SNP heading for victory on 5 May, according to new poll
The SNP is heading for victory in the Scottish elections – according to a major new opinion poll published this morning. The YouGov poll in Scotland on Sunday shows that Alex Salmond is on course to...
View ArticleScottish Greens set out ‘red line’ conditions for coalition
The Scottish Greens today set out their so-called “red line” issues – the policies they will not compromise in any post-election coalition deals. The Greens said they would refuse to enter any deals...
View ArticleElectionspeak: psephologist
By Betty Kirkpatrick References to psephologists seem to be thinner on the ground in this election than in others, or so it seems to me. Perhaps my election-watching has been waning this time round,...
View ArticleRegrets? Edinburgh have a few as they beat Aironi 32–15
Edinburgh’s Magners League match against Italian side Aironi on Friday night was, in league terms, a dead rubber. In a league without relegation, a contest between the bottom team and the team just...
View ArticleUseful Gaelic word: bàta
bàta – boat Although the word bàta looks boringly similar to its English counterpart, it actually includes a mini language lesson for true enthusiasts. Gaelic words have grammatical gender, just like...
View ArticleIs ideology dead? There’s a surprising amount in the manifestos
As the party manifestos are being unfolded for 5 May, I've been trying to fathom out if there are any fundamental beliefs or ideologies underlying them. Do the glossy brochures spring from a point of...
View ArticleThe submarine reactor risks the MoD didn’t want you to know about
by Rob Edwards The reactors that power all the nuclear submarines on the Clyde are twice as likely to suffer catastrophic accidents as are US submarine reactors and civil nuclear power stations,...
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Daily roundup: Scottish Labour, 18 April
Scottish Labour Leader Iain Gray today told the STUC that Labour and the Trade Union movement are united in the fight for Scottish jobs. He accused the Tories and Lib Dems of bringing forward...
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Daily roundup: Scottish Liberal Democrats, 18 April
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Tavish Scott joined Shelia Thomson, candidate for Aberdeen Central and John Sleigh, candidate for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine on a tour of the new CLAN cancer...
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Daily roundup: SNP, 18 April
First Minister Alex Salmond underlined the message that the NHS will be protected under a re-elected SNP Government as he highlighted the party’s record of improving dental services, on a visit to...
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Daily roundup: Scottish Greens, 18 April
The Scottish Green Party manifesto, to be launched today, will include proposals to put 0.5p onto the Scottish Variable Rate from 2013, the party announced today, working on the assumption that...
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Daily roundup: Scottish Conservatives, 18 April
Speaking as she launched the Scottish Conservative's Common Sense on Tax manifesto in Inverness yesterday morning, party leader Annabel Goldie said: “We live in tough economic times. Labour’s...
View ArticleWant TV without (much) product placement? Then watch Mad Men
They’re bringing Sexy Back. Or, to give it its other name, Mad Men. With Jon Hamm, January Jones, Christina Hendricks, Elisabeth Moss and John Slattery in its cast, there really is someone for everyone...
View ArticleUseful Scots word: mooth
By Betty Kirkpatrick The last two articles on Scots words have been about heid, Scots for head. This one deals with what is the most used part of the heid as far as many people are concerned, the...
View ArticleVideo: Finally no more silicon chips as Fife factory demolished
It was built at great expense in the late 1990s. Hyundai spent some £80m on developing a factory at Halbeath in Fife with the intention of producing silicon chips there. Not a single wafer was ever...
View ArticleBig boost to SNP as the Sun backs Salmond as first minister
There can’t have been many times when a single Sun front page gladdened the hearts of SNP activists as they passed news-stands all over the country – but it happened this morning. The splash headline...
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Greens launch manifesto with pledge to raise taxes to fund services
The Scottish Greens launched their manifesto today with a pledge to raises taxes to boost spending on public services. The Greens want to increase the so-called “Tartan Tax”, increasing income tax by...
View ArticleGiddy up! A quick trot round seven Scottish equestrian statues
By Elizabeth McQuillan and Dave Hewitt On the day that a famous old equestrian statue was put back on public display in Edinburgh, here is The Caledonian Mercury guide to that plus six other metal...
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Daily roundup: Scottish Labour, 19 April
Labour launched a new election leaflet yesterday, after the Tory-supporting Sun newspaper decided to back the SNP in its Scottish edition. Labour MP for Stirling Anne McGuire said: "People aren't daft...
View ArticleConservative campaign diary: bowls, boxing, brie and small business
The Caledonian Mercury has invited some of those in the election firing-line to send regular bulletins about the personal side of campaigning. David McLetchie is a former leader of the Scottish...
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