Scotland NEWS

For some time I've been impressed by the work of the  Scottish Democratic Alliance (SDA). Those involved seem attuned to what's being said in living rooms and pubs and they have had, for some time, comprehensive policies on the EU and defence - being just two - publicly available online. They have always been open to communications with the SNP because their aim is also independence. The SDA, along with the more astute political watchers, realise that Scotland will never be the same from...Read Full Story

The 79 Group was an internal faction within the SNP , named after the fact that it was formed in 1979.  The group sought to persuade the SNP to take an active left-wing stance, arguing that it would win more support, and were highly critical of the established SNP leaders. Although it had a tiny membership, the group caused sufficient disquiet that they were expelled from the SNP in 1982, although its members were subsequently readmitted and many attained senior positions in the Scottish...Read Full Story

Martin McCauley writes from Edinburgh: These are heady days for Bonnie Scotland. Alex Salmond, the First Minister, is the cleverest politician in the United Kingdom. No wonder his party, The Scottish National Party (SNP), won a clear majority in the parliamentary elections of 2010. In so doing it trounced Labour that  had come to believe that it was the natural governing party north of the border. Now that was not supposed to happen. Scottish devolution was couched in such arcane terms that...Read Full Story

Why are so many SNP supporters - particularly on Twitter - declaring absolute horror at Tom Harris's production of a Downfall video ?  Downfall parodies involving politicians have been made all over the world but they're soon removed by the film maker as a breach of copyright. Let me stress, I'm not condoning Tom Harris's appallingly bad taste for using the medium to mock the SNP - his action was well out of line for an MP - but I never heard any strong objections when Gordon Brown was...Read Full Story

Alex Salmond during last years election campaign made sure he was at the front of demonstrations against the closing of RAF bases in Scotland.  He attended a mass rally in Lossiemouth where he declared the SNP “ stood shoulder to shoulder ” with others who joined the cross-party battle to save Lossiemouth and Kinloss, along with RAF Leuchars in Fife. Not even a year later he has now said that an independent Scotland would need just one air base. In his blind ambition to be King of...Read Full Story