SNP
Zoe Williams’s diary: The return of the Tories means tears in the playground
For the 2005 general election, I had a party featuring a gigantic cheesecake with differentiated segments by allegiance. It contained…
The two Labour tribes preparing to go to war
A new leader will have to focus on winning, not sniping
James Runcie’s diary: A Willie’s shock at the SNP
I am writing a play about Dr Johnson and his Dictionary. It will be performed in Scotland later this year.…
After Miliband’s ‘tablet of stone’ stunt, I may just spend election day in the pub
You have the advantage over me. You know the result of the general election, whereas I do not — a…
Reflections on the revolution in Scotland
This was the Scottish election. Where next for the Union now?
The year that Scotland learned to hate
If the SNP isn't about Scottish purity and hating the English, why do so many of its supporters behave as if it is?
Welcome to Miliband country: how Labour would wreck rural life
A ‘progressive alliance’ would be a profound threat to rural life
Portrait of the week
Home The prospect of a parliamentary alliance between Labour and the Scottish National Party injected an element of fear into…
What happens to politicians who insult the audience? Ask Dan Quayle
Any answers? Nigel Farage accused the audience in the BBC opposition leaders’ debate of being left-wing. Need insulting an audience…
Left-wing populism is on the rise - and may take Ed Miliband to No10
Would-be leaders of the left are harnessing the mood of angry populism
The SNP has replaced the Church of Scotland
The great SNP revival, and why it’s impervious to reason
Won't somebody please try to win this election?
The age of two-party politics is over: we know that because everyone keeps saying so. We are entering an era…
Do Scots really die that much younger?
The Scottish way of death Nicola Sturgeon said the SNP would block a rise in the state pension age on…
A Scottish revolution is coming, and everyone’s losing their heads
Normally, if a candidate whose party came fourth in a constituency last time tells you they’re going to win, you…
A Greek default is coming – as soon as next month
Bored with the election? Switch over to the Greek debt drama. In this week’s cliffhanger, silver-tongued finance minister Yanis Varoufakis…
Is this election a Champions League game? Or Millwall vs Brighton?
I’ve been trying to think of a good football analogy to describe the battle between the two main parties as…
The election result that everyone expects – and no one wants
To form a coalition, David Cameron had to give up the Prime Ministerial prerogative to determine when the election was…
The fall of the Roman republic and the rise of Alex Salmond
Alex Salmond, the ex-first minister who proved incapable of making Scotland independent, has assured the world that he and his…
Alex Salmond sets out his terms for Ed Miliband
‘Would you like a glass of pink champagne?’ asks Alex Salmond at 3.30 p.m., sounding very much like a man…
The real threat to Britain (and it’s not the SNP)
What a load of mendacious balls everybody talks about Scotland. It’s like a disease. It’s like, you know how they…
What Ukip wants: get Farage elected, then prepare for a Labour collapse in the north
Inside the party’s Mayfair headquarters
My plan for Question Time: mug up and fail anyway
I was invited on Question Time this week, which gave me a few sleepless nights. Natalie Bennett’s disastrous interview on…
Why an SNP surge at Westminster could mean the end of Britain
A landslide for the SNP will inevitably lead to the end of the Union
Immigration, not money, will improve Scotland's most deprived schools
I suppose we should be thankful that Nicola Sturgeon has acknowledged there’s a problem with Scotland’s public education system, even…
How Labour lost Scotland (and could lose the Union)
Just four months ago Scotland was the scene of great cross-party co-operation — unprecedented in peace-time politics. Gordon Brown was…
