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Sceptical Scot

Asking Questions. Seeking Answers.

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Vaccination: new start or emperor’s clothes?

January 10, 2021 by James Urquhart 1 Comment

‘The outcome is indeed so vital for us all that the progress of the vaccination programme is the one topic that cannot be kicked into the long grass of some future Inquiry – and this knowledge must be shared as fully and as often as possible.’

Is the BBC helping British democracy?

December 6, 2020 by Tony O'Donnell 5 Comments

The BBC was once among the UK’s most respected institutions but no more – and it faces fresh competition from new upstarts like Andrew Neil’s GB News and Murdoch’s UK News. Break-up or renewal ahead?

Why language matters

November 15, 2020 by James Mitchell 5 Comments

“The EU, of course, makes a mockery of sovereignty.  It might be argued that Brexit is evidence of its enduring relevance.  But what it really shows is the pernicious legacy of the myth. The UK is losing control of its affairs. The hope that a second Trump Administration would ensure a good trade deal with the US has been shattered but even had this happened it spoke of the UK as limited and accountable, more as the 51st state than having ‘taken back control’.”

Biden, Brexit, EU and Scotland

November 15, 2020 by Kirsty Hughes 2 Comments

‘…Scotland’s relatively normal politics and pro-European aspirations may look in many ways more in the contemporary political mainstream than Johnson’s past-its-sell-by-date Trumpism. And a more open attitude from the EU to an independent Scotland may impact to some degree on US views too. But hard realpolitik interests – whether in the US or EU – will always be there.’

England’s constitutional key

November 1, 2020 by Jim Gallagher 7 Comments

‘… a different kind of constitutional structure from a typical federal state, but a structure which discharges the same functions…For Scots, endlessly split over the unhelpfully binary independence question, change in the UK offers a different option which not just constructive unionists but thoughtful nationalists will be attracted to…’

Flying the unionist flag

November 1, 2020 by Michael Keating 1 Comment

‘It is not clear how well this visible unionism will work in Scotland….As the debate over independence resumes, however, we will see more competition between the UK and Scottish governments for ownership of spending initiative and over visibility.’

Why are we waiting?

October 9, 2020 by Denis MacShane Leave a Comment

‘There is no win for Johnson in going for a hard Brexit. How he u-turns remains to be seen. But he is the artist of the political pirouette and has never been faithful to a policy, or belief other than his own advancement in three decades of political activism. The majority of Tory (and other MPs) plus public and press opinion would welcome a compromise deal..’

Germany’s miles better…

October 4, 2020 by David Gow 1 Comment

‘Germany, even if one goes as far back as Bismarck and 1871, is a relatively young country and, in its latest iteration, highly attractive to a lot of Europe’s youth. It does offer, then, a model for any nascent Scottish republic: open, tolerant, European, nationalist in a civic, secular sense. But, as its friends, including Kampfner, acknowledge, it faces significant challenges now and in future.’

Brexit, independence and transitions

October 4, 2020 by Kirsty Hughes 3 Comments

‘Across all its various dimensions, independence is about a whole range of transitions – economic, political, democratic, social and cultural. Considering how those transitions could and should be managed, and what their implications, timings and costs and benefits are, needs to become a more central part of the debate.’

Changing attitudes to #indyref2

September 20, 2020 by Kenny MacAskill 5 Comments

‘There comes a time, as with (Taioseach John) Costello, that leaving the UK is easier and less risky than staying with all its current and prospective dangers. How ironic will it be if, as with our Celtic cousins, a Scottish Republic is delivered by former No voters rather than ardent nationalists?’

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Welcome to Sceptical Scot, Scotland’s premier non-tribal forum for passionate, informed debate. Sceptical Scot is for all who care about Scotland’s future, regardless of how they vote: for party, independence or union, EU or Brexit. We aim to provide an arena that is both broader and deeper than current online/print offers with a rich diet of well-researched, polemical, thought-provoking writing. Read more » about About Sceptical Scot

What’s new on Sceptical Scot

  • Doses of compassion from the doctor-poet January 16, 2021
  • Pandemic and absent solidarity January 10, 2021
  • Vaccination: new start or emperor’s clothes? January 10, 2021
  • Why do we need a Year of Childhood? January 9, 2021
  • Energy transition: vital spark of national renewal or dying ember? January 9, 2021
  • Another now, another Scotland December 6, 2020
  • Statistical amnesia December 6, 2020
  • Is the BBC helping British democracy? December 6, 2020
  • Empathy for women December 6, 2020
  • Free school meals and child poverty December 6, 2020

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