The Herald

The Herald | Politics


SNP 'risk defeat' if it opposes education bill which can boost 'life success'
5 Feb 2025 at 5:02am
SNP ministers have been told they face defeat in a Holyrood vote next month if it does not back an outdoor education bill which experts say can help children and young people achieve ;long-term success in life'.


Scotch whisky giant sounds alarm over US prospects
5 Feb 2025 at 4:29am
Diageo outlines concerns North American market as chief shows faith in Scotch whisky


Scotland behind schedule in promises made to children in care
5 Feb 2025 at 12:01am
The fulfilment of a national promise made to care-experienced children in Scotland to keep them safe growing up has been delayed due to a mix of unexpected events and ?systemic barriers?, a a group of experts has found.


Scots waiting for social care assessment continues to rise above 6,000
5 Feb 2025 at 5:00am
Over 6,300 people in Scotland are now waiting for the assessment as the Scottish Conservatives blame the increase on the SNP "wasting money".


Scottish Labour 'working closely' on projects like Supercomputer after scrap
5 Feb 2025 at 5:00am
Anas Sarwar has told The Herald he is working ?very closely?  on similar projects to the Supercomputer in Edinburgh after the plans were scrapped.


Tequila in the frame as Trump rattles sabre on tariffs, Scotch giant warns
4 Feb 2025 at 5:00pm
Scotch whisky not yet out of the woods in US trade war


Scottish Labour 'open to good ideas' from Reform UK 
4 Feb 2025 at 12:18pm
Anas Sarwar has said he would not rule out ?good ideas? from Reform UK or any other party if they win seats at the Holyrood 2026 elections.


Scotch whisky giant reveals Trump risk to US recovery
4 Feb 2025 at 9:30am
Sales of Tequila and Canadian whiskey at risk in US after Trump move


Buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy ride under Trump 2.0
4 Feb 2025 at 4:30am
Donald Trump has fired the starting pistol on what has already been dubbed "the dumbest trade war in history"


Analysis: Could Sturgeon's call for a NI-style trigger for an independence vo...
4 Feb 2025 at 11:51am
Nicola Sturgeon called for Scotland to have some form of formal mechanism to allow the country to hold an independence referendum such as Northern Ireland has for a border poll.


Row over independence spending as Scottish Government budget passes first vote
4 Feb 2025 at 5:48pm
The Scottish Budget has passed its first hurdle with backing from the Lib Dems, Greens, and Alba, while Labour abstained. The deal includes a £2 bus fare cap, increased nature restoration funding, and support for ASN education.


NHS Fife tribunal: Nurse denies comparing transgender doctor to rapist
4 Feb 2025 at 4:44pm
NHS Fife insists the nurse must accept Dr. Upton as a woman, while the nurse claims her objection is about NHS policy, not the doctor?s identity. The employment tribunal continues.


MSP defends ?robust? safeguards in proposed assisted dying law
4 Feb 2025 at 3:58pm
MSPs are set to vote on a controversial Assisted Dying Bill that could allow terminally ill patients as young as 16 to end their lives. Liam McArthur insists the legislation includes "robust safeguards," but critics warn of potential abuses.


Leaked email reveals Alba official's bid to suspend MacAskill in 'fascist' bu...
4 Feb 2025 at 1:11pm
Alba's leadership race turns chaotic as Kenny MacAskill faces bullying and debt allegations but blocks an "unconstitutional" suspension bid. Leaked emails reveal deep party divisions.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


How Scotland's ferry fiasco has thrown up yet another intriguing twist
5 Feb 2025 at 6:00am

The Glen Sannox ferry was only able to start sailings to Arran after parts were taken from its under-construction sister ship, the Glen Rosa

Scotland?s councillors look set to have to make yet more difficult decisions about public services amid a row over who should fund the increase in employers? national insurance contributions

Despite record funding from Westminster, the SNP Budget does nothing to help grow the economy, will deliver cuts in local services and higher council tax bills, and will see more public money spent on promoting independence

Liberals on the political right and left need to find a new way of doing politics to defeat populism

Former Health Secretary Michael Matheson noted ?how many things had not changed? in relation to the health service over a decade of SNP rule

Figures show the council axed more teaching posts last year than any other in Scotland

The UK Government insists it is not a choice

The UK government has been urged to rethink an ?unacceptable? offer to offset national insurance hikes for Scotland?s public sector.

The Alba leadership contest has descended into turmoil amid allegations of ?bullying and harassment? and a candidate ?alluding? that senior party members were ?fascist?.

The UK Labour government is set for a clash of ideologies between two key members of Keir Starmer?s Cabinet over whether to approve new plans for the controversial Rosebank oil field.

Concerns have been raised about the age limit for proposed assisted dying legislation being set at 16.

The Scottish Labour leader said he would not turn his back on a good idea from any MSP

Wings over Scotland

Closer To Home
3 Feb 2025 at 1:35pm
It’s a well-known truism that if a newspaper headline is phrased as a question, the answer to that question is always “No”. And nothing’s changed here. It’s a little too early to be writing Anas Sarwar’s political epitaph. It remains this site’s view that the most likely outcome of the 2026 Holyrood election is a …

Freedom of choice
29 Jan 2025 at 1:42am
It’s worth remembering that they didn’t have to do this. Labour had already announced their intention to abstain. There was no danger of the budget being defeated. So the SNP could have allocated however much money they wanted from their increased funding to the pursuit of independence. And maybe they did.

Saying sooths
28 Jan 2025 at 12:57pm
People sometimes ask us if we get bored of being right all the time. But in truth, we just wish we had to work a bit harder at it. Because anyone with a pair of eyes in their head in the last few years could see that the SNP have been gradually softening up their …

The Silent Revolution
23 Jan 2025 at 11:38am
Robin McAlpine published a very important piece yesterday, detailing how the SNP is about to become even more of a leadership dictatorship than it already is. You can read the article to see why this is a change of enormous importance, and a catastrophic one for the independence movement. It will make it just under …

A short treatise on stalking
21 Jan 2025 at 3:25pm
We’re stuck indoors waiting for a repairman today, so we had a little read-around of some of the less popular Scottish politics blogs to pass the time, and noted this: James Kelly of Scot Goes Pop, which we gather from its front page was seemingly one of the “Top 50 Left-Wing Blogs of 2011”, is …

The Great Hollowing
20 Jan 2025 at 12:44pm
The wild thing about this poll isn’t the headline that six months after winning a massive landslide majority, Keir Starmer now trails Nigel Farage – leader of a party with five MPs to Starmer’s 411 – as the electorate’s choice for best Prime Minister. It’s the little grey numbers sitting quietly at the bottom. Because …

Poisoning The Unwell
18 Jan 2025 at 12:29am

The same old tricks
16 Jan 2025 at 2:57pm
Way back in the day, the Lib Dems in particular, but also other parties and the “Better Together” campaign, were infamous for the “dodgy barchart” tactic. And so degraded is the modern SNP, it’s now scraping the same barrel. Here’s a graphic the party’s MSPs have been tweeting this week, made up to look like …

A crisis of democracy
14 Jan 2025 at 1:43pm
In the recent US election, the Democrats made a huge play out of the notion that the very concept of democracy itself was at risk if Donald Trump won. And yet his eventual victory was unquestionably democratic. Not only did Trump win under the electoral college system by a huge 312-226 margin, and secure control …

Nicola?s Non-Truths
13 Jan 2025 at 4:38pm
Peter Murrell really ought to have seen the writing on the wall a while ago. But at least it’s in keeping with her track record. (Nicola Sturgeon resigned less than two years later.) (There was no fresh independence referendum.) (Only 1 in 10 pupils had received their free laptop when the scheme was scrapped.) (The …

Craig Murray

Israel Slaughters and Destroys in Southern Lebanon
31 Jan 2025 at 1:24pm

We could very easily – in fact more easily – have made these mini-documentaries featuring the bodies of children slaughtered by Israel and the hideous aspect of the maiming of tens of thousands, or focusing on the tears of the bereaved and orphaned. We chose to go a different way and make that unavoidably implicit, …

Israel Slaughters and Destroys in Southern Lebanon

Israeli Atrocities in Lebanon
27 Jan 2025 at 12:24pm

Yesterday, not only did Israel fail to evacuate its army from Southern Lebanon as stipulated in the ceasefire agreement, Israel also shot over 130 Lebanese civilians attempting to return home in accordance with the deal, killing 23 and wounding 109 (of whom some are in critical condition). This included a 12 year old boy wounded …

Israeli Atrocities in Lebanon

Real Reporting Appeal
18 Jan 2025 at 4:36pm

Our new mini-documentary from the Middle East shows again the kind of reporting that no Western media either can or will do. We hope to visit Damascus where Western media is giving entirely sycophantic and false coverage to the new HTS regime, praising the return of Pringles to the shops while ignoring massacres. But we …

Real Reporting Appeal

A Ceasefire is Not an End
16 Jan 2025 at 1:21pm

The Genocide of the Palestinian people began 76 years ago. What may be drawing to a close is merely a particularly intense phase in the Genocide. Gaza is destroyed. 92% of its housing has gone. Its water treatment and sanitation, electricity generation, food processing, farming, and fishing are all now incapable of sustaining much life. …

A Ceasefire is Not an End

The United States? Pet General Appointed President of Lebanon
10 Jan 2025 at 3:32pm

Yesterday I did two short video reports from outside the Lebanese Parliament – inside a military cordon that totally sealed off downtown Beirut – on the appointment of General Joseph Aoun, Head of the Lebanese Armed Forces, as President of Lebanon. There is no other Western source giving any of this detail – not even …

The United States’ Pet General Appointed President of Lebanon

Will Section 12 Die of Shame?
7 Jan 2025 at 7:32am

There was absolutely nothing stopping them, but not one single member of Western mainstream media ever visited a bomb site in Lebanon to verify whether Israeli claims it was a Hezbollah base or missile site were true. Because they knew the answer is negative, as I found across dozens of bomb sites, and that is …

Will Section 12 Die of Shame?

BBC Scotland

Extra funds to help councils cover National Insurance rise
4 Feb 2025 at 5:16pm
Finance Secretary Shona Robison says the money should help councils avoid "inflation busting" council tax increases.

How did John Swinney win support for his budget?
4 Feb 2025 at 6:40am
The government's tax and spending plans will be debated at Holyrood but the final outcome is already secured.

School pupil 'sex survey' data offered to researchers
4 Feb 2025 at 2:13pm
The answers are being advertised for use by external researchers without the explicit consent of children or parents.

SQA publishes new exam timetable after backlash
3 Feb 2025 at 12:27pm
The 2024/25 diet will now start a day earlier to reduce the number of coincident and consecutive tests.

'No cat ban in Scotland', John Swinney confirms
3 Feb 2025 at 4:35pm
The first minister rules out the idea after experts suggest ways to reduce the impact domestic cats have on wildlife.

Extra NHS funding 'not matched by performance' says think tank
2 Feb 2025 at 3:04pm
A think tank says an extra £618m for the health service has not yet translated into a significant increase in delivery for patients

New oil and gas field consent was unlawful - judge
30 Jan 2025 at 1:51pm
The judgement came after a case brought by environmental campaigners at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.

Scotland 'unlikely' to meet 2030 car use target
30 Jan 2025 at 6:21am
Scotland is "unlikely" to meet its 2030 climate change target to reduce car use, according to public spending watchdogs.

Winners and losers in £200m Creative Scotland funding deal
30 Jan 2025 at 7:13pm
The Scottish government says 251 arts organisations will share £200m in a "transformational" deal.

Ex-Reform chief quits over link to Facebook group
30 Jan 2025 at 5:52pm
The former Scottish Tory MSP accused Nigel Farage's party of of a "witch hunt" as she cancelled her membership.

Public sector has to absorb UK tax hike cost - Forbes
29 Jan 2025 at 6:31pm
The deputy first minister says the Scottish government cannot "invent" money to cover a shortfall in compensation from the Treasury.

Up to 390 prisoners to be released early in Scotland
29 Jan 2025 at 5:44pm
Between 260 to 390 prisoners will be eligible for release under the latest move to tackle overcrowding in jails.

Scot Goes Pop

Power-crazed McEleny pushes Alba to the brink of destruction by launching yet...
4 Feb 2025 at 1:59pm
As you've probably seen, The National have published a dynamite exclusive from which only one conclusion can be drawn.  Chris McEleny has recognised that he made a potentially career-ending blunder...

YouGov put Nigel Farage in pole position to be the next Prime Minister as Ref...
4 Feb 2025 at 10:26am
This is not, of course, the first time in recent weeks that a polling company has put Reform in the lead, but it's the fact that YouGov have done it that is really making people sit up and take not...

BREAKING: It appears the Find Out Now poll has been misreported, with support...
3 Feb 2025 at 6:29pm
There's been a lot of discussion over the last couple of days about whether the 7% list vote for Alba in the new Find Out Now poll is really plausible, but as far as I know there's been no discussi...

THE ALBA FILES, Part 7: What Robert Reid and Chris McEleny have previously sa...
3 Feb 2025 at 11:54am
Just a short one this, but it's prompted by Alba HQ's resident stripling Robert Reid having one of his periodical rants about me on Twitter last night.  He obviously drops by to this blog now and a...

*SETTLED WILL KLAXON* - Yet another Find Out Now poll shows a pro-independenc...
2 Feb 2025 at 10:55am
Many thanks to Paul Kirkwood for pointing out to me that the independence numbers from the Find Out Now poll have been published in the print edition of the Herald on Sunday, where they're presente...

Find Out Now! Find Out How? Find Out TAKE A FREAKING BOW!!!! Earth-shaking n...
1 Feb 2025 at 11:16pm
Scottish Parliament constituency ballot (Find Out Now / Herald, 15th-20th January 2025):SNP 31% (-4)Labour 19% (-)Reform UK 13% (+2)Conservatives 12% (-3)Greens 10% (+3)Liberal Democrats 10% (+1)Al...

On the subject of Alba and paranoia
1 Feb 2025 at 11:45am
In recent months, both before and after my expulsion, I have repeatedly pointed out that Alba could have thrived if it had thrown the doors open and become a welcoming broad church for all of the m...

Calling all decent Alba members - please help put a stop to this vile persona...
31 Jan 2025 at 2:33pm
As has been well-rehearsed, the "reasons" Chris McEleny came up with for my expulsion from the Alba Party were almost comically vague - his disciplinary referral document dated 30th September was a...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

Trump says he has instructed that Iran be ?obliterated? if it assassinates him
4 Feb 2025 at 10:00pm
The Justice Department announced in federal charges in November that an Iranian plot to kill Trump before the presidential election had been thwarted.

Extra £144m allocated to Scots councils amid national insurance hike
4 Feb 2025 at 5:00pm
Finance secretary Shona Robinson announced that an additional £114m will be given to councils.

Politics insight: A week is a long time in politics ? but a year has seen hug...
4 Feb 2025 at 2:33pm
A year on from the last Scottish Budget, things are looking a lot different at Holyrood.

I won?t work with Reform but won?t turn down good ideas, says Sarwar
4 Feb 2025 at 2:29pm
The Scottish Labour leader joked that one such good idea would be to elect him as First Minister.

UK?s future ?does not lie in more oil and gas?, says energy minister
4 Feb 2025 at 1:08pm
The highest court in Scotland ruled that government approvals for the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields were unlawful.

Holyrood committee backs outdoors education Bill despite funding ?challenges?
4 Feb 2025 at 6:59am
Committee members estimated it could cost between £24.3m and £40.6m in first year alone if proposals were passed.

Finance secretary Shona Robison?s Scottish Budget plans expected to pass firs...
4 Feb 2025 at 6:52am
The Budget legislation is expected to pass the stage one proceedings at the Scottish Parliament.

UK caught in middle of Trump?s growing trade war
3 Feb 2025 at 5:52pm
The President said the UK was 'out of line' when it came to its trading relationship with the US.

Scottish Government has ?no intention? of banning cats, says Swinney
3 Feb 2025 at 3:38pm
The Scottish Animal Welfare Commission proposed 'cat containment areas' be introduced across the country.

Scottish Tory leader Findlay ?optimistic? over threat of Reform to his party
3 Feb 2025 at 2:06pm
A recent poll put Reform ahead of the Scottish Tories in the regional list vote.

Trump says UK ?out of line? and threatens to expand tariffs to Europe
3 Feb 2025 at 8:42am
Canada, Mexico and China have all vowed to retaliate to Donald Trump's tariffs, sparking fears of a global trade war.

Robison says Labour need to decide what side they are on ahead of Budget vote
3 Feb 2025 at 6:46am
Ms Robison called on Scottish Labour to rethink its position ahead of the Stage One vote on Tuesday.

Poll suggests pro-independence majority at Holyrood and Labour ?implosion?
2 Feb 2025 at 6:25pm
Analysis suggests the SNP would have 51 seats.

Scottish Greens call for block on gender Bill to be lifted
1 Feb 2025 at 11:14am
The previous UK Government blocked the Bill from gaining Royal Assent.

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

SNP minister insists Nicola Sturgeon's Promise to young Scots in care is bein...
5 Feb 2025 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: Natalie Don-Innes told the Record "transformational change does not happen overnight" when it comes to improving the lives of young people in care.

Nicola Sturgeon warns SNP Government must raise its game over country?s most ...
5 Feb 2025 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: The former First Minister demanded "leadership" if commitments to care-experienced young people are to be met by 2030.

Nicola Sturgeon" I will do everything I can to make sure no child or young pe...
5 Feb 2025 at 4:30am
In an exclusive article for the Daily Record, former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon urges everybody to help deliver The Promise to care experienced young people she made five years ago.

Half of Scotland will remain playground for super-rich 'due to weak land refo...
5 Feb 2025 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: Scottish Labour MSP Mercedes Villalba hits out at 'watered down' SNP legislation which she says fails to get tough on mega-wealthy landowners.

Anas Sarwar has to accept the realities of SNP rule if he is to win next year
5 Feb 2025 at 4:30am
Daily Record Political Editor Paul Hutcheon says being seen to "stand up for Scotland" is essential for anyone wanting to be First Minister.

Edinburgh council considering big council tax rise during cost of living crisis
4 Feb 2025 at 4:37pm
A figure of 8% is being spoken of in the city chambers by senior figures.

Majority of Scots unhappy with both Labour and SNP Governments
4 Feb 2025 at 3:37pm
Two-thirds of people in Scotland disapproved of the UK Government?s record so far, with 58 per cent unhappy with the Scottish Government.

Kenny MacAskill survives suspension threat as Alba Party tensions grow ahead ...
4 Feb 2025 at 2:17pm
The party's general secretary Chris McEleny tried to ban the interim leader over "allegations of bullying and harassment".

Scotch whisky giant in sales warning as fears grow over Donald Trump trade war
4 Feb 2025 at 12:22pm
Diageo, which owns Johnnie Walker and other iconic whisky brands, said it was in talks with the Trump Administration ove the threat of tariffs.

Scottish NHS pays £8.53 for paracetamol under SNP 'free prescriptions' policy
4 Feb 2025 at 12:19pm
An ibuprofen prescription also cost the NHS £6.87 last year, unlike in shops where it can be purchased for 39p.

The National

The National | Politics

Seamus Logan: Donald Trump shows reality that independence is our best future
5 Feb 2025 at 5:00am

IF it wasn?t already clear, the last 72 hours have given a pretty good insight into what the rest of the world can expect from the present incumbent of the Oval Office during his second term.

Caitlin Logan: Why are political leaders still on X if they reject Musk?s pol...
5 Feb 2025 at 5:00am

A COUPLE of years ago, within a matter of weeks, I was surprised to hear from two different organisations working with children and young people in Scotland that Elon Musk was highly popular among this cohort.

Billionaires keep making the same threat ? should we still fall for it?
5 Feb 2025 at 5:00am

IF an average French worker earning today?s median salary had started their career in 23,000 BCE, at the height of the last Ice Age, they would ? after a mere 25,000 years ? finally have caught up with what Bernard Arnault makes in a single year.

Politicians must stand up to corporate greed to help end our addiction to stuff
5 Feb 2025 at 5:00am

AROUND the world, our addiction to stuff is driving inequality and fuelling the climate crisis.

SNP call for Electoral Commission probe into Labour's foreign donations 'U-turn'
5 Feb 2025 at 5:00am

THE SNP have written to the Electoral Commission urging them to launch an investigation into foreign donations received by the Labour Party ...

The public are growing a bit weary of the same old script from the SNP
4 Feb 2025 at 6:30pm

THE recent death of a close fellow nationalist friend (the second in three months) has served to lower both my mood and my expectations of living to see an independent Scotland. I have been voting SNP since before many of the current Cabinet were born. I view the news, from recent opinion polls, that we are probably going to see another SNP minority government with very mixed emotions.

Scottish Government Budget passes Holyrood vote as Labour panned for abstaining
4 Feb 2025 at 5:07pm

THE SNP Government?s Budget has formally passed its first Holyrood vote ...

We never called for SNP to ban cats, chair of expert commission says
4 Feb 2025 at 5:49pm

THE chair of an expert commission whose report on feline welfare led to media claims that the SNP were looking at ?banning cats in Scotland? has spoken out ...

Ex-SNP councillor cleared of alleged conduct breach with 'New Scot' comment
4 Feb 2025 at 4:15pm

A FORMER SNP councillor who was accused of racism breached the code of conduct, it has been ruled.

SNP Government pledges £144m to mitigate Labour tax rises on Scottish councils
4 Feb 2025 at 4:02pm

THE SNP Government will provide Scottish councils with tens of millions of pounds in a bid to mitigate the cost of tax hikes imposed by Labour at Westminster, the Finance Secretary has said ...

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

?Promise? to children in care at risk of not being kept
5 Feb 2025 at 6:00am
Progress on meeting the Promise has been delayed by ?unexpected events? and ?systemic barriers?, a report concludes

'New Scot' row councillor cleared of racism after 'clumsy' comment
4 Feb 2025 at 5:08pm
'Racism and discrimination are abhorrent, have no place in politics and should not be tolerated'

Assisted dying bill MSP says he will ?reflect? on whether age limit should be...
4 Feb 2025 at 1:52pm
Liam McArthur gave evidence at a meeting of the parliament's finance committee

Introduce cybersecurity in schools, experts warn
4 Feb 2025 at 11:58am
Experts have called for cybersecurity?lessons?to be?taught alongside?English and maths?in?Scottish schools

Scottish Labour to publish technology paper to fix ?scandal? of digital exclu...
4 Feb 2025 at 12:01am
Scottish Labour is set to publish later today its technology paper, outlining its ?high-level?vision? on the sector

Sell up to solve housing crisis, Glasgow tells owners of empty homes
3 Feb 2025 at 3:10pm
Thousands of properties targeted for sale or rent in council push

UK announces world-first ban on AI-generated child abuse material
3 Feb 2025 at 2:05pm
New laws will target those who possess or distribute AI tools designed to create child sexual abuse material

Elon Musk to face ?legislative action? if X fails to remove Southport-linked ...
3 Feb 2025 at 10:33am
Scottish Labour MP Gregor Poynton has threatened Elon Musk with ?legislative consequences? if violent content linked to the Southport attack isn?t removed from X

UK at risk of becoming incubator economy, Lords committee warns
3 Feb 2025 at 12:01am
Peers have urged the UK Government to 'unravel the complex spaghetti of support schemes' holding back UK scale-ups or risk?losing?the country's shot at becoming a scale-up hub

Sturgeon: I was wrong to think my successor could 'reset' the SNP government
31 Jan 2025 at 2:00pm
The former first minister said she had become a 'polarising figure' prior to her resignation

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

SNP avoids early election as it wins backing for budget at Holyrood
4 Feb 2025 at 8:06pm
Scottish parliament supports minority government?s tax and spending plans after intensive negotiations The SNP minority government has passed its budget and avoided triggering an early election after securing a coalition of support across the constitutional divide at HolyroodThe tax and spending ...

Exasperated Swinney forced to deny he plans to ban cat ownership in Scotland
3 Feb 2025 at 5:56pm
Keir Starmer?s spokesperson also rejects idea of UK ban after online misinformation prompted outrageScotland?s first minister and the UK prime minister?s spokesperson have been forced to deny there are plans to ban cat ownership in Scotland after media interest in feline welfare proposals prompte...

Reeves?s growth plans ?exactly what economy needs? say UK business groups ? a...
29 Jan 2025 at 5:01pm
This live blog is now closed, you can read more on this story hereReeves says the supply side of the economy has been held back.Politicians have lacked the courage to confront the factors holding back growth.They have accepted the status quo. They have been the barrier, not the enablers, of chang...

Ex-Tory Brexit minister Lord Frost rejects party?s claims over Europe-wide cu...
28 Jan 2025 at 6:00pm
This blog is now closed, you can read more of our UK political coverage hereQ: Are doctors able to recognise depression? And can they decide if that affects someone?s capacity to make a decision about their health?Whitty says doctors can identify depression. But he says it is harder for them to a...

UK politics: Miliband tells MPs UK needs to ?speed up, not slow down? in net ...
27 Jan 2025 at 6:10pm
Energy secretary insists there is ?no contradiction between net zero and economic growth? in hearing at Commons committeeThe hearing has stopped for a short break. Heather Hallett, the chair, tells Badenoch that her evidence will be finished by lunchtime.Keith is now asking Badenoch about the fou...

Scottish secretary becomes first cabinet minister to take full paternity leave
24 Jan 2025 at 2:50pm
Move by Ian Murray comes as Labour prepares introduction of new workplace rights for parentsIan Murray, the Scottish secretary, is to become the first cabinet minister to take full paternity leave as Labour prepares to roll out new workplace rights for parents.Murray and his wife, Mariam, are exp...

?We are resting on our laurels?: Scotland faces significant challenge to prot...
19 Jan 2025 at 8:00am
Francesca Osowska, the outgoing chief executive of NatureScot, says more needs to be done for Scotland to hit target of restoring 30% of natural environment by 2030Scotland faces a significant challenge to meet its pledges on protecting nature without more funding and a shift in attitudes, a seni...

UK politics: Kemi Badenoch describes Rachel Reeves as a ?woman problem? for K...
16 Jan 2025 at 6:24pm
Opposition leader says PM?s ?woman problem is not my concern? when asked jokingly if she would back Starmer if he sacked the chancellorRichard Adams is the Guardian?s education editor.Thirty-two sixth form colleges across England will be hit by more strikes over a pay disparity between staff empl...

UK politics: Starmer says ?door remains open? for Tulip Siddiq following her ...
14 Jan 2025 at 5:46pm
PM appoints Emma Reynolds as her replacement as Siddiq steps down but implies she could return to government in futureStephen Doughty, a Foreign Office minister, has told MPs that the future of Greenland is a matter for the people who live there. And he said that he made this clear in a meeting w...

No 10 says Starmer does expect Reeves to stay as chancellor until general ele...
13 Jan 2025 at 6:19pm
Downing Street says prime minister has ?full confidence? in chancellor and will be working with her ?in role of chancellor? for the whole of this parliamentKeir Starmer is about to deliver his AI speech.Nicola Sturgeon and her husband Peter Murrell have ?decided to end our marriage?, the former f...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

John Swinney ate my cat
4 Feb 2025 at 5:28pm
The British nationalist media is really scraping the bottom of the SNPbad scare story barrel now that it’s looking as though Anas Sarwar’s tenure as Saviour of the Union has been more short lived than most, with the implosion of support for Labour in Scotland. Labour’s chances of forming the next Scottish Government, so widely …

Labour?s Scottish implosion is an opportunity for independence
2 Feb 2025 at 4:22pm
Yet another opinion poll has confirmed what is now an indisputable pattern. The Labour vote in Scotland is imploding. Just a few short months ago, Labour MSPs were triumphantly striding about the corridors of Holyrood like they owned the place, arrogantly expecting that come the next Scottish elections they would repeat their win in the …

Scotland has no future in Farage?s English nationalist UK
26 Jan 2025 at 4:43pm
Given the way in which support for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Ltd was rising in opinion polling, and gaining uncritical publicity in the media, particularly from a Scottish media which sees the hard right as a bulwark against independence and ‘proof’ that Scotland is not politically so different from England, there was bound to be …

The Turd Reich and what it means for Scotland
22 Jan 2025 at 4:19pm
Over in America it’s week one of the Turd Reich. Amongst the lowlights of Monday’s inauguration of Donald Trump as American president was the sight of an overly energetic Elon Musk excitedly making what was looked very like a Nazi salute to a crowd of Trump supporters at an inauguration event. The gesture, which Musk …

Turning things around for the SNP
17 Jan 2025 at 3:03pm
There’s good news and not so good news from recent opinion polling. The good news is that the SNP should easily remain the largest party in Holyrood by quite some margin on current showing, while support for Labour in Scotland is in freefall, the not so good news is that the SNP needs to pick …

The rise of the far right, a threat and an opportunity for Scottish independence
12 Jan 2025 at 12:30pm
An opinion poll published this week ought to sound the alarm bells to anyone who values decency, compassion, and humanity in politics. According to an opinion poll carried out by pollsters Find Out Now, Reform UK ltd. Nigel Farage’s hard right English nationalist limited company masquerading as a political party is now neck and neck …

Musk vs. Farage, speed hating goes wrong
5 Jan 2025 at 5:42pm
Well it appears that Nigel Farage is going to have to look elsewhere for a multi-million pound donation from a far right billionaire sugar daddy. Fresh from falling out with Donald Trump’s MAGA base, Elon Musk has now fallen out with Farage over the latter’s failure to support the fascist thug Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, whom Musk …

Looking down the storm drain of 2025
2 Jan 2025 at 5:19pm
Happy New Year! and not so happy higher energy bills. On New Year’s Day the media gave extensive coverage to the higher energy bill price cap which came into effect on the first of January. What was not mentioned, and certainly was not mentioned on the Scottish news-where-you-are on the BBC was the promise made …

Starmer?s Christmas betrayals
22 Dec 2024 at 4:21pm
Starmer’s betrayals are coming thick and fast. It wasn’t too long ago that Starmer was promising to abolish the House of Lords. In 2022 Starmer vowed to abolish the House of Lords and replace it with a fully elected upper chamber. Yet the Labour manifesto for this year’s general election contained only a promise to …

Record support for an independent Scottish republic
19 Dec 2024 at 6:48pm
The pro-independence campaign group Believe in Scotland has released an important new poll. The group asked an additional question in the recent Norstat poll published in the Sunday Times which showed support for independence at an impressive 54%. The Times poll asked the question, Should Scotland be an independent country? This question produced the result …

The Courier

Scottish Politics News From Holyrood and Westminster | The Courier

Paramedic reveals reality of Fife A&E ambulance queues leaving patients suffer...
5 Feb 2025 at 6:00am
The stark reality was laid out during a visit by a senior Labour politician who branded the situation a "moral injury".

Controversial ?sex survey? results by pupils in Perth, Stirling and Dundee of...
4 Feb 2025 at 3:23pm
Schools in Dundee, Angus, Perth and Kinross, and Stirling were among the few council areas to allow pupils as young as 14 to complete a survey about their sexual experiences.

NHS Fife nurse accused of comparing trans doctor to rapist ? and being a fan ...
4 Feb 2025 at 2:56pm
Sandie Peggie compared transgender doctor Beth Upton being in a female changing room to rapist Isla Bryson being placed in a women?s jail, a tribunal heard.

SNP finance chief promises Fife patients NHS waits will improve after cash in...
4 Feb 2025 at 6:00am
Finance Secretary Shona Robison visited the national treatment centre in Kirkcaldy after analysis found extra funding in the NHS had not translated into increased delivery.

John Swinney responds to ?cat ban? report
3 Feb 2025 at 3:34pm
The first minister was asked during a visit to Fife if the Scottish Government had any plans to adopt a wildlife group's call to restrict felines.

Fife nurse reveals shock at seeing transgender doctor in female changing room
3 Feb 2025 at 2:38pm
Kirkcaldy nurse Sandie Peggie appeared before the first day of an employment tribunal today after workplace complaints led to her suspension.

EXCLUSIVE: Call to pause Dundee University vice principal?s £360-a-day ?job f...
3 Feb 2025 at 6:00am
Dundee Central MP Chris Law has written to the prime minister urging him to pause the outgoing senior figure's appointment until questions over the university's financial crisis are resolved.

Parents? anguish as Carseview mental health campaign reaches five years
2 Feb 2025 at 10:21am
Ryan Caswell is classed as a "delayed discharge" and cannot leave the Dundee unit because an appropriate community placement has never been found.

EXCLUSIVE: New Dundee University principal breaks silence on crisis facing hi...
31 Jan 2025 at 6:02am
Shane O'Neill has spoken publicly for the first time in an interview with The Courier.

Dundee University staff back strike action
30 Jan 2025 at 3:46pm
Over 70% of academic staff who took part in the ballot backed a walk-out over the threat of job cuts from university bosses.

Talking up Scotland

Talking-up Scotland

A BBC Political Editor?s cri de couer for the North in response to Labour?s i...
4 Feb 2025 at 7:42pm
By stewartb The Chancellor of the Exchequer?s recent announcement of major infrastructure investments to catalyse UK growth seems to have received little attention from the mainstream media that supposedly ?serves? Scotland. However, what?s been lacking here is in contrast to commentary elsewhere, notably in the north of England. An article in Bella Caledonia (February 3) by Neil Blain reflects...

Police officer strength climbs for second year to 1.7% higher than when Labou...
4 Feb 2025 at 3:21pm
The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me 74 in June and tiring and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA From – Pol...

Increased demand but still NHS Scotland can do 97% of ops on time
4 Feb 2025 at 3:05pm
The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me 74 in June and tiring and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA From Publi...

Significant reduction in ?bed-blocking? due to Scottish Government?s care pla...
4 Feb 2025 at 2:46pm
The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me 74 in June and tiring and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA From Publi...

?Good news about SNP? ban on BBC Scotland Glenn Campbell confirms
4 Feb 2025 at 1:18pm
By Liz S So today , so far, in the BBC website on their Scottish Politics page they have found room for the non story that is ?No Cat ban in Scotland John Swinney confirms?, as currently it is the third story on that page. Scanning that whole page on the BBC website, and too on their main Scottish page, they have , so far, not managed to find any room for a real political story impacting Scotla...

West Midlands ?Complex County Lines? drug gang which used children to run ?in...
4 Feb 2025 at 10:39am
The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me 74 in June and tiring and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA English Co...

Think tank thinker?s thoughtless vowel-strangling analysis of NHS Scotland pr...
4 Feb 2025 at 9:01am
The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me 74 in June and tiring and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA You really...

As BBC Reporting Scotland find someone else to moan about the A9 dualling, wh...
4 Feb 2025 at 7:50am
The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me 74 in June and tiring and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA This is ju...

?Scottish? media try to drag England?s knife crime crisis over the border des...
4 Feb 2025 at 7:25am
The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me 74 in June and tiring and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland - a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA As another...

What voting Reform UK means for Scotland
3 Feb 2025 at 5:17pm
By Liz S Much of the UK media seem to be revelling in what they say is the rise in popularity of the Reform UK party. However in Scotland , for many voters, it is still unclear to some voters what Reform UK?s true intentions are if any are elected as MSP?s for our parliament in the Scottish elections in 2026. However one clue is that in a speech made by one of their MP?s , Rupert Lowe, he made ...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

Five myths independence supporters wish would go away - The National
4 Feb 2025 at 2:02pm
Five myths independence supporters wish would go away  The National

Scotland is a nation treated as a colony. Time to show some backbone - Herald...
5 Feb 2025 at 6:30am
Scotland is a nation treated as a colony. Time to show some backbone  HeraldScotland

Scottish independence poll 2024 - Statista
10 Jan 2025 at 8:00am
Scottish independence poll 2024  Statista

In the UK, Scottish independence and Irish reunification have lost their appe...
10 Jan 2025 at 8:00am
In the UK, Scottish independence and Irish reunification have lost their appeal  Le Monde

Scotland heading for largest pro-independence majority in history - The Teleg...
2 Feb 2025 at 6:48pm
Scotland heading for largest pro-independence majority in history  The Telegraph

Scotland set for biggest pro-independence majority in HISTORY as voters rejec...
2 Feb 2025 at 9:06pm
Scotland set for biggest pro-independence majority in HISTORY as voters reject 'imploding' Labour  GB News

Will Scotland ever become an Independent nation-state? - Forbes
19 Oct 2024 at 8:00am
Will Scotland ever become an Independent nation-state?  Forbes

John Swinney: Scottish independence vote left 'positive legacy' - BBC.com
18 Sep 2024 at 8:00am
John Swinney: Scottish independence vote left 'positive legacy'  BBC.com

Revival in SNP fortunes raises fresh questions about Scottish independence - ...
23 Dec 2024 at 8:00am
Revival in SNP fortunes raises fresh questions about Scottish independence  Financial Times

Scottish independence referendum: legal issues - Commons Library
16 Sep 2024 at 8:00am
Scottish independence referendum: legal issues  Commons Library

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

SNP avoids early election as it wins backing for budget at Holyrood - The Gua...
4 Feb 2025 at 6:24pm
SNP avoids early election as it wins backing for budget at Holyrood  The Guardian

SNP 'risk defeat'if it opposes education bill which can help 'life success' -...
5 Feb 2025 at 5:04am
SNP 'risk defeat'if it opposes education bill which can help 'life success'  HeraldScotland

SNP pivot pays off in Scotland as Labour support sinks - Financial Times
3 Feb 2025 at 9:35am
SNP pivot pays off in Scotland as Labour support sinks  Financial Times

SNP call for Electoral Commission probe into Labour's foreign donations 'U-tu...
5 Feb 2025 at 5:03am
SNP call for Electoral Commission probe into Labour's foreign donations 'U-turn'  The National

SNP councillor cleared over ?new Scot? remarks - The Times
5 Feb 2025 at 12:01am
SNP councillor cleared over ?new Scot? remarks  The Times

SNP to consider banning cats - The Telegraph
2 Feb 2025 at 5:23pm
SNP to consider banning cats  The Telegraph

How Labour-SNP row over national insurance risks creating spate of tragedies ...
5 Feb 2025 at 6:00am
How Labour-SNP row over national insurance risks creating spate of tragedies across Scotland  The Scotsman

AMD SEV-SNP Vulnerability Allows Malicious Microcode Injection with Admin Acc...
4 Feb 2025 at 8:58am
AMD SEV-SNP Vulnerability Allows Malicious Microcode Injection with Admin Access  The Hacker News

Budget strategy and risk pays off for Swinney - BBC.com
4 Feb 2025 at 6:40am
Budget strategy and risk pays off for Swinney  BBC.com

SNP mull ban on household cats - The Spectator
3 Feb 2025 at 12:10pm
SNP mull ban on household cats  The Spectator

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

Five myths independence supporters wish would go away - The National
4 Feb 2025 at 2:02pm
Five myths independence supporters wish would go away  The National

Why did Sturgeon take so long to come up with a referendum plan? - The Times
4 Feb 2025 at 5:00pm
Why did Sturgeon take so long to come up with a referendum plan?  The Times

Scottish independence poll 2024 - Statista
10 Jan 2025 at 8:00am
Scottish independence poll 2024  Statista

Scottish independence referendum: legal issues - Commons Library
16 Sep 2024 at 8:00am
Scottish independence referendum: legal issues  Commons Library

The agony and ecstasy of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum - BBC.com
17 Sep 2024 at 8:00am
The agony and ecstasy of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum  BBC.com

Sturgeon: Scotland should have Northern Ireland-style process for independenc...
1 Feb 2025 at 5:11am
Sturgeon: Scotland should have Northern Ireland-style process for independence vote  HeraldScotland

Election 2024: Scotland headed for huge change with SNP set to lose dozens of...
31 May 2024 at 8:00am
Election 2024: Scotland headed for huge change with SNP set to lose dozens of seats to Labour  The Conversation Indonesia

Is the dream of Scottish independence over? - POLITICO Europe
1 May 2024 at 8:00am
Is the dream of Scottish independence over?  POLITICO Europe

10th anniversary of the Scottish independence referendum - Sky News
18 Sep 2024 at 8:00am
10th anniversary of the Scottish independence referendum  Sky News

Ten years on from Scotland?s independence referendum - The Economist
18 Sep 2024 at 8:00am
Ten years on from Scotland?s independence referendum  The Economist