Introducing Scotland’s 56 newly elected Scottish National Party MPs earlier today, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “I am absolutely delighted – bursting with pride even – to introduce to you for the very first time as one assembled group the fifty six men and women elected on Thursday to make Scotland’s voice heard. “The people of Scotland have spoken and the people have placed their trust in the SNP to represent Scotland at Westminster as well as at Holyrood – and just as voters in almost every part of this nation of ours chose the SNP – our pledge is that these 56 SNP MPsRead More →

Fiscal autonomy, coupled with a comprehensive new economic strategy, could almost double the size of the Scottish economy over 25 years as well as increase Scotland’s public finances, propelling it to become one of the top five wealthiest countries in the world. These are the key findings of a new report published today (4th May) by independent business organisation, N-56 – Fiscal Autonomy: An Opportunity Not a Threat – which aims to support Scotland to become one of the top five wealthiest countries in the world through the delivery of a new economic strategy. This new economic strategy should include measures to boost productivity andRead More →

THIS election is like no other in modern times. It has seen the power of the Westminster establishment challenged as never before. That means the strength of the establishment parties is ebbing away – and that is a very healthy thing for democracy. In Scotland it means there is a fantastic opportunity to make our nation more powerful at Westminster than we have ever been before. Electing a strong group of SNP MPs to Westminster this Thursday will give Scotland potentially unprecedented power and influence at Westminster. And if Scotland – including those who have still to decide how they are voting – can uniteRead More →

This past week has been huge. Not that you would have seen that from the traditional media. For those of us who live too far from the central belt to attend things, we have really appreciated social media and those who used it to share events with us. The vibrancy from George Square in Glasgow last week just jumped out of the screens at us. Seeing the event from many different people’s vantage points helped to show us just how huge the event was. I still wonder that the community square, in what Scottish Labour consider to be their heartland, has played such a momentousRead More →

An open letter to the people of Scotland from 150 business owners and job creators. Opinion polls consistently show significant majority support for home rule, devo max or full fiscal autonomy. Whichever term is used, the definition of devo max is clear: all powers transferred from Westminster to Scotland with the exception of shared monetary policy, defence and foreign affairs. Extensive new powers – as close to federalism as possible – were promised to the people of Scotland by the No campaign during the referendum and, if implemented, would provide the Scottish Government with the powers required to generate strong and sustainable economic growth, createRead More →

Two weeks till the U.K. elections and we are hearing more about what the S.N.P. are about, on the main British news, than we are hearing about what the U.K. parties are offering us. Labour and Conservative parties have become trapped into trying to scare the electorate that the S.N.P. will combine with the other one to make the government from hell. The Lib Dems don’t know what planet they are on and Malcolm Bruce is getting pretty slanderous in his hatred of Alex Salmond. Nicola Sturgeon live on the “national” news programme more than once in the campaign. Who would have thunk it?  Read More →

SMITH COMMISSION IGNORED AHEAD OF EU MEETING Scotland has been stopped from having a direct voice at the top table in key EU Fisheries talks tomorrow despite the Smith Commission pledge that Scotland should lead when it has the “predominant policy interest”, and despite the UK Minister for the Marine Environment, George Eustice, being unable to attend. The SNP’s Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead had demanded Scotland lead for the UK in the crucial talks at the European Union’s Agriculture and Fisheries Council. However in a letter to Mr Lochhead the UK Government have now confirmed that instead an unelected Tory peer with no involvementRead More →

Shadow Chancellor, Ed Balls, has well and truly slipped from shadow of Gordon Brown, his political mentor and protector. Not content with slapping down Scottish Labour Leader, Jim Murphy, over future public service cuts in Scotland by a Labour-led Westminster Government in the way that Gordon Brown used to put down various Scottish Labour predecessors like Jack McConnell, Wendy Alexander and Iain Gray, the rhetoric of saving the Union continues with Mr Balls.   In response to suggestions that Labour and SNP will strike a deal after 7 May, Mr Balls told the Wolverhampton Express: “I’m not going to do it and Labour won’t doRead More →

Alex Neil launches new online resource. A new online toolkit will give communities information and advice on how they can make their town centres more attractive, active and accessible. The Town Centre Toolkit has been developed as one of the key actions from the Town Centre Action Plan, a plan which sets out measures to revitalise Scotland’s town centres. Using case studies for inspiration, the toolkit is designed to give everyone the opportunity to be involved in making improvements to their local area and offers guidance on how to make best use of the assets already in place. Examples include bringing historic buildings back intoRead More →

There is a bit missing in this tale set up to smear Nicola Sturgeon. Let me summarise: Nicola and the French Ambassador had a private meeting at which no UK civil servants were present.  A memorandum of what was said went out from the Scotland Office (the Westminster bit) which included some derogatory remarks about Ed Miliband, and complimentary remarks about David Cameron.  The writer of the memorandum said, in it “… I have to admit that I’m not sure that the FM’s tongue would be so loose on that kind of thing in a meeting like that so it might well be a caseRead More →