Archive
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SNP must not shelve their core mission in order to pass a budget
I’M hearing that independence voters are highly concerned about the SNP government’s commitment to Scotland self-determination. Yes, you too? Are we to lose funding for independence projects to negotiate the Budget through? Where would this leave
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Inspiring essay by Neal Ascherson must serve as a rallying call
THE article by Neal Ascherson in the Sunday National should be a rallying call to all independence supporters. For too long we have been subjected to a diet of gloom and doom with regard to our aspirations to becoming an independent country.
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SNP slam 'anti-democratic' Alex Cole-Hamilton after Budget indy spending comments
THE SNP have branded Alex Cole-Hamilton “anti-democratic” for stating his party will vote down the upcoming Budget if it includes spending on independence. We told how the LibDem leader said his party will vote against the Budget if it includes
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Body found in search for missing 28-year-old woman on Scottish island
A BODY has been recovered during a search for a missing 28-year-old woman from the Isle of Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides. Shanahan MacInnes had last been seen at around 1.30am on Friday on Tindill Road in the village of Balivanich. On Sunday
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General Election petition gathers more than one million signatures
A PETITION calling for a General Election has gathered more than one million signatures. A mere 143 days since Labour won the General Election on July 4, the party is facing criticism for policies such as the axing of the Winter Fuel Payment and
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Labour Government's welfare cuts branded ‘vile and out of touch’ by Scottish parties
SCOTTISH parties have slammed the Labour Government’s plans to slash benefits spending, branding the move "vile and out of touch" and accusing Keir Starmer of political posturing. An article penned by the Prime Minister for The Mail on Sunday explains
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Pantomime first for Deaf performers at Ayr theatre
DEAF actors Bea Webster and Benedetta Zanetti are making history by becoming the first two D/deaf performers to feature in a hearing-led pantomime in Scotland. Both graduates of the Royal Conservatoire in Glasgow, they are starring in Mother Goose
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Fleabag star calls on Scottish Government to invest in culture
SCOTTISH actor Bill Paterson has joined Garbage lead singer Shirley Manson and other notable Scots to put pressure on the Scottish Government to invest in culture. Paterson said enlightened arts support in the 1960s had changed his life as it enabled
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Actor’s passion for Scots celebrated in new dramatisation of his life
ONE of the leading Scots actors of his generation, Duncan Macrae was also a strong advocate for Scottish independence and the Scots language. Now a new play about Macrae, who insisted on staying in Scotland to establish his career, is to
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LibDems to vote down Budget if it contains 'even a penny' of independence spending
ALEX Cole-Hamilton has said his party will vote down the upcoming Budget if it contains even a “penny” promoting Scottish independence. The minority SNP administration needs MSPs from at least one opposition party to either back or abstain in the
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The Scottish architect who helped Glasgow ‘Americanise’
THE centre of Glasgow is currently replete with road closures as the remake of the 1987 movie The Running Man is being filmed in the city. It’s just the latest occasion that Hollywood has come to Blythswood and its environs, with American film
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The Perthshire hills are alive with the Sound of Music
PITLOCHRY Festival Theatre (PFT) has been in the headlines in recent months, and – unusually for Scottish theatre in these days of austerity and uncertainty – the “theatre in the hills” has been generating good news stories. Firstly, in July, it
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Scottish theatre offering £1 ticket throughout festive period
THE £1 ticket. Traverse Theatre’s executive director Ellen Gledhill proudly took me through the origins amid the excitement of encouraging new audiences and blowing the doors off for inclusion. “It is the spirit of Christmas and it’s just brilliant
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Peering beyond the controversy of Scotland's next national park
YOU cannot miss them. Hulking signs in farmers’ fields and smaller posters in shops proclaim “No Galloway National Park”. Since the winning bid to be the preferred site for Scotland’s newest national park, those against it have made their passionate
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Labour’s plans to cut benefits will leave disabled Scots ‘financially worse off’
WELFARE charities have branded the Prime Minister’s plans to cut benefits spending as "arbitrary" and a move that "will leave disabled Scots financially worse off”. An article penned by Keir Starmer detailed that the Labour Government intends to
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Scottish Government responds to Eric Trump's Aberdeen oil claims
THE Scottish Government has responded after Eric Trump slammed the "horrible mistreatment" of Aberdeen's oil and gas industry. The president-elect’s son, who runs the daily operations of the Trump business, told GB News: “I can say that of a lot
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Israel issues new evacuation order for Gaza City as 35 Palestinians killed
ISRAEL has issued a new evacuation order for Gaza City as 35 Palestinians were killed in the last 24-hour period. It comes amid rising pressure after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli prime minister Benjamin
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The Union has eaten away at Scottish culture
THE problem with the independence movement is that it craves “respectability”. That’s to say the current leadership of the SNP will do everything through the prism of Westminster. They are actively hostile to any notion that Scotland is a colony
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We should look to Switzerland to determine how to run referendums
SWITZERLAND is often considered the oldest extant democracy in Europe. Today, the Swiss will be advised of the results of the most recent series of votes and referendums. This time, on a federal scale, they voted on an adaptation of medical insurance
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Costumes worn by David Tennant in Doctor Who up for auction
DOCTOR Who costumes worn by David Tennant and Peter Capaldi are among the memorabilia which will go on auction to raise funds for Children In Need. A 50th anniversary Tardis, several Weeping Angel statues and a Dalek will also be part of the around
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Labour pledge to cut 'bulging benefits bill' to 'get Britain working'
BENEFIT claimants deemed fit to work will face sanctions if they refuse to take up job opportunities, a Labour minister has said ahead of announcing measures to cut the welfare bill. Liz Kendall (below) said people have a “responsibility” to engage
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Iconic species in Scotland under threat from breeding of game birds
GAMEBIRDS such as pheasants and partridges could be threatening the capercaillie which is potentially facing extinction, The Ferret can reveal. In the UK, capercaillie – an iconic woodland bird – are only found in Scotland. But they could be extinct
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Scottish Greens slam ‘hopeless’ COP29 climate deal
THE SCOTTISH Greens have slammed the new COP29 climate financial package for falling short on the funds requested by developing nations. Saturday saw wealthier nations commit to paying a combined $300 billion a year to assist developing countries
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Dubai firm 'expresses interest' in saving Grangemouth oil refinery
GRANGEMOUTH could be saved from closure after a Dubai firm has expressed its interest in saving the oil refinery. Middle Eastern trading firm Trading Stack DMCC has said it is interested in buying Grangemouth, which is threatened with closure.
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Idles lead fans on 'f*** the King' chant at major Glasgow gig
POPULAR rock band Idles led thousands of Glasgow fans on a chant of "f*** the King" during their major show at the city's OVO Hydro on Saturday night. Frontman Joe Talbot invited attendees to kneel down and help sing the "new national anthem" while
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Supermarket product recalled amid fears it is ‘unsafe to eat’
A SUPERMARKET product has been recalled amid fears it is “unsafe to eat”. Morrisons has recalled its own brand crushed garlic after an ingredient was left out of the product which prevents microbiological growth, therefore presenting a potential
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Laird beats Scottish Government's land reform efforts, says leading campaigner
A LOWLANDS laird has redistributed more land than the Scottish Government since its creation and current efforts on land reform are doomed to failure, according to a leading campaigner. Former Green MSP Andy Wightman, one of Scotland’s top authorities
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Gerry Hassan: The battle for our future
WE are nearly five months into this Labour Government – elected after 14 years of Tory government mired in scandal, division and failure which the public were desperate to see the back of. Why then does it already feel as if this Government is
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David Pratt: Is Russia's latest move a reckless escalation or into the endgame?
AN old Russian proverb has it that “appetite comes with eating”. It’s a saying that could well apply right now to the current strategic and geopolitical situation regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine. For on the face of it, currently there would appear
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Ruth Wishart: John Prescott was brimming with a charisma few politicians can match
OF all the tributes paid to John Prescott, perhaps the most acute came via Al Gore, former vice president of the USA. John, he observed, “possessed an inherent ability to connect with people about the issues which mattered to them – a talent others
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Neal Ascherson: Scotland needs to take an 'as if' approach to independence
I WAS tidying old papers when I came to a faded “1979” folder. Remember what a bad year that was, for those who believed in a self-governing Scotland? In March, a referendum for a “Scottish Assembly”, its terms skewed to ensure failure. Then a
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Who is on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg? The full guest list
SECRETARY of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall is set to appear on Laura Kuenssberg's Sunday morning politics show. She will be joined by Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Kevin Hollinrake. Also
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Alyn Smith: The key roles in EU Parliament election for Scotland to keep an eye on
IT would be safe to say the European Parliament hearings of the EU commissioners-designate have not generated many headlines this side of the North Sea, or indeed anywhere outside the EU Brussels bubble, but that does not mean they are not an important
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It’s shameful that it took court order for action to be taken against Israel
ON November 21, 2024, the International Criminal Court finally acted unanimously and decisively on The Situation in the State of Palestine. The ICC is responsible, under the Rome Statute, for cases of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The
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New inheritance tax for farmers may mean bad news for Scotland's land
CORPORATES may buy up even more of Scotland’s land as a result of the Labour Government’s new inheritance tax on farmland, it has been warned. Suicides in an already high-risk industry are predicted to rise as a result of the tax. It is also believed
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Muck and brass are key to this theatrical debut on miner's strikes
IVOR Novello Award-winning composer Martin Green is making his playwriting debut with a show marking 40 years since the miners’ strikes. Best known as the virtuoso accordionist in the folk trio Lau, Green has spent the past two years on an odyssey
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Help a hero this Christmas
Christmas isn’t the most wonderful time of the year for RAF veteran Mike – it’s the loneliest. From the moment the shops are stocked with festive decorations, he can’t wait for it all to be over. For many of his 13 years in the military, Mike
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Povlsen, pines and power: Why are the super-rich buying up Scotland?
ANDY Wightman is dispirited by his investigations into land reform efforts in Scotland. The former MSP, one of Scotland’s foremost land reform campaigners, has discovered that well-intentioned efforts to dilute the concentration of land ownership
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Scottish farmer says inheritance tax will have 'devastating' impact on Scotland
ALASDAIR Macnab, who farms south of Dingwall, was one of the farmers who took part in the protest in London last week against the new inheritance tax policy. He told the Sunday National it would have a “devastating” impact on farming in Scotland
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Andrew Tickell: Clinics stepping in while defence lawyers are being left high and dry
LAST week, The Herald shone a spotlight on access to justice in Scotland. Scots lawyers are – ironically – often terrible advocates for their own interests. Proposals to invest more money in the NHS are a safe bet. But persuading politicians to
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Labour peer is landlord of abuse-accused ex-Scottish council leader
A LABOUR grandee appointed to an influential local government role in Inverclyde is the landlord of the council’s former leader, who is contesting domestic abuse charges, the Sunday National can reveal. Stephen McCabe, who stepped down as Inverclyde
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Rhoda Meek: Farmers are the ones being left with diddly squat
‘NOT right in the head.” That’s how Cammy from the Sheep Game described farmers this week. And he’s absolutely right. From my small-scale experience, you do have to be off your rocker. I, like many – especially in crofting areas – do it because
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John Swinney to 'set out vision for Scotland' in St Andrew's Day speech
THE First Minister is set to “lay out his vision for Scotland” in an upcoming St Andrew’s Day speech. John Swinney is due to give a speech to representatives from organisations across the public and private sectors on Wednesday. Urging the
