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Thu, 30th November 2023

Michael Matheson

Matheson accused of 'degrading' politics as majority say he should resign
A poll found 61 per cent believe the beleaguered health secretary should step down

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  • 1Duncan and Todd's new CEO has a clear vision for historic eyecare business
  • 2Holmes takes first step inside Ibrox since 1989 and lifts lid on time at Rangers
  • 3Are more people saying no to the mince pie?
  • 4Passions: The Hampden Park of cast iron cookware lies in Fresnoy-le-Grand
  • 5SNP 'wedded to secrecy' as significant Freedom of Information reform rejected
    • Baron of Selkirk James Douglas-Hamilton inspects the Guard of Honour 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh in 2013. Picture: David Cheskin/PA Wire

    Tributes paid to ‘true gentleman’ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

    You can get a half price Scotsman annual digital subscription right now - check out with promo code BlackFriday50

    Black Friday Sale | Scotsman Digital+ for just 18p a day

    Rescue workers at the Clutha Bar in Glasgow after a Police Scotland helicopter crashed, killing all three crew and seven pub patrons. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty

    Clutha survivors recall helicopter crash on tenth anniversary of tragedy

    First Minister Humza Yousaf. Image: Lesley Martin/Press Association.

    What is Humza Yousaf doing at COP28?

    Scotland's net-zero drive will achieve little while China keeps burning coal John McLellan

    West cannot keep ignoring Iran's state piracy, warmongering and kidnappings Struan Stevenson

    Douglas Ross helped expose Matheson scandal, but it won't halt Tories' decline Euan McColm

    We're sleepwalking to climate Armageddon – Alastair Dalton Alastair Dalton

    Lifestyle

    Queen Elizabeth I pictured circa 1588, supposedly wearing the robes in which she went to St Paul's Cathedral to give thanks for the defeat of the Spanish Armada PIC: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

    Book review: England’s Insular Imagining, by Lorna Hutson

    George Paterson PIC: ©Blue Jaye Photography

    Book review: Westerwick, by George Paterson

    The Starcatchers Baby Studio in Wester Hailes PIC: Brian Hartley

    The Starcatchers Baby Studio: ‘High-level art is for all ages’

    Eileen

    Film reviews: Eileen | Genie | Fallen Leaves

    Alice Faye

    The Scotsman Sessions #389: Alice Faye

    Wizzard performing on Top of the Pops in 1973. (Pic: Jack Kay/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

    Passions: One hit wonders, Pan’s People – TOTP is a treasure trove of memories

    Exclusive W Edinburgh opens: first look at luxury hotel

    Scotsman Video

    Scotsman Video

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    The latest video from The Scotsman

    Featured Videos

    Rescue workers at the Clutha Bar in Glasgow after a Police Scotland helicopter crashed, killing all three crew and seven pub patrons. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty

    Clutha survivors recall helicopter crash on tenth anniversary of tragedy

    Alice Faye

    The Scotsman Sessions #389: Alice Faye

    Edinburgh's Dunard Centre concert hall is proposed to be built behind a Royal Bank of Scotland building on St Andrew Square.

    Soaring costs and new delay revealed for new Edinburgh concert hall

    Images released by South Ayrshire Council show the damage caused to the hotel following the blaze.

    Hotelier 'interested' in acquiring fire ravaged Station Hotel in Ayr

    Edward Kane, Advocate in the Supernal Sisters by Ross Macfarlane KC

    Edward Kane, Advocate in The Supernal Sisters. Chapter 2: ‘Subterranean Provision’. Illustration: Lesley-Anne Barnes Macfarlane

    Edward Kane, Advocate in The Supernal Sisters. Chapter 2

    Edward Kane, Advocate in The Supernal Sisters. Chapter 1: Jesus Was Just Like a Ghost. Illustration: Lesley-Anne Barnes Macfarlane

    Edward Kane, Advocate in The Supernal Sisters. Chapter 1

    Edward Kane and the Supernal Sisters begins in The Scotsman tomorrow. Illustrations by Lesley-Anne Barnes Macfarlane

    Our continuing  fascination with the after life - Ross Macfarlane KC

    Puzzles

    Quick CrosswordTo test and hone your word skills

    SudokuThe ultimate logic-based numbers game

    WordwheelPit yourself against the clock with our simple anagram game

    Politics

    US President Joe Biden has described Maga Trumpism as 'semi-fascist' (Picture: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

    As Tories move towards far-right, it's time to talk about fascism

    Finance Secretary Shona Robison, seen with Humza Yousaf, faces 'difficult decisions' as she prepares the Scottish Budget (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

    Tax avoidance does not mean government must cut public spending

    Rishi Sunak meets Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the G20 Summit last year (Picture: Leon Neal/Getty Images)

    Rishi Sunak goes all Alan Partridge over 'Elgin Marbles'

    Tom Walker is head of wind at renewables multinational Statkraft, which operates several onshore wind and solar assets in Scotland and the UK has recently opened a new headquarters in Glasgow

    How wind sector deal will help meet an era-defining challenge

    Much more work needs to be done to ensure a 'just transition' for workers when the Grangemouth oil refinery closes (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

    Grangemouth closure plan no surprise, so lack of just transition is worrying

    The trafficking of women for sex is a major problem in the UK and the rest of the world (Picture: Hoang Dinh Nam/AFP via Getty Images)

    Pimping websites that advertise trafficked women for rape must be prosecuted

    Amanda Croft, interim chief executive of NHS Forth Valley, and Janie McCusker, chair of NHS Forth Valley, ahead of the the public session. Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

    'Ageing population' contributing to issues at 'stage four' health board

    Rishi Sunak has been criticised for cancelling a meeting with the Greek Prime Minister.

    Live     Politics live: Elgin Marbles and immigration raised at heated PMQs

    cut through the noise

    Sport

    European captain Luke Donald and his players celebrate after winning the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome. Picture: Andrew Redington/Getty Images.

    Donald becomes Europe's first repeat Ryder Cup captain since 1995

    Luke Donald has become Europe’s first repeat Ryder Cup captain in 30 years after the winning skipper...
    Briefs: Celtic display slammed, Scottish Cup picks, Maloney v Johnson
    Celtic’s performances in Europe once again come under the microscope and Rangers plan to kick on...
    Philippe Clement oversees a Rangers training session as he mulls over his possible starting line-up to face Aris Limassol

    Clement on Rangers 'imbalance', January plans and importance of beating Aris

    Ibrox boss knows importance of defeating Aris on Thursday night in Europa League
    Six Nations: Don't flutter eyelashes- this is crown jewel and must stay free

    Aidan Smith

    Celtic wallow in aftermath of Champions League exit and eye final hurrah
    McGregor laments familiar failings and hopes team can sign off by beating Feyenoord...
    Modest Matthews plays down try-scoring heroics for Glasgow Warriors
    Hooker is the top tryscorer in the URC and close to Scotstoun history books...

    Opinion

    Homelessness has hit the highest level since records began (Picture: Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

    Private rented sector can help tackle homelessness – if rents are affordable

    Humza Yousaf visits Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert, to mark the 75th anniversary of the NHS in July (Picture: Lesley Martin/pool/Getty Images)

    Time to face reality as the NHS crisis deepens

    In 2021 Nicola Sturgeon vowed to abolish all NHS dentistry charges if the SNP was re-elected; this month the Scottish Government halved the number of check-ups to which patients are entitled, while hiking treatment costs (Picture: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

    Readers' Letters: NHS Scotland dental check-up cuts are a pain in the wallet

    Charles White Thomson, CEO at Saxo UK

    Impact of wrecking ball on economy will last for years - Charles White Thomson

    Education

    School pupils. David Jones/PA Wire

    ‘Staggering' rise in use of weapons, violence and drugs in Scotland's schools

    Major study highlights scale of problems in Scottish primary schoolsCalum RossCalum Ross
    Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth chats to pupils during a visit to Craigmount High School in Edinburgh to mark SQA Results Day 2023. Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

    Here are 5 key issues the SNP's school violence action plan must address

    A sign for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) building in Edinburgh.

    New SQA chair appointed to help oversee replacement of Scotland's exams body

    Analysis: SNP must act to curtail alarming trends in Scottish schoolsCalum Ross
    Calum Ross

    Rural Affairs

    Life in rural Scotland is a worryingly isolating experience for members of the LGBTQ+ community, research has shown. Picture: Getty Images

    'It's a silent world': Challenges of older LGBTQ+ in rural Scotland

    As conversations continue on support needed for younger members of the LGBTQ+ community in rural Sco...
    Visa proposal to address depopulation branded a gimmick amid housing crisis
    Islanders have said the issue is not a lack of people who want to live in remote areas, but rather t...
    Lenabo Forest, near Peterhead, is on the market for offers over £3.9m (pic: Goldcrest Land & Forestry Group)

    Forest with former WW1 airship station on the market for offers over £3.9m

    The former Lenabo Airship Station, established in 1915 as a base for airships to patrol the North Sea during the First World War, sits within the property
    Promising lapwing test shows farmers are 'part of the solution not the problem'Katharine Hay
    Katharine Hay
    Storm Ciarán: Disruption continues across railway line following signal outage

    A yellow rain warning is in place for Scotland's east coast today.

    ...
    SSPCA say there is currently no safe way to rescue 'Britain's loneliest sheep'
    The sheep’s fleece is so overgrown it interferes with potential rescue options...

    Health

    Dr Iain Kennedy, chair of BMA Scotland, warns Scotland's NHS won't make it to its 100th birthday. Image: Jeff Moore/Press Association.

    Top doctor warns Scotland's NHS won't make it to 100

    Analysis How has NHS Scotland run up a £395m deficit?

    Targets 'placed around doctors' necks' are making NHS recruitment crisis worse Dr Joanna Bredski

    NHS Scotland funding crisis: Healthcare service facing £395m deficit

    Wood burners and open fires are the second biggest source of small particle air pollution in the UK. Photo: Adobe

    Calls to ban wood burner fuels in bid to prevent pollution-related diseases

    What is the H1N2 swine influenza strain and what does the discovery mean?

    Mayor of London Sadiq Khan departs following his appearance at the UK Covid inquiry. Picture: Leon Neal/Getty Images

    Khan tells UK Covid inquiry 'lives could have been saved' amid Cobra snub

    Scotsman Passions

    Alan Davies and Sarah Alexander as Jonathan and Polly Creek in the ​mystery drama

    Passions: As the nights draw in, we’re entering peak Jonathan Creek season

    Why student journalism must be protected at all costs Conor Matchett

    A tree by the coast near to St Andrews, Fife (pic: Katharine Hay)

    Going solo on pilgrimage routes, from Way of St Andrews to Camino de Santiago

    Action figure of Freddie Krueger

    Passion: Horror films aren't purely for Halloween - Gaby Soutar

    Heritage and Retro

    This little box may be billed as an upscaling DVD player but it just might also be the biggest CD playing bargain available.

    CD hit: Why my £18 supermarket player is the greatest hi-fi bargain in 40 years

    A SRPS first class compartment which seeks to convey the golden age of rail travel. (Photo by SRPS)

    Rail operator forced to halt most historic tours for £500,000 safety upgrade

    Here are 10 terrifying Christmas creatures from around the world

    The jetty at Hushinish in Harris with boats bound for Scarp in the background. PIC: Dr Mary Gilham Archive Project/Creative Commons

    The island that everyone left and the abandoned house now sold as a second home

    A decent compact disc player is the perfect way to listen to Dire Straits' 80s classic Brothers in Arms. Picture: Scott Reid

    Passions: Forget the vinyl revival, compact discs make sweeter, cheaper music

    Eilean Musdile lighthouse on the isle of Lismore in the Inner Hebrides. The only shop and post office on the island - which has a population of around 160 - has been saved after the community bought out the store. PIC: Eugene Birchall /geograph.org.

    How the only shop on a Scottish island was saved with help of second home owners

    Here are 80 of the Billy Connolly's best jokes to give you a laugh

    The Scotsman Sessions

    Just a few of the artists who have performed Scotsman Sessions

    The Scotsman Sessions: links to numbers 1-350

    Alice Faye

    The Scotsman Sessions #389: Alice Faye

    Michael Pedersen

    The Scotsman Sessions #388: Michael Pedersen

    Brenda

    The Scotsman Sessions #387: Brenda

    Zara Gladman

    The Scotsman Sessions #386: Zara Gladman

    Alannah Moar

    The Scotsman Sessions #385: Alannah Moar

    John Douglas

    The Scotsman Sessions #384: John Douglas

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    How to find and play hidden Eat This Playlist game on Spotify

    A kimono owned by Freddie Mercury will be going on display in a Japanese fashion exhibition at V&A Dundee next year. Picture: Victoria and Albert Museum

    Freddie Mercury kimono worn at home to go on show in V&A Dundee exhibition

    These are the best and spookiest costumes for children for Halloween 2023.

    Cheap, scary Halloween costumes for kids - Wednesday and Marvel heroes

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    Sport Opinion

    Ian Johnston discovered he loved swimming, after avoiding it for years, at Dalry Swim Centre in Edinburgh

    How I learned to stop hating the 'boiled carrots' of sports and love it instead
    After avoiding swimming as much as possible for more than half a century, I’ve discovered it’s actually great fun

    Nigel Clough, manager of Mansfield Town, has told his players to curb the goal celebrations. (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

    Aidan Smith: You’ve only made a routine tackle. Why all the hugs and high-fives?

    "What? Really, mate? You're stopping the game again?" Ange Postecoglou during the VAR-dominated Spurs-Chelsea game

    Aidan Smith: I’m with Ange Postecoglou - let’s kill VAR before it kills football

    Rangers fans light up the Bob Shankly stand with pyro during the match against Dundee on Wednesday.

    Is football one bad flare-up away from visiting fans being banned?

    Homes

    The landmark Platform scheme becomes one of Glasgow’s tallest buildings at 20 storeys, with the full development set across four blocks next to the Clyde.

    500 Glasgow flats with riverside views up for rent as huge project completes

    You shouldn't have to resort to extreme measures to stay warm at home this winter.

    7 expert tips to keep your home warm in winter - and save cash

    Shopping spree Pic:Adobe

    Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2023: No more stuff thanks - Gaby Soutar

    Altondyke, Bridge of Weir Road, Kilmacolm, Inverclyde.

    Prestige property: your chance to own a Rennie Mackintosh

    Obituaries

    Manager Terry Venables at a training session of the England national football team in 1996 (Picture: Phil Cole/Getty Images)

    Scotsman Obituaries: Terry Venables, English football player turned manager

    Joss Ackland poses during a portrait session in 2007 (Picture: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

    Scotsman Obituaries: Joss Ackland, screen star who honed skills at Pitlochry

    Rugby Union

    Sintu Manjezi is back in the Glasgow Warriors reckoning.

    Manjezi delighted for Glasgow Warriors return as he takes mum's advice

    WP Nel during an Edinburgh Rugby training session at Hive Stadium.

    Nel knows retirement is close but prop basks in Indian summer

    Premier Sports is back in Scottish sport.

    Premier Sports back in Scottish game: Start date, League Cup future, URC deal

    Edinburgh's Blair Kinghorn and Benetton's Marco Zanon in action last week.

    Why Edinburgh have no qualms over playing Kinghorn in final match

    Kyle Rowe impressed once again for Glasgow Warriors against Ulster.

    In-form winger Rowe tipped to make Scotland squad return

    George Horne could ease Glasgow Warriors' injury issues at scrum-half.

    Glasgow Warriors get big injury boost ahead of trip to Munster

    Pete Horne will specialise in the attack and contact area in his new role with Scotland.

    Horne given permanent role in Scotland coaching set-up as Mooar's exit confirmed

    Glasgow Warriors' Sean Kennedy, left, celebrates with team-mate Johnny Matthews after their side's 33-20 win over Ulster in the BKT United Rugby Championship at Scotstoun. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

    Glasgow Warriors’ fourth choice scrum-half on brink of glorious Indian summer

    Glasgow Warriors Sione Tuipulotu in action against Ulster.

    Glasgow reaction: Smith explains what encouraged him most against Ulster

    Cars

    Careless car drivers risk hefty fines over winter.

    Tips to avoid shelling out up to £18,000 in motoring fines this winter

    Driving in wintery conditions can be a challenge.

    Winter Driving Advice: How to stay safe on the roads in ice and snow

    Top UK road-trips which have earned their reputation as the world’s most scenic drives. Picture - supplied

    Ad Feature Top road-trip getaways which are not so far away

    Take car while driving with your pet this winter. First up: don't let them take the wheel...

    Keep your dog safe on winter car journeys - and avoid a £20,000 fine

    Toyota has worked hard to ensure the C-HR still stands out from the crowd. Credit: Toyota press office

    Toyota C-HR Review: stylish SUV is more practical than its predecessor

    The Touareg is impressive when it ventures offroad. Credit Volkswagen Press Office

    Volkswagen Touareg eHybrid 4Motion review: High tech German giant

    Must Read

    “A just transition to net zero can be achieved through decarbonising homes and the electrification of heat,” Josiah Lockhart, Chief Executive of leading environmental charity Changeworks. Picture - supplied

    Ad Feature Two years on from COP26 in Glasgow Scotland needs to step up – Changeworks

    The Queen Mother at Frances' shop

    High fashion in the Highlands

    Exclusive Ian Rankin on his Edinburgh ‘man cave’ and new stand-alone mystery The Rise