My gut says that there will be a second referendum on Scottish independence and that Yes will win comfortably.Yet, predicting political events and outcomes right now is like predicting the weather. The result is not inevitable, largely because the key factors prompting people to vote No have not gone away – and, in some ways, the No case is now stronger. I’ll explain this … [Read more...] about Brexit makes independence inevitable…
Forget identity politics but #Indyref2 is coming
It did not take long for political parties and commentators to start making confident pronouncements about what the Scottish election result means for the future of the union.Equal first prize must go to the Scottish Conservatives and the Scottish National Party. Ruth Davidson and her fellow Conservatives are arguing that commanding 24% of Holyrood seats gives them a … [Read more...] about Forget identity politics but #Indyref2 is coming
Heart and soul: Scotland and Sturgeon
When Alex Salmond resigned as first minister and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) the day after the referendum, it initially seemed impulsive and unnecessary.The Yes campaign may have been defeated, but with Salmond at the helm it had achieved a much closer result than many had expected. Yet 12 months since Nicola Sturgeon was sworn in as his successor last … [Read more...] about Heart and soul: Scotland and Sturgeon
Five little known truths about Scottish politics
Scots ‘are more right-wing than the English’, shouted the Telegraph recently, taking not a little pleasure in a new report that told us something counter-intuitive following the recent SNP landslide on an anti-austerity ticket.What else don’t we know about the politics of Scotland? Here’s five things that tend to be overlooked or forgotten – starting with some more detail … [Read more...] about Five little known truths about Scottish politics
Five political problems with Full Fiscal Autonomy
Full fiscal autonomy’ (FFA) is the devolution of all tax and spending decisions to Scotland. It involves the Scottish Government forming its own Treasury and Inland Revenue function, raising its own revenue, and making a contribution to the UK for shared services such as spending on defence and foreign affairs.FFA is back on the agenda following the combination of a … [Read more...] about Five political problems with Full Fiscal Autonomy