The Herald

The Herald | Politics


Push for independence has 'turned a corner', Swinney claims
by Craig Paton
12 Oct 2026 at 6:58am
The push for Scottish independence has ?turned a corner?, John Swinney has claimed.


Demands for £2 bus fare cap to be extended to night services across west of S...
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
12 Oct 2026 at 5:00am
Scottish Greens MSP Holly Bruce has called for the £2 bus fare cap to cover night buses in the west of Scotland, saying late workers should not pay more to get home.


Ministers have 'appetite' to weaken no compulsory redundancy protection, unio...
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
12 Oct 2026 at 5:00am
Scottish civil servants face uncertainty as no compulsory redundancy protection expires on March 31, 2027, amid plans to cut 20% of core civil service jobs.


Majority of Scots say country is heading in the wrong direction, poll finds
by Katrine Bussey
12 Oct 2026 at 12:01am
Ipsos polling finds 51% of Scots think Scotland is heading in the wrong direction, challenging John Swinney as support for Holyrood-Westminster ties rises.


Michael Marra accuses SNP ministers of shortchanging councils by £2bn
by Katrine Bussey
12 Oct 2026 at 12:01am
Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra accuses SNP ministers of shortchanging councils by £2 billion as debate over funding and local government reform grows.


Scottish Government accused of 'lack of will' to implement BDS vote
by gaby.mckay@newsquest.co.uk | Gabriel McKay
12 Oct 2026 at 12:01am
The Scottish Government has been accused of a 'clear lack of will' to enforce its own boycott, divestment and sanctions bill against Israel


'The excuse has gone?: Tories pile pressure on Burnham over North Sea oil and...
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
11 Oct 2026 at 10:00pm
Andy Burnham is under fresh pressure to approve Jackdaw after Tories said his ?excuse has gone? and he admitted the UK will need oil and gas for decades.


Health Secretary says corridor care is ?not acceptable? ahead of winter press...
by Neil Pooran
11 Oct 2026 at 2:29pm
Health Secretary Angela Constance says NHS corridor care is unacceptable as Scotland faces winter pressures, A&E waits and calls to expand community care.


Scottish Greens urged to suspend MSP over ?vile antisemitic? social media post
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
11 Oct 2026 at 11:09am
Scottish Greens MSP Ariane Burgess faces calls for suspension after she liked a post showing an Israeli flag with a swastika.


'We are still friends, but...': Swinney responds to Sturgeon?s SNP criticism
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
11 Oct 2026 at 10:16am
John Swinney says he and Nicola Sturgeon remain friends despite her criticism of the SNP?s election campaign, as the party prepares for conference.


Labour claims Glasgow council was underfunded by £357m last year
by Katrine Bussey
11 Oct 2026 at 9:50am
Scottish Labour claims Glasgow City Council was underfunded by £357m, as SNP ministers face calls for clarity over plans to reform local government in Scotland.


'Ed Sheeran could have said f**k Kraft' Scots professor on why pop's gone ped...
by Neil Mackay
11 Oct 2026 at 6:15am
Well-known academic Gregor Gall has a new book coming out on left-wing music. He talks to our Writer at Large about why rock and roll was more revolutionary in decades gone by


Scotland maternity triage findings expected as taskforce prepares to reconvene
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
11 Oct 2026 at 5:00am
Scottish ministers are preparing to publish findings from a maternity triage review as the national taskforce prepares to reconvene despite calls for it to be scrapped.


'Constellation of conflicts? Ethiopia and Eritrea on the path to a new region...
by david.pratt@heraldandtimes.co.uk | David Pratt
11 Oct 2026 at 6:15am
A diplomatic breakdown and long simmering tensions boiling over could well lead to another proxy war in the Red Sea region writes Foreign Editor David Pratt

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


John Swinney claims the push for Scottish Independence has 'turned a corner'
12 Oct 2026 at 3:00am

Speaking ahead of his party?s conference in Aberdeen, the First Minister pointed to comments from the PM in the Commons that Scotland could have another vote on the issue should the people want it.

The SNP government should be honest about having been over-ambitious about its floating wind hopes to help revive investment hopes

There is speculation Andy Burnham will call a general election after Labour?s victory in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election - but polling guru Professor Sir John Curtice thinks the idea would be unpopular amongst the party.

The Jewish Council of Scotland says Ariane Burgess MSP must give an ?unequivocal apology?.

John Swinney has opened up about his reaction to Nicola Sturgeon?s election criticisms.

UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting says the UK will try and repair relations between Washington and Kyiv after the comments.

Petition calling for changes to be heard next month

Permanent Secretary Joe Griffin has now said he understands the strength of feeling of civil servants

Wings over Scotland

Still Time To Save Her
9 Oct 2026 at 2:32pm
We’ve just had an extraordinary email from Police Scotland, readers. Here it is. Ladies and gentlemen, meet the real-life Timecops. Operation Branchform was closed on 20 March 2025. Nicola Sturgeon gave her infamous interview to Laura Kuenssberg – stating that she would not be handing back any of the items gifted to her by Peter …

There May Be Justice
5 Oct 2026 at 12:40pm
In a little under three days, Phase 1 complete. Wings readers: still the best. But what now? A couple of people have asked about the “stretch target” on the website. That was something CrowdJustice asked for and the reason it’s so high is that that figure was our lawyers’ estimate of the total cost of …

The Love Of Big Brother
3 Oct 2026 at 1:24pm
We were trying to work out what this reminded us of. And the answer was in the same place it usually is. It all checks out. The SNP spend their time grooming your children and trying to make basic parenting a crime. They endorse “gender-affirming care” that sterilises them and will stop them ever having …

In The Eyes Of The Law
1 Oct 2026 at 2:15pm
Our fundraiser to bring a judicial review of Police Scotland’s decision not to charge anyone with embezzlement in the case of the SNP’s missing £700,000 indyref fund is now live, and can be reached by clicking on this image, or here. The target of £30,000 represents the cost of the initial application (with contingency for …

Whatever Can Have Happened?
30 Sep 2026 at 1:50pm
Yesterday afternoon John Swinney announced an independent review into the dual roles of Scotland’s main law officers, the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General, which have been a subject of great controversy since the Scottish Parliament was re-convened in 1999. Wings welcomes this development unequivocally, albeit we’re slightly concerned that the former judge leading the …

The Turning Point
28 Sep 2026 at 1:10pm
We don’t have much to say about this graph that it doesn’t say for itself. The arrest of Peter Murrell on 5 April 2023, just a couple of weeks after his wife had realised the game was up and walked away before the cops came round and put a big blue tent up on their …

Cowering From Destiny
24 Sep 2026 at 11:29am
Alert readers will recall that last year the SNP convened a summit in Glasgow for the sole purpose of uniting the nation in preventing Nigel Farage becoming Prime Minister. The party also regularly tells us that to actually achieve independence, support would have to build to an overwhelming consensus into the 60-65% range, rather than …

His Majesty?s Loyal Sabre
21 Sep 2026 at 1:50pm
Funny how people change, isn’t it? That sounds a lot to us like “Bombs Not Bairns”. We watched the first episode of “The Wargame” at 2am this morning (it’s toe-curlingly bad, shot like a soft-focus corporate promo with three-second cuts, constant dramatic music and the politicians delivering wooden press-conference soundbites rather than any sense of …

A Thousand Islands In The Sea
16 Sep 2026 at 1:22pm
We’re getting so much correspondence from Police Scotland at the moment that we’re starting to feel like their guiltily-neglected penpal. This one, though, is slightly more involved than their usual two-paragraph brushoff. Don’t get too excited, though – it amounts to the same thing. This is self-evident gibberish. Nobody was prosecuted, let alone convicted, over …

Fear And Favour
15 Sep 2026 at 1:10pm
This is what it looks like, if you’ve ever wondered. It’s basically the police’s own version of a seven-hour “no comment” interview. Let’s take a moment to remind ourselves of that letter of 20 August, because it was a pretty significant and serious piece of professional correspondence to have been so casually tossed away in …

Craig Murray

Fatuous False Flags
2 Oct 2026 at 10:16am

Rather than abandoning the plainly nuts Fairford narrative, Burnham and his government are doubling down on the claim it is an Iranian terror plot. It remains quite possible the men were indeed fuel thieves, simply stealing fuel from farms. They appear to have been equipped for fuel theft and all they were carrying was petrol. …

Fatuous False Flags

Losing My Religion
29 Sep 2026 at 12:07pm

I have lost faith both in Western social democracy, and in the institutions of international law. As both have been fundamental to the work of my life, this is rather a blow as I approach 70. A number of deeply shocking things have happened this past three years, not as extraneous events, but as conscious …

Losing My Religion

Palestine Action Judicial Review
23 Sep 2026 at 4:51pm

On Friday we have our appeal against the suspension of the Palestine Action judicial review in Scotland. Our legal crowdfunder has been closed down by the card processors following Trump’s designation of Palestine Action as a global terrorist organisation. https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/scottish-challenge-to-proscription/dashboard/ If you can, please come to the Court of Session in Edinburgh for 10am. If …

Palestine Action Judicial Review

Four Days in Ekaterinburg
21 Sep 2026 at 1:26pm

I was surprised a few weeks ago to get an invitation from Yana Lantratova, Russian Federal Commissioner for Human Rights, to deliver a speech on human rights to the International Youth Festival in Ekaterinburg. It is approaching 20 years since I was last in Russia, and I tend to avoid invitations from governments. But on …

Four Days in Ekaterinburg

Dishonesty and Deceit
7 Sep 2026 at 7:31pm

UPDATE We got an expedited date to “reclaim” (appeal) against the suspension of the case, on 25 September. We shall also be reclaiming against the decision not to send the case straight to the Inner House. All parties seemed to agree there may just be time, if our appeal is successful, to finish the Scottish …

Dishonesty and Deceit

Nonsense Drones and Novichok
3 Sep 2026 at 2:14pm

Europe urgently needs to re-establish access to Russian oil and gas. Gas prices are high – as all UK energy consumers know – and German gas storage is at a record low for September. Gulf production is degraded, supplies are cut off and its long-term strategic stability undermined. German manufacturing already suffered a 9.5% production …

Nonsense Drones and Novichok

BBC Scotland

Emergency doctor 'completely terrified' of looming winter pressures on NHS
11 Oct 2026 at 1:53pm
Dr Fiona Hunter says A&E departments are providing "unsafe" levels of care, with some patients spending 72 hours on trolleys in hospital corridors.

Swinney backs Flynn in ferry gas leak row and says 'nobody's perfect'
11 Oct 2026 at 12:43pm
The first minister says he has confidence in his transport secretary, who denies being briefed about the ferry incident.

Reform MSPs accused of racism over burka ban debate at Holyrood
8 Oct 2026 at 6:42pm
John Swinney criticised the party after it suggested religious face coverings should be outlawed in public.

Watchdog and critics raise concerns over reliability of NHS medical records
8 Oct 2026 at 6:02am
Victims of disgraced brain surgeon Sam Eljamel are complaining of "significant gaps" in their records.

Swinney defends claims about Scots 'losing' pensions
6 Oct 2026 at 6:48pm
John Swinney has been accused of misleading MSPs after claiming Scots could lose their pensions under Labour plans.

'Clear human rights failures' in southern Scotland, report finds
7 Oct 2026 at 5:59am
A new study concludes basic human rights - including food, health and housing - are being denied.

Scottish government 'will do all it can' to secure Syngenta site's future
6 Oct 2026 at 5:06pm
Almost 400 jobs are at risk at chemical firm Syngenta's Grangemouth plant after it announced plans to close the site

Zionism is racist, says Scottish Green co-leader Ross Greer
6 Oct 2026 at 9:53am
The comments have been described as "disgusting and dangerous" by the Scottish Conservatives.

Glasgow City Council and Unison reach agreement in pay and grading row
5 Oct 2026 at 4:23pm
The local authority says this means it will not consider dismissing and rehiring its staff.

Radical change needed to cut Scottish child poverty, says charity
5 Oct 2026 at 6:35am
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation says Scotland is on course to miss legally-binding poverty targets "by a wide margin".

Scottish Tory leader Findlay says SNP's indy 'obsession' is dangerously irres...
4 Oct 2026 at 2:10pm
Russell Findlay tells the Conservative Party's UK conference that breaking up the United Kingdom would be "a gift to our enemies".

No more cereal at the end of the aisle? New rules in Scotland's supermarkets
2 Oct 2026 at 11:47am
Restrictions are being put on products with high sugar, fat and salt content, but the meal deal lives on.

Scot Goes Pop

Nick Robinson and the dehumanisation of Palestinians demanded by official BBC...
11 Oct 2026 at 8:42am
An audio podcast version of the above video can be heard HERE, and will soon be available on Apple Podcasts HERE.*  *  *If you'd like to help Scot Goes Pop to continue, please check out my Ko-Fi pa...

Sky News goes full Pravda in its coverage of the Holborn & St Pancras by-elec...
9 Oct 2026 at 1:04pm
Holborn & St Pancras by-election result (8th October 2026):Labour 45.2% (-3.7)Greens 32.8% (+22.4)Conservatives 7.1% (-0.1)Reform UK 5.9% (-0.2)Liberal Democrats 3.4% (-2.4)Restore Britain 2.5% (n/...

Tories' plan to impose new nuclear power stations on Scotland means they have...
7 Oct 2026 at 2:39am
An audio podcast version of the above video can be heard HERE, and will soon be available on Apple Podcasts HERE.*  *  *If you'd like to help Scot Goes Pop to continue, please check out my Ko-Fi pa...

Watch out for ORCS! Rory Stewart thrillingly brings back "The Middleland", by...
4 Oct 2026 at 3:29pm
An audio podcast version of the above video can be heard HERE, and will soon be available on Apple Podcasts HERE.*  *  *If you'd like to help Scot Goes Pop to continue, please check out my Ko-Fi pa...

Burnham's TIME-BENDING hypocrisy: "It's fine for us to consider overturning t...
1 Oct 2026 at 1:35am
An audio podcast version of the above video can be heard HERE, and will soon be available on Apple Podcasts HERE.*  *  *If you'd like to help Scot Goes Pop to continue, please check out my Ko-Fi pa...

Burnham uses the loss of his father as an excuse for stripping Scotland of it...
29 Sep 2026 at 7:00pm
An audio podcast version of the above video can be heard HERE, and will soon be available on Apple Podcasts HERE.*  *  *If you'd like to help Scot Goes Pop to continue, please check out my Ko-Fi pa...

Is Robin McAlpine hallucinating, or is he trying to gaslight us?
26 Sep 2026 at 2:06am
An audio podcast version of the above video can be heard HERE, and will soon be available on Apple Podcasts HERE.*  *  *If you'd like to help Scot Goes Pop to continue, please check out my Ko-Fi pa...

YouGov MRP mega-poll shows SNP on course to hold the BALANCE OF POWER at West...
24 Sep 2026 at 2:58pm
An audio podcast version of the above video can be heard HERE, and will soon be available on Apple Podcasts HERE.*  *  *If you'd like to help Scot Goes Pop to continue, please check out my Ko-Fi pa...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

More than half think Scotland ?heading in wrong direction?, poll finds
12 Oct 2026 at 7:02am
Ipsos Scotland said the figure of 51% will be a concern for John Swinney, as it has increased from 45% in May.

Corridor care ?not acceptable?, Constance says ahead of NHS winter period
11 Oct 2026 at 3:11pm
The Health Secretary said she would have a ?laser focus? on building capacity for healthcare in the community.

Scottish Government urging public to ?ask for help? this World Mental Health Day
10 Oct 2026 at 1:39pm
World Mental Health Day is celebrated on October 10.

Flynn?s office emailed about ferry gas leak before he said he was not briefed
9 Oct 2026 at 2:15pm
The transport secretary was asked about the incident on the Glen Sannox during an appearance at a Holyrood committee last month

Green MSP Manivannan allowed to continue working in UK after visa extended
9 Oct 2026 at 12:23pm
The Edinburgh and Lothians East member has secured a three-year graduate visa, to replace their student visa

College courses for parents offer sustainable route out of poverty ? Somerville
9 Oct 2026 at 10:46am
Alongside training courses, the project will provide additional support with childcare and transport costs

£1m pledged to create ?areas of linguistic significance? to help Gaelic thrive
9 Oct 2026 at 7:05am
The Scottish Languages Act ? passed last year by Holyrood ? paves the way for 'areas of linguistic significance' to be created in Gaelic communities

MSPs debate face coverings amid calls for ban after Glasgow protest
8 Oct 2026 at 4:56pm
It comes after one man was charged over the assault of a police officer at a protest in Glasgow, in which a number of men wore face coverings

Tories would scrap inheritance tax on family homes, Badenoch says
7 Oct 2026 at 2:13pm
The Tory leader said she'd allow couples to leave behind an additional £1 million tax-free

Swinney calls for ?unity over division? on anniversary of October 7 attacks
7 Oct 2026 at 8:30am
The First Minister has called for ?long-lasting peace?.

Majority of firms say Scottish Government doesn?t understand business
6 Oct 2026 at 6:57am
Economists said the figures show an increasingly ?negative picture? in the relationship between business and government.

Swinney?s poverty rhetoric ?increasingly disconnected? from action, report warns
5 Oct 2026 at 12:07pm
In a highly critical report, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation warns the Government is on course to miss its legally-binding child poverty targets

Swinney announces £1m funding boost to help get low-income parents into work
5 Oct 2026 at 11:11am
The initiative will help parents on low incomes with travel costs linked to jobs, interviews and training

Minister announces 250 NHS placements to help tackle poverty
5 Oct 2026 at 8:03am
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said the NHS will offer a ?real route out of poverty?.

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Powers must be devolved out of Holyrood to supercharge Scots towns and cities
12 Oct 2026 at 4:30am
Writing in his regular column for the Record, the Scottish Labour leader says power should be pushed out of Edinburgh and back to local communities.

Hundreds of Scots children 'growing up homeless' after spending years in temp...
12 Oct 2026 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: The SNP Government declared a national housing emergency in May 2024 but the number of children living in temporary accommodation has since increased.

John Swinney and Nicola Sturgeon 'still friends' despite criticism of SNP ele...
11 Oct 2026 at 10:11am
The First Minister said he last spoke to his predecessor "over the summer" after she accused him of running a campaign that lacked "vision" and "big picture thinking".

John Swinney urged to drop 'hokey cokey' approach to public sector reform and...
10 Oct 2026 at 10:30am
EXCLUSIVE: Scotland's most senior trade unionist said workers shouldn't be blamed for a £5 billion blackhole in the SNP Government's finances.

How Margaret Thatcher pioneered 'brute force' tactics to crush unions at Lana...
10 Oct 2026 at 4:30am
A new book by a Glasgow-based historian asks how the working class has been pushed from the centre of political life to its margins.

Lib Dems to oppose John Swinney's 'extreme' plans to merge councils across Sc...
9 Oct 2026 at 1:55pm
EXCLUSIVE: Alex Cole-Hamilton told the Record the country did not need more council areas so large they could be seen from space.

Green MSP Q Manivannan allowed to continue working in UK after visa extended
9 Oct 2026 at 12:45pm
Manivannan, who has described themselves as a ?queer Tamil immigrant?, said: ?This is my home and I?m not going anywhere.?

John Swinney plan to slash health boards and merge councils could cause 'deca...
8 Oct 2026 at 4:06pm
The SNP leader was accused of having set out to reorganise the country?s councils and NHS boards ?without a clear purpose, or a plan or a process?.

John Swinney slams 'deplorable' Reform UK as party calls for burqa ban in Sco...
8 Oct 2026 at 2:58pm
The First Minister accused Malcolm Offord of leading "a party that has brought racism" into the Scottish Parliament.

Scots urged to steer clear of cruel 'benefits advice' firms charging for appl...
8 Oct 2026 at 10:45am
Shirley-Anne Somerville, the Social Justice Secretary, is aware of the issue and has met with the charity to discuss how the Government can help.

The National

The National | Politics

Andy Burnham and Donald Trump are cut from same cloth of toxic neoliberalism
12 Oct 2026 at 5:00am

DONALD Trump has apparently changed his mind again. This time, the consequences could be profound, not just for Ukraine, Russia, Nato and Europe, but for the whole basis on which international politics is conducted.

Scotland has two national languages, but there's one glaring funding gap
12 Oct 2026 at 5:00am

AS Scotland?s largest celebration of Gaelic language, song and culture got under way in Glasgow, a £1 million cash injection was announced by the Scottish Government to create ?areas of linguistic significance? to help support the language.

Has the SNP suddenly become afraid to stray from the UK pack?
12 Oct 2026 at 5:00am

MUCH ink has been spilled on the SNP?s Programme for Government and what it does and doesn?t mean for the party?s political profile under First Minister John Swinney.

Independence push has 'turned a corner', says John Swinney
12 Oct 2026 at 5:00am

THE push for Scottish independence has ?turned a corner?, John Swinney has said ...

SNP accused of 'clear lack of will' to honour Holyrood vote on Israel boycott
12 Oct 2026 at 5:00am

THE SNP Government has been accused of showing a ?clear lack of will? to follow through on a Holyrood vote for Scotland to boycott Israel ...

Can Belgium?s socialist surge show Scotland?s left the way back?
12 Oct 2026 at 5:00am

AFTER the failures of radical left parties such as Syriza in Greece and Podemos in Spain as well as troubled times for Die Linke in Germany and the Left Bloc in Portugal, the Workers? Party of Belgium (WPB) is the bright shining light for the socialist left in Europe.

Private pension industry wins while pensioners lose the triple lock
12 Oct 2026 at 5:00am

PENSIONS were headline

Attending SNP's Aberdeen conference 'unaffordable for most', MSP warns
12 Oct 2026 at 5:00am

ABERDEEN should be next on the list for a roll out of a £2 cap on bus fares, a local MSP has said, alleging that current public transport prices mean attending the SNP?s conference will be ?simply unaffordable for most" ...

Decision to hold a public execution would backfire on Donald Trump
11 Oct 2026 at 8:36pm

THE fact that serious consideration is apparently being given to conducting a public execution of Nidal Malik Hasan neatly ? if that?s the correct word ? illustrates the moral bankruptcy of the Trump administration.

Anti-abortion group issues legal threat to SNP over conference event cancella...
11 Oct 2026 at 5:09pm

THE SNP are facing legal action from the UK?s largest anti-abortion group after cancelling their event at the party?s upcoming conference ...

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

John Swinney urged to condemn Ross Greer remarks on Zionism
8 Oct 2026 at 6:00pm
Malcolm Offord said the comments were "blatantly antisemitic", while the FM accused Reform of "bringing racism into the chamber"

More than 2,000 objections to plans for ?world?s largest? data centre
7 Oct 2026 at 3:25pm
Locals are concerned about the environmental impact of the project at an old nuclear power plant

Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer says 'Zionism is racism'
6 Oct 2026 at 6:20pm
Scottish Greens co-leader describes the creation of the state of Israel as an 'act of ethnic cleansing'

Scottish civil servants required to work two days a week in the office, accor...
6 Oct 2026 at 6:20pm
Civil servants will be required to use a new self-reporting tool to record where they are working from

John Swinney: 'I've nothing to explain to parliament' over pension comments
5 Oct 2026 at 4:09pm
John Swinney has been called on to "correct the record" and accused of "peddling misinformation" over his reaction to the comments made about the scrapping of the triple lock

Charity warns of ?increasing disconnect? over Scottish Government poverty action
5 Oct 2026 at 8:16am
JRF calls for 'radical action' for children

John Swinney accused of ?misrepresenting? Andy Burnham?s plans on pensions
1 Oct 2026 at 6:00pm
The first minister said pensions were 'under attack' as a result of the decision to scrap the triple lock

John Swinney: Jagtar Singh Johal release is a ?significant step?
1 Oct 2026 at 5:33pm
Death penalty threat remains despite bail, family warns

Monica Lennon says bullying claims are 'a work of fiction'
1 Oct 2026 at 1:05pm
Lennon is reported to have been accused of bullying by a number of former members of staff

?Slow pace? warning over Scottish Government offshore wind supply chain progr...
1 Oct 2026 at 8:00am
Stephen Gethins defends scheme's performance as watchdog report is published

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

UK politics live: Pat McFadden tells Labour activists they should not defend ...
27 Sep 2026 at 6:11pm
Work and pensions secretary says the current system is flawed because it consigns too many people to a life on benefits when they would be better off working?I can deliver?: Burnham pledges radical change on eve of Labour conferenceKuenssberg puts it to Burnham that, according to the Health Found...

New powerful synthetic opioids behind sharp rise in Scottish drug deaths
23 Sep 2026 at 2:12pm
Eleven per cent increase in fatalities last year partly down to presence of nitazenes in Scotland?s illicit drug marketNew forms of a powerful synthetic opioid have contributed to a sharp rise in Scottish drug deaths, with the latest data showing an 11% increase in fatalities last yearAnnual figu...

Scottish Labour?s new leader backs Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gasfields
19 Sep 2026 at 1:52pm
Michael Marra supports development of the North Sea sites, calling for a ?more rational? approach to energy policyScottish Labour?s new leader Michael Marra has backed the development of the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gasfields in the North Sea in one of his first acts after being elected, call...

Planning permission for new Scottish AI datacentres suspended for up to a year
16 Sep 2026 at 7:28pm
MSPs vote for strict environmental impact assessments and will delay decisions until national strategy is developedHolyrood has voted to pause planning applications for all new AI datacentres for up to a year until the Scottish government has developed a national strategy.On Wednesday, MSPs backe...

UK politics: Farage hints that Reform?s £72m donations may not be legal under...
14 Sep 2026 at 6:04pm
In an interview about the donations, he said they are compliant with the law ?today?Andy Burnham has cancelled engagements today and tomorrow following the death of his father Roy, who was suffering from Alzheimer?s, the Press Association reports.Burnham has spoken about his father?s illness whic...

Westminster?s time is coming to an end, say first ministers of UK?s Celtic na...
14 Sep 2026 at 2:21pm
Leaders in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland discuss independence and call for constitutional change at summitWestminster?s time is coming to an end, the first ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have said at a summit aimed at putting the UK?s Celtic nations on the path to indepe...

UK politics: Andy Burnham pressed on borrowing costs and spending at first PM...
2 Sep 2026 at 5:36pm
Burnham faced questions from Kemi Badenoch and other MPs amid speculation over budgetIn the news release to mark the first anniversary of his election as the Green party?s leader, Zack Polanski highlighted what he described as 10 achievements during his first year in charge. For the record, this ...

Swinney sticks with pledge to cap prices on basic foods in Scotland
1 Sep 2026 at 5:52pm
First minister sets out his government?s agenda and defends policy described by industry groups as a ?potty gimmick?John Swinney insisted on Tuesday he still planned to introduce a legally binding price cap on bread, milk and other essential food items in Scotland despite fierce opposition from f...

Tuesday briefing: Scotland has promised on violence against women ? can it de...
1 Sep 2026 at 6:46am
In today?s newsletter: First minister John Swinney has pledged to put an end to violence against women and girls. But can he turn ambitious laws into real change?Good morning. Violence against women and girls, in all its myriad forms ? physical and mental, blatant and insidious ? is a global chal...

Channel 5 drama to examine how Nicola Sturgeon?s estranged husband stole SNP ...
26 Aug 2026 at 2:00pm
To Nicola, Love Peter will focus on couple?s relationship during 12-year period of embezzlement and fallout of caseChannel 5 is reuniting with the producers of Power: the Downfall of Huw Edwards for a drama about how Nicola Sturgeon?s estranged husband embezzled £400,000 from the Scottish Nationa...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

America?s moral turpitude is infesting British politics
10 Oct 2026 at 2:58pm
I don’t usually blog about America unless it directly affects or involves Scotland, but for the latest example of how far that once great country has fallen into moral turpitude under Trump, I’ll make an exception. The very same people who had a collective meltdown over the sight of a Black mermaid or Black Helen …

Badenoch has killed off the once in a generation claim
7 Oct 2026 at 1:51pm
The Tories have officially ripped up the Vow to which they were signatories in 2014. This was the panicked promise made by the Better Together parties – one of which was the Conservatives – two days before the independence referendum which promised extensive new powers for Scotland, quasi-federal status, a guarantee that the Scottish Parliament …

The British right has Holyrood in its sights
6 Oct 2026 at 2:29pm
The Tories have crossed the Rubicon. Since the independence referendum of 2014, which Better Together won on the basis of false promises, not the least of which was the promise that the powers of the Scottish Parliament would never be clawed back by Westminster, the Westminster parties have largely attempted to maintain a fig leaf …

Labour?s gone from jam tomorrow to maybe jam eventually
5 Oct 2026 at 9:43am
One of the key promises of the Labour party in Scotland during the 2024 Westminster general election campaign was that a vote for Labour was a vote to save the jobs of the workers at the Grangemouth refinery which at that time was threatened with closure. As we all know, the refinery closed despite Labour’s …

Burnham pensions off two Better Together arguments
2 Oct 2026 at 12:41pm
One of the ways in which the Better Together campaign won the referendum in 2014 was to successfully scaremonger Scotland’s pensioners into believing that their state pensions would not be safe in an independent Scotland and that Scotland’s pensioners needed Westminster to guarantee their meagre state pensions. There were even disgraceful reports of Better Together …

Hysterical history revisited
1 Oct 2026 at 1:09pm
This is a revised version of a piece first published on this blog way back in April 2014, but I’ve republished it as it has become relevant again. Former Tory MP and erstwhile Conservative leadership candidate Rory Stewart’s unionist propaganda thinly disguised as a BBC history documentary, broadcast back in March and April 2014 during …

Burnham?s crude emotional manipulation reveals the poverty of Westminster?s case
30 Sep 2026 at 3:50pm
The only living politician mentioned by Andy Burnham during his jam tomorrow speech to the Labour party conference was John Swinney, and that was only in order to take a nasty, underhanded and emotionally manipulative dig at the First Minister in which Burnham linked the ‘hurt’ he’d felt at John Swinney calling him the last …

Hopey change and changey hope: Burnham?s conference speech
29 Sep 2026 at 3:35pm
Andy Burnham has given his first speech to the Labour party conference as Prime Minister. The speech was a whole lot of jam tomorrow, hopey change and changey hope. The only real difference from Starmer is the mood music, the substance remains much the same. Good vibes but little in the way of a concrete …

The threat to Scotland from the British far right remains urgent
28 Sep 2026 at 6:14pm
I’m still struggling to walk following the recent fall and have developed a massive bruise on my left leg. Due to the pain I’m not sleeping well, but things are definitely going in the right direction. It’s the Labour party conference this week. Delegates are basking in the relief that comes from having rid themselves …

What happened to the old consensus on an indyref trigger?
25 Sep 2026 at 6:57pm
I was supposed to have been going to Lochgilphead today to do an event for Aye Fyne, but here I am at home nursing a very painful ankle and hirpling gingerly about the house – but only when I have to – I’m trying to keep off my foot as much as possible. There has …

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

?Troubled?, not so ?ageing? Arran ferry?s ?faults? started when the contract ...
11 Oct 2026 at 6:35pm
In the Scotsman, two days ago, the above and: A CalMac ferry which returned to service a year ago after 20 months of repairs that cost £11 million is to be retired, the operator has announced. Caledonian Isles, which sails on one of CalMac?s busiest routes, is due to end its 34-year career in February as part of the replacement of three of ageing large ferries with brand new vessels. The 1,000-...

Why does the Royal College of Emergency Medicine avoid comparisons with Scotl...
11 Oct 2026 at 5:36pm
By stewartb When reading across the press statements that the RCEM makes regularly on the waiting times performances of the NHS in England, the north of Ireland, Scotland and Wales, it is rare to find it refer directly to between nation comparisons. In particular, the longstanding better performance of NHS Scotland tends not to be acknowledged although clearly evident in time series graphs tuck...

As long waits triggering corridor care surge to twice the Scottish rate in En...
11 Oct 2026 at 2:16pm
From BBC Scotland today, based on the RCEM union convener in Scotland: A leading emergency doctor has said she is “completely terrified” about upcoming winter pressures on Scotland’s already-stretched NHS. Dr Fiona Hunter, vice chair of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Scotland, said A&E departments were providing “unsafe” levels of care, with some patients spending 72 hours on trolleys ...

LATEST ? England?s paedophile nursery crisis was averted in Scotland by Alex ...
11 Oct 2026 at 1:40pm
In the Guardian yesterday, the above and: A paedophile nursery worker was cleared by an investigation overseen by a local authority three years before he was arrested. In February, Vincent Chan was jailed after pleading guilty to 56 offences, including assault by penetration on three-year-old girls in his care at a Bright Horizons nursery on Finchley Road in north-west London. After his convict...

SNP faces zero backlash when very few will even notice this ant-abortion grou...
11 Oct 2026 at 1:24pm
In the National today, the above: SNP leaders are facing a backlash from their own members after allowing an anti-abortion group to host a fringe event at the party conference. Women for Independence (WFI) have organised a petition calling on the SNP leadership to step in to cancel the SPUC event. It is understood that, within two hours of launching, the WFI campaign had garnered support from m...

NHS England?s waiting list edges ahead of Scotland as winter pressures loom
11 Oct 2026 at 12:45pm
There are “ominous signs” that winter pressures are already affecting the NHS in England, according to senior health leaders. The warning comes as new data reveals the waiting list for routine hospital treatment in England rose for the second month in a row. An estimated 7.37 million treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of August, relating to 6.24 million patients.1 And in Scotl...

At last, a Labour MP sees how dangerous Labour?s nuclear energy policy is
10 Oct 2026 at 3:17pm
Well, I suppose it’s good to see this, even if a little later and on contrary tack at times to our earlier predictions. First, from the high-status Foreign Policy on January 20th 2025: Labour?s planned small modular reactors ? inefficient, polluting and carcinogenic ? will also be dependent on high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) from Putin?s Russia which has ?complete monopoly? to undermine...

Glenn Campbell?s Podcast dare not question the Conservative plans to strip Ho...
10 Oct 2026 at 9:57am
By Liz S ?Latest Tory proposal is to prevent the Scottish Parliament from pursuing its own vision, goals and objectives?! What Bowie stated in his speech, in that a future Tory government would overrule the Scottish government on Nuclear in Scotland , was of absolutely no interest to the BBC in Scotland on their website or in their news reports, as apparently that , as news, was not important. ...

Glasgow Labour did not just build a hospital near a huge source of deadly bac...
9 Oct 2026 at 11:12pm
Cadmium? One of the main effects of cadmium poisoning is weak and brittle bones. The bones become soft (osteomalacia), lose bone mineral density (osteoporosis), and become weaker. This results in joint and back pain, and increases the risk of fractures. Spinal and leg pain is common, and a waddling gait often develops due to bone deformities caused by the long-term cadmium exposure. The pain ev...

Labour chair of housing calls for urgent funds so England can still build few...
9 Oct 2026 at 3:08pm
From the Guardian today, the above, and: The Labour chair of the Commons housing committee is urging John Healey to bring forward billions of pounds of planned spending on social and affordable homes in England, after housing associations said they were ready to build tens of thousands more. Abena Oppong-Asare called for the chancellor to allocate money from the £39bn Social and Affordable Home...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

Three of the UK?s four nations are led by parties advocating a split. Which i...
8 Oct 2026 at 4:09pm
Three of the UK?s four nations are led by parties advocating a split. Which is most likely to go?  The Conversation

John Swinney claims the push for Scottish Independence has 'turned a corner' ...
12 Oct 2026 at 3:00am
John Swinney claims the push for Scottish Independence has 'turned a corner'  The Scotsman

Scottish independence push has ?turned a corner?, Swinney claims - The Indepe...
12 Oct 2026 at 12:01am
Scottish independence push has ?turned a corner?, Swinney claims  The Independent

Leaders of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland unite for self-determination - A...
14 Sep 2026 at 8:00am
Leaders of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland unite for self-determination  Al Jazeera

Reform MSPs walk out of parliament in protest against independence debate - BBC
22 Sep 2026 at 8:00am
Reform MSPs walk out of parliament in protest against independence debate  BBC

SNP MP Lara Bird outs UK comedian as 'secretly pro-Scottish independence' - T...
10 Oct 2026 at 11:49am
SNP MP Lara Bird outs UK comedian as 'secretly pro-Scottish independence'  The National Scot

Push for Scottish independence has ?turned a corner? says Swinney - Morning S...
8 Oct 2026 at 8:00am
Push for Scottish independence has ?turned a corner? says Swinney  Morning Star | The People?s Daily

Scotland has right to decide constitutional future, new Scottish Labour leade...
22 Sep 2026 at 8:00am
Scotland has right to decide constitutional future, new Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra says  BBC

Greens demand Findlay come clean on devolution policy chaos - Scottish Greens
7 Oct 2026 at 1:20pm
Greens demand Findlay come clean on devolution policy chaos  Scottish Greens

If SNP want independence, they need to put the economy above endless welfare ...
25 Sep 2026 at 8:00am
If SNP want independence, they need to put the economy above endless welfare splurges  The Herald

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

SNP accused of 'clear lack of will' to honour Holyrood vote on Israel boycott...
12 Oct 2026 at 5:04am
SNP accused of 'clear lack of will' to honour Holyrood vote on Israel boycott  The National Scot

Michael Marra accuses SNP ministers of shortchanging councils by £2bn - The H...
12 Oct 2026 at 12:04am
Michael Marra accuses SNP ministers of shortchanging councils by £2bn  The Herald

Catholic Parliamentary Office welcomes SNP withdrawal of abortion motion - Th...
8 Oct 2026 at 12:30pm
Catholic Parliamentary Office welcomes SNP withdrawal of abortion motion  The Catholic Herald

SNP needs ScotWind reality check to avoid a Westminster row and restore confi...
11 Oct 2026 at 6:03pm
SNP needs ScotWind reality check to avoid a Westminster row and restore confidence  The Scotsman

SNP ?shortchanging? communities by £2 billion with decade of council cuts, sa...
12 Oct 2026 at 12:05am
SNP ?shortchanging? communities by £2 billion with decade of council cuts, says Labour  Morning Star | The People?s Daily

How John Swinney?s public sector plans revealed deep splits in SNP - The Times
10 Oct 2026 at 6:31pm
How John Swinney?s public sector plans revealed deep splits in SNP  The Times

Proposed SNP conversion therapy ban could 'weaken trust' within the home - ww...
10 Oct 2026 at 11:29am
Proposed SNP conversion therapy ban could 'weaken trust' within the home  www.christiantoday.com

NanoTS: a deep learning tool for accurate SNP calling in nanopore long-read t...
22 Sep 2026 at 8:00am
NanoTS: a deep learning tool for accurate SNP calling in nanopore long-read transcriptome data  Nature

Has the SNP suddenly become afraid to stray from the UK pack? - The National ...
12 Oct 2026 at 5:04am
Has the SNP suddenly become afraid to stray from the UK pack?  The National Scot

Ministers have 'appetite' to weaken no compulsory redundancy protection, unio...
12 Oct 2026 at 5:41am
Ministers have 'appetite' to weaken no compulsory redundancy protection, union claims  The Herald

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

Three of the UK?s four nations are led by parties advocating a split. Which i...
8 Oct 2026 at 4:09pm
Three of the UK?s four nations are led by parties advocating a split. Which is most likely to go?  The Conversation

Scottish independence push has ?turned a corner?, Swinney claims - The Indepe...
12 Oct 2026 at 12:01am
Scottish independence push has ?turned a corner?, Swinney claims  The Independent

John Swinney claims the push for Scottish Independence has 'turned a corner' ...
12 Oct 2026 at 3:00am
John Swinney claims the push for Scottish Independence has 'turned a corner'  The Scotsman

Scotland has right to decide constitutional future, new Scottish Labour leade...
22 Sep 2026 at 8:00am
Scotland has right to decide constitutional future, new Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra says  BBC

Leaders of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland unite for self-determination - A...
14 Sep 2026 at 8:00am
Leaders of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland unite for self-determination  Al Jazeera

John Swinney aiming for independence referendum by 2031 - BBC
14 Sep 2026 at 8:00am
John Swinney aiming for independence referendum by 2031  BBC

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland leaders unite behind independence push f...
14 Sep 2026 at 8:18pm
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland leaders unite behind independence push from UK  Courthouse News

SNP MP Lara Bird outs UK comedian as 'secretly pro-Scottish independence' - T...
10 Oct 2026 at 11:49am
SNP MP Lara Bird outs UK comedian as 'secretly pro-Scottish independence'  The National Scot

Wings Over Scotland raises £30k for SNP indyref fund court challenge - The He...
6 Oct 2026 at 4:37am
Wings Over Scotland raises £30k for SNP indyref fund court challenge  The Herald

Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish leaders unite in push to leave UK - ABC Ne...
14 Sep 2026 at 8:00am
Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish leaders unite in push to leave UK  ABC News & Headlines ? Australian Broadcasting Corporation