Oh to be a republican today. The flags, the bunting, the crowds crammed into Edinburgh's Waverley Station iPhones at the ready. Cloying front pages, peppy breakfast presenters and breathless royal correspondents. Royalist Britain — which is to say Britain — in a carnival atmosphere for its sovereign's special day. It must be hell. The Queen'sContinue reading "For the sake of the monarchy, long may the Queen reign"
David Cameron is wrong on refugees but he’s not the only one
“Anyone here been raped and speaks English?” one of those brilliant bastards of the trade would proclaim upon arriving in the latest war zone. That reporterly black humour speaks not just to Fleet Street cynicism but to the reality of foreign news: It feels very far away until it reaches our shores. The rising tideContinue reading "David Cameron is wrong on refugees but he’s not the only one"
Independence is coming. It’s now only a matter of time.
Let’s just get this out of the way right from the start: Scotland is going to be independent in our lifetime. I know it seemed like we said No in last year’s referendum but it was actually “not right now”. The timing wasn’t right, key questions remained unanswered, and Alex Salmond just rubbed some peopleContinue reading "Independence is coming. It’s now only a matter of time."
Nicola Sturgeon goes back to basics in policy agenda speech
In politics, celebrated strategist Kenny Rogers (almost) advised, you gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, and know when to keep people who read the Daily Mail on side. That is what Nicola Sturgeon does in her programme for government, unveiled in Edinburgh on Tuesday. The delivery was calm and assuredContinue reading "Nicola Sturgeon goes back to basics in policy agenda speech"
BBC won’t be devolved till SNP stops obsessing about it
“I pray God to deliver me from my friends,” remarked Voltaire. "I will defend myself from my enemies.” The Daily Mail columnist Chris Deerin is afraid he might be falling for Nicola Sturgeon — join the queue, mate — but you don’t need to swoon over her political nous and personal charisma to wish theContinue reading "BBC won’t be devolved till SNP stops obsessing about it"
Review: Iain Macwhirter rides the wave of a Scottish political Tsunami
Tsunami: Scotland's Democratic Revolution Iain Macwhirter Ebook, pp. 159 Cargo Sometime in 2013, we lost Iain Macwhirter. I can’t pinpoint the exact moment he slipped away, but I remember feeling it build up in his writing over time. Scotland’s clarion liberal polemicist had spent much of the previous decade tearing into New Labour for itsContinue reading "Review: Iain Macwhirter rides the wave of a Scottish political Tsunami"
We don’t need more Scots in the arts, we need new Scots
How did you mark Wallace Day? Yes, there’s an annual celebration of Elderslie’s favourite son and it took place over the weekend. While you were trudging through the aisles of IKEA or more happily marching at Pride, people with full-body tattoos of Robert Burns sat in Hope over Fear T-shirts watching Braveheart for the 879thContinue reading "We don’t need more Scots in the arts, we need new Scots"
Jeremy Corbyn is not an anti-Semite. It’s so much worse than that
What do you have to say about Jews not to be invited to Parliament by Jeremy Corbyn? The Labour leadership frontrunner has a singular talent for extending a warm welcome to anti-Semites and extremists. He invited “friends” from Hezbollah and Hamas, both proscribed terrorist organisations. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah says of Jews: “If they allContinue reading "Jeremy Corbyn is not an anti-Semite. It’s so much worse than that"
Two words Britain should say to her immigrants — thank you
There are stories that just get to you. This morning's Guardian brings news of a campaign to boost the number of blood donors in Britain. A sunny, upbeat tale, you might think. And in part it is. The campaign in question is the brainchild of the British Poles Initiative. Organisers want newcomers to the UKContinue reading "Two words Britain should say to her immigrants — thank you"
Backing Corbyn is another step on Daily Record’s journey to Yes
The Daily Record was once a giant of Scottish life, at its height read by one in every two Scots. The days of such sales figures are long gone but some newspapers retain a certain status, conferred by journalism or symbolism. The Record qualifies on both counts and even if it is no longer Scotland'sContinue reading "Backing Corbyn is another step on Daily Record’s journey to Yes"
Stephen Daisley 