A soft Brexit made in Scotland?
Add together the Scottish contingent in the Commons – 35 SNP, 13 Tories, seven Labour and four Liberal Democrats – and you find a formidable bloc for Britain either remaining in the…
Scotland
Whatever happened to “now is not the time”?
If this election is going to be the Brexit election it is also going to be one that could decide the future of the British Union, reports Murray Ritchie from Scotland. So…
Between the Rock and a hard Brexit
Murray Ritchie explains why Scottish nationalists are smiling. Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon could be forgiven if she let out a shout of delight when the Spanish let it be known they…
The SNP prepares to back off the EU – for now
Being seen to go cold on the European Union will annoy many in the SNP’s mainstream but Nicola Sturgeon’s personal standing and unchallenged authority should be enough to pacify critics, says Murray…
Can the North Sea’s good times roll again?
Oil operators seeking significant tax breaks to boost activity were disappointed this week when the chancellor instead bought time by setting up a committee, Murray Richie reports. Just as the UK’s offshore…
Scotland in the EU – the UK’s successor state?
The sudden glow of goodwill from Brussels suggests that when the going gets serious the European Union will be on Scotland’s side, writes Murray Ritchie. Two issues have become central to the…
Tax break – but not for Scotland’s middle class
… but university education, concessionary travel, pharmaceutical prescriptions and personal care are still free, writes Murray Ritchie. For the first time the United Kingdom has different rates of income tax in Scotland…
Scottish politics in Brexit Britain – it’s complicated
Labour views with horror its abysmal poll ratings. The thought of a possible early general election is too alarming to contemplate. Just think then how bad things are for Labour in Scotland…
Blood thicker than water in US-Scottish relations
When you publicly condemn Donald Trump’s views as “deeply abhorrent” and tell him “you’re fired” and then your phone goes, you could be forgiven for worrying when you hear the words: “The…
Scotophobia: Ukip’s road to electoral oblivion
Paul Nuttall, the new leader of Ukip, knows how to outperform Nigel Farage in at least one respect. Where Farage made himself famously unpopular in Scotland, Nuttall is on course to make…