Alex Massie 
The swivel-eyed loons in the Conservative party are revolting. And they are right to revolt.
Clearly it is not a good idea for the Prime Minister’s chums to call members of the Conservative party “swivel-eyed loons“. No, not even at a “private dinner party”. I… Continue reading
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Nigel Farage Comes to the Brave New Scotland
I am not quite sure I understand why Nigel Farage opted to launch UKIP’s Aberdeen by-election campaign in Edinburgh. Then again, UKIP are a puzzling party. In any event, it… Continue reading
194 Comments
Hitched
Well, the deed is done. Many thanks to those of you who sent your best wishes here or on Twitter or wherever. Very kind of you and much appreciated. It’s… Continue reading
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Who is allowed to speak for, and to, Scotland?
I shall be on hiatus for the next week as I’m getting married on Saturday and I have an inkling that this is no time to be concerned that people… Continue reading
78 Comments
The Tory Tumbrils Begin to Roll for David Cameron
As I type this, pundits in London are stiffening themselves for the tough task of over-interpreting local election results and projecting wildly unrealistic forecasts for the next general election on… Continue reading
42 Comments
A Tory party that is spooked by UKIP is a Tory party that will lose the next election
UKIP are buoyant and, all of a sudden, everyone’s favourite protest-group. In a curious way, the confirmation that many of their candidates really are boggle-minded, eyes-popped extremists of one stamp… Continue reading
22 Comments
This Britain: Maria Miller confuses economics with pleasure and beauty.
Is it possible for a government minister to give a speech that is not a “keynote address”? That was my first thought upon reading Maria Miller’s speech at the British… Continue reading
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The Miracle of Globalisation: Most of the World has Never Had It So Good
Could life in Bangladesh be better? Of course it could. Is life in Bangladesh getting better? Of course it is. The horrific death toll after a factory building collapsed in… Continue reading
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In Praise of Sweatshops
In today’s Telegraph David Blair has a strong and angry piece arguing that we – that is, western consumers – are complicit in or partially responsible for the deaths of… Continue reading
70 Comments
The Rehabilitation of George W Bush: A Sisyphean Task
Freddy Gray is quite correct: the drive to rehabilitate George W Bush is suspicious. It is also a dog that won’t hunt. It is true that recent opinion polls have… Continue reading
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Do the Americans want Britain to renew Trident?
What is the point of Britain’s nuclear deterrent? If it is an insurance policy it is a remarkably expensive one that might not, in any case, ever be honoured. I… Continue reading
17 Comments
Why oh why oh why can’t Barack Obama be more like Lyndon Johnson?
So, is Barack Obama a wimp or just another lame-duck second-term President? Maureen Dowd, in her typically sophomoric fashion, appears to believe that the failure to pass gun control legislation… Continue reading
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Are the SNP’s plans for a currency union a) Expedient, b) Sensible, c) Dangerous or d) All of the Above
Even if George Osborne is right about the problems of a currency union between an independent Scotland and the rest of the UK he possesses the uncanny knack of being… Continue reading
108 Comments
No, the Tory Detoxification Project is Not Complete.
There are times, I confess, when I wonder about politicians. They are a rum breed and it still seems possible to rise to quite elevated heights without possessing very much… Continue reading
7 Comments
Mike Denness and an All-Time Scottish Cricket XI
Mike Denness, who died yesterday, could credibly claim to be the finest Scots-reared cricketer of the past 50 years. That is not, at least not quite, as small a claim… Continue reading
18 Comments
The Myths of Margaret Thatcher, Sermon on the Mound Edition
Like Iain Martin, I was not sure a full ceremonial funeral was quite appropriate for Margaret Thatcher. That is not to dismiss her achievements or her significance, merely to wonder… Continue reading
39 Comments
Wisden, 150 Not Out
Summer, or rather the hint or promise of it, only arrives with the publication of Wisden. The cricketers’ almanack – the venerable almanack – celebrates its 150th anniversary this season.… Continue reading
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Margaret Thatcher: An Accidental Libertarian Heroine
It is 34 years since Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister. Coincidentally, she entered Downing Street 34 years after Clement Attlee won the 1945 general election. The whole history of post-war… Continue reading
39 CommentsMaggie Won’t Jump
A remarkable clip from an interview with Swedish television. No-one asks Margaret Thatcher to “jump” and gets away with it. One does rather think that some of her successors… Continue reading
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Margaret Thatcher and Scotland: A Story of Mutual Incomprehension
There is a poignant passage in Margaret Thatcher’s memoirs during which she contemplates her failure in Scotland. She seemed puzzled by this, noting that, in her view, many of her… Continue reading
180 Comments