The SNP’s England obsession
There is a whiff of something in the current Scottish Parliament elections. It’s not quite strong enough to call it…
Salmond and Galloway are the worst of both worlds
The death of the Duke of Edinburgh has paused campaigning in the Scottish Parliament election, which provides an opportunity to…
Salmond could spark a nationalist war over Europe
There was a Scooby Doo moment in Alex Salmond’s campaign launch on Tuesday. Something that made me think: ‘Ruh-roh’. The…
The economic case for the Union isn't enough
There is a certain kind of critic of independence who hears the news that public funding for Scotland is 30…
What we still don’t know about the Salmond affair
The inquiry into the Alex Salmond affair has concluded that Nicola Sturgeon misled parliament and potentially breached the ministerial code.…
George Galloway is toxic to the Unionist cause
My mob originates, we have come to assume, from somewhere in Ireland, though exactly where we don’t know. Humza Yousaf,…
Was the civil service compromised by the Salmond affair?
The fallout from David Davis’s intervention in the Alex Salmond affair is all about the messages. The texts which the…
Scottish Tories must be more than the angry party of no
Among the many challenges facing Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross has been the question of definition. It is difficult to…
Will Boris Johnson take responsibility for the Union?
Even for a virtual party conference, Boris Johnson’s speech to the Scottish Tories was a muted affair. As might be…
Ruth Davidson’s exit reveals Scottish Tories’ independence secret
Ruth Davidson has used her final speech to the Scottish Conservative conference to appeal to pro-Union voters. In a video…
Nicola Sturgeon is fighting for her political life
The Alex Salmond inquiry has seen its most remarkable day yet. Three pivotal documents have been released to the Holyrood…
The ICC is playing politics by targeting Israel
Sovereignty, that old-new friend, is in vogue again thanks to Brexit and the advances made by nationalists across Europe and…
The case for liberal pessimism
Liberalism hasn’t had its sorrows to seek of late but its misfortunes show no sign of abating. The confluence of…
In defence of 2020
In what I am trying to turn into a tradition, I usually take time at the end of the year…
The limits of trans tolerance
Andy Wightman is — or, as of this afternoon, was — the most independent-minded Green member of the Scottish parliament.…
French republicanism confounds American progressives
Can an entire country sue for libel? If so, France would have a strong suit against swathes of the American…
Keir Starmer should purge Labour of the far-left
Sir Keir Starmer was having such a good year. He broke cover early on to attack the government’s handling of…
Boris was right: Scottish devolution has been a disaster
Boris Johnson says devolution has been a ‘disaster’. This has the rare quality for a Boris statement of being true…
Why Democrats should abandon coercive progressivism
The first rule of Pundit Club is: election results always mean what your political prejudices want them to mean. Since…
Scottish devolution has been tested to destruction
The Scottish Tories are decidedly unenthusiastic about suggestions Westminster devolve further powers to the Scottish Parliament. A proposal to stave…
Devolutionary theory: How Westminster is killing the Union
Robert Conquest’s third law (which may not have been his third law) says that the behaviour of any bureaucratic organisation is…
The SNP, trans rights and the war on women
For a while, it seemed as though Scotland was taking the lead on challenging the new gender orthodoxy. Despite all…
The Lib Dems' transphobia meltdown is complete
The trouble with women is that they have opinions and not necessarily the correct ones. Some even have the audacity…
The 'Notorious RBG' and her triumph over tribalism
Ruth the Moabite is the only Biblical figure to merit the description ‘eshet chayil’ – ‘a woman of valour’. One…
Donald Trump: defender of liberalism
Some things are right even if Donald Trump believes them. The President’s Constitution Day speech was a doughty defence of…
