Lots of commentators – we too – have dismissed the next term in the Scottish Parliament as heralding at best managerial competence, at worst policy timorousness. But there’s plenty to look forward to: not least how the SNP in government handles the SNP.
election polling
Scotland shakes up the Brexit cards
The Remain and Leave campus are neck-and-neck in the run-up to the June 23 EU referendum so where does that leave Scotland – and Nicola Sturgeon’s on-off desire for #indyref2 in the event of a vote for Brexit? Four scenarios set out here…
Holyrood 2016: clearing the campaign fog
The first of our series of podcasts explores issues at the forefront and behind the scenes of the 2016 election to the Scottish Parliament – and looks forward to the next five years of the Scottish Government with Nicola Sturgeon as first minister.
Next SG: revolutionary but hardly radical
The SNP has one revolutionary aim: the overthrow of the UK constitution. Yet its manifesto is a model of moderation. Why? Tempered by the compromises of government – or cautious process to win over the No voters of 2014?
Reasons to be cheerful – or ca’ canny
The Scottish Conservatives talked up their Holyrood election prospects at their recent conference at Murrayfield. But their past record and the wider economic and political context suggest they would be wise to err on the side of caution.
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.
Welsh Labour outperforms its Scottish comrades
Labour in Wales may be facing a tough election in May 2016 but unlike its Scottish counterpart it is likely to benefit from a divided opposition – and may hold on to power in Cardiff Bay.
The pollsters’ Becher’s Brook
The pollsters universally predicting a SNP landslide may be heading for a fall, argues Jackie Kemp from inside the bookie’s shop.