Columnist

BORIS Johnson’s elaborate plan to re-set his Government’s foreign and domestic policy agenda is already beginning to bear fruit. After carefully considering how much the Ukraine crisis can continue to divert attention from his Government’s criminality at home the UK Prime Minister last week promised a further £1.3 billion in military assistance to President Zelenskyy’s war effort.

IT’S more than 20 years since Ginny Clark became the first woman to be appointed sports editor of a national newspaper in the UK. As an assistant editor at Scotsman Publications at that time, it was my responsibility to find a new chief for Scotland on Sunday’s hugely influential sports section when this prized position became available.

AT the heart of Scottish Unionism lies a curious dissonance. In the absence of anything resembling a coherent economic policy, prominent Unionists feel compelled to declare that any statement in support of independence is proof of neglecting the day-to-day governance of Scotland. With this comes the implication that the interests of Scotland are close to their heart.

SOME of us, I suspect, are tempted to include Rory Stewart in our fantasy lists of reasonable Tory aristocrats.

SCOTLAND’S council elections always bring forth a miscellany of rich and diverse characters seeking to represent us. With around 1500 seats up for grabs, the bangers, roasters and hot dogs who lurk in the shadows of civic Scotland feel they have a wee chance of securing a place among Scotland’s town hall panjandrum class.

AROUND 1200 seats will be in play during next month’s local authority elections and already it’s become clear that the task of fielding a full first team of candidates to fight them is stretching Scottish Labour’s resources to the max.

SOME familiar contemptuous voices emerged to disparage last weekend’s pro-independence march in Arbroath.

MY friend Angela Haggerty, the writer and political commentator, suggested recently that Scotland should have a day of national remembrance to remember all those we lost during the pandemic. Within a few weeks of Covid-19 beginning to exert its grip, Angela suffered the death of her dad, who had leukaemia, as well as the sudden loss of her baby son’s father.

THOSE who possess sufficient power and resources will always find ways to bend politicians to their will. Most of their efforts, no matter how sophisticated they appear, will always involve handing out large amounts of money.

AS we step gaily among spring’s early daffodils, there’s no indication the SNP are planning an annual conference to call the faithful to action. In normal circumstances this would be regarded as a little curious. That the important local authority elections are now less than two months away, it seems to be either a sign of supreme confidence or outright arrogance.