It isn’t an exaggeration to say I owe my career to David.David McAllister, production and associate editor at Prospect magazine, pays tribute to the honesty and generosity of David Gow: kind, forthright, never patronising Almost exactly a decade ago, I sent a pitch to the anonymous enquiries email for Sceptical Scot. I was a recent graduate, had just finished my gap year of … [Read more...] about Honest, rigorous and kind: David Gow as mentor
Oor land
Whatever the result of the elections to Holyrood due in May, it’s clear that 22 years of devolution have established land reform as a perennial theme—a mantle taken up by various parties and under varying parliamentary arithmetic, passing from Labour-Liberal Democrat coalitions to SNP majorities. It has survived the Conservative Party’s caricature of a government-sanctioned, … [Read more...] about Oor land
The disappearing act
In theory a global pandemic should have proven the best opportunity to expose the limits of what the nation state can achieve on its own. Instead, it has merely shown just how ill-prepared we are to tackle problems outwith our patchy and individual national frameworks. As curfews, closures and on-off travel restrictions continue to limit our view of the world in quite literal … [Read more...] about The disappearing act
“Westminster’s Man at Holyrood” ain’t going to cut it
“Whether it’s by coronation or a competition, it is up to the Scottish Conservative membership to decide,” said Tory MSP Michelle Ballantyne of leadership-hopeful, Douglas Ross, on the day of Jackson Carlaw’s resignation. “I want to know what he’s committing to.” And yet five days later, and with little by way of commitments, Douglas Ross was made leader of the Scottish … [Read more...] about “Westminster’s Man at Holyrood” ain’t going to cut it
The only lesson worth learning: FPTP must go
It’s times like these I’m so relieved I don’t follow Scottish football, because British politics gives me more than enough disappointment.It’s been an incredible election, hasn’t it? I’ve never been so devastated. What’s even more depressing is how the Labour vote had barely crumbled before party mandarins came flying in with their hot takes against whoever was to blame. … [Read more...] about The only lesson worth learning: FPTP must go