Unite’s grandstanding and divisiveness should not be rewarded

THE PROBLEM with public discourse in Scotland is how so much of it is crowded-out by the two dominating spectres of Independence and Brexit. To try and have a reasonable debate, by which I mean ...

Transition details: some victories, some concessions – and lots of long grass

THE HEADLINES on the draft withdrawal agreement between the UK and the EU have to be –  that first, it happened; and second, it went further than expected to pave the way for a Free ...

Electric cars: are we being too optimistic?

"The number of electric cars sold in Britain has fallen by a third since the start of the year, amid concerns that motorists are being put off by high prices, limited battery range and a lack ...

The great fallacy of prediction

WHO DOESN’T want to know the future? Mankind has a strong aversion to uncertainty and the future beyond the next few months is the least certain in life. Astrology, palmistry, crystal balls, oracles or even ...

Britishness? Attacking biscuit tins would only be the start

I LIKE SHORTBREAD. Who doesn’t? Equally great with a cuppa or a dram, it is decidedly Scottish, for while other countries have their own shortcake biscuits none perfected them in the manner Scottish bakers did.  ...

Wealth Warning. Infrastructure can seriously disrupt your future

DO WE REALLY need more infrastructure? Driving from Edinburgh to Dumfries & Galloway two days after the “red warning” storm across the central belt I was informed, repeatedly, by overhead gantry signs declaring “Winter weather; ...

When Ryanair is more trustworthy than the Scottish Government

IT SAYS EVERYTHING about our Scottish Government that Ryanair – that most outspoken, avaricious and horrendous model for customer relations – is to be believed before the democratic manifestation of the people.

Avoid Brino and reach for the Andrews Liver Salts

SO FAR THIS YEAR we have been going round in circles. Or to put it another way, nothing has happened to render the UK’s departure from the EU more tractable. 

Ludwig Wittgenstein famously ...

I raise my glass to Elon Musk

LAST WEEK, I mentioned Elon Musk’s deep pessimism about the impact of artificial intelligence on the human race. I don’t share that pessimism, but it seems to be one of the key motivators of this ...

Artificial Intelligence: will it be a blessing or curse?

FOR DECADES, writers and filmmakers have imagined a world in which computers and robots have advanced to a stage where they are, at least in some respects, more capable than their creators. Science fiction allows ...

How certainty can breed intolerance

CERTAINTY IS USUALLY thought of as a virtue, and we often regard those who lack firm views on an issue as indecisive or weak. In fact, it can be a mixed blessing, with a refusal to ...

Stop the meddling, cut VAT and provide the confidence to grow

FEW POLITICIANS understand the undercurrents of fiscal policy. They react largely to a public clamour about “tax and spend” which interprets fiscal policy choices as levers to produce instantaneous results.

As is ...