Opinion
Alf Young: Power about more than mechanics
WHEN Scotland’s First Minister stood before a group of workers in a Falkirk factory on Tuesday to launch his government’s economic case for independence, Alex Salmond used a well-worn phrase.
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Stephen McGinty: Respect, all that is needed
WHEN James Salter was 79-years old he was invited to fly in an F-16 by an American Air Force general, who admired his novel The Hunters about pilots in Korea where Salter had flown over 100 missions in the early 1950s.
Leaders: Political assurances on gas just hot air
NOW we know. Because a water pump failed, Britain came within six hours of running out of gas in March.
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Erikka Askeland: Drinking in caffeine culture
I AM a drug addict. When I get my fix, I get a sense of mild euphoria and well-being.
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Stephen Jardine: Two events worth braving elements
WHEN it comes to public displays of bravery, organising an outdoor food event in Scotland is right up there with putting your head in the mouth of a killer whale.
Gerry Hassan: Not social justice paradise we claim
THERE was a revealing exchange on Newsnight Scotland this week which got to the heart of the matter of the substance (or lack of) in much of the independence debate.
13 commentsOn this day: Strachan resigns at Celtic | Bank Holiday Act passed
Events, birthdays and anniversaries from 25 May
Kim Hartley: Professional teams key for healthcare
SPEECH and language therapists (SLTs), play a vital role in meeting the growing needs of Scotland’s ageing adult population.
Lori Anderson: Cook your way towards a healthy life
I WAS raised on a diet of tinned everything; I was born of the loins of a mother for whom the domestic arts were as arcane as Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason.
Robin McAlpine: Economy plan chained by convention
The SNP’s plan, while recognising some of what not to do, seems to include repeating the mistakes that caused the economic crisis in the first place, writes Robin McAlpine
16 commentsDavid Bell: Reform is game changer for renewables
On 30 April the Scottish Government launched a consultation on an overhaul of national planning policy, with the issue of a draft Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) and the third National Planning Framework (NPF 3).
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Tom Peterkin: Rift within Scots Tories deepens
AS IF a divided Conservative Party did not have enough on its plate already – what with the widening fissure over Europe and divisions over the gay marriage issue.
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George Kerevan: UK Treasury in choppy waters
In questioning Scotland’s ability to weather an economic storm the Treasury is sailing rather close to the wind, writes George Kerevan
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Analysis: Netanyahu unlikely to give Kerry peace
Seeking to nudge Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table, US Secretary of State John Kerry this week praised Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu’s “seriousness” about revitalising hopes for a peace deal and voiced optimism for ending years of stalemate.
Juliet Dunlop: Holidays at home win – by a distance
Does the thought of a fortnight in the sun fill you with dread? Do you break out in a cold sweat at the merest mention of a long-haul flight?
Leaders: What price for vigilance? | Weather woes
It WAS one of those news items you have to catch twice because its horror was hard to believe the first time.
Richard Kerley: Centralisation claims don’t add up
The argument that more centralisation of public resources will save money is not based on hard evidence, writes Richard Kerley
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Joyce McMillan: Politics of hate achieve nothing
Our reaction to the events in Woolwich must not mirror the mindset of the criminals, writes Joyce McMillan
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Murdo Fraser: Scottish Tories move with the times
A shift to embrace further powers for Holyrood will put party back at the heart of the political landscape, writes Murdo Fraser
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Fiona McCade: Popularity comes at too high a price
When I was about seven years old, I remember being sent out of class for sobbing uncontrollably. Why? Because I was wearing woolly tights.
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Analysis: Woolwich a ‘new round of terror threats’
Terrorist experts said yesterday’s murder was a departure from previous attacks and represented a “new round of terror threats in this country”.
Peter MacLeod: Children in care deserve equal chance
DISCRIMINATION against children and young people in care affects around 16,000 youngsters a year in Scotland and costs the taxpayer millions because of the pressure it puts on prisons and the welfare system.
Tavish Scott: SNP needs to send positive message
This week, the independence debate featured claim and counter claim. So, too, in the previous week.
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Michael Kelly: Police have right to quiz services
With the advent of devolution, is there still a role for local government to play, asks Michael Kelly
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Leaders: George Osborne’s Plan B | Poor healthcare
WHILE David Cameron was embarked on his latest round of diplomacy in Europe to try to get EU agreement on tackling tax avoidance by multinational companies, his Chancellor, George Osborne, was back in London responding to the report on the UK economy by the International Monetary Fund.
Bill Jamieson: Get real about our debt problems
The independence debate has avoided the subject of our economy – but it must be confronted, writes Bill Jamieson
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Analysis: Marine energy hampered by costs
THE renewables industry often talks about Scotland’s marine energy sector as “world-leading” and it is announcements like this from Aquamarine Power that help prove the point.
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Iain Gray: SNP closures court disaster
There is no justice in SNP plans to close 26 courts – a decision that will a have a serious knock-on effect on the viability of our towns, writes Iain Gray
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Allan Massie: Indy debate should follow Kirk lead
Nationalists and unionists would do well to heed respect shown by both sides to prepare ground for reconciliation, writes Allan Massie
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Emma Cowing: Fertility drive is offensive to women
KATE Garraway, her off Daybreak who is married to Derek Draper, is fronting a new campaign called Get Britain Fertile. It features Garraway made up to look like she’s about 102, sporting an enormous baby bump.
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Matt Qvortrup: Emotions will rule on independence
The case either for or against independence will be won not by economic reason but by matching people’s passions, writes Matt Qvortrup
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Eddie Barnes: George Osborne and IMF go to-to-toe
FOR the past few weeks, George Osborne has been getting his annual health check.
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Emma Cowing: Fertility drive is offensive to women
KATE Garraway, her off Daybreak who is married to Derek Draper, is fronting a new campaign called Get Britain Fertile. It features Garraway made up to look like she’s about 102, sporting an enormous baby bump.
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Brian Wilson: SNP plans border on the ridiculous
SNP policy on immigration would inevitably lead to the setting up of checks and controls, writes Brian Wilson
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Leaders: Salmond must flesh out case | Andy’s granny
IF THE document on the Scottish economy published yesterday by Alex Salmond was an attempt to regain the independence initiative after a series of set-backs, it looks to have been at best a damp squib and at worst a failure.
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Michael Fry: Wagner remains meister of controversy
On the 200th anniversary of Richard Wagner’s birth, opinion remains deeply divided over whether the quality of his music outweighs his unpalatable views on Jews, writes Michael Fry
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David Martin: Everyone can help ease Syria crisis
There is little the European Union can do to bring a military solution to the crisis in Syria. But that does not mean we should sit back and wring our hands in anguish.
Comment:Scottish independence and pensions outlook
Pensions are rapidly looking like being the key vote-determining issue of the independence referendum. And for the SNP right now, it looks like being a real killer. Unless Alex Salmond can come up with some really convincing evidence and arguments to show that pensions will be not just safe, but also better, in an independent Scotland, then he will lose the referendum.
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Analysis: Small but significant step for Kirk
To a slightly bemused watching world, the pace with which the Church of Scotland is facing up to issues of sexuality seems painfully slow.
David Maddox: Independence referendum will leave emotional scars
WITH the latest UK government paper out yesterday saying why Scottish independence really is not a good idea, it is easy to forget the emotional side in the trading and counter-trading of facts and non-facts across the two sides of the debate.
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Jackie Kemp: Guantanamo bloody stain on US values
Obama’s broken promises may prove a turning point in support for US, says Jackie Kemp
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Hugh Reilly: Teaching profession needs to man up
When I joined Strathclyde Police in 1975, many of my older colleagues hailed from the Highlands or one of the many Hebridean gulag archipelagos.
3 commentsBrian Wilson: Millport marine centre must be saved
On one Scottish island, there is a centre of academic excellence which predates the University of the Highlands and Islands by fully a century. That island is Cumbrae in the Firth of Clyde.
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Brian Taylor: Labour’s home rule battle
In the last of our series in association with the University of Glasgow’s Vox Populi lectures, Brian Taylor looks back at the referendum of 1997
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Tiffany Jenkins: Why the fascination with death?
Celebrity photographer Rankin has snapped the most attractive and famous people in the world: Kate Moss, Scarlett Johansson, Daniel Craig and George Clooney are just some of the beautiful people he has immortalised in their prime.
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Leaders: Kirk’s gay ministers ruling | Drink proposals
Religious convictions, because they derive from faith in the Word of God as revealed in the Bible, are the most unshakeable of beliefs.
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Brian Monteith: Free speech right applies to Farage
If Scotland is ‘better’ than the rest of the UK, then Salmond should be condemning Ukip’s treatment here, writes Brian Monteith
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Lesley Riddoch: Kirk gay debate must show courage
The General Assembly has the chance to show that it too can take hard decisions without flinching, writes Lesley Riddoch
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Comment: Scotland needs free cancer drug access
Last week at the Scottish Parliament, the presence of bowel cancer patient Maureen Fleming at First Minister’s Questions presented every single MSP in the chamber with a challenge: why are patients in Scotland three times less likely than patients in England to get access to cancer medicines, prescribed by their doctor but not routinely funded through the NHS?
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Leaders: Good reasons for demonisation of bankers
Has the time come to halt the demonisation of bankers? Outgoing Bank of England governor Sir Mervyn King thinks so. His point is not simply that it has gone on long enough and that it is time to move on.
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Weather for Edinburgh
Saturday 25 May 2013
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