On:
In: Guest Blogger

I am a political junkie – there I have said it out loud!  Not that there has ever been any doubt about my status. There is a family joke that infers that should there be a by-election in say, Outer Mongolia, then I will stay up all night to watch the results as they come in!  There may just be a grain of truth in this as, since becoming franchised some 5o years ago, I have always known how I would vote and have campaigned with passion and commitment for an Independent Scotland. In fact, it is probably true to say that I “live andRead More →

On:
In: Margaret Hamilton

For the first time in my adult voting life I am scared. Really, I seriously am. Terrified that the Conservative elite have dragged us into this position because they could not understand their electorate and see this as the solution to internal party battles and as a reaction to UKIP. The only people we are hearing anything from are the privileged in society. They are throwing monetary figures around without doing any of the sums and appealing to the fears of the lowest common denominator of the population. Each side are just lobbying verbal bombs at each other, appear to have no strategy and absolutelyRead More →

On:
In: Political News

SNP MP Stephen Gethins has today written to the Vote Leave campaign calling on them to abandon their negative campaign after his image and misconstrued comments appeared on official Vote Leave campaign literature without his permission. Vote Leave used an image of Stephen Gethins MP on an official Vote Leave leaflet without his permission and used comments out of context to make it look as though he is in favour of the UK leaving the EU. The SNP is actively promoting the positive case for the UK’s continued membership of the EU with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon joining Leanne Wood, leader of Plaid Cymru, andRead More →

On:
In: Maureen Forbes

Sixteen and seventeen year olds were historically able to vote for the first time in the Scottish Referendum. Many people disagreed with this decision claiming that young people were not interested, did not know enough about the world, could not be trusted to choose properly and basically, should just leave anything important to the grown ups. There was a lack of understanding that whatever decision was reached would impact on these young people more than anyone else who was voting. The change in opportunities that could have arisen affect the younger generation far more than it would mine and my parents. Many teenagers relished theRead More →

On:
In: Margaret Hamilton

STURGEON, LUCAS AND WOOD FOCUS ON BENEFITS ON EU MEMBERSHIP   Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of Plaid Cymru Leanne Wood and Green MP Caroline Lucas have today called on those who share progressive values, believe in the protection of human and social rights and support equality to back membership of the EU in the referendum next month. Encouraging people to register to vote, in order to protect the benefits of the EU the three leading politicians met in the shadow of the statue to Emmeline Pankhurst at Westminster to issue a joint statement in support of EU membership. Scotland’s First Minister and SNP Leader NicolaRead More →

On:
In: Stephen Bird

There is an old cliché which we all fall back on some times, about having won the debate and lost the vote. Especially true in Council Chambers across Scotland where after the 2012 elections unionists cobbled together all manner of coalitions which had one aim; to stop Independence and the SNP. But in the run up to, and on, polling day this year, one thing which became increasingly obvious was that although we lost the vote on September 18 2014, the debate is virtually over. Nothing made this more obvious than the sheer hostility unionists displayed over even flying the Saltire, even more so SNPRead More →

On:
In: Grant Thoms

This is a refresh of the Leader column of Issue 1047 of the Scots Independent. The original online copy can be purchased at https://scotsindependent.scot/ocart2/index.php?route=product/product&path=79_81&product_id=154   The battle for the Scottish Parliament is over but the volume of claim and counter claim for regional voting strategy, especially for SNP voters, is enough to burst a few blood vessels. How times have changed for Scotland’s independence parties. The SNP has now become the dominant party of Scotland and is portrayed in some people’s eyes as the Establishment. We were promised by the likes of the Sunday Herald that a majority was in the bag and how SNPRead More →

On:
In: Margaret Hamilton

In the fuggy, sleep deprived day that is the day after polling it was hard to find all the facts and figures of the poll. Listening to the media was of no use. Admittedly the S.N.P. made the top headline on the B.B.C. English news which startled me. Listening to Radio Scotland however was a different game. They were in deep mourning at the reduced size of the Scottish Labour parliamentary group and ecstatic about the surge in the Scottish Conservative representation. Clever wee Willie is now the proper M.S.P. for his daddies part of Fife. No mention thought of the Greens overtaking the LiberalRead More →

On:
In: Margaret Hamilton

If you are reading this on the day it goes out, you will either have voted or are about to go. If not, get your shoes on and get yourself to the polling station. It’s been a weird experience this election. Most of the political commentators say this too. Possibly one of the most striking reasons is that women have been to the fore, and youngish women at that. It gladdens the heart to see so many younger people taking on the powers that be and agreeing with Nicola and her team that things can be done differently in this new (ish) century. I heardRead More →