Scottish independence
Nicola Sturgeon’s threat of Indyref2 could save the Scottish Tories
In the village of Waterfoot on the outskirts of Glasgow, a lady in her thirties is explaining to her local…
The real reason Nicola Sturgeon is campaigning against Brexit
Nicola Sturgeon, who claimed this week that ‘Scotland is rich enough, strong enough and big enough’ to take its place…
How not to handle an independence referendum
If David Cameron seeks any testament to his handling of Britain’s difficulties with Scottish separatism, the mess that Spain is…
Why MPs can’t switch off this summer
There are few quicker ways to annoy an MP than to suggest that they are on holiday when the House…
Sturgeon doth protest too much, me thinks
I couldn’t believe it when Nicola Sturgeon called for the resignation of Alistair Carmichael, the former Scottish Secretary, over his…
Barometer
Plagued by stigma The World Health Organisation told doctors to stop naming diseases after people, places and animals so as…
State of play
How has political theatre fared during the coalition? Not very well, writes Lloyd Evans
Salmond’s demagoguery
Alex Salmond spent two years campaigning for independence for Scotland on the grounds of ‘social justice’. Now, claiming that the…
I’ll never feel the same about the Scots
I doubt I’m alone among English readers of this magazine in having felt uncomfortable with our last issue. ‘Please stay…
Portrait of the week
Home England suddenly began to take the prospect of Scottish independence seriously after a poll of 1,084 people by YouGov…
The pound sterling doesn’t buy happiness
My second favourite religious joke is an old Jewish joke (which I read in the Harvard Review, so I assume…
Assange is a narcissist and a nut – but if America ever comes for him, we should take his side
Poor Julian Assange. Call me a contrarian but I’m genuinely starting to feel sorry for the guy. He’s just made…
State of independence
Lloyd Evans tours the Edinburgh Festival in search of clues about the outcome of the referendum
Nearly there, Darling
The success of the campaign to save the Union can be heard in the increasingly hysterical tone of independence supporters
Diary
Could there be a more timely advert for the Better Together campaign than on the field of sport? What the…
Barometer
Escape committees An LSE/Institute for Government report estimated the cost of Scottish independence at £2.7 billion, a sum arrived at…
How to lose a country
For centuries, the possibility of Scottish independence seemed so remote as to be laughable. Until recently the nationalists seemed quixotic,…
Union in peril
Alex Salmond is on course to win. Why hasn’t England noticed?
The Spectator’s Notes
In Dublin, where I am writing this column, people are watching the Scottish referendum campaign more closely than in London.…
If no one makes the case for the Union, how can we win?
Next year will decide the fate of the United Kingdom. The Scottish independence referendum on the 18th of September could…
The Spectator’s Notes
Boris Johnson’s Margaret Thatcher Lecture to the Centre for Policy Studies attracted attention for its remarks about IQ, but the…
Alex Salmond’s economic policies would drive an independent Scotland into the ground
Within the white paper on economic policy in an independent Scotland that was published by Alex Salmond’s government this week…
Investment: Bargains for bravehearts
An investor’s guide to the Scottish referendum
Diary
There isn’t a Scottish politician in living memory who hasn’t been on the Caledonian Sleeper. I always imagined Donald Dewar…
