The Herald

The Herald | Politics


Scottish Government 'tepid and evasive' over neonatal deaths
27 Jul 2024 at 8:46am
Scottish ministers? response to rising neonatal deaths has been ?tepid and evasive?, the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats has said


Aberdeen will win GB Energy HQ, say industry sources
27 Jul 2024 at 6:30am
Dundee has launched a bid to host the headquarters of GB Energy, despite not making the shortlist.


Edinburgh state schools can cope with private pupil surge, say council
27 Jul 2024 at 6:30am
Edinburgh Council has insisted they have the capacity to deal with an influx of private school children entering the state sector when VAT is added to school fees.


License submission made for drug-checking facility in Glasgow
26 Jul 2024 at 2:49pm
Christina McKelvie has welcome the submission of a licensing application for a drug-checking facility in Glasgow as a ?milestone?.


We are about to enter a new era of pylon politics
26 Jul 2024 at 1:59pm
We are about to enter a new era of pylon politics, with politicians having to balance their desire to save the planet and their need to keep their constituents onside.


SNP demand apology from Labour for 'misleading voters' over cuts
26 Jul 2024 at 12:24pm
Stephen Flynn has written to Rachel Reeves and demanded she apologises for misleading voters over a £20billion black hole in Labour?s spending plans.


Bill to ban greyhound racing earns support with 'writing on the wall'
26 Jul 2024 at 11:39am
An MSP has said the ?writing is on the wall for greyhound racing? after a Bill introduced to ban the sport in Scotland gained enough support to proceed at Holyrood.


Fornethy House survivors due compensation Government told
26 Jul 2024 at 6:21am
Fornethy House abuse survivors must be able to access compensation from a Scottish Government scheme, a Holyrood committee has concluded


Aberdeen councillor clashes with Chamber of Commerce over GB Energy
26 Jul 2024 at 6:30am
The leader of the Labour group on Aberdeen City Council has said it will be the fault of the a local business group if his party snubs the city for Great British Energy?s HQ.


Scottish Government warned NHS staff 'ready to strike'
26 Jul 2024 at 6:00am
NHS staff in Scotland are ready to take industrial action unless the Scottish Government comes forward with an above-inflation pay offer, according to a new poll of non-clinical workers.


Will Rachel Reeves press on with plan to Tell Sid?
25 Jul 2024 at 4:33am
Doubts hang over plan to sell shares in NatWest to the public


SNP heading for 'another rout' in Holyrood vote, says Cherry
25 Jul 2024 at 7:01pm
John Swinney and the SNP will lose the next Scottish Parliament election, Joanna Cherry has warned.


Labour 'betraying' rural Scots in landline digital switch
26 Jul 2024 at 5:30am
LABOUR has been accused of "betraying" people in rural Scotland after plans for a public information campaign on major changes to the telephone network have been cast into doubt.


First ever sentencing guidelines on rape out to consultation
25 Jul 2024 at 6:30am
Rapists in Scotland are, on average, serving less than six years for their crime, according to data from the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


Why Alex Salmond's court case could be worse for SNP than police investigation
27 Jul 2024 at 6:00am

Conservative MP David Davis?s speech in the House of Commons about the Alex Salmond case could not have been made in Holyrood because parliamentary privilege does not apply

The two-child benefit cap is a popular policy but it should go because it is stunting the future of the next generation of British citizens

The conservatives? dream ticket of Donald Trump and JD Vance may just have picked a fight with the women of America that they are destined to lose

Gender stereotypes at school have an influence on what career children will go onto - but it turns out this could start at a much younger age

Where should GB Energy be headquartered - Aberdeen, Edinburgh or Glasgow?

In February, all new NHS Scotland building projects were put on hold for up to two years as a result of budget pressures - affecting at least a dozen projects across the country

Wings over Scotland

Worms Everywhere
25 Jul 2024 at 3:21pm
So Andy Wightman just won’t stop lying. As we’ve repeatedly pointed out, Wings has made NO comments about the “workplace harassment” allegations made against Alex Salmond several years ago. We’ve only commented on the CRIMINAL allegations, and workplace harassment isn’t a crime. (It’s a matter for an employment tribunal, not the police.) But the real …

One Just Man
24 Jul 2024 at 2:09pm
David Davis may be the last of his kind – a libertarian Tory from a council-scheme and grammar-school background, and also one of the few remaining big beasts occupying the political jungle of the back benches. (He could in fact have been Tory leader, and would have been if David Cameron and George Osborne hadn’t …

In A Deep Dark Hole
23 Jul 2024 at 12:05am
So now this has happened: And even in tweet 1/10, Andy Wightman has told a flat-out lie. Because as anyone can see for themselves by simply reading it, this whole matter has sprung from a Wings tweet on Friday in which we talked about allegations which were leaked “to Davie Clegg of the Daily Record”. …

The Coward?s Run
22 Jul 2024 at 11:34am
In the interests of fairness we must note that we did get a response to this post. Other than being rather more petulant and childish, it was much as expected. Obviously he didn’t bother to provide any examples of the supposed “inaccuracies, misstatements of facts, misunderstanding of Scot?s sic criminal law & a twisting of …

A letter to Andy Wightman
21 Jul 2024 at 1:22pm
In any functional nation, Friday’s revelations in Parliament by Sir David Davis would have been headline news. An extremely powerful figure, the then-First Minister’s chief of staff, was named and accused of conspiring with the Scottish Government, civil service and media to imprison an innocent man – the former leader of the country – on …

Let Justice Be Done
18 Jul 2024 at 8:09pm
You should probably watch the whole of this speech by Sir David Davis this evening, even if you saw the trailer three and a quarter years ago. ? It’s both a comprehensive refresher of events surrounding the Scottish Government’s conspiracy to convict Alex Salmond on false charges, and a sharp reminder of why Scotland is, …

Daydream Nation
18 Jul 2024 at 1:57pm
Independence is dead as a political issue in Scotland for the next few years. This much should not be in any dispute. A Labour government with a crushing majority sits firmly in Westminster with absolutely no intentions of granting a second referendum, and the SNP has loudly and clearly abandoned any other strategy. This fact …

The Hiding
17 Jul 2024 at 12:58pm
The average rape sentence in Scotland is seven years, so to get six years plus three years’ supervision for the technically lesser crime of sexual assaults means they must have been pretty grim ones. So we know that Cameron Downing is a very bad man. Which does rather invite the question of why he was …

Rot-away Beach
13 Jul 2024 at 6:59am

Those To Blame
12 Jul 2024 at 3:34pm
The SNP have been pretty clear about the reason they think they got a battering in last week’s election: it was because people were voting to kick out the Tories. ? Now, that’s obviously nonsense. There were almost no Tories in Scotland to start with – just 10% of voters had a Tory MP – …

Craig Murray

The Presence of Evil
25 Jul 2024 at 9:05am

I have frequently explained that when I sat in the International Court of Justice and heard Israel’s lawyers tell lie after lie to justify or excuse the Gaza genocide, I could feel I was palpably in the presence of evil. At least in the Hague you could also feel and indeed observe that most people …

The Presence of Evil

Who is Running America?
22 Jul 2024 at 8:05pm

There is an argument to continue the convention of referring to the President of the United States as the most powerful man in the world. The dollar has not quite yet been replaced as the world’s international reserve currency and Bretton Woods still, creaking and cracking, holds. China is now the manufacturer of the world …

Who is Running America?

Existence vs Expansion
20 Jul 2024 at 4:52pm

In its reaction to the International Court of Justice’s crystal clear ruling on occupied Palestine, the Labour government has disgracefully attempted to ignore the ruling and to continue the Tory policy of total support for Israel. The UK statement says that: The Foreign Secretary was clear on his visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian …

Existence vs Expansion

Scotland?s Rampant Corruption
19 Jul 2024 at 10:14am

Under Sturgeon, Scotland was in thrall of an incredible degree of rampant corruption that included government, civil service, police, prosecutors and judiciary. Listen to this simply stunning speech in Parliament yesterday by David Davis MP and you will understand precisely why I spent four months in jail, almost all in solitary confinement. It is time …

Scotland’s Rampant Corruption

A Shocking Paucity of Ambition
18 Jul 2024 at 4:24pm

An old man in a comic opera uniform was dragged by carthorses in a gilded carriage through the streets of London, then bedecked in diamonds and more gold, all to very little purpose. That we truly have a uniparty could not be better proven than by a new captain taking over the ship of state, …

A Shocking Paucity of Ambition

The Muslim Vote
17 Jul 2024 at 9:41am

With Gaza genocide as the galvanising issue, in seats where Muslims are over 30% of the electorate, Labour’s vote share plunged from 65% in 2019 to 36% at the 2024 general election. In Blackburn, where I stood, Labour’s vote share dived incredibly, from 65% to 27%. This in a general election where Labour won a …

The Muslim Vote

BBC Scotland

Can anything stop another Scottish summer of discontent?
26 Jul 2024 at 6:05am
Governments either side of the Border are under pressure to agree a series of new pay deals with public sector workers.

Announcement of NHS building plans for Scotland delayed
26 Jul 2024 at 11:16am
An update on when new hospitals, surgeries and treatment centres will be built across Scotland has been delayed.

Will oil capital Aberdeen be the new home of GB Energy?
25 Jul 2024 at 1:25pm
There is a lot at stake as the UK government stays silent on where its energy company will be based.

Lives at risk over inaction on prisons says report
25 Jul 2024 at 8:50am
The report criticises the ?glacial pace of change? in tackling overcrowding, suicides and mental health problems.

Scottish Labour MP denies party split over two-child cap
24 Jul 2024 at 2:42pm
A total of 36 out of Labour's 37 Scottish MPs voted against an SNP amendment to scrap the policy.

Urgent support needed for Gaelic language - report
24 Jul 2024 at 11:27am
MSPs warn that new legislation to protect Gaelic does not fully address problems facing the language.

Community health faces unprecedented pressures - watchdog
25 Jul 2024 at 6:07am
A reports says services such as mental health support and older people's support face further cuts in provision.

MSPs seek answers over teenager's death in Polmont
18 Jul 2024 at 5:15pm
Jonathan Beadle, 17,  is understood to have taken his own life at the facility on Saturday.

Grangemouth closure 'most likely outcome'
18 Jul 2024 at 9:40am
An expert body says the closure of Scotland's only oil refinery was 'clearly foreseeable' but planning was inadequate.

SNP tables amendment to scrap two-child benefit cap
18 Jul 2024 at 6:20am
Stephen Flynn said the restriction of benefits is "pushing thousands of Scottish children into poverty".

Russell Findlay launches bid for Scottish Conservative leadership
22 Jul 2024 at 4:41pm
The Scottish Tory justice spokesperson is the first to enter the running to replace Douglas Ross.

Forbes 'astonished' at lack of support for postnatal depression
18 Jul 2024 at 6:21am
The deputy first minister has spoken candidly about her struggle with depression after the birth of her daughter.

Scot Goes Pop

Two plus two equals five, Winston, and that is the change Scotland needs
24 Jul 2024 at 11:55am
One of the extraordinary things about the general election campaign in Scotland was that Labour got away with the "change" messaging, even though what they were actually doing was demanding that in...

Former independence supporter Stuart Campbell effectively admits trying to "k...
21 Jul 2024 at 12:34pm
I just want to make one simple point.  Although it's an important point, there's nothing complicated about it and it can be explained very briefly.  On polling day, Stuart Campbell broke his word t...

BREAKING: Alba remains a "member-led" party
20 Jul 2024 at 12:54pm
Scot Goes Pop readers who are members of the Alba Party will have received the weekly party email yesterday, which this time was written by the General Secretary, Chris McEleny. It urges members to...

The blackout on reporting of David Davis' revelation tells us a lot about how...
19 Jul 2024 at 12:35pm
I note that David Davis has used parliamentary privilege to allege that Liz Lloyd, the former Chief of Staff for Nicola Sturgeon, was the person who unlawfully leaked details of allegations against...

The Scottish Government should boycott any "Council of the Nations and Regions"
17 Jul 2024 at 7:03pm
The Nation.Cymru news website has been making the news recently rather than just reporting on it.  It played a key role in the downfall of the Welsh First Minister Vaughan Gething, a man so arrogan...

First post-election poll suggests the Labour honeymoon may be limited in scale
16 Jul 2024 at 5:25pm
The first GB-wide poll since the general election is out, but it's quite hard to interpret.  There's no sign of the data tables (if anyone finds them, let me know), and I can't see any methodologic...

After a third consecutive election failure, where now for the Alba Party?
15 Jul 2024 at 1:25pm
It's worth reiterating that Alba did not directly cost the SNP any seats at all at the general election.  There was a huge element of luck in that, because Labour came close to winning both Dundee ...

If Stewart McDonald thinks people will vote for the SNP if they promise to re...
13 Jul 2024 at 11:04pm
The former SNP MP Stewart McDonald reckons his party has a problem with credibility and seriousness, but the 'solutions' he puts forward to this supposed problem are nothing short of batty.  Most w...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

McCanns call for ?courage and integrity? from PM on press intrusion inquiry
26 Jul 2024 at 8:02am
Gerry McCann has told ITV News the government must have 'the courage and integrity' to deliver on its promise for a public inquiry into the British press.

GB Energy will help drive down bills by £300, Keir Starmer pledges
25 Jul 2024 at 2:44pm
The Prime Minister said it would 'take time' to feel the benefits of the UK Government's clean power plans.

Scottish prisoners? human rights in ?jeopardy?, report says
25 Jul 2024 at 10:28am
The Scottish Government has made 'little or no meaningful progress' on human rights recommendations made up to 30 years ago.

Scotland will lead energy revolution, says Keir Starmer as GB Energy Bill int...
25 Jul 2024 at 7:32am
Scottish Secretary Ian Murray, meanwhile, said the nation is ?the powerhouse of our clean energy mission?.

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn demands clarity from UK Government on Ac...
24 Jul 2024 at 5:50pm
The UK government confirmed the Acorn carbon capture project would progress to its 'track two' stage last year.

COSLA requests money from First Minister John Swinney in bid to avoid summer ...
24 Jul 2024 at 2:29pm
The council umbrella body wants more cash from the Scottish Government to avoid rubbish piling up in the streets due to industrial action.

Keir Starmer grilled by MPs over two-child cap and private school VAT at firs...
24 Jul 2024 at 1:32pm
The Prime Minister's inaugural questions got off to a gentle start as he was asked about foreign policy, social care, VAT on private schools and the two-child cap.

Keir Starmer faces first PMQs after suspending seven Labour MPs over SNP?s tw...
24 Jul 2024 at 11:46am
The UK Government defeated the SNP motion but faced rebellion from seven backbenchers.

John Swinney refuses to say if he will step in to avoid summer bin strikes ac...
23 Jul 2024 at 2:52pm
The Scottish Government 'simply cannot conjure up money where it doesn't exist', the First Minister warned.

Why is the two-child benefit cap causing problems for the new Labour government?
23 Jul 2024 at 1:12pm
An amendment calling for the two-child benefit cap to be scrapped will go to a vote on Tuesday night.

John Swinney announces over £40m in funding to deliver 252 electric buses
23 Jul 2024 at 12:31pm
The money will also help create a charging network that can be used by buses, coaches and HGVs.

Humza Yousaf hails NHS staff after ?complications? with newborn daughter
23 Jul 2024 at 11:30am
The former first minister said 'very high bilirubin levels' meant his baby girl Liyana was taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.

Keir Starmer to face pressure from Labour MPs in Commons over two-child benef...
23 Jul 2024 at 8:52am
A King?s Speech debate could end with a vote on Tuesday as the Prime Minister faces a backlash to his refusal to abolish the two-child benefit cap.

John Swinney announces £2m fund for ?essential? carbon capture Acorn project ...
22 Jul 2024 at 1:32pm
The First Minister said project Acorn project will be 'essential' in securing the future of sites such as Grangemouth.

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

SNP demands Rachel Reeves apology for 'misleading voters' about budget blackhole
26 Jul 2024 at 12:16pm
The Chancellor is expected to unveil a black hole in the public finances of around £20 billion next week.

Greyhound racing ban bill gains enough support to be introduced at Holyrood
26 Jul 2024 at 11:36am
Green MSP Mark Ruskell said the ?writing is on the wall for greyhound racing? as he announced his member's bill had won the backing of enough colleagues.

SNP minister 'eternally grateful' to NHS for saving his life during sepsis ba...
26 Jul 2024 at 10:45am
Richard Lochhead hopes to be back at Holyrood when MSPs return in September after the summer recess.

SNP heading for opposition if it doesn't tackle 'culture of hate', says Joann...
26 Jul 2024 at 10:19am
The former SNP MP said she will be stepping away from frontline politics to ?reflect? on the future of her party.

Announcement of NHS Scotland building plans delayed until late 2024
26 Jul 2024 at 10:00am
All new NHS building projects were put on hold in February for up to two years because of budget constraints.

Scottish Government vows £30m funding will reduce NHS waiting times
25 Jul 2024 at 4:15pm
Scottish Labour blasted it as a "re-heated announcement" which "will come as cold comfort to the hundreds of thousands currently waiting in pain on NHS waiting lists."

Three senior MPs join Conservative Party leadership contest to replace Rishi ...
25 Jul 2024 at 2:59pm
The battle for the future of the Conservative Party officially began on Wednesday night with the opening of nominations

Keir Starmer reaffirms pledge that GB Energy will bring down bills by £300 a ...
25 Jul 2024 at 2:15pm
The Prime Minister warned it will ?take time? to reap the benefits of clean power initiatives and stood by claims that the Government will "drive down" household costs.

CalMac reveals major plan to enhance west coast ferry operations
25 Jul 2024 at 12:10pm
The state-owned ferry operator is working with Transport Scotland to introduce the key changes.

Scottish prisons putting lives at risk after 'failing to implement' crucial h...
25 Jul 2024 at 9:44am
A new report claims the lives of Scots prisoners are at risk as recommendations agreed more than three decades ago have still not been implemented.

The National

The National | Politics

Labour's PFI Scandal: The National's new series starts on Monday
27 Jul 2024 at 5:00am

There'll be interactive data-led articles, putting all those big numbers into easily interpreted graphs and charts, as well as expert analysis. We'll also be running live streams with our top journalists and commentators.

YouGov poll finds most of UK thinks coverage on Gaza has been unfair
27 Jul 2024 at 5:00am

A NEW YouGov poll has found that less than half of people in the UK believe the British media?s reporting on Gaza has been fair...

Mhairi Black: So much for Labour?s talk of incoming ?change?
27 Jul 2024 at 5:00am

AS David Bowie famously sang: ch? ch? ch? ch? child poverty ? oh wait. For all the talk of change this week, Sir Keir Starmer?s Labour Party showed us that party politics is more important to them than reducing child poverty.

Apsana Begum claims Labour whips threatened her over two-child cap
26 Jul 2024 at 8:43pm

A SUSPENDED Labour MP has claimed that party whips threatened to withdraw her ?domestic abuse support? if she voted in favour of lifting the two-child benefit cap ...

Glasgow: Everything you need to know about this weekend's Gaza rally
26 Jul 2024 at 7:30pm

A NATIONAL demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza will take place this weekend ...

Labour Party lies are being unveiled thick and fast
26 Jul 2024 at 7:15pm

Well, who knew? It's not even a month since the General Election and the lies deployed by Keir Starmer and his cronies in order to win it are already being unveiled thick and fast ...

Scottish Labour councillor calls his own MP a liar over two-child cap
26 Jul 2024 at 6:00pm

SCOTTISH Labour are ?fracturing? amid internal rows over the two-child benefit cap ...

Scottish independence groups launch Inverness campaign day
26 Jul 2024 at 3:57pm

A GRASSROOTS independence campaign day is set to take place next month in Inverness ...

I'm an economist ? Labour's economic 'rules' are a joke
26 Jul 2024 at 3:36pm

IT did not take long for the wheels to fall off the Labour bus. The party has now sacked seven of its own MPs within three weeks of a General Election, exposing how weak its moral leadership is and how fragile its hold on power might become.

Fact check: Keir Starmer claim that child poverty is up under the SNP
26 Jul 2024 at 3:09pm

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said at PMQs this week that since the SNP came to power in Holyrood, the number of children in poverty has increased in Scotland.

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

Heriot-Watt University behind ground-breaking prosthetics innovation
26 Jul 2024 at 4:13pm
Researchers have made significant strides in developing ?more humanistic? prosthetics?

UK Government gives ?100m boost to quantum revolution
26 Jul 2024 at 12:39pm
Glasgow University and Heriot-Watt University to become hubs for quantum research

UK tech infrastructure ?inadequate? for AI boom, study finds
25 Jul 2024 at 6:15pm
Research carried out by the institute found UK datasets lack the ?robust? governance frameworks for a safe wide-scale adoption of AI

Science secretary announces multi-million-pound boost to UK Biobank
25 Jul 2024 at 3:27pm
It will receive a ?16m cloud computing boost to support new research into disease treatment

Scottish researchers create synthetic vessels to improve heart treatment
25 Jul 2024 at 11:20am
?It is claimed that?these ?gel-like? tubes could replace human veins to re-route blood flow, making bypass surgeries less risky

UK Government introduces GB Energy legislation
25 Jul 2024 at 7:00am
The precise location of the company has not yet been announced

Social care services in Scotland found to be 'unsustainable'
25 Jul 2024 at 7:00am
A report by the Accounts Commission found that costs for Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) have increased while funding has fallen

TikTok fined ?1.8m after providing Ofcom with inaccurate information
24 Jul 2024 at 4:30pm
The?media?regulator found the platform had breached the Communications Act after it failed for months to follow through with a data request

Keir Starmer defends private school VAT hike amidst Edinburgh capacity warning
24 Jul 2024 at 4:22pm
Christine Jardine raises fears for state schools

SNP attacks Keir Starmer for suspending MPs over two-child cap at first PMQs
24 Jul 2024 at 1:47pm
Stephen Flynn said MPs had been ?instructed? to vote for a policy that ?forces children into poverty"

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

Scotland faces wave of summer bin strikes as unions reject new pay offer
22 Jul 2024 at 4:47pm
Risk of repeat of 2022 when mountains of refuse bags littered the streets during Edinburgh fringeScotland faces a wave of bin strikes this summer after unions rejected a new pay offer, with the Edinburgh fringe at risk of a repeat of 2022 when mountains of refuse bags littered the streets.The GMB...

Securing future of Grangemouth oil refinery ?will test Scottish and UK relati...
18 Jul 2024 at 12:52pm
Just Transition Commission says finding solution will be litmus test of governments? ability to work togetherSecuring the future of Grangemouth oil refinery will be a litmus test of how the Scottish and UK governments reset their relationship after Labour?s election win, and their first challenge...

Scotland and Westminster join forces on vaping, rail and renting reform
17 Jul 2024 at 3:39pm
Deputy first minister welcomes new approach but SNP colleague Stephen Flynn calls king?s speech ?timid?UK politics live ? latest updatesThe Scottish and UK governments have agreed to collaborate on new measures to control vaping, nationalise railways and ban landlords from barring families on ben...

Vaughan Gething quits as Welsh first minister but hits out at ?pernicious? cl...
16 Jul 2024 at 6:02pm
His resignation comes after four Welsh ministers stepped down from their posts in an apparently calculated move to force his handThe JD Vance comment about Britain supposedly becoming an Islamist country under Labour (see 8.42am) is an example of the extreme political rhetoric that has coarsened ...

Yvette Cooper to chair meeting of taskforce considering ?alarming rise? in ca...
15 Jul 2024 at 5:41pm
Home secretary to host meeting of government?s Defending Democracy taskforce after reported rise in harassment during election campaignMore in Common, the group that campaigns to reduce polarisation in politics, published a good slideshow presentation last week, based on polling it carried out, g...

UK politics: Badenoch confirms she did criticise Sunak over election at shado...
10 Jul 2024 at 5:50pm
Tory leadership contender says views of ?activists, members and friends who lost seats after giving everything to campaign? matterUkraine must decide for itself whether it uses Britain?s storm shadow missiles to strike military targets inside Russia, Keir Starmer has said.The prime minister said ...

Rachel Reeves says new government has inherited ?worst set of circumstances s...
8 Jul 2024 at 6:14pm
This live blog is closed.Rachel Reeves has finished the speech, in which she confirmed a range of measures to speed up planning. I will post a full summary shortly.She is now taking questions.I have repeatedly warned that whoever won the general election would inherit the worst set of circumstanc...

Defence secretary announces new military aid package for Ukraine ? as it happ...
7 Jul 2024 at 8:50pm
John Healey announces fresh package as he visits southern port city of OdesaReynolds says he is not supposed to pre-empt what will be in the king?s speech, but he says it is no secret that the government is going to prioritise its employment rights reforms.Jonathan Reynolds is being interviewed b...

Defeated Joanna Cherry says battered SNP?s ?ship has gone down?
6 Jul 2024 at 5:39pm
Former Edinburgh South West MP says addressing ?openly and honestly? what went wrong is only way forward for party?It wasn?t personal? was the message from David Robb, a 72-year-old Labour voter and one of the constituents in Edinburgh South West responsible for the SNP?s Joanna Cherry losing her...

Rachel Reeves becomes UK?s first female chancellor; former Tory chair says pa...
5 Jul 2024 at 10:50pm
Rachel Reeves becomes first woman to hold post in 800-years as Angela Rayner named secretary of state for levelling upUK general election results 2024: live trackerHow Labour did it: inside the campaign that led to ?Starmergeddon?Clive Myrie is opening the BBC?s election night coverage. He is co-...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

It?s Labour?s two child cap on benefits now
23 Jul 2024 at 10:01pm
The Labour Party has said that it will withdraw the party whip from any MP who votes to scrap the two-child benefit cap tonight. The Labour party is punishing its MPs who vote to repeal a Tory measure which has been described as an engine driving a huge growth in child poverty. It was reported …

BBC Scotland British Brainwashing Corporation
19 Jul 2024 at 11:58am
On Thurday, the preliminary findings of the UK Covid Inquiry were published. Baroness Hallett, the chair of the inquiry summarised the findings as: “The processes planning and policy of the civil contingency structures across the UK failed the citizens of all four nations of the United Kingdom.” And how was this spun by BBC Scotland? …

The diverging paths
15 Jul 2024 at 9:57am
Now that the dust has started to settle on the outcome of the Westminster election and the SNP’s not so shock defeat, it’s time to reflect on what the result holds for the future – not just in Scotland but across the rest of the UK as well. The first takeaway is that turn out …

Picking ourselves up, dusting ourselves off, and getting on with the campaign...
9 Jul 2024 at 11:14am
Sorry for not updating the blog sooner but both my other half and I have been fighting off a very nasty chest infection with bad coughs and a temperature. He has had it far worse than I did, but I am almost back to what passes for normal now and he is over the worst …

There?s little lipstick for this pig
5 Jul 2024 at 6:52am
We need to be honest with ourselves here, there is very little lipstick to be put on this pig. It was an unqualified disaster for the SNP. I knew that the SNP was going to perform poorly when John Swinney said that if the SNP won most seats in Scotland it would be a mandate …

Vote for Scotland?s interests, vote SNP
3 Jul 2024 at 4:10pm
Tomorrow it’s get rid of the Tories day. After fourteen years of miserable vindictiveness the Conservatives are on the way out. The Tories are in for a historic defeat. According to some opinion polls they could even be left vying with the Lib Dems for second place, which would strip them of the position of …

The end of the Tory nightmare, a worse one on the horizon
1 Jul 2024 at 6:41pm
We are in the final stretch of a Westminster general election campaign which, if the polls are accurate, will finally spell the end of fourteen years of a cruel, nasty, chaotic, corrupt, and incompetent Tory government which has presided over the devastation of public services, a huge rise in poverty, deprivation, and homelessness. One simple …

Vulture politics
21 Jun 2024 at 1:33pm
It’s obvious now who is going to win this Westminster general election. It’s going to be won by flag shagging British nationalists. We also know that it won’t be the Tory by flag shagging British nationalists, it will be the Labour by flag shagging British nationalists who have adopted a slew of Tory policies, followed …

Labour in Scotland, a fantasy manifesto from a fantasy party
18 Jun 2024 at 8:40pm
If I were to tell you that a major political party had published a manifesto for this Westminster general election which was largely about a different election for a different parliament – an election which isn’t due for two years, and that in its promises which do relate to Westminster it does not actually exist …

The rise of Farage spells the fall of the Union
15 Jun 2024 at 11:04am
Yesterday an opinion poll gave a result that was previously unthinkable. The vanity party of Nigel Farage, the hard right racist bloviator who has been a plook on the face of British politics since the 1990s, overtook the Tories as the second most favoured party in the Westminster general election. According to a YouGov poll, …

The Courier

Scottish Politics News From Holyrood and Westminster | The Courier

Are Dundee SNP MSPs braced for defeat in 2026 after Westminster election scare?
26 Jul 2024 at 2:29pm
SNP majorities melted away in Scotland?s most pro-independence city on July 4 - is the party facing long-term threat?

Debate: How would you like to see Dundee LEZ fine money spent by the council?
26 Jul 2024 at 6:01am
Have your say on how Dundee City Council should spend the money collected from motorists for not following the low emission zone restrictions.

Major compensation breakthrough for Fornethy House abuse survivors
26 Jul 2024 at 6:01am
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes has been urged to remove compensation barriers for over 200 women abused at Fornethy House in Angus.

Stephen Flynn: How Dundonian SNP chief faces new hurdles at PMQs
24 Jul 2024 at 12:23pm
The SNP Westminster leader will find it much harder than he did before the election to grab headlines every Wednesday.

VIDEO: Nigel Farage mocked by Perthshire?s Pete Wishart during first MP speech
23 Jul 2024 at 4:20pm
Watch as the SNP veteran quipped Mr Farage was "spot on" as he described insults he faced before election.

Pollster?s verdict on Dundee and SNP postal vote delay theory
22 Jul 2024 at 2:00pm
The SNP?s narrow victory in Dundee Central came against the backdrop of delays in postal votes being sent out across Scotland.

VIDEO: Dundee?s Stephen Flynn on SNP leadership rumours
22 Jul 2024 at 5:00am
The MP who leads the SNP at Westminster has been touted as a potential future leader of the party.

Humza Yousaf and Nadia El-Nakla celebrate birth of baby girl
18 Jul 2024 at 10:18am
The Dundee-based former first minister welcomed daughter Liyana Jenin Yousaf into the world.

What next for Reform UK in Tayside and Fife after shock election surge?
18 Jul 2024 at 5:00am
In seats across Scotland, including Dundee and Fife constituencies, the party picked up more votes than Tories.

Could Labour?s GB Energy be based in Fife?
17 Jul 2024 at 5:00am
Aberdeen has been touted as the natural home for GB Energy - but does Fife have a chance given its own energy credentials?

Talking up Scotland

Talking-up Scotland / Facts on NHS, Crime, ferries and everything else you ca...

The two-child benefit cap:  will it prove an ethical dilemma for Kirsty McNei...
26 Jul 2024 at 11:30am
By stewartb One of the most conspicuous examples of a Labour MP shifting their stance on the urgency of reducing child poverty – specifically on the urgency of abolishing the two-child benefit cap – must surely be that of Kirsty McNeill, the new member of parliament for Midlothian and significantly, the Under Secretary of State for Scotland. Prior to being elected, Ms McNeill was Executive Dire...

Drink drive deaths in England soar to nearly three times those in Scotland ha...
26 Jul 2024 at 11:19am
By Professor John Robertson In the Guardian, typically Anglocentric, today: Deaths due to drinking and driving on UK roads have increased to 300 annually, a 13-year high, according to newly published government data. There were an estimated 300 deaths where at least one driver was over the legal blood-alcohol limit in 2022, the latest year for which official figures are available, the Departmen...

The knock-on consequences for the size of the Block Grants to devolved admini...
25 Jul 2024 at 1:16pm
By stewartb The recent National Audit Office report entitled ?NHS Financial Management and Sustainability? makes substantive comments on the state of NHS England and the challenges it faces due to financial settlements over many years now from Westminster governments. Of course it makes ZERO reference to the knock-on consequences for the size of the Block Grants to devolved administrations and ...

What the Scottish Government has achieved with the Scottish NHS is more than ...
25 Jul 2024 at 1:08pm
By Legerwood What the Scottish Government has achieved with the Scottish NHS is more than mere mitigation. Just look at the number of new hospitals that have been built the length and breadth of Scotland and the upgrades to existing hospitals. For example, new Community hospitals in Kirkwall, Aviemore, Broadford, Haddington to name but a few. They provide a better work environment and often inc...

Latest research ? Crime down 53% since first SNP Government began but police ...
25 Jul 2024 at 12:57pm
By Professor John Robertson From the Safer Communities and Justice Statistics Monthly Data Report : July 2024 edition, today: Crime has fallen by 53% since 2008-09. Results from the Scottish Crime and Justice Survey (SCJS) show that around 1 in 10 adults were victims of crime in 2021-22 (10.0%) compared to 1 in 5 in 2008-09 (20.4%). The estimated number of crimes fell by 53% over the same perio...

A lesson for any tempted to vote Labour in Holyrood 2026 ? Researchers reveal...
25 Jul 2024 at 11:17am
Labour’s Westminster House Jock and North British branches celebrate English Labour’s election victory under their shared flag, before going on to vote to keep the Dead Conservative’s two-child benefit cap, shown by the IFS to increase child poverty levels. Not only has the Institute for Fiscal Studies proved that the two-child benefit cap is the main cause of child poverty in the UK but today,...

CalMac, the best ferry service in the world and Steven Camley the third-best ...
25 Jul 2024 at 9:28am
It’s a sad state of affairs that the above pub-level banality passes for political satire at the Herald. To waste more time on his output considered, see: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/?s=Camley On ferries, here’s why his infantile pokes are not so much below the belt as below the average IQ, see: For the fully-sourced facts, see: https://talkingupscotlandtwo.com/?s=CalMac For the fully-sour...

NHS England at risk of ?collapse? but after 17 years of not-underfunding by S...
24 Jul 2024 at 9:35am
By Professor John Robertson In the Guardian today: NHS finances so dire that whole service may collapse, says spending watchdog. National Audit Office says NHS in England too cash-strapped to treat patients quickly enough. Years of underfunding have left the NHS in England so cash-strapped that it cannot treat patients quickly enough, and the rising tide of ill-health will make matters worse, t...

New Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock Labour MP betrays all she claims to stand for an...
23 Jul 2024 at 9:53pm
Before the General Election in the local Ayrshire newspapers: Elaine Stewart, Labour candidate said: “As someone who works daily with children and young people in some of the affected communities, I can assure you that reason I am standing is to ensure that the child poverty is high on the agenda on a daily basis. “I run food banks and, to be perfectly honest, children and young people should n...

True value of Scotland?s whisky exports being hidden
23 Jul 2024 at 3:42pm
According to WITS in 2021, the UK exported $6 378 561 worth of whiskey (sic) but uniquely did not disclose the quantity for the UK sales. Ireland, earned $1 009 279 from only 88 729 600 (88.7million) liters. Scotland alone, according to the Scotch Whisky Association, exported in 2021, 1 380 000 000 (1.38 BILLION) bottles at 0.7cl or 966 000 000 (966 million) liters. So, here’s the question – Wi...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

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

Voting intention in a referendum on Scottish independence 2018-2024 - Statista
4 Jul 2024 at 8:00am
Voting intention in a referendum on Scottish independence 2018-2024  Statista

Believe in Scotland teams up with local Yes groups for indy campaign day - Th...
26 Jul 2024 at 3:59pm
Believe in Scotland teams up with local Yes groups for indy campaign day  The National

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

What could this election mean for Scottish independence? - BBC.com
19 Jun 2024 at 8:00am
What could this election mean for Scottish independence?  BBC.com

Is Scottish independence really dead? - The Critic
25 Jul 2024 at 12:08am
Is Scottish independence really dead?  The Critic

Scottish independence is dead in the water - The Telegraph
4 Jul 2024 at 8:00am
Scottish independence is dead in the water  The Telegraph

Scotland?s leader Humza Yousaf resigns after a year in power, throwing his pr...
29 Apr 2024 at 8:00am
Scotland?s leader Humza Yousaf resigns after a year in power, throwing his pro-independence party into chaos  CNN

Scottish first minister John Swinney axes minister for independence role afte...
9 May 2024 at 8:00am
Scottish first minister John Swinney axes minister for independence role after appointing new cabinet  Sky News

Joanna Cherry says SNP must tackle 'culture of hate' as she makes 'depressing...
26 Jul 2024 at 1:33pm
Joanna Cherry says SNP must tackle 'culture of hate' as she makes 'depressing' admission on Scottish independence  The Scotsman

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

Outrageous behaviour of Labour MPs - HeraldScotland
27 Jul 2024 at 6:30am
Outrageous behaviour of Labour MPs  HeraldScotland

Sarwar?s no austerity under Labour pledge coming back to bite him, SNP warns ...
27 Jul 2024 at 12:11am
Sarwar?s no austerity under Labour pledge coming back to bite him, SNP warns  The National

What does 'Stalin' attack on Sturgeon's SNP mean for Swinney? - BBC.com
9 Jul 2024 at 8:00am
What does 'Stalin' attack on Sturgeon's SNP mean for Swinney?  BBC.com

Ex-SNP equalities officer Cameron Downing who wanted to 'beat up terfs' jaile...
16 Jul 2024 at 8:00am
Ex-SNP equalities officer Cameron Downing who wanted to 'beat up terfs' jailed for sexual and physical assaults  Sky News

SNP?s humiliation in Scotland shows independence is no longer a priority - Th...
5 Jul 2024 at 8:00am
SNP?s humiliation in Scotland shows independence is no longer a priority  The Guardian

Scottish National Party's poor UK election showing derails independence push ...
5 Jul 2024 at 8:00am
Scottish National Party's poor UK election showing derails independence push  Reuters UK

Punishing SNP losses fuel speculation over the party?s purpose - Financial Times
5 Jul 2024 at 8:00am
Punishing SNP losses fuel speculation over the party?s purpose  Financial Times

Independence is ?a hard sell? after huge election losses, SNP admits - The In...
5 Jul 2024 at 8:00am
Independence is ?a hard sell? after huge election losses, SNP admits  The Independent

Scotland?s independence warriors smashed in UK general election - POLITICO Eu...
5 Jul 2024 at 8:00am
Scotland?s independence warriors smashed in UK general election  POLITICO Europe

Labour v SNP: the general election is a closer race in Scotland - The Convers...
27 Jun 2024 at 8:00am
Labour v SNP: the general election is a closer race in Scotland  The Conversation

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

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

Voting intention in a referendum on Scottish independence 2018-2024 - Statista
4 Jul 2024 at 8:00am
Voting intention in a referendum on Scottish independence 2018-2024  Statista

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

Swinney says no change in SNP independence referendum strategy - BBC.com
9 May 2024 at 8:00am
Swinney says no change in SNP independence referendum strategy  BBC.com

Scottish National Party's poor UK election showing derails independence push ...
5 Jul 2024 at 8:00am
Scottish National Party's poor UK election showing derails independence push  Reuters UK

Scotland?s leader Humza Yousaf resigns after a year in power, throwing his pr...
29 Apr 2024 at 8:00am
Scotland?s leader Humza Yousaf resigns after a year in power, throwing his pro-independence party into chaos  CNN

SNP's poor result derails Scotland independence push - Yahoo News Australia
5 Jul 2024 at 8:00am
SNP's poor result derails Scotland independence push  Yahoo News Australia

SNP backs revised plan for Scottish independence referendum - Financial Times
15 Oct 2023 at 8:00am
SNP backs revised plan for Scottish independence referendum  Financial Times

Labour ahead of SNP in Scotland for first time since independence referendum ...
10 Apr 2024 at 8:00am
Labour ahead of SNP in Scotland for first time since independence referendum  YouGov

Labour Shouldn?t Write Off the SNP Just Yet - Bloomberg
17 Apr 2024 at 8:00am
Labour Shouldn?t Write Off the SNP Just Yet  Bloomberg