Scotland
We must never lose the treasured Orkneys
Fertile fields and spectacular sea stacks are matched by an extraordinarily rich, dramatic history. No wonder the islands have been so celebrated for centuries
The London Library should leave us in peace
Reading only slightly between the lines of US foreign policy on Israel/Gaza, I detect that its most urgent aim is…
Portrait of the Week: hate crimes, surprise knighthoods and flaming rickshaws
Home The Hate Crime and Public Order Act came into effect in Scotland, making it a crime to communicate or…
Scotland’s Hate Crime Act may have done us all a favour
Scotland’s Hate Crime Act (HCA) has, by common agreement, been an unmitigated disaster. Less than a week old, there are…
An unenviable mission: Clear, by Carys Davies, reviewed
It is 1843, the year of the Great Disruption in the Scottish Church, and an impoverished minister is being paid to clear a lonely North Sea island of any remaining inhabitants
The splendour of Edinburgh’s new Scottish galleries
Claudia Massie on the spectacular new galleries that showcase the best of Scottish art for the first time
How the Scottish care system failed me in every conceivable way
Jenni Fagan dug up all the files and archives on herself as a baby in care to write this stunning and poignant memoir
Can Labour win back Scotland?
When the political cabinet met on Tuesday, by-elections were on the agenda. The Prime Minister is facing four of them.…
Nicola Sturgeon’s arrest was inevitable
There was an air of inevitability about the arrest today of Nicola Sturgeon. The SNP had been braced for it.…
Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon arrested in SNP finance investigation
Nicola Sturgeon has been arrested in connection with the probe into SNP finances. A spokesperson for Nicola Sturgeon confirmed: ‘Nicola…
In defence of the Free Church of Scotland
Recent days have shown an upsurge of interest in a small Presbyterian church (the Free Church of Scotland, colloquially referred…
The SNP leadership race has turned into the mother of all culture wars
Bring back Nicola Sturgeon. The race to replace her as SNP leader and first minister has turned into the mother…
Is it time to replace Scotland’s sporting anthem?
‘Flower of Scotland’ is the unofficial national anthem north of the border but soon enough we may never hear its…
Why we pick the wrong holiday destinations
Having returned from a fortnight’s break, I wonder if we get holidays all wrong. In northern Europe, the custom is…
The Queen’s act of Union
In death, as in life, Elizabeth II has been a unifying force for her country. For all the political rancour…
Money won't keep the Union together
Despite its name, Gers Day is not an annual celebration of the Ibrox side that makes up one half of…
The gender debate is getting nastier
Elaine Miller is one of the grown-ups. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, with a specialism…
Sturgeon isn't an 'attention seeker'
There is a lot of pearl-clutching over Liz Truss’s dismissive remarks about Nicola Sturgeon. Much of it involves conflating a…
Portrait of the week: Scottish independence, striking lawyers and the end of Roe vs Wade
Home Ben Wallace, the Defence Secretary, said that military spending had to increase. Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, reacted to…
Nicola Sturgeon has put Boris Johnson in a tight corner
Nicola Sturgeon’s claim that she will not contemplate breaching the rule of law by holding an independence referendum was pretty blatant…
Another Scottish independence referendum is coming
Despite what the SNP and its supporters insist, Nicola Sturgeon did not ‘announce’ a second referendum on independence today. Far…