangs probe ordered by SNP Government after anger by victims
3 Dec 2025 at 4:18pm
Professor Alexis Jay will have a role on a review that could result in a full inquiry.

MSP suspended by Labour facing Holyrood exit after he is unable to contest Ed...
3 Dec 2025 at 1:15pm
EXCLUSIVE: Foysol Choudhury had been selected in Edinburgh Northern, but the internal Labour selection has been reopened and it will be an all-women shortlist.

Everything you need to know about Vladimir Putin's World War Three threat
3 Dec 2025 at 12:35pm
Russia's president issued the chilling message as talks on ending the war in Ukraine have stalled.

Energy giants under pressure to pass on full £150 bill cut to fixed tariff cu...
3 Dec 2025 at 8:50am
EXCLUSIVE: Labour Ministers have asked energy firms to ensure bills fall from April.

Former Falkirk MP backs protest exclusion zones outside asylum hotels after '...
3 Dec 2025 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: Dennis Canavan has lent his support to the idea after a series of angry clashes outside the Cladhan Hotel in the town.

Pro-independence tycoon brands SNP Government group's abortion plan 'infantic...
3 Dec 2025 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: Sir Brian Souter has been criticised over his comments about proposals to change abortion law.

Everything you need to know about proposals to reform abortion law in Scotland
3 Dec 2025 at 4:30am
An expert group has made a series of recommendations to reform the law on abortion

Grooming gangs expert calls on SNP Government to launch urgent child sexual e...
2 Dec 2025 at 6:53pm
Professor Alexis Jay said a review could be a "precursor" to a public inquiry.

Everything you need to know about free bus travel for every Scot under 30
2 Dec 2025 at 4:45am
The policy will be central to the Greens' Budget negotiations with the SNP.

The National

The National | Politics

American and European sermons on international law are hypocritical
3 Dec 2025 at 6:30pm

THE hypocrisy of European political leaders knows no bounds. Only last week 20 European countries agreed a joint statement intimating that peace in the Ukraine could not be achieved by ?yielding to the aggressor? but must be ?grounded in international law and fully respect Ukraine?s territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty?.

The Labour Party have led the UK into a big black hole called despair
3 Dec 2025 at 6:30pm

I WONDER are we in World War Three, without most countries being engaged in battles unlike in the first two World Wars. Instead, we have been taken over by powerful unelected conspirators who are slowly grinding us down.

Scottish Tory councillor took £20k 'empty homes' cash for holiday let
3 Dec 2025 at 6:22pm

A TORY councillor has admitted taking £20,000 of public cash from an ?empty homes? fund to do up a house she rented out as a holiday let.

Where's Scottish Labour's outrage over Keir Starmer's devolution 'rollback'?
3 Dec 2025 at 5:48pm

Scottish Labour are unable or unwilling to stand up to their London bosses and all signs are showing they are about to pay a heavy price

Scottish Government announces review into grooming gangs evidence
3 Dec 2025 at 5:30pm

The Scottish Government has announced a national review of evidence on the operation of grooming gangs in Scotland

'Deeply racist': Fury as Nigel Farage launches 'vile' attack on Glasgow pupils
3 Dec 2025 at 5:00pm

Nigel Farage has been slated for a 'repulsive' and 'deeply racist' attack on Glasgow schoolchildren as part of his Scottish campaign

Labour MP suspended from party after voting against family farm tax
3 Dec 2025 at 5:00pm

A Labour MP has been suspended after voting against the UK Government?s family farm tax

Scottish Government gives update on two-child cap after UK Budget
3 Dec 2025 at 4:18pm

The Scottish Government has issued an update on the two-child cap following the publication of the UK Budget

'Utmost regret': Trans women banned from Women's Institute membership
3 Dec 2025 at 3:12pm

TRANSGENDER women will be banned from becoming members of the Women?s Institute from April next year.

The windfall tax is not the cause of all North Sea job losses
3 Dec 2025 at 3:42pm

THE continuing outcry over the Energy Profits Levy (EPL) suggests that the windfall tax is responsible for every job loss in the North Sea (Karen Adam?s article, Dec 2). Harbour Energy?s latest claim ? that around 100 posts have gone as a direct consequence ? fits a wider pattern of attributing structural problems to a single tax measure.

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

Malcom Burr wins lifetime achievement award at Scottish Public Services Award...
3 Dec 2025 at 11:01pm
Malcom Burr, the chief executive of Western Isles Council,?has been a public servant for over 40 years, working in the former Strathclyde region, Orkney,?and the Western Isles

Karen Meechan: Scotland's tech entrepreneurs are proud of being Scottish
3 Dec 2025 at 3:24pm
'Tech companies are proud to be based in Scotland, want to grow their business in Scotland and want to support the ecosystem in Scotland'

UK Space Agency invests ?3.8 million in Scottish space sector
3 Dec 2025 at 10:58am
The UK Space Agency has announced a funding boost of ?3.8m to 'accelerate breakthrough technologies and boost commercialisation' of the Scottish space sector

Scottish Government to consult on criminalising deepfake creation
2 Dec 2025 at 4:59pm
The Scottish Government will consult on plans to outlaw the non-consensual creation of deepfake images.

Scottish Greens accuse tech giants of profiting from ?hatred and division?
2 Dec 2025 at 12:15pm
The Scottish Greens have said that it is crucial tech giants are made to take a stand against toxic and misogynistic behaviour online

UK Government promises clarity over Scotland?s space sector
2 Dec 2025 at 11:05am
The UK Government has pledged to set out a strategic approach to supporting the Scottish space sector in 2026

OBR chair resigns over Budget leak
1 Dec 2025 at 11:01pm
Richard Hughes announced his resignation after an investigation into the leak described it as the ?worst failure? in the OBR?s 15-year history

OBR calls in cyber expert over leaked budget analysis
27 Nov 2025 at 4:40pm
The Office for Budget Responsibility has said it will be taking advice from a cybersecurity expert after it leaked an analysis of the budget ?in error? on its website

Rachel Reeves: There won?t be another referendum
27 Nov 2025 at 3:40pm
Shona Robison accused the chancellor of an ?astonishing level of arrogance?

Scottish Government urged to cut income tax
27 Nov 2025 at 2:20pm
Russell Findlay said the decision by the UK Government to abolish the two-child cap on benefits freed up money earmarked to mitigate that policy

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

Starmer says budget did not break manifesto tax pledge ? as it happened
27 Nov 2025 at 5:54pm
PM says: ?We kept to our manifesto in terms of what we?ve promised. But I accept the challenge that we?ve asked everybody to contribute?Ask the Guardian your budget questionsShare your views on the new ?mansion tax?Budget calculator: find out if you are better or worse offThe Conservative party i...

Uk politics: Streeting defends asylum policy, but says he?s not ?comfortable?...
19 Nov 2025 at 5:31pm
Health secretary still maintains that forced removals are ?right thing to do for the country?Healey is now taking questions.Q: How close are are we to war?It is Labour that is the party of defence. Continue reading...

Starmer stands by McSweeney and says he has been ?assured no briefings agains...
13 Nov 2025 at 6:06pm
This blog has now closed, you can read more on this story herePA Media has more on what the monthly performance figures from NHS England show. PA says:The data shows 180,329 people in England had been waiting more than a year to start routine hospital treatment at the end of September, down from ...

Scotland plans to issue £1.5bn of its own bonds ? ?kilts? rather than gilts
13 Nov 2025 at 12:48pm
Announcement by first minister John Swinney comes after Moody?s and S&P give country same credit rating as UKThe Scottish first minister John Swinney has said Edinburgh is on track to issue its own government bonds, nicknamed ?kilts?, after the country was given the same credit rating as the UK.T...

The Guardian view on Scottish land reform: vast estates remain feudal in scal...
9 Nov 2025 at 5:25pm
Half of the country?s privately owned countryside is held by just 421 owners. New legislation suggests democrats still fear powerful interestsNo other European country has such a narrow base of proprietorship as Scotland. Half of all privately owned rural land is held by 421 people or entities. T...

Nicola Sturgeon: I understand why people doubt my ignorance of alleged SNP em...
7 Nov 2025 at 3:20pm
?Trust me, I had no idea? about potential wrongdoing in Scottish National party, says former first ministerNicola Sturgeon on leadership, scandal and trolling the trolls ? podcastNicola Sturgeon has said she fully understands why many people find it hard to believe she had no idea about alleged e...

Nicola Sturgeon on leadership, scandal and trolling the trolls ? podcast
7 Nov 2025 at 5:00am
In a special, bonus episode of Politics Weekly, Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey sit down with Scotland?s former first minister Nicola Sturgeon for a frank conversation about her time in office and the future of nationalist politics.Nothing is off the table: her leadership, Covid, the gender row tha...

Lammy says he was not ?equipped with the details? when facing questions on mi...
6 Nov 2025 at 5:22pm
This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereDavid Lammy, the deputy PM and justice secretary, has welcomed the fact that Billy Smith is back in custody, but described the spike in release mistakes as ?unacceptable?.According to PA Media, Lammy said:William Smith is back in c...

Met police issue statement with more information about missing Algerian priso...
5 Nov 2025 at 6:18pm
This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereDavid Lammy starts by saying the PM is in Brazil.He says the thoughts of all MPs are still with the victims of the appalling attacks in Huntingdon and Peterborough, where, he says, he was at school for seven years. Continue reading...

Reeves says she should have checked rental licence had been obtained as letti...
30 Oct 2025 at 6:50pm
No 10 releases redacted emails between Reeves? husband and letting agentRachel Reeves? rental error: standards adviser looking at new informationRobert Peston, ITV?s political editor, says he thinks it is a mistake for the Conservatives to be saying Rachel Reeves should have to resign over the re...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

Farage?s contemptible attack on Glesca weans
3 Dec 2025 at 9:15pm
Nigel Farage has been a racist bully again. But don’t worry, he’s only doing it indirectly and without intent to offend or insult. So that’s OK then. Just days after the Scottish Languages Act came into force the English nationalist golf club boor has taken aim at school children in Glasgow. Apparently it’s the “cultural …

The Scottish Languages Act
1 Dec 2025 at 6:56pm
Scotland’s status as a multilingual country is now recognised in law with the Scottish Languages Act coming into force on St Andrew’s Day. The Act beefs up the legal protections previously given to Gaelic and elevates it to the status of an official language of Scotland. For the first time in history, official legal recognition …

I?m disabled, here?s the truth about the Motability scheme.
29 Nov 2025 at 4:06pm
The Labour party has capitulated to right wing demonisation of the most vulnerable minority group in the country, the disabled. I’ve pointed this out before but it bears repeating. The disabled are the only minority group that anyone can become a part of at any time. Anyone can become involved in a serious accident that …

The lie that protects the rich from tax rises
27 Nov 2025 at 3:30pm
Better late than never, Rachel Reeves finally followed the lead of the SNP Government in Holyrood and announced that the heinous two child cap on benefits will finally be abolished from May next year, cue a load of hypocritical Labour MPs trying to pretend that they supported this measure all along despite voting to keep …

Hope of a better Scotland can defeat the far right
25 Nov 2025 at 2:42pm
Racists complain that migrants don’t want to learn English and integrate, but when migrants do want to learn English and integrate, racists mount a protest outside the school where English language lessons are being given to the mothers of some of the pupils, insisting that they are “protecting our kids” from unvetted adults on school …

The Scottish media?s covid double standards
21 Nov 2025 at 1:37pm
Did Nicola Sturgeon get everything right during the Covid pandemic when she headed a devolved government limited powers at its disposal and she was faced with an anti-independence Scottish media that screamed she was politicising the pandemic in order to further the cause of independence whenever she sought to diverge from the line being taken …

A Labour vote in Scotland is a vote not to matter
19 Nov 2025 at 5:01pm
You’ve got to hand it to the Labour party, they are certainly consistent, consistent in their shafting of Scottish workers. It’s almost as though, despite Labour’s protestations to the contrary, Scottish votes don’t matter to the Labour party and its strategists. We’ve seen a party which campaigned on the slogan vote Labour to save Grangemouth …

Starmer?s Labour enables fascism
17 Nov 2025 at 6:58pm
When the race baiting far right criminal Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and the hard right Reform UK are praising Labour’s policies, you know that something has gone profoundly wrong in a party which purports to be on the centre-left. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced a set of measures which are aimed at making the lives of …

Just get your boots off our necks, Westminster
14 Nov 2025 at 3:23pm
In an interview with The National newspaper, the actor Alan Cumming, who currently hosts the US version of the popular show The Traitors and who is outspoken in his support for Scottish independence, demanded “Get just get your boots off our necks, Westminster.” He made the powerful call for Scottish self-determination in connection with the …

No, independence supporters? compaints about BBC bias are nothing like Trump
12 Nov 2025 at 3:01pm
There is certainly no love lost between supporters of Scottish independence and the BBC. It is however egregious I’m-not-a-nationalist-I’m-British bollocks to suggest, as former Labour party hack Carlos Alba writes in Wednesday’s Herald newspaper, that Yes supporters are now on the side of Donald Trump as he threatens the Corporation with a billion dollar lawsuit …

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 'Albatraz'

Lammy releasing 4 times as many prisoners by error, per head, than in Scotlan...
4 Dec 2025 at 12:04am
Professor John Robertson OBA Alerted by the above from MSM Monitor, I thought I’d find out the answer to those in Scotland who will insist – “Ayr it’s just as f*****g bad here, pal!” It’s not, by no means. First, England, with sources: MoJ Partial Data (April 1?October 31, 2025): 91 releases in error, equivalent to ~3 per week. Disclosed by Justice Secretary David Lammy in parliamentary stateme...

BMA Scotland humiliated and Scotsman condemned as only 5% of Consultant and S...
4 Dec 2025 at 12:03am
Professor John Robertson OBA The Scotsman yesterday had the above based on a survey published by the BMA (Scotland) trade union. How many consultants and speciality associates are there in NHS Scotland? From NHS Education for Scotland (NES) – Official Workforce Statistics (June 2024 data, published September 2024): Consultants: 6,130 WTE (headcount ~7,000?7,500, accounting for part-time roles)....

Cost of dirt-digging Freedom of Information requests by Press, BBC Scotland a...
4 Dec 2025 at 12:01am
Professor John Robertson OBA From: Scottish Government’s Freedom of Information (FOI) compliance statistics: FOI release published yesterday, the above graph reveals a massive surge in FOIs answered by Scottish Government staff from the last Holyrood election and as we approach the next: https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202500482087/ A surge of around 60% from 2021 to 2024 and 20% in the y...

How can Glasgow need a mayor to tackle a supposed productivity gap when its p...
3 Dec 2025 at 11:59pm
Professor John Robertson OBA The Herald yesterday continued its Scottish Labour campaign with a report from a non-transparent think tank, Centre for Cities, to suggest it needs a mayor to tackle its productivity gap. All of the above English cities already have mayors and, other than the much larger Manchester, Glasgow leads them all From We?re Scotland?s economic powerhouse. Why doesn?t it fee...

Scotland?s lower taxes attracting skilled workers, lower living costs and bet...
3 Dec 2025 at 9:46am
Professor John Robertson OBA From Scotland’s Population 2024 – The Registrar General’s Annual Review of Demographic Trends published yesterday, the above graph and: Scotland?s population reached a record high of 5.55 million in 2024 The increase was mainly due to migration into Scotland https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/publications/scotlands-population-2024-the-registrar-generals-annual-review-of-...

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services beat 90% target for fourth time t...
3 Dec 2025 at 8:50am
Professor John Robertson OBA From Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) waiting timesQuarter ending September 2025, published yesterday, but still not reported by BBC Scotland 24 hours later, the above graph and: 91.5% of people started treatment within 18 weeks of referral, which is a decrease from 91.8% for the previous quarter and an increase from 89.1% for the same quarter end...

Let?s be sure we learn this lesson from history as global uranium demand and ...
3 Dec 2025 at 8:49am
Professor John Robertson OBA As Donald Trump‘s push for increased uranium production stirs up community media across the USA, a reminder of the risks in Scotland too. From In These Times, yesterday, the above and: When the uranium market dried up, companies simply abandoned the mines, a phenomenon so common there?s a term for it: AUM, or ??abandoned uranium mine.? Now, the mines stand as toxic ...

Massive 12% surge in planned operations in NHS Scotland but cancellations hel...
3 Dec 2025 at 8:47am
Professor John Robertson OBA From Cancelled planned operations Month ending 31 October 2025, published yesterday, the above and: There were 27,862 operations planned to take place across NHS Scotland. This is 12.2% higher (+3,038) than the number planned a year previously in October 2024 (24,824) and the highest number of operations planned since January 2020. Overall, the number of planned ope...

Massive 14% increase in psychological therapies carried out with over 65?s wi...
3 Dec 2025 at 8:45am
Professor John Robertson OBA From Psychological therapies waiting times Quarter ending September 2025 published yesterday: 80.7% of people started treatment within 18 weeks of referral, which is an increase from 78.3% in the previous quarter, and an increase from 80.0% for the quarter ending September 2024. Half of those starting treatment started within 3 weeks of referral. This is an increase...

Strange goings on at Talking-up Scotland the night before last ? early mornin...
3 Dec 2025 at 8:42am
Professor John Robertson OBA TuS averages 1 000 visitors a day so yesterday’s 3 256 is notable. The surge was, unusually, in the early hours – see this: The previous day’s posts can only have been the attraction at that time, midnight to 0400: Here’s where the visitors were based, countries: TuS tends to get little traffic from USA or South and East Asia or these particular US cities. The fifth...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

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 political snapshot, November 2025 - YouGov
17 Nov 2025 at 8:00am
Scottish political snapshot, November 2025  YouGov

Swinney sets out latest plan for an independence referendum - BBC
4 Sep 2025 at 8:00am
Swinney sets out latest plan for an independence referendum  BBC

More of the SNP's independence strategy should be revealed before May - TheNa...
3 Dec 2025 at 3:38pm
More of the SNP's independence strategy should be revealed before May  TheNational.scot

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

Scotland casts fresh eye on independence vote as UK's political landscape shi...
24 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
Scotland casts fresh eye on independence vote as UK's political landscape shifts  Courthouse News

Scotland Wants to Issue Its Own Bonds. Last Time It Paid With Its Independenc...
30 Nov 2025 at 5:00pm
Scotland Wants to Issue Its Own Bonds. Last Time It Paid With Its Independence.  The Wall Street Journal

A Fresh Start with Independence - The Scottish Government
8 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
A Fresh Start with Independence  The Scottish Government

Forget Nostradamus, Indyref2 likely depends on one thing: Scotland?s ?settled...
2 Dec 2025 at 4:23pm
Forget Nostradamus, Indyref2 likely depends on one thing: Scotland?s ?settled will?  The Herald

No independence referendum if SNP wins majority, Reeves says - BBC
27 Nov 2025 at 12:08pm
No independence referendum if SNP wins majority, Reeves says  BBC

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

NHS 'financially unstable' despite additional funding, SNP ministers warned -...
4 Dec 2025 at 12:02am
NHS 'financially unstable' despite additional funding, SNP ministers warned  The Herald

Scotland to launch national review into grooming gangs as SNP bows to pressur...
3 Dec 2025 at 7:56pm
Scotland to launch national review into grooming gangs as SNP bows to pressure  GB News

SNP focuses on grievance politics over patient safety - Healthcare Today
3 Dec 2025 at 11:32am
SNP focuses on grievance politics over patient safety  Healthcare Today

SNP orders independent review into grooming gangs in Scotland - The Times
3 Dec 2025 at 10:42pm
SNP orders independent review into grooming gangs in Scotland  The Times

More of the SNP's independence strategy should be revealed before May - TheNa...
3 Dec 2025 at 3:38pm
More of the SNP's independence strategy should be revealed before May  TheNational.scot

SNP slammed for ?blowing £20billion a year & STILL failing NHS? - The Scottis...
3 Dec 2025 at 8:46pm
SNP slammed for ?blowing £20billion a year & STILL failing NHS?  The Scottish Sun

What could Stirling Council?s SNP administration look like? - Brig Newspaper
3 Dec 2025 at 12:12pm
What could Stirling Council?s SNP administration look like?  Brig Newspaper

Tackling this evil is taking too long as grooming gangs probe ordered by SNP ...
4 Dec 2025 at 4:31am
Tackling this evil is taking too long as grooming gangs probe ordered by SNP Government  Daily Record

SNP ministers have no clear plan to meet NHS waiting times targets, says damn...
3 Dec 2025 at 8:55pm
SNP ministers have no clear plan to meet NHS waiting times targets, says damning watchdog report  Daily Mail

No independence referendum if SNP wins majority, Reeves says - BBC
27 Nov 2025 at 12:08pm
No independence referendum if SNP wins majority, Reeves says  BBC

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

No independence referendum if SNP wins majority, Reeves says - BBC
27 Nov 2025 at 12:08pm
No independence referendum if SNP wins majority, Reeves says  BBC

Ukraine Today: Russia slams ?flawed? Scotland referendum; Kremlin observers c...
30 Nov 2025 at 12:20pm
Ukraine Today: Russia slams ?flawed? Scotland referendum; Kremlin observers critical of independence vote (VIDEO)  Kyiv Post

Scotland Wants to Issue Its Own Bonds. Last Time It Paid With Its Independenc...
30 Nov 2025 at 5:00pm
Scotland Wants to Issue Its Own Bonds. Last Time It Paid With Its Independence.  The Wall Street Journal

Forget Nostradamus, Indyref2 likely depends on one thing: Scotland?s ?settled...
2 Dec 2025 at 4:23pm
Forget Nostradamus, Indyref2 likely depends on one thing: Scotland?s ?settled will?  The Herald

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

Scottish political snapshot, November 2025 - YouGov
17 Nov 2025 at 8:00am
Scottish political snapshot, November 2025  YouGov

Scotland casts fresh eye on independence vote as UK's political landscape shi...
24 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
Scotland casts fresh eye on independence vote as UK's political landscape shifts  Courthouse News

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

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

Swinney sets out latest plan for an independence referendum - BBC
4 Sep 2025 at 8:00am
Swinney sets out latest plan for an independence referendum  BBC