Today's Thinking
PMQs is a boring Keirologue – and that suits Starmer
WINNING is all that matters in sports. True greats like Novak Djokovic are machines, winning through strong, unfazed, consistent responses. In tennis it works a treat. Bat it back, score a few points and
Dr Gail MacDonald
April 7, 2026
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
Think Politics
Four times the council tax band? That’s Lib Dem progressive taxation
LATE LAST AUTUMN I had the dubious pleasure of attending the recording of Dutch leftist historian Rutger Bregman’s third BBC Reith Lecture here in Edinburgh. He
Iain Whyte
April 9, 2026
Edinburgh’s consultation is a foregone conclusion dressed up as a conversation
LET’S BE HONEST about where we are. For the past year, anyone who has raised concerns about drug consumption rooms, residents, community groups, frontline voices,
Annemarie Ward
April 7, 2026
The SNP Government’s delusional climate change plan for 2026-2040
THE SNP Scottish Government has just published its updated climate change plan for the period 2026 to 2040. It is very long-winded as its tentacles extend intrusively
Douglas Brodie
March 30, 2026
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
Think Culture
Oranges are not the only marmalade
AS THE UK re-aligns itself with EU food regulations (like 2016 never happened) marmalade is being relabelled. Marmalade to the Spanish and Italians can come from
Dr Gail MacDonald
April 11, 2026
How Net Zero threatens curling, skating and swimming
IT IS NOT just industry that is being devastated by the UK’s self-inflicted high energy costs resulting from Net Zero policies – sports, leisure and
Brian Monteith
April 8, 2026
“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
Think Business
Scotland cannot afford another five years of economic drift
AFTER NEARLY two decades in power, the record of the Scottish National Party is no longer a matter of promise, but of performance. And for
Struan Stevenson
April 14, 2026
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