Politics
‘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
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 out at around 2.2million. That’s a difference of 1.8 million – the Absent…
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.
Public pay settlements: a crisis waiting for the next Scottish government
The Scottish government has long practised the exercise of kicking problematic cans down the road. Perhaps wider world crises will keep eyes off Scotland’s immediate pay problems but Fraser of Allander’s deputy director Dr João…
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…
Les enfants de la patrie – but the enduring trap of populism is not unique to France
Trump has seized on opportunities Macron and Starmer have created. Macron and Starmer. alike in their determination to ignore politicians of the left, have allowed Farage and Le Pen to set the agenda, writes Tony…
Enough campaigning. Is the next Scottish government prepared to govern?
Hot on the heels of Anton Muscatelli’s hard-hitting report comes Jim Gallagher’s rigorous investigation into Scotland’s failing governance. Fixing Broken Government comes with positive recommendations for a radical re-set in time for the May 2026…
Does Starmer have a vision?
“Starmer, in his speech, said both Farage, the Tories, ‘the extremes of the left’ and the SNP want Britain to fail. But as the Prime Minister struggles on, the biggest risk is that Starmer will…
Political change across Britain and Ireland (2)
“Underlying most of these is a deep disenchantment across the UK with its democratic credentials and constitutional settlements a generation on from devolution. Such issues have fallen down the political agenda amid a complacency about…
Scottish education: genuine partnership or pre-election fix?
“The Scottish educational establishment, over many decades, has been successful in resisting attempts to disturb its culture of complacency. Sadly, it may take a further decline in public confidence and trust before real change –…
Lonely at the top: Sturgeon, leadership and regrets
“This battle over the legacy of Sturgeon has major implications for the future of Scottish politics. Will the SNP continue the same path set by Sturgeon? Are such centrist, cautious politics enough, given the huge…
Labour and ending poverty
“When governments are remembered after they lose office, their achievements are unforgivingly distilled into a few pithy bullet points. Does Keir Starmer really want one of his bullet points to be that he was the…