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Bob Diamond is accused of delaying the announcement of his bonus award. Picture: PA

Barclays boss Bob Diamond refuses to disclose bonus

LABOUR has warned Barclays boss Bob Diamond against delaying the announcement of his bonus, in what they said was an attempt by the bank to avoid the furore over executive pay.

13 comments

More than a third of local authority roads are in poor condition. Picture: Jayne Wright

Many of Scotland’s roads ‘no better than third world’

ROADS in parts of Scotland are no better than those in third-world countries, a business leader has claimed, after it emerged more than a third of the local authority road network was in a poor state of repair.

76 comments

Labour is still in control - just - at Glasgow City Chambers. Picture: Donald MacLeod

Labour clings on to power in Glasgow by one-vote margin

THE internal strife that has rocked Glasgow City Council’s Labour group escalated yesterday, when the party was hit by more resignations.

56 comments

A campaign button encouraging a vote for Scottish independence

How the ghost of referendums past fascinates us today

‘THE Menace of Separation’ is the warning title of one vintage pamphlet, drawn up by the Labour Vote No group in 1979.

‘Scottish Communists Say Yes’ declares another leaflet displayed nearby, evoking other memories of Scotland’s modern history.

9 comments

The exhibition is a

Analysis: A chance to learn some very valuable lessons from our past mistakes

THIS excellent exhibition is a valuable record of a very important period in Scotland’s political history.

I was very much involved in the Referendum campaigns of 1979 and 1997, and the exhibition brought back many memories, both good and bad.

3 comments

An artist's impression of a new Forth replacement bridge alongside the current Forth bridge

Minister defends new Forth bridge contracts

Transport minister Keith Brown has argued it is wrong to suggest no Scottish firms are benefiting from the new Forth bridge.

6 comments

A screenshot of Donald Trump's latest outburst against Alex Salmond

Now Donald Trump tilts against ‘windmills’ in outburst on YouTube

DONALD Trump has stepped up his tirade against Alex Salmond by posting a YouTube video that berates the First Minister for his role in the proliferation of offshore wind farms.

52 comments

Families could lose tax credits

MORE than 200,000 families will lose tax credits worth £3,870 a year unless they increase their working hours, according to figures highlighted by Labour.

Tax bonuses, create jobs, says Miliband

GETTING young people into work using a tax on bankers’ bonuses is a major priority for the Labour Party, leader Ed Miliband said as he launched his local election campaign.

Public sector bodies may share more buildings

PUBLIC bodes like the NHS, councils, police and fire services are likely to share more buildings in future as part of a “revolution” in the way new facilities are developed, a new report has predicted.

Analysis: ‘A major part of the maintenance ‘backlog’ is currently being tackled’

THERE are always certain features that characterise the release of any figures on how badly our public buildings are maintained.

Health spending ‘being cut by £319m’

Scottish Government claims that health spending is being protected from the Budget cuts have been slammed by the opposition.

2 comments

Analysis: Delaying road repairs is a false economy – so get on with it

A CRUCIAL point to get across is that for every £1 cut in spending on road maintenance, it costs £1.50 in terms of damage to the road and all the consequences of this.

Scottish drivers most dissatisfied in UK

SCOTTISH drivers had a higher dissatisfaction rate with roads than in other parts of the UK, according to a recent AA poll which showed that 92 per cent surveyed said that conditions had “deteriorated”.

Wear-and-tear: potholes are an all-too-common site on many Scottish roads

Bottom of the league – blackspot had nearly fifth of roads in the worst category

ARGYLL and Bute had the worst roads in Scotland, with 18.4 per cent of the area’s network listed in the worst category, according to the most recent survey.

1 comment

Ban on convicted peers moves closer

Laws to expel peers convicted of serious criminal offences from the House of Lords have moved a step forward.

3 comments

Using the law to enforce how we drink is a bad move. Picture: AFP

Hugh McLachlan: No taste for drink policy

Plans to use the law to influence our consumption of alcohol may or may not work, but they represent a poor state–citizen relationship, writes Hugh McLachlan

32 comments

William Hague spells out Afghan security deal

BOTH the UK and US remain committed to a timetable for withdrawal of combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, Foreign Secretary William Hague has told MPs.

Anne Houston: We should give 16-year-olds the chance to vote

CHILDREN 1ST is calling on all political parties in Scotland to take action to lower the voting age to 16 for all elections, including the referendum on independence.

6 comments

An independent Scotland could struggle to rejoin the UN and EU. Picture: Phil Wilkinson

Nicholas Tsagourias: Getting a seat at the big table might be tricky for Scotland

If Scotland votes to leave the UK, its membership of the UN and EU would not be automatic, writes Nicholas Tsagourias

49 comments

Soup kitchens for Scots indicate a long-running problem. Picture: TSPL

Michael Kelly: Like the poor, it seems greed is always with us

Soup kitchens for Scottish families are a sure sign that despite centuries of preaching no-one really seems to get the message, writes Michael Kelly

12 comments

Tom Peterkin: It’s trying for voters as the media scrum are blind sided by First Minister’s clever handling

THE controversy over Alex Salmond’s attempt to cast himself as a rugby pundit has generated more spin than a scrum-half’s pass.

12 comments

Mike Russell has warned schools not to delay exams. Picture: Ian Rutherford

You’ll get help but don’t delay exams, Mike Russell tells schools

SCHOOLS are to be given more help to make sure they are ready for the introduction of Scotland’s new exam system, but will be discouraged from postponing its start date.

25 comments

Bravery while under fire from insurgents

IN a letter to Warwickshire’s Chief Constable Keith Bristow, Gillian Preece, of the British Embassy in Kabul, reveals why Alistair Wright has received a silver medal.

Minister urged to be bold on youth

YOUTH employment minister Angela Constance has singled out £8.5 million which she says will create 1,000 jobs and 800 voluntary opportunities for young people.

3 comments

David Bell: Quantitative easing the only tool left to stimulate growth

The Bank of England’s rationale is that without some further monetary stimulus, inflation is likely to fall below its 2 per cent target. The QE injection will offset the expected fall in bank lending forecast by the Ernst and Young Item Club.

4 comments

Call for review of Forth bridge steel contracts

Alex Salmond is facing calls for an immediate review of the “disgraceful” decision to hand all work to supply steel for the new Forth crossing to overseas firms.

12 comments

PIP implant campaigners slate Sturgeon

THE Scottish health secretary has been criticised by victims of the PiP breast implant scandal for failing to back their calls for a public inquiry.

9 comments

Salmond will make formal complaint to the BBC's governing body. Picture: PA

Alex Salmond in formal complaint over BBC Calcutta Cup ‘snub’

ALEX Salmond is to make a formal complaint to the governing body of the BBC over his controversial exclusion from a rugby broadcast.

330 comments

Eddie Barnes: This is one high-profile scrum the SNP will not want to lose

AT FIRST glance, the question of whether Alex Salmond should be a Calcutta Cup match pundit would not appear to be the stuff of constitutional fury ahead of the 2014 independence referendum.

14 comments

Greg Philo: Broadcasters often end up going for the safest option

THE BBC’s decision not to include Alex Salmond in their coverage of the Scotland v England rugby match was, for them, the correct one.

6 comments

Gauleiter: It depends on selective use of dictionary

ALEX Salmond used First Minister’s Questions yesterday to deny that his use of “Gauleiter” to describe a senior BBC official following a row about his exclusion from the rugby broadcast was a Nazi jibe.

17 comments

Donald Trump has hit out at Alex Salmond over windfarms. Picture: Greg Macvean

Donald Trump brands Alex Salmond ‘insane’ over windfarms

DONALD Trump is to fund an international crusade against “monstrous” windfarm developments around Scotland’s coast, after launching an astonishing broadside over First Minister Alex Salmond’s plans to streamline the offshore planning process.

350 comments

Warning of further 13,500 jobs facing the axe over ‘underfunded’ council tax freeze

About 13,500 public-sector staff face the axe in the coming year as a result of Scottish Government spending cuts, MSPs were told yesterday.

14 comments

Gordon Matheson admitted pain and hurt in the Labour group. Picture: Robert Perry

Labour face ‘meltdown’ after Glasgow Council budget vote

THE bitter political battle to control Glasgow has exploded into public after Labour won a knife-edge vote to pass its budget for the city, amid SNP claims that a raft of resignations showed its rival was “in meltdown”.

176 comments

Pensions unrest may loom again

THE government is facing the threat of renewed industrial action over its pension reforms after unions representing hundreds of thousands of NHS workers, civil servants, firefighters and teachers raised the prospect of strikes.

3 comments

Analysis: As the ‘special relationship’ ends, Salmond’s other friends in green lobby will be watching

IT WAS just over three years ago that Donald Trump described Alex Salmond as “an amazing man”.

3 comments

The Bank of England held interest rates at 0.5 per cent

Bank of England pumps further £50bn into UK economy

THE Bank of England injected a further £50 billion into the economy on Thursday in another desperate effort to keep the United Kingdom out of recession.

11 comments

Arthur Midwinter has cast doubt on several official papers

Ex-adviser condemns SNP ‘spin’ in official documents

ONE of Scotland’s leading experts on public finance has cast doubt on the Scottish Government’s ability to produce fair and accurate economic reports, ahead of the debate on independence.

314 comments

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Iran has mastered the uranium enrichment process. Picture: Getty

Geroge Kerevan: Strict sanctions are the way to halt nuclear Iran

Bombing Tehran is not the answer as the stakes are raised in the standoff between bitter rivals Israel and Iran, writes George Kerevan

Education minister is off the hook

Downing Street came to the defence today of Lib Dem minister Sarah Teather, after Tory backbenchers called for her to be sacked for missing a key set of Commons votes.

Writing on the wall for Boris and PM

A GRAFFITI artwork appearing to show David Cameron and Boris Johnson as rioters has been stencilled on a wall previously adorned by a Banksy.

2 comments

Tesco rules out bid for Clydesdale’s branches

1 comment

MPs’ pay rise ruled out

The pay of MPs is to be frozen for a second year running, it was announced yesterday.

Minister in talks aimed at deporting radical cleric

A HOME Office minister is to fly to Jordan to try to gain assurances that would enable radical cleric Abu Qatada to stand trial in the country.

Minister ‘unaware’ of benefits impact

Housing minister Keith Brown has suggested his UK counterpart does not fully understand the impact changes to the benefits system will have on homelessness in Scotland.

Defence cuts threaten forces’ skills

The armed forces risk losing vital skills because of the speed of the Government’s defence cuts, the Whitehall spending watchdog warned today.

Bristow wins rescue contract for North Sea

BRISTOW Helicopters has won the new government contract to operate the vital search and rescue service from the Coastguard bases at Sumburgh on Shetland and Stornoway in the Western Isles.

Madonna's visit to Murrayfield should spark a windfall. Picture: Getty

Bill Jamieson: Madonna brings material benefits

The star’s visit to Edinburgh will be a big day for fans and a huge boost for the city, writes Bill Jamieson

2 comments

Tavish Scott: The referendum game is missing one team

AMIDST meetings in London this week, an hour became clear. I beetled up Whitehall to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery.

12 comments

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Saturday 11 February 2012

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