Scotland
The cult of Powell & Pressburger’s I Know Where I’m Going!
I know where I’m going. I’m on the sleeper train chugging out of Euston and heading to Fort William. A…
Cullen skink is comfort in a bowl
They say not to judge a book by its cover – but what about judging a recipe by its name?…
The brilliance of BBC Alba
During lockdown, a friend and I moved into a flat that had a difficult relationship with the TV aerial. Ineptitude…
North Uist’s whisky is one to watch
There are at least two Long Islands. One of them, eternally famous for The Great Gatsby, is a fascinating blend…
Raise the age of suffrage to 25
If I had been given the vote at the age of 16, I would have put my cross beside the…
Style, wit and pace: Netflix’s Dept. Q reviewed
Can you imagine how dull a TV detective series set in a realistic Scottish police station would be? Inspector Salma…
The polarising poet, sculptor and ‘avant-gardener’ who maintained a private militia
Not many artists engage in the maintenance of a private militia, and it seems fair to assume that those who…
The lunacy of Gillian Mackay’s abortion bill
I had spent my life so far in blissful ignorance of a woman called Gillian Mackay. I mean, I knew…
McSpaff: Scotland is the worst when it comes to government waste
No country in the UK receives more public money per head than Scotland. An extra £2,200 is spent on every…
Starmer’s Scottish headache
What does a party get after nearly two decades in office, collapsing public services, an internal civil war and a…
The maudlin, magical world of Celtic Connections
Is it possible to find a common thread running through the finest Scottish music? If pushed, one might identify a…
Letters: The dangers of the ADHD ‘industry’
Nothing left Sir: Rod Liddle is right to ascribe the establishment’s desire to suppress the truth in relation to grooming…
The gross hypocrisy of the SNP
If there’s one thing the SNP truly excels at, it’s maintaining double standards. The extraordinary case of the Scottish government…
The tragedy of Scotland’s church sell-off
‘We are not a heritage society,’ insisted the Rev David Cameron, Convener of the Assembly Trustees of the Church of…
Salmond’s critics can’t ignore his lasting legacy
When he lost his Gordon seat in the 2017 general election, Alex Salmond told his count and those watching –…
Alex Salmond was an unstoppable force of nature
It is hard to believe that I will no longer wake up on Monday mornings to the sound of Alex…
Is Scottish Labour really back?
Labour’s first conference from government in 14 years might not be taking place against an ideal backdrop, with the Prime…
Imperfections in wood can make for the loveliest carvings
Often beneath the surface of a knobbly lump bulging from the side of a tree ‘a myriad of swirling, almost impossibly beautiful clusters is hiding’, bursting with creative possibility
Margaret Tudor – queen, regent and hapless intermediary
Aged 13, Henry VII’s eldest daughter was dispatched to marry James IV of Scotland. But a precarious truce between the kingdoms soon ended with the Battle of Flodden
Echoes of Tom Brown’s School Days: Rabbits, by Hugo Rifkind, reviewed
When 16-year-old Tommo moves to an elite, brutish boarding school, he longs to fit in and even manages to join the inner circle. But can he ever really become ‘one of them’?
The Scottish Tories need a better election strategy
It is no surprise that the Scottish Conservative manifesto launch was centred on independence. While Scotland’s Tories talk about the…
The good old ways: nature’s best chance of recovery
Traditional agricultural methods still operating in pockets of Europe maintain an enviable balance of ecology and economy and an extraordinary diversity of wildlife
Scotland’s religious collapse
Last week, I had a drink with a Catholic priest friend who works with young people in custody. Inevitably, our…
Alex Salmond: We are not splitting the SNP vote
Is Alex Salmond feasting on the misery of an SNP that, having hit its high watermark, is now having to…
Sunak won’t be much help to the Scottish Tories
The first few days of this general election campaign have been characterised by Rishi Sunak’s dismal campaign management. From wet…
