Archive
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We're still in the dark as to whether SNP can beat system a second time
THERE is a tale, allegedly not apocryphal, that when Peter, now Lord Mandelson, was campaigning in Hartlepool as the Labour candidate, with Neil Kinnock as his minder, he popped into a local chippy. As a side order he asked for “some of that lovely
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BBC under fire for cutting off election coverage with results still to be called
THE BBC has come under fire for cutting off coverage of the Holyrood election as results from several constituences were still to be called. BBC One Scotland ended election results coverage at 8.05pm to show Eastenders before results for Dumbarton
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Election 2021: Alex Salmond says he doesn't think the Alba Party will win any seats
ALEX Salmond's Alba Party may not secure any Holyrood seats this year, he's told the BBC. The pro-independence party emerged just six weeks before the vote and dominated headlines, fielding candidates in every region as it sought to secure backing
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Neil Gray's first job as MSP after beating Richard Leonard - the milk run
THE only SNP MP to quit Westminster for a chance at the Scottish Parliament has won his seat. But Neil Gray didn't have time to celebrate before carrying out his first duty as an MPS – picking up the milk for teacher wife Karlie and their children
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Election results so far show SNP are definitely going to form next government
DUE to the pandemic it's been a strange election campaign, and an equally strange results day - or more exactly days. Instead of the political junkie sitting up all night and waking up bleary eyed to the results. We have instead been treated to
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SNP's Angus Robertson takes Edinburgh Central seat from Tories
FORMER SNP MP Angus Robertson has taken the Edinburgh Central seat from the Conservatives. It was previously held by Ruth Davidson, the former Scottish Tory leader who is going to the House of Lords. Robertson had a majority of 4732 and increased
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Scotland ‘united against the fascists’ after far-right candidates rejected
NICOLA Sturgeon has said voters showed that racists and fascists are “not welcome anywhere in Scotland” after two far-right candidates picked up less than 200 votes and one was ejected from the count. Glasgow Southside independent candidate Jayda
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Labour must now split from London – and back independence
AS I wait patiently for the results of the Holyrood election, I have to be satisfied with the usual barrage of English “ local election” results and of course the Hartlepool by-election. Even before this is concluded, it is clear that Keir Starmer
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Let’s hope Nicola Sturgeon's vow is not as empty as the Unionists’ 2014 one
ACCORDING to Dave McEwan Hill on Thursday: “We [the SNP] have the team and we have the information. After today our campaign to normalise independence will be relentless.” I hope he is right but I have serious doubts about the team, and the information
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Stunning win for Kate Forbes as Tory to SNP swing gives her huge majority
KATE Forbes is tonight celebrating a massive victory after trouncing opponents in the Scottish Parliament constituency contest. Forbes, who served as Finance Secretary in the last parliament, took a huge 24,200 votes in Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch
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SNP take Ayr from the Conservatives in second constituency gain of 2021 election
THE SNP is the only party so far to take a seat from another party in the Holyrood election, with two constituencies falling to Scotland's ruling party. In Ayr, Siobhian Brown defeated the incumbent John Scott, who had held the seat since 2000,
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SNP's Jenni Minto wins Michael Russell's old seat in Argyll and Bute
THE SNP have won a majority of votes in Argyll and Bute. The SNP's Jenni Minto won the vote in the constituency with 16,608 votes, an increased majority of 8963 over the Conservatives. There was a swing of 0.3% from the SNP to the Tories.
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Tories believe Angus Robertson will take Edinburgh Central
THE Scottish Conservatives expect to lose their Edinburgh Central seat to the SNP's Angus Robertson after record numbers of voters turned out to vote in the Scottish capital. Scottish Labour's Daniel Johnson has also said he is confident of retaining
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'I hadn't allowed myself to think I would win': Michelle Thomson's 'emotional' SNP victory
MICHELLE Thomson has spoken out about her "emotional" Scottish Parliament victory four years after stepping down from Westminster. Thomson today won 47.3% of the vote in Falkirk East for the SNP. She said: "I was quite emotional because I hadn't
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New election blow for Scottish Labour as party fails to win top target seat
LABOUR have failed to take their top target seat of Rutherglen with the SNP's Clare Haughey regaining the constituency. Party veteran James Kelly is now highly unlikely to return to Holyrood as he is only fifth placed on the party's regional list
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Hitman sentenced to 28 years in jail for murder of Trainspotting actor
A HITMAN has been sentenced to at least 28 years in jail for the “cowardly and wicked” murder of Trainspotting T2 actor Bradley Welsh. Sean Orman, 30, was found guilty at the High Court in Edinburgh on Friday of shooting dead Welsh, 48, on his
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Nicola Sturgeon says Glasgow Southside win shows 'fascists are not welcome'
NICOLA Sturgeon has said her constituency has shown "the racists and the fascists that they are not welcome" after she retained her seat in the Holyrood election. The First Minister was referring to an incident yesterday when she was approached
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Ruth Davidson mocked for claim she 'wasn't part of Scottish Tory campaign team'
RUTH Davidson was today told to "come off it" after claiming that she was not involved in the Scottish Conservative election campaign, despite her appearing on the front of many of their leaflets. Davidson, who chose to join the House of Lords
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SNP not on course for a Holyrood majority, says John Curtice
NICOLA Sturgeon has said getting a majority at Holyrood is "always a long shot" as a top pollster said the party was not on course for such an outcome. The SNP leader - who has retaken her Glasgow southside seat - made the remarks as she arrived
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SNP takes East Lothian from Labour in first seat to change parties in election
THE SNP have taken East Lothian from Labour in the first seat to change hands in the election. Paul McLennan beat Labour's Martin Whitfield when the result was declared this afternoon. Labour had been fighting hard to hold the seat - one of
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Edinburgh election count most surreal and bizarre one in years
WHAT they never tell you when you study journalism is just how much of your working life will be spent standing or sitting around just waiting. Today I am waiting in the Highland Hall at the Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston as the boring bit
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WATCH: Cat removed from hall in Orkney after disrupting election count
A CAT has been removed from a hall where an election count is taking place in Orkney. The four-legged pet was carried out of the voting station in Orkney after sneaking in today. Recording the footage, BBC Scotland's David Delday said: "An
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Scottish election came 'too soon for Alba', Kenny MacAskill says
ALBA’s Kenny MacAskill has said that it seems to have been “an election too soon” for his party as regional vote counts begin to suggest that they will struggle to gain any MSPs. The completed regional list vote in Aberdeen Donside, where the constituency
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SNP majority always a 'very, very long shot', Nicola Sturgeon warns
NICOLA Sturgeon has said that an SNP majority was always a “very, very long shot” as she attends the vote count in Glasgow’s Emirates Arena. The SNP leader focused instead on her party’s likelihood of forming a government following a potential
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Dumfries election count suspended as power cut plunges leisure centre into darkness
AN election count in Dumfries has been suspended until an emergency generator is fired up to deal with a power cut. Journalists at the count reported the news on Twitter, saying DG1 Leisure Centre was "plunged into darkness" at around 2.15pm.
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First Scottish Parliament election results see SNP and LibDem holds
THE Liberal Democrats have held the Orkney constituency – the first to declare in the Scottish Parliament election. Liam McArthur will return to Holyrood to represent the safe seat after claiming 7,238 votes. The SNP was in second place with
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Humza Yousaf accosted at election vote count 'because of colour of his skin'
HUMZA Yousaf has said that he was targeted by anti-vaccination campaigners at a Glasgow election count “because of my colour of skin”. The Liberal Party’s Derek Jackson, who is not connected to the LibDems, arrived at the vote count at the Emirates
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BBC left red-faced after basic errors on Scottish Westminster seats
IT’S election day and everybody is keen for some astute political analysis. With news from “party sources” abundant as the rumour mill goes into overdrive, there are bound to be more than a few anonymous bad calls before all the votes are
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Johnson can't rely on Project Fear, so will he offer a compromise option?
WHEN the hurly-burly’s done and the SNP have won, what then? Will it be Covid as usual or the begging Section 30 letter to Boris, or will an indy majority put pressure on Westminster by passing the draft Referendum Bill, with a flexible date? If
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Downing Street cannot defy the will of the people and refuse a Section 30
IT is said that history is written by those who are victorious in controlling the narrative and to a large degree in this era of multimedia outlets that is still true. Yesterday the electorate of Scotland went to the polls in what is arguably the
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Judges urged not to jail Craig Murray for contempt in Alex Salmond trial blog
JUDGES have been urged not to jail a former diplomat who was found to be in contempt of court after covering the Alex Salmond trial on his blog. Craig Murray, a former UK ambassador to Uzbekistan, attended two days of Salmond’s trial in March 2020
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Reports of 'record' turnout as Scots vote in crucial Holyrood election
VOTERS have turned out in potentially record numbers for a Holyrood election, early reports are suggesting. Despite the cold and wet weather polling stations were busy all day with thousands of people in urban areas such as Glasgow queuing for
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All under-40s to be offered alternative to AstraZeneca jag amid blood clot fears
PEOPLE under the age of 40 will be offered an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine amid fears over low platelet blood clots. The announcement from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) this afternoon is a change from the
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Fire in London tower block with 'similar flammable cladding to Grenfell'
SURVIVORS and bereaved relatives from the Grenfell Tower fire have told the Government “enough is enough” after a blaze at a London block bearing the same cladding left more than 40 people in need of treatment. London Fire Brigade (LFB) said two
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Fury over BBC Question Time man's 'sinking ships' claim amid French fishing row
THE BBC has come under fire after a Question Time audience member said the Royal Navy’s only mistake in the Jersey fishing row was “not sinking the ships”. About 60 French boats took part in the protest around Jersey’s main port, St Helier, yesterday
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Jags to be offered to over-18s in Moray to fight 'uncontrolled' Covid spread
THE vaccination programme in Moray will be accelerated in order to combat the “rapidly deteriorating” Covid situation in the area. NHS Grampian yesterday announced “uncontrolled, sustained community transmission” of the virus is taking place in
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Jeremy Corbyn to blame for Labour's Hartlepool vote loss, Peter Mandelson says
LABOUR grandee Peter Mandelson has said that his party's election defeat in Hartlepool was about Jeremy Corbyn, despite the party having won that seat twice under his leadership. Mandelson, who served as the MP for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004,
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LIVE Scottish Parliament election tracker: Maps and charts show results so far
The National will be updating you on all the latest results from the Scottish Parliament election with these graphs and charts. READ MORE: LIVE: All the news from the Scottish Parliament election as seats are declared These graphics show
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Man charged after stabbing reports near Scots polling station on election day
A 25-YEAR-OLD has been charged after a man was attacked near a polling station in Paisley. Police responded to reports of a stabbing in Broomlands Street in the Renfrewshire town at around 9.15am on Thursday. A 50-year-old man was taken to
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Polling expert John Curtice sets out his prediction for Scottish election
POLLING expert Sir John Curtice has set out his prediction for the results of the Scottish Parliament election. The Strathclyde University professor estimates the SNP will return 64 MSPs overall, one short of a majority. Curtice weighed up
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'Time to go our own way': Scotland reacts as Hartlepool goes Conservative
SCOTS reacted as the traditionally Labour stronghold of Hartlepool went to the Tories for the first time in a Westminster by-election. Conservative candidate Jill Mortimer secured 15,529 votes, while Labour hopeful Dr Paul Williams won 8589.
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Tories win Hartlepool Westminster by-election with huge majority
THE Conservatives have won the Hartlepool by-election, taking the constituency for the first time since it was created almost 50 years ago, with Jill Mortimer defeating Labour candidate Dr Paul Williams by 6940 votes. Her 15,529 votes was 51.88%
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Scientist warns sign on fingernails could mean you had Covid — even if you had no symptoms
A leading scientist has warned of a new symptom that would show if you have already had coronavirus. Professor Tim Spector has said that people may notice changes to their fingernails after a Covid infection. Professor Spector, who is the principal
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Critically ill boy now ‘full of energy’ after mum donates kidney
AN eight-year-old boy who fell severely ill with kidney failure is “back on his feet and full of energy” after having a successful transplant from his mother. Leo McFaulds, a “typical happy, healthy boy” from Elgin in Moray, contracted an E.coli
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New research finds tiny dinosaur had extraordinary senses
A TINY dinosaur that lived in the desert had extraord-inary vision and owl-like hearing that enabled it to hunt in the dark, new research has found. Scientists have long wondered whether theropod dinosaurs – the group that gave rise to modern birds
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Shona Craven: Holidays remain a distant dream for those worst hit by Covid
WHEN Boris Johnson takes to the podium today to announce the easing of travel restrictions for England, the east coast of Scotland will be preparing for hail showers. Ah, the joys of summer. It’s lucky we didn’t cast our clouts prematurely. This
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Half of Scots businesses optimistic over future of indyref2
ALMOST half of Scottish small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have struggled to know where to turn for advice over the past year. However, it has not stopped them looking to the future, with 50% “very optimistic” and already preparing for developments
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Could fishing clashes in Jersey result in a Brexit 'cod war'?
WHAT’S THE STORY? THE pleasant island of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, is at the centre of international attention after up to 70 vessels from the French fishing fleet blockaded the island’s main port and capital, St Helier, yesterday
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Donaldson and Poots confirmed as the DUP’s leadership contenders
SIR Jeffrey Donaldson and Edwin Poots have been confirmed as the candidates to stand in the DUP leadership contest. Gregory Campbell, Paula Bradley and Paul Frew are the candidates for deputy leader, party chairman Lord Morrow said in a statement
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Don’t miss The National for top election coverage in coming days
THE National’s top digital team will be keeping online readers up to date today and tomorrow as the election results begin rolling in. And over the coming days we will also be producing bumper issues of our newspaper packed with results, analysis
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SNP ‘confident’ as voting ends but questions remain over second votes
SNP sources were confident their supporters had turned out yesterday as voters queued outside polling stations into the night. There had been fears that the epidemic would dampen turnout at the Scottish Parliament elections. But masked men
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Why Scotland must promote its growing biotech sector
INDUSTRIAL biotechnology (IB) can reinvent how entire industries work more sustainably, yet its contribution to Scotland’s net zero ambitions is not widely discussed. Now Mark Bustard, CEO at the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre (IBioIC