Scotland
The Nicola Sturgeon effect on house prices
Nicola Sturgeon depresses me and seems to be having the same effect on Scottish house prices. In a housing market…
The strangest landscapes are close to home
This pleasant volume, the author announces in the introduction, is ‘not a nature book, or even a travel book, so…
Nicola Sturgeon isn't serious about IndyRef2
The announcement reeked of desperation. Nicola Sturgeon is‘delighted’ that the SNP National Executive Committee has approved her nomination of retired…
Ever weaker Union: The Tories lack a constitutional theory
No doubt Michael Gove is satisfied with how his latest comments on Scottish independence have gone down. The Chancellor of…
Euros 2021: England are easily the most boring side in the tournament
England 0 Scotland 0 Hungary 1 (Fiola) France 1 (Griezmann) The wonderful Hungarians almost took my mind off England’s lamentable…
Scrapping English votes for English laws could spell trouble
It has been almost 45 years since Tam Dalyell first asked the West Lothian Question. It is a damning indictment…
Does this SNP politician think buses are racist?
One of the benefits of devolution has been giving Scots their own parliament in which the great issues of the…
Prince William won't save the Union
Can the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge save the Union? Officials at Buckingham Palace are reported to be drawing up…
Give the people what they think they want
I have a mean streak. Perhaps my cruellest urge is to give people what they claim to want. When political…
My enduring love for Ewan McGregor
In the New York Times, the celebrated journalist Maureen Dowd describes Crieff as ‘a sleepy town in Scotland’. Well. There…
Scotland is open – and desperate for English tourists
Scotland is open – and desperate for English tourists
Are 'controversial stickers' really a matter for the police?
Has Police Scotland misunderstood the purpose of policing? A recent crackdown on ‘controversial stickers’ appears to suggest as much. ‘On Monday…
Scotland's next constitutional fight won't be over a referendum
Get ready for a constitutional rammy during the first half of this, the sixth session of the Scottish parliament. Just…
Letters: The beauty of brick
The Union in peril Sir: Fraser Nelson (‘The great pretender’, 15 May) writes that it has never been easier to…
Portrait of the week: Scotland votes, Queen speaks and Israel-Palestine crisis escalates
Home A new complexion of British politics was revealed by the capture of Hartlepool by Jill Mortimer for the Conservatives…
The 'mandate wars' won't be resolved anytime soon
So what does it all mean? The first thing to bear in mind is that more than one thing may…
Can Anas Sarwar woo voters back to Scottish Labour?
Can Anas Sarwar woo Scottish voters back?
What’s next for the Union?
The Union faces two simultaneous challenges in Northern Ireland and Scotland that both look set to worsen in the coming…
Your guide to the 2021 election results
This week will see the biggest set of polls in UK history outside of a general election. Contests are under…
Las Vegas resident urges Scots to vote SNP
Sunday’s anti-climactic finale looked set to be the biggest Line of Duty let-down for fans of the hit BBC series.…
What’s so great about ‘super’?
‘Wizard,’ said William. ‘Super,’ said Ginger, in William and the Moon Rocket (1954). More recently we have had Alex Salmond,…
Letters: There’s nothing libertarian about vaccine passports
Taking liberties Sir: I feel that Matthew Parris is absolutely wrong about liberty (‘The libertarian case for vaccine passports’, 10…
Letters: The inconsistencies of Mormonism
A leap of faith Sir: I live not far from the ‘London Temple’ of the Church of Jesus Christ of…
Portrait of the week: Vaccine passports, Northern Ireland riots and a cocaine-smuggling kayaker
Home The government sketched a scheme for a coronavirus passport, or ‘Covid status certification’, to be tried out at the…
Drowning the sorrows of Scotland’s virulent nationalism
There is a more depressing subject than the lockdown. The evening began with a bottle of 18-year-old Glenmorangie. It was…
