The Justice Secretary may duck and dive but the buck stops with him

LAST WEEK’S NEWS was dominated by allegations that have been made against senior Police Scotland officers, leading to a number of suspensions. I was asked by various outlets to comment on this but declined to ...

The Lobbying Act – a threat to democracy or win for openness and transparency?

THE LOBBYING ACT – three words guaranteed to raise anxiety levels among the myriad organisations that regularly engage with the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government.

This Act, which largely slipped through ...

The Scottish Parliament’s time limits should be reformed

ON DECEMBER 17, 2014, the former Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Angela Constance, stood up in the Scottish Parliament to make an official statement on historic child abuse. The then Presiding Officer, Tricia ...

Yes, real men do eat quiche!

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY (March 8) is a hugely important awareness campaign that drives the message that women, across the world, are often belittled and violated because of their sex. The day is both immensely crucial in recognising the accomplishments ...

Parties unite against the SNP's Swim Tax

OPPOSITION PARTIES across the Scottish Parliament – the Greens, Labour, and Liberal Democrats – joined with the Conservatives this week to oppose proposals for a “swim tax” on leisure facilities. The debate at Holyrood, held ...

Lights, Camera, Salmond!

REMEMBER THAT “whom the gods would destroy they first make mad” said Prometheus, as he learned of Alex Salmond’s new RT-backed television show. 

After more than twenty years Salmond’s thespian need for attention ...

Playing Poker with Bourbons

THE PRIME MINISTER continues to play poker with herself, upping her own offer to the EU in return for absolutely nothing. The magic money tree is growing like topsy and we are now up to ...

Lessons from Varoufakis should not be ignored

A MONTH OR TWO AGO, I noticed that a pro-Remain correspondent to The National, Hugh Mclean, had claimed that the EU Commission was "the civil service of the EU". Describing the EU Commission as a humble ...

Who really pays tax today?

HERE ARE some facts that need to be taken into account when considering all that is flying around about who pays taxes and who doesn't.

Tax cuts focussed on lowest paid by ...

Theresa May should bring back David Cameron

Splutter your coffee all ye may, ol’ Dave is coming back to play.

SUCH IS the nursery rhyme that will bewilder future generations if there is any truth to it. Shock at ...

Corbyn's contradictions on Brexit are visible if you look hard enough

THE POLITICAL TIDAL WAVES that have lashed over the government, unleashed first by Hurricane Boris and then the wet Tsunami that is Chancellor Hammond have in the last month served to draw attention away from ...

Let's make the EU an offer it cannot refuse?

PROFESSIONALS risk manage. They plan and perform duties with care and diligence. Brinkmanship is not in their quiver because negligence is a career killer.

Politicians are not professionals by nature. Civil servants ...