Sceptical Scot

David Gow Memorial Archive

David Gow Memorial Archive

Writing, tributes and reflections from David Gow’s Sceptical Scot archive.

This page gathers David Gow’s work for Sceptical Scot, alongside tributes and reflections published in his memory. Over time it can also expand to include selected work from beyond the site.

Featured from the archive

A different David Gow article is highlighted each day.

Culture

Sturgeon’s diminishing timeframe for Scottish indy

August 31, 2016

Nicola Sturgeon is about to launch the SNP's much-delayed "summer" initiative to win over No voters to support independence and, maybe, #indyref2. But two books by two prominent Scottish professors, reviewed here, suggest she has a very steep hill to climb.

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David Gow on Sceptical Scot

A running archive of David’s published work on the site.

  • A quiet election for a tired and poorly Scottish parliament

    Scottish party manifestos pledge extra spending without addressing huge challenges facing the next Scottish government – likely to be SNP again despite almost 20 years of underachievement in power. John McLaren sets out four lessons to learn from the state we are in. When the last election took place, in 2021, the country was in Read article

  • What’s ‘good for Scotland’ in 2026 election?

    Read article

  • Four poems in defiance of an uneasy spring

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  • Mind the (implementation) gap: Neurodivergence in Scotland

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  • 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 O’Donnell Read article

  • UK Budget 2025? Get real. The world has changed

    John McLaren explains in no uncertain terms why the UK Budget is such a disappointment, doing nothig when so much needs to be done, further eroding trust in mainstream politicians, pushing voters towards outlying parties making even wilder promises Read article

  • 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 elections. But will Scotland wake up in time to avert fiscal crisis? We have to, says, James Mitchell” “we cannot… Read article

  • Fraser of Allander takes another bite at the Budget

    “The proposed pay-per-mile charge raises important questions of fairness and is likely to be a source of public debate.” After the endless leaky build up, the 2025 UK Budget raises many questions and uncertainties about fairness, efficiency and effectiveness. The FAI investigates some likely outcomes. Read article

  • #MuscatelliReport: is Scotland ready for radical action on regional economic development?

    Carried out on behalf of the Scottish Labour Party but after the 2026 election the Muscatelli Report is likely to fall to an SNP Government – judging from past behaviour how successful would it be? Read article

  • Well tempered steel beneath David Gow’s jovial irreverence

    Under David’s editorship Sceptical Scot soon established itself in a crowded field, gaining a reputation for well written, thoughtful contributions to the debate. It is a testament to David’s determination that there was never really any doubt that it would do so. Read article

  • Honest, rigorous and kind: David Gow as mentor

    “As an editor David was rigorous and kind, but most of all never patronising. He would never accept a pitch out of politeness, no matter how long you’d been writing…” Read article

  • David Gow’s legacy of friendship

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  • AI, Creativity and Humanity (3): Responsibility

    “AI isn’t going anywhere. You interact with it many times a day whether you know it or not. You don’t need to fear it and I encourage you to embrace it. But you should also challenge it, and those who are developing it. Keep an open mind, balance optimism with scepticism and use creativity to… Read article

  • AI, creativity and humanity (2): Obstacles

    “As a creative producer, my team and I are able to do more, better, faster; we’re expanding and experimenting with techniques we weren’t previously able to do. Ideas I’ve never had the time, headspace or resources to realise are now coming to life.” Read article

  • AI, creativity and humanity (1)

    ‘“I resisted ChatGPT for so long because I felt it was wrong to use it. But then I caved in and now I can’t stop!” one arts organisation CEO told me. She’s hooked, having discovered the joy of drafting policy documents and analysing big data sets rapidly.”‘ Read article

  • Two worlds collide or stories Geoff Palmer told

    “Geoff worked tirelessly to bring the hidden world of slavery – the subjugation and the struggle – into the light and to make people aware of the connections between the unpaid labour of slaves and three centuries of Scottish history. He wanted people to know about the huge wedge of privilege and prosperity it brought… Read article

  • Israel’s biggest security threat: Netanyahu

    “Perhaps the most damning result of what is happening is the mass radicalisation of young Palestinians and of future Palestinian generations. As Israeli and US security experts have acknowledged, talk of Hamas being defeated is delusional – Hamas is as much an idea as a movement, and that idea will not only persist but will… Read article

  • Build, baby, build

    The Scottish Parliament has just passed a new housing bill that, inter alia, removes the council tax cap on second homes but we need a much more consequential approach to solve the housing polycrisis. Read article

  • 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 fail and Labour will end up where the Tories were, desperately swapping one bad leader for another. The UK does… Read article

  • 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 – as distinct from yet another exercise in public relations – can take place.” Read article

  • Yes to indy Scotland in EU, No to Little England

    The case for an independent Scotland within the EU just got far stronger. In an updated version of a piece written the morning news of the win for Leave broke, the author explains why he’s switching his vote for #indyref2 – and why the economic case is improved. Read article

  • A new democratic settlement for Scotland

    The SNP’s 2016 election manifesto commits to a new wave of decentralising power in Scotland. But is that likely from a party that is now or on the verge of becoming the predominant one in Scotland – in semi-perpetuity? A real debate on devolving power and controlling an oligarchic executive should start now. Read article

  • Sturgeon’s runner-up on May 5?

    Nicola Sturgeon will still be first minister on May 6. Kezia Dugdale and Ruth Davidson are vying for the role of opposition leader in the next Holyrood term but both are really positioning themselves for the 2021 poll. Here we examine the prospects for the Scottish Conservative leader. Read article

  • Defeat Daesh and honour the dead

    France and its people have reasserted republican values and proclaimed the primacy of love in the fight against ISIS. But how best to ensure that the 130 Daesh victims in Paris are honoured – and to prevent similar atrocities happening? Read article

  • Brussels and the Left’s delusionary Brexit strategy

    Parts of the British Left are openly flirting with campaigning to quit the EU. The SNP is planning its own “upbeat” campaign to stay in. But these divisions on the social democratic/socialist Left simply buttress the forces of darkness: the very unaccountable corporatism both wish to confront. Read article

  • What kind of Europe for Scotland and Sturgeon?

    Nicola Sturgeon has rightly spoken out against the crushing effect of yet more austerity on Greece and its people but she and the SNP have yet to spell out a clear vision of what EU they are seeking. Read article

  • Franco-German Social Democrat plan to revive EU

    The French and German economy ministers have come up with some radical ideas to get the EU out of its trough – and offer the Tories a way out of their membership renegotiation impasse. Read article

  • The abuse of social democracy

    Everybody’s talking social democracy, not least in Scotland. But nobody defines what it means, recognises how it’s in crisis and sees how analysts/activists are starting to rethink it. Read article

  • The Bavarian Christian Social Union: a model for Scottish Labour?

    In light of discussion whether it’s time for Scottish Labour to sever formal links with the wider UK Labour Party David Gow considers whether the Bavarian Christian Social Union offers a possible model. Read article

  • ‘Lefties on steroids’ or pretty tame social democrats?

    The SNP’s anti-austerity politics is in reality a rehash of moderate redistribution – in the tradition of post-war British Labourism Read article

  • Nicola’s premature coronation

    Smear or swoon. Attitudes to Nicola Sturgeon lurch between the two. The few days since the #leadersdebate on ITV have seen her vilified as a secret Tory supporter (good for a second referendum with a positive outcome this time, supposedly) and “the most dangerous woman” in UK politics. Read article

  • Ending the sterile row over austerity

    The differences between Labour and the SNP in their plans for UK government spending and borrowing are much closer to each other’s than they are to those bequeathed by George Osborne. Read article

Tributes and reflections

Articles written in tribute to David Gow and his editorial legacy.