Scottish Government
Is Scotland heading for an early election?
The parlous state of UK public finances and spillover impact of the October 30 Budget could mean Holyrood refuses to pass next year’s Scottish Budget, triggering the government’s resignation
SNP ‘Company Man’ can’t save the party he loves
“Leadership requires a willingness to confront so much that he turned a blind eye to. A decent, able functionary, as Swinney understood when he stood down as leader in 2014, does not have the qualities…
Ending child poverty – hard facts vs empty promises
“All of this highlights the need for a well-constructed plan, not just pious words and hollow pledges. We’ll have to wait and see whether the UK Government’s Taskforce comes up with something concrete and viable.…
Political posturing over child poverty
Over 4m British children live in relative poverty and they are four times more likely to suffer mental health issues than better-off kids. Ending the two-child benefit cap is just one remedy.
The Road to the Isles littered with phone masts?
“The map of applications to build masts in ‘Not Spots’ – the financially-exciting areas for the phone companies under this contract – is almost exactly the same as the map of areas designated as wild…
What next for Yousaf and the SNP?
“Scotland has harvested much of the low-hanging fruit when it comes to reducing carbon emissions – although there are still big gains to be made from insulating homes. The Parliament’s powers are very limited. It…
What about climate policies in this political crisis?
“As Humza Yousaf’s future as First Minister hangs in the balance, the more important question is what happens to the push for vital climate and biodiversity policies after the collapse of the Bute House Agreement.”
Diplomatic largesse is not on the agenda
The First Minister wants to curtail Scotland’s culture of excessive alcohol. But why impose a ban on diplomats you’re trying to woo and offer them meagre fare?
Sunak’s day of two (poor) speeches
Bring on the election and put us out of our misery, urges one of our regular columnists in a partially updated piece written before this week’s UK Budget which has apparently failed to turn the…
Let’s end public subsidies for commercial conifer tree-planting
The RSE sets out its new report calling for a radical rethink of tree planting in Scotland…It makes a series of recommendations for how public financial support for tree planting in Scotland can be reorganised…
Scottish devolution – time to reboot
“If this centralisation trend continues unchecked, nearly all public services will be delivered by unelected quangos or Scottish Government departments with no effective local democratic control or accountability. That would make Scotland an outlier amongst…
