Alex Salmond’s Alba Party is a sideshow built in toxic masculinity
When Alex Salmond decides to try to destroy his protégé because she refused to fiddle the complaints against him, the media love it as soap opera. But in truth, his…
Why Indy Ref 2.0 is not ‘inevitable’
Wikipedia: The Scottish Parliament from Holyrood Park, Edinburgh. The consensus is that a second independence referendum is now inevitable. The SNP assertion in its 2016 manifesto of the Scottish Parliament’s…
Time to take Britain out of our greatness
This guest post from Anthony Barnett was first on Our Kingdom Alex Salmond’s Hugo Young lecture, delivered yesterday evening in King's Place, the Guardian's headquarters, was an enjoyable affair. It…
Scottish Independence: the no campaign and how to deal with it
It is becoming clear what the strategy of the 'no' to independence campaign will be: confusion. So far, we've had a few opening shots: lines which the UK nationalists presumably…
Three things about the independence referendum scrap
First: let's get one thing straight. Nations have a right to self determination in international law. David Cameron may quibble about the devolved powers of the Holyrood Parliament under the…
The Scottish referendum – don’t write off a yes vote
There are three golden rules: It's not over till it's over; never get involved in a land war in Asia, and never, ever, write off Alex Salmond. At some point…
On the North Sea oil spill
So, it turns out that the Shell oil leak is anything but contained. After three days of telling no one that there was a leak in the North Sea, Shell…
Independence is not the point
The debate around Scottish independence often seems to miss something: there is no such thing as an independent country. Britain, for example, is a member of the EU, the UN,…
Holyrood 2011: personality politics
As you drive through Alyth, it is the yellow flashes that catch your eye - daffodils, primroses and placards. This is John Swinney country. In the small towns between Perth…