Beyond Tribal Politics
Independent journalism and commentary on politics, society, culture, climate and Scotland’s future.

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?
The immediate conclusion many draw is that the present system is not working. Yet there is no widely accepted account of what…

A quiet election for a tired and poorly Scottish parliament
Scottish party manifestos pledge extra spending without addressing huge challenges facing the next Scottish government – likely to be SNP again despite…

And the winner is…The Absent Voters Party
However in all six Scottish Parliamentary elections since 1999 of the roughly 4 million people registered to vote, those actually voting averaged…

What’s ‘good for Scotland’ in 2026 election?
The SNP is in no fit state to fight a referendum. It has not begun to address weaknesses exposed in 2014.

Global food insecurity: another dividend from Trump’s war of choice
Markets have reacted to the global impact of closing this incredibly busy shipping channel, focusing on the risk to oil and gas flows, the prospect…






