Scotland
Does the SNP really want to copy Norway's gender revolution?
Five years ago, in June 2016, Norway allowed anyone to change their legal gender. Legislative Decree 71 was everything that…
Why Boris Johnson must say no to a second Scottish referendum
It’s hard to believe in these early weeks of 2021, when the country is grappling with an unprecedented national health…
Is the SNP prepared for Scotland's next financial crisis?
As the world continues its fight against Covid-19, the Scottish National Party has been busy plotting Scotland’s exit from the UK. If…
Sturgeon and the impunity of the SNP
Scottish politics tends to go through long bouts of single-party dominance. In the 19th century, the Liberals were in charge.…
The age of de-enlightenment
Depictions of Thomas Carlyle and David Hume in the Scottish Portrait Gallery will be altered to make it clear they…
The Sturgeon paradox: the worse she does, the more popular she becomes
Despite her record, nothing can stop Nicola Sturgeon
Leaving the Union would harm Scotland more than Brexit
The Spectator recently ran a piece by Andrew Wilson, author of the SNP’s Sustainable Growth Commission, under the headline ‘Scotland…
We don't want pandemic novels – we want gentle escapism
I’m often asked when I’ll write a pandemic novel. I’m not sure I’d ever be tempted, though the backdrop of…
More devolution in England could save the Union
Tory MPs are already starting to talk about May’s various elections. Boris Johnson’s first post-Covid electoral test will take place…
Scotland can’t afford to remain part of the Union
Staying in the Union is now riskier than independence
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…
Drinking to the glories of Burns and follies of Boris
At least in London, midwinter spring has not been entirely vanquished, and the trees are still a couple of strong…
Will my kids report me for hate speech?
When Humza Yousaf, the SNP’s cabinet secretary for justice, announced that his new Hate Crime Bill would remove the ‘dwelling…
Letters: How Nicola Sturgeon outdoes Boris
Ask the English Sir: Toby Young rightly criticises the juvenile posturing of the devolved governments of the Union over Covid-19…
Letters: why Scots want independence
State of the Union Sir: Writing in a week that an opinion poll shows 58 per cent support for independence…
Why are the devolved nations so ungrateful?
One of the things I hadn’t anticipated about the pandemic is that it would turn me into an English nationalist.…
Older and grumpier: A Song for the Dark Times, by Ian Rankin, reviewed
By my reckoning, this is the 24th outing for John Rebus, Scotland’s best known retired police officer. One of the…
Only a ‘good’ Brexit can stop Scottish independence
Only a ‘good’ Brexit can stop Scottish independence
Divided nation: will Covid rules tear the country apart?
The Covid divide is triggering political tensions
Letters: Why does No.10 seem so oblivious to the threat of Scottish independence?
Referendum risk Sir: James Forsyth’s excellent analysis (‘To save the Union, negotiate independence’, 5 September) has one flaw: it is…
To save the Union, negotiate Scotland’s independence
The first cabinet meeting of the new term and Boris Johnson’s summer holiday were both dominated by one concern: how…
The hijacking of the Scots language
A teenager in North Carolina has been revealed as the creator of a fifth or even a half of the…
Scexit has become a matter of faith, not fact
There is a satirical flowchart that sums up Scottish nationalism better than a thousand articles. It begins with the question:…
Can Scotland afford independence?
How would an independent Scotland have fared during the pandemic? We found out this week on the annual release of…
Letters: Why do we need beavers?
It’s not about money Sir: Professor Tombs criticises Alex Massie (Letters, 22 August) for ignoring evidence when the latter claims…
