No one should celebrate the decline of America
Where is America? Like an old friend who hasn’t been in touch for years, you wonder if its silence is…
Sex, trans rights and the Scottish census
It takes some doing to make a census interesting. So congratulations to the National Records of Scotland (NRS). NRS, which administers…
Why are Tories still loyal to Boris Johnson?
As an outsider looking in, it is curious to note just how loyal some remain to Boris Johnson. Not the…
To save the Union, ignore Gordon Brown
As he blasts his way through the remaining support beams of the UK constitution, Gordon Brown is doing more to…
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Twitter ban is nothing to celebrate
Marjorie Taylor Greene is nuttier than M&M World. Not your garden-variety conservative, or even a conservative at all, but a…
Tony Blair’s knighthood is long overdue
Arise Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair, Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter. Yes, that should give…
No, Steve Baker, voters don’t want Thatcher again
Steve Baker’s decision to boot Nadine Dorries out of a group chat of Conservative MPs has captured the attention of…
Brexiteers will sorely miss Lord Frost
Lord Frost’s resignation is bad news for Boris Johnson, though that’s a side matter. Prime ministers come and go, what…
China is right to laugh at the west
Signs of the enervating weakness of the west’s governing elites aren’t that hard to find but the case of the…
Priti Patel and the progressive language police
There was an exchange in the House of Commons on Thursday afternoon that ought to be a scandal but won’t.…
Kyle Rittenhouse and the collapse of media neutrality
Anyone who thought the jury’s verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse case might prompt some reflection among the political and media…
Why aren’t we more horrified by the Liverpool bombing?
Back when the West was still pretending to fight the ‘war on terror’, Martin Amis made an observation about the…
It’s time for Boris to turn back the Channel migrant boats
There is a sentence in the latest BBC report on English Channel migrant crossings that is just exquisite. Thursday saw…
As COP26 looms, Glasgow is facing a waste crisis
In early November, Glasgow will be the focus of the world’s attention for COP26, the UN’s Climate Change Conference. For…
Why Boris is losing his fight against Sturgeon
Gavin Barwell has made a good point, albeit inadvertently. Theresa May’s former chief of staff has a book out, imaginatively…
Blue-collar Toryism comes to Scotland
Like all good fables, Douglas Ross’s speech at Tory conference had a beginning, middle and end. Act One detailed the…
All eyes on Glasgow
With COP26 weeks away, the city is in the middle of a waste crisis
Labour is still overrun with anti-Israel cranks
As unhinged Labour conference motions go, the party’s anti-Aukus resolution will likely capture the headlines. The text describes the new…
Calling Tories ‘scum’ is part of Angela Rayner’s leadership pitch
The chair of this year’s Labour Party conference, Margaret Beckett opened proceedings yesterday emphasising the importance of civility. A few…
Australia and the new special relationship
The awkwardly-named AUKUS agreement reflects Washington’s escalating concern about China’s dominance in the Indo-Pacific. It signals London’s determination to be…
Can doctors be ‘neutral’ on assisted dying?
The British Medical Association (BMA) has dropped its opposition to assisted dying after a landmark vote. In doing so, it…
From Neil to Nigel: the descent of GB News
I can’t claim to know any behind-the-scenes rivalries or boardroom brouhaha motivating Andrew Neil’s departure from GB News but I…
The blind spot in the SNP’s ‘war on drink’
Scotland’s grim reputation for abnormally high drug fatalities has become embedded in the public consciousness over the past year. The…
Why are Labour politicians siding with Ken Loach?
Richard Leonard, former leader of the Scottish Labour party, has posted a photograph of himself standing beside Ken Loach on…
How do we stop the next David Cameron?
One of the enduring charms of British politics is how slight the pecuniary rewards are for taking up the job…
