Venezuela's tragedy: spreading terrorism?

EARLIER THIS YEAR the ELN (National Liberation Army of Colombia), a far-left Colombian terrorist group, killed 29 innocent people and wounded 68 more in a vehicle bomb suicide attack on the Police ...

President Trump’s State visit was a personal success

THE VISIT OF PRESIDENT TRUMP to the United Kingdom was always going to be entertaining for some and controversial for others. Before he was even in the United Kingdom, the President got involved in domestic ...

Scotland and the Union should be at the centre of the Conservative Party leadership contest

IT IS NO SURPRISE that our departure from the European Union has dominated the discussion surrounding who becomes the next leader of the Conservative Party. It is the biggest political issue of our time and ...

Scottish Conservatives face humiliation because they never courted Leave voters

IF THE RUNES are right Ruth Davidson’s version of how a modern Conservative Party should look is about to suffer an embarrassing humiliation at the hands of the Scottish electorate in this week’s European elections.

Venezuela's tragedy: Chavez and Maduro screw the workers

THE CONTEMPT of Chavez and his followers for the organised working class can be seen clearly in the fate of Ciudad Guyana, Venezuela’s industrial heartland.  A hub of giant steel mills, coal and bauxite mines, ...

The “return to sender” government

IT IS SOMETHING of an article of faith for the current SNP Government that it continually demands more powers to be transferred to Holyrood from Westminster. Whatever the issue, the economy, the public services, or ...

Deep fractures appear in Spain after Sunday’s election

JEREMY CORBYN OFFERED his ‘felicidades’ to Pedro Sanchez, the leaders of the Spanish Socialist workers Party (PSOE) after it was confirmed as the largest party in Sunday’s general election. But he has 14 fewer seats ...

Nicola’s Indyref manoeuvres fool no one

IF EVER someone deserved the title of the Grand Old Duchess of York, then surely Nicola Sturgeon would qualify for her flip-flopping on the question of a second independence referendum.

Back in ...

Back in the EU cooler – why we must escape again

RACING TOWARDS the Swiss border, having jumped one row of barbed wire, the capture of Hilts (Steve McQueen) before he can jump the second row is the iconic anti-climax of the 1960s classic The Great Escape. ...

Ten years on and the Bully State continues to grow

THE OTHER DAY I Tweeted a link to an article I had written for ThinkScotland about a further possible incursion into our rights as individuals by the state. (This time it’s demands to restrict ...

Venezuela's tragedy: Enrichment has been for the few, not the many

THERE IS A MYTH that as president the late Hugo Chavez reduced poverty in Venezuela. That he helped the poorest at the expense of the rich. It is untrue. Venezuela has, under his and his ...

Arguments for assisted suicide need answered

THIS WEEK the “Dignity in Dying” campaign launched a new bid to change the law around assisted suicide. A Cross Party Group of MSPs wrote to The Sunday Times  making the case for reform, highlighting ...