#scottish-politics

#scottish-politics

James IV, King of Scots, never had to worry about elections. This freed him up to satisfy his voracious curiosity with strange experiments: according to one old tale, in 1493 he trapped two children, and a nurse who couldn't talk, on Inchkeith Island in the Firth of Forth. James hoped that the children, deprived of modern influences on their speech, would naturally return to the true, divine language. They supposedly came back speaking Hebrew; for Walter Scott, it was more likely they would scream like their dumb nurse, or bleat like the sheep and goats on the island.

The whisky industry and business leaders were delighted by the US president's sudden announcement on his Truth Social network on Thursday that he would end the tariffs to mark the visit by King Charles and Queen Camilla.

I went to London 40 years ago with 2,000 of debt. Full of ambition, I worked hard and I was successful. Today, I own six houses, five cars and six boats.

Current liabilities far exceed both cash at hand and projected income. I wish to place on record my grateful thanks to the membership for their efforts for our party and for our cause. It has been a privilege to work with them. We can be proud of what we sought to achieve and also the support which we gave to our founder in his time of need.

People look at Holyrood and think: Lets give them all a bloody nose', says Alex, a betting shop manager. Speaking in a focus group of people who voted Labour at the 2024 general election, Alex captured the downbeat mood of a cohort bitterly disappointed with the Labour government's early performance, frustrated by the record of the Scottish National party and wearied by what they described as scandal after scandal polluting public life.

The government is teetering - and how long the prime minister now lasts is a live, legitimate and open question. Today has been extraordinary and it is not over yet. Westminster had barely had time to digest the departure of the prime minister's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, when we learnt that his Director of Communications Tim Allan was off as well. That happened shortly before lunchtime, the latest case study in a prime minister appearing rudderless and no longer in control of events.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

He urged moderate unionists no longer represented by the Tories and rational nationalists no longer represented by the SNP to find common ground in their support for Reform, but dismissed any prospect of a second referendum on independence in the medium term. I say no to the distraction of another referendum, for at least another 10 years, without ruling one out in the future, he said.

I think it it appropriate that I also apologise to this chamber and to all colleagues. For those of us who love this institution, it is important that we all act in a manner that does not bring it into disrepute. I wouldn't normally conduct myself in such a fashion. I regret that lapse last week and I wish to apologise to all colleagues.

Nicola Sturgeon describes feeling at risk of physical harm after JK Rowling's provocative T-shirt, which stated: 'Nicola Sturgeon, destroyer of women's rights.' She decried the vile abuse stemming from it.

Data from the Scottish Qualifications Authority showed this year's attainment gap was very similar to that of 2019, the year before the Covid crisis hit, when the gap for National 5s was 17 points.

Swinney stated, "It's quite clear that there is a genocide in Palestine - it can't be disputed." He expressed that reports of atrocities suggest genocidal actions.

We can't continue to leave this issue in the too difficult' box. That would be unforgivable.

Swinney’s focus is on delivering noticeable improvements in public services, especially in the NHS, which is seen as key for building voter trust and retaining power.