January 2026

How will next SNP government tackle fiscal mess left by this one? #ScottishBudget
Eradicating child poverty? Growing the economy? Tackling climate crisis? Ensuring quality public services? Reviewing the Scottish Budget and Spending Review 2026, John McLaren finds a weary government’s major ‘achievement’ has been to hide the cuts…

Trump’s tariffs: who pays the cost?
As Donald Trump’s second term unfolds, the contradictions at the heart of his “America First” agenda are increasingly apparent. What began as a populist revolt against elite globalism appears to have morphed into policies that…

The rise of fascism and why the churches must speak out
As an elder in the Church of Scotland, Tim Bell calls on churches of all denominations to ‘become part of the resistance’ against the rise of the far right.

In this Scottish Budget the silences were loudest
The Cabinet Secretary chose to talk about policies such as higher bands of council tax on million-pound-plus properties and increases in the Scottish Child Payment for children under the age of one, but neither takes…

