THERE IS a strange magic at the heart of modern British government. Westminster announces that it is “giving power away”, local politicians celebrate their shiny
In political movements where a single constitutional goal becomes dominant, governance can begin to feel secondary to the pursuit of resolution. Policy becomes refracted through
“TO A FEW OF US here today this is a solemn and most momentous occasion, and yet in the history of our nation it is
FOR DECADES, Scottish politics has argued over how much money Scotland receives. The debate has revolved around the Barnett Formula, fiscal transfers, oil revenues and
FOR YEARS, much of Scotland’s environmental debate has revolved around targets, regulations and government strategies. Carbon figures are announced, consultations launched, deadlines set. Yet for
THE ADMISSION of embezzlement by the leader of House Murrell compounds a resignation across Scotland that the SNP has some serious issues with integrity. It
First published on 22 March 2021 WHEN WRITING about the ongoing saga in Bute House it is difficult to know when and where to begin.
FOR YEARS, the United Kingdom has approached the Eurovision Song Contest with a strange mixture of nostalgia, embarrassment and resignation. We joke about “nul points”,
FOR YEARS in Scotland we have been told the third sector is the beating heart of civil society. Volunteers. Campaigners. Stakeholders. Independent voices speaking truth
TRAVELLING THROUGH the blue skied sunny hills of Shropshire, on my way to pay some more tax to our masters, the Scot within me has
SOMETHING is shifting in post-industrial Britain. It is not a sudden national swing or a dramatic revolt. It is quieter than that. For decades, London-focused
Time to stop managing failure and start preventing it. STROKE is one of the most predictable catastrophes in Scottish medicine. We know who is at