Nicola Sturgeon has announced that she won’t be standing in next year’s Holyrood election. Most of the other remaining ‘class of ‘99’ MSPs, who have sat in Holyrood since it reopened, have said the same. Whatever Sturgeon does next with her wealth of experience and knowledge of Scottish affairs, she won’t be going to the Other Place as the House of Lords is sometimes … [Read more...] about The UK needs a reformed second chamber
Energy privatisation is a disaster for Scotland
Energy poverty is when you can’t afford to heat your home or cook your food. Almost a third - 31% - of Scots are in this category, That is more than double the rate in England. It is far higher than any EU country - and four times the levels of countries like Scandinavia or Ireland. The irony is that Scotland is rich in energy resources - Scotland makes 16% of … [Read more...] about Energy privatisation is a disaster for Scotland
The gift nobody wants to open
The investigation into the SNP's finances is making incredibly slow progress. Here is a recap The inquiry began in 2021 with a complaint that £600,000 contributed by supporters to a campaign fund for a new independence referendum was actually spent on fighting the Holyrood election of that year. In April 2023, the investigation team visited - or perhaps ‘swooped’ or ‘raided’ … [Read more...] about The gift nobody wants to open
A failure of leadership over Glasgow’s “Mack”
Paris welcomed world leaders last weekend to celebrate the magnificent rebuild of Notre Dame, completed on a time scale many thought impossible. I was in Glasgow on Sunday visiting my uncle, and, sparked by indignation at its very different fate, we took a taxi to look at the burnt-out School of Art. What a contrast. It is a plastic-wrapped wreck, while the streets around it … [Read more...] about A failure of leadership over Glasgow’s “Mack”
Balgy Gap and the missing loop in the grid
I am going to start by telling you a wee story that I think sheds a light on a wider issues with Scotland’s energy system.Yesterday, we drove around the “Balgy Gap”. This is ten kilometres of road in the northwest Highlands which has no access to mains electricity. The road is in good shape - it is on the NC500 and is busy in the summer. It was built in the 1960s to join the … [Read more...] about Balgy Gap and the missing loop in the grid