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![]() Kevin MckennaThe Guardian |
First, the bad news. According to the prophecy of St Malachy, a 13th century Irish bishop, Pope Francis was the last of St Peter’s 266 successors....
An hour had passed since the death of Pope Francis yesterday morning and already the BBC people were asking bewildered guests about his "legacy"....
TO Edinburgh, where a large contingent of feminists have gathered to hear the Supreme Court’s verdict on For Women Scotland versus Scottish...
The civic Scotland gravy train has finally made it to Bute House. If you listen very carefully, you can hear it rumble over the tracks as it moves on...
In the earliest days of the newly-reconvened Scottish Parliament a tired refrain could be heard from assorted Unionist curmudgeons. “It doesn’t...
I’ve been disturbed by some of the online commentary about Nicola Sturgeon following the news that she’ll face no charges relating to Operation...
Long before the police began to investigate claims of child sex abuse at Celtic Boys Club more than one whistle-blower had attempted to alert Celtic...
Is the Devil afoot? And if he is, then why aren’t we being told? In the last week or so, reports from around the world indicate that the Prince...
Several moments have typified the abduction of the UK left and its replacement by a counterfeit class of artisan activists. None though, seemed as...
A reasonable barometer to measure how much an elected politician "worked for you" is to track their employment history after leaving politics. They...
As Glasgow’s first St Patrick’s Day parade wound down towards the Merchant City from Blythswood Square on Saturday morning, some old men could be...
MUCH jollity will ensue in the next few weeks as it becomes clear who in Scotland’s swollen suite of civic panjandrums has been invited to John...
I spent a rewarding few hours last week with Susan Aitken, leader of Glasgow City Council. She’d initially been slightly wary, I felt, and this was...
In the decade or so that’s passed since the referendum on independence the scale of the SNP’s betrayal of the wider movement has been...
What better way to side-track the liberal left from their main goal of relieving poverty and opposing capitalism than by promoting an imaginary dogma...
Any reasonable person who cares about the welfare of Scotland’s avian community should welcome the prospect of restrictions on the activities of...
For an unholy Catholic like me who’ll require snookers to get into heaven the prospect of Tommy Burns joining the pantheon of saints is a beguiling...
The phone signal was a little jaggy when my colleague called to tell me that our First Minister had joined the Falun Gong. And so, for a few glorious...
One consequence of Donald Trump’s second presidency has been overlooked, but it’s no less insidious for that. As the 47th US president’s...
Anyone who has ever endured the pain of divorce will spare a thought for Nicola Sturgeon and her husband, Peter Murrell as they announced the end of...
For those who live and move and have their being inside Scotland and the UK’s political Panopticon there was very little peace and no goodwill...
On Cambridge Street, the tributary that runs into Sauchiehall Street from Cowcaddens, Mr Lim, owner of the Oriental Supermarket is out inspecting...
It’s now fashionable for political leaders to seek a legacy when the time comes for them to demit their high offices. If they achieved little of...
Professor Sir John Curtice is the alpha and the omega of psephology; the pole star of political science. Such is his eloquent wisdom around the...
My primary school teacher would occasionally chivvy us out of our bad habits with an assortment of admonitory apercus. One of her favourites was a...
In the digital age, journalists must exercise a measure of caution when judging the levels of response to their work. We have all learned to...
As plans for 'assisted dying' advance through Holyrood and Westminster, columnist Kevin McKenna looks into his crystal ball - and doesn't like what...
Has the organised and professional left ever been more out of touch with the people it purports to represent? The question is worth asking, I...
An insidious inversion of what we consider to be "liberal" has occurred across the UK in recent years. This has often been evident in the targeting...
Being an affable sort of chiel who never bears grudges, I was happy to impart some advice to Stephen Flynn towards the end of last year when we...
The greatest ever match report about the brutal world of Ayrshire Junior football was written 30 years by Graham Spiers, then Scotland’s...
Not long ago, I conducted a small survey among members of my family and some of my drinking colleagues. They only had to answer one question: are...
The failure of the counterfeit left to understand Donald Trump’s presidential victory was lamentably evident in Tim Walz’s response the following...
At around 5.30am the truth began to dawn on Kamala Harris. That was when she cancelled her proposed victory speech at her Washington campaign...
Though I support Scottish independence, I’m probably not its staunchest or most compelling advocate. Self-determination is merely my preference;...
I HAD the pleasure of interviewing the Scottish poet Jenny Lindsay last week. She is one of the bravest and most inspiring people I’ve ever...
Some of us who questioned the conduct of the Scottish Government leading up to and following the trial of Alex Salmond nevertheless recoiled at...
Having listened to both sides of the Assisted Dying debate, it may be that there’s absolutely nothing to worry about after all. In these straitened...
Of course, it’s safer to castigate a man for his moral flaws after he’s safely gone. You know there can be no prospect of ever having contact with...
On Sunday afternoon, I joined a few hundred members of Glasgow’s Jewish community at Kelvingrove Museum to remember the victims of last October 7....
Billy Connolly once described Holyrood as a “wee pretendy parliament”. Many of us who love Scotland’s greatest comic quietly wished he’d not...
The new abortion buffer zone law is in the finest traditions of Scotland’s enlightened approach to freedom of belief. Everybody says so. The bill...
Glasgow will celebrate its 850th birthday next year, but judging by the city council’s invitation to the party no one can accuse them of getting...
I’ve developed a slovenly habit when visiting some of Scotland’s pre-loved seaside towns. It’s triggered when you pass the first barren space...
My very good friend, George Galloway – the Brian Clough of British politics – made a startling declaration on his Twitter/X account last week. Mr...
Perhaps we should cut Sir Keir Starmer some slack over his scorched earth approach to leadership. The new Prime Minister has been hoovering up...
In August, 2014, a small group of working-class women from Govan invited me to share in their discussion about the forthcoming independence...
In the first decade of devolution a tale unfolded about how the Scottish liberal elites routinely trample over the basic human rights of...
For those of you who have never attended the annual conference of a major political party, the Fear of Missing Out will never haunt what remains of...
For me, Scottish independence was a preference rather than an all-consuming passion. Although, as the subterfuges and misinformation of the No camp...