The Herald

The Herald | Politics


Rishi Sunak announces plans to tackle 'sick note culture'
19 Apr 2024 at 1:44pm
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has laid out plans to reform welfare and has suggested removing GPs powers to sign people off work.


Sturgeon: Peter Murrell police charge 'incredibly difficult'
19 Apr 2024 at 1:28pm
Speaking to media outside her home in Glasgow on Friday, the former First Minister said ?I can?t say any more?.


Humza Yousaf says Peter Murrell case' very serious'
19 Apr 2024 at 1:07pm
Scotland?s First Minister Humza Yousaf has said the news that former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell has been charged in connection with embezzlement of funds is a ?really serious matter indeed?.


SNP Net Zero Secretary ?not embarrassed? at ditching 2030 target
19 Apr 2024 at 11:58am
Scotland?s Net Zero Secretary has insisted she was not embarrassed at having to ditch a key climate change target ? despite green campaigners branding the move the ?worst environmental decision in the history? of devolution.


Scottish Green LGBT group call to scrap Bute House Agreement
19 Apr 2024 at 7:33am
The LGBT wing of the Scottish Greens has launched a petition questioning the future of the party?s deal with the SNP after the prescription of puberty blockers in Scotland was paused.


SNP urged to co-operate with police after Murrell charged
19 Apr 2024 at 6:50am
The SNP has been urged to co-operate with the police investigation into the party?s finances after its former chief executive Peter Murrell was charged in connection with embezzlement of funds.


Yousaf urged to provide ?clear timeline? for Cass Review response
19 Apr 2024 at 4:41pm
A Holyrood committee has urged the First Minister to provide a ?clear timeline? for a Scottish response to the Cass Review into children?s gender services in England.


Can Joe Biden's message cut through the noise of Donald Trump?
19 Apr 2024 at 6:00pm
Lawrence Donegan reports from the United States and looks at how US president Joe Biden is working to cut through the fire and fury of a Donald Trump campaign as an American election edges closer.


Green members demand talks to end Bute House Agreement
19 Apr 2024 at 9:23am
Scottish Greens members are demanding emergency party talks on leaving government with the SNP.


Bute House Agreement: Greens to hold party exit talks
19 Apr 2024 at 5:53pm
The Scottish Greens are on course to hold emergency party talks about pulling out of their governing deal with the SNP.


Peter Murrell charged in connection with embezzlement of SNP funds
18 Apr 2024 at 7:34pm
Murrell, 59, was re-arrested as part of the Police Scotland investigation into the party?s finances earlier on Thursday.


Mark Menzies loses Tory whip over claims he misused funds
18 Apr 2024 at 7:27am
An MP has lost the Conservative whip while the party investigates claims he misused campaign funds.


Who is Peter Murrell, the former SNP chief executive?
18 Apr 2024 at 5:30pm
FOR almost a decade Peter Murrell and Nicola Sturgeon have been the husband and wife team in charge of the SNP.


Puberty blockers paused for all new patients in Scotland
18 Apr 2024 at 10:43am
The prescribing of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to under-18s with gender dysphoria has been paused in Scotland for all new patients.  In a joint statement, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian - which oversee Scotland's Young Person Gender Service - said the treatments were being suspended as a result of the Cass Review, which criticised the "remarkably weak" evidence base.

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


Nicola Sturgeon describes 'incredibly difficult time' as SNP leader Humza You...
19 Apr 2024 at 5:35pm
First Minister Humza Yousaf said it will be ?a shock to many people?


Cass Review: MSPs demand clarity from Humza Yousaf on future of Scotland serv...
19 Apr 2024 at 2:16pm
Children?s committee writes to First Minister amid fall-out from Cass review


SNP launches campaign to stop Leith being ?wiped from electoral map? at Holyrood
19 Apr 2024 at 10:51am
Ben Macpherson, the MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, said the move would be a ?mistake?


Green councillor calls on party to ?consider withdrawing? from Bute House Agr...
19 Apr 2024 at 10:55am
The scrapping of the 2030 climate target by the Scottish Government has prompted the intervention from Scottish Green Party councillor Chas Booth


Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell charged with embezzlement of SNP funds
19 Apr 2024 at 7:32am
The former SNP chief executive was re-arrested on Thursday morning


SNP-Greens draw up plans to help councils charge road users after climate U-turn
19 Apr 2024 at 4:55am
Local councils will be supported to introduce road-user charging schemes to help shift people onto public transport to ramp up Scotland?s stalling climate progress.


SNP's scrapping of climate change target is a failure as pathetic as their ex...
19 Apr 2024 at 4:55am

The Scottish Government has always talked a good game on climate change but its inability to make progress on its 2030 target is the latest in a long line of failings

The Scottish Government has delayed planned funding for under-strain gender identity services.

Wings over Scotland

The End Is The Beginning Is The End
18 Apr 2024 at 7:33pm
The pause button has been released. The day is finally here. And it’s one that EVERY supporter of independence should rejoice in. Obviously we’re very restricted in what we can say about what is now a live court case, due to Scotland’s draconian – if extremely selectively applied – contempt laws. Nothing in this article …

In the name of clarity
18 Apr 2024 at 12:10pm
We unreservedly applaud the swiftness with which the office of the Official Report of the Scottish Parliament have delivered this answer, something which other bodies in Scotland could learn from. (Click pic to enlarge.) The content of it, however, is more disturbing. Because what Humza Yousaf said was this: ?Why are we so surprised when …

The Clown
17 Apr 2024 at 5:14pm
Correct us if we’re wrong, but isn’t this guy: …the same man who LITERALLY just passed a law dividing Scotland into groups of people who are worthy of protection from hatred and those who aren’t? (Most notably women and people who know what sex they are.) Is he, then, a “bad faith actor”? Maybe we …

The mutability of history
15 Apr 2024 at 12:30pm
Truth matters in public life. So we’ve sent the letter below to the Scottish Parliament this morning. TO: official.report@parliament.scot FROM: Rev. Stuart Campbell According to the Parliament website, the purpose of the Official Report is to provide “a written record of what is said in public meetings of the Scottish Parliament and its committees.” With …

The Cuckoos Of Kelvin Way
14 Apr 2024 at 3:59pm
Now, before we start this piece we should probably note that we don’t think anyone’s losing anything by being excluded from Believe In Scotland’s latest money-gathering exercise (folding, please, not clinking!) in Glasgow later this month. We rather suspect most folk can manage fine without spending a Saturday afternoon listening to tedious speeches from Pat …

Humza Yousaf is a racist
13 Apr 2024 at 12:27pm
Scotland’s fringe wankertariat has been terribly piqued by the amusing fact that Humza Yousaf’s infamous “WHITE!” speech has been reported as a hate crime more than any other event in Scotland since the introduction of the Hate Crime Act 12 days ago, on the grounds of its supposedly being racist. The Observer, for example, blamed …

Wasters Of Space
12 Apr 2024 at 7:53pm
Looking for the world’s most useless figures of authority? Come to Scotland. There, for example, is the Scottish Government refusing to even make a statement of its position on the Cass Review, which exposed the grotesque medical experiments still being conducted on hundreds of Scottish children, and trying to pass the buck onto someone else. …

A simple question for Humza Yousaf
11 Apr 2024 at 12:18pm
Paraphrased from points made by a number of people this morning, including Sonia Sodha of the Observer and in a letter by Joanna Cherry of the SNP and Robin Harper, former leader of the Scottish Greens to the Chief Medical Officer of Scotland: The question is this: In the light of the Cass Review findings, …

Trebling down
10 Apr 2024 at 12:05pm
The Cass Review into gender medicine, which has been almost six long years in the making, was finally published this morning, and despite the fears of some – including us – that it was going to be watered down, it’s turned out to be an absolutely explosive document even on a quick skim. (It’s 388 …

The Grand Alliance
9 Apr 2024 at 12:39pm
We have a solution to this problem. (Story 1 and story 2.) In a spirit of unity, Wings officially endorses both statements.

Craig Murray

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.

Injured
28 Mar 2024 at 7:51pm

My run of bad luck with health continues. A week ago I fell, dislocated my shoulder and damaged my knee. I am very strapped up and won’t have the use of my right arm and hand for a minimum of another week. Am working on a post by auto dictation but it’s not easy.

Injured

BBC Scotland

Scottish Greens to vote on future of Bute House Agreement
19 Apr 2024 at 11:31pm
The Scottish Greens have called an EGM after the Scottish government ditched key climate change targets.

Can the SNP catch a break after a bruising week?
19 Apr 2024 at 11:44pm
Ditched targets, attacks over puberty blockers and Peter Murrell charged: what comes next for the SNP?

Murrell police charge 'incredibly difficult' - Sturgeon
19 Apr 2024 at 2:48pm
Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon has spoken after her husband was charged over embezzling SNP funds.

Were Scotland's new gas-powered ferries a bad choice?
19 Apr 2024 at 11:50pm
The first UK-built LNG ferries were hailed a "green ships" but they have been dogged with problems.

What might happen next in the SNP embezzlement probe?
19 Apr 2024 at 4:30pm
BBC Scotland News examines what could happen next after the husband of Nicola Sturgeon was re-arrested on Thursday.

Scottish government scraps climate change targets
18 Apr 2024 at 3:42pm
The annual and interim climate targets will be replaced with a system measuring emissions every five years.

Scotland's under-18s gender clinic pauses puberty blockers
18 Apr 2024 at 10:23pm
It follows a landmark review of gender services in England which warned of a lack of research.

Cheap booze prices to rise as MSPs vote to increase minimum cost
17 Apr 2024 at 5:53pm
MSPs increase the cost of alcohol but opinions remain split over the policy's effectiveness.

'Old-boy network' blocking police complaints - victim
17 Apr 2024 at 6:37pm
Iain Packer victim says police officers were connected through groups like masonic lodges and golf clubs.

Juryless rape trials plan could be modified
17 Apr 2024 at 5:32pm
The Scottish government also says a pilot will not take place till last 2028.

Yousaf: Trans women will be protected by misogyny law
16 Apr 2024 at 3:51pm
The first minister says anyone affected by misogyny will be covered, whatever their biological sex.

Arts body defends decision to fund axed sex show
16 Apr 2024 at 3:46pm
Creative Scotland has reclaimed 70% of its grant for Rein after finding out it would include "real sex".

Scot Goes Pop

The Murrell development is no cause for celebration - but there may be a silv...
19 Apr 2024 at 6:26pm
Of all places, I was at the AGM of Alba North Lanarkshire when the news broke about Peter Murrell last night.  Understandably, a touch of schadenfreude rippled through the group, but personally I d...

Scot Goes Pop 2024 Fundraiser update: it's getting close to the last chance s...
18 Apr 2024 at 2:04pm
In many ways, Scot Goes Pop has been going from strength to strength in recent months.  The number of page views in March was higher than in any month since the Holyrood election month of May 2021....

Keir Starmer reels in HORROR as Labour loses its outright lead in Scotland, a...
17 Apr 2024 at 9:37pm
Apologies to anyone who thought from the title of this post that it's a completely new poll - it was in fact published on Monday, so you may have already seen it.  I was up to my neck that day due ...

More on Craig Murray and dual party loyalties
16 Apr 2024 at 10:11am
It's rather timely in view of my previous post that Craig Murray has now written a blogpost setting out more details about his plans to stand for the Workers Party of Britain in Blackburn, even tho...

A prescription for the Alba Party
15 Apr 2024 at 10:54pm
I'm sure you'll all understand why I have to be cagey about my exact reasons for feeling moved to write this short blogpost, but I am becoming increasingly concerned - bordering on distressed - abo...

Poll of Polls: Support for independence stands at 49.6% so far this year
14 Apr 2024 at 7:49pm
We're now over one-quarter of our way through general election year (no, I don't buy the notion that Sunak will cling on until January 2025), and the independence movement obviously finds itself in...

A red letter day as Neil MacKay may not be completely wrong about absolutely ...
12 Apr 2024 at 10:16pm
Here's a question I never thought I'd ask myself: is Neil MacKay actually half-right about something?  He's got a typically provocative column in the Herald about how the independence movement is t...

Bombshell Redfield & Wilton poll shows a clear majority for independence, but...
10 Apr 2024 at 9:32pm
It's been an ongoing frustration that although the monthly Redfield & Wilton polls tend to show a high Yes vote in the upper 40s, it's been a long time since they've shown an outright lead for Yes....

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

Scottish Greens to vote on whether to scrap Bute House Agreement with SNP
19 Apr 2024 at 10:35pm
The vote could see Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater leave the Scottish Government.

Labour warns Scotland facing two-tier dentistry system
19 Apr 2024 at 10:06pm
Anas Sarwar said the Scottish Government?s ?broken? NHS funding model was forcing dentists to take on more private work.

?Incredibly difficult?: Nicola Sturgeon speaks after husband Peter Murrell is...
19 Apr 2024 at 1:29pm
The former first minister spoke as she left the home she shares with Peter Murrell in Glasgow on Friday.

Humza Yousaf responds to Nicola Sturgeon?s husband Peter Murrell?s embezzleme...
19 Apr 2024 at 1:08pm
Humza Yousaf said the charge against Nicola Sturgeon's husband was 'very serious indeed'.

Rishi Sunak to demand end to ?sick note culture? in speech on welfare reform
19 Apr 2024 at 10:50am
It comes amid government concerns some are being unnecessarily written off as sick and 'parked on welfare'.

Scots urged to share views on rent control and tenant rights for Scottish Gov...
19 Apr 2024 at 6:38am
Eviction procedures and homelessness prevention are also being addressed as part of the Bill.

Glasgow City Council £1m project to install solar panels on its buildings
18 Apr 2024 at 10:16pm
Eight Glasgow City Council buildings will receieve solar panels by October.

Who is Peter Murrell? Former SNP chief executive charged with ?embezzlement? ...
18 Apr 2024 at 9:10pm
Murrell was the SNP?s most senior official from 1999 until he stood down from the post in February 2023.

Scottish universities lament ?toughest funding settlement? as £28m cut from t...
18 Apr 2024 at 8:20pm
Umbrella group Universities Scotland reacted to the indicative funding allocations from the Scottish Funding Council.

Nicola Sturgeon?s husband Peter Murrell charged over embezzlement of funds fr...
18 Apr 2024 at 7:30pm
The former SNP chief executive was arrested on Thursday morning before being questioned by detectives for hours.

Furious LGBT Scottish Greens say party could leave Government over NHS pubert...
18 Apr 2024 at 7:06pm
Furious Green Party members have launched a petition on the future of the Bute House Agreement.

What we know so far as Nicola Sturgeon?s husband charged over embezzlement of...
18 Apr 2024 at 6:07pm
The investigation has led to the arrests of three key SNP figures - two years on the inquiry continues.

Patrick Harvie: Greens in government ?embarrassed? by Scotland ditching key c...
18 Apr 2024 at 5:47pm
Patrick Harvie told STV News that 'everyone in Scotland should be angry' about his Government ditching climate goals.

Nicola Sturgeon?s husband Peter Murrell re-arrested in SNP finance probe
18 Apr 2024 at 5:03pm
Police Scotland said a 59-year-old man was taken into custody at 9.13am and is being questioned by detectives.

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Scottish Green members revolt as leaked messages reveal fury over ditched cli...
19 Apr 2024 at 5:40pm
EXCLUSIVE: Messages obtained by the Record show anger at the u-turn and with the Government agreement with the SNP.

Former SNP treasurer Colin Beattie seen leaving home hours after Peter Murrel...
19 Apr 2024 at 1:32pm
Peter Murrell was charged on Thursday evening in connection with embezzlement of funds.

Nicola Sturgeon having 'incredibly difficult time' after husband Peter Murrel...
19 Apr 2024 at 1:32pm
The former First Minister was seen leaving her house near Glasgow just hours the former Chief Executive of the SNP was arrested and charged by Police Scotland.

Humza Yousaf says Peter Murrell embezzlement charges are 'really serious and ...
19 Apr 2024 at 1:29pm
The First Minister was speaking for the first time since Nicola Sturgeon's husband was charged by police.

Operation Branchform makes Humza Yousaf look like a bewildered First Minister...
19 Apr 2024 at 11:15am
Daily Record Political Editor Paul Hutcheon says the First Minister cannot get any traction in the job.

Mairi McAllan vows to 'deliver ASAP' on key climate policies after ditching 2...
19 Apr 2024 at 4:30am
Speaking to the Record, the Net Zero Secretary admitted she was personally 'disappointed' to scrap the 2030 goal of slashing emissions by 75 per cent.

Scottish Government scraps 2030 climate target but announces new eco measures
18 Apr 2024 at 7:56pm
Despite the setback, Net Zero Secretary Mairi McAllan insisted the overarching goal of achieving net zero for Scotland by 2045 remained intact.

Peter Murrell charged with embezzlement following rearrest in Operation Branc...
18 Apr 2024 at 7:36pm
The former SNP chief executive was re-arrested Thursday by detectives working on a long-running investigation into SNP finances.

Peter Murrell arrested by Police Scotland in connection with Operation Branch...
18 Apr 2024 at 5:01pm
The arrest is the latest development in an investigation into SNP finances first launched by cops in July 2021.

Police Scotland officers are victims in quarter of hate crime reports, says H...
18 Apr 2024 at 3:29pm
The First Minister said Police Scotland members face "outrageous abuse" and revealed almost a quarter of hate crime victims were cops.

The National

The National | Politics

Scottish Greens to host EGM to discuss future of Bute House Agreement
19 Apr 2024 at 10:11pm

THE future of the Scottish Greens? position in government hangs in the balance as the party relented to pressure for a vote on the issue.

The independence movement must thole this political storm
19 Apr 2024 at 7:46pm

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.

Person sets themselves on fire outside Donald Trump court trial
19 Apr 2024 at 7:21pm

A person who was on fire in a park outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump?s hush money trial is taking place has been rushed away on a stretcher.

Humza Yousaf says SNP 'will work harder than ever' to achieve independence
19 Apr 2024 at 7:12pm

HUMZA Yousaf has encouraged voters to attend a Scottish independence rally over the weekend and said his priority is to continue making the case for independence.

Could 'limited profit housing' help solve Scotland's rental crisis?
19 Apr 2024 at 6:30pm

AN expert on housing policy in Europe has outlined the lessons Scotland can learn from countries such as Austria in order to solve the housing crisis.

Police 'reviewing' claims against suspended Tory MP Mark Menzies
19 Apr 2024 at 6:33pm

POLICE say they are ?reviewing? a letter in relation to allegations against Fylde MP Mark Menzies, who is accused of misusing campaign funds.

Mum of trans teenager hits out at Sandyford clinic after treatment denied
19 Apr 2024 at 6:39pm

A WOMAN whose transgender teenage son was denied testosterone therapy amid major changes to trans healthcare has hit out at his ?unjustifiable? treatment.

Learn about Scotland's culture and history for just £20 this year
19 Apr 2024 at 6:34pm

SCOTLAND?S arts, culture and history are all integral to our nation?s story ? and The National has leading coverage across them.

The National launches in-depth series on UK arms exports
19 Apr 2024 at 5:04pm

From Monday, The National will be launching a limited series exploring arms exports from the UK.

Mark Menzies and the curious case of the Tories' vanishing majority
19 Apr 2024 at 5:20pm

COULD the Tories find themselves out of Government simply by losing their majority through scandals and by-elections?

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

Ofcom report reveals worrying trends in children?s exposure to online content
19 Apr 2024 at 3:54pm
Ofcom report has revealed that more five-to-seven-year-olds are going online?as those playing violent online games reaches?a record?high.

Humza Yousaf says he ?values? Bute House Agreement as Greens face rebellion
19 Apr 2024 at 3:49pm
A number of Greens have called for an emergency meeting to discuss withdrawal from the pact

MSPs ask Humza Yousaf for child rights assessment in wake of Cass Review
19 Apr 2024 at 3:14pm
Report "raises many other complex, and sometimes competing, children?s rights considerations which require urgent exploration"

Humza Yousaf ?shocked? at charges brought against former SNP chief executive ...
19 Apr 2024 at 3:03pm
Former FM Nicola Sturgeon, who is married to Murrell, told reporters it has been an ?incredibly difficult" time

Glasgow University unlocks potential of augmented reality in driverless cars
19 Apr 2024 at 1:12pm
A study found augmented reality could enhance security in self-driving cars, allowing drivers to ?relax? while remaining aware of the road.

Scot who led Rotherham inquiry warns of parallels with Cass Review
19 Apr 2024 at 12:38pm
Professor Alexis Jay responds

Peter Murrell charged with embezzlement in probe into SNP finances
18 Apr 2024 at 8:52pm
The former SNP chief executive has resigned his membership of the party

Puberty blockers paused for children in Scotland after Cass Review
18 Apr 2024 at 8:00pm
Sandyford clinic will not refer new patients under 18 for gender-affirming cross-sex hormones

Scottish Government confirms plan to scrap 2030 climate target
18 Apr 2024 at 8:00pm
It follows a critical report from the Climate Change Committee which said reaching the 2030 milestone was no longer credible

Peter Murrell re-arrested in connection with Operation Branchform
18 Apr 2024 at 6:12pm
Police Scotland confirmed a 59-year-old man was taken into custody for questioning on Thursday morning

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

UK politics: Tory HQ resists calls to refer Menzies allegations to police ? a...
18 Apr 2024 at 6:21pm
Internal investigation under way but party has not announced that police have been called inDuring questions in the Commons on next week?s business, Penny Mordaunt, leader of the house, said that MPs would debate the latest Lords amendments to the Rwanda bill on Monday and that, if necessary, tim...

?Reprehensible retreat?: fury as Scottish ministers scrap carbon emissions pl...
18 Apr 2024 at 4:59pm
Climate campaigners complain of short-termism as country abandons target to cut carbon emissions by 75% by 2030 Climate campaigners have accused Scottish ministers of being ?inept? and ?short-termist? after they scrapped Scotland?s target to cut carbon emissions by 75% by 2030.Màiri McAllan, the ...

Scottish gender clinic pauses prescribing puberty blockers to under-18s
18 Apr 2024 at 4:36pm
Glasgow-based Sandyford clinic issues update after Cass review found ?weak evidence? for use to treat gender incongruenceScotland?s only clinic to offer treatment to gender-questioning young people has paused prescribing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones in light of last week?s publication ...

MPs vote to give smoking ban bill second reading ? as it happened
16 Apr 2024 at 8:34pm
Rishi Sunak?s authority suffers blow as several Conservatives vote against bill, which clears first Commons hurdle with 383 votes to 67At 12.30pm a transport minister will respond to an urgent question in the Commons tabled by Labour on job losses in the rail industry. That means the debate on th...

No case for closing Scotland?s only NHS gender services clinic, says first mi...
16 Apr 2024 at 3:47pm
Government under pressure to respond to Cass review which questioned medical basis for prescribing puberty blockersThere is no case for closing Scotland?s only clinic to offer treatment to gender-questioning young people, Humza Yousaf has said, amid calls for the Scottish government to halt the s...

Sunak says ?all sides should show restraint? after Iranian attack on Israel ?...
15 Apr 2024 at 6:31pm
British PM says he will speak to Netanyahu to express solidarity and discuss how further escalation can be avoidedUK general election opinion poll tracker: Labour leading as election loomsDavid Cameron ruled out trying to become PM again in an interview this morning. (See 9.30am.) But Liz Truss h...

Labour candidate in Scotland suspended over ?racist? social media activity
10 Apr 2024 at 6:06pm
Constituent reported tweets liked and shared by Wilma Brown, who was to stand in Kirkcaldy and CowdenbeathUK politics ? latest updatesLabour has suspended a parliamentary candidate pending an investigation after she was found to have liked and shared a number of ?racist? and controversial social ...

Only 3.8% of hate crime law complaints authentic so far, says Police Scotland
10 Apr 2024 at 4:27pm
Official data for first week shows 7,152 reports received though nearly half of those were made on 1 AprilPolice Scotland has said only a small number of the thousands of reports lodged so far under Scotland?s controversial hate crime act were authentic.The force released data showing 3.8% of the...

?The purpose is getting lost?: debate obscuring point of Scottish hate law, s...
8 Apr 2024 at 7:00am
Many fear a focus on social media is drawing attention from those the hate crime law aims to protect?We sell flat whites and make croissants in a bakery that?s supposed to be a safe place for the people who work here and the customers who visit. We didn?t expect to be targets of hate.?Tristan Ait...

Police spammed with complaints by neo-Nazis under new Scottish hate crime law
7 Apr 2024 at 6:00am
First minister calls for end to vexatious reports after far-right agitators attempt to ?overwhelm? official systemsNeo-Nazi and far-right agitators are exploiting Scotland?s new hate crime law to make vexatious complaints en masse in an attempt to ?overwhelm? police systems.A prominent figure in ...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

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 …

BBC Scotland: an irresponsible manufacturer of fake British nationalist outrage
18 Mar 2024 at 5:58pm
Over the weekend Humza Yousaf unveiled a key plank of the SNP’s pitch to voters at the Westminster general election which is expected to be held later this year. The SNP will urge voters to vote SNP at that election in order to turn Scotland into a Tory free zone, obviously insofar as Scottish Westminster …

Blog break
13 Mar 2024 at 1:24pm
I?m afraid I won’t be doing my regular two or three blog posts this week as I am currently experiencing another bout of post stroke fatigue which is being exacerbated by the fact that I’m struggling with a flare up of psoriasis which is preventing me from sleeping properly. I will be back on Monday. …

We?re all extremists now
6 Mar 2024 at 12:27pm
It seems that we are all extremists now, Rishi Sunak has asked Levelling Up Secretary, the oleaginous Michael Gove, to update the Government?s definition of extremism so it has a much broader scope, encompassing those who “undermine” British values and institutions. The change is expected to be announced later this month and is expected to …

Labour?s insidious threat to devolution
3 Mar 2024 at 3:06pm
Anyone who was daft enough to have thought that a Conservative defeat at the next Westminster general election and Sunak’s replacement with a Labour government led by Keir Starmer would mean an end to British nationalist attacks on the devolution settlement is in for a very big disappointment. The right wing Labour party of Keir …

The Courier

Scottish Politics News From Holyrood and Westminster | The Courier

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.

Dundee polling expert says Labour could find trouble lurking below surface
18 Apr 2024 at 6:00am
The Stooshie podcast: Despite a 20-point lead over the Conservatives, Professor Jennifer Lees-Marshment says a deeper look at polling should prompt caution.

JIM SPENCE: Perthshire SNP MP Pete Wishart is upset privileged position threa...
16 Apr 2024 at 5:28pm
It appears Pete?s view is the public is there to serve him and not the other way about.

Humza Yousaf ?confident? SNP can retain Perthshire and Angus seats despite fr...
16 Apr 2024 at 2:36pm
But he warned the Greens and Alba Party would be ?helping those who oppose independence? by running candidates in tight constituencies.

Anas Sarwar admits Labour has ?mountain to climb? in Dundee
15 Apr 2024 at 5:49pm
Despite polls predicting a strong result for Labour, the SNP are still expected to win both Dundee Central and Arbroath and Broughty Ferry.

?Unclean? biomass boilers crackdown in new homes ? while existing properties ...
14 Apr 2024 at 6:00am
Some families will be prohibited from installing the systems in their homes, while others are given thousands of pounds in subsidies.

Glenrothes Labour hopeful Richard Baker sets sights on SNP upset as he return...
12 Apr 2024 at 8:00am
He will take on the SNP in Glenrothes and Mid Fife, with polls suggesting he has a chance of success even in the face of a huge nationalist majority.

New test for killer synthetic opioids in Tayside to begin ?in near future?
11 Apr 2024 at 6:00am
North East Scotland MSP Tess White welcomed work, saying it shows NHS Tayside is taking the threat seriously.

Scots police cuts risk more organised crime and missed terror-threats, federa...
9 Apr 2024 at 12:01am
Community policing has helped tackle serious crime such as human trafficking in Tayside and Fife, but the group representing rank-and-file officers says cuts could put this work at risk.

Talking up Scotland

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

Wildlife crime falls but it?s not news for you in their media
19 Apr 2024 at 5:15pm
From the Scottish Government today: The Chief Statistician for Scotland has released figures for Wildlife Crime in Scotland 2022. The statistics show that recorded wildlife crime was down by 7% from 308 offences in 2020-21 to 286 offences in 2021-22. The report shows that there were noticeable decreases in recorded crime for fish poaching (from 110 to 49 offences) and hunting with dogs (from 44...

News you won?t hear on climate change ? actually doing something?
19 Apr 2024 at 4:53pm
You won’t see this on BBC Scotland – Murrell! Murrell! Sturgeon! Murrell, more ferry delays…. Nor on BBC Scotland Business – climate change targets scrapped (lie), bank closures, shouting at fish markets….no Murrell….isn’t embezzlement a kind of business? From the Scottish Government today: The Scottish Government is stepping up action to tackle climate change with a suite of new policies on tr...

England?s primary schools heading back to pre-War class sizes under Conservat...
19 Apr 2024 at 1:52pm
From the Guardian today: English primary schools cutting teacher numbers amid budget pressure, survey finds. A survey of more than 1,000 school leaders and teachers by the National Foundation for Educational Research found that three-quarters said their primary schools were cutting teaching assistant roles, while a third were also cutting teacher numbers. From GOV.UK in November 2023, pupil-tea...

The Bradford gang that tried to spread misery into Auchinleck?
19 Apr 2024 at 11:09am
I have a google alert for ‘county lines.’ Every day I get links to media reports on that, across England and Wales. I haven’t had one by a Scottish media outlet. BBC Scotland have not mentioned them since 2021, and only once then. From Yorkshire Live today: Bradford gang spread misery and class As in huge county lines operation. A Bradford county lines gang who spread drugs and misery throughou...

£15bn for Thames Water ? just charge 10% to our Scottish colony says Westmins...
19 Apr 2024 at 10:23am
Open Forum By Professor John Robertson In the voice of Paul Merton: An open forum? We’ve never had one of those before! The report from the Guardian above, prompted a friend of TuS to ask the above question. Now, if you want to argue about education or media effects, maybe these days, health, crime and transport, I’m up for that, but the economy? For some reason, my brain won’t go there with an...

Has any part of the NHS in the UK been able to match delivery capacity with i...
19 Apr 2024 at 8:04am
By stewartb Workforce statistics need very careful analysis based on trusted, objective assessment which gives readers ?perspective?. No longer confident in the BMAs credentials in this regard and certainly not in the The Herald?s reporting on NHS Scotland. NHS Scotland?s total workforce in Q4 2023 was 160,567 (whole time equivalents), up 18.9% over the past ten years and up 14.1% in the past f...

School suspensions 4 times more, and full expulsions shocking 600 times more,...
18 Apr 2024 at 7:28pm
Many thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this via the Guardian: Pupil suspensions in England hit record high, rising by nearly a third year on year, DfE figures show From the Scotsman, no friend of the SNP Government, on 25 March 2024: Across Scotland, there were 11,675 cases of temporary exclusion of any length of time, with just one pupil being expelled, as previously revealed by The Scotsman...

The latest scandal ?.yep another one?.of a Tory MP? reads almost like a Crime...
18 Apr 2024 at 4:27pm
By NMRN The latest scandal ?.yep another one?.of a Tory MP?involves a surreal situation which reads almost like a Crime novel?.involves a Tory MP, Mark Menzies (never heard of him) who is the MP for Flyde in Lancashire, where apparently he called an elderly party volunteer saying he was locked in a flat and needed £5,000 as a matter of ?life and death???An eventual sum of £6,500 was paid to sec...

Something else BBC Scotland fed by the Scotsman were trying to hide from you ...
18 Apr 2024 at 1:32pm
By Professor John Robertson On the Scotsman’s front page and repeatedly on BBC Scotland broadcasts, the story that the Scottish Government ‘plans‘ to ‘scrap’, ‘ditch’ and ‘drop’ one climate change target is presented as humiliation and embarrassment. Way down the page, we read something very important: Green MSP Ross Greer said it was “a difficult day for the planet and Scotland”. He also argue...

What BBC Scotland and the BMA Scotland were hiding from you this morning
18 Apr 2024 at 12:09pm
BMA Scotland, headed up by Dr Iain Kennedy, who has now shed the union flag on his twitter account, have a piece on consultant vacancies all over the media from 06:30 this morning on BBC Scotland. They’ll have had this one oven-ready for some time now. Why today? From the real BMA in London today: The BMA England GP committee has warned health service officials that the profession is ‘now in di...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

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

Scottish independence march in Glasgow: Everything you need to know - The Nat...
19 Apr 2024 at 11:33am
Scottish independence march in Glasgow: Everything you need to know  The National

Labour Shouldn't Write Off the SNP Just Yet - Bloomberg
18 Apr 2024 at 5:00am
Labour Shouldn't Write Off the SNP Just Yet  Bloomberg

Ex-Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell charged with embez...
18 Apr 2024 at 11:11pm
Ex-Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell charged with embezzling party funds  ABC 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

Scotland: Former First Minister's Husband Charged in Party Finance Probe - Th...
19 Apr 2024 at 12:54pm
Scotland: Former First Minister's Husband Charged in Party Finance Probe  The European Conservative

Scotland's independence impasse is not unique - Financial Times
8 Oct 2023 at 8:00am
Scotland's independence impasse is not unique  Financial Times

Here's what Labour needs to do if it wants to save the Union ? Joyce McMillan...
19 Apr 2024 at 4:55am
Here's what Labour needs to do if it wants to save the Union ? Joyce McMillan  The Scotsman

Humza Yousaf on Scottish Independence, Trans Rights and More - TIME
5 Oct 2023 at 8:00am
Humza Yousaf on Scottish Independence, Trans Rights and More  TIME

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

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

Peter Murrell charged with embezzlement in SNP finance probe - BBC.com
19 Apr 2024 at 5:29pm
Peter Murrell charged with embezzlement in SNP finance probe  BBC.com

Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell charged in finance investigation - T...
18 Apr 2024 at 7:46pm
Former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell charged in finance investigation  The Guardian

Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell charged over SNP finances - The Teleg...
18 Apr 2024 at 8:30pm
Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell charged over SNP finances  The Telegraph

Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell charged in connection with embezzleme...
18 Apr 2024 at 8:07pm
Nicola Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell charged in connection with embezzlement of funds from SNP  Sky News

Nicola Sturgeon's husband charged in police probe into SNP finances - The Ind...
18 Apr 2024 at 8:08pm
Nicola Sturgeon's husband charged in police probe into SNP finances  The Independent

Nicola Sturgeon speaks after Peter Murrell charged with embezzlement - The Times
20 Apr 2024 at 12:00am
Nicola Sturgeon speaks after Peter Murrell charged with embezzlement  The Times

Peter Murrell: What might happen next in the SNP embezzlement probe? - BBC.com
19 Apr 2024 at 5:56pm
Peter Murrell: What might happen next in the SNP embezzlement probe?  BBC.com

Nicola Sturgeon?s Husband Charged in Embezzlement Case in Scotland - The New ...
18 Apr 2024 at 9:02pm
Nicola Sturgeon?s Husband Charged in Embezzlement Case in Scotland  The New York Times

Arrest marks latest fall for Scotland?s once high-flying power couple - Sydne...
18 Apr 2024 at 8:44pm
Arrest marks latest fall for Scotland?s once high-flying power couple  Sydney Morning Herald

The SNP face an electoral calamity - The Telegraph
19 Apr 2024 at 10:50am
The SNP face an electoral calamity  The Telegraph

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

Labour Shouldn't Write Off the SNP Just Yet - Bloomberg
18 Apr 2024 at 5:00am
Labour Shouldn't Write Off the SNP Just Yet  Bloomberg

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

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

Scottish independence billboards appear across Glasgow - The National
18 Apr 2024 at 1:31pm
Scottish independence billboards appear across Glasgow  The National

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

What's going on with Scottish independence? - BBC.com
19 Oct 2023 at 8:00am
What's going on with Scottish independence?  BBC.com

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

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

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

Liberty's in every blow! - The Duck of Minerva
31 Jan 2024 at 8:00am
Liberty's in every blow!  The Duck of Minerva