Today's Thinking
From Govan to Gorton, unionism is an island shared not divided
SOMETHING is shifting in post-industrial Britain. It is not a sudden national swing or a dramatic revolt. It is quieter than that. For decades, London-focused
Jonathan Stanley
March 20, 2026
Edinburgh’s drug consumption room consultation needs your voice
They say it will “benefit the city” – here’s what happened where they tried it. WE’VE HEARD the script before. A supervised drug consumption room
Annemarie Ward
March 17, 2026
Council decision-making is becoming less transparent and more opaque
WHEN Councillor Fiona Higgins stood up to question how Glasgow’s education cuts were being presented, she thought she was doing something entirely ordinary. An elected
Annemarie Ward
March 9, 2026
In Scotland the revolution will be properly risk-assessed
IF YOU’VE LIVED in Scotland over the past few years you could be forgiven for thinking public life has become one long group chat argument
Annemarie Ward
February 18, 2026
Think Politics
Why the “Ex-Tory” name calling is lazy and wrong
RECENT MEDIA COVERAGE has attempted to make political capital out of the claim that around 40 per cent of Reform Scotland candidates were previously members
Linda Holt
March 20, 2026
Why Scottish cities become a magnet to migrants
OPINION POLLS continue to show that immigration is a top three issue for the public. Yet you wouldn’t believe it if you listen to our
Iain Whyte
March 17, 2026
PMQs explained: Why Zippy should zip it
LIFE ISN’T FAIR, but how we sound matters. Hollywood knows this. It’s not enough to look good, you have to sound good. Barack Obama’s smooth,
Dr Gail MacDonald
March 9, 2026
Trump and Iran: international law as an alibi, power as the answer
WAR, DIPLOMATS LIKE TO SAY, begins where law ends. Nowadays, the opposite is closer to the truth. Modern international law has become the preferred camouflage
Bepi Pezzulli
March 5, 2026
Think Culture
“Wuthering Heights” – the 2026 cover version
REMEMBER Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights? It’s the novel about a sexy romp that scandalised 1820s society written by the enfant terrible of her day? No?
Dr Gail MacDonald
February 12, 2026
Landman: Billy Bob Thornton in a country for old men
SEASON 2 of Paramount TV’s male fantasy Landman just ended (but is available to stream). Throw together a stellar cast, soap opera plotting, take-your-time direction,
Dr Gail MacDonald
February 11, 2026
She saved her country from socialists
The authorised biography of Margaret Thatcher, single-volume edition CHARLES MOORE was appointed by Margaret Thatcher as her authorised biographer. He published three volumes between 2013
Ian Mitchell
October 24, 2025
Displaced people – is there room at the inn, or not?
What to do with displaced people who no country wants – lessons from 1945 IS GOVERNMENT supposed to work for the people or are the
Ian Mitchell
September 30, 2025
Think Business
Gorton and Denton: a plumbing lesson for Scotland
PLUMBERS ought to vote Tory or Reform, not Green. Why? Because they are usually independent small businesspeople who exhibit all the enterprising qualities that are
Hugo de Burgh
March 9, 2026
How Scotland can become a wealthier nation
The first of a series from the Wealthy Nation Healthy Nation paper edited by Malcolm Offord This chapter was by Dr Gerard Lyons SINCE THE
Malcolm Offord
December 17, 2025
Private landlords are the solution not the problem
IMAGINE you owned a snazzy two-seater sports car and that, as you were going abroad to work for a while, you decided, rather than leave
David McLennan
December 17, 2025
Required urgently: an economic revolution
TO SAY that Rachel Reeves’ first sixteen months as Chancellor of the Exchequer have not been an unqualified success is something of an understatement. Since
Mike Nevin
November 12, 2025