SNP
A pair of tycoons has put Salmond on uncertain ground
Alex Salmond may feel he got a lot from cosying up to both Rupert Murdoch and Donald Trump but, wow, is he paying the price. The front page of today’s… Continue reading
22 CommentsSalmond and the Murdochs: Shill, Statesman or Pragmatist?
Further to that last post, Leveson released more than 100 pages of News Corp correspondence this afternoon. Alex Salmond features in four emails sent by Fred Michel, the Murdochs’ chief… Continue reading
9 CommentsGroundhog Day at Leveson: Dog Still Bites Man
One thing to be kept in mind as we consider the extent of the government’s links to News International is that it helps explain why neither the Telegraph nor Mail… Continue reading
0 CommentsAlex Salmond’s Hampden and Murrayfield Strategies
I’ve written a column for Scotland on Sunday today looking at the SNP’s transformation into a proper national party: [T]wo SNP approaches have helped the party attain its present supremacy.… Continue reading
4 CommentsToday in Stupidity: Salmond is Hitler & the Economist is Racist
David Starkey’s declne from competent historian to reactionary nitwit has been a sad business. I’m afraid it shows no sign of abating either. The Huffington Post has this: Historian Dr… Continue reading
31 CommentsPlanet London & Planet Edinburgh
Sure, the Economist’s cover story has received heaps of attention these past few days but it’s not the most interesting or even the most important cover story published by a… Continue reading
22 CommentsSkintland: Heads I Win, Tails You Lose
Crivvens, what a stramash there’s been over the cover of the Economist’s UK edition this week. Skintland is a pretty feeble effort, really, and one not entirely supported by the… Continue reading
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This is what politics has become
George Galloway’s victory last night is a reminder of a wider problem in British politics: the low regard in which all main political parties are held. By-elections can throw up… Continue reading
73 CommentsCameron’s Message to the Scottish Tories: Man Up, You Wimps
On the Daily Politics today Andrew Neil asked David Mundell Why are the Scottish Tories so useless? It will not surprise veteran Mundell-watchers that the member for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and… Continue reading
10 CommentsThe Department of Something Must Be Done & the Drink Police
Even if you accept that the government’s plans for a minimum alcohol price in England and Wales are well-intentioned you can be pretty sure that it’s a bad idea. How… Continue reading
10 CommentsLet the Tax Competition Games Begin!
It is not right to say that this is the last United Kingdom budget. Far from it. Nevertheless, the times they be changing. Due to an unfortunate coincidence of parliamentary… Continue reading
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The questions Alex Salmond can’t answer
Should Scotland be independent? I’d have thought that only a few people — most of them Scottish — would care enough about the question to come to a debate hosted by… Continue reading
81 CommentsScottish Sectarianism: No Evidence Required for a Conviction
The question to be asked of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communication (Scotland) Act 2012 is whether it is iniquitous, merely pointless or, perhaps paradoxically, both. I vote… Continue reading
5 CommentsNicola Sturgeon: We Must Kill Britain to Save Britain
It is often said that the case for the United Kingdom needs to be made in a positive fashion. This is reasonable. Less remarked upon is the SNP’s cheerful use… Continue reading
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Salmond chooses the Brownite way
Can you trust someone like Alex Salmond to save Scotland from future crashes? The First Minister appeared on BBC1’s Sunday Politics earlier, where he was challenged about how he sees… Continue reading
54 CommentsDinosaur Labour Is Back
Considering the audience to which it was aimed, I suppose one could say that Johann Lamont’s first leaders’ speech to the Scottish Labour party conference was a success. Expectations for… Continue reading
27 CommentsRemember The Alamo!
March 2nd is the anniversary of the Texan Declaration of Independence in 1836. Some of my more left-wing American chums rather wish Texas were still either a part of Mexico… Continue reading
14 CommentsCameron Ducks His Own Scottish Question
Since the NHS is a subject even more boring than American healthcare, I was more interested by the Prime Minister’s response to a question from Angus MacNeill that, though I… Continue reading
35 CommentsCan Cameron Deliver on His Promise to Scotland?
Well, Pete, I’m not so sure that David Cameron done brilliant in Edinburgh yesterday. To put it mildly, he has complicated an already complex situation. How does the Prime Minister… Continue reading
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Cameron’s new offer for Scotland could mean a new offer for England
The consensus opinion across most of today’s papers appears to be that Dave done good in Scotland yesterday. And now the Prime Minister’s cause has been helped that little bit… Continue reading
48 Comments