The Herald

The Herald | Politics


SNP tax plans to sail through Holyrood as Sarwar says Labour won't block budget
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth and Hannah Brown
9 Jan 2026 at 12:01am
Scottish Labour has confirmed it will not block the SNP?s Budget at Holyrood, but Anas Sarwar has warned a future Labour government could make emergency changes after May ? as economists warn Scotland?s finances are already unsustainable.


Watch: Outlander star says Scotland?s tourist hotspots are ?overrun? by visitors
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
8 Jan 2026 at 9:50pm
Sam Heughan tells The Herald that Scotland?s most popular hotspots are overrun and urges tourists and politicians to look beyond the Highlands.


Why the SNP?s 'most pay less' tax claim keeps falling apart
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
8 Jan 2026 at 5:00pm
Forecasts say most Scots pay less income tax ? but recent outturn data tells a different story.


Swinney dismisses confusion over legal intervention into For Women Scotland case
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
8 Jan 2026 at 2:06pm
John Swinney was told the intervention by SNP ministers caused confusion over For Women Scotland's Supreme Court ruling.


ScotRail investigates after claims staff implicated in 'back handers' scheme
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
8 Jan 2026 at 2:02pm
According to The Scotsman, the enquiries are believed to centre on several members of the state-owned rail operator?s property services management team.


Swinney seeks answers after US military use Wick airport ahead of tanker seizure
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
8 Jan 2026 at 2:19pm
John Swinney has demanded answers after US special forces aircraft used Wick Airport before the seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker, raising questions over Scotland?s awareness, sovereignty and the use of government-owned infrastructure.


Scotland's orchestra has a 'existential question' ? and musicians may face th...
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
8 Jan 2026 at 1:25pm
The RSNO, founded in 1891, is partially subsidised by the Scottish Government, which provided more than £4m in funding in 2025/26.


Fury as council which planned to axe teachers makes huge pay offer to schools...
8 Jan 2026 at 12:03pm
Glasgow city council which had planned to cut 450 teachers amid budget concerns is now offering an 'eye-watering' salary to a candidate to become its new education boss.


Communications problems between Loganair and its passengers taken up by MSP
by Andrew Stewart
8 Jan 2026 at 11:26am
The frustrations of Loganair passengers in Orkney who have had flights cancelled have been raised with the company this week.


Swinney to redirect millions to emergency welfare fund as Labour scrap two ch...
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
8 Jan 2026 at 9:30am
Funds set aside to offset the two-child benefit cap in Scotland will now be redirected to emergency family support.


Shamed ex-Lord Provost's portrait removed from City Chambers gallery
by stewart.paterson@eveningtimes.co.uk | Stewart Paterson
8 Jan 2026 at 7:29am
An official portrait of a former Lord Provost who admitted charges of stalking has been removed from a gallery in the city chambers.


Scottish Government 'bending the knee' to US military over use of airport
by Josh.Pizzuto-Pomaco@newsquest.co.uk | Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco
8 Jan 2026 at 7:00am
The Stop The War coalition there were ?had serious questions to answer? about the use of the government-owned Wick John O?Groats airport to refuel three US Airforce special-ops aircraft.


Labour and SNP clash after Home Office categorically rules out Scottish visa ...
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
8 Jan 2026 at 5:00am
Scottish Labour and the SNP clash after the Home Office refuses to discuss devolving immigration or a Scottish visa scheme.


Women's health in crisis: Scotland's gynaecology waiting lists soar by 250 pe...
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
8 Jan 2026 at 5:00am
Waiting lists for gynaecological care in Scotland have risen by more than 250 percent since 2018, with over 66,000 women now waiting.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


Lively FMQs buoyed by 'chuntering backbenchers' as Holyrood vote nears
8 Jan 2026 at 6:16pm

The Holyrood session was dominated by election campaign slogans - and party leaders clearly enjoying themselves.

The much-loved 19th Century pool is getting an upgrade

Anas Sarwar confirmed his party will not vote against the proposals

Margaret MacGill?s case was raised in Holyrood on Thursday

The SNP?s Brendan O?Hara and Labour?s Brian Leishman have warned that not standing up to the USA would be ?dangerous?.

There is more than one name in the running - but likely only one name on Nigel Farage?s mind

For Women Scotland say SNP ministers have not accepted the Supreme Court?s ruling.

Likely leader north of the Border says he is ?in it to win it? as some polls put party second in run-up to Holyrood vote

The pair discussed Greenland, Venezuela and the seizing of a tanker off the coast of Scotland when they spoke overnight.

?We need the government to listen to the industry and address the need for meaningful reform of business rates? ? David McBride, Belhaven Pubs

Glasgow will receive £60.9 million of the Local Growth Fund, Edinburgh £37.8 million, the Tay Cities region £19.5, Ayrshire £11.8 million, and Forth Valley £9.8 million.

Control zones aim to limit the number of holiday lets in a certain area - but campaigners say it is scapegoating businesses.

Wings over Scotland

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 …

And every day was exactly the same
3 Jan 2026 at 7:00am

List Voting For Cretins
2 Jan 2026 at 9:00am
This week The National published a poll it commissioned from Find Out Now for this May’s Scottish Parliament election, alongside a seat projection from Sir John Curtice. Here are the list-vote figures from the poll. The seat projection calculated that the election would result in 59 SNP MSPs (six short of the number John Swinney …

The Gulf War
1 Jan 2026 at 7:00am
Yesterday we noted in passing that independence support now outstrips that of the SNP by more than 20 points, making the party into a gigantic liability as the vehicle for enabling Scots to leave the UK. Put simply, even when voters want independence (as most now do), they’re not willing to vote SNP to get …

The Fear Of The Briar
31 Dec 2025 at 11:42am
With Reform now pretty consistently miles in front in polling for the next UK election, logically this is brilliant news for the Scottish independence movement, isn’t it? So can anyone explain why the SNP is so desperate to stop them? That’s a rhetorical question, of course. As we’ve repeatedly explored on Wings over the last …

The Curious Fringes
29 Dec 2025 at 2:14pm
There’s a post on the superwoke poll-analysis account Ballot Box Scotland today bemoaning the lack of interest in the forthcoming Scottish Parliament election from polling companies, and presenting it as some sort of anti-Scottish conspiracy. The real reason nobody’s very interested, of course, is that as things stand the election is an obvious foregone conclusion …

A matter of class
19 Dec 2025 at 5:14pm
Something very odd happened when the Sandie Peggie employment tribunal delivered its judgment – and it wasn?t just the made-up quotes and mangled law. Call it institutional bias, ideological capture, or just the law doing its job, but what Employment Judge Sandy Kemp?s tribunal delivered was the most one-sided outcome since Butch and Sundance decided …

Contempt Of Government
19 Dec 2025 at 11:47am
This is actually pretty serious. Because, y’know, you can call us old-fashioned purists or sticklers or whatever if you like, but government ministers probably shouldn’t openly lie in prepared statements to the High Court in order to pervert the course of justice. And this is as clear a knowing, deliberate lie as you could hope …

The Idiot Rodeo
14 Dec 2025 at 2:12pm
As recently as this weekend, the Scottish Government claimed that it has “made clear it accepts the Supreme Court ruling in For Women Scotland and is taking forward the detailed work necessary”. But as with so much the Scottish Government says, it’s a barefaced lie. And we know that not just from its total inaction, …

Craig Murray

Venezuela and Truth
4 Jan 2026 at 10:21am

The mainstream media covered Venezuela non-stop yesterday. They many times mentioned Delcy Rodríguez, Vice President, because Trump stated she is now in charge. They never mentioned that 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the torture to death of her father, socialist activist Jorge Rodríguez, by the CIA-backed security services of the US-aligned Pérez regime in …

Venezuela and Truth

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

BBC Scotland

Labour's plans to get Anas Sarwar into Bute House
8 Jan 2026 at 10:57pm
Scottish Labour faces a tough fight to win at Holyrood in May but party insiders believe Bute House is within their reach.

Scottish Parliament backs new tax on housebuilding
8 Jan 2026 at 5:42pm
MSPs have voted in favour of the general principles of a bill that aims to raise money to repair unsafe cladding.

Swinney backs action against Russia after Scots airports used during tanker o...
8 Jan 2026 at 1:46pm
The first minister says he was not briefed on a US-led operation a few hundred miles off Scotland's coast.

Delayed discharges costing NHS Scotland £440m a year
8 Jan 2026 at 4:26pm
A report from Audit Scotland says one in nine hospital beds were occupied by patients who could have been discharged.

US planes land at Scottish airport during operation to seize tanker
7 Jan 2026 at 5:42pm
Three U-28A Dracos - used by the US Air Force special operations command - stopped at Scottish -government owned Wick airport before heading north.

Justice secretary found to have breached ministerial code
6 Jan 2026 at 4:16pm
Angela Constance was given a written reprimand following a row over her comments about grooming gangs expert.

MSPs to get £3,000 pay increase next year
6 Jan 2026 at 4:47pm
The 4.3% salary hike will lead to salaries at the Scottish Parliament rising from £74,507 to £77,710.

Scottish party leaders set out stalls ahead of election
5 Jan 2026 at 2:15pm
John Swinney, Anas Sarwar and Russell Findlay have made their pitches for May's Holyrood vote.

Public holiday to celebrate Scotland's World Cup return
5 Jan 2026 at 12:14pm
Scotland will face Haiti in Boston on Sunday 14 June before taking on Morocco and Brazil in the US.

What to expect at Holyrood and beyond as 2026 election race steps up
2 Jan 2026 at 9:03am
BBC Scotland political editor Glenn Campbell looks at what lies ahead for Scottish politics this year with the Scottish Parliament election looming in May.

Grooming gang row 'could have been handled better' - Constance
30 Dec 2025 at 5:18pm
Angela Constance's remarks about Prof Alexis Jay are to be independently investigated to determine if they breached the ministerial code.

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?

Scot Goes Pop

SNP have FOUR TIMES as much support as Labour in YouGov's astounding first su...
9 Jan 2026 at 1:35am
In the video below, I also give my thoughts on Stuart Campbell's frankly disturbing reaction to the fatal shooting in Minneapolis, which has shocked even his habitual supporters and defenders to th...

Alba's death-throes UPDATE: party insider makes explosive allegation that Ken...
7 Jan 2026 at 3:12pm
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 a bit over halfway towards its target figure of £1700.  A mil...

Through their craven silence on Venezuela, the leaders of European countries ...
5 Jan 2026 at 9:44am
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 a bit over halfway towards its target figure of £1700.  A mil...

An update about the Great Scot Goes Pop Video-Blogging Experiment, and the pr...
3 Jan 2026 at 4:31pm
A few minutes ago, my phone spontaneously managed to escape from my pocket onto the road outside my house for the second time in the space of six months, smashing the screen yet again.  I thought I...

Professor John Curtice projects the SNP *are* on course for Holyrood list sea...
3 Jan 2026 at 9:11am
The video below also briefly touches on an astoundingly ill-informed tweet from "RevStew" about Quebec politics, which rather calls into question the oft-heard claims that he's some sort of highly ...

New Year, NEW STEW? Controversial blogger dramatically ADMITS an average of ...
2 Jan 2026 at 9:38am
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...

"Simply spellbinding": analysis of new Find Out Now poll showing support for ...
30 Dec 2025 at 8:18pm
Just a quick note to let you know that I have an analysis piece at The National about the new independence poll that the paper has commissioned from Find Out Now, and which has Yes comfortably ahea...

Exquisite end-of-year poll puts SNP / Greens on course to retain pro-independ...
30 Dec 2025 at 10:43am
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...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

NHS Scotland ?repeatedly releasing? bodies to wrong families
8 Jan 2026 at 2:27pm
NHS bosses launched an investigation after a family cremated the wrong remains.

John Swinney to face questions after delayed discharges cost NHS £440m
8 Jan 2026 at 11:16am
An Audit Scotland report released on Thursday showed more than 720,000 bed days were lost in 2024-25.

I want to be first minister, says potential Reform leader in Scotland
8 Jan 2026 at 10:36am
Lord Malcolm Offord said his name is in the hat for the role of the party?s Scottish leader.

I can still be Scotland?s next first minister, says Sarwar as he backs Starmer
7 Jan 2026 at 11:26am
The Scottish Labour leader said: ?I believe we will elect a new first minister in this country and I believe that will be me.?

?Ease the pain? and slash Scots? bills, Tories tell Swinney ahead of budget
7 Jan 2026 at 7:13am
The Scottish Conservatives have called on John Swinney to cut taxes on people and businesses.

MSP Ash Regan suspended from Holyrood for two days
6 Jan 2026 at 6:47pm
Regan was found to have breached the MSP code of conduct.

Justice secretary ?unintentionally? broke ministerial code, investigation finds
6 Jan 2026 at 3:14pm
Constance was accused of misleading MSPs by misrepresenting comments made by an expert on grooming gangs during a Holyrood debate in September.

MSP salary to rise by 4.3% in April
6 Jan 2026 at 1:40pm
The increase will see the annual MSP salary rise from £74,507 to £77,710.

First minister receives report into justice secretary misconduct claims
6 Jan 2026 at 1:26pm
Constance was accused of misleading MSPs by misrepresenting comments made by an expert on grooming gangs during a Holyrood debate in September.

Holyrood rivals clash on independence, cost of living and immigration
6 Jan 2026 at 7:11am
Senior figures from the six main parties went head-to-head in a special Scotland Tonight programme.

Scottish Labour?s Anas Sarwar admits Starmer ?not popular with public right now?
5 Jan 2026 at 4:21pm
Anas Sarwar said UK Labour had done many things well, but he said there were still many challenges they had to confront.

Donald Trump breached international law with Venezuela operation, suggests Jo...
5 Jan 2026 at 3:23pm
The South American country?s president Nicolas Maduro was arrested and taken to the US over the weekend.

Swinney ?anxious? to reach deal with doctors to stop strike ?disruption? to NHS
5 Jan 2026 at 11:26am
Health secretary Neil Gray is due to hold talks with the British Medical Association.

Scottish election: Political leaders ramp up campaigns five months ahead of H...
5 Jan 2026 at 10:16am
Thousands of voters will decide who will lead the country on May 7.

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Scots firefighters report 500 injuries while working in just three years
9 Jan 2026 at 4:30am
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) said the figures proved the need for continual investment in training and improved safety equipment.

SNP Government Budget to pass after Scottish Labour signal abstention over ta...
8 Jan 2026 at 4:03pm
Anas Sarwar says he will not make the Budget "fall" after it is announced next week.

Scots airport may have been used as 'staging post' by US military to seize oi...
8 Jan 2026 at 2:23pm
The First Minister said he had "no knowledge" on whether the American aircraft which landed at Wick were part of a military operation in the North Atlantic.

John Swinney accuses Nigel Farage of 'basic racism' over who can claim child ...
8 Jan 2026 at 11:46am
The SNP leader claimed Nigel Farage was "quite actively engaged in a competition with the Conservative Party to be the nastiest of all parties"

Millionaire lord hoping to lead Reform in Scotland: 'I want to be First Minis...
8 Jan 2026 at 10:56am
Malcolm Offord, who was handed a peerage by Boris Johnson, said his new party was "in it to win it" as the Holyrood election campaign ramps up.

Nearly 1000 refugees across UK declared themselves homeless in Glasgow last year
8 Jan 2026 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: Glasgow council released the full year figure amid concerns the city faces a £66m black hole caused by rising homelessness.

Scottish Labour briefing wars are an act of monumental stupidity
7 Jan 2026 at 2:13pm
Daily Record Political Editor says Scottish Labour MPs calling for Keir Starmer to be replaced before May are harming Anas Sarwar.

US special forces launch operation from Scots airport to seize oil tanker lin...
7 Jan 2026 at 1:46pm
US forces launched a daring raid to seize the Marinera, a rusting Russian-flagged vessel said to have escaped Donald Trump?s "total naval blockade" of Venezuela.

Anas Sarwar blasts 'idiotic' Scottish Labour MPs who want Keir Starmer to quit
7 Jan 2026 at 1:00pm
An exasperated Scottish Labour leader hit out at the continued briefings from party MPs about Starmer.

Reform UK councillor branded 'heartless' and 'ruthless' over eviction of fami...
7 Jan 2026 at 12:20pm
EXCLUSIVE: Reform's first elected councillor in Scotland has been criticised over the eviction.

The National

The National | Politics

It?s always us, rather than energy firms, who take the hit
9 Jan 2026 at 12:00am

ON Hogmanay, wind farms on Scotland?s hills and coasts will have produced electricity at virtually no cost at all. But when you awoke the next morning (or afternoon) you were greeted by an increase to your energy bill.

SNP slam opposition for voting against bill backed by Westminster counterparts
8 Jan 2026 at 9:32pm

THE SNP have criticised the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Labour parties after they voted against the introduction of a new tax to fund better building safety in Scotland, despite their Westminster counterparts supporting an equivalent policy in...

UK should be seeking closer ties with Europe now more than ever
8 Jan 2026 at 7:00pm

CONNOR Beaton suggests it?s time to break with US tech giants (It?s time for Scotland to break with US tech, Jan 8). Isn?t independence in reality something of an illusion in this global world dominated by tech and economic oligarchs?

Small countries are vulnerable when the rules are selectively enforced
8 Jan 2026 at 7:00pm

RECENT US actions in Venezuela, alongside revived rhetoric around the Monroe Doctrine and assertions of extraterritorial US law, should concern us for reasons that go well beyond any single country or president. What is emerging is not simply inconsistency or hypocrisy, but a structural shift away from international law towards a ?spheres of influence? model that undermines the post-war global ...

Labour slammed over Scottish football snub in 2026 ?vision board?
8 Jan 2026 at 6:00pm

LABOUR have been slammed by the SNP for only including an image of the England football team in a new social media post ...

Scottish islanders raise concerns over 'home-shaking low-flying' US military ...
8 Jan 2026 at 5:59pm

SCOTTISH islanders have condemned the use of their local airports by the American military after a reconnaissance plane flew so ?low? that their homes shook ...

Patronising Douglas Alexander puts Scotland on the naughty step
8 Jan 2026 at 5:27pm

THE Scottish Government has been put on the naughty step.

Politicians are living in 2005 when it comes to city centres
8 Jan 2026 at 4:53pm

FOR some of us, the past couple of weeks have been spent at home: running errands, tidying up neglected corners of the house, seeing family and friends, briefly unshackled from work.

SNP Budget to pass as Anas Sarwar confirms Scottish Labour won't oppose
8 Jan 2026 at 4:40pm

ANAS Sarwar has confirmed Scottish Labour will not oppose the Scottish Budget ...

Kelly Given: Celtic?s board no longer seems to know the history
8 Jan 2026 at 3:45pm

GLASGOW derby tickets are like hen?s teeth these days, but I was there last Saturday. I?ve managed to get tickets twice in my life, and both times now I have watched my team lose to our biggest rivals

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

John Swinney ?not living in real world? on delayed discharge
8 Jan 2026 at 2:52pm
Anas Sarwar said an Audit Scotland report was ?damning? and should "shame" the government

First minister questioned over ?secret? attempt to challenge Supreme Court ru...
8 Jan 2026 at 2:51pm
Michelle Thomson asked about a report in The Times that in November the Scottish Government wrote to the Advocate General for Scotland, Baroness Smith of Cluny KC, who advises the UK Government

Former cabinet minister urges UK Government to abandon X
8 Jan 2026 at 2:39pm
Louise Haigh said using the platform was ?unconscionable? amid concerns its AI was generating sexualised images of children

Delayed discharge costs NHS Scotland ?440m a year
8 Jan 2026 at 7:00am
Watchdog warning as one in nine hospital beds are occupied by patients well enough to go home

New cross-government cyber unit announced
7 Jan 2026 at 10:02am
The unit is being created as part of the government's cyber action plan, which was launched on Tuesday

MSPs to receive ?3,000 pay rise
6 Jan 2026 at 4:21pm
MSPs? salaries will rise from ?74,507 to ?77,710 beginning in April

Angela Constance breached ministerial code but resignation not required
6 Jan 2026 at 3:22pm
Independent advisers said the justice secretary had made two errors but a sanction beyond a reprove was not needed

Ofcom makes ?urgent contact? with X over reports its AI makes ?sexualised ima...
5 Jan 2026 at 5:14pm
Over the?last week?accounts on the social media platform X have asked the AI chatbot to edit images of women to appear in bikinis without the person in the photo?s consent

John Swinney ?cannot see? how Donald Trump strike on Venezuela meets internat...
5 Jan 2026 at 11:59am
Maduro regime was 'illegitimate', SNP leader says

John Swinney to propose bank holiday to mark Scotland?s first World Cup game
5 Jan 2026 at 10:18am
The first minister is proposing Monday 15 June be?designated?a holiday, which is the day after Scotland?s first game against Haiti

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

Software tackling deepfakes to be piloted for Scottish and Welsh elections
8 Jan 2026 at 6:07pm
Electoral Commission says tools to detect AI-generated content could be in place before campaigns beginElection officials are working ?at speed? with the Home Office on a pilot project to combat the use of deepfakes to target candidates standing in this year?s Scottish and Welsh elections.Officia...

Liz Kendall says Elon Musk?s X must urgently deal with ?appalling? sexualised...
6 Jan 2026 at 5:49pm
Science secretary says the deepfake content being produced on the platform is ?unacceptable in decent society?In her Today programme interview this morning Kemi Badenoch tried to outflank Nigel Farage on net zero scepticism by claiming (wrongly) that she started talking out this before he did.Ask...

No 10 suggests UK would not vote for UN security council resolution condemnin...
5 Jan 2026 at 6:10pm
PM?s spokesperson did not contest report claiming that the UK will abstain on a possible UN voteSpeaking to reporters this morning, Keir Starmer said Nicolás Maduro, who was president of Venezuela until he was arrested by the Americans on Saturday and taken to a US jail, was not a legitimate rule...

Scottish Labour urges Keir Starmer to stay out of Holyrood campaign
5 Jan 2026 at 2:53pm
Anas Sarwar says prime minister?s missteps have left party clear underdogs in run-up to May electionUK politics live ? latest updatesKeir Starmer and senior ministers have been urged by Scottish Labour to ?stay behind their doors? in Whitehall to avoid turning the next Holyrood election into a re...

Nativism and the disintegration of the UK
1 Jan 2026 at 5:07pm
With the weakening of pro-integration parties, Ben Wellings warns that the continuation of the UK in its current form cannot be taken for grantedStalking your editorial on the new political geography emerging in Britain (25 December) is the fear of disintegration. This is a political outcome that...

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...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

The BBC?s shameful enabling of fascism
8 Jan 2026 at 3:56pm
The failure of the BBC to report fairly and without bias on Scottish politics is a regular theme in this blog and amongst other supporters of Scottish independence. The favouritism which the Corporation displays towards Nigel Farage and his ghouls is likewise well documented, especially on the disgrace to political broadcasting that is BBC Question …

A fake rebellion from a fake party
7 Jan 2026 at 11:28am
While we are distracted by Donald Trump’s attack on Venezuela, the kidnapping of its president and his threats to take over Greenland, here in Scotland the parties are getting into gear for the Holyrood election campaign. Anas Sarwar has got off the starting blocks with a carefully orchestrated ‘rebellion’ against his intensely unpopular boss, Keir …

Greenland, a nation, not an American possession
6 Jan 2026 at 4:46pm
With the Trump regime ramping up its threats against the Arctic nation of Greenland, it’s a good time to take a closer look at the history and culture of Greenland. Greenland is officially called Kalaallit Nunaat in the Greenlandic language, the language of the great majority of the country’s 57,000 population. Greenlandic, or Kalaallisut, is …

In May Scotland?s destiny is in our hands
5 Jan 2026 at 6:51pm
Speaking to SNP party members in Glasgow as the campaign for the Scottish elections in May starts to ramp up, First Minister John Swinney has said that the Scottish media should be ?livid? at the UK Government’s refusal to spell out the democratic route to a second independence referendum. If we lived in a normal …

The superpower of piracy
3 Jan 2026 at 5:22pm
The international rule of law has been on life support for some time. It was battered and bludgeoned by the West’s invasion of Iraq. Israel casually ignored international law as it pursued genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank while the West, most notably the USA and the UK, enabled Netanyahu and …

Making plans for Nigel in 2026
31 Dec 2025 at 2:37pm
It’s nice to end what has been at times a trying year with some good news. On a personal level, in 2025 my mum lost her battle with cancer, and my good friend and former neighbour Mary Docherty, a stalwart of the Glasgow North East SNP branch, passed away after a long illness. Both are …

It?s not just independence that?s at stake in May?s Scottish election
29 Dec 2025 at 7:33pm
Another opinion poll has suggested that the pro-independence parties are on track to win a convincing majority in Holyrood in May’s Scottish parliament election. The poll, by Find Out Now for The National, paints a grim picture for both Labour and the Conservatives, who seem set to return their worst results in the history of …

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 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'

Scotland?s Auditor General fails to audit the most important thing in the NHS...
9 Jan 2026 at 12:32am
Thanks to cuckooshoe for alerting us to this: Scotland’s high-profile media auditor, Stephen Boyle, has been all over with his latest claim of delayed discharges costs damaging NHS Scotland.1 From the Institute for Government report – Performance Tracker 2025: Hospitals – published on 14 November 2025: There was no month in 2024/25 in which general and acute bed occupancy was below 91.4%, well ...

London-born, entirely England-educated, nephrologist with no understanding of...
9 Jan 2026 at 12:29am
Sir Peter William Mathieson, above, born in Colchester, educated entirely in England with only a medical science degree, and principal of the university where anti-working class Scots bias is the norm1, is on BBC Scotland today to tell us: Edinburgh University’s principal says Scottish students should be asked to pay towards their tuition, as the sector is in “danger” under the current system. ...

In Scotland, 97% of patients experience no delay in hospital discharge ? it?s...
8 Jan 2026 at 12:03pm
From BBC Scotland today: NHS Scotland spent £440m last year on beds for patients who were unable to get out of hospital despite being ready to be discharged, according to public spending watchdogs. The report from the Audit Scotland and the Accounts Commission said one in nine hospital beds were occupied because of delayed discharges in the 12 months to April 2025. People experiencing a delayed...

Tory MSP criticises Scot Gov for winter weather problems but Tory/LD Aberdeen...
8 Jan 2026 at 10:05am
Government response to winter weather disruption in the north. Tim Eagle Con says support for Moray, Aberdeenshire and the Highlands was too slow given the severity of the conditions and argues that ministers should have brought in extra help. It’s a Daily Mail story picked up by the highly trained researchers at Pacific Quay or just phoned in by the Scottish Cons. Politically-motivated pass-...

As Trump takes Venezuela and talks of Cuba and Greenland; as Putin will not l...
7 Jan 2026 at 9:14pm
Amongst other things I'm not a renowned global politics theorist or historian so here's a, for me, fascinating AI-produced and sourced essay. I look forward to your thoughts: The geopolitical landscape in early 2026 indeed appears to be shifting toward a more assertive era of great-power competition, where major actors like the United States, Russia, and China are pursuing territorial or influe...

Anas won?t say ? There is a higher percentage of the people, in my home city...
7 Jan 2026 at 9:04pm
Anas and Kenny, a duo going nowhere? Anas uses the one NHS card they have, waits over one year for by definition non-life-threatening conditions are shorter in England, which they owe to Boris Johnson after he spent millions clearing it, by paying the private sector to work weekends and evenings. John Swinney has, rather, gone for reducing the numbers on the 18-week then 12waiting list made u...

After 14 years of the SNP lower drink-drive limit Scotland has by far the saf...
7 Jan 2026 at 8:57pm
From the Guardian today: Tougher rules on drink-driving, eye tests for older motorists and automatic emergency braking in new cars will be mandated by the government in an attempt to significantly reduce casualties on Britain?s roads. The first road safety strategy in more than a decade aims to save thousands of lives with a range of measures, from training and technology to stiffer penalties f...

Private rents 40% higher in England and significantly stronger safety nets th...
7 Jan 2026 at 11:23am
With another of their sickly, tasteless images today, the Herald has: Scotland?s housing costs safety net is failing with tens of thousands of families in need locked out of homes as support fails to cover soaring private rents, ministers have been warned. Explosive sic new analysis which lays bare the reality for those most in need, shows that just eight per cent of private rental homes are ...

Angela Constance witch-hunt ? Even the North Wales Chronicle and the Largs an...
7 Jan 2026 at 10:13am
Professor John Robertson OBA Still on the BBC Scotland website – Justice secretary found to have breached ministerial code Still on the Herald frontpage – Constance ‘breached Ministerial Code twice’ The Express, this: and on the Scotsman frontpage – Constance won’t resign despite code breaches Note that two of the above still suggest that resignation is appropriate. Nowhere in the BBC Scotland ...

10 YouGov sub-polls in two months suggest SNP is really on 40%
6 Jan 2026 at 10:47pm
Professor John Robertson OBA YouGov is no friend of the SNP nor of Scottish Independence. They have an unerring ability to pluck out a NO lead in a stream of YES leads found by other pollsters and lower SNP figures than others. See below: They do this over and over by adjusting the sample so that, even after 11 or 12 years, it has a 55 to 45 ratio of No and Yes voters in 2014, in full Scotland ...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - 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

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

Reform's Malcolm Offord says 'there might be' a future independence referendu...
6 Jan 2026 at 12:32pm
Reform's Malcolm Offord says 'there might be' a future independence referendum  The Herald

Scottish party leaders set out stalls ahead of Holyrood election - BBC
5 Jan 2026 at 2:15pm
Scottish party leaders set out stalls ahead of Holyrood election  BBC

Reform UK peer Malcolm Offord admits indyref2 could come in 10 years' time - ...
6 Jan 2026 at 4:52pm
Reform UK peer Malcolm Offord admits indyref2 could come in 10 years' time  TheNational.scot

Reform?s new Scottish recruit ignores rules of the game on independence - The...
6 Jan 2026 at 11:10pm
Reform?s new Scottish recruit ignores rules of the game on independence  The Telegraph

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

Kenny MacAskill: Where?s the excitement about the Scottish independence polli...
7 Jan 2026 at 12:06pm
Kenny MacAskill: Where?s the excitement about the Scottish independence polling?  albaparty.org

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

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

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

SNP slam opposition for voting against bill backed by Westminster counterpart...
8 Jan 2026 at 9:33pm
SNP slam opposition for voting against bill backed by Westminster counterparts  TheNational.scot

SNP in secret bid to keep men in women?s prisons - The Telegraph
8 Jan 2026 at 6:28pm
SNP in secret bid to keep men in women?s prisons  The Telegraph

SNP Schneider-Neureither & Partner SE: Preliminary announcement of the public...
8 Jan 2026 at 12:55pm
SNP Schneider-Neureither & Partner SE: Preliminary announcement of the publication of financial reports according to Articles 114, 115, 117 of the WpHG the German Securities Act  TradingView ? Track All Markets

SNP in secret attempt to challenge Supreme Court ruling on sex - The Times
7 Jan 2026 at 6:40pm
SNP in secret attempt to challenge Supreme Court ruling on sex  The Times

SNP ministers accused of breaking ministerial code over For Women Scotland ca...
8 Jan 2026 at 11:09am
SNP ministers accused of breaking ministerial code over For Women Scotland case  The Herald

SNP Budget plans certain to pass after Labour says it will not oppose - The S...
8 Jan 2026 at 4:14pm
SNP Budget plans certain to pass after Labour says it will not oppose  The Scotsman

SNP's secret bid to have Supreme Court ruling on gender declared unlawful - S...
8 Jan 2026 at 12:09pm
SNP's secret bid to have Supreme Court ruling on gender declared unlawful  Scottish Daily Express

SNP tax plans to sail through Holyrood as Sarwar says Labour won't block budg...
9 Jan 2026 at 12:01am
SNP tax plans to sail through Holyrood as Sarwar says Labour won't block budget  Yahoo News UK

How a Medicare Advantage proposal could shake up Medicaid - Modern Healthcare...
7 Jan 2026 at 11:03am
How a Medicare Advantage proposal could shake up Medicaid  Modern Healthcare News

Goodlad?s ?Shetland energy act? seeks ?rebalance of power? to gain local cont...
8 Jan 2026 at 4:00pm
Goodlad?s ?Shetland energy act? seeks ?rebalance of power? to gain local control over planning decisions  Shetland Times

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

Scottish party leaders set out stalls ahead of Holyrood election - BBC
5 Jan 2026 at 2:15pm
Scottish party leaders set out stalls ahead of Holyrood election  BBC

Reform's Malcolm Offord says 'there might be' a future independence referendu...
6 Jan 2026 at 12:32pm
Reform's Malcolm Offord says 'there might be' a future independence referendum  The Herald

The SNP is up to its old referendum tricks - The Spectator Australia
8 Jan 2026 at 9:32am
The SNP is up to its old referendum tricks  The Spectator Australia

Reform UK peer Malcolm Offord admits indyref2 could come in 10 years' time - ...
6 Jan 2026 at 4:52pm
Reform UK peer Malcolm Offord admits indyref2 could come in 10 years' time  TheNational.scot

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

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