One of Scottish Labour’s problems is that its most talented politicians prefer to be in Westminster rather than Holyrood. The reverse is true for the Scottish Nationalists. However, there are exceptions…
The SNP won’t hold a second independence referendum until it knows it can win. That is an obvious statement, but it seems to have been missed by the party’s opponents. They should be pushing SNP leader…
The SNP leader stands accused of lying to the electorate about which party she wants to lead the next government. Here’s the problem with the argument.
Nicola Sturgeon is seen to have done well in the debate between the Magnificent Seven leaders that was screened live to the nation on April 2. That poses a problem for Ed Miliband. His party is now at…
It nearly didn’t happen, but for the first time ever, the British public has heard from seven party leaders in one TV debate. And for the first time ever, Natalie Bennett, Nigel Farage, Nicola Sturgeon…
Alex Salmond might not be the leader of the Scottish National Party anymore, but that hasn’t stopped him from speaking out very loudly about his party’s potential role as kingmaker in the 2015 election…
Lord Ashcroft’s latest poll puts the SNP on course for a victory that will echo what happened in the 2011 Scottish election. Here’s why it’s too early for Nicola Sturgeon to get complacent.
While the UK braces itself for a political earthquake in Scotland in May that could well determine whether Labour or the Conservatives form the next government, a curious paradox surrounds the man at the…
With Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in London making a speech about the failures of austerity, her appearances are coming to embody her party’s momentum in the polls. Besides a TNS poll the other…
In the run-up to the Scottish independence referendum, the UK government refused to admit to any contingency plans for relocating Trident, the four Vanguard-class submarines mounted with nuclear warheads…
May’s general election is widely being viewed as one of the most unpredictable in living memory. Yet there is one prediction that can probably be safely made – the campaign in Scotland will be a very distinct…
So the bookies were right. The new leader of Labour in Scotland is indeed Jim Murphy. The challenge from Neil Findlay (less so Sarah Boyack) wasn’t enough to produce an upset. Not only is the future of…
The Catholicism of the Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy has attracted some attention this week against a backdrop of fascinating political developments in Scotland. For there is plenty of evidence that…
Alex Salmond’s confirmation that he will contest the general election in 2015 completes what must count as one of the shortest retirements in British political history. While the pro-independence campaign…
First the No victory in the Scottish referendum, now the debate about how much extra power should be extended north of the border. While the commission tasked with coming up with proposals prepares to…