What now for the Scottish Labour leadership?
Colin Smyth, Scottish Labour’s general secretary, must have felt like an unlucky punter with a host of selections in the Grand National as the results came through last night. As it became clear that...
View ArticleOpinion: the time for the independence referendum is now
The Caledonian Mercury is politically neutral. The Caledonian Mercury does not endorse any viewpoint over another. The Caledonian Mercury is a forum to celebrate all the voices of Scotland. The...
View ArticleDiary: So, will Mr Salmond wear the kilt (66/1) or eat a curry (4/1)?
Anyone who lost money betting on the election may find a way of making it back by wagering on Alex Salmond’s choice of celebratory meal or his chances of appearing as James Bond. According to...
View ArticleThree hundred years on, a few sceptical thoughts on David Hume
By John Knox Before we get carried away by the 300th anniversary of David Hume, let’s remember that he was to blame for making us a nation of sceptics. The Scottish shrug of the shoulders and the...
View ArticleThree hundred years on, a few sceptical thoughts on David Hume
By John Knox Before we get carried away by the 300th anniversary of David Hume, let’s remember that he was to blame for making us a nation of sceptics. The Scottish shrug of the shoulders and the...
View ArticlePeacocks, upheavals and casual wear: a remarkable day of politics
Just before 5:30pm on the day after polling day, as the first minister’s helicopter touched down on the lawn at Prestonfield House, “Edinburgh’s most luxurious and charming five star hotel”, the TV...
View ArticleEncouraging echoes of the Argentina of 1983 in the Scotland of 2011
Those who know me know that I am not from these parts. Like many, however, I have been in a kind of swoon since the SNP’s electoral triumph, the like of which I had not experienced since … well, an...
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Alex Salmond meets old and new faces in the SNP MSP intake
By James Browne Scottish first minister Alex Salmond met his new parliamentary colleagues today – some of them for the first time. “I’d like to say I knew everybody in the new group," Mr Salmond said,...
View ArticleTavish Scott resigns as Scottish Liberal Democrat leader
By James Browne Tavish Scott today announced his resignation as leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats. Mr Scott is understood to be “devastated” by the losses suffered by his party in Thursday’s...
View ArticleCombative, cavalier and gloriously old-school: the wonder of Seve
Severiano Ballesteros, one of the golfing greats – and the favourite of many golfers, from seasoned professionals to high-handicap amateurs – died yesterday at the age of 54. Doug Small offers his...
View ArticleUseful Scots word: lug
By Betty Kirkpatrick Lug is not a pretty word and this is reflected in its meaning in English. The word means to carry or drag something heavy with a great deal of effort. It conjures up images of...
View ArticleHow hazardous waste in Lanarkshire had an effect at Holyrood
By Stewart Weir It was around 1:30am on Friday, in East Kilbride. Andy Kerr had just become Labour’s first high-profile casualty when those with Holyrood ambitions in the nearby constituency of...
View ArticleOpinion: So, this Holyrood majority – is it good for business?
By Colin Borland, head of external affairs for the Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland Well, I told you. Right here in this column last month, I said that Holyrood 2011 was going to be a...
View ArticleAnnabel Goldie steps down as Scottish Conservative leader
Annabel Goldie became the third leadership casualty of this election this afternoon when she announced she was standing down as Scottish Conservative leader. Miss Goldie is due to face a contest for...
View ArticleBreastfeeding leads to fewer behavioural problems, says new research
Children who have been breastfed as babies are less likely to have behavioural problems than those fed only on formula, according to research published today. A large-scale study has shown that...
View ArticleWill Janelle Monáe share Aloe Blacc’s success at Dollar academy?
Sometimes a record is irresistible. It might not be to everyone’s taste – James Blunt’s You’re Beautiful, Britney Spears’ …Baby One More Time, Franz Ferdinand’s Take Me Out, Damien Rice’s Cannonball,...
View ArticleOpinion: Scottish? British? Independence is a question of identity
By Dominic Wolsey Like most people, I was stunned by the magnitude of the SNP’s victory last week and the apparent shift in perceptions of Scotland and in expectations for our future. As someone who...
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SNP win may take Scotland out of digital dark ages
Regardless of your politics, the SNP's stunning election victory may have one very beneficial side-effect: dragging Scotland out of the digital dark ages. Quite how dark these are was demonstrated by...
View ArticleSunny and dry, but just a bit too blowy for a Dumyat hill race record
Last Wednesday evening’s 38th running of the annual Dumyat hill race was a good example of how two outwardly similar hill days can actually be quite different. The race – up and down the craggy...
View ArticleWhen turkey red was king: Ballikinrain Castle and the Orr-Ewings
By Elizabeth McQuillan Hidden within the Stirlingshire countryside, on the north-facing slopes of the Campsie Fells and obscured by plantations of conifers and feral rhododendron bushes, is a rather...
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