Iain Gray struggles to fight back in final tough leaders’ debate
Iain Gray tried his best to fight back both against the SNP and against further appalling poll news in the last of the televised debates tonight. But the Scottish Labour leader ultimately found...
View ArticleDaily election roundup, 3 May
Taxes and opinion polls dominated the political chatter yesterday, as the final poll results were published, the leaders debated on STV, and Labour and the Conservatives attacked the SNP’s plan to fund...
View ArticleWhen Marlborough woman met pink T-shirt man: a royal romance
Time for a moratorium on the phrases “So bad, it’s good” and “Guilty pleasures” from discussion on films, music and art. For so long the get-out-of-jail-free cards for the wearily ironic, these phrases...
View ArticlePatrick Harvie: a Green second vote for honesty and ambition
By Patrick Harvie The parties bidding for your vote on Thursday have all made their case now, and it's too late for any more relaunches. From my admittedly partisan perspective, the two key...
View ArticleIndependent campaign diary: barbershop debate and dodgy barbecues
The Caledonian Mercury has invited some of those in the election firing-line to send regular bulletins about the personal side of campaigning. Ken O'Neill is standing as an independent candidate in the...
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Lib Dem campaign diary: school-closure concerns in the sunshine
The Caledonian Mercury has invited some of those in the election firing-line to send regular bulletins about the personal side of campaigning. Alison Hay is the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for...
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Travel in hope on the super-powered milk-van of devolved Scotland
I must have written four or five pre-election columns in my quarter-century of journalism – and they're always a hostage to fortune. I remember writing something before an election in which "Scotland...
View ArticleFun with the poll that gives independence an absolute majority
By James Browne According to a TNS-BRMB poll for STV, the SNP and Greens are on course for a total of 69 seats in the Scottish Parliament, giving pro-independence parties an absolute majority. But...
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Conservative campaign diary: leaders’ debates and lamp-post polling
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...
View ArticleVideo: Alex Salmond on why you should vote SNP
The Alternative Debate: In the spirit of open discussion, The Caledonian Mercury is giving the leaders of Scotland’s main parties the chance to explain why you should vote for them. Alex Salmond...
View ArticleDiplomacy and draw offers: Scottish arbiter at the chess high table
At first glance, there is a distinct lack of Scottish or even British involvement in the world chess championship candidates tournament, which starts today and runs until 27 May in the city of Kazan,...
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Electionspeak: vote
By Betty Kirkpatrick If the word vote had remained true to its linguistic origins it would have been the politicians, not the electorate, doing the voting. Ultimately, the verb vote comes from the...
View ArticleElection newsflash: Nowt happened yet
12.15am update And we’re off. The telethon that is coverage of the Scottish General Election has begun. BBC Scotland’s Brian Taylor, in bebraced splendour, is taking us through his notional holds - an...
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Election newsflash: Labour hold seat they were always going to hold
Labour have held Rutherglen. No surprise there then. But the SNP vote was up 16 per cent – a swing of 7.4 per cent from Labour. If that was replicated across Scotland, nobody has any idea what would...
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Scottsh Election: Labour and Lib Dems taking one hell of a beating early on
3am update As the pundits painfully and relentlessly tell us: "It's early days," but the SNP are having a great night. Labour and the Lib Dems are not. To put it lightly. The Lib Dem vote appears to...
View ArticleScottish Election: Labour leader hangs on, just, as colleagues washed away in...
Key points SNP landslide: huge gains in traditional Labour constituencies Lib Dem vote completely collapsing Regional seats not yet counted The Scottish Labour leader came within a whisker of losing...
View ArticleWelcome to Scotland’s 1997
Key Points SNP secures absolute majority in Scottish Parliament Labour leader Iain Gray to stand down "in the autumn" Lib Dems all but wiped out Margo MacDonald reelected Welcome to Scotland’s 1997....
View ArticleWeir’s Week: fast cars, Brut force and the other Mr Trump
By Stewart Weir Saturday Royal weddings are not popular everywhere, some might say particularly around this parish. But the big match, with the end result of Hearts 2 United 1, captured the nation, or...
View ArticleUK reviews its aid relationship with Malawi after diplomatic row
By John Knox The absence of the Syrian ambassador was widely noted, but another diplomat not invited to last week's royal wedding was Malawi’s high commissioner to Britain, Flossie Gomile-Chidyaonga....
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Mar a chailleas neach iomairt-taghaidh
A bheil cuimhne agad air? Am Pàrtaidh Làbarach ann an Alba. Ceithear bliadhna air ais, bha mi a’ sgrìobhadh ann an riochd eile dha fear de na pàipearan-naidheachd. Sgrìobh mi aig an àm ma dheidhinn ar...
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