Stephen Daisley

Poor old Boris. He’s not even been Prime Minister a full year and already his replacement is being anointed. Rishi Sunak is the heir apparent, apparently, and it is not simply because of his largesse with the national credit card. His handling of the coronavirus recession has been impressive, not least for managing to keepContinue reading "Sunak’s bailout billions mean tough choices ahead"

Patriotism can take many forms but the real dividing line is between inclusion and exclusion. Inclusive patriotism sees love of country as a uniting force, something that can transcend social, racial and religious differences to bring people together. A patriot’s admiration and sense of duty are not contained within lines on a map and heContinue reading "Stand up for the Union or lose it"

Sometimes I wonder if Nicola Sturgeon ever sleeps. Not only does she have to run the country and the campaign to set up a new country, but leading the Covid-19 response has brought her an unexpected career move: live TV host. As lunchtime talk shows go, her daily coronavirus updates are grim, repetitive, and depressing, butContinue reading "Praise be! Pubs (and churches) to re-open"

After three years in the post, Neil Oliver’s decision to stand down as president of the National Trust for Scotland should be an occasion for sincere thanks. The television historian should be congratulated for his contributions and shown gratitude for his service to protecting and promoting Scottish heritage. Passion and public-spiritedness, both of which Oliver displaysContinue reading "Neil Oliver and Scotland’s cultural purge"

Who is the most important figure in government? Not Boris Johnson. The Prime Minister is the front-of-house manager but those are subject to change every five years. Nor is it Dominic Cummings, central though he is to this administration’s policy and positioning. No, the answer is Michael Gove. The ceremonial duties of the Chancellor ofContinue reading "The future of the Union is in Michael Gove’s hands"

Alex Salmond made an unexpected return to St Andrew’s House yesterday. Nicola Sturgeon delivered the daily coronavirus briefing but the tone was unmistakably that of her predecessor. There was the high indignation and low sarcasm, delivered with the familiar troika of political peevishness: the snark, the snarl and the sneer. Forced attempts at bonhomie wereContinue reading "Sturgeon’s media meltdown: Salmondism without Salmond"

We don’t agree on much in these violently divided times but one point of consensus is that the NHS has had a good war. In the battle against coronavirus, the health service has confirmed for many its status as the crown jewel in national public life.  The weekly doorstep ovations may have ceased — thereContinue reading "Pragmatism, not sentiment, is what the NHS needs"

When they come to write about these times, historians will call it the Glorious Fifteenth. July 15 was unveiled by Nicola Sturgeon as the date on which both childcare providers and pubs will reopen. People accuse this government of being out of touch but making it possible to drop your kids off then head straightContinue reading "Lockdown dust-up"

John Swinney has spent much of the past few weeks in TV studios foretelling the blood-curdling horrors to come if schools returned full-time in August. Yesterday, he bobbed up at Holyrood to inform us that schools would be returning full-time in August. Imagine if Roy Scheider had announced halfway through Jaws that there had never beenContinue reading "Blackboard bungle"

What connects George Square, St Andrew Square and the Paisley Cenotaph? The answer is that all three attracted crowds over the weekend. In Glasgow’s most famous gathering place, more than 500 demonstrators assembled to protest against racism and in favour of refugees’ rights, alongside a smaller contingent of Right-wing activists. In Edinburgh, 1,000 gathered to hearContinue reading "Lockdown must apply to everyone or it must be lifted"