The Herald

The Herald | Politics


Humza Yousaf's jaunt to Dundee is no distraction from his woes
27 Apr 2024 at 6:30am
Journalists, jibes and jeopardy - Dundee was perhaps the perfect backdrop for Humza Yousaf's embryonic attempt at redirecting a premiership that has gone quite flamboyantly off course.


Citizen Advice Scotland condemn Rishi Sunak's 'sick note' rhetoric
27 Apr 2024 at 5:30am
Scotland?s Citizens Advice Bureau has issued a warning that people risk falling through the cracks into poverty after the Prime Minister announced plans to tackle ?sick note culture?.


?Poor choice? for Greens to back no confidence motion in me ? Yousaf
27 Apr 2024 at 12:55pm
Humza Yousaf has said it would be a ?poor choice? for the Scottish Greens to back the motion of no confidence in him.


'Humza is a prince' - The word on Glasgow's street
27 Apr 2024 at 10:00am
IN POLLOK, the locals are circling the wagons round their imperilled MSP, who also happens to be First Minister of Scotland. As it seems that Humza Yousaf may have fallen among thieves at Holyrood, here on Glasgow?s sprawling south-side enclave he?s among friends.


Yousaf rejects Salmond's 'fantasy' demand for pro-indy electoral pact
27 Apr 2024 at 9:35pm
Humza Yousaf has dismissed Alex Salmond?s ?fantasy? demand for a pro-independence electoral pact as the price for Alba backing the beleaguered First Minister.


SNP's Kate Forbes hopes Scottish Greens will 'embrace' her
27 Apr 2024 at 11:14am
Kate Forbes has said she hopes the Greens can 'embrace' her as Humza Yousaf fights for his political future ahead of two votes of no confidence next week.


Humza Yousaf defiant as future hangs in the balance
27 Apr 2024 at 6:30am
Humza Yousaf has insisted that he will not resign as First Minister, despite the prospect of losing a confidence vote in Holyrood next week.


Scottish Green MSP breaks down in tears over Bute House
26 Apr 2024 at 6:05pm
Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay broke down in tears as she discussed the end of the Bute House Agreement with the SNP in a radio interview


Humza Yousaf housing funds are not enough for charities
26 Apr 2024 at 5:13pm
Housing organisations have given a lukewarm response to Humza Yousaf's announcement of £80 million of funding to purchase empty homes for social housing.


Humza Yousaf defiant he will not resign on Dundee visit
26 Apr 2024 at 4:05pm
A defiant Humza Yousaf repeatedly insisted he will not resign as First Minister despite two motions of no confidence from opposition parties.


BBC Question Time: Did a Minister confuse Rwanda & Congo?
26 Apr 2024 at 11:46am
Tory minister for policing appeared to confuse Rwanda with another African country on BBC's Question Time on Thursday.


Ash Regan writes to Yousaf with demands in exchange for vote
26 Apr 2024 at 8:23am
Ash Regan, a former SNP minister who defected to Alex Salmond?s party, said she wanted to see progress on Scottish independence and defending ?the rights of women and children?


Gaza priest visiting Glasgow makes ceasfire plea
26 Apr 2024 at 12:15pm
Father Gabriel Romanelli is visiting Glasgow and said Palestinians living in ?hell? as he made a ceasefire plea.


What US talk show hosts (and politicians) are saying on Trump trial
26 Apr 2024 at 7:12pm
America?s talkshow hosts (and politicans) take aim at Trump.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


SNP leader Humza Yousaf says he will not resign as First Minister amid no con...
27 Apr 2024 at 8:38am
The First Minister insists he will not resign


ScotRail peak fares suspension could continue if trial successful ? Transport...
27 Apr 2024 at 4:55am
Cabinet secretary awaiting interim report on ticket price reduction launched in October


Which Green policy priorities could now be ripped up in a minority SNP Govern...
27 Apr 2024 at 4:55am
Green MSPs could see their policy priorities watered down or axed altogether as Humza Yousaf attempts to shift his agenda


SNP-Green split could see Scotland benefit from a return to minority governme...
27 Apr 2024 at 4:55am

Even SNP and Conservative MSPs can work together in constructive ways, despite the rhetoric between the two parties

Those in the SNP who would argue ?we don?t need the Greens? miss the point of the Scottish Parliament entirely, writes Stewart McDonald

If the SNP changes First Minister without calling an election for a second time, they will have behaved just like the ?detested? Tories at Westminster

The debate over trans rights has played a significant role in Humza Yousaf?s current troubles

Wings over Scotland

The Makings Of Men
27 Apr 2024 at 3:14pm
We apologise for making you look at Ross Greer’s face on a weekend. ? But what he said to the Holyrood Sources podcast yesterday is important. Firstly because it confirms everything in our analysis from yesterday. The Greens are definitely, and indeed openly, gunning for revenge against Humza Yousaf personally, and Greer’s comments strongly imply …

An Embarrassment Of Riches
27 Apr 2024 at 6:59am

The Labyrinth Of Stupidity
26 Apr 2024 at 12:45pm
It’s probably as good an illustration of the madness currently engulfing Scottish politics as anything that the most unusual suspect, Anas Sarwar, may have just – temporarily at least – saved Humza Yousaf’s job. And although our head hurts already, we’ll try to explain why. The fundamental problems of Humza Yousaf’s position are all still …

Here You Go Again
26 Apr 2024 at 12:12am
We’ll make this short, because we’ve had a long day. Wings is told by a very reliable source that there’s ANOTHER emergency Cabinet meeting scheduled for tomorrow morning, which at least means we get to use this image now. So here’s the “exclusive” you’ll be getting from Paul Hutcheon seven hours from now. For a …

Fanny Dancing
25 Apr 2024 at 4:04pm
Oh, wait, scratch everything. Because this guy’s just wasting everybody’s time. And the reason is this: Because a vote of no confidence in the First Minister and a vote of no confidence in the Scottish Government are two entirely different things. The first one carries no legal force whatsoever – it’s basically just a ticking …

The Asking Of The Question
25 Apr 2024 at 1:13pm
At FMQs today, Douglas Ross announced that he was putting down a motion of no confidence in the Scottish Government in the wake of the collapse of the Bute House agreement. That creates an enormously interesting situation, because the arithmetic of Parliament is extremely finely balanced, and particularly in the light of Patrick Harvie’s subsequent …

The People We Don?t Want
25 Apr 2024 at 8:45am
We tweeted this last night as a teaser for our big exclusive. (Which is now hilariously being claimed by Paul Hutcheon of the Daily Record seven hours later.) And it does now seem to be the case that the news is that the SNP are ending the Bute House Agreement and kicking out the Greens …

An Uncommon Occurrence
24 Apr 2024 at 11:47pm
News reaches Wings this evening that Humza Yousaf has called an emergency meeting of the Scottish Cabinet at 10 o’clock tomorrow morning, just a couple of hours before FMQs. (This information has been confirmed directly to us by a source very close to a member of said Cabinet.) An emergency Cabinet meeting is an extraordinarily …

Grooming Class
24 Apr 2024 at 1:16pm
Daniel Sanderson of the Telegraph has filed a series of excellent but deeply disturbing articles this month about the growing presence in Scottish primary schools of LGBT Youth Scotland, a charity which has been heavily involved in not one but two serious child abuse scandals, one of them the most horrific in Scottish history. But …

Hobson?s Law
22 Apr 2024 at 1:40pm
While we all wait for the thing we all really want to happen this week, try to pretend that the disastrous and pitiful “indy march and rally” at the weekend never took place, and do our best to ignore the fact that thanks to the weakness of Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf our country’s government …

Craig Murray

Worse Than You Can Imagine
26 Apr 2024 at 7:46am

Governments cannot take big decisions extremely quickly except in the most extreme of circumstances. There are mechanisms in all states that consider policy decisions, weigh them up, involve the various departments of the state whose activities are affected by that decision, and arrive at a conclusion, though not necessarily a good one. The decision to …

Worse Than You Can Imagine

The Farce of Diplomatic Assurances
17 Apr 2024 at 6:34am

The United States has now, on the face of it, produced the Diplomatic Note giving the two assurances required by the High Court to allow the extradition of Julian Assange to proceed. The assurance that Julian Assange will be allowed to rely on the First Amendment in his defence is a blatantly weak piece of …

The Farce of Diplomatic Assurances

I Stand in Blackburn
16 Apr 2024 at 6:32am

I shall be standing for election to Parliament as the member for Blackburn. This unexpected turn of events requires an honest declaration. 1) I am standing because of the Genocide in Gaza. 2) I am standing because of the appalling pro-Genocide stance of the Labour Party and Keir Starmer’s continued support of arms exports to …

I Stand in Blackburn

Free at Last
15 Apr 2024 at 12:41pm

I have today the permission of the surgeon to use my right hand for typing for the first time in over three weeks, provided I am careful not to extend the arm. On Saturday I put my arm in a sleeve and managed to remove my sling while making a speech in Blackburn, which I …

Free at Last

An Urgent Message About Gaza
2 Apr 2024 at 12:33am

I can’t type much with my left hand but I wanted to get this out there. It then took me ten hours to upload with a maximum speed here of 0.5mbps. Still more breaking news now. May do a follow-up tomorrow. Transcript now available: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h0C2UQPGZa03_4xcS7kJD5mFyIzOFQaMHrgtQ0i9_v4/edit?usp=sharing   Forgive me for pointing out that …

An Urgent Message About Gaza

The Assange Hearing Permission Appeal Judgment: Mad and Bad.
29 Mar 2024 at 8:38am

The latest judgment by the High Court in the Assange case achieved completely the objectives of the UK and US states. Above all, Julian remains in the hell which is Belmarsh maximum security prison. He is now safely there alone and incommunicado, from the authorities’ point of view, for at least several more months. Importantly, …

The Assange Hearing Permission Appeal Judgment: Mad and Bad.

BBC Scotland

Yousaf rules out pact with Salmond's Alba party
27 Apr 2024 at 11:27pm
Alex Salmond is said to want a deal to maximise pro-independence MPs and MSPs in return for support in a no confidence vote.

Kuenssberg: SNP in meltdown, and what happens next matters across the UK
27 Apr 2024 at 1:30pm
This "OMG" moment for Humza Yousaf is latest in a long line of nasty surprises for a party that has been in decline.

Yousaf reaches out to opponents ahead of no confidence votes
27 Apr 2024 at 5:09pm
The first minister's appeal to find "common ground" is rejected by the Scottish Conservatives as "humiliating and embarrassing".

Will winning a confidence vote be enough to save Yousaf?
27 Apr 2024 at 8:51am
The future of Scotland's first minister is far from secure after a week of turmoil.

Yousaf will not resign as Scotland's first minister
26 Apr 2024 at 3:06pm
Humza Yousaf says he is confident of winning a no-confidence vote next week despite opposition calls for him to quit.

Who is Ash Regan, the woman who could be key to Yousaf's fate?
26 Apr 2024 at 11:39am
The Alba Party MSP could play a crucial role in whether Humza Yousaf continues as first minister.

Humza Yousaf: Who is Scotland's under-threat first minister?
26 Apr 2024 at 4:48pm
A profile of Humza Yousaf, the SNP leader, who faces a no confidence vote in the Scottish Parliament.

Ditching the Greens is a defining moment for Humza Yousaf
25 Apr 2024 at 2:02pm
The first minister has torn up one of the most significant elements of Nicola Sturgeon's legacy.

SNP's power-sharing deal with Greens collapses
25 Apr 2024 at 4:50pm
It follows the government's decision to scrap climate targets and its response to a gender services review.

How big a threat to Humza Yousaf is a no-confidence vote?
25 Apr 2024 at 5:14pm
How likely is the first minister to be ousted by a vote of confidence in the Scottish Parliament?

Cash-for-bottle deposit scheme delayed until 2027
25 Apr 2024 at 4:29pm
The planned recycling scheme has been pushed back following disagreements between devolved administrations.

Former SNP council leader in court on sex offences charges
25 Apr 2024 at 4:38pm
Jordan Linden, 28, who stood down as leader of North Lanarkshire Council two years ago, is accused of 17 charges altogether.

Scot Goes Pop

Has The Times misrepresented what Alex Salmond said about his price for backi...
27 Apr 2024 at 10:57pm
The Times website has an "exclusive" claiming that Alba are making a 'Scotland United' electoral pact the price of any support for Humza Yousaf in the no confidence vote.  Some people are interpret...

Exactly half of MSPs (64 out of 128) want Yousaf to go - and that's as close ...
27 Apr 2024 at 6:14pm
The impression I formed from listening to interviews with Green MSPs yesterday is that they don't necessarily want to topple the SNP government or to bring about an early election, but they are det...

Are we moving into the final days of Yousaf's leadership?
26 Apr 2024 at 10:19am
It was just over a year ago that I was struggling to work out how seriously to take the pronouncements of "Smitty", a commenter on Wings who seemed to be leaking inside information about the SNP le...

Even on a non-binding vote, Yousaf's job would be on the line
25 Apr 2024 at 6:06pm
OK, this is my fourth post of the day, but I'm having to do this just to keep up with the pace of events.  Two things have changed since my last post - to my surprise, it turns out the Greens will ...

Now that Alba have gained the balance of power, they'd probably be unwise to ...
25 Apr 2024 at 4:43pm
Since writing my previous post about Alba's enviable new position as holding the balance of power at Holyrood, I see that Stuart Campbell is trying to coax the party into voting against the SNP gov...

Humza Yousaf has just handed Ash Regan the balance of power in the Scottish P...
25 Apr 2024 at 1:56pm
The Bute House Agreement was not signed until August 2021, which meant that for three months after the May 2021 election, the SNP continued with what was billed as a "minority government".  That wa...

Why has the coalition been ditched, and what now?
25 Apr 2024 at 10:15am
It's difficult to blog about something I don't fully understand.  One of the things that had defined Humza Yousaf's leadership was his cast-iron commitment to coalition with the Greens, and while t...

No, Sarwar does not lead Yousaf on "best First Minister" polling - that was l...
23 Apr 2024 at 9:36pm
This is a rare example of me rushing to defend Humza Yousaf, but an element of 'professional pride' kicks in whenever I see Wings deceive his readers about opinion polls - "Anas Sarwar is preferred...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

First Minister Humza Yousaf can?t rule out Scottish election as he faces vote...
27 Apr 2024 at 1:22pm
The First Minister said it would be a 'poor choice' for the Greens to back the motion of no confidence in him.

Green MSP bursts into tears on radio at Yousaf ending Bute House agreement
27 Apr 2024 at 11:21am
A Scottish Green Party MSP has broken down in tears on radio following the FM's decision to end the Bute House Agreement.

Former rival Kate Forbes backs Yousaf?s leadership as FM seeks way forward
27 Apr 2024 at 11:12am
With two no confidence votes looming, the FM has said he is not resigning and is writing to other parties in the Scottish Parliament inviting them to talks.

Failure to reinstate UNWRA funding is negation of duty, SNP MP Brendan O?Hara...
27 Apr 2024 at 10:01am
Funding was halted after allegations from Israel that some of the agency's employees were involved in October Hamas attack.

Scottish Labour to lodge no-confidence vote in Scottish Government as Yousaf ...
26 Apr 2024 at 10:45am
Anas Sarwar's motion could bring down the entire government if passed - but the Greens have suggested they won't back it.

Humza Yousaf says he won?t resign as Scotland?s First Minister amid threats o...
26 Apr 2024 at 9:35am
First Minister says he is 'confident' he won't be ousted as he fights for his political survival.

Alba?s Ash Regan writes to Humza Yousaf with demands as he battles for future
26 Apr 2024 at 8:19am
Yousaf is battling to save his position as First Minister after the Scottish Greens vowed to vote against him in a motion of no confidence.

Humza Yousaf ?considering his position? as he faces being ousted as First Min...
25 Apr 2024 at 10:37pm
Scotland's First Minister could resign before he faces a difficult vote of no confidence next week, STV News understands.

Delay to UK deposit return scheme branded ?extremely disappointing? by McAllan
25 Apr 2024 at 9:31pm
Scottish Net Zero Secretary Mairi McAllan hit out after Defra confirmed the scheme should now start in October 2027.

Humza Yousaf?s fate hangs on single MSP as Scottish Greens will vote to oust ...
25 Apr 2024 at 4:55pm
Balance of power hangs with former SNP rival as the First Minister faces the biggest threat to his career.

Ex-SNP North Lanarkshire Council leader appears in court accused of 15 sex of...
25 Apr 2024 at 3:03pm
Jordan Linden appeared at Dundee Sheriff Court on Thursday accused of 15 sex offences.

Humza Yousaf faces no-confidence vote after ?terminating? Bute House Agreemen...
25 Apr 2024 at 12:27pm
Labour and LibDems commit to Tory motion while Greens refuse to say if they will back Scotland's First Minister.

Prosecutors yet to receive police report on Peter Murrell?s SNP embezzlement ...
25 Apr 2024 at 12:11pm
Nicola Sturgeon's husband was charged in connection with embezzlement of SNP funds a week ago - but police have yet to send report to the Crown.

Furious Greens ?can?t trust weak and thoroughly hopeless? Humza Yousaf after ...
25 Apr 2024 at 10:30am
Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater accuse SNP of 'betrayal' as both lose their jobs as ministers.

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Green MSP Gillian Mackay carrying safety device after being trolled for break...
27 Apr 2024 at 9:38pm
Gillian Mackay was speaking to BBC Scotland's Drivetime when she broke down after presenter John Beattie said she sounded "bitter".

Tory MP defects to Labour in protest against 'rightward drift' and neglect of...
27 Apr 2024 at 6:49pm
Dr Dan Poulter, a working medic, has quit Rishi Sunak's party saying it is "failing" the health service and that he could no longer "look my NHS colleagues in the eye" as a Conservative.

Eco charities warning over Bute House Agreement's affect on climate action
27 Apr 2024 at 4:30am
Friends of the Earth Scotland and the Stop Rosebank campaign have told the SNP they need to take responsibility.

Nicola Sturgeon parties at red carpet event as SNP faces political chaos
26 Apr 2024 at 10:52pm
The former First Minister was pictured on the red carpet, without her wedding ring, with crime writer Val McDermid, her partner Jo Sharp, and SNP MP Hannah Bardell.

Humza Yousaf is leading an ungovernable SNP and an independence movement in f...
26 Apr 2024 at 4:38pm
Daily Record Political Editor Paul Hutcheon says the problems facing the SNP have not been caused by Yousaf, but that means nothing in politics.

Humza Yousaf insists he will not resign as First Minister as pressure mounts ...
26 Apr 2024 at 1:58pm
The embattled First Minister told journalists in Dundee he fully intends to fight two motions of no confidence lodged against him and his Government.

Scottish Government announces extra £80m for affordable housing over next two...
26 Apr 2024 at 1:23pm
It comes after the Scottish Government slashed the housing budget in December by nearly £200 million.

Five SNP MSPs who could replace Humza Yousaf as leader if First Minister resigns
26 Apr 2024 at 11:02am
Yousaf's spell as SNP leader could come to an abrupt end if he loses a crunch Holyrood vote.

Humza Yousaf cancels public appearance in Glasgow as First Minister battles t...
26 Apr 2024 at 10:50am
The under pressure SNP leader was supposed to deliver a speech at the University of Strathclyde today before taking questions from the media.

Anas Sarwar launches no confidence motion in Humza Yousaf's Government
26 Apr 2024 at 10:30am
The move goes further than the Tories' motion of no confidence in Humza Yousaf as it would require the First Minister to stand down if it passed.

The National

The National | Politics

Israel and US accused of blocking Freedom Flotilla aid ships to Gaza
27 Apr 2024 at 6:35pm

AN international naval convoy looking to deliver much-needed aid to Gaza has been blocked "due to Israeli and US pressure".

Dan Poulter: Conservative MP defects to Labour over 'failing' NHS
27 Apr 2024 at 5:50pm

A TORY MP and former health minister has defected to Labour after accusing the government of ?failing? on the NHS.

SNP left wing express concern over 'appeasement of right wing'
27 Apr 2024 at 1:19pm

A LEFT wing branch of the SNP has expressed concern over the ?appeasement of right wing ideologies? within the party, as Humza Yousaf looks set to face two votes of no confidence.

Humza Yousaf sends letters to party leaders ahead of no confidence votes
27 Apr 2024 at 12:37pm

HUMZA Yousaf is asking leaders of other parties to find ?common ground? with him as he invites them to talks at his official residence to see how they can work with his minority government.

Hamas reviewing fresh Israel ceasefire offer as Rafah offensive looms
27 Apr 2024 at 10:36am

HAMAS confirmed on Saturday it was reviewing a new Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, after Egypt intensified efforts to broker a deal to end the months-long war and stave off a possible Israeli ground offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Russia launches missiles against Ukraine in overnight attack
27 Apr 2024 at 9:56am

RUSSIA launched a barrage of missiles against Ukraine overnight, in attacks that appeared to target the country?s energy infrastructure.

UK has stopped arms sales to Israel before ? why not now?
27 Apr 2024 at 5:00am

LATE last month, leaked UK Government legal advice suggested Ministers must suspend arms sales to Israel in order to comply with international law ...

How one rule shows the need for change on UK arms exports policy
27 Apr 2024 at 5:00am

WHEN it comes to the UK exporting arms, the Government has been keen to stress its duty to reflect on its obligations under international law ...

The Scottish pension funds investing in arms firms
27 Apr 2024 at 5:00am

IN recent years the term divestment has more often been associated with calls for organisations and pension funds to withdraw their investments in fossil fuel companies.

Should Scotland be celebrating JPMorgan's new office in Glasgow?
27 Apr 2024 at 5:00am

I FLUNG open the curtains in my 10th-storey Glasgow hotel room. There it loomed above me, like a scene from a pint-sized Manhattan ...

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

Humza Yousaf will not resign ahead of no confidence vote
26 Apr 2024 at 3:15pm
The first minister is under mounting pressure after ending the Bute House Agreement yesterday

Scottish spaceport achieves ?historic milestone? inching closer to first launch
26 Apr 2024 at 1:02pm
The SaxaVord spaceport is now only one license away from its first launch after securing a range and a vertical launch license.

Labour to lodge motion of no confidence in Scottish Government
26 Apr 2024 at 11:21am
Anas Sarwar said the SNP should not 'impose another unelected first minister' on the country

In full: Kingmaker MSP Ash Regan?s letter setting out demands to Humza Yousaf
26 Apr 2024 at 11:10am
Regan?s support will be crucial to Yousaf?s surviving a no-confidence vote next week

Humza Yousaf?s future as first minister in doubt as Greens confirm backing fo...
25 Apr 2024 at 6:36pm
Labour, the Lib Dems and the Scottish Greens have confirmed they will support Douglas Ross's motion of no confidence in the FM

Greens to back no-confidence motion in Humza Yousaf
25 Apr 2024 at 6:24pm
Labour?s Anas Sarwar and Lib Dem Alex Cole-Hamilton had already confirmed their MSPs would back a no-confidence vote

Patrick Harvie rules out further co-operation with the SNP as Bute House deal...
25 Apr 2024 at 2:39pm
Greens co-leader suggests the FM will now have to rely on 'right-wing forces' for a majority

Patrick Harvie questions whether current government will be in place by the n...
25 Apr 2024 at 12:32pm
The co-leader of the Scottish Greens was speaking to journalists in the Scottish Parliament Garden Lobby when he was asked if his party will still be as cooperative with the government as they were before the Bute House Agreement

Bute House Agreement between SNP and Greens scrapped
25 Apr 2024 at 12:09pm
The decision follows an emergency cabinet meeting at Bute House this morning

In full: Humza Yousaf's letter to Scottish Greens ending Bute House Agreement
25 Apr 2024 at 11:40am
'The cessation of the Bute House Agreement should not be a barrier to our parties continuing to work together'

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

SNP split from Greens boosts Keir Starmer?s election chances, say Labour insi...
27 Apr 2024 at 8:14pm
As first minister Humza Yousaf fights to stay in power, sources believe fallout from defunct coalition could help Labour win seats at general electionAn increasingly bitter split between the SNP and the Greens has brought even more Scottish parliamentary seats into play for Keir Starmer, Labour f...

Beleaguered fHumza Yousaf says he does not rule out Scottish election
27 Apr 2024 at 2:53pm
SNP leader wrote to other parties asking them to find ?common ground? before no confidence voteHumza Yousaf has said he does not rule out a Holyrood election after writing to the leaders of Scotland?s political parties asking them to find ?common ground? ahead of a no confidence vote.Yousaf has c...

Humza Yousaf fights to stay on as second no confidence motion tabled
26 Apr 2024 at 5:24pm
SNP leader says he will take party into general election, as Scottish Labour submits motion against his governmentHumza Yousaf is fighting for his political life as he faces two no confidence motions submitted against him and his government in the space of 24 hours.Yousaf insisted he would not re...

Humza Yousaf says he?s ?very confident? of winning no confidence vote and he ...
26 Apr 2024 at 4:11pm
First minister says he has ?every intention of winning? vote of no confidence and ?believes in ability to work with and negotiate? with opposition leaders. This live blog is closedHumza Yousaf is expected to make an announcement about housing this afternoon. It is expected early afternoon rather ...

Martin Rowson on the travails of Humza Yousaf ? cartoon
26 Apr 2024 at 3:36pm
Continue reading...

The SNP ditching its Green allies has backfired on Humza Yousaf ? and set bac...
26 Apr 2024 at 3:21pm
The first minister?s latest misstep will worsen his party?s split along culture war lines. It?s a mess, but a boon for Scottish LabourThe Bute House agreement (BHA) was supposed to stabilise the SNP. Brokered by Nicola Sturgeon in August 2021, the coalition with the Greens at first appeared a mas...

Humza Yousaf cancels Glasgow speech as speculation grows over political future
26 Apr 2024 at 11:43am
Allies of Scottish first minister say he ?will come out fighting? after Greens say they would back no confidence motionScotland?s first minister has cancelled a speech he was due to give in Glasgow amid speculation over his political future.Humza Yousaf had been expected to speak about the labour...

Humza Yousaf in peril as Greens say they will back no confidence motion
25 Apr 2024 at 7:14pm
Former coalition partners? decision brings Scottish first minister to brink of losing vote, which could make his position untenableExplainer: what was the SNP and Greens? deal?Humza Yousaf could be forced to quit as Scotland?s first minister after the Scottish Greens announced they would back a m...

The Guardian view on the SNP-Greens split: an unsurprising but costly rift | ...
25 Apr 2024 at 6:47pm
Humza Yousaf?s position as first minister is in danger, but the problems predate his leadershipA year ago, Scotland?s newly elected first minister, Humza Yousaf, said that the Scottish National party?s 2021 pact with the Scottish Greens ? giving him a majority in the Holyrood parliament ? was ?wo...

Humza Yousaf forgot the rule: leaders who want to look tough look stupid | Jo...
25 Apr 2024 at 6:23pm
Only this week the first minister said he was delighted with his coalition with the Greens. But then ?Be careful what you wish for. It?s hard not to feel a scintilla of sympathy for Humza Yousaf. On a human level, if not a political one. For well over a decade the SNP had ruled more or less uncha...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

The flame remains undiminished
26 Apr 2024 at 2:29pm
Back in 2014 in the immediate aftermath of the independence referendum, I published a piece about the importance of keeping the flame of hope alive. Right now, we need that flame of hope more than ever, the candle is guttering and the storm winds of despair are blowing stronger than ever. In recent weeks the …

The Scottish press, a catastrophist?s wet dream
25 Apr 2024 at 12:30pm
It has become commonplace in the media in Scotland for every initiative from the Scottish Government to be greeted with dire and apocalyptic warnings of catastrophe. When the Scottish Government raised income tax on higher earners the Scottish Tories, and some Labour figures immediately wailed that there would be queues of traffic on the M74 …

Wee Ginger Crowdfunder 2024
22 Apr 2024 at 1:17am
It’s that time of the year with the blog that always makes me apprehensive, the annual crowd funder. I am launching it a bit early this year as there is a lot of chatter about an early general election and I don’t want it to fall into the official election campaign period. Although I have …

The turbulent river
21 Apr 2024 at 1:03pm
The big story in Scottish politics today is the one that cannot really be commented on due to Scotland’s strict laws about contempt of court and not saying anything in public which might prejudice the outcome of criminal proceedings. Last week former SNP Chief Executive Peter Murrell, the husband of former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, …

When is a convention not a convention? When it?s a Sewel Convention
18 Apr 2024 at 7:45pm
The fundamental plank of the devolution settlement is the Sewel Convention, which states that the Westminster government will not interfere with the powers of the Scottish Parliament or intrude upon devolved competencies without the consent of Holyrood. This convention is vital if devolution is to work in a British constitutional system which fetishises the absolute …

Labour?s Scottish branch office: the most dishonest party in Scottish politics
16 Apr 2024 at 11:27am
Anas Sarwar, the branch manager of the Labour party’s Scottish accounting unit, gave a speech over the weekend which was breathtakingly hypocritical and mendacious even by the standards of a party for whom breathtaking mendacious hypocrisy is very much its USP. Speaking ahead of the STUC congress which is being held in Dundee this week, …

Vote Tory vote flag shagger, Vote Labour vote flag shagger
9 Apr 2024 at 12:38pm
Voters in most of the UK have a very clear choice at the next Westminster general election, they can vote for the British flag shagging party, or they can vote for the British flag shagging party. Keir Starmer constantly boasts about how he has changed the Labour party, it is not an idle boast, he …

A Tory solution to a Tory-made problem
3 Apr 2024 at 12:39pm
You know that the performative cruelty and downright nastiness of this government has really gone over the top when it’s too cruel and nasty even for Conservative MPs. The Criminal Justice Bill, which is currently making its way through Parliament, seeks to replace the 1824 Vagrancy Act. Although the bill supposedly repeals the English legal …

Starmer?s devolution deceit
29 Mar 2024 at 11:00am
As he launched his party’s election campaign for the local and mayoral elections due in England on 2 May, a little over a month away, Keir Starmer promised that if he becomes Prime Minister after the Westminster general election expected to be held later this year his government will introduce “full fat devolution”. That’s a …

Starmer?s most shameful U turn yet
26 Mar 2024 at 12:03pm
Another day, another Labour U turn. It has got extremely tiresome to write that sentence, and no doubt equally tiresome to read it. Keir Starmer’s right wing U turns have become drearily predictable. At this point the only question is how many more can Starmer squeeze in before the general election. Probably quite a few …

The Courier

Scottish Politics News From Holyrood and Westminster | The Courier

Humza Yousaf retreats to Dundee ? but vows to struggle on as first minister
26 Apr 2024 at 4:26pm
With his political career hanging in the balance, Humza Yousaf ditched a planned speech in Glasgow and stayed in his home city to announce £80 million housing investment.

Fife Green Mark Ruskell vents over SNP betrayal as Humza Yousaf?s future hang...
25 Apr 2024 at 5:59pm
The Greens will go against the SNP leader in a no confidence vote - leaving the first minister's future in the hands of Alex Salmond?s Alba Party.

Humza Yousaf boots Greens out of government saying it no longer guaranteed ?s...
25 Apr 2024 at 10:00am
Green co-leader Lorna Slater accused the first minister of listening to the "most reactionary and backwards-looking forces" within the SNP.

Tayside Green MSP Maggie Chapman has made decision on SNP coalition deal ? bu...
25 Apr 2024 at 6:00am
The politician, who covers Dundee and Angus, says she'll "honour commitments" before saying if she supports party leader Patrick Harvie's call to stay in power.

The Stooshie: Finance regulator could get Commons grilling over conman Alista...
25 Apr 2024 at 6:00am
Three MPs tell our politics podcast how the case could be raised at Westminster and Holyrood, in the hope of turning the screw on the Financial Conduct Authority.

Tories struggle to find Fife election candidates as faith in Rishi Sunak sinks
23 Apr 2024 at 6:00am
Exclusive: The ruling Conservatives are still searching for candidates in Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline.

Delays to huge offshore wind farm off Fife coast in further blow to Humza Yousaf
21 Apr 2024 at 3:24pm
The Berwick Bank development in the outer Firth of Forth has the potential to create 4,650 jobs in Scotland.

Alex Salmond?s long road to 2026 election, as Fife?s Neale Hanvey confirmed f...
21 Apr 2024 at 6:00am
Candidates are being revealed for contests in seats including Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy ? while Mr Salmond holds back for a later Scottish parliament comeback bid.

Nicola Sturgeon breaks silence after husband Peter Murrell charged
19 Apr 2024 at 2:07pm
The former first minister spoke to reporters briefly outside her home in Glasgow.

Nicola Sturgeon?s husband Peter Murrell charged in connection with embezzleme...
18 Apr 2024 at 5:25pm
Police Scotland said a 59-year-old man was taken into custody on Thursday morning for questioning.

Talking up Scotland

Talking-up Scotland / Scottish media fact checking is like shooting fish in a...

More news they don?t want you to hear ? Boosting housing supply to tackle hom...
27 Apr 2024 at 8:18pm
Already building more affordable housing in Scotland to help fight poverty, this new initiative is important. From the Scottish Government yesterday and covered nowhere as far as I can see: Efforts to boost affordable housing supply by acquiring properties to bring into use for affordable housing and help reduce homelessness will be given an £80 million uplift over the next two years. The fundi...

Far better staffing ratio means teaching assistants in Scotland not replacing...
27 Apr 2024 at 8:10pm
By Professor John Robertson Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this: In the Guardian today: Hundreds of thousands of pupils in England and Wales are being educated ?on the cheap? by low-paid teaching assistants (TAs) covering lessons for teachers who are off sick or have quit, according to new research. A desperate teacher recruitment crisis, compounded by inadequate funding, means schools acr...

Bottle recycling ? The BBC and Scotland ? the news distortion is not even sub...
27 Apr 2024 at 7:53pm
By stewartb The BBC News website this morning (27 April) had the above prominently displayed on its Scotland ?business? page – it’s the lead article. Note the reference to ?devolved administrations?. And especially note the juxtaposition to a reference to a delayed Scottish scheme. If scanning the headlines on the Scotland ?business? page this morning, what message does the casual reader get – ...

How the Scottish Labour Lords cannot bear to hear of the SNP government?s act...
27 Apr 2024 at 9:54am
By stewartb The House of Commons Library and the House of Lords Library amongst other things publish ?briefings? in advance of debates. The purpose is to provide MPs and peers respectively ? particularly backbench members of both houses ? with information and insight on upcoming topics. After all, backbenchers may not have sufficient tacit knowledge on all subjects to make judgements on the con...

Clear message for Greens and Alba on how to vote if they want any future at all
27 Apr 2024 at 8:29am
This is a quick post. I think the above numbers speak for themselves, clearly.

Supposedly top policing journal is just a one rich man?s show with a pet edit...
26 Apr 2024 at 4:19pm
How did we get to ?know nothing?? Why the search for progressive policing insights must not go down the old postmodern ?rabbit hole.? Professor John Robertson I submitted this to Policing Insight: : Global progressive policing last week. It was rejected. I complained. The dark but comic response is after the piece I wrote below: Some weeks ago, I saw in Policing Insight: Global progressive poli...

Desperate stalking and shoddy journalism to find the lost self-dentists of Sc...
26 Apr 2024 at 3:48pm
Professor John Robertson We’ve seen the above practice before, especially from the well-named Fiona Stalker of Revolting Scotland and Good Mourning Scotland. It’s a desperate ploy. When the statistical facts say things are better than you’d hoped for, creepily beg the street pundits to come forward with their own wee tales to contradict the facts and act as if these snippets were the real thing...

Pupils feel far safer in Scottish schools than elsewhere in the UK but our me...
26 Apr 2024 at 10:27am
By Professor John Robertson In the Guardian today: Only two in five children in England say they always feel safe at school, according to a government survey, and teachers from across Britain have told the Guardian they have seen pupils? behaviour deteriorate over the last two years. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/apr/26/two-in-five-pupils-in-england-always-feel-safe-in-school-surve...

CalMac currently operating at over 99% reliability with most destinations at ...
26 Apr 2024 at 9:59am
The Times, the Scotsman and many others are going with a ‘summer of chaos‘ narrative for Scotland’s ferries because of delays with two new boats and extended maintenance for the MV Caledonian Isles but surely those are current problems for the ferry service, affecting current performance? By Professor John Robertson, Talking-up Scotland’s International Ferries Correspondent Gee, I wonder how we...

If the Scottish Greens decide to become a Thorn in the SNP?s side then it wil...
25 Apr 2024 at 9:14pm
By NMRN End of the SNP agreement with the Scottish Green party?. Cue Mr Harvie & Ms Slater ?..when chased down by the media for their reactions. Mr Harvie?was asked ?whether the Scottish Greens would be as co-operative with the government over things like the budget, he replied: ?Do you think the current government will still be in place for the next budget???. Ms Slater ?described the ending o...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

Humza Yousaf rules out pact with Alex Salmond's Alba party - BBC
27 Apr 2024 at 11:27pm
Humza Yousaf rules out pact with Alex Salmond's Alba party  BBC

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

Scotland's leader faces knife-edge no-confidence vote after collapsing coalit...
25 Apr 2024 at 6:34pm
Scotland's leader faces knife-edge no-confidence vote after collapsing coalition  Reuters

Scotland's Yousaf cancels major speech as job under threat - Le Monde
26 Apr 2024 at 2:34pm
Scotland's Yousaf cancels major speech as job under threat  Le Monde

Scotland deserves better than this - The Telegraph
26 Apr 2024 at 10:00pm
Scotland deserves better than this  The Telegraph

Who is Ash Regan, the Alba MSP who could be key to Yousaf's fate? - BBC.com
26 Apr 2024 at 11:51am
Who is Ash Regan, the Alba MSP who could be key to Yousaf's fate?  BBC.com

Humza Yousaf: Scotland's first minister cancels speech as he fights for his p...
26 Apr 2024 at 11:18am
Humza Yousaf: Scotland's first minister cancels speech as he fights for his political survival  Sky News

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

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

Scottish Independence Referendum & Westminster Voting Intention (6-7 April 20...
7 Apr 2024 at 8:00am
Scottish Independence Referendum & Westminster Voting Intention (6-7 April 2024)  Redfield & Wilton Strategies

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

SNP split from Greens boosts Keir Starmer?s election chances, say Labour insi...
27 Apr 2024 at 5:57pm
SNP split from Greens boosts Keir Starmer?s election chances, say Labour insiders  The GuardianHumza Yousaf's job on the line and what happens next to the SNP matters across UK, writes Laura Kuenssberg  BBC.comThe SNP is finished  The Telegraph

Andrew Marr: The SNP is imploding. Has devolution failed? - The Times
27 Apr 2024 at 6:00pm
Andrew Marr: The SNP is imploding. Has devolution failed?  The Times

JK Rowling blasts ?Karma?s a b***h? as SNP leader Humza Yousaf faces backing ...
26 Apr 2024 at 11:26am
JK Rowling blasts ?Karma?s a b***h? as SNP leader Humza Yousaf faces backing down on gender to save his job...  The Sun

Humza Yousaf has exposed the lie at the heart of Scottish nationalism - The T...
27 Apr 2024 at 5:00pm
Humza Yousaf has exposed the lie at the heart of Scottish nationalism  The Telegraph

Nicola Sturgeon's husband charged in SNP finance probe - Financial Times
18 Apr 2024 at 8:00am
Nicola Sturgeon's husband charged in SNP finance probe  Financial Times

Peter Murrell charged with embezzlement in SNP finance probe - BBC
18 Apr 2024 at 8:00am
Peter Murrell charged with embezzlement in SNP finance probe  BBC

Nicola Sturgeon breaks silence after husband Peter Murrell charged over SNP f...
19 Apr 2024 at 8:00am
Nicola Sturgeon breaks silence after husband Peter Murrell charged over SNP finances  The Independent

Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell charged in connection with embezzleme...
18 Apr 2024 at 8:00am
Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell charged in connection with embezzlement of funds from SNP  Sky News

SNP to form minority government if Greens scrap power-sharing deal - BBC.com
20 Apr 2024 at 3:41pm
SNP to form minority government if Greens scrap power-sharing deal  BBC.com

SNP should 'ditch' coalition says former minister Alex Neil - BBC.com
22 Apr 2024 at 2:42pm
SNP should 'ditch' coalition says former minister Alex Neil  BBC.com

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

Scotland's leader faces knife-edge no-confidence vote after collapsing coalit...
25 Apr 2024 at 6:34pm
Scotland's leader faces knife-edge no-confidence vote after collapsing coalition  Reuters

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

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

Alex Salmond launches new Scottish independence plan - BBC
30 Nov 2023 at 8:00am
Alex Salmond launches new Scottish independence plan  BBC

Convention will help Scotland secure independence from UK - The National
23 Apr 2024 at 7:04pm
Convention will help Scotland secure independence from UK  The National

SNP backs Humza Yousaf's Scottish independence plan - BBC.com
16 Oct 2023 at 8:00am
SNP backs Humza Yousaf's Scottish independence plan  BBC.com

Scottish Independence Referendum & Westminster Voting Intention (3-4 February...
4 Feb 2024 at 8:00am
Scottish Independence Referendum & Westminster Voting Intention (3-4 February 2024)  Redfield & Wilton Strategies

Husband of former Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon charged with embezzlement i...
18 Apr 2024 at 8:00am
Husband of former Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon charged with embezzlement in party finance probe  ABC News

SNP rejects using next election as 'de facto' referendum on independence - Sk...
15 Oct 2023 at 8:00am
SNP rejects using next election as 'de facto' referendum on independence  Sky News