How Ruth could make devolution deliver for Scots – and for the Tories

Day Five of my icy internment and it’s starting to get to me. I have not succumbed to cabin fever but something much worse: reality television. The news channels are filled with images of the nation brought to a snowbound halt and updates on Brexit. I am no longer sure which is which. So IContinue reading "How Ruth could make devolution deliver for Scots – and for the Tories"

Cancelled trains? Must be virtue signalling problems

Question time at Holyrood began with a solemn statement from the First Minister.  Her tone recalled those disaster movies where the US President makes his final stoic address to the nation as an asteroid hurtles to Earth or a barrage of Kremlin warheads zeroes in on New York. She intoned: 'Conditions such as those thatContinue reading "Cancelled trains? Must be virtue signalling problems"

The drugs really do work. Without them, I wouldn’t be here today

Let’s talk about depression. Last week, The Lancet published research into the effectiveness of antidepressants. The study was vast, taking in 21 drugs prescribed to nearly 120,000 patients in more than 500 trials across almost four decades. And the results? Every single medication was more effective than a placebo in treating adults with major depressiveContinue reading "The drugs really do work. Without them, I wouldn’t be here today"

Justin Trudeau takes his Captain Snowflake act to India

If your week was less than fun, spare a thought for Justin Trudeau. The Canadian Prime Minister’s seven-day visit to India went down like an undercooked biriyani on the subcontinent. When he landed in New Delhi last Saturday, Trudeau was greeted on the tarmac, not by the Prime Minister or Foreign Minister but by theContinue reading "Justin Trudeau takes his Captain Snowflake act to India"

Telt! The day Mr Nice Guy snapped at Nicola

Remember that terribly progressive teacher at school? The one who insisted you call him by his first name and worried that homework might be a human rights violation?  Ken Macintosh is the trendy teacher of the Scottish Parliament. As Presiding Officer, it's his job to keep order but he just can't bring himself to stampContinue reading "Telt! The day Mr Nice Guy snapped at Nicola"

Bring back military service? We would need to bring back the military first

'The British are good at paying taxes but detest drill,’ Winston Churchill once observed. ‘The French do not mind drill but avoid taxes.’ France’s president Emmanuel Macron has reminded us of the wisdom of Winnie by announcing the return of compulsory national service, 17 years after it was abolished. Les jeunes français will be obligedContinue reading "Bring back military service? We would need to bring back the military first"

Did Jeremy Corbyn bring down the Iron Curtain?

There are two competing theories about how the Soviet Union collapsed. One holds that Ronald Reagan’s moral leadership against communism and bolstering of US defences weakened Moscow’s will and buried them economically. The other contends that Mikhail Gorbachev’s domestic reforms and wise diplomacy brought down the Iron Curtain in spite of the cowboy in theContinue reading "Did Jeremy Corbyn bring down the Iron Curtain?"

The SNP should reinvent itself

The SNP, you’ll be distressed to learn, are having a time of it. The party is embroiled in a deputy leadership contest that could have been designed by their worst enemies. Angus Robertson, who lost his Moray seat last June, has resigned, depriving the party of one of its most formidable and respectable advocates. HisContinue reading "The SNP should reinvent itself"

A rapier wit adds to the gaiety of politics but it takes more to be a leader

Jacob Rees-Mogg is everywhere at the moment. He’s on TV so much I fear the producers of Question Time have lost Nigel Farage’s mobile number. Videos of his parliamentary speeches attract hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube. He even gained the respect of rivals after being jostled by far-Left protesters at a university eventContinue reading "A rapier wit adds to the gaiety of politics but it takes more to be a leader"