Scotland
Unsullied and Untarnished: Lessons in Localism from Selkirk’s Past
It is Selkirk Common Riding today. The biggest, most important, day in my home town’s year. A day lent extra significance in 2013 since this is the 500th anniversary of… Continue reading
12 Comments
Ukip officially excluded from Scottish referendum campaign
Tonight, the ‘cross-party’ Better Together referendum campaign will have their London launch. At an event in the heart of Westminster the begging bowl will go round, and a rallying call… Continue reading
199 Comments
Free Caledonia: a land of opportunity (and corporate welfare) for Big Business?
It is not unusual to hear dark warnings of what might happen if Scotland votes for independence. Big Business is flighty. It is rather more unusual to hear leading business… Continue reading
71 Comments
Will Nigel Farage and UKIP help ditch Alex Salmond?
Yesterday’s Survation poll reported that UKIP (22%) are, for the moment, just two points behind the Tories (24%) and therefore and given the margin of error in these things possibly… Continue reading
163 Comments
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
239 Comments
Will an EU referendum kill the Scottish independence referendum?
The UK faces two referendums about its future, not one. As well as David Cameron’s promised ‘proper’ referendum on the UK’s relationship with the European Union, there is also the… Continue reading
176 Comments
Defending the Right Union
The Scottish Tories look like supporting more devolution. Cue predictable apoplexy from some. Devolution was a terrible mistake, slopes are slippery, beaches should be fought on and ditches died in.… Continue reading
75 Comments
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
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
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
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
181 Comments
David Cameron and the Union
Alex Massie asks why I didn’t mention the Union in my piece in this week’s magazine on what David Cameron’s legacy will be. It is a good question. Indeed, one… Continue reading
84 Comments
Nuclear weapons, Scotland and the future of the United Kingdom
David Cameron – who, in case you’d forgotten, leads the Conservative and Unionist Party – made a rare visit to Scotland yesterday. He spoke about defence. His message was clear:… Continue reading
43 Comments
David Cameron’s Legacy? Preserving the Union or presiding over the Break-Up of Britain
Politics is at least partially a matter of perspective. The same object can look very different depending upon the angle from which it is viewed. Which brings me to Brother… Continue reading
36 Comments
Independent Scotland: neoliberal nirvana or Scandinavian paradise?
So, an independent Scotland. Neoliberal nirvana or Scandinavian paradise? True, these are not the only choices available but as a useful shorthand for the size of the state and its… Continue reading
40 Comments
Happy Easter
I’m away to Jura* for the Easter weekend, so it’s improbable there will be much posting happening around here. I hope you all have a splendid weekend, especially those of… Continue reading
8 Comments
Scotland’s War on Clothes: Be Careful What You Wear
Welcome to Scotland, a land where freedoms of expression and other liberties are treated so seriously that the police and prosecuting authorities would never dream of monitoring and judging the… Continue reading
79 Comments Referendum Spin: Beware the Tory Bogeymen!
So we have our date with destiny. Scotland will march to the polls nine days after the 501st anniversary of the Battle of Flodden. September, 18th 2014. There are fewer… Continue reading
106 Comments
Salmond goes for the surprise referendum date
Always the showman, Alex Salmond did the unexpected today when he announced that the referendum on Scottish independence would be held on Thursday September 18 2014. He knew everyone was… Continue reading
76 Comments