The Herald

The Herald | Politics


Thousands of Glasgow City Council staff face pay cut under new equal pay deal
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
17 Aug 2026 at 9:54am
Glasgow City Council's long-awaited equal pay settlement will see 63% of staff gain, but more than 1,000 workers face wage cuts from October 2027.


Nominations close in contest to be Scottish Labour?s new leader
by Katrine Bussey
17 Aug 2026 at 7:03am
The contest was called after Anas Sarwar stepped down last month


Pressure mounts on Andy Burnham over ?life or death? North Sea decision
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
17 Aug 2026 at 5:00am
Pressure is mounting on Labour as the Rosebank consultation closes, with Andy Burnham facing major decisions over Rosebank and Jackdaw.


'We need a genuine Buy Scottish approach': MP calls for procurement rule change
by andrew.learmonth@newsquest.co.uk | Andrew Learmonth
17 Aug 2026 at 5:00am
A Labour MP is pressing Holyrood to adopt a Buy Scottish approach to public contracts, echoing Whitehall reforms that double the weight given to local jobs.


'Lives at risk' in Scotland as drug and alcohol services face cuts, campaigne...
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
17 Aug 2026 at 5:00am
Campaigners warn cuts and insecure funding for drug and alcohol services are putting vulnerable people, especially women, at risk across Scotland.


Scottish Government 'actively considering' data on NHS corridor care
by Katrine Bussey
17 Aug 2026 at 12:01am
The Scottish Government is ?actively considering the feasibility? of collecting data on the number of NHS patients treated in hospital corridors, Health Secretary Angela Constance said.


Trade unions say SNP?s plan to cut 20,000 public sector jobs will damage serv...
by hannah.brown@newsquest.co.uk | Hannah Brown
17 Aug 2026 at 5:00am
The STUC has launched a fresh attack on Scottish Government public service reform, warning against job cuts and calling outsourcing a public sector 'scandal'.


Tory says overcrowded Scottish prisons are SNP's 'problem of own making'
by Rachel Keenan
16 Aug 2026 at 12:23pm
The Scottish Conservatives have said the overcrowded Scottish prison system is an SNP problem ?entirely of their own making? as multiple parties continue to criticise the provision


Race hate means 'Paddington politics' Scottish professor is now 'scared to sp...
16 Aug 2026 at 6:15am
Melanie Ramdarshan Bold is an expert on the cultural significance of Paddington. She tells our Writer at Large that the current climate means she dreads discussing her work


SNP leaders decline to confirm support for council's £44k action against volu...
16 Aug 2026 at 6:00am
The former leader of a citywide group of parent volunteers is facing a huge bill after trying to fight cuts to teacher numbers in court.


The reality of policing in Scotland amid warning streets are becoming 'no-go'...
by rebecca.mccurdy@newsquest.co.uk | Rebecca McCurdy
16 Aug 2026 at 5:00am
The lack of community policing in Scotland is creating 'no-go zones' for the public, senior police officers have warned.


Scottish Labour leadership election need to know: date, time, location
16 Aug 2026 at 2:00pm
The person chosen to replace Anas Sarwar as leader of Scottish Labour will be announced on September 19.


Five years of Taliban rule has now resulted in a 'hell on earth' for Afghan w...
by david.pratt@heraldandtimes.co.uk | David Pratt
16 Aug 2026 at 8:15am
Twenty one million women now face the world?s most severe systemic and institutionalised denial of human rights while the world turns its back writes Foreign Editor David Pratt


Queen Elizabeth 'abhorred' Ian Paisley and his politics says former Irish pre...
by gaby.mckay@newsquest.co.uk | Gabriel McKay
15 Aug 2026 at 9:32am
The late Queen Elizabeth 'abhorred' DUP founder Ian Paisley and his politics, according to a former president of Ireland

The Scotsman

The Scotsman Politics


SNP benefits agency still has no plan to recover £36m benefits debt year afte...
17 Aug 2026 at 6:00am

A Scottish government spokeswoman insisted the £36m in owed benefits had not been written off

A public consultation on Rosebank ? the largest untapped oil field in the North Sea ? closes on Monday

The Edinburgh-born author claimed the show was playing to ?packed houses? in London

Scotland?s prison population is still rising

Wings over Scotland

Believers In The Ruins
13 Aug 2026 at 2:01pm
Not done with celebrating defeat in an imaginary UDI yesterday, The National has gone with another big polling-based front cover today, and the party’s woke young stormtrooper drones are beside themselves with malignant glee. Let’s just see what they’re cheering about. Oh. That 29% figure is actually one point DOWN on the SNP’s support in …

The Other Kind Of Winning
12 Aug 2026 at 12:28pm
The National runs headlines like this quite often. The sort-of newspaper doesn’t actually have a sports section – it just publishes The Herald’s – but if it did you have to wonder what it would look like. That IS the story, too. The actual figure in the poll The National reports is 35%, almost exactly …

The Party Of The Dead
6 Aug 2026 at 2:17pm
The SNP’s latest accounts are out. And the zombie shambles on for another year. The headline figures sound reasonable – the party has turned a 2024 deficit of nearly £400,000 into a surplus of just over £500,000. Unfortunately that’s only had the effect of increasing its bank balance by around £110,000 to £384,320. And that …

Anatomy Of A Grift
5 Aug 2026 at 2:48pm
It’s sometimes tempting to believe that transactivists, and in particular the extra-loud attention-seeking type, are simply mad and/or stupid. But that’s not always the case, because this sounds like some actually pretty cunning work. (Click pic to enlarge.) But let’s start at the beginning. In May this year, the former Scottish Greens candidate Euan “Sophie …

The Plague
4 Aug 2026 at 3:32pm
Ever-alert Wings readers will be aware that for the past three and a half years or so I’ve been the target of a campaign by disgraced former policeman Lynsay Watson, who over that period has relentlessly attempted to get me arrested, prosecuted and imprisoned for knowing – and saying – that human beings can’t change …

Or Something
3 Aug 2026 at 9:37am
We have today sent the following email to the Crown Office. – 3 August 2026 Thank you for your letter of 30 July. I offer one last chance to reconsider. I do so having, once again, taken advice from the Dean of the Faculty of Advocates. On 1 July, you wrote to me saying inter …

The Deaf Eyes
2 Aug 2026 at 12:03pm
This email actually came in a couple of days ago, but we’ve been too dumbstruck to respond to it until now. Because, like, wow. Firstly, let’s take a moment to note the weird font change halfway through that central paragraph, as though someone else entirely butted in. Which in a sense they have, as the …

The Nobodies
27 Jul 2026 at 5:10pm
Apologies for the slightly shonky quality of this video, readers, which is due to the fact that ITV are such monumental self-sabotaging clowns that it’s not actually possible to screencap any sort of digital broadcast of theirs – screw YOU, viral content! – so we had to do this by videoing our iPad with our …

Ain?t it funny how things change?
22 Jul 2026 at 11:29am
Then, and now. (Click pic to enlarge.) Scottish politics: where repeated catastrophic failure is just another way to succeed.

The Wheels Of Industry
20 Jul 2026 at 2:49pm
Last Friday’s edition of The National ran this guff: And as we often are, we were put in mind of the greatest politics book ever written. We’d really need to quote a much longer section to fully convey the point – ideally just read all of the piece linked above – but this passage will …

Craig Murray

A Tide in the Affairs of Men
7 Aug 2026 at 9:20pm

Between ten and five years ago, specifically in the light of Brexit, it was not in the least unusual for Scottish Independence supporters to discuss a declaration of Independence as the way forward. Debate more often centred on who should make the declaration – the Scottish parliament or some form of national convention or assembly. …

A Tide in the Affairs of Men

The Hard Right Packing of the UK Supreme Court
2 Aug 2026 at 7:00pm

Unlike the USA, where it is obsessively watched, the UK has no political culture of scrutinising the political composition of its Supreme Court. This is a big mistake. The UK Supreme Court has been deliberately and openly, even ostentatiously, packed with hard-right judges selected on the specific criterion that they will not oppose the will …

The Hard Right Packing of the UK Supreme Court

Scottish Independence: Set the Date!
29 Jul 2026 at 6:30pm

  The Scottish Government urgently needs a bold and radical approach to achieving Independence in spite of the firm London veto on a referendum. It is plain that there is no plan at present. The Scottish Parliament has a pro-Independence majority and government. This is how to achieve Independence consistent with international law and practice. …

Scottish Independence: Set the Date!

Narratives of Moral Conflict: Karim Khan and Delcy Rodriguez
26 Jul 2026 at 6:09am

Social media is not conducive to nuance. In the interest of reach, cut and dried positions are more effective and binary moral judgement expected. This leads to over-simplification of complex issues, and to skipping over facts inconvenient to your chosen narrative. There are issues affecting two high-profile people where it is worth considering the detail …

Narratives of Moral Conflict: Karim Khan and Delcy Rodriguez

Where Are We Going?
20 Jul 2026 at 1:25pm

An advert for the RNLI caught my attention because it indicated that the majority of their income comes from bequests in wills. The pitch was that, after you provide for your loved ones, you should leave money to the RNLI. I have no problem with this, having generations of lifeboatmen in my ancestry, but it …

Where Are We Going?

Extreme Unionism and Res Judicata
14 Jul 2026 at 5:02pm

Unsurprisingly, today at the Court of Session Lord Young refused to lift his suspension or “sist” of the Scottish judicial review of the proscription of Palestine Action. He did however grant us leave to appeal against this decision. What was surprising was an extreme extension of the UK government’s argument. The UK government stated that …

Extreme Unionism and Res Judicata

BBC Scotland

Marra and Fagan to contest Scottish Labour leadership
17 Aug 2026 at 10:58am
Anas Sarwar triggered the contest last month after he announced his intention to stand down to join Andy Burnham's government.

What is happening with the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields?
17 Aug 2026 at 8:58am
The UK government has moved a step closer to making a decision on whether to approve further drilling.

Hospital concerns ignored for 15 years, scientist tells inquiry
16 Aug 2026 at 4:42pm
Dr Michael Bradnam said recurring patient safety issues at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital were ignored.

Victims call for sex attackers to be excluded from early release plans
14 Aug 2026 at 6:16am
Scottish government plans could see long-term prisoners released early to free up more space in prisons.

Temporary ban on disposable BBQs as military deployed to help battle wildfires
15 Aug 2026 at 4:58am
Single-use grills pose a "significant risk to the public" in current drought and heatwave conditions, the government warns.

Count Binface to perform at Fringe after by-election defeat
14 Aug 2026 at 2:56pm
The alter ego of comedian Jon Harvey finished second to Nigel Farage in the Clacton by-election.

Scottish Labour leader hopefuls warn against party divisions
12 Aug 2026 at 10:20pm
Monica Lennon, Joe Fagan and Michael Marra are competing to fill the post vacated by Anas Sarwar.

Scotland's public spending deficit falls as tax take rises
12 Aug 2026 at 11:43am
Ministers have published the annual Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (Gers) report.

Swinney calls for Burnham rethink on Chinese factory in Highlands
12 Aug 2026 at 4:39pm
The first minister is dismissing claims he is putting political point scoring before national security concerns.

MSP apologises for hurt caused by rape 'demonisation' comments
10 Aug 2026 at 6:22pm
Scottish Green MSP Q Manivannan is facing criticism from rape survivors groups and politicians over a podcast interview.

Sarwar stands by call for Lords to be abolished despite accepting peerage
9 Aug 2026 at 6:38pm
The former Scottish Labour leader tells BBC Scotland News he still believes the UK should have an elected senate of the nations and regions.

Sturgeon has not spoken to Murrell since he was jailed for embezzling SNP funds
8 Aug 2026 at 5:46pm
The former first minister also told a podcast she would not visit her estranged husband in prison.

Scot Goes Pop

Some free - and mostly sincere - advice for Scottish Labour
16 Aug 2026 at 10:30pm
Scottish Labour have finally learned the lessons of two decades of defeats and realised what they need is another soul-crushing machine politician from Lanarkshire that no-one has ever heard of. Be...

Stew reacts badly to poll showing the SNP with a double-digit lead over Labou...
15 Aug 2026 at 11:17pm
The controversial Faragist blogger Stuart Campbell, known almost universally as "Stew", urged his followers to help elect a Labour government at the 2024 general election on a tactical anti-SNP bas...

Seven Days Of Retro Scot Goes Pop - a marathon of conventional text-blogging ...
14 Aug 2026 at 11:45pm
Click here to go straight to my Ko-Fi donation page.Those of you who have been keeping an eye on the footer of each post will know I've been making slow but steady progress towards using Ko-Fi to m...

Analysis of the very strange Clacton by-election result
14 Aug 2026 at 11:07am
Just a quick note to let you know that I was up early this morning to write an analysis piece about the Clacton by-election result for The National, and you can read it HERE.I know that Reform have...

The Scottish REVOLUTION! Almost half of Scottish voters demand U.D.I. in hist...
13 Aug 2026 at 10:17pm
I now have seventeen regular monthly Ko-Fi supporters, thanks to another recent sign-up.  I reckon if I could get up to several dozen monthly supporters that would make it sustainable for me to kee...

Analysis of the first full-scale poll of Scottish voting intentions for Westm...
13 Aug 2026 at 9:47am
Just a quick note to let you know I have a new article in The National about the freshly-released Westminster numbers from the paper's Find Out Now poll, which show: SNP 29%, Labour 18%, Reform UK ...

Scotland wants OUT of Burnham's United Kingdom PRISON, shows dramatic indepen...
11 Aug 2026 at 11:23am
An audio podcast version of the above video can be heard HERE, and will soon be available on Apple Podcasts HERE.I now have sixteen regular monthly Ko-Fi supporters - many thanks to them all.  I re...

Bafflement as Gerry Hassan claims the 1979 devolution referendum, in which Sc...
9 Aug 2026 at 1:49pm
An audio podcast version of the above video can be heard HERE, and will soon be available on Apple Podcasts HERE.I now have sixteen regular monthly Ko-Fi supporters, thanks to a new sign-up a few h...

STV Politics News

Latest Politics News | STV News

Scottish Labour leadership nominations closed as candidates narrowed down to two
17 Aug 2026 at 11:01am
Only Marra and Fagan were successful in meeting the threshold required to be eligible for the leadership ballot. 

Nominations close in contest to be Scottish Labour?s new leader
17 Aug 2026 at 8:01am
Anas Sarwar quit Holyrood to join the Lords and be a minister in Andy Burnham?s government.

PM urged to stick to spirit of Labour manifesto and reject Jackdaw and Rosebank
16 Aug 2026 at 7:34pm
The plea to Andy Burnham comes from campaigners at Stop Climate Chaos Scotland.

Flynn reveals he resigned as Westminster leader weeks before Holyrood election
15 Aug 2026 at 6:39pm
Former Westminster leader Stephen Flynn made the comments at Edinburgh Fringe event Political Party with Matt Forde.

Swinney urges commentators to ?consider impact of words? after Jason Arday death
15 Aug 2026 at 6:01pm
Scotland?s First Minister described the death of former Cambridge professor Jason Arday as being a ?deeply concerning and sad case?.

Sturgeon?s SNP book comments were a ?mistake?, says Flynn
15 Aug 2026 at 3:58pm
The former Westminster leader was asked about the comments at the Edinburgh Fringe event the Political Party with Matt Forde.

Scottish Labour must be bold in wake of election defeat, says leadership hopeful
14 Aug 2026 at 11:49am
Joe Fagan said the party must now look to ?shape what happens next?

Farage wins in Clacton as police contest ?credible threat? claim at count
14 Aug 2026 at 8:57am
A record 34 candidates were standing, with satirical candidate Count Binface as Farage's main challenger, after the other mainstream parties declined to stand

Scottish Labour has said it must change ? but I can?t see much on offer to do so
13 Aug 2026 at 1:08pm
Colin Mackay looks at how the Scottish Labour leadership contenders fared as they faced each other for the first time at a party hustings

Scottish young people call on Andy Burnham to rethink social media ban
13 Aug 2026 at 7:29am
Youth groups have warned the Prime Minister the plans could lead young people to less regulated parts of the internet.

Swinney urged to meet campaigners demanding pause on hyperscale data centres
12 Aug 2026 at 7:01am
Councils are due to decide on two proposed data centres in Auchertool, Fife, and Larbert, near Falkirk.

Green MSP apologises after rape ?spectrum? comments
10 Aug 2026 at 3:27pm
Manivannan faced backlash from Scotland?s children?s minister, as well as Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.

JK Rowling seems to be obsessed with me, says Nicola Sturgeon
10 Aug 2026 at 8:57am
The former first minister made the comments during an appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Financial support of £3m announced for islanders affected by ferry disruption
10 Aug 2026 at 7:43am
First Minister John Swinney said that island businesses were too often ?held back by circumstances outside their control?

Daily Record

Daily Record - Politics

Scottish Labour faces all-male leadership contest after Monica Lennon fails t...
17 Aug 2026 at 10:40am
Lennon won the backing of two major trade unions but failed to win enough support from her parliamentary colleagues at Holyrood and Westminster.

Nicola Sturgeon says she 'needs therapy' after Peter Murrell betrayal
17 Aug 2026 at 4:30am
The former First Minister told of the 'complex cocktail of emotion' she was facing after her fraudster husband was jailed.

Scottish Labour veteran urges 'boldness and courage' in open letter to new pa...
17 Aug 2026 at 4:30am
Lord Foulkes, who is a former MP and MSP, lays out the policies he thinks could trigger a turnaround in the fortunes of his struggling party.

Stephen Flynn says Nicola Sturgeon's SNP book comments were 'a mistake'
15 Aug 2026 at 2:56pm
The former Westminster leader was asked about the comments which were published in the paperback edition of Ms Sturgeon?s memoir.

Scottish Labour leadership hopeful hits out at Anas Sarwar over support for g...
15 Aug 2026 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: Joe Fagan said Labour should have abstained on the gender reform law and also said trans rapist Isla Bryson is a man.

Anas Sarwar's legacy as Scottish Labour leader 'demolished' by the candidates...
15 Aug 2026 at 4:30am
In an opinion piece, Daily Record Political Editor Paul Hutcheon says Sarwar's decisions in charge are facing a barrage of criticism.

'TikTok gold rush' as SNP Government uses social media influencers to promote...
14 Aug 2026 at 4:30am
EXCLUSIVE: A PR industry figure said the government was scrambling "for the attention of young and apathetic voters" who are turned off by politicians who share "pre-rehearsed soundbites".

Why the UK Government veto on a £1.5 billion energy project is so disappointing
14 Aug 2026 at 4:30am
In an article for the Record, the SNP Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Energy Stephen Gethins questions the decision to block a major renewables investment.

Scottish Labour leadership contender calls on Jackie Baillie to stand down as...
13 Aug 2026 at 1:00pm
EXCLUSIVE: Monica Lennon said the post of deputy leader should not be held by an MSP, which would require Baillie to stand down.

Scottish Water chiefs awarded £258,000 in bonuses despite price rises for cus...
13 Aug 2026 at 10:47am
EXCLUSIVE: The bonuses were included in the body's latest accounts.

The National

The National | Politics

Scottish Labour confirm leadership candidates seeking to replace Anas Sarwar
17 Aug 2026 at 10:24am

SCOTTISH Labour have confirmed the candidates who will run to succeed Anas Sarwar as leader.

Calls mount for UK public inquiry into Jason Arday 'media witch hunt'
17 Aug 2026 at 10:11am

CALLS are mounting for a public inquiry into media coverage surrounding former Cambridge professor Jason Arday before his death.

Zack Polanski condemns 'antisemitic' story over 'traitor to Jewish origins' c...
17 Aug 2026 at 9:37am

ZACK Polanski has accused a national newspaper of antisemitism for an article that claimed many British Jews see him as a ?traitor to his origins? ...

Andy Burnham exchanged messages with Donald Trump chief of staff impersonator
17 Aug 2026 at 8:58am

ANDY Burnham exchanged messages with someone impersonating Donald Trump?s chief of staff, it has emerged ...

Far-right minister calls on Israel to kill '40 Palestinians nightly'
17 Aug 2026 at 8:37am

A FAR-RIGHT Israeli minister has publicly advocated killing ?30 to 40? people in Gaza every night, claiming that they are ?not worthy of life? and that they are ?not even people? ...

Fundraiser for Jason Arday's family launched by Windrush campaigner reaches £...
17 Aug 2026 at 7:51am

A FUNDRAISER launched by a prominent Windrush campaigner for Professor Jason Arday?s family has surpassed £130,000 ...

It doesn't matter if you don't understand someone's viewpoint ? it's vital to...
17 Aug 2026 at 5:00am

I WROTE here last week about my frustration with journalists who will not ask the question of those they are interviewing, ?What are your priors??

Make having an elected head of state part of the indy case
17 Aug 2026 at 5:00am

WE need to talk about the monarchy. It?s in trouble. And what better time than

Israel believes it has the monopoly on the ?legitimate? use of violence
17 Aug 2026 at 5:00am

MUCH ink has been spilt In recent months dissecting the relationship between

Reform's pledge to ban foreign nationals from welfare system branded 'cowardly'
16 Aug 2026 at 10:00pm

REFORM UK has pledged to ban most foreign nationals from claiming most types of welfare.

Holyrood Magazine

Holyrood Website

Consultation on Rosebank oil field to close today
17 Aug 2026 at 7:00am
The end of the consultation by the Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning (OPRED) at midnight will follow the completion of a similar process for the Jackdaw gas field last week

Scottish Labour leadership contender accuses party of ?sitting on sidelines? ...
14 Aug 2026 at 1:35pm
Joe Fagan also refused to set 'arbitrary rules' over who his party would do deals with

Farage wins Clacton by-election in vote boycotted by main parties
14 Aug 2026 at 8:14am
The Reform UK leader did not attend the election count where he won 22,239 votes

Scottish Government affordable housing target could be missed by 35,000, acco...
14 Aug 2026 at 1:00am
New research suggests affordable home building faces significant delivery challenges unless underlying pressures across the housing and construction sectors are addressed

Michael Marra clears Scottish Labour leadership hurdle thanks to union support
12 Aug 2026 at 6:38pm
Monica Lennon and Joe Fagan are also seeking the role

Spending outstrips revenue raising in Scotland but gap narrows as taxes rise
12 Aug 2026 at 11:42am
National insurance and income tax decisions by both governments raised significant revenue

Youth organisations call for re-think over U-16 social media ban
12 Aug 2026 at 11:09am
Announced in June under then prime minister Keir Starmer, the ban will prevent children accessing platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram. It is expected to come into force early next year.

Majority of Scots back restrictions on cancer-linked ?forever chemicals?
12 Aug 2026 at 6:00am
Two Scottish MPs have backed the call to ban hormone-disrupting chemicals until thorough testing takes place

Stroke care target missed for eighth year in row
11 Aug 2026 at 6:14pm
The Scottish Government is still ?failing stroke patients?, a charity has warned

Companies warned over the use of AI chatbots in customer service
11 Aug 2026 at 11:35am
The Cyber and Fraud Centre Scotland, a social enterprise, said chatbots and virtual assistants could create new opportunities for criminals if not configured correctly.

Guardian - Scottish Politics

Scottish politics | The Guardian

Police Scotland warns ?robust security? needed to stop attacks on AI datacentres
14 Aug 2026 at 5:05pm
?A great deal of public opposition is likely? to a proposed datacentre near Edinburgh, the force saysPolice in Scotland have issued a stark warning about the need for ?robust security measures? to stop proposed AI datacentres from being attacked by protesters.There has been mounting opposition to...

Polls open in Clacton, where Farage spent more than £10,000 in byelection aga...
13 Aug 2026 at 3:54pm
The Reform UK leader resigned as the MP for Clacton at the start of July and forced a byelectionThe number of patients in England being cared for in hospital corridors or makeshift areas has remained above 3,000 a day for the second month in a row, as the NHS experiences a ?summer surge?, the Pre...

UK politics: Burnham urges retailers to stop selling disposable barbecues aft...
12 Aug 2026 at 7:10pm
PM warns extreme heat conditions ?could be with us fo some time yet?Just 20 staff are working on climate adaptation within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the part of government tasked with protecting the environment and maintaining food security, a freedom of information ...

Amnesty International says Farage putting ?hate and inhumanity? over leadersh...
10 Aug 2026 at 5:03pm
A spokesperson for the human rights group likened the proposal to ?financial brutality with British taxpayers? money?Farage and Yusuf are now taking questions.Q: From Jack Fenwick from the BBC Are there other countries where you might send foreign offenders? And how much would this cost?We have...

Nicola Sturgeon ?has not spoken to? estranged husband, Peter Murrell, since h...
8 Aug 2026 at 3:50pm
Scotland?s former first minister says she will not visit Murrell in prison, where he is serving five-year sentence for embezzling SNP fundsNicola Surgeon has said she will not visit her estranged husband, Peter Murrell, in prison, has stopped speaking to him and views herself as a ?mug? for worry...

UK politics: Tories? Philp rejects French claim that shots fired from naval b...
28 Jul 2026 at 6:01pm
Shadow minister says there was no warning and ?it looked and sounded like deliberate intimidation?Conservative MP accuses French navy of firing shots near him in ChannelIt is not just the Russians firing on Brits in the English Channel; Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, has accused a French...

Poll shows Labour ahead of Reform UK for first time since Burnham became PM ?...
27 Jul 2026 at 5:45pm
New PM says he ?wouldn?t get carried away? by latest polling but says he is pleased if he has ?connected with people?I have already posted lines from Andy Burnham?s BBC interview on reforming social care (see 9.03am), making council tax fairer (see 10.03am), and ruling out an early election (see ...

Evacuated villagers in Cairngorms allowed home after wildfire threat lifts
25 Jul 2026 at 11:08pm
Scottish first minister thanks Nethy Bridge residents and aid workers after earlier requesting UK military aid to fight 10-day fireResidents of Nethy Bridge have been told they can return to their homes after a large fire broke out in the Cairngorms national park.Supt Judy Hill of Police Scotland...

Scottish Labour?s rivals decry ?chancer? Anas Sarwar for resigning to join An...
22 Jul 2026 at 11:17pm
New prime minister has made Sarwar ? the first senior Labour figure to call for Keir Starmer?s resignation ? a peerScottish Labour?s rivals in Holyrood have slammed Anas Sarwar?s shock decision to resign as leader to sit in Andy Burnham?s new government, calling him a ?chancer? and accusing him o...

Celtic leaders doubt Burnham?s devolution drive will go beyond England?s borders
6 Jul 2026 at 4:00pm
Would-be prime minister has made basic missteps in pitches to Wales, Scotland and Northern IrelandAndy Burnham?s devolution promises are yet to impress sceptical Celtic administrations hoping for a reset with Westminster, sources in Cardiff and Edinburgh have said.Burnham, who is expected to take...

Wee Ginger Dug

Wee Ginger Dug

Farage?s pyrrhic victory over a bin
14 Aug 2026 at 11:38am
Of course Farage won the by election in Clacton which he called in an attempt to pre-empt a Parliamentary investigation into his dodgy finances. And of course Farage is crowing about his “decisive victory against the “establishment” candidate, a vainglorious boast when that candidate was a man with a bin on his head and all …

GERSmas Day 2026
11 Aug 2026 at 8:22pm
It’s always welcome to have some good news for independence, but that’s especially true on GERSmas eve as the British media in Scotland and anti-independence campaigners gear themselves up for their annual orgy of too wee too poor too stupid in the form of GERS Figures which purport to demonstrate that Scotland is an economic …

The nasty party gets nastier
9 Aug 2026 at 3:04pm
The Tories are on a mission. Having had the title of the Nasty Party wrested away from them by Reform UK and by the even more unpleasant Restore Britain, Kemi Badenoch is determined to prove that the Conservatives are the original and best, or should that be worst, nasties of them all. Last week we …

Even good news is spun into SNPbad by the media in Scotland
5 Aug 2026 at 6:58pm
It’s often said there are two kinds of people in the world, those who say the glass is half full, and those who say it’s half empty. This is in fact inaccurate as there is a third kind, those who say: “Oh my God! That glass is about to shatter into a thousand jaggy shards, …

Burnham?s mini bounce
1 Aug 2026 at 1:39pm
Our visitors have left now. It was lovely to see them. As far as the blog is concerned I’m able to type again. There was a problem with the keyboard on my laptop which has now been repaired. Top tip, don’t spill tea on your laptop. So it’s back to blogging as usual. Andy Burnham …

Why you should subscribe to The National
1 Aug 2026 at 1:15pm
The National’s summer sale is running until Thursday 6 August. During this limited time period you can purchase an annual subscription to Scotland’s only pro-independence newspaper for the bargain price of £20. You might not agree with everything published by The National, but that’s inevitable in a publication which carries the weight of an entire …

Lord Sarwar of Brass Neck
21 Jul 2026 at 9:59pm
It seems to be a law of Scottish politics, or perhaps it’s more likely it’s just a personal curse, but whenever I try and take some time off from the blog a big story breaks and it’s back to the keyboard. What is most definitely a law of Scottish politics is that I’m not nationalist …

Silly season politics
17 Jul 2026 at 4:01pm
With Friday’s coronation of Andy Burnham as leader of the Labour party and his official accession to Ten Downing Street on Monday, the UK is now on its seventh prime minister in ten years. Meanwhile the man who wants to become prime minister after the next general election is fighting a by election with a …

Reform UK?s attack on Scottish languages
14 Jul 2026 at 4:44pm
It’s the greatest attempted Westminster assault on Scottish culture since the Jacobite wars. Reform UK has proposed an amendment to the UK Government’s elections bill which would criminalise the use of any languages other than English or Welsh on electoral material and impose a punishment of up to six months in prison and/or a fine. …

Ich bin ein Bin liner
12 Jul 2026 at 6:08pm
Last week, Nigel Farage announced that he was going to resign as the MP for Clacton in order to fight a by election to become the MP for Clacton. In a pity political broadcast from Reform UK headquarters which was broadcast live by the BBC and Sky News, Farage railed at the media for unfairly …

The Courier

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Scottish Politics News From Holyrood and Westminster | The Courier

Could Rosyth-Europe ferry set sail thanks to Brexit reset?
27 May 2025 at 6:01am
Hopes have been raised for a simple solution to a cross-border problem.

Kirkcaldy MP demands pro-suicide forum is torn down
26 May 2025 at 6:01am
Around 100 suicides have been linked to the sickening forum which provides guidance to people on ending their life.

UHI Perth aviation students warn of ?unsettling times? after training firm?s ...
26 May 2025 at 6:00am
Worried Samuel Hughes, 19, is among students sharing their fears at a time of crisis for Perth College.

Fresh Dundee University strike begins over compulsory Levehulme Centre job cuts
26 May 2025 at 6:00am
University staff are taking five days of industrial action as the institution pushes ahead with plans to axe the forensic research hub.

NHS Fife nurse at centre of controversial trans tribunal suing her own trade ...
25 May 2025 at 2:32pm
A&E medic Sandie Peggie is now taking legal action against the Royal College of Nursing.

EXCLUSIVE: Dundee University still to strike rescue deal with government
23 May 2025 at 5:46pm
Opposition MSPs have expressed concern at the time taken to agree a deal almost a month after the fresh recovery plan was unveiled.

6 senior figures who left Dundee University during financial crisis
23 May 2025 at 5:10pm
Several university chiefs have moved on since £30m financial black hole emerged.

Dundee University activist artist leads degree show protest over financial cr...
23 May 2025 at 4:45pm
Duncan of Jordanstone student Finn Millar says he wants to play a part in "keeping the university alive".

John Swinney admits constituents have expressed Perth leisure concerns to him
23 May 2025 at 6:01am
The first minister wants further talks between both sides of Perth leisure debate.

EXCLUSIVE: Dundee University chief operating officer Jim McGeorge quits
22 May 2025 at 1:58pm
Dr Jim McGeorge ? who was responsible for good governance - had been on a period of extended leave.

Talking up Scotland

Talking-up Scotland

As BBC tries once more to transplant mass hate crimes into Scotland the facts...
17 Aug 2026 at 11:00am

If there has been more violence in Glasgow then the County Lines drug gang pl...
17 Aug 2026 at 10:49am

Serious assaults in Glasgow drop 33% to 5 year-low and overall violence incre...
17 Aug 2026 at 10:45am
BBC Scotland have exported the above story to BBC Breakfast, have a special on it tonight, and claim: Videos of brutal beatings, blatant drug deals, and racial violence in the centre of Scotland’s biggest city have become a common sight on social media. Posts claim that parts of Glasgow’s city centre are a “no-go zone” where it’s not safe for unsuspecting members of the public, especially women...

Child Soldiers ? How ruthless English drug gangs are recruiting hundreds of S...
16 Aug 2026 at 2:21pm
The Sun, yesterday has the above, but holds back from identifying this as a problem deriving from the activity of county lines drugs gangs based in England. I’ve been writing about this plague of extreme crime, at TuS for years now, shamelessly exploiting as fully as I can the political benefits of such a plague in making the case for independence. I make no bones about it. I’m biased like the ...

No health board puts accessibility ahead of safety even when you ?get tae Lar...
16 Aug 2026 at 10:25am
When the new, massive, Forth Valley Royal Hospital was built around two miles out Falkirk town centre, there were endless complaints about access but in the end safety came first and the built it more than 3 miles and upwind of the nearest raw sewage treatment works near Grangemouth. If you were to put the hospital at the centre of the population for maximum access you’d put it on the empty lan...

Burnham seems ?Mad for it?
16 Aug 2026 at 9:38am
By Liz S ?The Pennsylvania Department of Health will be distributing free potassium iodide (KI) tablets to those York County residents that live, learn or work within 10 miles of the Peach Bottom power plant? ?Has the UK Government, responsible for nuclear power regulation in Scotland ever shown such concern for Scots living near nuclear facilities in Scotland ?? Nope. Indeed as far as UK gover...

Labour?s nuclear energy is being shut down right across Europe
16 Aug 2026 at 9:36am
Thanks again to Frances for alerting us to this. From DW IN FOCUS, two days ago: Romania has shut down its only nuclear plant in a rare move prompted by the lack of cooling water from the Danube River. Hungary, meanwhile, is racing to dam the Danube, trying to keep its Paks plant online. Romania shut down its lone nuclear power plant on Thursday, a rare move amid the drought that has caused rec...

And Now The News Where You Are
16 Aug 2026 at 9:34am
By Mark E. Saunders of ?The Scottish Minuteman? https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=61575625542197 I?ve just been listening to the evening news, brought into our homes courtesy of STV Studios. The news anchor introduced a story telling us that the Scottish Government ? or ?the SNP?, as much of the media seems to prefer calling it these days ? is going to miss its 2021 announced target of b...

Why there are no big fly-tipping stories for Scottish media to report today ?...
16 Aug 2026 at 9:33am
The above Sky News story is also on BBC Breakfast today. In the UK headlines today, the above, but nothing in the MSM operating in Scotland. Here?s why: BBC UK have been reporting 517 incidents of fly tipping, 11 of them ?super-sites? like the one above, in England. BBC Scotland, Scottish Labour and other media, you can be sure, have been scouring the country for something they can use to confi...

Ten countries already routinely issue iodine tablets to those near nuclear fa...
15 Aug 2026 at 9:57am
From the York Daily Record, two days ago: The Pennsylvania Department of Health will be distributing free potassium iodide (KI) tablets to those York County residents that live, learn or work within 10 miles of the Peach Bottom power plant.  According to the York County Office of Emergency Management, the distribution will take place between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, at the Peach Bot...

Scotland and Independence

"scotland independence -guardian" - Google News

New interactive polling tool maps how Scottish independence can be won or los...
17 Aug 2026 at 7:46am
New interactive polling tool maps how Scottish independence can be won or lost  The National Scot

UK?s Burnham tells Scotland new independence vote is off limits - Al Jazeera
23 Jul 2026 at 8:00am
UK?s Burnham tells Scotland new independence vote is off limits  Al Jazeera

New Scottish independence referendum ?off limits,? UK prime minister tells Sc...
23 Jul 2026 at 8:00am
New Scottish independence referendum ?off limits,? UK prime minister tells Scottish leader  Anadolu Ajans?

Scottish leader John Swinney calls for independence to thwart Reform - RNZ
10 May 2026 at 8:00am
Scottish leader John Swinney calls for independence to thwart Reform  RNZ

Does the Scottish election result advance or hinder the independence cause? -...
4 Jun 2026 at 8:00am
Does the Scottish election result advance or hinder the independence cause?  The Conversation

Burnham tells Swinney independence is 'off limits' at Commonwealth Games meet...
23 Jul 2026 at 8:00am
Burnham tells Swinney independence is 'off limits' at Commonwealth Games meeting  bbc.com

Bribing Scots to stay in the UK won?t work forever - The Spectator Australia
13 Aug 2026 at 10:00am
Bribing Scots to stay in the UK won?t work forever  The Spectator Australia

Salmond?s stars aligned on independence, now numbers don?t stack up - The Times
12 Aug 2026 at 5:20pm
Salmond?s stars aligned on independence, now numbers don?t stack up  The Times

Scottish independence - instituteforgovernment.org.uk
29 May 2026 at 8:00am
Scottish independence  instituteforgovernment.org.uk

New PM Burnham tells John Swinney 'agree to disagree' on Scottish independenc...
21 Jul 2026 at 8:00am
New PM Burnham tells John Swinney 'agree to disagree' on Scottish independence  BBC

SNP

"SNP" - Google News

Exclusive: SNP benefits agency still has no plan to recover £36m benefits deb...
17 Aug 2026 at 6:00am
Exclusive: SNP benefits agency still has no plan to recover £36m benefits debt year after DWP spat  The Scotsman

SNP has mastered keeping its voter base sweet through spending - The Times
16 Aug 2026 at 4:30pm
SNP has mastered keeping its voter base sweet through spending  The Times

Neighbourhoods are not about ?switching PCNs off?, legal expert says - Pulse PCN
17 Aug 2026 at 11:02am
Neighbourhoods are not about ?switching PCNs off?, legal expert says  Pulse PCN

SNP told to state position on council pursuit of volunteer - The Herald
16 Aug 2026 at 6:04am
SNP told to state position on council pursuit of volunteer  The Herald

Analysis shows how 'lapdog' Scottish Labour MPs 'waste time asking about SNP'...
16 Aug 2026 at 7:11am
Analysis shows how 'lapdog' Scottish Labour MPs 'waste time asking about SNP'  The National Scot

SNP write-off value of Murrell motorhome in party accounts - BBC
6 Aug 2026 at 8:00am
SNP write-off value of Murrell motorhome in party accounts  BBC

SNP 156/5 (17.4) vs SLK 155/8 (Wanindu Hasaranga 9(6) Andre Fletcher 48(41)) ...
17 Aug 2026 at 6:32am
SNP 156/5 (17.4) vs SLK 155/8 (Wanindu Hasaranga 9(6) Andre Fletcher 48(41)) | Saint Lucia Kings vs St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, 5th Match, Caribbean Premier League 2026 Live Cricket Stream, live scores, ball-by-ball commentary, highlights, videos, news,  Cricbuzz

SNP urges Burnham to retract Ming Yang ban - Energy Voice
14 Aug 2026 at 5:41am
SNP urges Burnham to retract Ming Yang ban  Energy Voice

SNP plans human rights law to ?get around? Supreme Court sex ruling - The Times
15 Aug 2026 at 8:00pm
SNP plans human rights law to ?get around? Supreme Court sex ruling  The Times

Tory says overcrowded Scottish prisons are SNP's 'problem of own making' - Th...
16 Aug 2026 at 12:34pm
Tory says overcrowded Scottish prisons are SNP's 'problem of own making'  The Herald

Referendum (Google News)

"Scotland referendum -guardian -telegraph" - Google News

UK?s Burnham tells Scotland new independence vote is off limits - Al Jazeera
23 Jul 2026 at 8:00am
UK?s Burnham tells Scotland new independence vote is off limits  Al Jazeera

New interactive polling tool maps how Scottish independence can be won or los...
17 Aug 2026 at 7:46am
New interactive polling tool maps how Scottish independence can be won or lost  The National Scot

Scottish Parliament endorses SNP call for independence referendum - bbc.com
26 May 2026 at 8:00am
Scottish Parliament endorses SNP call for independence referendum  bbc.com

New Scottish independence referendum ?off limits,? UK prime minister tells Sc...
23 Jul 2026 at 8:00am
New Scottish independence referendum ?off limits,? UK prime minister tells Scottish leader  Anadolu Ajans?

Does the Scottish election result advance or hinder the independence cause? -...
4 Jun 2026 at 8:00am
Does the Scottish election result advance or hinder the independence cause?  The Conversation

Scottish leader John Swinney calls for independence to thwart Reform - RNZ
10 May 2026 at 8:00am
Scottish leader John Swinney calls for independence to thwart Reform  RNZ

Scottish Parliament backs move for new independence vote - NZ Herald
26 May 2026 at 8:00am
Scottish Parliament backs move for new independence vote  NZ Herald

Scottish independence - instituteforgovernment.org.uk
29 May 2026 at 8:00am
Scottish independence  instituteforgovernment.org.uk

New PM Burnham tells John Swinney 'agree to disagree' on Scottish independenc...
21 Jul 2026 at 8:00am
New PM Burnham tells John Swinney 'agree to disagree' on Scottish independence  BBC

UK Prime Minister Burnham has ruled out the possibility of a new referendum o...
23 Jul 2026 at 8:00am
UK Prime Minister Burnham has ruled out the possibility of a new referendum on Scottish independence  ?????????? ??????????? ?????? (???)