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Mark Smith

Mark Smith

Herald Scotland

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The new way of living that’s creeping into Scotland – it may be the only way forward

The new way of living that’s creeping into Scotland – it may be the only way forward

I’ve got to admit, it’s been a while since I’ve had any direct experience of the property market and what it’s like to buy and sell a house...

yesterday 7

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

The problems with Glasgow’s new e-bikes

The problems with Glasgow’s new e-bikes

One thing you may have noticed about me (the people who live with me certainly have) is that I do not like change – small changes, big changes, any...

06.07.2026 10

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Back off Mr Swinney – you’re the one with the “lack of knowledge”

Back off Mr Swinney – you’re the one with the “lack of knowledge”

In his big speech this week, Andy Burnham said politicians need to cooperate more and spend less time arguing and more time “pulling in the same...

04.07.2026 10

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Revealed at last – but can the plan to save a Glasgow icon work?

Saturday night: I’m out and about in the centre of Glasgow and I’m feeling all my usual love and anxiety for the place, my old friend and mentor....

29.06.2026 10

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Scottish MP’s accent is a sign of what we’re really like

The new Scottish Nationalist MP Lara Bird took the oath of allegiance in the House of Commons this week but she didn’t seem very happy about it did...

27.06.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

A new low in the arrogance of the SNP (and its helpers)

The first thing that made me angry this week was the sight of journalists being held behind newly erected barriers at Holyrood which mean they can’t...

21.06.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

A few harsh truths 10 years on from the Brexit vote

On Tuesday, it’ll be 10 years since the Brexit vote on June 23, 2016, but let me take you back to June 24, the morning after. We’ve woken up, the...

20.06.2026 10

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Do not be afraid of the D-word: there is a way to fix the Unionist split

The people of Aberdeen South go to the polls on Thursday and what a curious competition it has proved to be. The SNP candidate Richard Thomson has...

15.06.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Dear Grey Place: the crisis in Glasgow’s gardens

I’ve seen it happen near me and if you haven’t seen it happen near you, I’d be surprised. It has been called the “greying” effect and it’s...

13.06.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

A new machine in Glasgow that reminds us how bad our government really is

Chances are you haven’t noticed it yet: the first one has only just been installed in a shop in Glasgow. But keep your eyes peeled in the coming...

08.06.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

What sentence would you give Andrew Wilson? The decision matters

Imagine you’re a judge: the wig, the stern expression, the lot (some of you will find this easier than others). Now imagine there’s a man in the...

06.06.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

The surprising comeback of the council house

It’s always struck me as weird that Labour and the Left were so opposed to the sale of council houses. The idea was popular with the public,...

01.06.2026 20

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

The disappearance of Mark – and how all the old problems came back to haunt us

I was walking down the street recently when something happened that hasn’t happened to me for at least 30 years. I heard a woman, at the end of her...

30.05.2026 30

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

The Tories say my home town is dying. Are they right?

It’s natural when someone slags off the place you come from to get a bit defensive, so when the Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said this week that...

25.05.2026 30

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

A neighbourhood transformed? I have some questions

The man from the council, Angus Millar, was out and about in Glasgow this week talking about the improvements being made to the city centre. “The...

23.05.2026 30

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Why Israel did so well at the Eurovision Song Contest

The winner of the Eurovision Song Contest was asked on the night to explain the meaning of the lyrics to her song which go: “I’m the bangarang...

18.05.2026 30

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

The conundrum of ‘Britain’s first gay Prime Minister’

It is said of Wes Streeting that if he takes over from Keir Starmer, he would be Britain’s first gay Prime Minister. But I’m not so sure that’s...

16.05.2026 30

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

The 'chilling effect': a new warning over free speech

A group of lawyers which campaigns on free speech has sent an email to senior figures at Edinburgh University this week raising concerns about the...

11.05.2026 40

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Inside the Georgian house that could change things for Glasgow

I was saying the other day that there are several streets that lay bare the crisis in Glasgow and that one of them is Carlton Place, the Georgian...

09.05.2026 30

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Another closure, another chance to do something. Will we?

IT was quite a line-up. The Gypsy Pistoleros, a group of “glam-punk, goth ‘n’ roll outlaws mixing swagger-drenched punk anthems, dark cabaret...

04.05.2026 50

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

How power in Scotland ended up in all the wrong places

We’re now in the last-gasp days of the election campaign so the parties are mainly telling us to vote for them to stop something terrible. The SNP...

02.05.2026 40

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Can we fix the Scottish gap?

The latest polling for the election next week is interesting. Survation’s figures for the constituency vote are SNP 35%, Reform and Labour both 20,...

27.04.2026 30

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Three streets that lay bare the crisis in Glasgow

Take a look. Take a look at the excavators and the dump trucks, and the piles of bricks and sand, and the posters showing us what it might look like...

25.04.2026 30

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Three great policies that would win votes … and a few that won’t

I’ve got quite the collection now. One of them shows Anas Sarwar staring at something far off in the distance (could it be Keir?) Another shows John...

20.04.2026 30

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

The SNP's vision of independence can never happen

John Swinney says Scotland would be a better place after a yes vote, but the overlap between England and Scotland means their vision isn't going...

18.04.2026 30

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Swinney’s most reckless promise: fund the Clyde Tunnel

John Swinney has promised his government will directly fund the Clyde Tunnel if the SNP win the election. And a promise is a promise right? says Mark...

13.04.2026 40

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Scots are rediscovering the best seaside resort in Britain. I can see why

The signs are Scots are rediscovering their favourite seaside resort. Does it have lessons for the rest of the country, asks Mark Smith The first time...

11.04.2026 40

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Scotland’s latest ticket scandal – we need to fix it

New freedom of information data shows the scale of the problem with fines for litter. Can we fix it, asks Mark Smith Believe me when I say I have done...

30.03.2026 40

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Watt Brothers reborn – this is the way to do it

The latest plan for the old Watt Brothers store in Glasgow has been given the go-ahead. It's a great step forward, but we still need some...

23.03.2026 40

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

The difficult conversation we all need to have about Reform Scotland

Reform has launched its Scottish manifesto, but we should be talking about how we got here, says Mark Smith I was interested to hear Malcolm Offord,...

21.03.2026 40

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

'Writing’s on the wall for greyhound racing. Now let's ban horse racing'

Scotland's MSP vote today on ending greyhound racing. Green MSP Mark Ruskell has brought forward legislation that if passed would make it an...

18.03.2026 150

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Check your attitude to pigeons. They are not the problem, you are

A £150 fine. Plans for a cull. And volunteers checking on the birds in Central Station. What should we be doing with the pigeons in public spaces,...

16.03.2026 40

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

£1,000 for a great idea to make Glasgow better. Any takers?

Glasgow is battered and burnt, but an offer of £1,000 for ideas to make it better may be just what we need, says Herald columnist Mark Smith Ask...

14.03.2026 40

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

I’m part of the 40% that will decide the election. What on earth should we do?

With just weeks to go until the May elections, one cohort of Scottish voters may hold the result in their hands, says Mark Smith With a few weeks to...

09.03.2026 50

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Big plans for John Lewis: a sign of hope at last for our embattled high streets?

Change is afoot at John Lewis in Glasgow. Is it a sign of better things to come, asks Mark Smith It’s not easy when you see your life – or a large...

07.03.2026 50

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

First listen to the new Morrissey album – is it any good?

Morrissey's new album is out this week. It proves he is still the man we need, says Mark Smith There I am: 15 years old, thinking: is it me? and...

02.03.2026 40

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Charging to see Glasgow city chambers is the right decision. Now do the rest

Glasgow Council is proposing a charge to visit the city chambers. They should go much further, says Mark Smith All good artists, writers, musicians,...

28.02.2026 40

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

A bra in the face – and the skiving Scots: The very strange wisdom of a comedy genius

It's 100 years since the birth of Kenneth Williams. Is there some truth to be found in his diaries, asks Mark Smith This is how it ends: “saw...

23.02.2026 30

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Glasgow has changed us. But we may need a new law on drivers

New figures show the way we're using the roads in Glasgow is changing, but we may need to go further, says Mark Smith Here we go, into town, from...

21.02.2026 150

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Battle has commenced at St Andrews University. Will it go the right way?

An election that's begun at St Andrews University could have consequences for free speech. It must go the right way, says Mark Smith I know the...

16.02.2026 100

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

After Peggie: the people who will end this. But it won't be easy

What happens after the Sandie Peggie case? A summit at Holyrood has pointed the way forward, says Mark Smith I know that, sometimes, older people...

14.02.2026 50

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

The CCA and an Israel boycott – the alarm bells are ringing

The crisis at the CCA has exposed a deeply flawed approach to Israel, says Mark Smith Don’t call the police but the night the new CCA in Glasgow...

10.02.2026 50

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

The saga of the sword – it must come back to Glasgow

It went missing 40 years and could be on the way back. But should the controversial sword of George Square be allowed to return, asks Mark Smith One...

09.02.2026 40

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

I visited the best TV channel in Britain – where do we go from here?

A visit to the HQ of the most remarkable channel in Britain raises questions about the future of TV, says Mark Smith It looks like an ordinary room...

03.02.2026 40

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Is it really happening? Hope at last for Glasgow's junction of doom

The four corners junction in Glasgow demonstrates a lot of what's wrong with the city. But there may be signs of hope, says Mark Smith To be honest,...

01.02.2026 50

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

The website that changed me. Now it’s changing everything else

The BBC has dominated television forever, but now YouTube has overtaken it. It's changing who we are, says Mark Smith Don’t know about you but I...

27.01.2026 60

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Glasgow’s AI mural stooshie – there is a way forward

The AI-generated mural that has caused a stushie in Glasgow has rightly been condemned, but there is a way forward, says Mark Smith This is not,...

25.01.2026 40

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Scotland’s message – it's not good for the SNP

The latest Holyrood poll shows a win for the SNP, but what is Scotland's message really, asks Mark Smith Well, here we are folks, less than four...

20.01.2026 40

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

A society based on false intelligence – we’re living in it

The scandal over AI in the police raises the fear of a society based on false intelligence. Look around: we're living in it already, says Mark Smith ...

18.01.2026 30

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith

Can it be true? Ross Greer has got a point. But the danger’s still lurking

Ross Greer says Scotland needs a mansion tax. Could he have a point, asks Mark Smith Ross Greer of the Scottish Greens is the man who called Winston...

13.01.2026 30

Herald Scotland

Mark Smith