The Herald

The Herald | Politics


I used to believe there was no such thing as evil but now I am not so sure
28 Dec 2025 at 6:15am
WE arrived at the flat the day before the winter solstice dressed in old clothes and ready for action. Our eldest son and his girlfriend picked up the keys a few weeks earlier


Swinney 'anxious' UK Government letting his Trump whisky deal 'momentum' slip
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
28 Dec 2025 at 5:00am
John Swinney says momentum may be fading on a US whisky tariff deal, warning negotiations must now be driven by the UK Government.


John Swinney on family, football and his future as leader of the SNP
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
28 Dec 2025 at 5:00am
Matthew, John Swinney?s teenage son, was ?livid? at missing Scotland?s incredible 4-2 defeat of Denmark last month.


500,000 young Scots would benefit if free bus travel extended to under-30s - ...
by Katrine Bussey
28 Dec 2025 at 12:01am
More than 500,000 young Scots could benefit if free bus travel was extended to everyone under the age of 30 in next month?s Holyrood Budget, Greens have said.


Trump?s bombing of Nigeria is simply showmanship for his evangelical base
by david.pratt@heraldandtimes.co.uk | David Pratt
28 Dec 2025 at 6:15am
It?s about ?saving Christians? says the US president, but as Foreign Editor David Pratt reports, it?s yet more proof that his administration is opportunist and far from ?isolationist?


'We must survive so survivors thrive': Inside Glasgow rape crisis's fight for...
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
28 Dec 2025 at 5:00am
An exclusive visit to Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis Centre reveals growing funding fears, rising demand and the risk facing vital support for survivors.


Chris Birt: Scrapping the two-child limit cannot be height of Scotland's ambi...
by Chris Birt
28 Dec 2025 at 5:00am
Scrapping the two-child limit is welcome, but Scotland remains far off meeting child poverty targets, says Joseph Rowntree Foundation's Chris Birt.


'Scrapping two-child limit not enough to meet poverty targets in Scotland'
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
28 Dec 2025 at 5:00am
A charity has warned scrapping the two-child benefit limit is 'not enough' to meet Scotland?s child poverty targets ahead of the Holyrood 2026 elections.


Swinney ?duping? supporters into thinking he can win majority, says Anas Sarwar
by Craig Paton
27 Dec 2025 at 10:01am
First Minister John Swinney is ?duping? his party?s supporters into thinking he can win a majority, Anas Sarwar has claimed.


Heavy Labour losses in May could decide Starmer?s future ? expert
by Christopher McKeon
27 Dec 2025 at 8:35am
Sir Keir Starmer?s future could be determined in May as a polling expert warned Labour faces nationwide losses at next year?s elections.


Scottish firms put resilience to the test in 2025
by kristy.dorsey@newsquest.co.uk | Kristy Dorsey
27 Dec 2025 at 4:30am
The main message from 2025? Fortitude is not optional


Safety fears stop four in 10 women in Scotland walking after dark, survey finds
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
27 Dec 2025 at 5:00am
Nearly four in 10 women in Scotland say they would walk more if they felt safer after dark, according to a survey, highlighting calls for better lighting.


Scottish workers £700 a year worse off as Scotland lags UK pay growth, Labour...
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
27 Dec 2025 at 5:00am
Scottish workers are around £700 a year worse off under the SNP, Labour claims, as figures show Scotland has the lowest pay growth in the UK outside London.


Scots warned they could be ?punished again? by Labour pension age rise
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
27 Dec 2025 at 5:00am
SNP has warned Scots could be unfairly hit by Labour?s plans to raise the state pension age, warning about a "one-size-fits-all" approach.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


Keir Starmer gave aide peerage despite campaigning for Scots sex offender
28 Dec 2025 at 11:57am

Former Downing Street head of communications Matthew Doyle campaigned for councillor Sean Morton after he was charged and suspended from the party.

Labour MP Gregor Poynton has written to SNP Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth asking her to reverse the decision to use the money ?to plug holes elsewhere in the Scottish Government budget?.

There is a lot to look forward to in Scottish politics in 2026.

Calls are now being made to abolish the government?s Energy Consents Unit.

It is imperative that we bring politics closer to the lives of young people

Warning that system is on verge of breaking point due to case volume

The Scottish Government is being accused of pushing police officers to ?breaking point?.

?These findings will have the public wondering where their lordships find the time to get any work done at all.?

Colin and Mandy Mackie started the charity after the death of their 18-year-old son Greg.

The Alloa and Grangemouth MP said his criticisms of the UK Government were ?justified? and that he ?shouldn?t have? been suspended from the Parliamentary Labour Party.

Wings over Scotland

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Craig Murray

Hunger Strikes and Court Cases
16 Dec 2025 at 9:15pm

Fighting the proscription of Palestine Action has become more urgent as eight brave activists enter the crucial period of their hunger strike. 12 January has finally been set for the court hearing on holding a Scottish judicial review of the proscription of Palestine Action. I am frankly terrified for the hunger strikers. Qesser Zuhrah Amu …

Hunger Strikes and Court Cases

The Skripal Novichok Hoax
12 Dec 2025 at 9:58am

I did not anticipate that an open public meeting in Salisbury itself would be 95% sceptical of the official Novichok hoax – but it was. Thanks to UK Column for putting this on. I hope you find it enlightening – there is information which goes beyond my previous articles on the subject. In about a …

The Skripal Novichok Hoax

Your Party, and Its Conference
9 Dec 2025 at 1:14am

It is probably no bad thing that health struggles have delayed my writing up Your Party’s extraordinary Liverpool founding conference. Perspective is definitely helpful to process something unique. Personally, I could not help but be struck by the number of participants who approached me as regular readers of my blog, certainly well into three figures. …

Your Party, and Its Conference

The Filton Trial
7 Dec 2025 at 8:35pm

“The policewoman attacked by a sledgehammer” has been the constant refrain of the government against Palestine Action. A couple of days before the judicial review of the proscription in England, and despite fierce reporting restrictions on the trial, the prosecution released to the media highly edited video footage from the current trial in Woolwich Crown …

The Filton Trial

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

BBC Scotland

Justice secretary's grooming gang comments probed for code breach
23 Dec 2025 at 5:54pm
Angela Constance has been accused of misrepresenting Prof Alexis Jay's position on public inquiries into child sexual abuse and exploitation.

A&E waiting times improve ahead of busy festive period
23 Dec 2025 at 3:35pm
Figures from Public Health Scotland (PHS) show that 64% of people were seen to within the four-hour target last week compared to 59% the week before.

Resident doctor pay talks to continue over Christmas as strike looms
22 Dec 2025 at 2:52pm
Scotland's resident doctors have voted to strike in January, but the health secretary says it is an outcome both sides want to avoid.

Labour MSP to quit Holyrood over links to sex offender
21 Dec 2025 at 7:12pm
Pam Duncan-Glancy stood down as the party's education spokeswoman earlier this month after admitting a "serious error of judgement".

Call for time limits on public inquiries as costs soar
21 Dec 2025 at 9:20am
MSPs have recommended changes as they revealed almost £260m has been spent on Scotland's public inquiries since 2007.

First minister recalls 'moment of peace' as Christmas card revealed
21 Dec 2025 at 9:42am
John Swinney captured the image during a walk along the banks of Loch Ossian, on Rannoch Moor, in 2024.

No covert devices found in Holyrood bugging claims
19 Dec 2025 at 8:08pm
The Scottish parliament's presiding officer says the incident was part of an employment dispute involving an MSP.

Resident doctors in Scotland to go on strike for first time
19 Dec 2025 at 5:51pm
Their union BMA Scotland has accused the government of reneging on a commitment to restore pay to 2008 levels.

CalMac ferry Glen Rosa delayed again by up to six months
19 Dec 2025 at 3:33pm
The delivery date for MV Glen Rosa is pushed back by up to another six months while there is a further short delay with the Turkish-built Isle of Islay.

The 'fed up' Scottish town that voted for Reform UK
18 Dec 2025 at 6:16am
Why did the people of Whitburn - and nearby Blackburn - choose Nigel Farage's party over others?

MSP Ash Regan faces Holyrood ban over social media post
18 Dec 2025 at 11:39am
The independent representative has been found to have breached the Scottish Parliament's code of conduct.

Justice secretary apologises to grooming gangs expert
17 Dec 2025 at 3:24pm
Angela Constance has faced calls to resign after being accused of misrepresenting Prof Alexis Jay.

Scot Goes Pop

It's been clear for over a year that the controversial "Stew" blogger intends...
28 Dec 2025 at 9:38am
I was away with the fairies yesterday - after checking the weather forecast I went on a spur-of-the-moment hiking expedition in the wilds of Clackmannanshire......and I completely forgot an article...

A lump of coal for sorry Sarwar as Scottish Labour slump to FOURTH place in Y...
24 Dec 2025 at 7:52am
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.  A mil...

"Totally at odds with European values": should Israel's potential new aparthe...
22 Dec 2025 at 7:04am
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.  A mil...

BBC Sports Personality of the Year and the "invisibling of Scotland"
20 Dec 2025 at 7:51am
Scott McTominay, in spite of his stellar year, was inexplicably excluded from the shortlist for BBC Sports Personality of the Year.  Meanwhile the Team of the Year award had a shortlist of three, o...

DESPAIR for Farage in Wales as Plaid Cymru stretch their Senedd lead in stunn...
19 Dec 2025 at 7:01am
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.  A mil...

And the Christmas bells that ring there are the clanging chimes of doom, WELL...
18 Dec 2025 at 8:15am
Stew on Twitter: "People voting SNP for independence." pic.twitter.com/Y8U4XQ2SWA? Wings Over Scotland (@WingsScotland) December 17, 2025OK, Stew, now do people voting Reform UK "for independence"....

SNP are THIRTY percentage points ahead of Labour in fabulously festive Scotti...
17 Dec 2025 at 7:32am
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.  A mil...

Stew, hear our plea: "REVEREND CAMPBELL, THINK AGAIN"
16 Dec 2025 at 9:18am

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

Ministers challenged over ?huge plastic hole? in circular economy strategy
28 Dec 2025 at 12:57pm
Friends of the Earth argue the government's strategy must force businesses to pay for cleaning up the plastic they produce.

Upskirting case levels do not reflect number of incidents, Lib Dems claim
28 Dec 2025 at 10:15am
An FOI request from the Scottish Liberal Democrats revealed that between 2018 and October 2025, 302 charges of upskirting were reported.

Swinney sends message of ?warmth, kindness and connection? at Christmas
24 Dec 2025 at 11:37am
The First Minister thanked emergency service workers for being on call on Christmas Day.

Justice secretary Angela Constance faces investigation over alleged breach of...
23 Dec 2025 at 2:08pm
Constance is accused of misleading MSPs by misrepresenting comments made by an expert on grooming gangs during a Holyrood debate in September.

UK Government raises inheritance tax threshold for farmers after protests
23 Dec 2025 at 12:20pm
Farmers across Scotland and the rest of UK have been protesting for months against the tax changes.

All NHS Scotland boards fail urgent cancer treatment time target, figures show
23 Dec 2025 at 10:46am
Public Health Scotland's report shows the wait times are the fifth-worst on record.

Aberdeen MSP sends P45 to Starmer over predicted loss of oil and gas jobs
23 Dec 2025 at 6:39am
The document has been sent by special delivery.

Government ?honouring? resident doctors? pay deal, says Gray ahead of talks
22 Dec 2025 at 10:31am
Doctors with BMA Scotland are due to go on strike as part of the pay dispute next month.

Streeting faces criticism as he appears to back joining customs union with EU
21 Dec 2025 at 11:36pm
Opposition parties accused Wes Streeting of putting ?political pitch-making? above his role as Health Secretary.

Labour MSP to quit Holyrood over friendship with convicted sex offender
21 Dec 2025 at 7:00pm
Scottish Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy announced on Sunday that she would be withdrawing as a candidate for the Scottish parliamentary election next year.

Presiding officer says no ?bugging devices? involved in Holyrood employment case
19 Dec 2025 at 7:37pm
Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone sent a letter to Dame Jackie Baillie on Friday.

Scottish Labour calls for ?urgent investigation? into claims MSP?s office was...
19 Dec 2025 at 11:41am
An unnamed individual who worked for the SNP reportedly bugged an MSP's office.

Former minister stood down due to ?credible? threat against her
19 Dec 2025 at 9:41am
Elena Whitham said everything she did was affected by thoughts of ?what possibly could have happened?.

UK ministers view devolved governments as ?subordinate?, claims Robertson
18 Dec 2025 at 9:46pm
The Scottish Constitution Secretary also told MSPs that relations with the Labour Government at Westminster are ?suboptimal?.

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

John Swinney plans to serve as First Minister until at least 2031 if SNP wins...
28 Dec 2025 at 11:41am
The veteran Nationalist took on the top job in April 2024 following the sudden resignation of Humza Yousaf.

Anas Sarwar blasts 'no energy' John Swinney as he predicts 'bitter' Holyrood ...
27 Dec 2025 at 8:15am
EXCLUSIVE: The Scottish Labour leader said the election in May is the most "significant" in the country's history.

Knife thugs face jail under 'zero tolerance' justice plans by Scottish Labour...
27 Dec 2025 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said prison, rather than a "cuddly approach", was the best punishment for blade yobs.

Anas Sarwar reveals the last time he cried as he opens up on private family m...
27 Dec 2025 at 4:30am
The Scottish Labour leader was asked on the Planet Holyrood podcast about the last time he was tearful.

SNP Government blasted over 67 years' of delays to NHS and transport projects
27 Dec 2025 at 4:30am
The figures shows the delays faced by patients and passengers to top projects.

High streets across Scotland locked in 'death spiral' as hundreds of small re...
26 Dec 2025 at 4:30am
Many town centres are struggling as shoppers increasingly choose to visit retail parks or buy items online.

Over 20,000 Scots died waiting for NHS care during Neil Gray's time as health...
26 Dec 2025 at 4:30am
The figures have been condemned by the Scottish Conservatives.

SNP Government criticised over zero convictions for drink spiking
24 Dec 2025 at 4:30am
The statistic has fuelled calls for a specific offence to be created.

Over £1.6 billion 'lost to NHS' over SNP Government failure to end delayed di...
24 Dec 2025 at 4:30am
The figures come in spite of a promise in 2015 to end the pratice.

Angela Constance facing investigation into claims she misled Holyrood on groo...
23 Dec 2025 at 2:14pm
The dramatic development was announced by the Government two days before Christmas.

The National

The National | Politics

Ex-Scotland leader of Nigel Farage?s Ukip under scrutiny for pro-Russian stat...
28 Dec 2025 at 12:19pm

A FORMER Scotland leader of Nigel Farage?s previous party has been under scrutiny over pro-Russian statements since an explosive court case

John Swinney sets out goal to be ?long-term political leader? for Scotland
28 Dec 2025 at 11:26am

John Swinney has set out his intention to be a ?long-term political leader?, with the First Minister making clear he would serve a full term if re-elected next May and that he expected to stand again in 2031 ...

Ruth Wishart: The Royal festive farce is a reminder of a ridiculous institution
28 Dec 2025 at 5:00am

OK, it was a slow news day. Christmas usually is, barring unforeseen disasters. But that neither explains nor excuses the BBC?s ?top story? being endless shots of the King Charles tribe either going into or coming out of their local church on one of very many royal estates

Mark Brown: This is the date to show the far right they will not prevail
28 Dec 2025 at 5:00am

The new social movement Together Against the Far Right will be mobilising its supporters on the streets of London. For every anti-racist and anti-fascist in the UK, it should be a New Year?s resolution to be there if we possibly can

Halla Mohieddeen: The UK is unlikely to be immune to Gen Z revolutions
28 Dec 2025 at 5:00am

IT started, sort of, with a Christmas tree. Not the artificial snow-flocked multi-coloured monstrosity that dominates my front room, but a pile of Cartier, Gucci and Louis Vuitton boxes, decked out with baubles and tree lights in Nepal

£100,000 of Champagne drunk in House of Lords bars this year
28 Dec 2025 at 5:00am

MORE than £100,000 worth of Champagne was drunk in House of Lords bars this year

How St Andrews is fast becoming a ?theme park for the super-rich?
28 Dec 2025 at 5:00am

CHRIS Main says that he has been effectively forced to leave St Andrews against his will ...

Alyn Smith: Why 2025 was such a pivotal year for the European Union
28 Dec 2025 at 5:00am

WHEN I was asked by Laura Webster, the Sunday National?s editor, to do a review of the EU?s 2025 I happily agreed, but it has been difficult to know where to start!

Govan 1973: Margo MacDonald and the rise of the SNP in a Labour stronghold
28 Dec 2025 at 5:00am

Gerry Hassan reflects on the SNP?s first electoral earthquake in Glasgow?s famous neighbourhood

David Pratt: Donald Trump?s bombing of Nigeria is simply showmanship
28 Dec 2025 at 5:00am

NIGERIANS call Gombe the ?jewel in the savannah?. But nothing much glitters in this impoverished region

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

Ministerial code advisers to investigate Angela Constance
23 Dec 2025 at 2:45pm
It follows a row over whether the justice secretary misled parliament about the views of a child sex abuse expert

Labour MSP to stand down at election
22 Dec 2025 at 7:43am
Pam Duncan-Glancy stepped down from the front bench earlier this month

UK Government data stolen in suspected Chinese hack
19 Dec 2025 at 11:13am
The trade minister Chris Bryant has confirmed that data from belonging to the UK Government has been stolen in a hack

UK Government moves to ban deepfake ?nudification? apps
19 Dec 2025 at 11:00am
The UK Government has announced new laws to make it illegal to create or supply artificial intelligence tools that can create nude images of people without their consent

How Reform UK is using Alex Salmond's image to get ready for the Scottish Par...
19 Dec 2025 at 10:53am
Leaked materials warn candidates not to 'drink and tweet'

Scottish Labour calls for 'urgent investigation' into MSP bugging allegations
19 Dec 2025 at 10:43am
Listening devices were allegedly planted in the office of at least one female SNP MSP

Nearly 50,000 RTS meters still in use in Scotland
19 Dec 2025 at 6:00am
Nearly 50,000 Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) meters are yet to be replaced in Scotland despite plans to switch the service off next year

Scientists?launch project to create 3D video of black holes?using AI??
19 Dec 2025 at 6:00am
Scientists based at Heriot-Watt University have launched a ?4m project to create the world?s first 3D videos of black holes using complex artificial intelligence systems

Why victims? rights need to stay at the top of Scotland?s political agenda
19 Dec 2025 at 6:00am
Our 40th anniversary theme of Listen, Act, Hope. was chosen to represent VSS?s enduring commitment to ensuring that victims are not voiceless in the system; that action is informed by their lived experience; and that together, this culminates in deliverin

A stronger regulator for Scotland?s water future
19 Dec 2025 at 6:00am
If we do this well, most people will never think about WICS, other than to know and to trust that customer interests are safeguarded.

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

The Guardian view on May 2026 elections: a new political geography is coming ...
25 Dec 2025 at 5:30pm
Over the holiday period, the Guardian leader column is looking ahead at the themes of 2026. Today we look at the impact of devolution on growing volatility of party political allegianceNext year will be pivotal in British politics, and 7 May will be the point around which things pivot. Elections ...

Keir Starmer planning new king?s speech after May elections
18 Dec 2025 at 1:19pm
Timing seen as moment to reset after potential loss of hundreds of council seats in England and defeat in Wales and ScotlandUK politics live ? latest updatesKeir Starmer is planning for a new king?s speech after crunch elections in May next year as a reset moment for the government amid speculati...

UK politics: Trump talks ?complete nonsense? about crime in London, says Met ...
12 Dec 2025 at 4:30pm
Mark Rowley says capital is a safe city, and claims of no-go areas are ?completely false?Members of the House of Lords have proposed ?totally unnecessary? and ?very cruel? amendments to the assisted dying bill in a bid to scupper it, Kim Leadbeater, the MP leading the campaign for the legislation...

Scotland?s looser rules on assisted dying could lead to ?death tourism?, say ...
10 Dec 2025 at 5:11pm
Cross-party group of MSPs says bill going through Holyrood could attract people from elsewhere in UKSenior Scottish politicians fear there could be a risk of ?death tourism? from terminally ill people travelling from other parts of the UK to end their lives in Scotland.A cross-party group of MSPs...

?It?s Scotland?s energy?: SNP to focus on renewables in Holyrood election
8 Dec 2025 at 6:05pm
Leader John Swinney says independence could cut household energy bills by a third in the long termThe future of Scottish renewables will underpin the Scottish National party?s Holyrood election campaign, the party leader, John Swinney, has said, as he claimed independence could cut household ener...

No 10 declines to comment on White House claim that Europe facing ?civilisati...
8 Dec 2025 at 5:49pm
US national security strategy takes aim at EU and other bodies over issues including migration, free speech and falling birthratesBadenoch is now taking questions.Q: From Sky News You said you did not want to leave any stones unturned. That is what Sajid Javid said when he ordered an inquiry in...

Farage dodges press as he unveils Reform?s first peer after Conservative defe...
6 Dec 2025 at 5:20pm
Party leader leaves latest recruit, Malcolm Offord, to field questions on antisemitism allegations at Scotland rallyNigel Farage has addressed Reform UK?s largest rally in Scotland to date but refused to engage with local journalists ? leaving the newly defected peer Malcolm Offord to field quest...

John Swinney defends immigration as Scotland faces rise of Reform
6 Dec 2025 at 9:00am
Exclusive: First minister mounts robust defence of diversity as SNP prepares campaign for Holyrood election in MayScotland needs immigration to bolster the size of its working-age population, the country?s first minister has said, mounting a forceful defence of diversity in the face of rising su...

Farage criticises BBC over racism allegations and claims one fellow pupil sai...
4 Dec 2025 at 6:01pm
This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereNigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, said that in Essex county council elections were postponed. He said district councils were being replaced with a new ?pretty amorphous unitary authority?. Because of that, the area also needed ?a clea...

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...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

Hope will start to dawn in 2026
27 Dec 2025 at 2:34pm
Making predictions in politics is a mug’s game, particularly if those predictions concern a year ahead. It has famously been said that a week is a long time in politics, so a year is the equivalent of a geological aeon. All sorts of unforeseen events could transpire between now and the end of next year. …

BBC Scotland, cheerleaders for Farage
20 Dec 2025 at 5:56pm
On Wednesday evening BBC Scotland’s flagship evening news programme Och Aye the News, AKA Reporting Scotlandshire carried its second puff piece about Reform UK’s recent narrow council by-election victory in West Lothian in which a Reform candidate with a questionable past scraped his way into a council seat on a 22% turnout. BBC Scotland never …

What?s in a name? The SNP and nationalism
15 Dec 2025 at 7:04pm
There’s nationalism and there’s nationalism. On the Rest is Politics podcast hosted by Tony Blair’s erstwhile Director of Communications Alastair Campbell, First Minister John Swinney addressed the issue of the SNP’s name, or rather, the non-issue. Both previous first ministers, Humza Yousaf and Nicola Sturgeon had expressed some disquiet that the SNP’s name, Scottish National …

The dangerous stupidity of Keir Starmer
10 Dec 2025 at 4:29pm
You can say many things about the opportunistic moral vacuum that is Keir Starmer, but he’s not stupid, he just behaves as though he was. The one time human rights lawyer Starmer’s latest foray into deliberate and dangerous stupidity was his plea to European leaders yesterday to curb human rights laws in order to introduce …

Westminster and Scotland?s energy, fool me once?
8 Dec 2025 at 6:21pm
Scotland is, by far and away, the most energy rich country of the islands of Britain and Ireland. Moreover it has more in the way of energy resources than just about any other country in Europe, with the exception of Norway (Russia’s vast fossil fuel resources are overwhelmingly concentrated in the Asian part of Russia …

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 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'

Serious mortuary incidents such as cremating wrong body almost non-existent i...
28 Dec 2025 at 12:00pm
Professor John Robertson OBA Still in the headlines for BBC Scotland: Scotland’s largest hospital has apologised after a bereaved family was given the wrong body for a cremation ceremony. Morgue staff at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow passed an incorrectly labelled corpse to undertakers. The mistake was only realised after the funeral service and cremation. NHS Greate...

Cost of rail nationalisation in Scotland ? Herald?s uncritical reliance on no...
28 Dec 2025 at 10:14am
Professor John Robertson OBA The Herald’s Martin Williams today has – ScotRail costs double under nationalisation as services fall – based entirely on a report by the Taxpayer’s Alliance a group known for hiding its sources of funding (above) and for highly selective analyses always predisposed to finding evidence in favour of privatisation. I really doubt the value of spending time looking in ...

More than 300 years of London?s economic management of Scotland yet still the...
27 Dec 2025 at 6:17pm
Professor John Robertson OBA Scotland, above, the most impoverished part of the UK, and yet:

BBC Scotland considers that voters in Scotland don?t need to know of Labour?s...
27 Dec 2025 at 1:12pm
stewartb You may have noticed this rare occurrence: a positively-framed headline about NHS Scotland was published (December 23) on the Scotland page of the BBC News website: ?A&E waiting times improve ahead of busy festive period?. On long waits, the BBC reported that during a week in mid-December: ?14% of patients waited over eight hours, compared to 16.9% the week before, and 6.9% had waits o...

Westminster blasted over 139 years of delays to projects, TWICE that of SNP G...
27 Dec 2025 at 11:13am
Professor John Robertson OBA Based entirely on a tragic feed from Scottish Labour as they fall to fourth in the latest opinion poll for the May election, the Record and the Scotsman have a headline that will have some of their readers scratching – ’67 year o’ delays? A thote they SNP had been in less than that, ken!’ So, just to be able to respond, we’ll use the same method for UK Government ca...

Foreign medics NOT shunning NHS Scotland because of anti-migrant rhetoric fro...
27 Dec 2025 at 10:07am
Professor John Robertson OBA The Guardian above has another of its ‘UK’ pieces with not a word on Scotland in it. There is, of course, no peer-reviewed research on this topic but, the MSM often tell us that they just report what is happening out there. So, comparing media reporting on this issue in Scotland and England’s media will give us a reasonable comparison. Given the background independe...

Flu cases decline steeply in Scotland more than two weeks ahead of England af...
27 Dec 2025 at 9:03am
Professor John Robertson OBA From BBC Scotland on 24 December 2025: The number of laboratory-confirmed flu cases in Scotland has dropped by more than a third, new figures show. Public Health Scotland (PHS) data, external shows there were 1,297 confirmed cases in the week to 21 December – down from 1,994 in the previous week. Provisional figures also suggest there were 679 flu-related hospital a...

30% fare hikes in only two years, declining service performance, a ballooning...
27 Dec 2025 at 9:01am
Professor John Robertson OBA In the Times Colonist, on December 15th 2025: To increase funding and ward off fare hikes ?well in excess of 30%? in two years, B.C. Ferries proposes forming a ?sustainable partnership? with all levels of government ? federal, provincial, and local. Yet this partnership maintains the same governance model that enabled the Fast Ferries scandal in the 1990s and cost t...

Reposted as opposition parties post lies ? SNP Government initiatives leading...
27 Dec 2025 at 9:01am

Reposted as the Herald tries to magnify a serious problem with selective stat...
27 Dec 2025 at 8:58am

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

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

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

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

Could Scottish independence actually benefit England's NHS? - TheNational.scot
27 Dec 2025 at 5:06am
Could Scottish independence actually benefit England's NHS?  TheNational.scot

Scottish independence could 'reduce energy bills by more than a third', First...
8 Dec 2025 at 8:00am
Scottish independence could 'reduce energy bills by more than a third', First Minister John Swinney says  Sky News

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

X feature exposes Iranian-run pro-Scottish independence accounts - UKDJ - ???...
24 Nov 2025 at 8:00am
X feature exposes Iranian-run pro-Scottish independence accounts - UKDJ  ????? ??????????

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

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

John Swinney on family, football and his future as leader of the SNP - The He...
28 Dec 2025 at 5:04am
John Swinney on family, football and his future as leader of the SNP  The Herald

Swinney 'burying his head in the sand' over agriculture policy - The Scottish...
28 Dec 2025 at 7:00am
Swinney 'burying his head in the sand' over agriculture policy  The Scottish Farmer

NDSS 2025 ? CounterSEVeillance: Performance-Counter Attacks On AMD SEV-SNP - ...
27 Dec 2025 at 5:51pm
NDSS 2025 ? CounterSEVeillance: Performance-Counter Attacks On AMD SEV-SNP  Security Boulevard

SNP Government urged to bring back £170m apprenticeship fund 'stolen from you...
28 Dec 2025 at 6:00am
SNP Government urged to bring back £170m apprenticeship fund 'stolen from young people's futures'  The Scotsman

Govan 1973: Margo MacDonald and the rise of the SNP in a Labour stronghold - ...
28 Dec 2025 at 5:07am
Govan 1973: Margo MacDonald and the rise of the SNP in a Labour stronghold  TheNational.scot

SNP fears John Swinney is repeating Nicola Sturgeon?s critical mistake - The ...
27 Dec 2025 at 6:05pm
SNP fears John Swinney is repeating Nicola Sturgeon?s critical mistake  The Times

?It?s Scotland?s energy?: SNP to focus on renewables in Holyrood election | S...
8 Dec 2025 at 8:00am
?It?s Scotland?s energy?: SNP to focus on renewables in Holyrood election | Scottish National party (SNP)  The Guardian

SNP remain ahead but Reform support in Scotland rises, while Labour support s...
10 Dec 2025 at 8:00am
SNP remain ahead but Reform support in Scotland rises, while Labour support slumps  Ipsos

Stephen Flynn: Reform can learn from the SNP - The Spectator Australia
24 Dec 2025 at 9:39am
Stephen Flynn: Reform can learn from the SNP  The Spectator Australia

SNP causing 'chaos' for islanders with 5000 sailings cancelled due to clapped...
26 Dec 2025 at 11:59pm
SNP causing 'chaos' for islanders with 5000 sailings cancelled due to clapped-out ferries  Daily Mail

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

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

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

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

Scottish independence poll 2025 - Statista
28 Nov 2025 at 8:00am
Scottish independence poll 2025  Statista

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

Part Two: What an independent Scotland could look like - A Fresh Start with I...
8 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
Part Two: What an independent Scotland could look like - A Fresh Start with Independence  The Scottish Government

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

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

First Minister John Swinney sets out latest plan for independence referendum ...
4 Sep 2025 at 8:00am
First Minister John Swinney sets out latest plan for independence referendum  Sky News

John Swinney's independence strategy backed by SNP members - BBC
11 Oct 2025 at 8:00am
John Swinney's independence strategy backed by SNP members  BBC