Beyond Tribal Politics
Independent journalism and commentary on politics, society, culture, climate and Scotland’s future.
‘A great William Wallace risen in this man’
One commenter calls the attacker “a GodDamn hero.” Charlie Ellis analyses local online responses to the Edinburgh incident that made national news…
Demographic crunch (3) Scotland’s fertility gap
How to close the gap? It’s clear that Scots are not raising as many children as they want – or expect to.…
Demographic crunch (2) Scotland’s ageing population
How to meet the cost of an ageing population? Government already spends significantly more on pensioners than they pay in taxes, and…
Scotland’s demographic crunch: Part One
Any plan to improve Scotland’s economy and public services is not credible if it doesn’t include hard-headed thinking about the nation’s demography.
Manchester v Glasgow
Glasgow might not be miles better, but Jackie Kemp says it has important lessons for Andy Burnham if he becomes Prime Minister
Scotland needs to ‘come clean’
Civic curiosity is a fundamental characteristic of a healthy democracy. The question mark has always been a focal point of Sceptical Scot,…
Scotland: a case for compulsory voting
The Mercat Group argues for radical action to revive democratic engagement. A look around the world shows that Scotland could do better.
The SNP must own its mistakes – and learn from them
Is the SNP up to the task? Real reform requires crucial changes to policies on tax, education, health and governance: John McLaren
Meet the old boss – not the same as the new AI one
Fay Young revisits the human leadership style of John Dolan. It belongs to a different planet from Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse.
Scotland after the election – what new opportunities?
What next in Scotland? After a tired election new hope, new ideas and new policies are needed says Kirsty Hughes
Scunnered Scotland but energised England?
Voter turnout is down in Scotland’s parliamentary elections but up in England local elections. What does that mean?
‘I don’t recognise my country’ – in crisis, but what crisis?
Charlie Ellis surveys the 2026 election landscape and finds, as in football, a strangely unpredictable shifting pitch