Archive
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Rishi Sunak names new shadow cabinet as David Cameron resigns
FORMER prime minister Lord Cameron does not feature in the interim shadow cabinet, the Conservative Party has confirmed. Suffering a net loss of 251 MPs in last week’s General Election, the Tories have named their opposition frontbench who will
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Anas Sarwar in 'betrayal of democracy' after ditching support for electoral reform
ANAS Sarwar has been accused of a “total betrayal of democracy” after ditching support for electoral reform. It comes after Labour achieved a landslide victory in the General Election last week on a vote share of just 34 per cent, just a 1.6 percentage
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Keir Starmer's pledge to show us 'more respect' doesn't go far enough
I TAKE the Right Honourable Sir Keir Starmer Knight Commander of the Order of Bath’s statement on his visit to Edinburgh at the weekend, that he intends to show Scotland “more respect”, as an admission that this country has not been shown much respect
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SNP have spent too much time focused on low-priority issues
I HAVE had time to reflect on that disappointing election result. While I remain a liberal socialist, like many others I joined the SNP 20 years ago to win independence. With still a 50/50 divide on independence, evidently many Yes supporters
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French election should teach UK the dangers of First Past the Post, warns ex-MEP
THE French election should act as a warning to the UK about the dangers of First Past the Post (FPTP) which would have led to a victory for Marine Le Pen if it was in place across the Channel, a former MEP and MSP has said. Christian Allard, who
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Reform UK accused of using ‘AI-generated candidates’ in General Election
REFORM UK have been accused of using “AI-generated candidates” in the General Election. The party has been hit by a series of revelations about the online activities of some of its would-be MPs, from links to a British fascist leader to suggestions
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Keir Starmer urged to deliver fair and fast compensation for Waspi women
KEIR Starmer has been urged to act quickly to compenstate women affected by changes to the state pension age. Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman has written to the new Prime Minister asking him to honor the promises many Labour MPs made to women
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I listened to Rachel Reeves's first big speech – it was a total waste of time
OUR new Chancellor of the Exchequer concluded her first major speech in that role by saying "there is no time to waste". I wish she would make her words consistent with her actions, because she had just spent the previous 20 minutes or so saying absolutely
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'We're not going away': Anti-monarchy groups to protest State Opening of Parliament
ANTI-monarchy campaigners have confirmed plans to protest the "pantomime" State Opening of Parliament next week. It will be the second State Opening in a row that Republic has demonstrated against and the group has pledged to continue to protest
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From 'colonial speech' to eventual ceasefire call, a timeline of Keir Starmer on Gaza
KEIR Starmer was elected Prime Minister in a landslide election last week but his position on Gaza and Labour ’s initial refusal to call for an immediate ceasefire cost the party votes and seats. Four pro-Palestine independent candidates toppled
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Anas Sarwar and Scottish Labour now face major challenges
THERE is more than one way of looking at the outcome from Thursday’s vote. Yes, it’s a reality check and harsh wake-up call to Scottish National Party and Alba, however, it’s a comfort compared to challenges facing leadership of Labour Party in
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Locals rage at group of petrol heads 'driving like lunatics' on NC500
LOCALS living on the North Coast 500 route have hit out at a group of “dangerous” sports car drivers. It started with a Facebook post, with one angry local sounding the alarm. The Facebook post read: "Bunch of Lotus drivers heading to Lochinver
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Gaza death toll could be as high as 186,000, warn health experts
MEDICAL experts have estimated that as many as 186,000 Palestinian deaths could be attributed to Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza. Since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, the Gaza Health Ministry states that 37,396 people have been killed
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Kate Forbes intervenes as SNP leadership questioned after election
KATE Forbes has backed John Swinney as SNP leader after his former cabinet colleague said he must quit after a damning election result. The Deputy First Minister said Swinney could improve the SNP’s reputation for “competence and integrity” after
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Yellow weather warning issued for Scotland as floods and power cuts expected
SCOTLAND is set to be hit with heavy rain this week as a weather warning has been issued with flooding and power cuts expected. The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for the north east of Scotland as the unseasonably bad weather is
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MSP fears Scottish Tories' 'political extinction' after dismal election
THE Scottish Conservatives could face “political extinction” if they do not have a wide debate on the future leadership of the party, an MSP has said. Jamie Greene said there should be no “swift return to business as usual” after his party slumped
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Keir Starmer meets Sinn Fein First Minister as he looks for 'better Brexit deal'
KEIR Starmer has said Britain will use contentious post-Brexit trading rules in Northern Ireland as a basis for getting a “better deal” with the EU following a meeting with First Minister Michelle O’Neill. The Prime Minister met with the Sinn Fein
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'Over the moon': Victoria's Secret to open new 5620 sq ft store in Glasgow
Victoria's Secret will open a brand-new 5620sqft store in Glasgow. The lingerie giant will be welcomed to outdoor shopping centre Glasgow Fort later this year. Located between Zara and Next, the shop will offer customer favourites such as
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Stephen Flynn blames SNP election defeat on 'internal difficulties'
THE SNP’s “internal difficulties” led to people feeling the party was detached from their daily lives, Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said as he reflected on the party’s heavy General Election defeat. A disastrous election night for the SNP saw
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Scottish city set for first branch of popular Asian restaurant chain
A POPULAR Asian restaurant chain is set to open a new location in a Scottish city. Wagamama will open its first restaurant in Dundee on August 19, giving the chain a total of 10 venues across Scotland following the opening of the St Enoch’s Centre
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Tories blame Twitter/X 'bug' for account disappearance after election defeat
THE Tories have blamed a Twitter/X “bug” for their account on the platform disappearing after a humiliating electoral defeat. Speculation was flying that the party had been so miffed by their failure at Thursday’s poll to win another five
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Ian Blackford defends Nicola Sturgeon's leadership after fierce criticism
IAN Blackford has defended his and Nicola Sturgeon’s leadership of the SNP after fierce criticism from former party politicians. Following what Blackford himself described as a “terrible” result for the SNP in the General Election, the likes of
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SNP failed to set out how the lives of voters could be improved
RETURNING after two years away, what struck me during this election was a complete lack of enthusiasm in Glasgow for the contest and for the SNP in particular. Not so long ago, SNP and Yes signs, increasingly faded, decorated the windows of tenements
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Rachel Reeves eyes Scottish oil and gas for new 'national wealth fund'
RACHEL Reeves has confirmed plans for a new national wealth fund to back private investment with public money – expected to be funded by a raid on Scotland’s oil and gas sector. In her first press conference as Chancellor, Reeves confirmed election
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Colin Fox: Self-determination was allowed to become plaything of one party
‘GOOD riddance to the Tories” the British people said last week, impatient to be rid of them after 14 years. That was the over-riding sentiment of the 2024 General Election. And while the polls predicted the rout consistently over the past two
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Ash Regan: How did Scotland as a nation arrive at this point of disillusionment?
IF you want to assess a nation’s political mood, the energy levels in the towns, villages, and city centres are a good indicator. The people there are usually keen to give their passionate views to media vox pops and discuss potential election outcomes
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Scottish prisoners could be released after serving two-thirds of sentence
LONG-term prisoners in Scotland could be released after serving two-thirds of their sentence under Government plans. The Scottish Government has been wrestling with a rising prison population in recent months, with a programme of early release
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Jackie Baillie backs Wes Streeting's NHS private sector plans
SCOTTISH Labour’s deputy leader has suggested the Scottish Government should follow Wes Streeting’s plans for heavier involvement of the private sector in healthcare. Jackie Baillie was interviewed on BBC Radio Scotland on Monday on the back of
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Tributes paid to independence movement stalwart after death at age of 96
TRIBUTES have been paid to a stalwart of the SNP and independence movement following his death at the age of 96. Hamish McQueen served as the president of the SNP’s Maryhill and Springburn branch in Glasgow and is said to have joined the party
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Keir Starmer avoids Pro-Palestine protesters on trip to Edinburgh
KEIR Starmer was met by dozens of protesters ahead of his visit to Bute House on Sunday evening as he spoke with the First Minister John Swinney. The new Prime Minister’s car convoy was surrounded by pro-Palestine supporters who were waving flags
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'Beyond belief': Alex Cole-Hamilton hikes price of Airbnb during Edinburgh Festival
ALEX Cole-Hamilton has been blasted after hiking the rent on Airbnb property during the Edinburgh Festival. The National has previously told of how Cole-Hamilton increased the price of a night’s stay at the Airbnb property in the garden of his
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Keir Starmer refuses to say if independence was discussed in John Swinney meeting
KEIR Starmer has refused to be drawn on whether he discussed independence during his meeting with John Swinney. Polls consistently show that around 50% of Scots support the country becoming independent. However, during an interview with Sky
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Scottish Greens urge David Lammy to publish legal advice on UK arms sales to Israel
THE new Foreign Secretary David Lammy must urgently end UK arms sales to Israel, according to the Scottish Greens. The party pointed out that the UK’s arms export criteria state that a weapon cannot be sold if there is a "clear risk" that it "might
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Greens submit complaint to BBC over failure to broadcast historic election wins
THE Green Party have submitted a complaint to the BBC after it failed to broadcast the party’s historic election wins during its coverage of the General Election results. While the BBC devoted large portions of its coverage during the campaign
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Will we see apathy or resistance when Labour show true colours? Jury is out
IMAGINE a colonised nation that votes time after time to send representatives to the imperial Palace of Westminster seeking home rule. Decades go by but Westminster remains intransigently opposed. Finally, scandal and infighting destroy the once
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Semi-finals confirmed for Euros sweepstake – with bonus prize for beating England
WE’RE now down to just four names in The National’s Euro 2024 charity sweepstake as the semi-finals were confirmed on Saturday night with England and the Netherlands both going through. There are now just four people left hoping to win £1000
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John Purser on his friendship with sculptor and etcher Charles Wells
MY friendship with the sculptor and etcher Charles Wells – I called him Wells, never Charles – began in Italy. I first met him and his beautiful wife Diana in Pietrasanta at an exhibition of his work. Wonderful white marble heads of women, their
