Archive
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Emma Grae: Culture is the key to Scottish independence
FOLLOWING the Scottish National Party’s devastating loss of seats in the General Election, independence has been described as a “hard sell”. But I’m of the opinion that Scottish culture is the key to overcoming this problem as the new Labour government
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The SNP is down, but by no means out going into 2026 Holyrood elections
One of the key matters clients have been asking since the General Election results from Scotland filtered in, is what the impact of this will have on the May 2026 Scottish Parliamentary elections, and if it is inevitable that Anas Sarwar will be marching
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Murder suspect found after crossbow deaths of BBC journalist's wife and two daughters
TRIPLE murder suspect Kyle Clifford has been found following the crossbow deaths of the wife and two daughters of a BBC racing commentator. Clifford, 26, was found in the Enfield area of north London on Wednesday afternoon, Hertfordshire Police
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It didn’t take long for Ian Murray to backtrack on promise of ‘change’
WELL, I know people warned that Labour’s mask would slip, but I think this is something of a record, isn’t it? I refer to the interview given on Tuesday morning by Ian Murray. Asked about new powers for Holyrood, he said that it was a case of using
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So much for a wipe-out of the Conservatives in Scotland
I WOULD like to point out that the Tory party has maintained the same number of seats in Scotland with a gain in Gordon, and if D Ross hadn’t stabbed the sitting MP in the back in Aberdeenshire North and Moray East, the sitting MP would have probably
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MacIntyre swaps Royal box for the Renaissance as Scottish Open tees-off
Take an amble up the final hole of the Renaissance club and you’ll stub your toe on a plaque honouring Rory McIlroy’s imperious, 2-iron approach which led to him pinching last year’s Genesis Scottish Open title from oor ain Robert MacIntyre. Prior
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Wee Ginger Dug: Is Wes Streeting's 'begging bowl' NHS attack what Labour voters want?
IT’S like the world's worst ever game of Where's Wally? Just where are Reform UK's mysteriously shy candidates? Most parties put up so-called paper candidates in General Elections, candidates who have no realistic chance of winning. Major
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Mystery over notice promising to 'fish for salmon' under Kessock Bridge
AN advert in Inverness has caused confusion amongst anglers after a man said he intended to fish for salmon under the Kessock Bridge. The public notice published in The Inverness Courier claimed that “Mr Grant” would fish for Scotland’s declining
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New SNP frontbench roles confirmed after loss of seats at General Election
STEPHEN Flynn has been confirmed as the SNP Westminster leader, The National can reveal. The group's deputy leader will now be Pete Wishart, while Kirsty Blackman will serve as chief whip. It comes after the party saw sweeping losses to Labour
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New SNP MP takes dig at monarchy as he's sworn in
THE SNP MP who beat Douglas Ross in his bid to return to Westminster took a dig at the monarchy as he was sworn into parliament. Seamus Logan, the new representative for Aberdeenshire North and Moray East, said before his affirmation that his constituents
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‘Bitter infighting': Suella Braverman and Kemi Badenoch in public spat over leaking
SUELLA Braverman and Kemi Badenoch are engaging in a bitter public spat as recriminations begin over the party's disastrous performance in the General Election. The Tory MPs are arguing after conversations from Rishi Sunak's first shadow cabinet
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Labour MP protests swearing-in as he calls for a monarchy-free UK
CLIVE Lewis has become the only Labour MP of this session so far to be sworn into Westminster "under protest". The representative for Norwich South is a keen republican and made his position clear as he took the affirmation. He joined two
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Manhunt continues after commentator's wife and daughters killed in crossbow attack
A HUGE manhunt for a potentially armed triple murder suspect is under way following the “utterly devastating” crossbow deaths of the wife and two daughters of a BBC racing commentator. Police are searching for 26-year-old suspect Kyle Clifford
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Peers removed from House of Lords for ‘non attendance’
A NUMBER of peers have ceased to be a member of the House of Lords due to non-attendance. Former deputy prime minister John Prescott is the most high-profile of the six peers to have left, marking the end of a parliamentary career stretching back
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SNP MSP calls on Keir Starmer to establish GB Energy headquarters in Aberdeen
AN SNP MSP has written to Keir Starmer to call on the Prime Minister to headquarter GB Energy in Aberdeen. A key part of Labour’s manifesto, GB Energy was billed as a publicly owned energy company – and there have been promises that it would be
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Do folk not understand they can object to privatisation of the NHS?
WE see that Wes Streeting has brought in a Blairite arch-privatisation salesman to “fix” the English NHS. Are all those doctors, nurses and medical support staff going to let themselves be sold like cattle? All those hospitals, clinics and transportation
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Israeli military orders evacuation of Gaza City, calling it a 'dangerous combat zone'
THE Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of Gaza City, an early target of the war which is now seeing renewed fighting. The military dropped leaflets on the city, calling on people to head south and saying: “Gaza City will remain a dangerous
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Death of 22-year-old sparks police search for pair seen at Scottish train station
THE death of a 22-year-old Scottish man has sparked a police appeal for two people spotted at a Scottish railway station over the weekend to come forward. It comes after officers were called to a report of a seriously injured person at Ramsay Court
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Wife and two daughters of BBC racing commentator killed in crossbow attack
UPDATE: The suspected killer has been arrested. THE wife and two daughters of a BBC sports commentator have been killed in a crossbow attack at their home. Carol Hunt, 61, who was married to BBC 5 Live racing commentator John Hunt, and two
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'Incredible encounter': Scotland's 'newest' humpback whale spotted off west coast
A HUMPBACK whale never seen in Scottish waters before has been spotted off the west coast. On July 9, leading wildlife tour operator Hebrides Cruises set sail with passengers on-board the vessel named Elizabeth G. During the voyage two humpback
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Top restaurant award win for renovated 13th-century Scottish castle
A CASTLE in the Highlands has won a prestigious restaurant award. Mingary Castle, situated on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula near Kilchoan, was awarded AA Restaurant with Rooms of the Year Scotland at the 2024 AA Bed and Breakfast Awards. Run by
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Alba use Holyrood motion to pressure SNP to mitigate Labour's two-child benefit cap
THE Scottish Government must mitigate the two-child benefit cap to help pour pressure on the Labour UK Government to scrap it altogether, Alba have said. Ash Regan, the party’s sole MSP at Holyrood, has laid a motion before the Scottish Parliament
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Girls, 11 and 12, found on uninhabited Scottish island after being swept out to sea
TWO schoolgirls have been rescued from an uninhabited Scottish island after being swept out to sea while paddleboarding off the west coast. UK Coastguard was called to an emergency at around 3.45pm on Tuesday after the two young children, aged
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GB Energy risks wasting money on new nuclear, warns leading campaigner
ONE of Scotland’s leading environmental campaigners has warned that Labour’s GB Energy plans risk wasting resources on nuclear power. In an article for The Scotsman, Dr Richard Dixon – the former director of WWF Scotland and Friends of the Earth
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Universities secure High Court orders against pro-Palestinian protest camps
TWO universities in England have secured High Court orders for the possession of campus land that has been the site of weeks-long pro-Palestinian protest encampments. The Universities of Nottingham and Birmingham took separate legal action against
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Unapologetic extravagance awaits at Glasgow's new adult-only hotel
ADULT escapes to hotels can be very nice and very civilised, but are they fun? You know the score — drinks before dinner, hushed tones, a posh meal, followed by a digestif in the lounge. Occasionally guests even feel imposter syndrome, worrying
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Asylum seekers set for free bus travel in Scotland with new pilot scheme
THE Scottish Government is set to deliver a pilot giving asylum seekers free bus travel over the next year, an official document has said. The issue is currently subject to a petition before a Holyrood committee, but former first minister Humza
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Westminster system will always serve the many, not the few
THE Bible teaches us that where there is no vision, the people perish. The forces of independence have singularly failed to provide the Scottish people with is a vision, and our people are perishing for lack of it. There is not, nor can there be
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Scottish Labour MP given ministerial role 'to work on GB Energy'
SCOTTISH Labour MP Michael Shanks has been handed a ministerial role in Keir Starmer’s government working on GB Energy. Shanks, the MP for Rutherglen, has been made a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Energy Security
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Scottish seaweed crisps to hit shelves of major supermarket
A SCOTTISH seaweed crisp company is set to have its products stocked in a major supermarket. The Wick-based company Shore (The Scottish Seaweed Co.) has partnered with Asda to launch all four flavours of its locally harvested seaweed crisps in
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Scotland's biggest musical festival to search fans amid single-use vape ban
SCOTLAND’S biggest music festival will search fans for single-use vapes due to a ban. TRNSMT will return to Glasgow Green this weekend, with Liam Gallagher, Gerry Cinnamon and Calvin Harris all set to headline. The disposable vape ban was in
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'Highlands are not a racetrack': Tourists in court after going 100mph on NC500
TWO tourists were charged with dangerous driving on the North Coast 500 (NC500) route after being caught speeding at more than 100mph amid a police operation over the weekend. Officers with the Highland and Islands Road Policing Unit found Swedish
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NHS must 'end begging bowl culture and focus on economic growth', Wes Streeting says
THE UK health system must end its “begging bowl culture” and instead focus on economic growth, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said. The Labour MP has said the Health and Social Care Department he leads at Westminster must undergo a “major shift
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Former MP calls for fresh SNP leadership under Kate Forbes and Stephen Flynn
JOHN Swinney must step aside as SNP leader to make way for a “fresh start” under Kate Forbes and Stephen Flynn, a former MP has said. Douglas Chapman, who stood down as Dunfermline and West Fife MP at the General Election on July 4, confessed there
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Police arrest man over attempted murder of officer in Edinburgh
A MAN has been arrested in connection with the attempted murder of a police officer. The 27-year-old man’s arrest is also linked to several other charges including abduction, stealing a car and dangerous driving. Police Scotland said the officer
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Top Labour frontbencher made chief of think tank dismissed by Anas Sarwar
A KEY Labour frontbencher who was unseated at the General Election in a shock win for a pro-Palestine independent has been named the head of a top party think tank. Jonathan Ashworth, who was credited with playing a “leading” role in Labour’s election
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Supermarket giant to open new Scottish store in popular neighbourhood
A SUPERMARKET giant is set to open a new store in a Scottish city as part of a major investment in the high street. Marks and Spencer (M&S) will launch a new store in the popular Stockbridge area of Edinburgh this month. A spokesperson
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'Terrible': Experts respond to Labour plan to divert NHS cash from hospitals to GPs
EXPERTS have welcomed Labour’s pledge of more funding for GP services – but warned that diverting money from hospitals to free up cash is a “terrible idea”. It comes after Health Secretary Wes Streeting, in his first major policy announcement since
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Bridge span installed on new Govan-Partick bridge ahead of opening
The bridge span has been installed on a new Glasgow bridge ahead of its opening in autumn. Work has been continuing on the Govan-Partick bridge for many months. It is the latest addition to the River Clyde and it will connect Water Row, close
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Israeli air strike kills 29 people at Gaza camp for displaced Palestinians
AT least 29 Palestinians have been killed and dozens wounded in an Israeli air strike on a camp for displaced people outside a school in southern Gaza, hospital officials have said. Gaza's health ministry said the strike had hit next to the gate
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Golf stars spotted on East Lothian course ahead of Scottish Open
Golf superstars have been enjoying East Lothian courses ahead of the Genesis Scottish Open. Thousands of spectators are expected at the Renaissance Golf Club, by Dirleton, this week to see the likes of Rory McIIroy and Scottie Scheffler tee off
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Keir Starmer refuses to guarantee key defence spending ahead of Nato summit
KEIR Starmer has refused to guarantee that he will meet his flagship commitment on defence spending within his first term in office, despite a “cast iron” promise to get there. The Prime Minister, who will meet US President Joe Biden and other
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Met Office issues yellow weather warning ahead of heavy rain
A WEATHER warning is in place for parts of Scotland as heavy rain is expected to cause disruption. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for all of Wednesday, warning that rain could become heavy and slow moving leading to impacts on travel
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Jacob Rees-Mogg and family to become 'British Kardashians' in reality TV show
JACOB Rees-Mogg and his family are set to become the “British Kardashians” in a new reality TV show following his defeat in the General Election. The defeated Tory MP and his wife Helena will appear among their six children – Mary, Peter, Thomas
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Stephen Flynn takes on Ian Blackford in Euros charity sweepstake semi-final
IT’S crunch time between the SNP’s former and current Westminster leaders as Stephen Flynn’s England faces off against Ian Blackford’s Netherlands for a spot in the Euro 2024 finals. We wonder if Flynn has swapped his Toblerone for a Stroopwafel
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Caitlin Logan: The media is ignorant to its role in promoting xenophobic Reform Party
ON election night, one of the most gut-wrenching moments for me was watching the count declarations and hearing the numbers called after the Reform Party candidates’ names. Thousands of people in constituency after constituency who chose to give
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Assa Samake-Roman: The UK has a lot to learn from France's election victory
LAST Sunday at 7pm, I was completely stunned. I couldn’t believe my eyes when the left-wing coalition, Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP), emerged victorious in the French legislative elections. Despite all the polls predicting a far-right majority
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Alyn Smith: SNP party structures and staffing 'not fit for purpose'
A FORMER SNP MP who lost his seat in the General Election has suggested party structures and staffing are not “fit for purpose”. In a scathing verdict on the party’s “lacklustre and reactive” campaign, Alyn Smith claimed the SNP put more resource
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SNP must now face hard truths – here are some of them
THE SNP not only ignored the lessons of last year’s Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election, pretty much exactly the same people are in charge of learning the lessons of last week’s gubbing. We cannot run away from the fact that we didn’t just
