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Andy Burnham could blow Scottish indy out of the water - if he does this one thing

Andy Burnham could blow Scottish indy out of the water - if he does this one thing

This article appears as part of the Unspun: Scottish Politics newsletter. Scottish independence already exists in a strange quantum state. If you...

yesterday 10

Herald Scotland

Neil Mackay

Why an 18th century Edinburgh execution could shape Christa Pike’s fate

Why an 18th century Edinburgh execution could shape Christa Pike’s fate

I was on tour in Scotland with my friend Martin Frizzell, with whom I present the podcast This Much is True Crime a few months ago. On the Edinburgh...

yesterday 7

Herald Scotland

David Wilson

Why peak Andy Burnham could be the best moment to call an election

Why peak Andy Burnham could be the best moment to call an election

It was okay, I thought, Andy Burnham's speech to the Labour Party conference in Liverpool earlier this week. It was fine. The giddy excitement...

yesterday 10

Herald Scotland

Andy Maciver

Twist in tale but loss of Scottish company head office just the same

Twist in tale but loss of Scottish company head office just the same

So there was, after all, yet another twist in the tale in the bid battle for a long-established Scottish company. However, while the bidder now poised...

yesterday 10

Herald Scotland

Ian McConnell

Are unelected officials being given too much power in Scotland’s councils?

Are unelected officials being given too much power in Scotland’s councils?

This article appears as part of the Lessons to Learn newsletter. Although a lot of the headlines around education in Scotland concern national...

previous day 10

Herald Scotland

James McEnaney

Edinburgh has banned loud music on its buses. The whole country next, please.

Edinburgh has banned loud music on its buses. The whole country next, please.

Edinburgh’s buses have taken the plunge in solving a modern nuisance. Under new terms concerning anti-social behaviour, passengers can now be...

previous day 10

Herald Scotland

Derek McArthur

I thought buying a tenement meant security. This is my worst nightmare

I thought buying a tenement meant security. This is my worst nightmare

Scaffolding is the business to be in, it seems. Each week, residents evacuated from a crumbling Glasgow tenement must pay £5,000 a week for the...

previous day 10

Herald Scotland

Marissa Macwhirter

How to eat and drink your way around one of the 'world's coolest neighbourhoods'

How to eat and drink your way around one of the 'world's coolest neighbourhoods'

It’s official: Govanhill is one of the world’s coolest neighbourhoods. Or at least that's according to Time Out, which declared that while...

previous day 10

Herald Scotland

Sarah Campbell

Glasgow is a rock city – so where is its heavy metal festival?

Glasgow is a rock city – so where is its heavy metal festival?

Devotees of the heavy rock and metal music genre have long fought against discrimination and wilful distortion. We’re dismissed as rough and...

previous day 10

Herald Scotland

Kevin McKenna

Tracking apps and helicopter parents are creating a generation of snowflakes

Tracking apps and helicopter parents are creating a generation of snowflakes

In September 1988, I walked out of the front door of my parents’ house and didn’t come back until Christmas Eve. I was off to university. In the...

previous day 10

Herald Scotland

Neil Mackay

If you really want to tackle drugs deaths, why not let the police do their job?

If you really want to tackle drugs deaths, why not let the police do their job?

The simple, brutal truth is no one really cares about junkies. They don’t vote, are economically inactive, commit a disproportionate amount of...

wednesday 10

Herald Scotland

Calum Steele

Are you ready for movies to go MAGA? Well, you better be because it’s about to happen

Are you ready for movies to go MAGA? Well, you better be because it’s about to happen

Hollywood, and the rest of the American film and TV industry, has never been just about entertainment. It’s a values machine. Domestically, it...

wednesday 10

Herald Scotland

Neil Mackay

Contrasting fortunes for Glasgow and Edinburgh as attractiveness ratings revealed

Contrasting fortunes for Glasgow and Edinburgh as attractiveness ratings revealed

There was much for one of Scotland’s two biggest cities to celebrate in the latest attractiveness league table. For the other, the news was, while...

wednesday 20

Herald Scotland

Ian McConnell

The mad world of Scotland’s grid – where giant data centres could save wasted wind

The mad world of Scotland’s grid – where giant data centres could save wasted wind

This article appears as part of the Winds of Change newsletter. One of the arguments in favour of Scotland becoming host to a slew of giant,...

29.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Vicky Allan

Beware the profits of doom: here's why you should be very afraid of the future of AI

Beware the profits of doom: here's why you should be very afraid of the future of AI

As a small child growing up in Glasgow, Saturday afternoon trips into the city centre came with free al fresco theatre. On Sauchiehall Street there...

29.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Kevin McKenna

Shame on them: Drumcree Orangemen desecrate the memory of the dead

Shame on them: Drumcree Orangemen desecrate the memory of the dead

It seems the dead are easily forgotten. Men like Michael McGoldrick, Robert Hamill and Frank O’Reilly. Women like Rosemary Nelson. Children like...

29.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Neil Mackay

Why Scotland should only hold an independence referendum at 60% Yes

Why Scotland should only hold an independence referendum at 60% Yes

There’s long been a conspiracy of silence at Holyrood. If Vigil’s DI Kirsten Longacre had John Swinney locked in an interview room with a bare...

29.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Rebecca McQuillan

What if Scotland's next growth opportunity lies beyond its cities?

What if Scotland's next growth opportunity lies beyond its cities?

For generations, most ambitious Scots believed that if they wanted to build a serious career or company, they would eventually need to move to...

29.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Kristy Dorsey

Data centres could transform Scotland, but only if we learn from the past

Data centres could transform Scotland, but only if we learn from the past

Last week, the Herald knocked it out of the park with its special reports on AI and the explosion of data centre applications in Scotland. By the...

28.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Roz Foyer

If we can’t get this road right, Glasgow really is screwed

If we can’t get this road right, Glasgow really is screwed

The stones and the streets, they mean something. At the bottom of the hill was the Grassroots cafe, where I ate many plates of chips, and along the...

28.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Why ministers should drop Israel-linked firm from ScotRail tender process

Why ministers should drop Israel-linked firm from ScotRail tender process

Over the years, there have been many different excuses put forward for trains being delayed, from leaves on the line to the wrong type of snow....

28.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Alan Simpson

What I told MSPs about the £5bn question facing Scotland's economy

What I told MSPs about the £5bn question facing Scotland's economy

I’d say most of the Scottish parliamentary action since Holyrood returned from its summer break has taken place in the committee rooms. Some of the...

28.09.2026 10

Herald Scotland

Colin Borland

The flurry of news from the Scottish airport just kept on coming. What next?

The flurry of news from the Scottish airport just kept on coming. What next?

The flurry of news on Edinburgh Airport just kept on coming last week. Hard on the heels of the announcement the previous week that London Gatwick...

28.09.2026 10

Herald Scotland

Ian McConnell

Why winning a pub quiz taught me the value of island friendships

Why winning a pub quiz taught me the value of island friendships

In every pub quiz I’ve ever taken part in, it has always ended in a resounding loss. I’ll go in confident, fuelled by a mediocre general knowledge...

27.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Elle Duffy

I saw what Winter Fuel cut did to my party — scrapping triple lock would be worse

I saw what Winter Fuel cut did to my party — scrapping triple lock would be worse

With the budget approaching, George Foulkes warns the government against turning young against old by dismantling the triple lock. In politics U-turns...

27.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

George Foulkes

Local CABs are an essential compass to help navigate social security

Local CABs are an essential compass to help navigate social security

Acknowledging the need for help when living with a long-term health condition or disability is a profoundly challenging step to take for most people....

26.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Erica Young

There’s a clue to Diana’s fate in Scottish history

There’s a clue to Diana’s fate in Scottish history

At half past six on the morning of Sunday 31 August, 1997, I was woken by the telephone. It was the deputy editor of The Scotsman, telling me that...

26.09.2026 30

Herald Scotland

Rosemary Goring

Tinkering with the tourist tax is not going to fix the housing crisis

Tinkering with the tourist tax is not going to fix the housing crisis

One criticism of Edinburgh Council’s plans to spend its tourist tax windfall was that in trying to satisfy competing demands the result was a thin...

26.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

John McLellan

Marra has had a good start – but the real problems lie ahead

Marra has had a good start – but the real problems lie ahead

As he heads to his party’s annual conference in Liverpool, Michael Marra is entitled to feel mildly content with his first week as Scottish Labour...

26.09.2026 30

Herald Scotland

Brian Taylor

The radical shake-up we’ve all been waiting for

The radical shake-up we’ve all been waiting for

We now know, definitively, thanks to Collette Stevenson, SNP MSP for East Kilbride, that Transport Scotland is not a registered charity so thanks once...

26.09.2026 30

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Why MSPs must call Edinburgh University chiefs to testify about programme cuts

Why MSPs must call Edinburgh University chiefs to testify about programme cuts

The University of Edinburgh has become my white whale in recent months, so it seems.  Over the last two weeks, I have broken a number of exclusives...

25.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco

If SNP want independence, they need to put the economy above endless welfare splurges

If SNP want independence, they need to put the economy above endless welfare splurges

In this column last week, I downplayed (with some justification, I think) the significance of the Cardiff Agreement between the leaders of the...

25.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Andy Maciver

There is the doomsaying on Glasgow. Then there is this

There is the doomsaying on Glasgow. Then there is this

There has been no shortage of hand-wringing over Glasgow city centre in recent times. Clearly, there are areas of the city centre that present major...

25.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Ian McConnell

Why Glasgow needs places where you don't have to spend money just to exist

Why Glasgow needs places where you don't have to spend money just to exist

A problem I encountered all summer was trying to stay on a budget while realistically not being able to spend all day in the park. For all the effort...

25.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Marissa Macwhirter

John Swinney has shown disabled Scots where they sit on his list of priorities

John Swinney has shown disabled Scots where they sit on his list of priorities

This article appears as part of the Lessons to Learn newsletter. “I recognise the concerns that have been raised about the Government’s decision...

24.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

James McEnaney

The Burnham bounce is over and Labour should be worried

The Burnham bounce is over and Labour should be worried

Labour's annual national conference runs from this Sunday until next Wednesday. It will be the first conference of the self-styled 'King of...

24.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Gregor Gall

Why the new Legacy Bill deserves support from all sides in Northern Ireland

Why the new Legacy Bill deserves support from all sides in Northern Ireland

Donald Trump’s musings on Irish unity produced surprisingly little reaction. Political analysis is not seen as one of his strong points. And many...

24.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

George Fergusson

Scotland’s galleries cannot forever be held to ransom by wealthy collectors

Scotland’s galleries cannot forever be held to ransom by wealthy collectors

National Galleries Scotland has acquired a large group of twentieth-century Scottish paintings assembled from the collection of a private donor. The...

24.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Derek McArthur

Why a new whisky was enough to tempt me onto the West Highland Way

Why a new whisky was enough to tempt me onto the West Highland Way

There are very few circumstances under which I would agree to any sort of trek in the great outdoors.  I abhor clunky walking boots that always seem...

24.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Sarah Campbell

This MSP made an embarrassing blunder – she doesn’t deserve to be destroyed for it

This MSP made an embarrassing blunder – she doesn’t deserve to be destroyed for it

At a meeting of Holyrood's Transport Committee last Wednesday morning, Collette Stevenson initiated proceedings by asking a detailed question...

24.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Kevin McKenna

Ending child poverty is Scotland's defining mission... but where's the policy?

Ending child poverty is Scotland's defining mission... but where's the policy?

This article appears as part of the Unspun: Scottish Politics newsletter. A few weeks on from the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government,...

23.09.2026 10

Herald Scotland

Fiona King

That's rich: how come we pay Police Scotland top brass so much for so little?

That's rich: how come we pay Police Scotland top brass so much for so little?

This may surprise you, but I’m one of those people who happens to believe we don’t pay members of Parliament enough. Unfortunately, that belief...

23.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Calum Steele

The big challenge facing Scottish airport's new chief given flight wins joy

The big challenge facing Scottish airport's new chief given flight wins joy

You could make the argument that it is easier for a chief executive to take the controls at a business after a period of underperformance, rather than...

23.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Ian McConnell

Data centres look like wind all over again. When will communities get gain, not pain?

Data centres look like wind all over again. When will communities get gain, not pain?

This article appears as part of the Winds of Change newsletter. So often what’s going on with hyperscale data centres and communities feels like...

22.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Vicky Allan

Michael Marra is trying to reclaim patriotism. Labour may be right to do so

Michael Marra is trying to reclaim patriotism. Labour may be right to do so

First, a confession: “patriotism” in politics gives me the ick. It has connotations. I think of men in red and white Crusader tabards, or...

22.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Rebecca McQuillan

Watchdog's ScotWind warnings boost case for North Sea oil developments

Watchdog's ScotWind warnings boost case for North Sea oil developments

Concerns mount over Scotland's faltering offshore wind drive as North Sea industry leaders claim tax cuts could unlock 100 North Sea oil projects...

22.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Mark Williamson

Students are demanding more power at Glasgow University. Here's why

“It is my intent that my door is always open.” Those were the words of Glasgow University’s Principal and Vice Chancellor, Prof Andy Schofield,...

21.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Isaac Baldwin

The troubling trend hiding in plain sight across the arts sector in Britain

Back in 2015 Jack Rooke brought his debut show Good Grief to the Edinburgh Fringe. Based on his own life as the son of a Watford cab driver, it was a...

21.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Teddy Jamieson

Despite the tariffs, US is open for Scottish firms - here's how to seize the chance

Trade has always been about more than the exchange of goods and services. At its best, it is about people, relationships, opportunity and recognition...

21.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Ian Houston

Music can't remain separate from politics when artists speak out for Palestine

There’s something magical about music. Whether it’s an open-air stadium tour or whether you were, like me, seeing Primal Scream at the Barrowlands...

21.09.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Roz Foyer