Why is British Army recruiting in such a bad state?

THE NEW British Army recruiting campaign advertisements have caused a bit of a kerfuffle.  Apparently aimed at “millennials” and “Generation Z” it is the latest in a series of initiatives to try to boost recruiting in ...

Venezuela’s tragedy: where telecoms is about control – not communication

IN 2007 Hugo Chavez nationalised CANTV, Venezuela’s primary telecoms provider. Prior to its nationalisation CANTV had a reputation as South America’s leading telecoms operator. The company utilised the latest equipment, paid staff well, and trained ...

Venezuela’s tragedy: more than just the lights are going out

INSIDE CHAVISTA Venezuela it is not just running water that is no longer available, but electricity too.  Inadequate investment and a lack of maintenance has collapsed the electricity grid, plunging much of the country ...

Phoney Macaroni, the emperor with no clothes

THE EMPEROR  wears no clothes, not even a thin yellow jacket to keep him warm, this winter of great discontent. For the centrist President turned out to be just another centraliser. Not for many years have ...

David Coburn MEP – why I have resigned from UKIP

I HAVE DEVOTED my heart and soul to UKIP for 10 years, and stood in countless elections both North and South of the border, before finally being elected as the only Brexit MEP in Scotland. ...

Book review: Why we get the wrong politicians

ANYONE who has ever expressed even the most remote interest in becoming an elected politician should be forced to read this book, because it will almost certainly put them off attempting to do so. As ...

Let's celebrate both the different and common cultural streams across the UK

IN THE INDEPENDENCE DEBATE one assumption went almost unchallenged. It was that ‘Scotland’ and ‘England’ were different countries. 

Fundamental to that view is the unspoken belief that Scottish ‘culture’ and that of ...

Venezuela's tragedy: How nationalisation has brought the country to its knees

CEMENT IS A VITAL BUILDING MATERIAL that is largely unavailable in Venezuela due to the collapse of the state-owned cement industry. Venezuela’s massive cement scarcity has resulted in the ruin of the construction industry.

Why Christians should back scrapping Scotland’s blasphemy law

IT IS NOT OFTEN that I would find common cause with the Humanist Society of Scotland, but in relation to their campaign to have Scotland’s blasphemy law scrapped, that is exactly what is happening.

Universities must confront student mental health not hide it away

STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH. We need to talk about Student Mental Health. 

Goodness knows, it won't talk about itself. Universities will talk about themselves, that is for sure. They will sell you this ...

Venezuela’s tragedy: state thieving of private property hurts everyone

SINCE THE ELECTION of Chavez, and the ‘Bolivarian Revolution’ that continues under Maduro, the Venezuelan private sector has been heavily damaged. Twenty years ago, there were more than 650,000 private companies in Venezuela. Today, there ...

Mike Russell exposes himself as the unprincipled opportunist he is

IT WAS NOT the best day at the office for Michael Russell. The SNP’s Constitution Secretary has never lacked self-confidence, and must have thought he was in for an easy ride when he appeared in ...